SUMMER READING!!!

STUDENT: Teacher, ya gonna be kidding me, summer reading list?!?
TEACHER: Yes, the usual, you kids are going to read two books during the summer and write an essay.
STUDENT: NO, teacher. I would forget the assignment. I have sports and etc.
TEACHER: Well, you can read it at the beginnning of the summer but that is not advisable. you would foget the plot and guidelines of the story.
STUDENT: Ummmm I forget about any book. The book we read this year was so boring.
TEACHER: WEll, it's too bad for you. Try and like the books.
STUDENT: Ummmm ok. Teacher. I'll just skim it.
TEACHER: If you want to, but the teachers will ask specific questions and if you are not correct they would give you a failing grade and know you never read the books like you were supposed to.
STUDENT: *bemoan! Grumbles!* All right. I give up. I'll just read them and get it done.
TEACHER: Good Student! Now kids, we need to focus on finishing this book.......

This is the description of a typical class. Including my  classes. Yep, they were complaining about reading just two books- possibly only 400 pages put together. It might take only two weeks to read each one of them. It only takes about thirty minutes every day. I don't know why many kids hate reading, including most of my friends. Oh well.

The books on the summer reading had a lot of intresting books, and the books I would recommend to people. It meant it was a great summer reading list, but it won't do  anything to the kids, except it is a chore to them to complete it. Everything is changing. Before us people depended on books for entertainment, but now we depend on computers and electronics. Not some musty, dusty old books to keep us entertained. Humph!

The Lady Elizabeth

I went to the library last week (which I typically go once every week,) and searched meticously for a good book, since many of the books were read or unintresting. I found this book squeezed between two unintresting books. Honestly, the cover caught my attention, but don't judge the book by its cover. Well, this one is a fabulous book for people who love Phlippa Gregory's book.

My Summary: This is about Queen Elizabeth I before she was crowned Queen of England. It recounts her story in a vivid detail. She struggles to survive as she gets caught with politics. She had noticed that she was called The Lady Elizabeth not the Lady Princess Elizabeth when she was a mere child of four or so. No one would tell her exactly why, and it also tells about the times when Edward, her brother was King. It was a better time for her- except when she was at the Dowager Queen Catherine's Castle, where she struggles with avoiding Thomas Seymour, Baron of Sudeley, the Admirdal, husband of the Dowager Queen. He had asked Elizabeth to marry him, but she denied him and the Council too. The council told him that she was a political asset, that she would marry a King or prince of her social standing, even if she is an illegitimate (She was not, but her father the king named her illegitimate). But Elizabeth moves from the castle to protect her reputation. She then, struggles to remain devout to her protestant faith, during The Bloody Mary's reign. She was arrested a couple of times, because Mary thought she would start a rebellion.
It's a very vivid book, very well detailed and it follows accurately with the events of her life. Alison Weir did an outstanding job creating, painting the life of Elizabeth the first. I highly recommend you to read it. I couldn't put down the book and completed it in a short time despite the length of the book- 473 pages. I LOVE this book!

Angel On The Square

I got this book off a bookshelf recently. I was intrested when I saw the despcription. It's an absolutely well written book. Here is a summary in my words.

It's about Katya (Ekaterina) Ivanova, the daughter of a lady in waiting. She becomes a companion to the Tsar Nicholas of Russia's family. She takes her vacations and lives with the Tsar's daughters. At that time, there is a war (World War I) and rebellions, unrest settles in Russia. A revolution sets fire, and a country once ruled by the aristocrats dissolved. It became a communist country. But that is much later, in the companion book The Impossible Journey. 

The book explains very well in the point of view of an adolescent girl, who struggles with learning about the deep rift between the aristocrats and the poor. I highly recommend you to read it. It is a quick easy read for sure, but it's also a very good book.

Stephenie Meyer

I was perusing Forbes website online, looking at lists, (Most Famous celebrities et  cetera,). I saw Stephenie Meyer's name on it and it said she earned 21 Million dollars. 21 Million? Lucky lady. She hit the jackpot when she wrote the popular series, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. By now, every single person in the United States probably have heard and read the books thanks to the freakingly popular movies. I enjoyed her books too. It's great for all ages older than tween, and she also wrote an adult book, The Host, a scify. It's so good! I'll write about that in another post. :D

Upcoming book

I recently completed two books- series, Glimmerglass and Shadowspell (I posted one about Glimmerglass), and noticed on my Kindle, there will be a new book coming out July 5th, 2011 called Sirensong. I can't wait to get my hands on the book. There is already a description of the book- on www.jennablack.com. Good cover isn't it?

Gone With the Wind

Sooo. I've been trying to make up for my neglience to the blog. I just saw Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell on my bookshelf. Just thought to post one about it. That book is my absolute favorite! I would re read it and re read it million of times and never tire of it! It's a love story- well sort of, between Scarlett O'Hara (just remembered not to write Johansson, the actress, haha) and Rhett Butler. Both of them were revered as one of the most popular figures in Civil War books. Many books referred them as -- I named my dog after Scarlett O'Hara. I loved the flamoyancy of the lady and her cunning manipulative skills. I'm not sure where it was from, but it popped up in my head. I didn't actually name my dog after her, which would be tacky. I wouldn't want to name a dog after her. It would tarnish her name. No, I'm kidding. Sorry about the distraction. Right, Scarlett grew up on Tara, and was raised by Ellen Robillard O'Hara and Gerald O'Hara. Ellen, a midwife, was very strict but loving with her daughters. Scarlett has two sisters- whom one of them, she stole her beau and married him. Wicked of Scarlett right? But she wanted his store. Scarlett was ambitious. She married Wade Hampton first, when she was a fresh schoolgirl of around eighteen or so. Wade died just a month later in war. Scarlett has a son, whom she ignored and treated like he was a burden.She remarried again, and had a daughter, Ella. Then, her husband died from a Ku Klux Klan meeting accident. He was shot in the head. She at that time, was thinking about Rhett Butler. He was outlandish, incredibly wealthy and he gave Scarlett beautiful clothes. Scarlett and Rhett married, then they had a daughter, Bonnie Blue Butler. A tragedy struck. The Butler-O'Hara family broke apart. But I suggest you to read it if you love historical fiction and romance. This book also won a Pulitzer Prize and is one of the Great American Novel.

Glimmerglass

I recently reread Glimmerglass by Jenna Black. It was on my Amazon Kindle so I decided to pull it up. It's a great book for Young Adults who love fantasy and a Fantasyholic. The book is about Dana Hathaway Stuart (she refuses to acklowedge her father's last name for her surname) anyway, she has an alcoholic mother, and an enstraged father. Dana, a responsible girl who balanced checkbooks and paid bills for her mother, also moved around ten cities in her sixteen years. One day, she had enough of her mother after a singing recital. Her mother was drunk, and showed up to school. Poor humliated Dana decided she will go to England to see her father. Her mother would tell her things about him- when she was drunk. The sober  Ms. Hathaway would never tell her daughter about her father. But she told her his name, Seamus Stuart, and that he was some bigwig important fae in Avalon, which was located in England. Dana packs and leaves; flying across the ocean to see her father. She unknowingly stumbles in fae politics and becomes embroiled by them. Her aunt Grace wants Dana for her devices. Dana discovers she has power because of her heritage as half mortal and half fae.

I suggest you should read the book if you enjoy fantasy, with faeries and magic in them. There's even the Unseelie and Seelie faes in the book, Mab and Tatiana as the Faerie Queens. :) It is addicting and I refused to put it down last night so I sneaked a few mintues to finish the book :) I give the book three point five stars out of five. It's a generous rate, which I am stingy about giving such high rates unless it's an outstanding book. This book, which I wouldn't say Outstanding, but awesome! Here is a picture of the cover so you would know what it looks like and get it in the library or stores. :D This is, finally my first post for june!