January/February Booklist:

I want to get into the habit of keeping track of what books I read. So, I am making a list by month from now on of everything I have read cover to cover. Some of these may come from January, so there will be a few more on here. There will also be books from classes on here.

I will rate them out of 5 stars.

January/February Books!

Fiction:

1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery-I really hated the idea of reading this book, it was for my young adult literature class and it just pissed me off from the start. But I found myself enjoying it, and even laughing out loud. I never read it as a kid, and I think I missed out. I have to give it **** out of five.
2. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli-I read this book a kid and loved it. This time around, I still found it just as charming as before. It’s a good book for boys, I think, but definitely on the younger side. This was another read for YA lit class, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I give it **** out of five.
3. The Bomb by Theodore Taylor-This is another book I read for my YA lit class, but had to do a project on it. I also read this way back in elementary school and it remains as one of my favorite books. It follows the story of the people of the Bikini Atoll, who were forced off their islands when the Americans came to do nuclear testing. It is based off a true story and is very moving. I highly recommend reading it, to at least get a different perspective. I give it ***** out of five!
4. Downriver by Will Hobbs-Yet another YA lit book. I enjoyed this one, but not as much as the others. It follows a group of troubled teens as they break away from their leader on an outdoor adventure summer camp as they decide to raft down through the Grand Canyon. I liked the characters, but the plot seemed…too much. I think it was slightly overboard, but it was a fun, quick read. I give it *** out of five.
5. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende-I was excited to read this, as I love the movie. However, I felt that the story moved so slowly…it was hard to stay reading. But, that being said, I felt it was an amazing book, giving light to the idea of imagination. This again, was a YA lit book, but has been on my to-read list for some time. I would recommend it if you have seen the movie, for comparison. But it was hard to get through. I give it *** out of five.
6. Spite Fences by Trudy Kricher-The last required YA lit book on my list for the month. It centers on a girl living in a small town in Georgia during the sixties. Maggie comes from a battered home and it struggling to find her own identity in a segregated town. To me-this book is the quintessential required young adult book that would be taught in schools. However, while I loved the book, the ending pissed me off. There was only a small amount of resolution, but no resolution between Maggie and her mom. That alone pushed its rating down. But perhaps I am being bitter and should realize not all books have resolutions. Anyway, its gets **** out of five.
7. Treason by Orson Scott Card-As soon as I saw this on Card’s website, I preordered it. It stems from another novel published in 1970 called A Planet Called Treason which I also loved. The one is simply a revision of the 1970 publication. Much of the plot was the same, but the storytelling was different. I rather enjoyed this one a lot more than the other. Even though in parts it was weird and somewhat…random. But its good sci-fi from my favorite author, so I am biased. I give it ***** out of five.
8. The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult-I picked this up over Christmas break and it has been on my shelf for a little while before I decided to read it. I like Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper which is a very good book. This one centers on teen suicide, which is a touchy subject. However, the formula for the book was the exact same as her previous stuff, which made me angry. I figured out the climatic ending somewhere around page 100. So when the ending came, I simply felt cheated. My mom also read this and she wasn’t a huge fan. I think it was too obvious what was going to happen and I hate it when writers write the obvious. I like to be pushed as a reader and I definitely wasn’t with this book. I give it ** out of five.
9. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut- I love this book. It was a re-read. So I cheated. But I love the story and his humor. A lot of people hate Vonnegut, but I praise him for his writing. I give this ***** out of five.
10. Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts-Okay, we all know I have a weakness for the romance novels my mom reads. I actually this one before she did, which might be a good thing. This was not a typical Roberts book. I actually found this on disturbing and warned my mom. It follows Catarina Hale, who is being followed by a psycho guy who kills any man she forms a relationship with by burning them alive. Yes-disturbing as the author goes into vivid detail. It made me feel sick in certain parts, but overall, it was a good story. I have to give it *** out of five.
11. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen-This is my favorite book of the month, hands down. My sister and I love this author and Torrie is the one who gave it to me. It’s absolutely wonderful, even if it is Young Adult. ( I think Young Adult literature is the best being written right now, but you can disagree). I highly recommend this to anyone as it really hit home with me. I give it ***** out of five. And anything else by this author is also good.

Non-Fiction

1. Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing by David Morrison-This comes from the guys who wrote the Rambo series. Yeah. I wasn’t expecting much, but my mom picked it up for me. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book and have been re-reading it for tips and such. I give it **** out of five.
2. Power and the Holy in the Age of the Investiture Contest by Maureen C. Miller-Yes, this is a school book for my history class, but it was really interesting. And seeing as I am writing my research paper on the Investiture Contest, it was also helpful. I know many of you could care less, but it was good and I’m giving it **** out of five.
3. The Crusades 1095-1197 by Jonathon Phillips-Another textbook, but one I’ll read again (yes, I do that). I actually found this helpful and fun to read. It separates the Crusades into their 4 separate campaigns. It was easy to read, and not that long, so I enjoyed it. It gets **** out of five.

Manga

(We can blame the Manga craze and fascination on my YA lit teacher)

1. .hack: The Legend of the Twilight by Tatsuya Hamazaki volumes 1 through 3-I had to read a Manga for my first YA assignment, but found myself captivated after the first book. So, I bought the other 2 in the trilogy and finished it. For anyone who hasn’t read any Manga, you should. It takes some time to learn how to read it (you read it back to front and then from upper right hand corner to lower left hand corner). This trilogy centers on a place called “The World” which is a computer game. The two main characters, Shugo and Rena, win character profiles that are the same as legendary players Kite and Black Rose. Along with their friends they go on to discover the purpose of “The World” and their purpose in the real world. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it’s wonderful. At first I was disappointed by the ending, but it fits the series. The artwork is wonderful and adds a lot to the story. So if you’re interested in picking up Manga to try it out, I suggest this. I give it ***** out of five.
2. Immortal Rain by Kaori Ozaki volumes 1 through 3-I have only read the first three volumes and there are 6 in the series so far. I loved these three. They follow Machika, who is a bounty hunter on a search for the immortal man named Rain. They seem to run into each other often and he saves her from so many situations. Volume three is a flashback to Rain’s earlier, mortal life and the artwork is stunning. It also alludes to a small love story that begins to appear between the two characters, which is awesome in my mind. I’m looking forward to reading the other 3 volumes soon, but I think this is a wonderful series and I highly recommend it. It gets ***** out of five.