Splendor also by Anna Godbersen

I love historical fiction, I love reading about how life was before I was born, I love seeing how humanity has grown as a whole and how it has changed, yet stayed so much the same. I recently reread Envy by Anna Godbersen and read Splendor also by Anna Godbersen. The books are based on the turn of the twenty century. The book revolves around five main characters and follows their lives as they enter New York society and become the people they are. There is lots of scandal, fighting, and forbidden romance in this book. Even though it is based in 1900 many of the issues that the characters face are similar to those today. When I am reading these books I feel like I am walking down the street and am experiencing what the characters are. I like how the author puts you in the scene through her descriptive language and sensory images. I would recommend this book to girls who like historical fiction and books filled with scandal, love, and fashion. It is defiantly worth the read.

The Host By Stephanie Meyer

Lately I have been rereading some of my favorite books. I recently reread The Host by Stephanie Meyer. This is one of my favorite books because of the way the author makes the characters so realistic. When I am reading this novel I feel like I am in the room and am experiencing what the characters are going though. Stephanie Meyer gives descriptions on every page. The plot of this novel is confusing at first, and the beginning of the book is a little boring, but once you start to truly understand who the characters are and you learn more about them, the novel becomes irresistible. This novel is sci-fi and romance at the same time, which will keep the reader compelled until the last page. I would recommend reading this book if you like the twilight series. It is a long novel but completely worth the read, I would give it five stars.

Ending of Cleopatra's Daughter

I loved the ending of this novel by Michelle Moran. It was filled with surprise, humor, and adventure until the last page. The main character Selene was a compelling person. She lives in her enemy’s home and watches everyone she loves die or get taken away from her, but never gives up. In the end everything worked out perfectly, I had predicted that she would end up falling in love with the man who she hated and fought with the whole book, and she did. There were so many other twists and turns that kept me reading and I was not able to put it down. I would recommend this book and I plan on reading the other books written by this author. I loved her style of writing and her clear descriptions of ancient Rome and all the other countries mentioned in the novel. The plot was intriguing and I think that everyone would love the novel as much as I did.

Cleopatra's Daughter

I am around halfway through Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran and I love it. It is filled with accurate descriptions of ancient Rome and the fighting between Rome and Egypt. When Rome invades Egypt, Selene, the princess of Egypt, is taken away from her home. After watching her father, mother, and brother die she is transported to live in a foreign land. She is constantly worrying about when the Caesar of Rome will decide that she is of no importance and kill her. It is interesting reading this book right now because they often talk about meeting the famous poet Virgil and we are reading The Inferno by Dante and reading about him. There is a lot of betrayal in the novel and I predict that Selene will run into trouble because of her free spirit and determination. She is the only surviving representation of the former Egypt and must learn to survive in her enemy’s home. I would recommend this book because of its engaging plot and descriptions. I cannot wait to see what happens to the characters and if Selene returns to her homeland or dies.

A Kiss in Time By Alex Flinn

**SECOND QUARTER**

I read A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn this past week. It is a remake on the classic story sleeping beauty but instead of a prince waking the princess from her sleep it was a 17-year-old boy from the 21st century. Princess Talia, the main character, gets cursed and is forced to sleep until her true love kiss. This all happens three hundred years before Jack comes around, discovers her and kisses her. Now he is struck with a bratty princess and must bring her home and help her learn to live in the 21st century. I thought this book was very cute and an interesting spin-off of the original story. It was funny and I liked it because it involves a character that lived in the 1700's who now is magically awake and must learn how to survive in present day. I didn't like the end though. I found it was too cheesy and did not capture my interest. I feel that the author could have written it much better. I would recommend this to girls who like silly romantic humorous books.

Suspicion by Kate Brian

I was so excited when I found out that the new book in the series Private by Kate Brian was out. Suspicion is the tenth book in the series and I absolutely loved it. Throughout the book, Reed, the main character, must escape the murder that has been trying to kill her over the past two weeks. While I was reading it I kept skipping to the bottom of the page to see what would happen next—it’s that suspicious. Reed’s murderer so far has tried to kill her many different ways and you do not find out who it is until the last moment. There are so many little plots throughout the series and each one is more exciting then the other. I couldn’t believe the ending of the book, my chin literally dropped and for five minutes all I said was “omg.” I don’t want to tell you what happens because it would just ruin the books in the series. I can’t wait for the next book and to see what happens to the characters. I read the book in one sitting and would recommend it to any girl that likes these kinds of books. I would also recommend any of Kate Brian’s books, I have read every single one and they are all excellent. I would just warm you that they are hard to put down.

A Northern Light ending

I had read this novel before but I did not remember every detail and the ending was a surprise. Mattie, the main character, has to make many hard desicions about her life in the novel. She learns a lot about herself and the truth about her family. The murder mystery of Grace Brown, which swirls around Mattie’s brain for days, is a symbol of everything that can go wrong in someone’s life. I was glad with the descision Mattie made at the end; I believe that she chose the right path—the one that was best for her. This book is filled with descriptive language on every page, which made it that much better. I would recommend it to anyone. It was an easy fast read and boys and girls alike would enjoy it.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

This past week I have been reading A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. When I first started it I instantly though "I’ve read this before" the characters and hints to the conclusion of the book made me believe that I read it in the past. I decided to keep reading anyway and decided that I have read it before. A Northern Light is about a girl Mattie Gokey who loves words wants to go to college in the city. It is 1906 and for a girl who lives in the middle of nowhere to go to college is a big deal. She must convince her father to allow her to go. I predict that she will somehow come up with a plan to attend college even without her father’s permission. Mattie seems like an intelligent girl who will not let anything from stopping her to follow her dream. I predict that her friend Weaver will get into trouble because of his wild temper and will not be able to attend college. Since I remember some things from the end of the book it is interesting knowing how it will end as I am reading it. I am noticing more hints that the author leaves and learning more about the characters personalities. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the book plans out and what happens in the characters lives.

The Reluctant Suitor by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

This past week I read The Reluctant Suitor by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss I was unable to put it down and finished it quickly. Adriana Sutton, the main character, was betroved to her neighbor the dashing ex-solider Colton Wyndham since she was first born. After 16 years of not seeing each other, Colton comes home to court Adriana and hopefully win her heart. I was captured by the descriptive details, which filled every sentence. Set in the 1800’s right after the battle of Waterloo The Reluctant Suitor is a novel that I enjoyed immensely and would recommend to someone who enjoys historical romance books.

The ending of the Secret Life of Bees

I just finished The Secret Life of Bees and the ending surprised me. Lily has gone though a lot, from discovering whom her mother was to discovering who she was. During the book Lily grows up immensely, she has new issues to face and copes with them well. All the challenges of living with her father and running away from the police feel like nothing compared to the anguish of the truth. The truth is very hard to handle but I feel like Lily delt with it wonderfully. I was shocked to find out the connections between all the characters of the book. I would have never thought about how they were all connected before the author explained it. I have come to realize that the bees stand for a lot of things. They can stand for love and how there is so much love in the world but you just have to find it and treat it carefully and lovingly for it to care for you back, like Lily and her bees. She must give them love so they don’t harm her. The bees can also symbolize how Lily feels. She is lost without her mother, like how a colony of bees feel like when the queen bee dies. Lily does not know how to act or live until she meets August and realizes that she has many “queen bees” or mothers. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. It was a book everyone could enjoy.

Middle of The Secret Life of Bees

As I read more and more of the secret life of bees I begin to enjoy it more. Lily has run away and is now staying with august and working with the bees. Suddenly she feels what it is like to be loved and have a home where she is happy and cared for. At first I was kind of surprised when lily suddenly felt attracted to Zack, Augusts’ black nephew, but then after reading about him I really wasn’t surprised anymore. It seems like the typical thing for the author to do—make the main character fall in love with the wrong person, someone who is not right for them with a love that is forbidden. In the novel lily often repeats how she wishes there were no skin pigments in the world. If everyone were the same then there would be less prejudice, fighting, and angst. I wonder what will happen between Lily and Zack. I do not think that they will be able to become a couple for there is too much controversy. I wonder when Lily will finally get enough courage to tell August the truth about why she is there. Lily is learning a lot about herself and her past from August and her sisters. They are helping her grow into a young woman and become stronger. They are helping her to become someone who can stand up against her father, T. Ray, and discover the truth about her mother’s death.

beginning of The Secret Life of Bees

I am currently reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I just started it the other day and am not very far in yet, but so far it seems good. The main character Lily Owens seems like a smart, strong girl who has suffered incredible amounts in her past and has been influenced by them. When she was four, her mother died in a tragic accident, Lily feels lost without a mother and is only stuck with a father who doesn't seem to care about her very much. I can emphasize with Lily from the very first page. I have a feeling that the bees, which swarm Lily’s room at night, are symbolism and even though I am not sure yet what they could be, I know they will be important in the book. I wonder what will happen to Lily or if her life will become better over the novel, because right now its not looking too good. I wonder what will happen when Lily’s father, T. Jay, sees the bees that Lily is trying to collect as proof? Will he be angry or loving? I can’t wait to see what will happen next.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

For independent reading over the summer, I read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. In this book the main character Henry De Tamble is a time traveler which means that at any random time or place during the day, he will be instantly transported to another point in time either in the future or the past. The only problem with this beside the obvious fact that he leaves his present day life and wife Clare, is that when he time travels he cannot bring anything with him, so he arrives naked and in need of clothes and food. 

This often gets him into trouble with the law. Clare first meets Henry when she is six year old and Henry time travels into the meadow by her house. As she grows up he returns often and the soon fall in love. Even though Clare loves Henry with all her heart, it is hard being the wife of a time traveler, who is constantly leaving. Instantly I fell in love with the main character, Henry De Tamble, he is smart and caring. At and early age he watched his mother die in a car crash and I can relate to that because I watched my father die of cancer when I was eight years old. Henry though, is often transported back to the moment of the crash and has to relive it over and over again. The Time Traveler’s Wife is a wonderful book but is also very sad. I would recommend reading the book before seeing the movie because it makes the movie so much better. I would give this book a rating of 9 out of 10. 

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

This summer I read Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. The book is about how a young women, Eliza Sommers runs away from home to follow her lover to California during the gold rush. It is 1849 in the book and this manipulation is something that one just does not do, it is not proper or acceptable to run away. Eliza runs away with the help of her friend the Chinese doctor Tao Chi'en. Together they go in search of Eliza's lover but soon they realize that California in the midst of the gold rush is not a nice place, it is full of prostitutes and filthy men. After two years of unproductive searching for her lost lover, she finally realizes that she must change her plan. Daughter of Fortune was a good book which i enjoyed, but it was not one of my favorites. The ending left me wondering what the author's goal was and point of the book. Eliza Sommers is a strong character and one who you can relate too. She is constantly questioning her heritage and family and is a relatable character. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read historical fiction.