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!)