Recent Reads

I love, love, love to read, and now that I'm not working full-time, I have had a lot of time to catch up on my mile long list of books to read before I die.  So, here is a list of recent reads:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
You have to read this book.  If you've seen the movie, you still have to read this book.  Louis Zamperini's story is unreal.  How can one person experience all of those things in one life time-- Olympian, ship wrecked for months, POW-- and then still come out a kind and loving person?  This book will change your life.

Frankenstein by Marry Shelley
If there was ever a book written that is totally different from what people's perceptions are about the book, then this is it.  Take everything you know about Frankenstein and throw it out the window, especially because Frankenstein isn't even the monster's name, it's the name of the man who created the monster.  See, told you.  This is a beautiful story about being misunderstood and the effects that a loveless life can have.  Really sad, but really beautiful at the same time.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
I liked this book until the ending.  I hated the ending.  And then I was mad that I wasted time reading the book.  Basically, it about a girl who gets jealous of her boyfriends VIP all-guys secret society, so she finds a way to go undercover and mastermind all of the pranks that the society does.  Sounds good, but be warned, the ending is anti-climactic.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
This book had me laughing out loud.  Poppy, the main character, is hilarious and winds up in the most outrageous situations.  She loses her new engagement ring at a hotel (a family heirloom) and after she gives her phone number to every worker at the hotel in hopes that the ring will be found, her phone gets stolen.  Miraculously enough, she finds an abandoned cell phone in a garbage can and claims it as her own.  Little does she know the adventure that picking up this phone would get her in.  Again, hilarious book, but be advised-- there is a lot of language.

The Selection Series (The Selection, The Elite, and The One) by Kiera Cass
I blew through these books in like a week.  They are really entertaining, but very predictable and pretty repetitive.  The story is basically The Bachelor in a YA novel.  I've never watched The Bachelor, but I've heard enough about it to get the gist.  If you like that show, then you'll love these books.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The classics are my favorites.  Seriously, it just doesn't get better than The Count of Monte Cristo or Jane Eyre.  One of my mission companions told me about this book, and I was intrigued: a man has a picture painted of him and then he stays young while the picture grows old.  Interesting.  I listened to this on audio book (I don't think I could have lasted any other way)-- there is a lot of on and on and on dialogue.  Anyway, this book really got me thinking about what real beauty is and what my portrait would look like if it reflected what I looked like on the inside as a result of my deeds.

Zorro by Isabel Allende
The drive to visit Matt's family takes about 9 hours.  I stopped by the library and picked up this audio book on a whim before our last road trip.  We loved it!  Totally different from the movies in a good way.  The story basically is the life of Diego de la Vega and how he becomes Zorro.  Super good!

My Story by Elizabeth Smart
I had this book on my "To-Read" list for a long time, then I heard her speak at UVU this last year and went to the library to pick it up straight away.  I was not disappointed.  I mean, I can't believe that Elizabeth Smart is able to even get out of bed in the mornings after everything that she's been through.  This is an incredible story about survival, healing, and forgiveness.

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
I really loved this book--read it in a day.  After her family is killed in a car accident, Jackie moves from NYC to Colorado to stay with her mom's college friend and her family, a family of 12 boys.  There is a lot of learning, teasing, and other fun surprises as Jackie adjusts to living in the country with the Walter boys.

The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister
I just finished this book, and it was another one that left me feeling like I had wasted my time reading it.  It's about a girl who is threatened and stalked by her cousin.  She runs away and becomes a famous magician, and then she is the top suspect in a murder.  She tells her story from the jail house to the police man in hopes that he will set her free.  This book was a little dark for me, and I guess I was hoping for a better ending.