The book "Gathering Blue", by Lois Lowry, is a sister book to her book "The Giver". There are actually four books that comprise The Giver story, and while the stories don't actually intertwine until the third book I think it's important to read both of these first so that you fully understand what is going on later in the tale. "Gathering Blue", the second book, is about a young physically handicapped girl who, after losing her mother and finding herself alone in the world, has to figure out how to survive on her own. The village she lives in is not a friendly one. If women die then their children are given away because the dads don't want the responsibility, if babies seem weak then they are left in a field to die, if a person doesn't have a way to contribute then they are left out in the field to die. It's basically every man for himself. Fortunately our leading lady, Kira, has a way to contribute to the community after her mom dies. She has an incredible talent with weaving, and is chosen to make repairs on a special robe that is sacred to the community. Once she moves into the Council Edifice she slowly picks up hints that her community is not what it seems. She is determined to find the truth and make it a better place, with the help of her young companion, Matt, who acts as her protector in his own little way.
This book adds to The Giver story, but it is also really good all on it's own. My only qualm with it is that the author doesn't finish the story. The book ends as if there will be a sequel, but the next book in the series picks up in a different place and you never really learn about what happens to this community. I almost wish she would have made this story it's own series instead of tying it into "The Giver". However, I still think it is worth reading. This book will probably take a couple of days to get through, and is definitely appropriate for readers of all ages. (I read it for the first time when I was in fifth grade). Let me know what you think!
Do you ever find a book you love so much that you read it two or three times in the space of a few months? That's exactly what I did with the book "Blind Side", by Clair M. Poulson. I read it over and over and then I loaned it out to family members so they could read it too. I've already said that Poulson is my favorite author, and "Blind Side" is probably in my top favorite three of his books. It's about an incredible young woman, named Noletta, who takes her dog for a walk and becomes the only eye witness to a murder. She's not very much help identifying the murderer though because he shot her too and took away her sight, but her dog, Taffy, remembers. She goes back to college with her dog, now trained to be her eyes, and tries to live a normal life. Everything seems great until Taffy starts acting weird around one of Noletta's classmates, and then just a few days later he goes missing. Noletta goes on a hunt to find her missing dog and in a terrifying twist of events, finds out what Taffy was trying to warn her of.
This story is full of intrigue, suspense, and plot twists that will keep your head spinning and your eyes glued to the page. Be prepared to lose some sleep because you will not want to put this book down. Poulson is an LDS author so all of his books are clean, which makes this the perfect read for all ages. Whenever a friend asks if I have any good books to read, this is usually the one that I lend to them. Go out and get your own copy and then let me know what you think!
I know that this book wasn't next on my "Coming Up Next" list, but I figured since Christmas was this week now would be a good time to put it on here. "The Three Gifts of Christmas", by Anita Stansfield, is a story about a girl named LeNay that leaves an uncomfortable situation at home and is rescued by an amazing and unbelievably kind widow. It's at the home of this kind widow where LeNay learns what it is like to be a part of a real family. They include her in the daily chores of running the ranch, and when Christmas comes around they include her in all their celebrations and family traditions. LeNay learns the true meaning of Christmas and falls in love while she's at it.
This is a heart-warming story about family bonds, love, and kindness. Plus it's not really a Christmas book, so you can read it any time of the year! I recommend this to any reader looking for a book that will put a smile (and maybe even a tear) on your face. Let me know what you think!
I almost didn't put this book on here because it is not a book that I would normally read. I had a friend recommend it to me, so I thought I'd check it out...and while I will probably never read more of Sandra Brown's work, I did enjoy "The Crush". Her writing honestly just sucked me in. I read this book in all my free time over a couple of days.
It's about a female doctor who serves jury duty and the criminal that ends up being acquitted becomes obsessed with her. Then the cop that is investigating a murder of one of her co-workers falls for her too, and the two battle for her affections - the criminal in a break-into-your-house creepy way, and the cop in a big-tough-cowboy I'm going to protect you way.
This book has just the right mixture of mystery, suspense, comedy, and romance. It also is full of swear words and some fairly detailed intimate scenes. That's the stuff I try to stay away from, so like I said, I won't be reading any more of her books. However, if that doesn't bother you and you are looking for a new author to check out, then definitely check out Sandra Brown. I just wanted to put this book on here to give you a heads up in case you pick up one of her books and don't know what to expect.
This book was on the reading list for my AP English class in high school. I thought I loved it then, but each time I read it I fall in love with it even more because I find something new that I didn't notice in my previous readings. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", by Thomas Hardy, is a Victorian Novel that depicts what a truly pure woman is. I love this book because it challenges the social expectations of the time and has a heroine that probably appalled some of the women back then. Tess is a simple country girl that wasn't warned of the evils of the world. So when she ventures out on her own for the first time she gets herself in a bit of trouble with a boy. Now she is 'ruined' and she knows it, so she goes on to live her life and tries to be her best self. When a respectable gentleman falls in love with her she in no way leads him on even though she has fallen for him too. He asks her to marry him multiple times but she always says no, denying herself any type of happiness because she doesn't think she is worthy of it. Once he convinces her that he will always love her, no matter what, she agrees to marry him. Ah, but as soon as she tells him what happened to her, he acts like she is a stranger and leaves her. Over the next year she withstands multiple trials and hardships all while staying true to her husband and remaining a respectable lady. I'm not going to tell you what happens in the end because you will want to find out for yourself.
I love Tess because no matter what happens, how bad things get for her, she always tries to be her best self. It's a sad tale that will make you happy and break your heart at the same time. This book is kind of thick and was written in the Victorian era so it will probably take a couple of weeks to read. However, it is time well spent. This will be a book that you come back to again and again. I would recommend it for anyone high school age and up. Let me know what you think! (The BBC mini-series for this book is really good too).
