Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons Cover Art

    I have always enjoyed mystery stories, but I had never experienced something like the thrilling riddles that Angels and Demons contained. The struggle between understanding religion and science is brought to extreme measures and this shows how much we take religious/scientific peace for granted. 
    I had heard some small conspiracy theories starring the Illuminati but I never knew exactly what it all meant. Dan Brown set it all up in such an interesting way. As horribly evil the Illuminatus society turned out to be, I could not stop thinking about how ingenious and brilliant their tactics were. Despite some of the gruesome parts of this story, I feel like the chase and the time limit really sped up the pace of the plot. It was amazing to see how much action and strategy that Dan Brown could fit into just a few hours in the story. This makes it relatable because so much happens in our lives in a flash. We go through such an incredible load of experiences in our short life times and Angels and Demons really explores the possibilities. 
    It's great to see someone be as smart as the main character, Robert Langdon. He and his partner, Vittoria Vetra, race through Rome with only their brains as a weapon. The amount of history and information that Dan Brown was able to squeeze into this story is fascinating. While I was reading the book, I felt as if I was actually there, walking through the streets, seeing the famous monuments and statues.
    I am excited to now be able to see the movie and after that, spend my weekend curled up with The Da Vinci Code. I'm looking forward to all of the new puzzles and secrets that are going to boggle my mind.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Cover Art The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C. S. Lewis is a really unique author. I love his writing style and his characters, they somehow feel real as well as having a sort of fictional quality about them. 

    I think that even though this book is very short and easy, it is delightful. I like C. S. Lewis' creativity in establishing this fictional world. I consider the Chronicles of Narnia very entertaining. However, through another author I realized that C. S. Lewis lacks humor in his stories. Matilda, protagonist of Roald Dahl's children's novel Matilda (my all-time favorite book) says,

 " ‘I liked The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’...‘I think Mr C. S. Lewis is a very good writer. But he has one failing. There are no funny bits in his books.’....
....‘Do you think that all children’s books ought to have funny bits in them?’ Miss Honey asked.

‘I do,’ Matilda said. ‘Children are not so serious as grown-ups and love to laugh.’

    Matilda's wise words ring true to me even today, it's nice to laugh more than once in a while. Sometimes it's fun to read an easy book, childrens' novels are very enjoyable when you let your imagination run wild.  :)

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie

Cover Art Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie

    This book was a really cool find for me because it is different from a lot of other books like this. Instead of being the normal sob (but understandable) cancer story, this book tells it from the older brother's point of view. Steven is a middle schooler that has a hard time telling anybody about his little brother's condition while trying to lead a normal life. I like how this story doesn't center completely around the cancer, but it symbolically shows Steven's struggle to get control of his life, trying to support his brother (Jeffery), but also working on his own things and social life. This story was narrated in the sarcastic tone of a 14 year old boy who earns a lot of wisdom over a span of one school year. 

    I was pleasantly impressed by Steven's compassion for his younger brother, he would do anything for him. The "conflict"  or "obstacle" of the story was not caused by Steven's lack of perception for Jeffery's condition, but because of an internal self- acceptance that he is forced to learn. 

I really loved this book, I would recommend it to readers of any age. 

The Selection

Cover Art The Selection

When I read The Selection for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it. The way this book was written really got my attention. 

    I always love an internal conflict and America's choice between Aspen and Maxon really broke my heart for her. This was the kind of story where I picked a side and then the whole time I was reading it I was like, "Yes! Fall in love with Maxon!" or "No! Bad America! Do NOT think about Aspen!" Note the exclamation points. :) There was no way I could stop at just the first book, I just inhaled the next two. The plot line was just so good it was impossible to stop until I knew who she picked. I went for Prince Maxon by the way, sorry to all you Aspen fans out there.... 

    I definitely suggest reading this book! And don't miss out on book 2 and 3!

Cover Art The One #3

Cover Art The Elite #2

Obvious :)

The Testing

Cover Art The Testing

    This was an incredibly thrilling book, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. When I finally was able to take a break from reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and plot twists. Definitely one of the best books I had read this summer. The way that the author wrote this story made you feel like you were right there with Cia and Tomas and the other Testing contestants, fighting for your life. 
  
    I did read the Hunger Games and I think that this book leveled with me a bit better. It's a similar feel, but I enjoyed the depth and mystery of the characters in The Testing. 

    I hope that the word gets around that this book is out because I think that this series is going to be a big hit. Be sure to check The Testing out as well as the next two books in the series, Independent Study and Graduation Day.

Cover Art Graduation Day

Cover Art Independent Study

I Am Malala

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    I Am Malala tells the story of a fifteen year old girl who survived a point-blank shot from a member of the Taliban. The only reason that Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head was because she is the daughter of a man who stood up to the Taliban. Malala herself was (and is) a fearless supporter of women's education all over the world. It was only through this tragic occasion that she had the opportunity to share her passion for education globally. After a miraculous recovery in a Birmingham hospital, Malala became a strong representative figure for the United Nations. I Am Malala is an awe inspiring account of Malala's fearless pride in her beliefs.

    This story made me realize how fortunate we are, here in more peaceful parts of the world. Our country stands for equality and many freedoms that girls like Malala can only dream of. While we cannot change what's happening half way around the world, we can certainly appreciate what we have here. 

Quote I Am Malala

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks

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    In this young adult novel, the protagonist is a sophomore named Frankie who was unnoticed the year before because of her less-than-attractive appearance. During the story she uncovers secrets and deviously plans how to exploit the people connected to them. 
    
    This story is all about self-acceptance and not letting anyone step all over you or think that they have the better of you. I really enjoyed reading this book because the author wrote in a very witty, clever way. Frankie seemed to be a really smart girl and she thought of very unusual things. For example, she introduced me to the philosophy of the neglected positive. This is when there is a word with a negative prefix that is only used in the negative form. Those words are never transformed into their positive use. The way to do that is my removing the negative prefix and using it as the antonym of the original word. Voilá! Neglected positives.

Quote Frankie Landau-Banks

Nési's guide to neglected positives
Top 5
1. Gruntled (Disgruntled)
2. Turbed (Disturbed)
3. Maculate (Immaculate)
4. Vincible (Invincible)
5. Tressing (Distressing)

*For more neglected positives, click here.