agnes grey by anne bronte

my love for jane eyre and wuthering heights prompted me to pick up a novel by the third bronte sister.

i liked it well enough. it read really quickly, but it wasn't as good as the others by a long shot.

the whole novel felt rushed, like the teller couldn't wait to get it over with. there were hardly any details. she talks about hardships and degradations, but you never really get a good idea of what they were.

the plot was predictable. i knew how it was going to end long before it happened.

i would be willing to give anne another shot. but i probably wouldn't read this book again.

pride and prejudice and zombies by jane austen and seth grahame-smith

i decided to read this after it showed up on several national book lists.

completely silly. perfect for summer brain candy reading. i giggled the entire time.

granted, you can't read it if you're going to be a jane austen snob. i think what amuses me most about this book is the idea of the guy who wrote it. i like to picture him as a boy who had a mom and several sisters who loved the original story, and subjected him to hours and hours of pride and prejudice (or other austen stories) throughout his life, and this is his way of fighting back.

and can i saw how wonderful it is for mr. collins to be disposed of (even though it is at the expense of charlotte) and for lydia and wickham to be humiliated in some fashion.

be sure to check out the discussion questions at the end of the book. my favorite: does mrs. bennett have any redeeming qualities?

very amusing.

jane eyre by charlotte bronte

oh how i love this book. i think this was my fourth time through and it was even better this time!

i think it's amazing how you can read a book over and over throughout your life, and depending on what is going on, or what you've experienced, the book is completely different.

jane eyre is a fantastic love story. it's a story about knowing your own self-worth. it's a story about living the life you choose and not letting others plan it for you. it's a story about following your heart.

definately one of my favorite books.

bbc has done a particularly fantastic movie production of this book. i could watch it over and over. they do such an amazing job at portraying the quiet strength in jane and the goodness in rochester.

the historian by elizabeth kostova

this is my second time reading the historian. it's a story about a vampire, so of course i love it. but there is also an amazing amount of history in it, which is fascinating.

the book tells the story of three generations of one family and their pursuit of the historical dracula. their journeys begin when they discover an ancient book, which is blank except for a woodcutting of a giant dragon in the center of the book, among their possessions.

i enjoyed this book even more the second time because i just finished writing a research paper on vlad iii dracula, so i understood so much more of the history they were referencing. i thought they were a little harsh on him, but what can i say? i'm a sucker for blood-thirsty tyrants ;)

i would recommend this book to most people. and i hear they're making it into a movie, which i'm excessively excited about, as long as they do it justice!

stargirl by jerry spinelli

i can not express how much i love this book. it overwhelms me every time.

stargirl is a celebration of individuality. through the character of stargirl we experience the joy of being true to yourself. we learn how interesting and productive life can be when we focus on others. we learn how insecure and discontented we become when we are constantly trying to please others or keep up with the crowd.

after reading stargirl i always feel braver, kinder, more confident, inspired to build others up.

i think every young girl should read this book. probably more than once. but it doesn't have to be limited to girls! i gave my 22 year old brother this book and he loved it too. there's so much for us all to learn.

dracula by bram stoker

i can't believe i haven't ever read "dracula" before with how much i love vampire stories. it was pretty good. i found dr. van helsing really distracting. i really dislike it when people attempt to write accents into novels. most of the time it makes it incomprehensible so i stop paying attention to that character. and i found a lot of his actions nonsensical. i felt like his actions weren't necessary for the plot or for the well-being of the characters, but just to create drama, which is obnoxious.

i also felt like the characters were overly naive.

but dracula was great. he was terrifying and the whole time i was anxious that they wouldn't be able to overcome him.

definately a must read for vampire fans.

the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by mary ann shaffer and annie barrows

i adored this book! it takes place at the end of world war ii and is full of history and human experience. the story is told through correspondence primarily between juliet ashton and the inhabitants of the island guernsey. during wwii guernsey is occupied by the germans. a group of the islanders find themselves in a literary society in order to provide themselves with an alibi after an illegal pig roast. the correspondents tell their stories and how literature and friendship helped them find strength and solace in those uncertain times.

it tells the story of brave individuals to stood up to their enemies and held on to their compassion and humanity to the very end.

we also see how friendship and love help us to move forward and begin to live again after devastating experiences.