Nantucket Nights

Three friends called the Night Swimmers meet for their yearly midnight swim. One of them disappears. This opens up unimaginable secrets and a shocking chain of events. To be honest this book is kinda depressing.

***

The Alchemist

This is the book about a boy who is trying to find a treasure and fulfill his life's purpose. I guess it was a good fable, but way to philosophical for me. I often had to reread passages multiple times to still not truly understand what they meant.

**

The Mother Daughter Book Club

I'm really trying to read a lot of young adult novels this summer. This book starts out very promising. It's essentially about 4 girls who fit certain stereotypes in a middle school. Their mothers make them join a mother daughter book club, in which they read Little Women. I think this type of book would be enjoyable and even helpful for a middle school student to read. BUT the end is a little too unrealistic. I am all about happy endings, but I think this went too far.

Betrayed

Betrayed is the second novel in the House of Night series. I liked this book better than the first. It had more substance, but this series still isn't my favorite.

The Wednesday Letters

The Wednesday Letters is about a couple who die on the same night. A lot of the plot mirrors Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. Their children find a stack of letters that the husband wrote to the wife every Wednesday since they got married. Through reading these letters the children learn lots of life lessons and secrets about their parents' lives. It can definitely be a little too sappy, but I would recommend it to anybody!

Hope Was Here

I loved, loved, loved this book. Hope was here is such a sweet, simple story, but yet it is so complex. It will be the perfect story to read in a literature circle/book club setting. A young girl named Hope and her aunt move from New York City to a small town in Wisconsin. A lot of underlying issues are going on that can be wonderfully brought up in a discussion. There are a lot of issues with right and wrong and just what exactly a family is. This book will stay with you long after it is read!

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

This is the story about one of the young vampires Victoria makes in Eclipse. If you don't do Twilight you definitely won't care anything about this. It was a quick, easy read. It was good, but I think more could've been added places to make it more of a complete story. Overall, an interesting look at another side of the Twilight Saga.

If I Stay

If I Stayed is an absolute gem of a book. It is about a girl who is in a devastating car crash along with her parents and younger brother. Her parents die on impact, and she is removed from her actual body. She must decide whether to stay on earth, or be with her family. The book goes back and forth between the present, which is her in the hospital having various operations, and her life before, which is mixed in with her love of music, her close-knit relationship with her family, and her true young love. The "young-love-soul-mate" aspect of the book reminded me of the strong connections that Bella and Edward have in Twilight, but this book is much deeper rooted in the other aspects of life. I couldn't believe how quickly I flew through this book.

The Cay

This is another 6th grade novel. The setting in World War II. When a boat is bombed in the Caribbean, a boy, who was raised to be prejudices and an older black man get stranded on a deserted island. The rest of their story is their adventure living with very little. This book provided some great discussions in my classes!

Barefoot

This is the story of three women, each with enormous hurtles to get over in their lives. One has cancer. Another had an affair with a student. Lastly, one is pregnant by her husband who also happens to be cheating on her. They spend the summer in Nantucket trying to sort things out. This book was a quick, easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed- nothing profound but a beach book for when you just don't wanna think much.

The Carrie Diaries

This is the first book about Carrie Bradshaw's early years. If you don't know who Carrie Bradshaw is, she is the main character from Sex in the City. This book takes place Carrie's senior year of high school. It's full of lovable characters, relate-able teenage issues, and laugh out loud hysterics. And most importantly, not to give away the whole ending, but let's just say she moves to a more familiar place and meets a familiar face at the end of the book. I can't wait for part two to come out.

The Lovely Bones

I've had this book forever and finally decided to read it since I really want to see the movie. The first is a little harsh. Reading about a 13 year old girl getting raped and murdered is never pleasant, but the rest of the book was really good. I kept feeling like the plot was going in several directions, but none of them ever played out. I liked the whole book except for the ending. I didn't feel like it ever really ended.

A Summer Affair

I read this book on my spring break cruise. I highly disapprove of affairs and I don't want to say that I now feel they are okay, but I guess I can see the desire behind one now. More than the affair part, I loved reading the friend/neighbor/family dynamics of this book. It does a great job of showing how life truly is- both the good and the bad.

Dovey Coe

This was a quick/easy read with a terrific voice. Dovey is accused of murdered the guy who was in love with her sister. He is a jerk of a guy. I loved Dovey's character. You can't help falling in love with her and her brother. This book brings in a lot of the culture of small towns and the way things were long ago while adding a perfect hint of mystery.

The World We Live In

The World We Live is the 3rd book in the Life As We Knew It series. It is every bit as consumable as the 1st two. Yes, a lot of the same issues are happening over and over again but the author manages to keep things fresh. I am hoping there will be a 4th book!

The Girls from Ames

The Girls from Ames is by the co-author of the last lecture. Typically, I don't care for nonfiction, unless it's a book about dogs. This is the story of 11 friends, who've been friends since high school and beyond. I related to so many of their stories, and the best part was they were all true. I laughed and cried multiple times. Not only does the book tell their stories, but it also gives lots of research on why woman's friendship is so important.

Marked

I still can't decide how I feel about this book or if I'm going to continue the series. In this vampire series, you are marked at a certain age and are trained to become a vampire. Zoe is not only marked, but is given powers that go beyond others her age and even many adult vampires. Normal teenage drama is mixed in well.

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me was the Newbery Medal winner this year. I don't ever think I've read a book with a more surprising twist. It became a completely different genre at the end, from realistic fiction to science fiction. Overall, it was enjoyable.

Twenties Girl

This might have been the most difficult book I've ever tried to get into. It's about a girl whose great aunt dies, an aunt she didn't even know. The aunt's necklace has been stolen, and they go on a journey together to retrieve it. I did like it toward the end, but in general this just isn't my thing.

Hollywood Car Was

For some reason I just love Hollywood/New York easy read books. This one did not disappoint. A small town Midwestern girl gets her break on a sitcom in LA. The things they make her do- all the way through plastic surgery- are outrageous. I was a little disappointed that she seemed to lose herself on the way and she was eventually forced out, which turned out better for her in the long run. I just wish she would have stood up for herself and then everything worked out.