Recent Reads

I go through phases where I seem to devour books, and other times where it takes me months to finish a book. The past couple months I've been reading non stop so I thought I'd do a quick post on my thoughts about some of my recent reads.

One of my more recent reads. And maybe my favorite of the summer? It really is hard to choose. But Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran was fabulous. It's historical fiction about the real Madame Tussaud; a woman during the French revolution and Reign of Terror who went by the name of Marie Grosholtz. She learned the art of wax modeling from her "Uncle" Curtius and was probably the most famous was modeler in France at the time. Her family never chose sides during the revolution and managed to play both sides of the fence for a long time.                                  Madame Tussaud is historical fiction, with an emphasis on the fiction. Although through no fault of Moran. Tussaud was very colorful when writing her memoirs and much of her life has been fiction. Moran's research was thorough, and her writing was gripping. She really transported you to the Reign of Terror, and while I was reading I often wondered at the terror and horror a person living in France at the time would have gone through. I have read other books by Michelle Moran, and this one might be my favorite. I had trouble putting it down at night and burned through it faster than I would have liked.

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger: I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but it was at my parents house when we went for a visit this summer so I thought I'd give it a try. I liked it, and I would probably recommend it to certain people, but I was taken aback by the amount of F-bombs dropped and how prevalent sex was throughout the story. I'm not saying it was necessarily a bad thing, just stating a fact; a warning I guess to all those out there who wouldn't want this from a book. It really is a fun idea, and Niffenegger did a great job of jumping around timelines and allowing the story to flow at the same time. 

Divergent (and series) - Veronica Roth: I really hate to review a series before I've finished it. But I loved these books. The third book comes out in October and I am anxiously awaiting it. The story takes place in a future Chicago. The city is walled off from the outside, warring world. Every citizen is divided into different faction. When they become 16 they are allowed to choose the faction they were born into, or to change into one of the other 4 factions. 

Beatrice Prior was born into Abnegation, but chooses the enter the faction of Dauntless. It turns out this switch puts her in the position to be part of the events that will change her life, and the entire city. If you enjoyed reading the Hunger Games, I'm sure you'll love these books. Veronica Roth is an excellent writer and brought to life a world that was very much believable.

Dualed - Elsie Chapman: This is another book about a dystopian society. I read that if I liked the Hunger Games I would enjoy this. But it was just alright. I honestly wouldn't recommend it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. Just kind of a waste of time. The premise of the book seemed interesting. Like Divergent the citizens live in a walled off city. Every person is born with an identical twin, or alternate, that they will eventually have to kill so that they may prove themselves worthy enough to be the one to live. Although an interesting idea, the execution was less than exciting.

Wonder: R.J. Palacio: Loved this book. It's written for younger readers so it is a really quick, easy read. But I loved it. After I finished it I sat there and cried for a little bit. It was such a sad, heartwarming book and I had so much emotion that needed to come out. Wonder is about a little boy, August, that has a very severe facial deformity. The book tells of his experiences during his first year of public school as a 10 year old. The story is told through his point of view, his sister's, and his friends'. There are some heartbreaking moments when he has to overcome bullying, but there are also some beautiful moments when you really see the greatness of human nature. This is becoming a required read in some high schools and I totally agree. The anti-bullying theme is really powerful without being preachy. I'm sure anyone could relate to this story, regardless of if they have any physical abnormalities or not.