Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Written by Frederick Douglass, this book is a very well written account of his struggles to escape from slavery. It is brilliantly written because as he tells his life story, he is simultaneously building an anti-slavery argument.
March 7, 2008. Good Reading. .
Remind Me Again Why I Need A Man
This book by Claudia Carroll is the hilarious story of a 37 year old woman who is beginning to feel desperate for a husband. As a result, she ends up in a class designed to help you do just that by making you revisit all you ex-boyfriends and seeing where you went wrong. As she tries her best to do her assignment each week her life is an incredibly unlikely, unlucky story of horrible boyfriends creating a great pleasure read.
August 20, 2007. Excellent. .
Daniel Isn’t Talking
Marti Leimbach’s novel is an excellent book about a woman who comes to the devastating realization that her son has autism. While her marriage crumbles around her, she struggles to find the best way to raise Daniel and get him to speak. I loved this book and found it to be one of the best ones I’ve read.
August 20, 2007. Excellent. .
Demian By Hermann Hesse is a book filled with solid symbolism and a story that is very hard to follow. Having had to read this for school brings light to some of the symbolism Hesse crammed into this book, but it was not a very enjoyable experience.
August 20, 2007. Fine. .
Oryx and Crake
Written by Margaret Atwood this book’s protagonist, Snowman, is living with unusual and “perfect humans” who are creatures that were created by a man who was Snowman’s friend before Snowman was the only human left on Earth. This is Snowman learning to deal with what he is left with in the world and him recalling the world when it was normal- as we know it today. This is a good book, but Atwood is not one of my favorite authors and I don’t have a high recommendation.
August 20, 2007. Fine. .
Down These Mean Streets
By Piri Thomas is a memoir of growing up in Harlem and the troubles he came across for being Puerto Rican. It is a good book, but it had some scenes that were much to graphic for my taste (which is weird because it was a school book).
August 20, 2007. Fine. .
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister This is the story of Cinderella from the point of view of her stepsister, who was not so much ugly as unbearably plain. This tells of how she was forced into poverty and how her mother marries them out of it. It is an exceptional story and fun to compare to Cinderella and see how they match up.
August 20, 2007. Good Reading. .
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
By Gregory Maguire is the story of the wicked witch of the west. Very different from the play, the book is still very good. It is supposed to be very political, but since I don’t understand politics, I can tell you that it is an excellent story.
August 20, 2007. Good Reading. .
Nineteen Eighty-Four
By George Orwell is about a communistic world in which war is peace, ignorance is strength, and freedom is slavery. The government controls everyone and when someone tries to break away or say that two plus two isn’t five, they would be sent to room 101 to be tortured, after which they would return to society completely satisfied to live under the eyes of the government. This is a great book that I highly recommend.
August 20, 2007. Good Reading. .
The Secret History
By Donna Tartt this is an excellent book about a group of students at a private school all taking Classics together. They are then sent on adventures and get themselves into trouble, causing their teacher to leave the school, leaving them in a few very sticky situations. I definitely recommend this book to all.
August 20, 2007. Excellent. .
The Sunday List of Dreams
By Kris Radish is the story of a mother who finally sets out to do the things on her sunday list of dreams. She goes and finds the daughter she lost contact with and finds she is the co-owner of a sex toy store. Their re-getting to know each other sends them on new adventures they hadn’t pictured ever going on. It is a fine book, but not one of my favorites.
August 20, 2007. Fine. .
Keeping Faith This Jodi Picoult book is about a non-religious mother who finds her daughter reciting Bible verses, things she would have no way of knowing, and performing miracles. She then finds herself in a legal battle trying to keep her own daughter. A definite must read.
August 20, 2007. Excellent. .
The Mermaid Chair
Another book by Sue Monk Kidd, this is a great novel about a woman falling in love with a monk on her vacation from her family and all the impossible implications this leaves the two of them with. A book you should definitely read.
August 20, 2007. Good Reading. .
Goodbye Lemon
Written by Adam Davies is the story of a man who, after years of separation from his family, is forced to return home to his dying/very ill father. This brings up childhood memories he doesn’t want to relive, like that of his brother-who was nicknamed Lemon- dying years ago. This book provides good reading and is well written.
August 20, 2007. Good Reading. .
August 20, 2007. Good Reading. .
She’s Come Undone This is an excellent novel by Wally Lamb about a girl struggling her whole life from problem to problem. She is raped and then she becomes obese, almost commits suicide, has counseling and has some bad relationships too. Slightly depressing, but a great book.
August 20, 2007. Excellent. .
The Chosen
Chaim Potok’s novel is about two Jewish boys who become friends, but are brought apart by their fathers who have very conflicting views. Their relationship has its ups and downs and makes for pretty good reading, but it wouldn’t be high on my list of books to read.
August 20, 2007. Fine. .
The Ha-Ha Written by Dave King is about a man who lost his ability to speak from an injury from the Vietnam war. He has found a way to live a reasonably normal life until his ex-girlfriend-who he still loves- asks him to take care of her son while she goes to rehab. He now has to make a relationship with this boy and find a new routine.
August 20, 2007. Good Reading. .
Of Love And Other Demons By Gabriel Garcia Marquez this is the story of a young girl who is thought to be possessed by demons and her struggle to be treated normally. Not a must read.
August 20, 2007. Fine. .
Salem Falls
This Jodi Picoult novel is about a man who is falsely accused of rape and sexual assault twice. The people around him’s loathing of him grows and grows and he struggles to prove himself innocent and win the trust of the woman he loves.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Pearl This Steinbeck story is about a man who finds the largest pearl he could have imagined and his journey to get what he believes he deserves for it. A good story.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Of Mice and Men Another by John Steinbeck, and considerably shorter than the others, is the tale of two men/friends working together, and living together and their tragic ending.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
East of Eden
By John Steinbeck is a brilliant novel (although a little long) that takes the reader through multiple generations of the same family and all their scandals and hardships. A million times better that The Grapes of Wrath.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
The Grapes of Wrath By John Steinbeck, this dull classic is about a family that travels across the country to California to try to get by. Forced to read this as a summer book, I cannot see how exactly this book became famous. Good luck with it if you read it.
August 19, 2007. Fine. .
The Tenth Circle Written by Jodi Picoult this novel tells the story of a girl who was date-raped by her boyfriend. Her and her family struggle to cope with this new tragedy as her parents marriage begins to fall apart and everything they knew begins to change.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
To Kill a Mockingbird This is a timeless novel by Harper Lee about racism and the lies that people tell to hurt others. When Atticus decides to stand up for what is right it is a scandal almost as bad as that of his client, a decision that affects the lives of his children, family and friends. A must read.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Written by Mark Haddon is the story of an autistic teenager who finds his neighbor’s dog murdered in the yard and resolves to solve the mystery. However he begins to realize not everyone is telling him the truth and that the truth is something he’ll have to discover for himself, leaving with no choice but to brave the world of normal people. A funny and touching book. A definite must read.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
Indecision
By Benjamin Kunkel is a funny story of a man who has extreme difficulty making decisions of any kind. When his friend gives him some pills his company made to cure indecision he finds himself on an adventure through the Amazon that he never could have imagined.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Jitterbug Perfume
By Tom Robbins is a clever story of two people who decide to become immortal and they succeed. They meet many unusual people and creatures and it is an exciting adventure from start to finish.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Like Water for Chocolate
By Laura Esquivel is a great book that I really enjoyed. Although I received some mixed opinions from my friends who also read it, but I recommend it. It is a twisted love story where her love marries her sister in a failed attempt to be close to her, but just leaves them in a very complicated mess.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
Five Quarters of the Orange Written by Joanne Harris this is the story of a woman who grew up with her mother being the scandal of the town. She has now returned to town as an adult to open her own restaurant, and no one seems to recognize. However, she is then being blackmailed about her past and she struggles to figure out what happened and what she should do now. A good read.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Perfect Match
Another Jodi Picoult book, tells the story of a lawyer’s son who was sexually harassed by one of the pastors at their church. They then end up in a huge mess of trials and counseling trying to fix everything that is going wrong in their life. A must read for all.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Ladies of Garrison Gardens This novel by Louis Shaffer is about a woman who inherits a huge estate and business from one the Miss Margarets who passed away. Not knowing how to run a business she struggles to find out what is really going on and decide whether or not to keep her responsibilities that came with the inheritance. A good book to read in your free time.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Sense and Sensibility Another Jane Austen love story that once again sisters in love are struggling to keep the men in their lives. Miscommunications and dramatic women create a complicated mess that they have to try to fix to win over the loves of their lives. An excellent book.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Book of Bright Ideas
By Sandra Kring is a story of how two young girls who are completely different and how they become best friends. They try to understand all the complicated happenings in their lives that the adults are fretting about and solve them for themselves. A good story that I recommend.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Vanishing Acts By Jodi Picoult is an amazing book about a girl who was “kidnapped” by her father when she was about four, and her father is now going to jail and being tried now that she is an adult. The story is revealed and she realizes that she is going through many of the same things that her father was running away from. All this adds up to a great and gripping book that you just have to read.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
Best Friends
By Martha Moody is about these two girls who meet as roommates in college and they get to know each other and watch the other change. They are friends for life and experience family deaths and hardships together, are with each other when they have children, and all other life experiences. A great book.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
The Lake of Dead Languages Carol Goodman’s novel is a gripping story about a woman who returns to her high school to teach and has to relive all the horrors of her senior year and prevent them all from happening again. A good book, parts of it probably shouldn’t be read right before bed, though.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
Written by Kim Edwards, this is an excellent book about how, when his wife gives birth to twins, and one has Down’s Syndrome, he gives that child to the nurse, tells her to get rid of her, and tells his wife that she died. The nurse then raises the child on her own, and the wife feels incomplete and then finally the truth is brought into the light. A brilliant book that you have to read!
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
This clever novel by Mitch Albom is the story of a man who, once dead, meets five different people from his life who reveal to him things that he missed and show him how he affected people, some he barely even knew. This is a must read.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte’s love story is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Cathy and Heathcliff grow up together and fall in love although they are then pulled apart. Typical plot for a love story, this one is unique and brilliantly written.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
Fly Me to the Moon
This novel by Alyson Noel provides a very entertaining read about a flight attendant who wants to be an author and is trying to cope with all the nuisances involved with her job. She meets plenty of new people who add to her ever-changing perspectives and has many little adventures.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
Light on Snow
By Anita Shreve this novel is about a girl and her father who find a baby abandoned in the woods outside their house. They are then questioned by the police and end up taking in the mother of the child. Bonding them together in a way they had been lacking. This is an excellent book and I recommend you read it.
August 19, 2007. Good Reading. .
The Metamorphosis
This story by Franz Kafka is by far the worst book I have ever read in my entire life. The story of a man turning into a enormous cockroach is solid symbolism and is extremely long (the longest 50 pages I’ve ever read) and painful. I simply cannot fathom why Kafka’s friend did not burn it when he was asked to!
August 19, 2007. Absolutely Atrocious. .
The Secret Life of Bees
This novel by Sue Monk Kidd is a wonderful story of how a lonely daughter runs away from life with her father and discovers the past about her mother and how similar they are while staying with the Boatwrights, sisters she tracked down with an old photo of her mother’s. This is a wonderful story that I truly enjoyed.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Alphabet Sisters By Monica McInerney this is a classic sister relationship. I can totally relate to the characters in this book and I found it very realistic. As these sisters are forced to reconcile their age old arguments for their grandmother’s birthday they relive all the memories, good and bad, until they are once again the friends that they were.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde’s novel is a classic story of a man living and hiding his sin and how it destroys him. This is a clever story that was scandalous during the time it was written. I highly recommend it.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Audrey Niffenegger’s brilliant story is about a man who travels time. It’s not intentional or controllable and usually leaves him in uncomfortable circumstances. His wife has to struggle to cope with this unusual disorder and not always worry about his whereabouts. Although at times it can be confusing, this is a must read and I absolutely loved it.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Color of Light
Karen White wrote this book. I really liked it. It’s about this woman and her daughter returning to the island where she spent her summers. Here she discovers the answers to questions that have been haunting her her whole life. Definitely a really good book.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold’s book is very well written, but is a difficult subject to face. Her main character is raped and murdered at the very beginning and she watches life go on without her from heaven. I really liked this book and think you should definitely read it.
August 19, 2007. Excellent. .
My Sister’s Keeper This is my favorite Jodi Picoult book. She pulls together the tale of a girl- who was biologically engineered to match her sister’s DNA because she had cancer- suing her family for medical emancipation because she is tired of donating to her sister. This book keeps you going until the very end with so many surprises. I cried. It’s absolutely amazing. Read it!
August 19, 2007. Blew Me Away. .
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen uses mankind’s downfalls of judgement and pride to create a brilliant love story. Elizabeth and Jane are sisters suffering the same fate of being poor and in love with the rich, and struggling to pull of their fairy tale endings. I absolutely loved this book and think that all girls must read it-not with school though, the teachers take all the fun out of reading it. Make sure you read it on your own!
August 19, 2007. Blew Me Away. .
Stupid and Contagious
Written by Caprice Crane, this hilarious love story brings together the lives of Heaven and Brady. Crane weaves together their meeting, getting to know each other, loathe each other and love each other with a series of comical settings that provide laugh out loud reading. This is definitely my favorite comedy by far and is most certainly a must read.
August 19, 2007. Blew Me Away. .
