(Find volume 1 here.)
1 // Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.
Synopsis from here.
Side note: After coming home from Christmas break, I decided that I wanted to listen to the books on tape as I walked to & from work and did stuff around the house. I finished the series in a few weeks after realizing how much better the books are than the movies. It was fun to read the series as a kid/teenager, but the second time through was even more fun as I picked up on the small details and caught more of the references.
2 // Bossypants by Tina Fey
If you're a fan of Tina Fey, you need to read her book. Tina takes the reader through her childhood and details how she got started in the acting/comedy business, and ends with her latest few endeavors. Of course, she'll have you laughing all along the way. I especially loved her thoughts on true beauty, balancing motherhood and a career, and how not to plan a honeymoon!
3 // We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Three cousins (and their friend) spend each summer on their grandfather's private island with the rest of their extended family. There's tension between different family members and eventually an accident occurs that affects the whole family from that point on. Together, the four teenagers reveal to the reader what exactly happened as they work through the truth and lies.
4 // Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman
Recently arrived in Calgary,
Alberta after a long, hard journey from Boston, sixteen-year-old
Katherine Mary O’Fallon never imagined that she could lose her heart so
easily—or so completely. Standing over six feet tall, with “eyes
so blue you could swim in them,” Mike Flannigan is a well-respected
sergeant in the Canadian Mounted Police—and a man of great
courage, kindness, and humor. Together, he and his beloved Kathy manage
to live a good, honest life in this harsh, unforgiving land—and find strength in a love as beautiful and compelling as the wilderness around them…
Synopsis from here.
5 // Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
On a May
afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific
Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of
oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.
It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was
struggling to a life raft. So began one of the most extraordinary
odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant's name was Louis
Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent.
As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a
prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when
war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey
that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the
unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands
of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and
starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. His fate,
whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of
his will. Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind,
body, and spirit.
Synopsis from here.
Read anything good lately? I'm always looking for recommendations!
Have you read "Whistling Past the Graveyard" by Susan Crandall ? If you liked the Help you will love this book. Also "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford.
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