Summer Reading So Far

Every summer I get a chance to relax and catch up on some reading. Likewise, for the past several years I have included reviews of books I read. Here is the first batch of books of the summer since school got out 2 ½ weeks ago. Happy reading!

Darcy’s Story by Daisy Meadows 3.5/5 stars

I recently reread Pride and Prejudice, and I thought the idea of telling the famous love story from Darcy’s perspective might be interesting. At first I was put off by this book. It felt like the author had a checklist of things she needed to cover (remember, Darcy’s sister was engaged prior to her meeting Wickham, so we need to toss in some details about that about….now), but as I kept reading I noticed this less and less. The story was interesting and stayed true to the original characters. It was appealing getting to know Darcy better as well, since I have always felt it was difficult to “buy” in the original why he suddenly likes Lizzy, seemingly out of nowhere. If you like Pride and Prejudice, you probably would enjoy this book.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway 2 ½ / 5 stars

Surprisingly enough, nowhere in my educational career was I ever assigned to read Hemingway. I have always heard about this classic, and I decided to pick it up even though war stories really aren’t my cup of tea. All I can say is I have no idea why this is a classic. The first part was very challenging to get through and even put me to sleep (which is quite an accomplishment!) . The dialogue was difficult to follow because it would last for several pages at a time and never mention who was talking (Kinda similar to Song of Solomon). Many of the sentences were also very simple. I taught my sixth graders about the importance of fluency, but this book lacked it! By the end of the story it had finally picked up, but by that time I was pretty disinterested in the characters. Now I know why none of my teachers in school never chose to study this book in more depth!

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell 4/5 stars

I am happy to report this is probably the best book I have read in several years. It is historical fiction, my personal favorite genre, and the characters were easy to cheer on and the writing was engrossing. I actually finished this book in one day (although I had to stay up to nearly midnight to do it). Unlike so many historical fiction novels I read last summer, this book was totally clean and featured no lurid scenes about the character’s sex lives. (I recently read Time Traveler’s Wife, and that author couldn’t help including those types of details, too!) I will note that there were no plot twists and the story was fairly predictable, but the story itself was one I found myself happy to be in. I would definitely read more books by this author, and I plan on requesting more from my local library this summer.

Distant Dreams by Judith Pella 3 ½ / 5 stars

This is another historical fiction novel written by a Christian author. However, unlike the previous story this wasn’t nearly as good. The main character, Carolina Adams, has a fascination with trains which is seen as a male preoccupation and not something her little mind should worry about. Now I am all about strong female characters fighting the world because women should be allowed to pursue anything they want (even if it is the 1800s), so in theory I should love this book. I just felt most of the minor characters were pretty one dimensional, and the details about the technical side of the railroad were, in all honesty, completely boring to me. I can overlook this issues, but one thing I can’t stand is when you invest 400+ pages into learning about these characters only to have a non-ending. In order to complete the journey you embarked upon, you must read the sequel. I hate buying into this money making technique, and for that reason coupled with the rest I would not recommend this book.

Vision in White by Nora Roberts 3.5/5 stars

I have never read Nora Roberts before, but this book looked as good as any to try out. Who doesn’t love weddings, right? The main character works closely with three best friends as wedding coordinators for the rich in their small town. During the course of the story the main character falls in love with the plaid jacket English teacher at the local high school. Although the story was predictable it was an easy read. One of my major faults is the unnecessary details about the character’s sex lives. One nice thing is the novel does wrap up by the end, and if you fell in love with the supporting girlfriends then you are in luck! Each will be given their own novel where they find love within the next few years. Now I don’t think we could wrap it up in a bow and package this up any nicer, but unfortunately this package wasn’t good enough for me to keep reading.

Adoption Nation by Adam Pertman 4/5 stars

This is a non-fiction book in all of its glory, so if you aren’t terribly interested in learning more about adoption I wouldn’t necessary recommended reading this book. It did, however, give lots of interesting facts about the history of adoption in the US, revelations in the process, things to consider, and stories about adoption (both good and bad). Unfortunately the book is 10 years old, so I know some of the information was out of date at this time. I found out some really interesting things about adoption perceptions from reading that I think I will actually devote these to another post in the near future.

Kids’ Books:

Stanley, Flat Again by Marc Brown

This is one book in a series about Stanley, who keeps going flat. Since it is written for kids, he has simple adventures that help those around him when he is flat (such as rescuing a girl from a collapsed building because he’s the only one that fits into small spaces). There is also some kid humor interjected throughout. I was recommend this book for students.

Mercy Watson Fights Crime by Kate DiCamillo

DiCamillo is most famous for her award winning books for young adults. Her Mercy Watson series is written for younger readers and are short stories about a pig and his adventures. The pig in this story ends up, due to his naivety, catching a burglar. Kids of all ages would like the cute, simple plot and funny details with colorful, glossy illustrations.

Surf’s Up, Geronimo Stilton by Geronimio Stilton

Boys love these books, so I had to take some time to read one this summer. Geronimo Stilton is a "type A" mouse who decides to take a vacation in this book of the series. Of course, nothing goes right during his vacation where his room is infested with roaches, he is unwittingly signed up to do dangerous sporting activities, and his hotel isn’t exactly upfront about the accommodations. These books would definitely amuse children, and it is good, clean fun.