Hatchet By: Gary Paulsen

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★★★★☆

Goodreads

Best survival book I've ever read (2nd is the hunger games).

I enjoyed imagining what life would be like stranded in the middle of forest and lakes.

Brian seemed to learn very quickly about everything he did, whether it be catching fish or making a camp, etc. But maybe Paulsen just wanted to keep the story short and to the point.

I find it pretty unbelievable that Brain explored the plane on day #54... 54 days of just hanging out with yourself with nothing to do but survive.. you're bound to be curious of what's in the plane aren't you? My feeling is that Brian subconsciously did not want to be rescued, he saw his life back at home, and "the secret" as baggage and he didn't want to deal with it, and here he was in the middle of nowhere making a life for himself, it was an ego boost, and he didn't want to leave it. But also maybe subconsciously he knew that he wouldn't survive the winter.

Started Reading:
Finished Reading: July 21, 2016

The Outsiders By: S.E. Hinton

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★★★★★

Goodreads

Man oh man what a good book. I guess that's why they call it a classic. There's so many things I liked about it, the fact that we're all the same, maybe just grew up in a different place, different parents, but when it comes down to it we all are the same deep down. It was interesting seeing how a group of boys can grow up under unfortunate circumstances yet be so strong, loyal and always looking out for eachother.

This part of the book blew me away:
“Rat race is the perfect name for it,' she said. 'We're always going and going and going, and never asking where. Did you ever hear of having more than you wanted? So that you couldn't want anything else and then started looking for something else to want? It seems like we're always searching for something to satisfy is, and never finding it. Maybe if we could lose our cool we would.”
― S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders

And the ever famous Frost poem in the book:
“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay."
- Robert Frost

I really liked Jonny's meaning of the poem:
"I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you're gold when you're a kid, like green. When you're a kid everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be.”
― S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders

Started Reading:
Finished Reading: July 8, 2016

Dune By: Frank Herbert

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★★★☆☆

Goodreads

A classic science fiction novel with a world of imagination. The writing was bad in the beginning but you get use to it through the book.

There are so many characters and each character has so many names so it gets confusing. One person has a name for war, name as a lover, name as a son, first name, last name... etc.

I love the concept of how the people treat water as if it's gold, they talk about killing someone to take their water, or if someone cries it's a huge deal because it's shocking someone would spend their water.

The story is constantly shifting and moving which keeps it interesting. Sometime's there would be huge plot wholes and time jumps and you wouldn't know it until after.

There were a couple deaths near the end of the book and it was only mentioned in passing, wasn't written on how they died, when, how, etc. just as a piece of news...

I love the powers of the Bene Gesserit, so manipulative and strategic yet scary and mysterious.

I also liked the crysknife and the rules behind owning one.

Started Reading:
Finished Reading: June 6, 2016

The Name of the Wind By: Patrick Rothfuss

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★★★★★

Goodreads

This book is added to one of my favourite books of all time. This book is the definition of the joy of reading. The way Rothfuss writes is so engaging and you just get lost in it. I can't wait to read the next one!
Started Reading:
Finished Reading: July 15, 2015.

The Great Gatsby By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

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★☆☆☆☆

Goodreads

I'm sorry I just really did not enjoy this book at all... I was bored out of my mind, it was so hard to finish it! I'm still going to go see the movie though.

Started Reading: May 8, 2013.
Finished Reading: June 23, 2013.

Rich Dad Poor Dad By: Robert T. Kiyosaki

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★★★★☆

Goodreads

Read: April 10, 2013.

Good moral's, excellent read for a young person. For me personally I didn't learn much but there was much to learn if your not familiar with money management. The author loves to repeat himself a million times about what he preaches which is a good/bad thing. I found the way he thinks is extremely similar to my thinking.

Read again Feb 4, 2016
Great book explaining the mind set of how the rich think. It teaches how to separate yourself from the masses and to take risks and take a path less taken, like owning your own business. There's many perks to operating a business including tax savings compared to the heavy tax from a job (just over broke). Life is not about - Go to school, find a good company to work for, instead, go to school, find a good company to buy. Accumulating assets, and/or assets that produce cash flow, instead of liabilities. "Broke is temporary, poor is eternal."

The Giver By: Lois Lowry

★★★★★

Goodreads

Amazing book.

The Giver starts off utopian yet through reading the reader learns this world is actually dystopian.

I also really enjoyed the movie too.

Started Reading: January 24, 2013.
Finished Reading: January 28, 2013.

White Fang By: Jack London

★★★☆☆

Goodreads

I've never read a book like this before, it's very unique. It's also very barbaric and primitive.

The beginning is like living in the perspective of a new born baby and everything is new and confusing and exciting.

The book jumps from different perspectives from time to time and you have to follow who's perspective you're in.

Started Reading: September 4, 2012.
Finished Reading: December 1, 2012.

The Catcher in the Rye By: J.D. Salinger

★★★☆☆

Goodreads

So many "god damn" and "christ sakes" and "...I really did." and "that killed me."

Holden is always so depressed and lonely and he's a hard nut to crack until late in the book when he talks to his sister you understand him more.

Not much plot but a lot of character development, it's all about growing up and figuring out what you wanna do with your god damn life :P

Started Reading: August 20, 2012.
Finished Reading: August 22, 2012.

The Last Unicorn By: Peter S. Beagle

★★★☆☆

Goodreads

A fairytale story <3.

The writing style is very old! I mean it was written in 1968 so just keep that in mind. It's okay that it's old but it just makes it different to read, kinda confusing and hard to follow at parts.

It was a fast read though, I enjoyed it.

Read: June 25, 2012.