Lost and Found

This is officially my least favorite Andrew Clements book. It does recognize a problem any twins feel- always being referred to as one. The twins find themselves at a new school, who doesn't realize there are two of them. So they start skipping school every other day to see what it feels like not being a twin. But in the end it is about kids getting essentially rewarded for breaking the rules. And even worse, it sorta puts the blame on the school, which is one of the things I feel like is wrong with today's society anyway. We already have enough problems with students not taking responsibility for their actions. Now here is a book that tells them they don't have to.

Book of a Thousand Days

I am so sorry to put this book down. I loved The Princess Academy which was also by Shannon Hale. I even met her while at the International Reading Association Conference, and she was so sweet- she even remembered my name when I bumped into her later, but this book is just to choppy to me. I've found myself going back and having to reread a lot. I just can't get through it...

The Blind Side

I was so excited to see this book was a New York Times Bestseller. That must mean it isn't just a book about sports right? Wrong. This book was about the evolution of football. Every other chapter was just about that. It was so hard to find the story of Michael Oher and the family that took him in. I just couldn't keep skimming the boring parts anymore.

FYI

I've decided to also start writing about the books I start and don't finish. Well, not the ones that I only read the first chapter of, but the ones I get over half way through and still can't get into.

The Sugar Queen

A friend recommended this book to me several months ago, and of course I went out and bought it, but didn't pick it up until last week when a teacher at my school mentioned she read it and really liked it. I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing with many twists and turns. The characters were so real and lovable- the kinds of people I could see myself in. Then, normally this would bother me, but it also had a bit of magic to it. Things happened in their lives that couldn't be explained and instead of making the story unbelievable, it made it even more enduring.

True Colors

True Colors is by Kristen Hannah. Last time I read one of her books I declared I had found a new favorite book of all time. Which is why it is so painful for me to write this review. There is one thing I can say about Kristen Hannah- she is a fabulous story teller. But the truth is this story just wasn't for me. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't like it. It was the story of three sisters. One we never learned much about except that she wasn't really in love with her husband. Then as a side note, we find out he had an affair and left her. Next, was Winona. She was a lawyer- had the brains of the family, but was overweight and unlucky in love. Then there was Vivi Ann. The town beauty who was obsessed with her parent's farm and horses. Vivi Ann falls tragically in love with an Indian, Dallas. Then Dallas get convicted of murder. If it weren't for Vivi Ann's son being tied in at the end of the novel, I would have really disliked this book. I don't want to give away the whole ending, but it just didn't seem to come together for me. I couldn't respect what Vivi Ann did to herself while Dallas was in jail. I didn't feel like they really feel in love or even had a story- he just had power over her. Then at the end the man who Win had a crush on finally realizes she is the one he wants- I don't know. Kinda far fetched and unbelievable...

The Last Song

The Last Song is Nicholas Sparks' latest book, and I loved it. I know I've mentioned this before but some of his stories have the greatest plots and you can't help falling in love with the characters and then there has to be this sadness for no real reason. Well this story isn't like that. I think it is the deepest of all his books I've ever read. It had many layers and I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. Yes, it is sappy. Yes, I laid in bed and cried on and off for a good 30 minutes, but I really got something out of it that can be applied to my own life. Ronnie, the daughter in the book, always saw her dad as weak. Then, she is forced to spend the summer with him on the beach in North Carolina (shocking I know), away from her life in NYC. Through this she learns so much about herself and what kind of person he truly was. The Bible ends up having a lot of presence in this story without being forceful. There is a particular verse in Galatians that he reads to her that talks about how the Holy Spirit is always with us, guiding us, helping us make decisions and get through life. Instead of seeing her father as weak, she finally sees what a good person he is and how he makes his decisions in life. He is stronger because he has self-control and doesn't let his temper or other life problems control him.