Reading Machine

Well, it's been awhile since I've written about a book I have read.  Actually, it's been awhile since I've written on the blog period.  I have a very long list of recipes I want to share and books I want to talk about.  I'm definitely in "survival mode" as the end of my first school year comes to a close quickly.  I feel like I'm busy Monday through Friday, making me excited to catch up on my personal life on the weekends.  However, the weekends show up and I feel like I'm just as swamped as I was during the week.  Let's just say I'm looking forward for summer to come and to have the summer off.  I'm looking forward to catching up on housework, maybe doing some painting (not artistic), and most of all lounging around when I feel like it :)

Well, I will update recipes soon.  I wanted to share some books I have been reading.  Spring break in Mexico was a much needed week off and I read 4 books in a week!!!  I loved it :)  Chris and I would head out to the beach sometime between 9 and 10 AM and hang out until 5pm.  We just read all day, taking breaks to swim or eat.  It was definitely our ideal vacation.

Here are some books I read and thoroughly enjoyed:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald


I read this in high school.  My interest in it came back when I found out they are making a new movie about the book.  I did see the first movie in high school after we read the book.  Let's be honest, I didn't remember ANYTHING that happened.  So I decided it was time to re-read it.  It's short and very good.  I'm looking forward to Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby!

Loved it... :)









The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I have read Harry Potter, The Percy Jackson Series, and of course The Hunger Games series.  I was in the mood for another series to read.  I'll admit, I enjoy books written for teens.  I had heard The Maze Runner was a good one if you enjoyed The Hunger Games.  I will definitely say that if you liked Hunger Games you will definitely enjoy The Maze Runner.  It is the first of three books.  There is actually a prequel coming out soon for this series.

This book is about a boy named Thomas.  The book starts with Thomas waking up in a dark box, like an elevator.  He is slowly raised into the center of the maze.  This is where all the other boys live and work.  Thomas is very confused and slowly learns about the maze.  The other boys refer to the people who sent them there as "the creators."  They are surrounded by a maze that is explored each day by "Maze Runners" who go out and run the maze, coming back each night before the doors to the maze close.  The story goes on to explain how these boys developed their own sort of society based on what they were given.  The day after Thomas arrives, the first girl arrives the same way he did, though she is the last. She had a note in hand saying that she is the last one ever and that the end is near.  Things start happening from there fully keeping your attention as you read.

The story definitely keeps you on your toes.  One thing that I really enjoyed about this book is that the chapters are really short, and they leave you with a cliffhanger and the end of each chapter.  I couldn't put the book down because I had to find out what was going to happen next.  There is so much more than what I said in my short paragraph about the book.  Enjoy!

**I have read the second book The Scorch Trials.  VERY GOOD!  Looking forward to Book #3 :)

The Descendents by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Yes, I read this because I want to see the movie.  I try to read books before I see the movie... the books are ALWAYS better :)  I have the movie from Netflix right now and plan on watching it after dinner tonight.  I'm pretty excited to see George Clooney as the main character.

Anyway, this is a story about Matt King, a descendant of one of the royal families in Hawaii.  Hence the name of the book.  Matt's wife is in a coma from a boating accident and he is faced with the dilemma of taking her off life support.  After he makes his decision, he goes on a mission with his daughters to find the man his wife was having an affair with.  

This was a much better story than I was expecting.  I figured it was going to be sad and depressing... why was I reading it on vacation?  Yes, it's not a very happy story.  However, I flew through this book.  It was written very well and kept my attention.  If you like to read books before seeing the movie, I recommend this one!

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

I really enjoy this author.  I have read her book Snowflower and the Secret Fan and really enjoyed it.  I love historical fiction books.

This book is about two sisters who live in Shanghai in the 1930s, before the war in China made its way to Shanghai.  They lived a very luxurious life having the freedom two young girls probably didn't have at this time in other areas of China.  They soon find out their father lost all his money gambling, along with the money the girls had earned posing for painters (for advertisements).  Since his father owed someone a lot of money, he sold the sisters to another man to marry his sons.  The story takes you on a journey from Shanghai and ending in Los Angeles, California.  It is amazing what these two women went through- traveling by foot to get to a port in China to get to California, having a child on Angel Island in California, and so much more.  There are so many different things that happened that I don't even know where to start sharing.  You need to read it to find out for yourself.  This was a fiction story, but I am sure there were women who went through similar situations.

If you like historical fiction, this is a great book to read.  I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this story Dreams of Joy.

After vacation, I started to read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  Well, I got about 100 pages in and couldn't get into it.  I didn't fully understand it and did not think it was well written.  I usually tell myself to give up after 100 pages if I can't get into a book.  There are so many books out there that I want to read, why waste my time on one I am not enjoying.

Currently, I am reading The Murder of the Century by Paul Collins.  It got mixed reviews on Goodreads.com, so we will see.  I'm not very far into it, so I'll let you know how it is!