60/100

The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir by John Grogan

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is another book I read at school, although rather than it be a middle school required reading, it was a book a teacher was reading that she didn't feel like continuing.

This was the life story of John Grogan, author of Marley and Me. I loved loved loved Marley, and this book was okay, but not nearly as captivating. I think it was because it was a little hard for me to relate to erections and extreme Catholicism. But overall, I found it very enjoyable, although there was sadness involved.


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59/100

Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book is written in all letter form which I am not a big fan of. The main character, Joey Margolis, is a young boy who is growing up as a Jew, without a father, in the middle of a war. He is also a pathological liar, which I had a problem with at the beginning because it was hard to discern truth from fiction. After getting 50 pages in, I decided to quit the book. I was all set to return it to the library when I saw the reviews on here and how great they were. So I sucked it up, and continued to read.



Once I really started getting into the book, I loved the relationship between Joey and Charlie Banks, the professional baseball player he swindles into his life. I ultimately felt heartbroken at the end, and I don't regret deciding to finish the book.


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58/100

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

My review

rating: 1 of 5 stars
I know this book is highly recommended but I just could not get into it! I read 100 pages and finally used the "life is too short" mantra.


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57/100

Watermelon by Marian Keyes

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was your standard chick lit book, but for some reason I really enjoyed it. The story is about a woman who gives birth and is left by her husband for another woman, all in the same day. I really liked the author's humor and writing style and I will definitely seek out more of her books in the future.


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56/100

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is another book from school. I am truly intrigued by books that center around the Holocaust. Seeing as this book is meant for middle school students, it was quite toned down, but it was still very well done.


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55/100

The Giver by Lois Lowry

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is another book I read from school. I loved it. I really like the ideas of utopian, "Big Brother" societies. The story follows a boy named Jonas who lives in a perfect society. Every family has one boy and one girl, and jobs are preselected based on the observations of a group of elders. At the yearly ceremony, Jonas is left out of the job selection. He later finds out he was given the very special job of Receiver.

The Receiver is responsible for holding all of the community's memories. While at first, this seems fun, Jonas realizes all that he is missing out on: love, color, and even pain. When Jonas finds out devestating news, he must make a life-altering decision.


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54/100

Plum Spooky (A Stephanie Plum Between the Numbers/Holiday Novel, #4)
by Janet Evanovich

status: Read in March, 2009
review: This book was standard Janet Evanovich, but in a between the numbers variety. Therefore, there was very little Ranger and even less Morelli, but mostly Diesel. Still loved it, very quick enjoyable read.