Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. Alright, yes, I should have expected that this book would be just like EVERY other Nicholas Sparks book. Love story, some sort of death involved, there's a religious character, etc. I must say, this is one author where the movies based on his novels, are better than his novels. He always has this idealized man who is completely unrealistic and self-sacrificing. To be honest, I found this book a bore to get through. My only positive aspect of the book would have to be the fact that Nicholas Sparks addresses Autism and those on the spectrum. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I can guarantee it's probably different and is probably better than the book. Congrats, Mr. Sparks, you've found a way to do minimalistic writing that leads to chick-flick blockbusters. Kudos to you.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I could not get enough of this book. I am a sucker for all things sci-fi, and young adult. This was a great combination of both. The protagonist was wonderful to follow, and it was a complete page turner. I actually recommended the book to several of my students after reading it, and I think it would be a great addition to a school's curriculum as a summer reading book. After reading the book, I thought I would be able to wait to read the sequel (Catching Fire) because it wasn't available as an eBook. Damn you, publishers! However, after reading a book in between, I needed to get my fix. I found a copy at the local library and will be reading it next. I'm so excited to continue reading this series, but so sad that it's only going to be a trilogy. UGH!
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. What a page turner. It starts out a little slow in the beginning, but I found this book really well written. I actually felt a little creeped out reading it alone in the dark with my booklight. But, then again, it added a little to the eeriness of it. I could picture everything going on in the book, as the words were so illustrating. Also, the ending was fantastic. It was left ambiguous where I still have theories about what happened, but I don't know for sure. This is one book where the film adaptation stuck almost exactly to it. There were really only a few things left out of the movie, but I have to say that Martin Scorcese did a wonderful job with it. I kept thinking "AH! This is just like the book!"
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. So, unfortunately, this was a book that I read AFTER seeing the movie adaptation. The movie was hysterical and I really liked it. Our students were studying Greek Mythology, so we took them to the movie hoping to spark some interest. The students also really liked it. So, since I liked the movie so much - why not read the book series? Well, I just finished book 1 this morning. Wow. Hollywood changed the ENTIRE story of this book and just left the premise that the main character is the son of Poseidon. Did I like the book? Yes. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and the premise is similar to Harry Potter. Did I love it? No. Will I probably read the rest of the series? Yes. I enjoy book series and seeing where they go. The writing isn't fantastic, but the book was a fun read, and I hope that more kids might read it and enjoy it.
Wow, that didn't take as long as I thought it would. At least I can start reading the next book in my lineup: Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins. Eek! This is an actual book, after reading the last 4 books on my nook, I don't know how I'm going to adjust :\
