Friday, May 2, 2014

Books of My Life






In my life I have read a ton of books, some of which I have loved, and others that I used to fill my free time. All of the book that I have read have shaped my life in some way. Some of them made me cry, laugh, and reconsider certain aspects of my life. Some have made me do all three. In all ways that they can, books have been a major part in shaping who I am today.

Favorite Childhood Book:
When I was a kid, my favorite book Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. In this book, you get to follow a child as he encounters the crazy things that life brings him. We get to see what life will bring him. This was my favorite childhood story because I loved the colorful pictures and wacky things that he encounters along the way. Once I was old enough to realize the message of the story, I only loved it more. It is a story about growing up and how no matter what life throws at you, you have to keep moving forward.

Book that made me cry:
One of my all time favorite books was The Pact by Jodi Picoult. This book follows Emily and Chis. They have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember and they are next door neighbors. Their friendship eventually turns into something more. One day, Emily is found dead on the carousel that her and Chris used to hang out on. All of the evidence point to Chris being the killer, however, Chris wont talk. It then follows his trial, as well as Emilys thoughts and flashbacks from the past. This book was so well written and had an excellent story line. It made me cry multiple times and the ending was completely and utterly shocking. I love books like this because of the emotion that is involved. This is one of the many books that have made me cry.

Book that had Characters that I could identify with: 
Another one of my favorite books, one that made me laugh and cry, is House Rules by Jodi Picoult. This story is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Aspergers syndrome. He is terrible at reading social cues, but is extremely smart in many other ways. He is obsessed with forensic science and is constantly showing up at crime scenes. He is also constantly telling cops what to do, and he is usually right. When there is a murder in his home town, someone that he knows, the law enforcement takes Jacobs reaction (the way someone with Aspergers would normally react) to him being guilty. This book made me laugh, and cry. It was such a heartwarming story and the title really comes into play at the end of the novel. Since I know someone with autism, even though its no where near as bad as Jacobs, I really felt that I could Identify with Jacobs brother, Theo, and their mother. I can identify with the brutal intolerance that faces their family and how no one understands how Jacobs condition is. This book is extremely relateable to me and it is probably my all time favorite.


Favorite Book that went to the screen: 
My favorite book that went to screen was City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. In this book, Clary Frays mother goes missing after a series of strange events. Clary meets Jace, a shadowhunter who shows her all about a world that she didn't know existed. She goes on a journey to get her mother back. This book is the first in a series of 6 books. Five are currently out, one is coming out on May 27th. While I was kind of disappointed by the movie adaptation, the book continues to be one of my favorites. I'm really looking forward to reading the new one.

Book that I couldn't put down: 
A story that made me laugh was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This book is through the perspective of a dog named Enzo. Enzo longs to race cars. Hes learned about racing and the world around him by watching TV and listening to his owner and best friend, Denny. Denny is an up and coming race car driver. Dennys daughters name is Zoe. She is Enzos main companion throughout the story. Enzo finds that his life is just like a racetrack, and applys the rules of racing to his own life. He wants so badly for Denny to become an amazing race car driver. This story is hilarious, and, at the same time, heart-wrenching. It had my laughing and crying throughout the entire story and I fell in love with all of the characters. I couldn't put it down. As a result, I finished it in less than a day.

Favorite Series of Books: 
My favorite series of books is the Internal device trilogy by Cassandra Clare. It includes three books: Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess. This is a spin off of the Mortal Instruments Series, which includes City of Bones. It is during the reign of Queen Victoria and follows Tessa Grey. She goes from New York to London to find her brother, but instead she gets kidnapped. She gets saved by two people, Will and Jem, both of whom are Shadowhunters. Afterwards, Tessa takes refuge in the London institute and stays with the Shadowhunters. She becomes friends with all of them, but her brother has seemed to disappear. It is a story involving love, secrets, betrayal, and friendship. It is an amazing, well written, and intense series that will keep you interested the entire time you read it.