I know I promised to make more posts about all of the wonderful books I have been reading, but that hasn’t really happened. I have been reading a lot this summer, but not very many of the books stood out as being great. I read a lot of great sequels (Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, Skulduggery Pleasant Playing With Fire, Rumours: a Luxe Novel, etc…) but I didn’t really feel like posting about them. I also re-read all of the Harry Potter books, which took a considerable amount of time.
Well, after a long drought, I have read three books recently that were all really amazing! I am so excited about them that I literally attack everyone at work and talk about how great these are. I am hoping that this is just the beginning and I keep finding fantastic books. I have a lot of books in a pile on my kitchen table that look very promising……… So here are three great books if you need something to take your mind off work or school.
The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding is a British book that has actually been out forever in the UK. There have already been three sequels published over there, but this one is just now available over here. (The picture is actually the British cover because it is a whole lot more awesome then the American one.) It’s about a girl named Cat Royal (which I always want to pronounce like Royale for some reason) who was left in front of the Royal Theater as a baby and has grown up in the theater. It takes place in London in the late 1700s and the historical details are great. Cat is loved by all the workers in the theater and spends her days roaming the streets and trying to avoid getting in scuffles with Billy “Boil” and his gang. One night she accidently overhears the manager Mr. Sheridan talking about a diamond that he is hiding in the theater. When he discovers her listening, she promises to help look after the diamond. The story has lots of mystery and action as well as lots of great “Britishisms.” I really liked Cat and couldn’t put the book down, so I really hope the other ones come out here soon.
I have been looking forward to reading The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester ever since I read a review of it months ago. When I finally got my hands on it, I wasn’t disappointed. The story begins on a small farm
where Betty and Joe have lived a quiet life for their entire marriage. Then Betty gets pregnant very late in life and they have Piper. Piper is a wonderfully talkative child who happens to be able to float up near the ceiling. Her parents keep her on the farm and don’t let her interact with other children because she is “unnatural.” Eventually Piper harnesses her power and really learns how to fly. She accidentally shows off her talent at the town picnic and then all heck breaks loose. The best thing about this book was that I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next. There was one part that was so suspenseful that I had to stop reading it at work and wait until I got home so I could scream and gasp without getting stared at. I really loved this book a lot and I think everyone should read it!
My favorite book of all three is definitely The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante. Not only does it have the most beautiful cover ever, it is one of those books that makes you mad, sad, horrified, and happy all in a matter of pages. The book is told in alternating chapters between Agnes and Honey. They both live in a religious commune that is run by a man named Emmanuel. I don’t really want to say much more than that because it is so much better to discover what happens for yourself. There were times when I was reading this book that I was yelling at Agnes because she made me so mad, but only because I cared about what happened to her. The jacket flap says the story is based on the author’s own experiences, which makes it all the more terrifying and intriguing.
Well, hopefully I will keep posting about books every once in a while. But apparently, I like to blog about cute boys and my cats a lot more.
Jen
Even though I was pretty far down on the holds list, apparently everybody is reading this book super fast because I was already able to pick it up at the library on Thursday. I was really intimidated by just how HUGE this book is. Maybe I am just so used to reading children’s books made for tiny hands, but I was actually worried I would injure myself while trying to hold this book and read. Not only is it over 600 pages, but it is also extremely TALL. Needless to say I finished it on Sunday night and I am going to be placing an order at the library today to get my own copy (if that says anything about how much I liked it).
Starcross by Philip Reeve is a sequel to the very funny sci-fi/fantasty epic Larklight. I enjoyed Larklight but I LOVED Starcross!! I don’t want to talk too much about the plot because it would give away things that happened in Larklight but let me just say that it involves lots of space-related adventures and some evil top hats. It made me laugh out loud so many times because of all the absurd goings-on and also the fantastic illustrations by David Wyatt. I also really love that it is a Victorian adventure set in outer space.
up and that is one of the reasons why I really love it. It is like Gossip Girls but set at the turn of the century. I would never willingly pick up a Gossip Girls book, but apparently all an author has to do is change the time period and make the clothes much more interesting and I am hooked. The Luxe is about the lives of rich, jealous, lying, back-stabbing teens in New York City. It is a totally fluffy, cheesy read that is just like reading a good romance novel, but with a much better cover.
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell was really really fun to read. It is one of those books that you have absolutely no idea where the plot will go next because so many random and crazy things have already happened. Poor Emmy thinks that everyone in her life is ignoring her (parents, teachers, classmates) and so the only friend she has is a rat that can apparently talk only to her. This book made me actually want to go out and find my own pet rat (but I wouldn’t put him in a cage, because apparently they don’t like that). Lots of shrinking occurs to many of the characters as well as some other unfortunate things, but everything turns out rosy in the end, which is the way I like it.
months before I read it, which is probably more than most people. This book is so haunting and depressing, but in the most fantastic way. The moon gets hit by an asteroid that pushes it closer to the earth, which is fine until earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes start happening all over the world. It is told through the diary of one teenage girl in Pennsylvania and how she and her family deal with the end of the world. After reading this book, I ate salads for ten days straight even though I hate lettuce because in one part she mentions how much she misses fresh lettuce. I still have at least one bag of lettuce in my fridge right now just so I won’t have to worry about not having it available.
This is another book that hooked me with the cover. Isn’t it wonderful?!! Shug by Jenny Han is an amazing book about a middle school girl who discovers she is in love with her best friend Mark. That’s pretty much all you need to know right there. This book totally has the “middle school” feeling down cold. I felt like I was back in seventh grade, an insecure girl trying to figure out why my life was so hard all of a sudden. I totally cried rivers of tears at the end (which is kind of weird because it isn’t really sad) but I can’t wait to read it again. I am holding myself back from starting it again right away, but I probably can’t wait much longer.
