The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

This novel takes place in a southern Georgia town after World War I. Four characters feel like there is more to life and are just looking to find it. They feel isolated and misunderstood. These misfits find solace in John Singer, a deaf-mute. Carson McCullers then takes us through the lives and thoughts of these 5 people and what it means to be lonely.

This is the novel that I chose to read for my English Honors novel project, and it was pretty good. It was a little slow at times, but it’s a kind of heavy read. I liked how I was able to relate to a lot of things, even though this book was written 70 years ago.

It was a really thought provoking story and has some deep meanings. I also had to research the author, and everything I learned was really interesting. I really enjoyed this story an would recommend it to someone if they had to do a novel project like I did. 4 out of 5 stars.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

In a satirical novel of Communist Russia, Orwell tells a story about how Manor Farm's animals are treated cruelly and decide to revolt against Farmer Jones. They establish a new way of running the farm based on the idea that all animals are created equal. However as time passes, it seems to be that that is no longer the case.

This is my second time reading Animal Farm. The first time I read this, which was last year, we had not learned about the Russian Revolution in school. Now a year later we learned about the Russian Rev, so I decided to re-read the book. Why would a school make kids read Animal Farm before their sophomore year, which is where you learn what it was based on? That's just... strange.

This is a really cool story in the way that it satires Stalin and Lenin, etc. Now that I actually know the stuff, I liked seeing how it all played out with animals. This is probably my favorite book I've had to read in high school because it's so simple, yet not. It wasn't boring at all and was easy to follow. I think Orwell did a perfect job of getting his point across and explaining human nature. I recommend that you read this one at some point or another. 4 out of 5 stars.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski had a good life ahead. He was going to become a vet at Cornell University and live a happy life. Then, his parents die in a car crash and Jacob finds out that they had no money because they were paying for his schooling. Now Jacob is homeless and sees his future as bleak. He finds himself getting a job in the Benzini Brother's Circus where he begins to realize that like the circus, life is an illusion.

After seeing the movie twice, I decided to read the novel that inspired it. It was surprisingly similar to the movie and I did enjoy it overall.

I really liked Jacob's character, but I didn't care too much for Marlena. I also was a little confused about how Jacob turned from being such an innocent, optimistic guy into his older self. I think the rest of the characters were portrayed relatively well.

The plot was really interesting, and I liked how in the author's note at the end I realized that I'd gotten a glimpse of actual stories, such as the elephant stealing the lemonade and the jake leg. I like circus', or at least the idea of them and the setting was magical and wonderful.

I wanted to enjoy this book more, but with seeing the movie before-hand, I just don't think that they can be compared. In all honestly, I probably preferred the movie better. I also think that the book had some descriptive sexual scenes and thoughts that weren't necessary to the aspects of the story at all.

All in all, Water for Elephants was an enjoyable story that I would recommend if you're interested in circuses. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Aibileen has worked her whole life as a maid in Jackson, Mississippi. She had never thought too much of it and lived a simple life. But ever since her son was killed and treated poorly by white men, the "bitter seed was planted". Skeeter is a white woman who recently graduated college. She wants to be a writer, but she hasn't gotten the right opportunities. Inspired by her past life as well as her old maid Constantine, she decides to write a book that is filled with stories of colored women working for white families. The only problem is that she is going to need maids' stories. Aibileen eventually agrees to help, because she feels that it will help change the world. Writing a book like this is dangerous, and many maids are scared and believe it isn't worth the risk. Along with Minnie, Aibileen's best friend, the three begin to work on their project. Their actions will be life changing.

When I heard about the Help, I had no intentions of reading it. When I heard it was being turned into a movie, I still had no intentions of reading it. Even after I say the movie, I still didn't want to read it. I watched the bonus clips on the disk, and finally decided to read it. I'm glad that I did, because this was a truly wonderful book.

The characters were extremely well-developed, realistic, and lovable. They all had distinguishable voices that came through very well. I'm glad that I had seen the movie before reading the book because it helped me understand it better. The writing is absolutely beautiful. It makes me feel angry, sad, dissapointed, happy, scared, and proud. Only a wonderful book can make you feel all those emotions.

Even though this type of literature isn't my favorite, I still found myself enjoying the Help a lot. I liked the story, the characters, and how the story was told. I would recommend this one  even if you think it doesn't interest you. It's a fantastic story than anyone can enjoy. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Le Cirque des Rêves is a very special circus. It appears one day when it was not there the day before, promising to open at nightfall. Inside there are a number of enchanting performances to thrill the audiences. What the visitors do not know is that the circus is the venue for a much more dangerous "game". It is between Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair, both have been trained since they were young for the game. They fall in love, and begin to realize that the "game" they are involved in is much more dangerous than they thought, and that there is a lot more at risk.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. There were definitely some things I liked, and a few others that bothered me. So I will list them here.

Things I liked:

• The writing. The author has a magical way of drawing the reader into the story and enchanting you, just like the circus would have done. The imagery is amazing, and there is so much detail in the book you can clearly imagine what it would have been like in this magical venue.
• The plot. A circus that opens at night and is much more than it seems? A mysterious vibe and contest between two illusionists? I'm game.
• The imagination. There are so many dream-like qualities about the contents of the circus tents. I wish they were real.
• The romance. There basically was no romance, which was a nice touch that made the book seem more special.

Things I Disliked:

• The writing. Some times it was wonderful, but at others it seemed choppy and didn't seem to flow.
• The timeline. The story jumps from the present to the future and I became very confused at some times trying to follow it. I had to pay very close attention to when things were happening.
• The romance. The book jacket describes it as "a deep, passionate, and magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands". Let me just say that I have read plenty of romance books in my life, and this was not a romance. They were basically thrown at each other and then were like "Hey, I'm in love with you". And then a few chapters later Marco is like, "I can't live without you." And then I think, "WTF you don't even know each other..." I get that there can be love at first sight romances, but this didn't feel like one. It didn't feel authentic, and the book jacket lied to me.
• The slow plot. It was.... slow. I felt that there could have been more action and excitement, but that's just me.
• The characters. It was a little bit difficult to keep track of the characters because of their names. There was one time when I realized that I had blended two guys together and apparently they were different people. But that's just a mistake on my part for not careful reading.... lol

Overall, this was a pretty good story. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy Maggie Stiefvater, because she has a similar way of drawing out the plot and taking the time to describe everything. I also have a feeling that it would make a very, very good movie. I think this is one of those books where you either love it or you don't. I loved it more than I disliked it. If the idea of the black and white circus intrigues you, give the Night Circus a try. 4 out of 5 stars.

Julius Caesar (Oxford School Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar is a play written by Shakespeare that tells of his murder and the events that follow. Contrary to what the title suggests, this play is not actually Julius Caesar. Instead, it is a story of revenge and human character.

Julius Caesar was required reading over the winter break. I thought it was an interesting story that helped me further understand history. At times, I liked the wording and such of Shakespeare, but at other times it was a bit confusing. The version I read from was Oxford School Shakespeare. I found it to be very helpful with many footnotes and pictures on the sides. The book I had also had helpful summaries in the beginning, so if I was unclear about the whole scene, I could read the summary. It also had a synopsis for each scene, so that also helped me as a reader understand more than I would have originally. I liked now the characters are really deep and you can't decide who you like better, Cassius or Brutus. The only other Shakespeare play I've read is Romeo and Juliet, and I have to say I prefer Romeo and Juliet. Not bad for required reading, but a bit confusing at times. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe



Things Fall Apart was required reading for my English class, therefore it was not a book that I chose to read of my free will. As required reading, I found it to be enjoyable and easy to follow. The writing was easy to interpret and I was able to relate to the characters. Reading this book on my own, I probably would have written it off as a pointless book. But after doing like a million “Guided Reading Questions” and participating in class discussions, as well as studying the Scramble to Africa in my World History class, I enjoyed it and appreciated the way that Achebe wrote so that I, as a Western reader, could get a more African point of view about this historical time, rather than the shallow “white man” view that we are often taught in school. This book literally opened my eyes and helped me destroy the stereotypes I had in my head, helped me become more culturally aware, and influenced me to think about different points of views when it comes to history lessons like this. Things Fall Apart probably isn’t a book I would recommend for pleasure reading, but as for classroom reading, it’s not all that bad. 3.5 of of 5 stars.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The Joy Luck Club starts off telling about how four women meet together to play mah jong in San Francisco. One of the women has died, and her daughter is supposed to take her place at the table. Four stories are told, from 4 mothers and their 4 daughters in alternating perspectives. The stories intertwine as we learn about the mother's lives in China, and their daughter's lives in America.

I found out I had to read this book over the summer as part of summer reading. :P I'm taking the honors English class this year as opposed to last year, when I took the regular class. And no one gave me the memo about the summer books we had to read! Lol. But luckily, I had already read 2 of the 3, and this was the third I had to read.

I found it to be a little bit confusing as I tried to keep track of all the characters and their mothers. Their stories all have similarities so it can be a bit tricky at times. I couldn't relate to a whole lot of it, but I liked the messages it portrayed. This isn't a book I would have chosen for myself to read, I prefer the mindless, girly ones lol. But as required reading, it wasn't that bad, and captivating at points.

I'm going to give it 3 out of 5 stars , because I know it's a classic. I wasn't blown away by it or anything. :P If it sounds like something that interests you, I would recommend it, but if it doesn't, it's probably not something I would rave over.

This was a quick review, as I have to get back to my homework. Yes, homework on the first weekend. I have to catch up on all the stuff I was supposed to do over the summer lol. Until next time! Whenever that time will be :)

Happy reading!

Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan

 Hello readers!

This is a book by my favorite author that I never got around to reading! Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan isn't my favorite book by him, but I did enjoy it.

It's about three teenagers (one of them is out of high school) who are living in New York when the tragedies of 9/11 occur. The story goes through the year and how it affects the characters and how they change the way that they think and live their lives.

Claire, Jasper, and Peter are all very different. Claire was probably the character who you could say was most affected by 9/11. Throughout the story, she realizes a lot of things about her life and how she thought before, and how she thinks now. She is in the same class as Peter. Peter is personally my favorite character of the three, mostly because he has a passion for music. After 9/11 he realizes how true some of the lyrics of the songs he listens to are, which I can really relate to. He and Jasper met at a party and were had planned to go out on 9/11. Then after the incident, they decide to change the date to another time. On their date, it’s terribly awkward and just a bit sad to read. Claire becomes closer friends with Peter after that, and she meets Jasper one night when she is too tired to sleep. After this, she becomes friends with both Peter and Jasper, separately. At one point, Peter and Jasper meet up again and in Jasper’s part of the story, he says something about how they both love Claire, and it only seems right for them to be together because they can’t be with her. I like how the three characters are all so different in the way that they act and think, yet the ways that they become friends and the complications between their friendships. Jasper and Peter are also gay, and I love gay characters (as bad as that sounds for stereotyping them). So they definitely had a soft spot for me while reading this book.

In the author's note, Levithan says that he was working in New York at the time of 9/11 and for many months afterwards. He also says that some of the phrases in the book are taken directly from emails sent to his friends after 9/11.

I found this very interesting how he was able to incorporate his own words from the time into his story of the past. I also liked how this book was written by someone who had experienced it in the same place it had happened, as opposed to an author who lived in California and heard only heard the news on TV or in the newspaper. This author was actually there at the time, and it gives the book more credibility and authenticity.



This really isn’t my type of book, because it goes more into history, and I am not really a history-type of girl. Despite that, I did like how reading this book made me more aware of 9/11 and more information about it and how it has affected my country. I was only 5 or 6 at the time, and nowhere near New York. Being so young, my parents didn’t tell me anything about it. I am glad that after reading this, I was able to learn some facts about the event and become more educated about the past.

I would recommend this book to everyone. Whether you know a lot about 9/11, know a little bit, or don’t know anything at all, it’s definitely a good book to read. And even if you don’t live in the United States and this particular day doesn’t mean anything to you, it’s still a good book to read! There’s still a little bit of romance and friendship and optimism. I did like this book, even though its not one of my favorites. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading! <3