by Kristen Hannah
Guys, I'm still dreaming of this book. I can easily say that this book made the "Top 5 Best Books I've Ever Read" list. I listened to the audio book which I highly recommend. The reader does great accents for the different French and German characters. The book is about two sisters in France during World War II when Germany occupies France. As it goes back and forth between their stories, you learn how the war effects them differently and how they decide to react to the circumstances that they are faced with and how their decisions shape their destinies. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it! I wanted to start it all over again the second it stopped. I listened to the last little bit in the car while we were driving to Arizona and Matt was sleeping. He woke up and after giving him the run down, he intently listened to the rest of it with me and he loved it as well. We talked for the rest of the drive about the book! So inspirational, heart wrenching, and just so beautiful. Now, I do have to be honest, it took me a while to get into it. I actually started it, got bored, and then restarted it a few weeks later. Just push through the beginning. I promise you will love it.
The House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
As part of my "2016 New Me" resolution to go out of my comfort zone and try new things, I started a book club. I decided I only wanted it to be a few people (8 was the magic number) that could commit to reading the book and coming each month. Each person would get a month to choose the book and host the discussion, with four months to do something else (for example, in April we will each pick a classic novel to read). Anyway, the first book chosen for the book club was The House of the Scorpion. I would have never picked this to read on my own, but it was really interesting, and I'm glad that I read it. Matt is a clone in the futuristic "Opium"-- the area of land between what was once the US and Mexico. The book goes through the different stages of Matt's life and how he copes with the knowledge of his "birth" and purpose of his life. This was a great book club choice because of all the great discussion topics-- power and pride, wealth, moral ethics, etc. There is a sequel, but I don't think I'll read it. We decided this would be a good book for a teenage boy because the main character is the same age and there isn't a lot of details/descriptions. It's pretty straightforward.
Me Before You
by JoJo Moyes
It wasn't until I saw the trailer for the movie that I finally decided to read this book. And then I watched the trailer twice a day until the book was finally available (I think I was number 15 on the hold list). So, I went into this book thinking it was going to be this romantic, super emotional, lovey-chick flickly type book.... and it wasn't. For that reason, I didn't really enjoy the book. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Looking back, I can see that the trailer picked out the more romantic elements of the book to catch all the viewers out there like me. So, if you are looking for a cute lovey book, this probably isn't the one for you. However, this book was interesting because it gave me new perspective on a lifestyle that I've never thought much about-- Will is a quadriplegic with no hope of recovery, and Louisa takes a job as his caregiver. The two teach each other so much about life and what it truly means to live. I thought there were some really beautiful and touching insights. Warning: this is a sad book, so just be aware of that. Again, I'm not sure if I want to read the sequel. But I am still excited to see the movie.
The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
I saw this book mentioned on a blog and thought I would give it a try. And I loved it! It was just so much fun! It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books called Flipped, which is also just super enjoyable. The Wednesday Wars is technically a children's book-- middle school age, but it was a nice break from the other books I've been reading. Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader on Long Island during the late '60s, and it's basically the story of all the crazy things that happen that year, historically and personally for Holling. The book had me literally laughing out loud. The author is really clever in his writing tying in Shakespeare plays and recurring themes. I'm definitely not doing this book justice, but just trust me: You will enjoy this book! I definitely recommend the audio book because the reader does such a good job.
The Lifeboat
by Charlotte Rogan
This book was not at all what I expected. I was hoping for some epic survival story and this book, honestly, was boring. I listened to the audio book and just keep waiting for the story to start... and then it was over! This is the story of a group of 40 people on a lifeboat after their ship sinks. The main character is retelling her account while she is on trial for murder. I know, it sounds awesome, but like I said, it was just boring. I don't recommend it.
And that was March! I'm glad I got ahead because April is half way over and I've only read one book!
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