THE PRINCESS BRIDE

By: William Goldman

Plot: The book describes itself best: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles."

Thoughts: I was in seventh grade when I first got this book for Christmas. I had it in my English class to start reading it and Daniel Smith (one of the smartest kids in our grade) saw that I had it. I remember he picked it up, looked at it, and then proceeded to tell me that I had an abridged copy. And I believed him! For YEARS! YEARS! Honestly for many, many years I thought that there was some longer version out there with a bunch of pages about women packing. Honestly I was kinda bummed about it because who wants to read the abridged version of a book? I don't even remember how long ago it was that I read something about the book and realized I'd been tricked! I never even figured it out myself! Well played Daniel Smith, well played.

Rereading the book now, 15+ years later, and actually getting the book, I loved it. I enjoyed it way more now, than when I read it in seventh grade. The movie is obviously amazing and a classic, but the book is just as amazing. My favorite parts were probably the ones that weren't included in the movie. I loved Fezzik and Indigo's backstories and childhoods. I also loved them actually traveling through the Zoo of Death, one of the main things not in the movie, and there aren't many. And of course all of Goldman's interjections. I liked all the weird stuff he put in and I'm still mad about the reunion scene. Can I still send a postcard to that address? I also liked reading about his round son and how he waddled around.

Favorite Quotes: "Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death, that's all."

"Life is pain. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

Rating: 5/5 It's almost like he's making fun of all the classic love stories, while writing one at the same time.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

By: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Plot: The book consists of letters written between the main character Juliet and members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. (There's some other people thrown in there too.)

Thoughts: I read this a few years ago and had to read it again so I could watch the Netflix movie. I'm glad to report that it was just as good as I remember it being. Sometimes when I go back and read a book I really liked, it just isn't as good as I thought it was. Maybe that's why I haven't been re-reading as many books lately.

All I could really remember about the book was that it was told through letters and I liked it. I also didn't think she actually went to Guernsey until the end, so I was glad it didn't take that long to get her there. It's different reading a book that is only told through letters, because you're getting everything after the fact. It was done really well though and didn't detract from the story at all. Reading about the town and the people in it, is like watching an episode of the Gilmore Girls. Just swap the book club with the town hall meetings and it's basically the same! Which is great.

The main character Juliet is just so likable. She is witty and smart and actually reads like a real person which isn't always the case. I liked mostly all the characters in the book, but Juliet is definitely my favorite. The book does take place right after WWII so it's not all lighthearted. The whole story line with Elizabeth was pretty depressing. It also made me think I need to really work on my food storage.

Favorite Quotes: "Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books."

"My worries travel around in my head on their well worn path."

Rating: 5/5 I love this book. I did NOT, however, enjoy the Netflix movie. They completely dulled the Juliet character, and made the whole story boring. 

THE SHADOW OF THE WIND

By: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Plot Summary: In Barcelona, a young boy, Daniel, is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books by his father after his mother's death. The rule is you choose one book and must always take care of it. He picks a book titled The Shadow of the Wind. Later, when he tries to find other books written by the same author he finds out that someone has been destroying all of this author's books. He sets out to find whoever is destroying all these books and why. 

Thoughts: I was immediately so drawn into this story.  I loved pretty much everything about this book! I especially loved the idea of the graveyard of forgotten books. I want to go there and pick a book and protect it forever! This is a book about books. Which is something that I absolutely love.  It is one of those books that has everything.  It's happy, sad, funny, suspenseful, mysterious, action packed, with a little romance thrown in. All of the things. 

The plot was very complex and involved.  It was just very well thought out and smart.  Everything and everyone seemed to have some significance. The book is pretty long but I was so interested in it the whole time.  And I love how it ended.  It was perfect.

I liked pretty much all the characters and I loved all the connections that there were between them.  There are a lot of characters but they were all so well developed and had distinct personalities. Fermin was probably my favorite. The book was just so well written and such a great read.

Favorite Quotes: “Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.”

“Time goes faster the more hollow it is. Lives with no meaning go straight past you, like trains that don't stop at your station.”

“A story is a letter the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise.”

My Rating: 5/5 I would consider this one of my top five favorite books OF ALL TIME. I loved it so. 

ONE DAY

By: David Nicholls

Plot Summary: This book follows a couple on the same day every year for twenty years.

Thoughts: I loved the whole concept for this novel. It is so original and the writer made it work perfectly. 

At the beginning, one of the main characters Emily kinda bugged me, and I didn't think she was very relatable. Wrong. So wrong! I loved her character and could relate to her so much by the end of the novel.

I really loved the main characters' relationship. It was so authentic and believable. Everything wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

I did really hate it when there would be mention of something happening the next day but you knew you would never see it! With there being a whole year between chapters, you really felt like you were missing out on things.

The ending kind of devastated me. I cried. And then I was depressed just thinking about it for the next week.

I loved how the book ended with where it began.

Favorite Quotes: “The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, just the bit around you. Go out there with your double-fist, your passion and your new Smith Corona electric typewriter and work hard at... something. Change lives through art maybe. Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved if at all possible. Eat sensibly. Stuff like that.”

“But she was discovering once again that reading and writing were not the same – you couldn't just soak it up then squeeze it out again.”

“I love him, she thought, I'm just not in love with him and also I don't love him.”

My Rating: 5/5 I loved it.

A PARCHMENT OF LEAVES

By: Silas House 

From the front cover: "Vine, Cherokee-born and raised in the early 1900s, trains her eye on a young white man, forsaking her family and their homeland to settle in with Saul's people: his smart-as-a-whip, slow-to-love mother, Esme; his brother Aaron, hot tempered and unpredictable; and Aaron's flighty and chattery Melungeon wife, Aidia. But what is at first difficult becomes a test of her spirit. And in the violent turn of events that ensues, she learns what it means to forgive others and, most important, how to forgive herself."

My Thoughts: This is the kind of book find yourself yelling at because things are happening that you can't believe are happening! The climax of the story was so intense! I couldn't believe it. And then I thought about all the little things that had foreshadowed that point and how cleaver the author was in putting it all together but without ever giving anything away. There were so many things that I never saw coming.

I'm in love with Vine's husbad Saul.  He wasn't even in half the novel but I still loved him.  That was probably my only problem. I wanted more Saul! And I want someone to write me letters like he wrote to Vine. But I did love all the women characters that the novel predominately revolves around. Even Aidia, although she could be frustrating and I don't know how to pronounce her name. Serena was my favorite. I like that she just doesn't put up with any crap.

I love how it ended. If there had been no epilogue I probably would have hated it, but thankfully there was one and it was perfect! This book left me wanting more, which honestly I don't think that about hardly any of the books I read. I loved the writing and was so surprised that it was written by a man! Is that bad?

Favorite Quotes: "He loved her like air, they said."

"Memory swirled around me so close and fast that I swear I could feel the hair lift from my shoulders, like it had been stirred by memory's breath."

"You have to seek out the promise of joy, no matter your circumstances."

Rating: 5/5