Genre: Fantasy Steampunk

Format:ebook

pages:348

Published October 19th 2012

Date Finished: 06/08/2019

Rating 3.5/5 stars

"You're not doing a good job of selling me this dumb fantasy. I 'm not climbing into the back of your van if I have to be Robin. I'm Batman. That's how these things work."

This is  a fantasy about a girl named Sammy, who transported herself to another world, the original garden of Eden! This garden of Eden is dark, has scary monsters and has dinosaurs. Sammy gets resued by Mehrak and Louis, who is a sign language speaking dinosaur. Mehrak is looking for his missing wife and a magic book. We also meet Hami, who throws up black bile throughout most of the story. I loved the world building. My favorite character was Louis. He was so funny! This is the first book of a series and it ends in a cliffhanger. There were so many questions. I loved the magic in this book, but we still don't know where this magic comes from. Sammy's character was always questioning herself and wants to be saved. She is also portrayed as a badass. She holds and levatates the staff and she kills a crabmen in two. I didn't really like Sammy! Mehrak also tries to kiss Sammy in the end. That scene felt out of place and rushed. I also really love Brenden story. 

Genre:Drama/Historical Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 465

Published February 10th 2009

Date Finished: 06/21/2019

Rating: 5 out 5 stars

"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, we are just two people. Not that much seperates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

This book is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's. This book is narrated by three different women; Minny, a black maid unable to keep a job due to her hot head; Aibileen, another black maid who is raising her "seventeenth white child" and Miss Skeeter, at the opposite end of the spectrum, a white woman who wants to be a writer. Miss Skeeter gets an opportunity to write a book and she ends up writing one about the African Americans who work for white women. My favorite narrator was Aibileens. My favorite character was Celia Foote. My favorite scene was when Celia see a naked man in the backyard and she pokes him with a poker stick. This book had me crying and laughing and sometimes in awe. All in all I loved this book!

Genre: Fantasy

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 252

Published November 15th 2015

Date Finished: 7/16/2019

Rating: 3 out 5 stars

"Think! Learn what you can, and be careful how you treat those you encounter. You never know when the actions of today will impact the outcome of tomorrow."

This book is about a man who becomes trapped into a video game. It reminded me of .Hack/Sign. This man gives himself the name of Richter. Richter has to survive a world of Gods, demons, goblins, sprites and magic. He meets an earth sprite and ends up being really close to him. In the beginning of the book he meets a talking bird that helps him and he ends up owning him a favor. He also dies and ends up being immortal. But here is the catch, he will lose his memory in the "real world". Richter also gets a town, and with it he gets a helper, who has magic and gets too close to Richter. I really saw potental in this book. I love the idea of memory loss. But this book didn't explore that. There was too much battles and when Richter leveled up the narrator would repeat the stats. If you like rules of roleplaying you will love this book.If you love playing video games/roleplaying games you will love this book.

Genre: Romance Mystery

Format: Paperback

Pages: 433

Published 1847

Date Finished: 7/24/2019

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

"I am no bird, and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."

This is about a girl named Jane Eyre and how she was treated badly by her Aunt. She eventaully goes to work as a governess at Thornhill Hall. It is there is meets Mr. Rochester and she begins to fall in love with him. This book is told by the perspetive by Jane Eyre herself. She is a strong willed and couragous character.She gets abused by her cousins and her Aunt hates her. Then she goes to Lowood,which is a school for orphans, and it is awful.The majoraty of the story takes place at Thornhill Hall. When Jane first meets Mr. Rochester she hates him. This is the start of a hate to love romance. There is also a overlining mystery. Who is yelling and laughing in a manaic voice? Jane has to find out the secret. I loved the character of Jane,she goes though a lot of abuse in the novel. I loved the mystery, it was my favorite part of the novel. I didn't really like Mr. Rochester who I thought was rude to Jane on numerous encounters. I also could tell that Rochester was in love with Jane from the beginning.   

Genre: Thriller

Format: Audiobook

Pages:395

Published September 3rd, 2012

Date finished 08/01/2019

Rating:4 out of 5

"Turns out an apocalypse actually comes on pretty slowly. Not fire and brimstone, but rust and dandelions. Not a bang but a whimper."

This novel centers on Jackson Oz. Oz has been collecting data on the increasing numbers of attacks on humans. He becomes obsessed with this. Oz also has a pet chimpanzee named Atilla. I loved how funny this novel is. In the beginning of the novel Oz has a girlfriend named Natalie and he buys a $1.00 dollar thong for her to wear. I thought the reaction from Natalie was so funny. This book is told though Oz, the lions and Atilla. I really liked Atilla's Perspective.The science in this book was interesting. This book was a page turner and I read this very fast. The writing style was not very good. The chapters are very short and incomplete. The story was very interesting. I enjoyed this novel. 

Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQxD1Sbt5ic

Genre:Historical Fiction

Format: Paperback/library

Pages: 78

Published July 1st, 2009

Date Finished 08/08/2019 

Rating:2.5 out of 5

"Rebecca stepped back, covering her nose and mouth. The sour odors of sweat and machine oil blended into one foul smell. She would never have belivieved that the smell and heat could be worse than in the tenement. Inside the huge loft, men with curved knifes leaned over wide tables. They sliced swiftly through layers of thick fabric, their hands nearly a blur. Endless rows of young women in long-sleeved shirtwaist bent over clattering black machines. Everyone worked silently, unable to talk over the room's deafening roar."

This is part of the American Girl series. The year is 1914. Rebecca Rubin is a jewish immigrant that lives in New York,NY. She is nine years old. This book explores what it was like to work in the factories and about its conditions. There is complains from the worker and they go on strike. Rebecca becomes brave and tries to make a speech but some gansters knock her down. This book is for young children and is not a realistic portrayal of the time. I also didn't like how Rebecca wanted to be an actress.

Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQxD1Sbt5ic

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 396

Published April 1st,2003

Date Finished: 08/10/2019

Rating: 5 out of 5

"Right now I want a word that describes the feeling that you get -a cold sick feeling, deep down inside - when you know something is happening that will change you, and you don't want it to, but you can't stop it. And you know, for the first time, for the very first time, that there will now be a before and an after, a was and a will be. And that you will never again quite be the same person you were."

It's 1906, a time where work is hard, disease is spread and there is unfair treatment of people. The story starts with Mattie, who is 16 years old, she dreams of going to college, to persue her writing career. Her father owns a farm and her mother died of cancer. Mattie promises her mom that she will take care of her family and the farm. Mattie has to make a decision to leave the farm and her family or persue her dream of becoming an author. Mattie's best friend is Weaver Smith, an african american, who inspires her to be a better person. Mattie is passionate about reading and writing; she looks up a new word in her dictionary so that she can educate herself. This book is written in alternating chapters from the past and present. This book has a true story in the novel; The murder of Grace Brown. Mattie reads her letters. There is also a little bit of romance in this book between Royal Loomis and Mattie. I didn't really like the romance. This book deals with rascism,Feminist, and working on a farm. This book makes you feel like you are experiencing/ living in the year 1906. I loved Mattie's character, she loved books and referenced them a lot in the novel. My favorite scene was when Mattie helps Minnie give birth to her twind. Mattie decribes the birth as ugly. I related to Minne because I have experinced giving birth and it is very painful. This is a beautifully told story about a young womans journey of self discovery amidst racism,sexism, and poverty and a book you won't want to miss.

Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQxD1Sbt5ic

Genre: Fantasy

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 432

Published March 7th,2017

Date Finished: 08/10/2019

Rating: 5 out of 5

"Lets me be clear, I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there's anything I've learned from him in the years since, it's that the dead hide truths as well as the living. The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer."

The Bone Witch, the first book in a young adult fantasy trilogy, is the story of a powerful necromancer named Tea, who was told her destiny was not to save the world but to change it- for better and for worse. This book has alternating perspectives. One story is from the bard and the other is from Tea, the necromancer. Tea accidently raises her brother from the dead and meets Mykyla, who ia a bone witch. Mykyla trains Tea. This book reminded me of Memoirs of a Gaisha( the movie). Tea become an asha, which is a person who has powers, Earth, Wind, Fire, Air. Tea learns how to dance, sing, play instruments, and fight. Asha are like Gaisha, they wear pretty dresses and entertain men. Bone Witches are also not respected. My favorite character is the unnamed Bard. He was very funny. I loved the world! There is also a mystery half way though the book. My favorite scene is when Tea contols Deava(dragon) so it couldn't harm her friends. The Deavas are Dragon spirits who fight humans and asha alike. I am excited to read the next book in the story.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 170

Published 1988

Date Finished: 8/15/2019

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

"You are a name, not a number. Never forget that name, whatever they tell you here. You will always be Chaya- life- to me."

The Holocaust was so monstrous a crime that the mind resists belief and the story must be made new for each individual. Yolen's book is about remembering. This is a story about a 12 year old girl named Hannah, who finds herself transported to Poland in 1942, where she assumes the life of young Chaya. She shares the experiences of the villagers, who take a train journey to a concentration camp and meets Rivka, who teaches her to survive. My favorite scene is the escape scene. I liked seeing Hannah grow and I liked how Hannahs' memory of the past and present erased thoughout the novel. I didn't like Hannah at the beginning, she was rude and bratty. I also felt like the writing was at a lower level 

Genre: Family Drama/ Mystery

Format: audiobook

Pages: 528

Published October 9th 2018

Date Finished: 8/31/2019

Rating:3 out of 5 stars

"The thing is, I suppose" he said, "that one gets into the habit of being oneself. It takes some great upheaval to crack that shell and force us to discover what else might be underneath"

The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we're capable of, when we no longer know who we are. We meet Toby, the main character who is an unreliable character and a self absorbed prick. I didn't like his character. The story is definitely a slow burn. It starts with Toby, who has everything he wants, until one night two burglars beat him and leave him for dead. There is a mystery element here and in the middle of the story involving a murder. There is a lot of twists in the story. I went into this story blind, and I believe that is the only way to enjoy the story. I also really liked the audiobook. I felt like this story was too long and I felt like it needed to end earlier. I did like the family dynamics. The mystery of the burglars was predictable. The murder mystery is fun and keeps you geussing. I didn't really like the ending of the story. 

Genre: Adventure Fantasy

Format: Hardcover, Library

Pages: 316

Published October 28th 1726

Date Finished: 09/26/2019

Rating: 2.5 stars

"Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old."

This is a story about Lemuel Gulliver, who travels to 4 places. He visits the small people that live on a island of Lilliput. Then he travels to Brobdingnag, which is where the giants live. He fights giant wasps and insects. The third place he visits the flying island Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnag, Glubbdubdrib and Japan. In Glubbdubdrib he discusses infomation with historical figures. In Luggnagg he meets people who are immortal. The last part he visits the land of the Houyhnhnms, which is a race of talking horses. I didn't really like this book. The writing was poor and some of the words were misspelled. There is a lot of run on sentances and it made the book difficult to read. My favorite voyage was the Houyhnhnms, which is intelligent horses. In the book, Gulliver does ridiculous things, like urinating on a fire, In Brobdingnag he performs sexual favors to the female giants and in the end he considers himself a yahoo and he hates his people. This book also has a lot of politics of Britian at that time. Some of the book made me laugh but most of the book was boring. I feel like someone who would like this would be someone who likes british history.

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Format: Paperback

Pages: 436

Published December 20th 2012

Date Finished: 10/03/2019

Rating: 4 stars

"A man and wife should see the best in each other, should work together, should enjoy each other."

This book is about Solo, who is a black ops agent. He get sold to a circus that main attraction is otherworlds, who are aliens. Solo meets Vika, the owner's daughter, that takes care of him. Vika gets abused by her father, Jecis to the point of her losing her hearing. Vika and Solo end up together. This book doesn't have any sex scenes, which I love. They kiss and Solo touches her body. I loved Solo, he reminded me of Vincent in the show Beauty and the Beast and Hellboy combined. Solo, when he gets angrier he grows claws and fangs and turns red. The aliens are interesting as well, they all have different powers. Solo also has two guardiens (Dr. E or Dr. Evil and X). X is Solo's protector and Dr. E likes to cause Solo trouble. Evenually they talk to Vika and Dr. E talks to Jecis towards the end. I wish I knew how they can travel between people. I really enjoyed this book.

Genre: Nonfiction

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 212

Published April 1st 1988

Date FInished: 10/07/2019

Rating: 3 Stars

"Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of exiting?"

This is a nonfiction about the orgins of time. Hawking explains micro and macrocosmic worlds. He talks about wormholes and time travel. He also simpliflys the language so it is easy to understand. I thought this book was very informative and it went over theories of relivatily. I really liked the first three chapters. But by the end of the book I got lost and didn't really understand the science. This book was also very funny