ONE OF US IS LYING

By: Karen M. McManus

Plot: Five stereotypical high school students all wind up in detention, where one of them ends up murdered! Dun dun dun. 

Thoughts: I was determined to figure this book out. But it doesn't take long to realize that these are all likeable characters and you don't really want any one of them to be the murderer. I knew it wouldn't be the two in love, obviously. I thought it was that girl for a long time, but that couldn't be right. Then I got to the sentence that made up the title of the novel and realized that one crucial word was left out. What turned out to be the ending had crossed my mind, but by then I was just waiting for the ending to unfold, not as obsessed with figuring it out myself.

This was a fun easy read, dare I say campy? The writing was good though and I enjoyed all the characters. It's like reading a 90's high school movie. Which wasn't a bad thing. Do they really make high school movies anymore? Normal ones without any teenagers having super powers or something. Anyways, this book isn't ground breaking literature but it isn't trying to be. It's just fun. It's a perfect summer beach read. And yes there is the stereotypical "bad boy" and "bookish girl" love story and I ate it right up. 

Rating: 3/5 I mean it is kind of misleading but I forgive it. 

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. 

THRONE OF GLASS

By: Sarah J. Maas

Plot Summary: Celaena is a famous assassin serving time in prison when she is offered a chance at freedom. She will have to compete in a competition, as the prince's champion, to become the king's assassin.

Thoughts: I had been so excited to get to this book. I've been hearing about it forever and my expectations were high. Starting off, it was a total letdown. I was expecting the main character, Celaena, to be so cool and tough and smart and she just... wasn't. At least not like I wanted her to be. She was still just a stupid teenage girl a lot of time and she just bugged the crap outta me. I can't even count how many times in the first few chapters that she thought about how dirty she was. It drove me up the wall how vain she was. Heck, I didn't even like her name! (Pretty much every name in this book is ridiculous.) I was definitely expecting more from this female protagonist. I mean just look at that cover! That didn't help what I pictured her to be. Eventually, I came to like her a little bit more, but still.

I think I liked the idea of this book more than the actual book. I think a better main character could have carried the story better. When she was a total bust it made the rest of the story just okay, nothing amazing. Once I could let go of my high expectations I enjoyed the book a lot more. The parts with her and Captain Westfall were my favorite parts of the book. It ended up being okay enough that I will probably continue in the series eventually but I'm definitely not dying to know what happens next.

My Rating: 3/5 Honestly if I had heard nothing about this book and just picked it up I might have enjoyed it more.

NORTHANGER ABBEY

By: Jane Austen

Plot: A young women, Catherine, is invited to Bath with a Mr. and Mrs. Allen where she meets many new people and falls in love. Obvs.

Thoughts: The main character Catherine was definitely not my favorite Austen heroine. She was so naive and too oblivious to a lot of the stuff that was going on. Especially about different character's motives. Somethings seemed glaringly obvious and they just went over her head. On the plus side, I guess she did seem to see the best in everyone. It definitely makes sense that her character was so young and that Jane was young herself when she wrote it.

At first I thought it was a little weird how Jane would speak to the reader in the book, probably because I wasn't expecting it. But then I ended up kind of liking it. I also love the way that her character's talk about each other, especially their looks. They're so blatantly honest. Were they really like that back then? I find it very refreshing. Sometimes rude.

Her main love story was not even the best relationship of the novel. Which was a little disappointing when reading a romance. I thought her relationship with his sister, Eleanor, was more interesting than the one with him. I still liked him, but I felt like his character was hardly developed at all and that there wasn't even a whole lot of interaction between them. Or at least not as much as I would like. Heck, I thought Catherine and Mrs. Allen had a cuter relationship. In comparison to the other Austen novels that I've read, the romance in this one was lacking.

Favorite Quotes: "The person, be it gentlemen or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."

"To look almost pretty is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has always been plain looking the first fifteen years of her life than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive."

My Rating: 3.5/5 Definitely not my favorite Austen story, but still enjoyable.

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.