Reading List

Because of what I do I always enjoy mixing in some juvenile lit into my reading. I really enjoyed this short read. It is definitely appropriate in depth for middle schoolers or even 5th graders I think, but it is a really engaging story that serves to help see other viewpoints than their own. I am not sure I will run out and read the rest of the series or anything, but I enjoyed this one for sure.

In the process of reading this book, I decided that I had partially read it at some point previously, but I really like it. It gives enough details on the science and genetics of the whole thing to be engaging without being overly technical. It is a great story and the characters are much more interesting and well-developed than the movie versions (and I love the movie too by the way). This is definitely worth it for a more casual read.

I think I was most impressed with this book when I learned that Hinton wrote it when she was a senior in high school and it was heavily influenced by the world that she saw around her. It was especially interesting to learn that she got a D in a Creative Writing class while she was writing this book on her own time. Honestly, sometimes I wonder what is wrong with us as educators. But it is a very engaging read and it is considered a YA classic for a good reason.

Man, this was a really good and engaging book. For me, it was really kind of a fascinating caricature of marriage and how it works. Obviously, it is blown way out of proportion, but I think the basic principles remain. I think Flynn is probably attempting to say something in that realm, and probably something negative about the insanity of the whole thing in her view; but it has certainly led me to think about it all.

So this definitely fits in a genre with Lord of the Rings and Wheel of Time. My feelings on Wheel of Time are documented below, so I will avoid making too many comparisons, but I honestly like this better. The world is simply more intriguing and engaging to me. However, it is certainly not on the same plane as Lord of the Rings. It employs a good mix/balance of intrigue and suspense that kept me excited to keep reading.

This was a really interesting and culturally relevant read. In the Midst of the #MeToo movement, it gives a really compelling viewpoint and helped me to look at some things in a way that I had not considered before. It is definitely not light beach reading or anything, but it is worth checking out.

I was kind of disappointed in this book honestly. It was not bad, it just did not hit the hype for me. It was certainly an intriguing story line with some different world views and different kinds of issues at stake. Ultimately I liked it, but I did not think it was the greatest book ever like a lot of people did.

This is the best book I have read in a really long time. It is a modern day Mockingbird that lives up to every bit of it for me. Picoult takes a sincere and honest look at herself and our culture and brings up some very uncomfortable and very real issues. I think this is a must read.

This is a reread for me for class. This is one of my all time favorites from the classical canon. Shelley takes a genre that all too often relies on gimmicks and simple horror and creates a very powerful and moving work out of it.

Book 4 of The Giver quartet is an interesting end to the sequence. It is certainly not a bad book, but I cannot say that it was my favorite of the group. As a complete picture, it places the quartet into a totally different category of dystopian work than The Giver alone does, which strikes me as really interesting and leaves me wondering about Lowry's thought progression as she worked through the process of crafting these novels.

Book 3 of The Giver quartet begins to tie together the two societies we have seen in this universe so far. It is really well done and begins to pull in some more complex imagery that really serves to hammer her message home.

So book 2 of The Giver Quartet certainly did not disappoint. In fact, it may be better than The Giver. Lowry is able to again masterfully create a culture that is captivating and engaging. I am excited to read the rest of this series.

I was actually really disappointed in this book. It did not live up to the hype for me. I felt like the narrative structure made it difficult for me to become invested in the storyline. The last 10% of the book is great, but it is a long road to get there.

This book is a really interesting look at a culture that I admittedly don't know a lot about. I wouldn't say it was necessarily enjoyable, but it was intriguing and captivating at times. Disclaimer, Diaz drops lots of Spanish in without a whole lot of context. My Spanish vocab is fair and I struggled with it at times.

I absolutely loved this book. Weir does such a great job of taking Sci-FI and making it seem completely believable and realistic. The level of scientific detail he provides makes for a completely immersive experience for the reader. This was a great and pretty quick read.

I don't normally pick much Sci-Fi, but Dune is one of those seminal American works in the genre that I think everyone should read it. It is an engaging epic tale set in a fictional world of danger and intrigue. Sounds like every other Sci-Fi right? Well, most of them follow that because they are influenced by this. Even if it is not my usual cup of tea, it is a good book that is worth the rather lengthy read.

Wow! I loved this book. This was my first time really trying out an audiobook (Training in Richardson all week. Lots of time in the car.) and, while I enjoyed it, I may go back and read this one as well. Set under the guise of a self-help book, this fictional novel follows the life of an unnamed narrator with unnamed characters as he follows his dreams and discovers they are not all they are cracked up to be. Oh yeah, he does all this while utilizing a second person narrative. It is so well executed that you completely lose yourself in the narrative. Great read.

Patterson jumps back into form on this one for me. I found it every bit as exciting and engaging as Along Came a Spider. Sure there are spots that are campy and corny, but all in all I enjoyed this quick read.

This is a re-read for me with an eye to going on and reading the rest of the series soon. This is a fantastic book. It does a great job of accomplishing everything a good dystopian novel should do in a nice, compact package. It is approachable enough for young readers but engaging enough for adults as well.

While not as good as the first book in the series, this one does a good job of advancing the character of Alex Cross a bit as his sphere of experience and influence is expanded. This one felt a little more predictable and corny at times, but it is still a quick, enjoyable read.

As much as I enjoyed The President is Missing, I jumped into Patterson's most popular series revolving around Detective Alex Cross. Patterson is a great story teller and puts in enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. It is definitely a quick read, but it is ultimately entertaining.

The summer's runaway best seller was my first exposure to one of the most popular authors in the world. I really enjoyed this book. The collaboration with Clinton clearly provided some insights into White House interworking that gave a level of immersion to the story that might have been missing. I would recommend this one to anyone who wants a fun, fairly mindless read.

Ditto to the review below. With so many people loving this series, I decided to press on and continue into book of Wheel of Time. I am still not hooked.

The first entry of Robert Jordan's lengthy Wheel of Time series is, well, fine. I am usually a fan of fantasy fiction, but honestly this book didn't really do it for me. I have many friends who love this series, but I was not that big of a fan.

This is a fantastic novel that takes a fun and inventive look at a apocalyptic world where citizens use an immersive VR world to escape the agony left in the real world. Full of 80's nostalgia and a radically imagined future, Cline's story is full of fun and adventure.