The End of the Beginning

This was a really cute story by Avi, a Newberry medal author.  (I was thinking that I really need to get back to working on those books again, so I have picked up a few.)  It's about a great adventure that a snail and an ant make together.  It was a really fun read!

The Nazi Officer's Wife

This is a great book about how a young Jewish woman survived the Holocaust.  There are a number of things that she does to get through this period of time, but ultimately she ends up marrying an officer of the Nazi party.  I thought that this was a really inspiring story because it seems that she really focuses on all of the kindnesses that are offered to her over time.  I would recommend this book absolutely.

Hana's Suitcase

I saw that Alicia was going to read this and I had just finished another book about the Holocaust that was really good, so I thought I'd read this one as well.  It is about a group of young Japanese kids that are learning about the Holocaust and they receive a suitcase in the museum they are learning in.  The suitcase is marked and belongs to a young Jewish girl, Hana.  This book is the story of how these Japanese children and their teacher try to find out more about what happened to Hana during the war.  This is a really sweet story and tugs at the heartstrings.  I would definitely recommend it.

As You Like It

This is another play that I thought I'd give a try.  It's a Shakespeare comedy, which I thought was pretty good.  (One reason I wanted to read it was because it's the play they read on Never Been Kissed.)  I recognized some famous lines from this one and i liked it pretty well - everything wrapped up as perfectly as possible though.  If you like plays and Shakespeare, you'll like this as well.

The Importance of Being Earnest

I have never really been one for reading plays, but I had bought this and thought I'd give it a try.  It was a really quick read and I loved the story!  Oscar Wilde must have had a great sense of humor, because this is a really funny play.  I would recommend it for anyone for sure!  (I would also recommend the movie, with Colin Firth - if you're a lover of him.)

The Price We Paid: The Extraordinary Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Pioneers

This is an excellent book!  I cannot say enough how inspirational this book was for me to read.  This was the second time that I've read this book and I would recommend it to anyone with interest in the pioneers.  I can't believe how much these people went through and the trials they suffered.  The faith displayed by these people is amazing.  This book tells of each company individually as well as the decisions they had to face and why things went as tragically as they did for these groups.

City of Fallen Angels

This is the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.  I didn't like it quite as well as the others.  (I'll admit that it got just a BIT too mushy for me!)  If you liked the others, you'll probably like this as well.  The only problem?  It's not the last one!  (I personally think that more than three in a series is way too much and it's only for the dinero!)

Heaven is For Real

I saw the little boy that this book is about on my favorite, the Today Show. I thought that it would be an interesting book to read. It's about a little boy that has a major health scare and operation that "experiences Heaven." His dad is a pastor for their church and as the story unravels, this little boy (not even four years old at the time) tells his mom and dad about things that he saw and experienced in Heaven, telling them that "Heaven is for real. It's a really sweet story and a quick read.

Falling

I just finished Falling by Christopher Pike. Jed loved it and told me to read it. As I read it, things seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite figure out why. As i continued to read, at about half way through, I realized that I had, in fact, read this book before; but I couldn't for the life of me remember what the final outcome was - even though as I read it I could remember it bit by bit. If you like a thriller, you'll like this one, but it has a bit of language (of which I am not a fan.)

Cutting for Stone

I thought that this was an excellent book about a medical clinic in Ethiopia - from which a young man, Marion, comes. The story follows Marion and his twin brother Shiva and their interest in medicine. They both find their passion in medicine with very different interests. I thought that this was a really interesting book and would surely recommend it.

City of Glass

This book is the third in The Mortal Instruments series. Again, if you've like the others, you'll like this as well. New characters are introduced in this book. Clary and her group of friends travel to the city of glass, in Idris, and they learn more about Valentine as well as about themselves.

City of Ashes

This is the second book in The Mortal Instruments series. If you liked the first, you'll like this as well. This book follows Clary, Jace, Simon and friends as they continue their adventure and their fight against Valentine.

I Am Number Four

I read this book a bit ago and forgot to write about it. This is the first in a series and it was a pretty good one. It's about a young man that has a mystery surrounding his past and has a really wild future before him. If you've liked other young adult series, you'll like this one as well.

City of Bones

I recently read the first book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I liked it. I read the book Clockwork Angel, which is a related series by the same author. I actually liked Clockwork Angel better than City of Bones, but I read it first. Both books were very similar, so I look forward to reading the remainder of the series to see where the storyline will go. I would recommend this book for sure.

Ascend

This is the third in the Trylle trilogy. It's been a while since I read it however - so I don't have too much to say because I don't remember it very well. It was pretty good. If you read and liked the others you'll like this one as well. Thumb up!

Torn

In Torn, the second in the Trylle trilogy, Wendy has a lot more to find out about herself and her family. Another good read by Amanda Hocking. I look forward to finding out what will happen in the third book.

Switched

This book is a pretty good read. It is a young adult trilogy about a girl that finds out she is a troll (or trylle.) She discovers things about her family and where she is from, but has a lot to live up to when she returns home. I thought that this was a quick read and liked it well enough to read the following books.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

This is the second in this series. I liked it. It was another great thriller. If you liked the first book, you will like this one as well. (Just a warning, this one does have some more language and other[??] situations that I would've preferred not to have read.) I still do want to read the third, but I've got some other books in line first.

Scumble

This book follows Savvy, about a family that inherits incredible talents at the age of thirteen. This book deals with a newly thirteen year old, Ledger, who has some major troubles with dealing with his new-found talent. I thought that this was a sweet story and I would recommend it to anyone. It's funny and teaches a great lesson.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

This was a pretty interesting story. I definitely had to see what the hype was all about. I thought that it was good. It had a pretty slow start, but once I got to the meat of the story, I really had to get through it. I surely plan on reading the remainder of the series.