Delirium

This book by Lauren Oliver is AMAZING!!! Lena lives in a futuristic society where love is considered a disease. Once people turn 18, they can be cured from ever falling in love by having a portion of their brain lasered away. Lena can't wait to finally have the cure and be happy... until she falls in love just 95 days before her scheduled procedure. It is fast-paced, full of twists and turns, has excellent characters, and is super compelling. I couldn't put it down!

(I'll add a pic of the cover later if I remember - I'm uploading pics to my other blog right now.)

A Single Thread

I just finished reading A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick. It follows the lives of 4 main characters as they intertwine. It is told from the alternating perspective of two of the main characters. All four women start as strangers, but through a bout of cancer and a quilt circle, they end up becoming friends. It is very well-written, the characters are realistic and compelling, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it! In fact, I'm reading the sequel (A Thread of Truth) right now!

Missing May

Missing May by Cynthia Rylant is about a young girl, Summer, who is adopted by her aging Aunt May and Uncle Ob. Aunt May passes away, and Uncle Ob especially misses her. Together, Summer, Uncle Ob, and the peculiar neighbor boy named Cletus, learn to find strength from each other as they continue to live life all the while missing May.
It's a rill short book, but it's so sweet. I figure if Mom were to read it, she'd cry. That's why I posted it. Plus also, I read it for my Children's Lit class . . ..

Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting

This was a book I read for my children's lit class. Normally, I'm not a big fan of history non-fiction type books, but this book was very moving. The book begins by talking about the lead up to WWI and life in the trenches. Then it beautifully and poignantly gives the account of the Christmas Day Truce of 1914, wherein troops from both sides of the war caused a cease-fire for several hours and crossed enemy lines to celebrate Christmas Day together. I like the format of the book because there's lots of great photographs. There's actual quotes from soldiers, too, but they are seamlessly intertwined with the narrative.
Even if you don't like history or war, I would still recommend this book. It shows the human nature of us all, even in the midst of war. Personally, while I was reading it, I kept thinking, "Okay, so what happens next as a result of the truce?" Obviously, the war went on for a few more years, but I still think the Christmas Truce of 1914 was an important event in the war.

A Year Down Yonder

Mary Alice, 15, spends a year living with her eccentric grandma in a small country town. The adventures they have are absolutely hilarious as they cause town riots, find creative ways to make money, and otherwise either endear themselves or scare themselves away from everyone else in the town.
This is a feel-good book for sure, and it's real short, too!

Plus also, this book is a sequel to A Long Way From Chicago which is about Mary Alice and her brother Joey as they visit Grandma over consecutive summers. Also a good book.

The Help

This book is wonderful! It's about black maids and hired help during the 1960s. It outlines the story of three main characters-two maids, and a white college graduate - who work together to write their stories. It was such a good read, and I definitely gained a lot of appreciation for that time period and the unspoken racial social rules. I really liked what they included in their stories to "give it insurance" against the high society socialites. I give it 5 stars!!

I Sit All Amazed: The Extraordinary Power of a Mother's love

Written by Steve Mikita, this book talks about his life in a wheelchair because of a muscular disease. He reflects back on all his mother did for him during her life and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has sustained him in his trials and hardships.

A very good read! It's neat to see how this man has progressed beyond the slim prognosis of life expectancy and has done so many things with the necessary assistance from his mom and others & shows how determined one can be and how they can succeed when they work toward it.