Junebook 30: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

I love Sarah Dessen's books. They are kind of like Nicholas Sparks' books in that they all are set in a same small town and they are usually some kind of love story.

In this novel, Remy is a teenage girl raised by her mom, because her dad died when she was younger. Her mom has gotten married so many times that Remy doesn't believe in love anymore. Then she meets Dexter, who is open and caring and falls for her immediately. The story continues on about their relationship and Remy's struggle to actually believe in love.

This is the first book by Sarah Dessen that I read, so I wanted to mention this one, but she has written many others. It's also cool because sometimes, she mentions characters from her previous books in the new ones. You won't understand unless you read them in the order Sarah Dessen wrote them in.

Check them out here:

http://sarahdessen.com/books/

Junebook 29: Airhead by Meg Cabot

Now I know Meg Cabot is known for her Princess Diaries series, but she has written some other books, and I wanted to mention one that I really liked.

In this book, there are two main characters...kind of. A beautiful, famous teenage model and a tomboy teenage girl. These two girls happen to be in the same room, when somethings happen at the same time. The tomboy girl's body gets crushed in a horrible accident, while the model's brain has an aneurysm and dies.

The tomboy girl's brain gets implanted into the supermodel's body and the story goes on from there. How she deals with it all, how she misses her best friend because at first, only her family knows what happened.

Junebook 28: Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

So I definitely went through a "pop econ" phase too. This book is written by an econ professor from the University of Chicago and a journalist. They share statistics on some strange things that no one would have thought was related and the results and crazy.

Some topics include: the economics of drug dealing and the effect legalized abortion has had on reducing crime rates.

It is a really interesting read, and if you read this one and can't get enough, there is a sequel called Superfreakonomics which has even more crazy statistics.

Junebook 27: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is a genius and I would love to hear him give a talk someday.

In the meantime, I've read all his books. This is probably my favorite one. His books are all filled with statistics, and psychology...I think the official term was "pop economics."

In this book, he talks about people who are exceptional good at what they did, and analyzes how they got to where they are now. He talks about the success stories of Bill Gates, the Beatles, and others.

I love hearing his analysis and explanations on certain things.

His other books are The Tipping Point, Blink, and What the Dog Saw. I'd recommend all of them.

Junebook 26: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I know that this is a very conflicting book, it was kind of a harsh read, but it portrayed the truth and didn't hold back.

The story is set in the 1930s and follows the life of Celie and her younger sister Nettie. It tells about Celie's struggles and how her father abuses her.

It is violent and rough, so be prepared if you want to read it. It is a classic though, and I was on a classic kick for a while so I read it. I wouldn't recommend it to younger teens though. Definitely should be in high school or older.

Junebook 25: Frightful's Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Let me start with a backstory first.

The first novel in this series is called My Side of the Mountain. The book is about how a boy named Sam Gribley moves out of New York City to live a simple wilderness lifestyle. He meets Frightful, a peregrine falcon who keeps as a "pet." I haven't read this book, so I don't know much about it, but as far as I have looked up, the gist of this novel is that Sam moves out to wilderness.

Frightful's Mountain is written in 3rd person limited omniscient, with Frightful's point of view. It's quite interesting to read a book from an animal's point of view. And this isn't some made up story where animals talk and such. It describes the way she feels, her instincts that she feels as a falcon, and the training she has undergone with Sam.

She goes through some adventures, mates, has some kids, and grows up. I love how it was written from such a unique point of view.

Junebook 24: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

This book starts out like an adventure story. A group of boys end up stranded on an island and have to figure out how to survive. But by the end, it does get quite gruesome and creepy.

It shows how without any structure and order, people become uncivilized and act on their primal instincts which can be quite animalistic.

An interesting read nonetheless...

Junebook 23: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Boy, was it a process to finish this book. It is an epic of sorts. But I felt so accomplished after finishing it.

It is basically a story of Scarlett O'Hara's life as she grew up in the South during the American Civil War. There's romance, action, and just a little bit of everything (with that many pages, it makes sense). 

Normally, I don't like these kinds of books (um, Great Expectations = yawn) but this was actually really interesting. Maybe because the main character was a girl? Just "watching" her grow up and change and mature...it was touching in a way.

The characters are all painted so vividly and have such depth. Not just Scarlett, but her mother, Ellen, Rhett Butler, Melanie, and even minor characters that just make an appearance but either die or disappear from the main story.

It is really a great read, though hard to get through. I will admit, sometimes, it is slow going, but maybe that's just me.

Junebook 22: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

It's basically a book about Civil Rights. Told from two women slaves and a girl from a rich Caucasian family who was raised by a elderly women slave.

It's very touching and well written. Not much more to say...

Junebook 21: The Fault in our Stars by John Greene

This novel follows two normal teenagers, Augustus and Hazel. Normal, but living with cancer.

They fall in love and it was such a sweet story. The main thing I took away from this was that it is OK to love, even love someone with cancer despite not knowing when they will die, but knowing that it could happen at any moment.

It was written very well and I liked how natural and normal the story was. It wasn't forced drama, but it wasn't an unpractical perfect relationship. It was awkward, sweet, sad, touching, and just...REAL.

Junebook 20: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

This novel is a science fiction story where kids are used in the military. Pretty much sums it up.

Honestly, the way it was written was a little confusing, because I didn't understand that one basic fact for a while. There are a lot of little details, and with a sci-fi novel there are also words and creatures and concepts that are invented for the sake of the novel.

Basically, the story follows Ender's experience through his training in Battle School, which is his training for Earth's military in space battle.

It was an interesting book though, and I'm excited to watch the movie when it comes out.

Junebook 19: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks is known for his romantic novels. They are all such easy reads, and really sweet love stories.

This is my favorite Nicholas Sparks book, and I really liked the movie as well.

The story is set in the late 1950's. Landon Carter is your typical bad boy, while Jamie Sullivan, the town preacher's daughter is a Bible-carrying, modestly dressed, goody-two-shoes. And yet...could these two actually fall in love?

Well, like all novels, you figure that they do. But there is a twist at the end...

Junebook 18: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This is an old book series that came out in the late 90's/early 2000's. There are seven books: Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy and Among the Free.

This series is set in a futuristic society in which each family is not allowed to have more than two children because of overpopulation and food shortage problems.

Haddix is an amazing author who writes adventure/suspense novels that keep you turning that page...

Junebook 17: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The characters in this novel are quite young (in the 11/12 range) so it may seem like this book is targeted to younger readers, but even teenagers can read it, or anyone who is a fan of Greek myths.

The main character, Percy Jackson, realizes early on in the book that he is a demigod, half god/half mortal. He goes to a summer camp and meets other demigods his age. He learns about his family and his destiny. 

Main conflict in the story: Zeus thinks Percy is the lightning thief and Percy has to defend his honor and reputation.

The other books in the series: The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.

Junebook 16: Animal Farm by George Orwell

This is another classic, one that I chose to read on my own. It was a short, easy read, but it really resonated with me. The last few pages especially. Basically said that humans (or men, however you want to read into that) are pigs. 

It was an interesting concept, making animals be able to talk to humans and having pigs as the smartest animal on the farm. I wasn't sure why the author chose them until the very end.

It definitely makes you think, this one.

Junebook 15: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Yes, this is a classic that I had to read for school but I loved it. The writing was so rich and beautiful.

There are about two pages in the early part of the book where the author just describes the scenery and it paints such a beautiful picture! 

There are a lot of symbols and important themes in the book, which I'm not going to get into here, but it is well worth the read. It is basically a life story...it tells the story of a family and the generations in the family. Their mistakes, their successes, and the major things that happen in their life. It may sound normal and boring, but once you start reading, you can appreciate the beauty of the book.

Junebook 14: Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul

This is not really a novel, but a collection of short stories. I've always wanted to read a Chicken Soup book and I think it's always a great pick me up. It's like you're meeting a bunch of different people and learning about an important moment or a short summary of their life.

I got the Horse Lover's version because I love horses and I thought I could always reread it and love it. There are ones for the Children's Soul, Teenage, Mom, Dad, and others depending on who you are and what kind of stories you want to read.

I haven't read any of the others, but I think they are all filled with uplifting, feel-good stories.

Junebook 13: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel is the first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy. This is sort of a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series. This series occured 150 years before the Infernal Devices time, so only a few people still make a recurrence in the later series.

The main character in this trilogy is Tessa, who is not a Shadowhunter, but falls in love with one. While she is not a demon hunter, she does have some special powers, and she learns about them, about herself, and her family throughout the series.

The other books in the trilogy include Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess. 

Junebook 12: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series which has a total of 6 books.

This is a fantasy series but it is set in the modern world. There are beings called Shadowhunters, who have angel blood in them, which make them stronger and faster than a normal human being. They can also see the demons that wander about the world and it is the Shadowhunters' job to kill these monsters and keep humans safe.

Clary, the female lead, realizes that she is a Shadowhunter in the first novel and the rest of the series follows her training and her adventures in the Shadowhunter world. She faces many demons and learns the truth about her past and her family heritage. And she does fall in love along the way, which leads to even more complications.

It is an intriguing book, probably suited for girls because the romance does play a big role in the story line. However, there is a lot of action and strange creatures, along with witches, warlocks, angels, demons and more.

The other books in the series, in order: City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire.

Junebook 11: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

This fantasy is very similar to the quartet that I posted about yesterday. It starts out with an average farm boy, Eragon, who happens to find a dragon's egg, and it changes his life forever.

The book is very action packed, meaning a lot of battles. Like a true fantasy book, a new land is invented, different species exist, like dwarves, elves, and dragon riders...and of course there is magic.

A lot of words are made up (actually a whole language is made up, with a glossary in the back of the book), so it may be hard to follow for some readers.

The other books in this Inheritance series are: Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance.

Junebook 10: The Naming by Alison Croggon

We're switching gears into some fantasy. This quartet of books, called the Books of Pellinor, starts off with The Naming. Then there is The Riddle, The Crow, and finally The Singing.

The story follow the girl named Maerad, who is initially a slave, but is discovered to have the "gift" by a bard named Cadvan. Later on in the novel, she finds out that it is her destiny to destroy a major evil villain who has been trying to conquer the lands for a long time.

All four novels follow her story has she tries to fulfill her destiny. It shows how she grows and learns about her powers and the relationship between her and Cadvan grows deeper as well.

A beautifully written story that I would recommend to any fans of fantasy.

Junebook 9: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I know, I know. It's a lot of dystopian novels. But this is the last one. For now...

In this world, the cause to all the chaos, war, poverty and basically all human problems has been determined: amor deliria nervosa. Or in other words...LOVE. And a vaccine has been developed to make people stop feeling love.

The author has done a great job explaining why this is plausible, but of course there are always drawbacks. The main character, Lena, doesn't take the cure and tries to escape the life that was planned for her.

This trilogy, including Pandemonium and Requiem, follow her story to try and bring down the system. And fall in love while doing it.

Junebook 8: Divergent by Veronica Roth

I'm really excited to share this novel (well, trilogy) with you guys, because of all the dystopian novels I've been reading recently, this is my favorite by far.

The novel is set in Chicago, but not the Chicago we know. The city has 5 factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. Everyone living in the city is born into one of these factions and then when they turn 16, they take an aptitude test to see which faction they are most suited for. After that, they can choose which faction to continue their life in.

These factions all have very different lifestyles and throughout the novel, and in the second book, you can catch a glimpse of these differences. The story is alluring and well written; an intense page turner.

The story follows a girl named Beatrice. While most people show aptitude for one or more rarely two factions, Beatrice shows aptitude for three, meaning she is divergent. The novel follows her life, her decisions, and her search for what being "Divergent" really means, and why it is so scandalous.

The third book is coming out later this year, and I can't wait until it does. There was an intense scene at the end of the third book that has me yearning to read the final installment of this amazing trilogy. These books have a little bit of everything: comedy, romance, action, adventure, suspense...

Junebook 7: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I'm pretty sure most people have heard about this series by now. But I absolutely loved it. I thought it was very well written and the world was explained really well.

For those of you who don't know, The Hunger Games is an annual competition where two children between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from each "District" to come and fight to the death. It is vile and messed up but the rest of this society cheers on like it is some joyful event.

Enter Katniss Everdeen, who actually volunteers herself into the competition and starts a revolution, starting up a reputation as the girl on fire.

The other novels in the trilogy include Catching Fire and Mockingjay and follow the struggles of the outer Districts and Katniss in trying to overthrow the Capitol government and end the Hunger Games once and for all.

Junebook 6: Matched by Ally Condie

In this society, everyone is matched with their future spouse and that is the person they are supposed to be with for the rest of their lives. They also get matched to what job they should have based on the skills they present throughout schooling.

The only problem is...the main character gets matched to two boys. And even though she is told it was a mistake and finds out who she is supposed to be with...she can't help questioning why the other boy was almost matched with her.

As the novel progresses, the main character starts to think this government might have many flaws and she seeks to find out the truth and maybe join the mysterious revolution...

The other books in the trilogy are Crossed and Reached.

Junebook 5: The Giver by Lois Lowry

This book was a little intense, in the sense that the world it created seemed so wrong.

Basically, in this society, there is a man called the giver, who has all the memories of the past, before this society was created. And then main character, Jonas, is chosen to be the next Giver and receive these memories. When these memories are being exchanged, you realize how much this society lacks. Jonas is surprised by these new feelings, and weather, and colors. It just seems bizarre that people would want to take that away.

Junebook 4: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

In this world, the "government" decides to make everyone look "pretty" after they turn a certain age because they thought all the poor/rich unfairness and wars and every struggle was due to how people looked. It makes sense, the way the author explains it in the book, and the world appears to be a happy place.

But there are always exceptions. And the main character, Tally Youngblood is one of them. The book explores the age old saying, "looks aren't everything" and shows that individuality is more important than conformity for the sake of peace. 

I think one reason I like these dystopian novels is because they make you think about the problems with life and government now, and how to potentially fix them....but then it is not as easy as it seems to fix it.

This is again a trilogy, with Pretties and Specials as the next books. Then Extras came out, which has a different main character, is set more in the future and in a different part of the world. Tally does make an appearance in the book, but does not play a major role.

Junebook 3: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

You'll come to realize I really like dystopian novels. I like when new worlds are created, but futuristic, realistic new worlds. Kinda comes from my childhood love of fantasy I suppose. But I never liked sci-fi.

In this book, the main character, Thomas is trapped in a maze with a group of other boys. They have no memories of their life before. The day after Thomas arrives at the maze, a girl comes to the maze. They story revolves around these kids and how they escape the maze and find out who put them in there and why. The trilogy follows this group as they enter the real world again.

And recently, the prequel came out, The Kill Order. Apparently this is supposed to explain everything well, which is good, because even the last book in the trilogy left me with a lot of questions.

Junebook 2: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Today, I'm going to talk about The Golden Compass. While it is true that the main characters are 11/12, the story itself is meant for more mature readers. It is a complex story line and while it is fantasy, Pullman creates a more realistic fantasy world, rather than childish.

The story is very well written, and the sequels to the book are each just as enticing. It explores the ideas of multiple worlds and questions the ideas of religion (mainly Christianity). I do know some people have taken offense to this book, but honestly, it is just a piece of fiction, and wasn't meant to be blasphemous.

Even adults could probably enjoy this book. If they can still deal with the whole fantasy world thing. Especially in the sequels, many worlds are discovered and they carry strange creatures. 

But basically the story follows the adventures of a girl named Lyra, and her daemon, Pan and their quest to find the meaning behind the "Dust."

Junebook 1: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Welcome to Junebook! This month, I'm going to be featuring/reviewing a book a day. Perfect for all those who have to do some summer reading. If you haven't already read these books, go check them out and ENJOY reading this summer, not because you have to, but because you want to.

I'm going to start off by mentioning my absolute favorite book series ever, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. It is hard to pick a favorite, but I really admired the last book because of all the connections. It was just the little things, for example: how back in book 5 Sirius gave Harry that 2-way mirror that broke but Aberforth Dumbledore had a piece and was watching and helping out when he could. I loved the mini story from the Tales of Beetle the Bard. I loved how Harry didn't just kill Voldemort cliche-ly (is that even a word?), but how he had to die first.

Overall, the series was really well written. I know most people in the 10 - 30 year-old range have probably already read the book, but if you haven't, I highly recommend it, whatever your age. I think everyone can learn something from the book.