Slated Series

I loved this series. It's YA and appropriate for a mature 5th grader or any middle schooler. 

From Goodreads:

"Kyla’s memory has been erased,

her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?"

I would highly recommend this book trilogy for a quick read that is unique. 

Looking for Alaska

I heart John Green. I think he is borderline genius. Okay, he's just genius. This book didn't disappoint.

From Amazon:
"Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .

After. Nothing is ever the same."

In Other Words

I really love this author. She really is one of my favorites. However, i was disappointed in this book. It's great for literary students or writers. But it's too slow and all the pages are too similar.

I appreciate her desire and accomplishment of writing the book in Italian though and the split translation is a unique and wonderful way to publish a book.

I can appreciate the beautiful language and words even as I put down the book for something more interesting.

A Window Opens

From Amazon:
"In A Window Opens, beloved books editor at Glamour magazine Elisabeth Egan brings us Alice Pearse, a compulsively honest, longing-to-have-it-all, sandwich generation heroine for our social-media-obsessed, lean in (or opt out) age. Like her fictional forebears Kate Reddy and Bridget Jones, Alice plays many roles (which she never refers to as “wearing many hats” and wishes you wouldn’t, either). She is a mostly-happily married mother of three, an attentive daughter, an ambivalent dog-owner, a part-time editor, a loyal neighbor and a Zen commuter. She is not: a cook, a craftswoman, a decorator, an active PTA member, a natural caretaker or the breadwinner. But when her husband makes a radical career change, Alice is ready to lean in—and she knows exactly how lucky she is to land a job at Scroll, a hip young start-up which promises to be the future of reading, with its chain of chic literary lounges and dedication to beloved classics. The Holy Grail of working mothers―an intellectually satisfying job and a happy personal life―seems suddenly within reach.

Despite the disapproval of her best friend, who owns the local bookstore, Alice is proud of her new “balancing act” (which is more like a three-ring circus) until her dad gets sick, her marriage flounders, her babysitter gets fed up, her kids start to grow up and her work takes an unexpected turn. Readers will cheer as Alice realizes the question is not whether it’s possible to have it all, but what does she―Alice Pearse―really want?"

Well, what can I say. I don't really remember this book. Yes, it's been about a year since reading it. But, I only vaguely remember the plot. So, that says something, right?

The Vault of Dreamers and The Rule of Mirrors

From Amazon:
"The fast-paced, psychologically thrilling sequel to The Vault of Dreamers follows Rosie after her consciousness has been split in two.

The entire country was watching when Rosie Sinclair was expelled from Forge, the prestigious arts school that doubles as a reality TV show. But few know how Dean Berg was mining students' dreams in laboratories deep below the school. And no one, least of all the Dean himself, knows that when Rosie's dreams were seeded into the mind of another patient, Rosie's consciousness woke up in that body--a girl far from Forge, a girl with a completely different life from Rosie, a girl who is pregnant.

Told from alternating points of view between Rosie as she makes sense of her new identity and the shattered subconscious that still exists in her old body, The Rule of Mirrors will keep readers on the edge of their seats and leave them hungry for more."

My 11 year old and I both loved these books. Unique plot, good character development. 

The Invisible Man

I am very embarrassed to say that I have never read this before this summer. Yes, I am 37 years old. Hence my journey through some classics.

This one didn't disappoint. However, it is juvenile. A mature 5th grader could read it, any middle schooler could.

But, I'm glad I read it and can now say I know what it's about.

Anna Karenina

So, I'm on a classics streak. For the rest of the year I am going to read classics, unless I have a really good reason to read a non-classic.

So, I read Anna Karenina for the first time this summer. While I skimmed some of the politics and farming details (which is totally ok to do by the way. I used to feel bad and "less cultured" because I skimmed some parts of books. I don't anymore. So, feel the freedom to skim away the parts you don't want to read!), the book was amazing. I highly recommend it.

Okay, I don't think I need to give an overview because 1. it's a classic and 2. it's memorable. That being said, I have a terrible memory, so I will recap a little.

Old country Russia. Aristocracy. Affairs. Beautiful clothes. Farm. Unrequited love. Forgiveness. Suicide.

Amazingly written. Beautiful story and language. Literary genius.