Tuesday book update

Oh how I love a good book.To throw myself into another world for a few hours and take in the stories of others. Sigh. Since I have been on holiday for five weeks, I've had a lot of time to read. And I have read a lot. Some good, some not so much. So, here is the list of the books I have read this summer, in case you were wanting to take a trip to your local library.

 1. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

I'll start by saying I don't read a lot of historical fiction but I was so engrossed in this story I nearly finished it in one sitting! It's about two young girls, Andi who is living in the 21st century and Alex who's living in the 18th century during the time of the French Revolution and how their destinies become intertwined. If you haven't read anything by Donnelly before I suggest you fix that. Now. This book is seriously good. 

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth 

This book smelt like the Hunger games, which I loved but, sadly I did not end up loving Divergent so much. It wasn't bad but it had some serious faults that I just could not get over. I would still recommend you read it if you are into Dystopic novels. Oh, and I can guarantee you will fall in love with the main boy character- Four.

3. The Ten pm question by Kate De Goldi 

This book was 75% awesome, 25% zzzz waiting for something to happen. It is set in New Zealand so I seriously wanted to like it more than I did. It summed up NZ life well... evverryythhhinnngg waasss veerrrryyy sllloooww. Cute story, cute main character Frankie so I still recommend it. 

4. Almost home by Jessica Blank 

I didn't finish this book- which should tell you what i thought of it. The story is told through the eyes of seven very different teens ( that's right SEVEN narrators) with one thing in common. Each of them has opted to leave their abusive  home life and try to make a life for themselves living on the streets in LA. I recommend this book to anyone working with "at risk" kids, but my stomach couldn't handle it. 

5. The art of racing in the rain by Garth Stein

This has been my favorite read of the summer. I am shocked by how much I loved this book.
The narrator is a dog. There is a  lot of mentioning of car racing... and the narrator is a dog.  I liked this book so much that it made me want a dog. No, it made me want THIS dog. And I don't even like animals! This story is largely about Enzo's owners and their lives which was incredibly touching and will leave you in tears. If you read nothing else from my list- read this. 

6. The Devil's star by Jo Nesbo 

A lot of publishers are trying to promote Jo Nesbo as the next Stieg Larsson.  Based on this one story I have read I would say he is definitely close. It is a gripping, fast paced crime novel full of mystery and suspense. It is the third of a series, so I read it out of order but the story stands alone so well I don't think it matters.

7. The adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson


I love my Sci-fi books. Jenna's story is completely bizarre and borderline insane, but it is very good.  Who is Jenna Fox? Throughout this book I was asking myself the same question along with Jenna Fox, a seventeen-year-old girl who has woken from a coma after a terrible accident. It is hard to rave about this story without giving too much away. So just read it. 

 
8. We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shiver 

This book attacked my brain like a virus. It is narrated by a mother who is trying to come to terms with the school massacre her son committed two years ago. Each Chapter is another letter written by Eve (the mum) who flashes back to her son Kevin growing up and the aftermath of his  actions as a 15 year old murderer. Kevin's character is so disturbing and well draw, that I think it caused some kind of chemical reaction in my brain. He gave me nightmares. Seriously, every time I picked up this book grey clouds covered the sun. Read it, before the movie comes out. 




Have you read anything great over the summer? If so, tell me what I should pick up!