Hatchet By: Gary Paulsen

.

★★★★☆

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

Can You Keep a Secret? By: Sophie Kinsella

.

★★☆☆☆

Goodreads

This book had it's up's and downs, and there was a big down near the end. The book is 95% dialogue which I can understand because I knew it was a girly type of book, but it didn't require much talent from the author. There are a few funny moments though.

The book starts out decent, simple story of a girl on a plane and accidentally tells a business man all her secrets, then he ends up being the CEO of her company. Then they start dating each other and at the end he does an interview on tv telling the world that she is his new target market and tells all her secrets... then he apologizes to her and of course she forgives him, and only forgives him because he gives her one of his secrets....

Started Reading:
Finished Reading: July 21, 2016

The Outsiders By: S.E. Hinton

.

★★★★★

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

Looking for Alaska By: John Green

.

★★★☆☆

Goodreads

Enjoyed this book as much as J.D. Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye'. Greens writing and narrator style is very similar to Salinger's. It's funny, as I look at John Greens goodreads page right now he actually has J.D. Salinger as his #1 influence.

I enjoyed some discussions on life's philosophies, like the labrynth.

My fav quote is: “Jesus, I'm not going to be one of those people who sits around talking about what they’re gonna do. I’m just going to do it. Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. ... You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” 

It's a balance between being a visionary and being a realist, don't just have ideas, put them to action and that to me is escaping the labyrinth.

Started Reading: Feb 4, 2016
Finished Reading: Feb 10, 2016

The Name of the Wind By: Patrick Rothfuss

.

★★★★★

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.

Sisterhood Everlasting By: Ann Brashares

.

★★★☆☆

Goodreads

A good close to the series. I was engaged into the book because I could relate to the characters.

There's a lot of touching moments that made me just stop and think about things in life.

*SPOILER*

The reason I didn't rate it 4 stars is because it really dragged on in the middle of the book with the death of Tibby. It was really repetitive and it was also random, I'm not sure why that character had to die, would have been nice to see what she did with her life. And I knew that she didn't kill herself from the beginning.

Started Reading:
Finished Reading: February 18, 2015

Fifty Shades Freed By: E.L. James

.

★★☆☆☆

Goodreads

Oh man this book seriously dragged on like crazy, if I didn't have to listen to the audio book and I had to actually read it I would of stopped reading it a quarter way in… SOOOOO repetitive it can can really boring.. I liked in the end though where they show in the future, and a scene from Christian's perspective.

Started Reading: October 9, 2013.
Finished Reading: November 8, 2013.

The Great Gatsby By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

.

★☆☆☆☆

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.

The Subtle Knife By: Philip Pullman

.

★★★☆☆

Goodreads

A children's book but I wouldn't want my child to read it, it's actually quite violent and aggressive.

All in all a good book though. I like how there's so many weird things about it and the sci-fi aspects are pretty neat.

There was something missing in this book though and I can't seem to pinpoint what it is.

Started Reading: April 13, 2013.
Finished Reading: April 20, 2013.

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.

Beneath the Glitter By: Elle & Blair Fowler

★★☆☆☆

Goodreads

Reminded me a lot of Lauren Conrad's book L.A Candy which was strictly meh.

This book is not really about anything, it's just 2 girls trying to make a brand for themselves while they talk about boys, people, and animals... I expected a little twist or something to make things happen, but it was just 2 girls talking the whole time.

I'm not interested in reading the next book. I only bought this book because the authors are on youtube.

Started Reading: December 3, 2012.
Finished Reading: January 24, 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.

Fifty Shades Darker By: E.L. James

★★★☆☆

Goodreads

This book was a disappointment in comparison to the first one.

Looking at it alone I give it 3 stars, it was strictly good, not bad, not great, good I suppose.

I'm worried the third book won't be much better.

How is Christian so successful yet 95% of his time is fooling around with a girl? It's not realistic lol... and I wish they would show more of his business in the book.

Started Reading: July 30, 2012.
Finished Reading: November 14, 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 Fault in our Stars By: John Green

★★★★★

Goodreads

What a touching novel, a real tear jerker..

You get really attached to the characters and learn to love them.

A life changing book, you appreciate life more after reading it, similar to Tuesday's with Morrie.

Read: August 15, 2012.