Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

"Wealth, Privilege. That is Carly's like, and guess what. It's. Getting. On. Her. Nerves. Carly is ready to ditch the Southern princess act and become real. The thing is, she's always counted on her little sister, Anna, to love and support her - and tell her how right she is. But when Anna turns "hot" over the course of a summer, everything goes weird. Suddenly Anna's swimming in the deep end with the big girls while Carly watches from the kiddie pool, alone. Carly's always relied on her sister, but now everything is different, and she's not so sure she likes it."

So earlier today my family decided to have a beach day, which immediately made me think "book day!" So I brought along this book that was the original novel in my stack. Now, I did by this when I was twelve, and since then my taste in books has matured, so I was expecting for it to have the same complex plot as many other books I've read more recently, but it still was a delightful book to read. The storyline was light-hearted and easy to follow making it a good beach or pool read.

The sister relationship between Carly and Anna is one that anyone could relate to - whether you have a sister or not. I myself don't have a sister, but elements of their relationship I could identify in many of my friendships, and even in the relationship I have with my brother. Myracle makes it easy for the reader to relate to her main characters, which in turn, makes this a compelling read. The one thing I found annoying is how it was a 'textbook' feeling storyline; I was continuously feeling like I have read this story before by another author. The theme of the plot is something that is very commonly found currently. If you're looking for something different, something you've never read before, I wouldn't recommend this. But if you like this type of storyline, this is an excellent story.

This book overall was a cute, beach read. It was exactly what I was looking for. No serious, hard to grasp themes or concepts or crucial moments you have to remember as you read. A nice casual read, I will definitely be taking this to the beach again.

Three down, fifteen to go.

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

"Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.
An invisible girl is a priceless weapon, Fiona's own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years - everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.
After sixteen years, Fiona's had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal like is within reach. But Fiona's father isn't giving up that easily.
Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl."

I know this is a terrible thing to do, but I completely bought this book because I thought it looked pretty. I mean the bright colors and I was hooked. I grabbed the book and bought it, didn't even read the back. And sometimes this can be a very stupid thing to do. But boy did I get lucky, because this book was amazing. Not that I am saying judging a book based on its cover is a good thing, but this novel is as good as its cover is intriguing and beautiful.

So ever since I was little, I've always thought being invisible would be the coolest thing in the whole entire world. Nobody would be able to see me. I could stay up as long as I wanted and wouldn't have to eat my vegetables. I would be living the dream. I thought it would be absolutely nothing like the main character, Fiona's, life. At all. I also didn't think the people around me would have amazing abilities like telekinesis, super strength, flying, and night vision, but still. Invisibility would be awesome.

In Fiona's world, everyone is always working for somebody, doing something illegal. And then she runs away with her mom. And has a huge culture shock. Suddenly people are being nice and friendly to her because they want to, not because they want something from her. Woah. In her new town she now has friends, even a best friend, and possibly a love interest? And her crazy brothers, cannot forget them. You may think your siblings are amazing but they have nothing on Fiona's older brothers Graham and Miles. Miles is pretty much the ultimate big brother, not gonna lie.

Even though the world Fiona lives in, with super abilities and syndicates, is very different from the world we live in, there are a lot of similarities. Fiona can't escape her dad and his life of crime in a similar way a person can't seem to escape a vice, their past, or something that just won't let them go. Fiona feels defined by her invisibility and as if people don't treat her as a real person just because they can't actually see her. In our world, a person could feel defined by their hobbies, the people they hang out with, pretty much anything.

Also, like I don't even know what the guys in this book actually look like, but I promise, they are completely swoon worthy. And the girls, actually there's only three other girls but anyways, are nothing but supportive and Fiona is surrounded by some pretty amazing people, even if they don't seem like it at first. Except for her father, who's a criminal, so there's that.

All together, this book was awesome, no other way to explain it. 100% definitely will be reading it again, you know, after I finish my stack.

Two down, sixteen to go.

The List by Siobhan Vivian

"Prettiest. Ugliest.
It happens every year before homecoming - the list is posted all over the school. Two girls are picked from each grade. One is named the prettiest, on the ugliest. The girls who aren't picked are quickly forgotten. The girls who are become the center of attention, and each reacts differently to the experience.
Abby's joy at being named prettiest is clouded by her sister's resentment.
Danielle worries about how her boyfriend will take the news.
Lauren is a homeschooled girl blindsided by her instant popularity.
Candace isn't ugly, not even close, so it must be a mistake.
Bridget knows her summer transformation isn't something to celebrate.
Sarah has always rebelled against traditional standards of beauty, and she decides to take her mutiny to the next level.
And Margo and Jennifer, ex-best friends who haven't spoken in years, are forced to confront why their relationship ended.
With The List, Siobhan Vivian takes you into the lives of eight very different girls struggling with issues of identity, self-esteem, and the judgments of their peers. Prettiest or ugliest, once you're on the list, you'll never be the same."

To start, I completely devoured this book. Being a teenage girl myself, I couldn't help but entirely relate to each of the eight girls who tell the story. While I've never experienced anything like the list, I was able to imagine what it would've felt like to be on the list. The book not being all that long and myself being totally captivated by the storyline, I finished it in three hours. During those three hours, I saw the problem of self-esteem, confidence, and identity within teenage girls perfectly written about in every page. In just one week, these eight girls' lives are flipped upside down and a lot of secrets come out. While the reader may think they know a character well in the beginning, each girl changes through the duration of the story.

In this day and age, the idea of confidence and self-worth comes up a lot, especially in girls. Influences such as the media and peers can put a lot of pressure on a person to act or look a certain way. As well, they use a lot of subjective words, such as "pretty" and "ugly". The definition of these terms will be determined by one individual; everyone may not agree on what is "pretty" and what is "ugly." The List is able to clearly and intelligently speak about these two very current topics in a way that makes the reader think. Being a teenager myself, Siobhan Vivian was able to put to words some of the things I've seen and the thoughts I have that I wasn't able to express, along with incorporating them into a organized and interesting plot with clear writing.

Plus I'm a complete sucker for girl power, which was hidden in unsuspecting places throughout the story.

I think this was a good book to start my journey on. Definitely a good choice. Reading this has inspired me to continue on my journey. As of right now I have read one book, and have seventeen other books sitting in a pile. Woohoo. This is not going to be easy.

The Book Project

Hi, my name is Katharine and I am a book lover. I have a book addiction and I am not ashamed of it. I've decided that I am going to start writing about my book project. What is my book project? Well, I will finally be reading my way through the huge stack of books taking over my desk. And I will start today, or I hope so, and then will write about it, hopefully. I hope, if you've just stumbled upon my blog, that you read through and get inspired and excited about reading.