Books I have Read this Summer

I haven't posted about the books I have been reading for a very long time.  Today I just wanted to post a list of all (or most) of the books I have read this summer.  I would also like any suggestions you might have for a good book to read.  Well here they are, the books I read this summer.

• The Kill Order by James Dashner  (Maze Runner Trilogy)
• The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber
• Thornspell by Helen Lowe
• The Kronos Chronicles by Marie Rutoski
• Stupid History
• Ravenwood by Andrew Peters
• The Working Poor by David K. Shipler

Well, that is as many books as I can remember.  I am sure there are more but I just can't remember them at this moment in time.  I hope you enjoy my list of books and if one of them sounds interesting, I would love to share more about it with you.
Enjoy!

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

I just finished reading Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy.  This book was about a young girl and her life over a span of about six years.  The book chronicles everything that happens to her both good and bad.  I don't want to disclose too much about the plot of the book so I will keep this post short.
Tess is a really great book.  I had a hard time getting into the book but by the end, I loved it.  I would reccommend this book to everyone who is at least seventeen or older.  This is due to some of the events in the book.  It is a book for mature audiences only.  That said, I would love to hear what you think about it.  Let me know if you have read it, and if you haven't enjoy the book!

Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punisment by Fydor Dostoyevsky is a novel about a murderer and his life after he commits this horrible crime.  It is a very long novel but is really good.  Just a disclamer, DO NOT read this book if you have a weak stomach.  It has a lot of gruesome details throughout the book.  If you can overlook these parts, the novel is really good.  It is very well written but is a little hard to read because it was translated from Russian. 
The book has some really great themes, such as conscience, guilt, and the extraordinary man theory.  I don't want to say too much about the book because I don't want to ruin it for anyone.  So even though this is a very long book.  The post will be short.
I would reccommend this book to everyone.  Well everyone who is at least a senior in High School.  Anyone younger than that probably wouldn't understand the book.  Again if you don't had violence or gore very well I suggest not reading this book.  It goes into great detail about the murder, that scene was hard for even me to read. If you do choose to read this book, which I hope you do, don't read it at night.  Because you have to focus to read it, reading it before going to bed can cause you to have some pretty interesting dreams.
I know this book comes with a lot of disclamers, but it really is a great book.  I loved it once I finished it.  It was hard to get through but after you have read the whole book and you understand it, you feel so accomplished.  If anyone decides to read this book, feel free to post any questions you have about it here.  I will try to answer any questions in a timely manner.  Enjoy the book!

Cry, the Beloved Country

I recently finished Cry, the Beloved Country for school.  This was one of the best books I have ever read.  The book is set in South Africa and is about the journey of two old men.  I can't tell you what they are searching for because that would ruin the book for some of you.  Alan Paton was an acitvist for change, not an author.  He wrote the book to bring about a change in society, one for both the whites and the natives.  One of the main themes in the novel is fear.  One of the quotes from the books that I really like is about fear.  It talks about the "fear of bondage, and the bondage of fear".  I love this quote and love that even though this book was written in 1948, it still applies to our society today.  Fear is an epidemic people are afraid to change, afraid to care, afraid to love one another.  Some are in the bondage of fear, while others live in the fear of bondage.  What I love about this book is that Paton doesn't  just leave it at that, he offers a way to overcome our fear he tells readers that in order to overcome the fear in their lives a stronger emotion is needed.  Love is needed to overcome fear.
I would reccomend this book to everyone.  It is such a great book and I learned so much from it.  If you read it I would love to hear what you think.
"It is only as one grows up that one learns that there are other things here than sun and gold and oranges.  It is only then that one learns of the hates and fears of our country.  It is only then that one's love grows deep and passionate, as a man may love a woman who is true, false, cold, loving, cruel and afraid."
                  ~Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country

A.P. LIterature Reading List

So here are the books that I have to read for one of my English classes:
Term 1
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston
Cry the Beloved Country, Alan Paton
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller (play)

Term 2
Crime and Punishment, Fydor Dostoyevsty
A Dolls House, Henrik Ibsen (play)

Term 3
Hamlet, William Shakespeare (play)
Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Thomas Hardy

Term 4
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard (play)
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

Right now I am reading Cry the Beloved Country.  I will post when we start reading the next novel.

Nooks/Kindles vs. Paper Books

One of my readers asked how I felt about nooks and kindles.  I personally didn't like the idea of an electronic book at first.  I love the way the pages of a paper book feel between your fingers, the smell of a brand new book and the smell of an old one.  I just love everything about books.  When my brother first got a nook he tried to convince me how cool it was and for awhile I didn't want to listen to him.  Then my friend who was a senior last year said that their English class rented kindles to put all the books they were reading on.  I then saw the usefulness of a nook or a kindle.  You can take as many books as you would like anywhere you go.  Next year in my English class we read a lot of different books, we also get to use a kindle to put them all on.  This eliminates having to carry a lot of books and make your backpack even heavier.
I personally have a nook that I am going to use for school next year, for me it won't replace paper books but I find it useful for traveling and other situations where a paper book might not be as convenient.  That is my personal opinion but, I would love to hear what you think about nooks and kindles too.

The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible was a really great book. I was required to read it for an English class I am taking next year, but it was the best book I have ever been required to read.  The Poisonwood Bible is about a Baptist minister and his family and their lives while on a mission in the Belgiam Congo.  The book is told in the point of view of the four children, Rachal, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, it changes each chapter but is suprisingly not confusing.  This gives the story an interesting twist becuase each part is told by a different daughter.  The book goes through the trials and hardships of a family living in Africa.  I don't want to give away too much because it was a really great book.  I would reccomend that everyone read it because it was really interesting and fun to read.  It was a fairly long book but I would reccomend it to everyone.