I've been reading almost nonstop lately, and it felt a little wasteful not to keep track of my reading list. So, without further ado, here's what I've been reading.
Summary: 'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me...'
Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love — all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.
My thoughts: This book is highly conceptual, and its premise is fascinating. I was more interested with the psychology, and although the "thriller" part of the book was what made it a huge hit, it would have been more appealing to me if it had dealt more with the effects of Christine's memory on her family.
Rating: 3.5/5
>>>>The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Summary: The poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall.
My thoughts: I was completely engrossed in the life of this farmer who starts to rise in status as China itself begins the change with the coming of the industrial age. What I loved the most was that as the book deals with the idea of tradition, of love and loss, and the ever present sense of change, it also tells the story of a family that is not perfect or even perfectly good, but as dysfunctional as any family that has ever existed.
Rating: 4/5
Summary: The poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall.
My thoughts: I was completely engrossed in the life of this farmer who starts to rise in status as China itself begins the change with the coming of the industrial age. What I loved the most was that as the book deals with the idea of tradition, of love and loss, and the ever present sense of change, it also tells the story of a family that is not perfect or even perfectly good, but as dysfunctional as any family that has ever existed.
Rating: 4/5
>>>>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Summary: Randle McMurphy, a boisterous rebel, swaggers into the world of a mental hospital and takes over. A lusty, life-affirming fighter, McMurphy rallies the other patients around him by challenging the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched. But this defiance, which starts as a sport, develops into a grim struggle between two relentless opponents: Nurse Ratched, back by the full power of authority, and McMurphy, who has only his own indomitable will.
My thoughts: This was a book assigned in my English class, so I've been reading this with a fully analytical mindset. This usually detracts from my enjoyment of a book, but Cuckoo had me fascinated from the start. The characters and their struggles speak to the reader, and it broke my heart to read the end.
Rating: 5/5
>>>>The Fire and Thorns Trilogy by Rae Carson
Summary: An insecure princess with an unclear destiny becomes a secret bride, a revolutionary, a queen, and—finally—the champion her world so desperately needs.
My thoughts: I'm a sucker for fantasy worlds that have a historic root and strong heroines - and this series has both. With a world that seems to have its foundation on Spanish history, Fire and Thorns weaves fantasy and religion together around an incredibly well-written cast of characters. I read all three of the books in this trilogy in one weekend, despite my initial reluctance to start "another YA fantasy series." Reminiscent of my favorite book series, The Queen's Thief, Fire and Thorns is entertaining and captivating.
Rating: 4/5
>>>>Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Summary: Persepolis is a graphic novel of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland
My thoughts: The art for Persepolis is fantastic, but it's the story that gets me in the end. The tumultuous period of the 1980s and 90s in Iran are rarely discussed in my history classes, but this novel not only helps to shed light on the events, but also on the emotional backdrop they place. I related to the main character on a personal level, making her story unforgettably searing.
Rating: 5/5
Disclaimer: All summaries have been copied or revised from official summaries listed at Goodreads.
Summary: An insecure princess with an unclear destiny becomes a secret bride, a revolutionary, a queen, and—finally—the champion her world so desperately needs.
My thoughts: I'm a sucker for fantasy worlds that have a historic root and strong heroines - and this series has both. With a world that seems to have its foundation on Spanish history, Fire and Thorns weaves fantasy and religion together around an incredibly well-written cast of characters. I read all three of the books in this trilogy in one weekend, despite my initial reluctance to start "another YA fantasy series." Reminiscent of my favorite book series, The Queen's Thief, Fire and Thorns is entertaining and captivating.
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Persepolis is a graphic novel of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland
My thoughts: The art for Persepolis is fantastic, but it's the story that gets me in the end. The tumultuous period of the 1980s and 90s in Iran are rarely discussed in my history classes, but this novel not only helps to shed light on the events, but also on the emotional backdrop they place. I related to the main character on a personal level, making her story unforgettably searing.
Rating: 5/5
Disclaimer: All summaries have been copied or revised from official summaries listed at Goodreads.
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