New New New

*SPOILERS*

I have just started a new book called A Great and Terrible Beauty, the first book in the Gemma Doyle series, by Libba Bray. The book is about British girl named Gemma Doyle who lives (at the very beginning) in India with her mother and father in 1895. At the murdur/suicide of Gemma's mother, Gemma is sent to the Spence Academy for Young Ladies, in the countryside not far from London, where Gemma has always wanted to go. Gemma has some trouble fitting in at first (naturally), and has to hide the fact that her mother died from murder. Soon Gemma is part of the "popular" group of girls at Spence. But Gemma isn't like everyone else. Gemma has visions and magic is linked to her strongly.
So far I am really enjoying the book. The book is a little slow-going, but I am still enjoying it. Because I am still at the beginning, I am still getting to know the characters, so I don't have much of an opinion yet. Because of this, I'm excited to keep reading!

Puzzle Book

I am in the middle of the book Why We Broke Up by Maira Kalman and Daniel Handler. So far the book is really good and I am enjoying it a lot. The book is currently describing Ed and Min's relationship and doesn't seem to have a very strong plot right now.
The book is in letter form, accompanied by items (in the book, pictures in real life) from there relationship (movie tickets, etc.) Because the letter is going by the different items, it does not tell every second of the relationship, so there are gaps that you do not read about. Reading a book like this reminds me of a mystery or a puzzle because you are piecing the story together. I think that this way you can almost fill in the blanks and think of the missing pieces yourself. I think that this is helping me stay close to the characters and is helping me like the book better.

New Start

I just started a new book called Why We Broke Up. The book is a letter from Min, a teenage girl, to Ed, her recent ex boyfriend.

When I first opened the book I was really surprised to see that all the pages were glossy and there were full page pictures at the beginning of every chapter. I usually don't read picture books so it was a shock to see the format. However, I soon realized that the book is a novel so saying it is a picture book isn't really fair. So far I really like the book and can't wait to keep reading!

Long Time to Finish

*SPOILERS*

I just finished So Big by Edna Ferber. I really enjoyed the book even though it was on a hard level and was slow going. Towards the end of the book the chapters and point of view started changing to Dirks point of view has well as Selena's. The book had a happy, positive ending but it wasn't fake. Roelf (from the beginning of the book when he was 12) came back to the farm to visit Selena which was nice. By the end of the book Dirk had a very nice, privileged life as a business man. I felt like Selena was disappointed in Dirk because his original dream of being an architect was abandoned for money. Selena had worked hard all her life for what she had and to help Dirk but Dirk did not do the same.

If I were Selena I would also be disappointed in Dirk as well. As soon as Dirk moved into the city of Chicago, he changed. This really opened my eyes to show how much society can change you. Dirk learned the way of life in the city and abandoned his old ways. For some people, this change can be positive but for some it can be negative (like Dirk). If society can change someone's views and make them forget what they believed in then that is a negative thing. Overall I thought the book was really good and I recommend it. 

Slow Going

*SPOILERS*

I am about halfway through So Big by Edna Ferber. So far the book has taken a sad turn. Pervus (Selena's husband) has died, leaving her the farm and a son named Dirk. However, the farm is bad and does not produce any goods.

I was sad that Pervus died but I was also happy. Selena had many good ideas about the farm that would bring them more money and more goods but Pervus would always turn them down. Now that Pervus has died, Selena can use all her ideas to make the farm better. I think that I wasn't upset about Pervus dying because he wasn't in the book for very long, so I didn't become attached to the character.

New Book!

I just started reading a new book called So Big by Edna Ferber. The book is about the life of a women (19) named Selina Peake. The beginning of the book starts with the explanation of the title (kind of). The 2nd chapter starts later in the past when Selina was younger. So far in the book Selina has gone to the High Prairie near Chicago, where she used to live, and is in a Dutch community. She becomes the teacher at the school there and is living with a Dutch family. The most recent thing that happened in the book was that Selina got married to a man named Pervus DeJong, which was hinted in the first chapter because Selinas last name was different.
So far I am really enjoying this book. The book is at a hard(ish) level and set in the past. I can't wait to keep reading and get deeper into the book!

The Book Thief- Beginning

*THIS IS POSTED LATE BECAUSE I DIDN'T REALIZE IT NEVER POSTED*

    I just started a new book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The book is about a German eleven year old girl named Liesel Meminger in 1939. At the beginning of the book, Liesel and her brother are being taken by their mother to a foster home because her mother is very poor and wants a better life for her children. Unfortunately, on the way to the foster home, her brother passes away and Liesel and her mother have to stop and bury the little boy. (This is not a spoiler because it happens within the first 20 or so pages.) When she is there she steals a book that the gravediggers dropped called the Gravediggers Handbook and then they continue on to the foster home. Once at the foster home her mother leaves and the story continues.
    Right off the bat I found I really liked this book. For the first part, I am almost positive the narrator is Death but I am not completely sure because I am not that far into the book yet. So far I really like the book and can tell that the writing is really great. I can't wait to keep reading the book!