Even with my busy schedule and all of life's other shenanigans - I always make time to read. Living in the a city, where you commute by public transport, is definitely helpful for this. Instead of having to pay attention and drive for the some odd minutes to work, you can pick up your book! These are a few of the books I have read in the last few weeks.
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri:
This is a story about two brothers who grew up in India during the 1960s-both brothers are smart but go separate ways for grad school- one moves to America and the other joins the Naxalite movement. The book looks at the consequences of their decisions on their family, wives, and children. I really enjoyed the novel and it was interesting learning about the different lifestyles of those living in India versus America, especially during that time period.
The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp:
This book is about a popular high-school senior who meets a girl, one who is less popular/a bit nerdy, and their story. It is from the boys perspective and honestly wasn't what I thought it was going to be about. They just recently made it into a movie, an independent film, and it got really good reviews in all the girly/gossip mags as an adorable love story. But the book was not really that. It was decent but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone. From the magazine reviews I think the movie must have changed many aspects of the book, I haven't seen it though so I really don't know- will keep you updated.
Matched by Ally Condie:
This was a great YA novel of the dystopian-esq genre. It has similar feels to The Giver- everything isn't black and white but society is very well laid out for the citizens in this world. To the point that sometime during the year between their 17th and 18th birthdays they are "matched" with another person in the society- one who will make the best genetic matches for future children and so on. Cassia is matched with her best friend Xander, but while viewing his card another classmates photo appears- who is here real match? What is really going on with the government? It is a trilogy and so far so good- I'm excited to read the next two books.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro:
This is a book that takes place in future England and is about clones- although it takes a bit a time for them to say that. It's about three friends who grew up in a home for children who are clones of people and they are expected to donate their bodies as they grow up. They spend the first 16 years of their lives at this home, then move to a house with other students from different schools and then start working as carers for students who are already doing donations and then turn to giving their own donations before "finishing" aka death. It's a love story and a very interesting take on what society could be, what makes us human, and does every life count. It has been made into a movie, several years ago with Kiera Knightley, Carrie Mulligan and Andrew Garfield
Vampire Academy: Books 1-3 by Richelle Mead:
Vampire Academy is also a recent movie and despite how cheesy it looks the books have actually been a cute read- if you like vampires and the supernatural. In this world their are good vampires called the moroi- these vampires are still "alive" they drink blood but can go out in sunlight and have a soul. They are haunted by the bad vampires, strigoi- ones without souls, kill humans, blah blah.The moroi are guarded by dhampir's- half human/half vampires who have the best of both worlds. Rose is Lissa's guardian and best friend who ran away from school thinking they were protecting themselves. After being forced to go back to school they face the forces of evil... I've been enjoying them so far.
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Swamplandia is about a gatorland-esq theme park in Florida and the children who live there. The park is owned by their parents, but after their mother dies they are forced to accept that the park is shutting down and that their father really does not know how to care for them. The son moves to the mainland, one daughter falls in love with a ghost, and the youngest daughter is forced to go on an adventure through the unknown Florida swamp lands to save her family. I read a
Buzzfeed article that was about if you liked certain books as a child you should read these books as an adult- this book was compared to A Wrinkle In Time. It was an okay book- I've heard other good things about the author so I want to read some of her other stories, this just wasn't my favorite.
One Summer: America, 1927 :
One Summer in American wrapped up my non-fiction kick and it was super cool. It is a bit ridiculous the amount of things that happened in America during the summer of 1927- and significant things too. Breakthroughs with radio, movies, sports, airplanes, the law. I've always been a fan of Bill Bryson and once again he gave a great interesting book about something we have all studied before. I think its nice to brush up on your history facts every once and awhile and this is definitely a recommended read.
