Since I knew how, I’ve always been an avid reader. I can spend hours in a book store. In elementary the American Girl books (which I still collect) showed me how books open a whole new world. Over the years, my love of historical fiction has expanded to include action, mystery and the occasional need for an accompanying tissue box.
Now as a college student and working close to 30 hours a week, I do not have as much leisure time to read for fun. It tends to get me in trouble. However, I do find time during breaks between semesters.
In 2009 I reread my favorite parts of theTwilight series by Stephanie Meyer. No, I’m not a Twilight fanatic, but I do enjoy how much of an easy read it is and find myself caught up in the story. It had been almost a year since the last time I read them. This time around I had seen the Twilight movie a couple of times and New Moon was about to be released. The movies are cheesy, but I never realized how much the books are the same until that point. No matter how cheesy or childish, I still enjoy picking out my favorite parts from time to time. Those books were the first thing I read for fun after a difficult year of life and text books and served their purpose. I hope they can do the same for others.
Summer 2009 my stepmom introduced me toThe Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. I was interested in this book before because I took European history in high school and find the whole reign of Henry VIII intriguing and dramatic. I loved it. The movie did not do it justice. It was historical fiction that played right into my choice of books. After quickly devouring that one, I went on a search to find the sequels. I finished The Boleyn Inheritance, but I’m still working on The Virgin Queen. Both books struggled to keep my interest. Inheritance eventually picked up the pace, and maybe I’ll pick up The Virgin Queen again when I have the chance.
My family went on a cruise for the Christmas holidays in 2009. It was a much needed vacation. That was the first time I had been on a cruise or left the country. I loved it! I never wanted it to end and I dream of going back. Anyway, while on the ship I found time to finish the two books I brought with the goal of finishing. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was first. It was told from a first person perspective of a 14-year-old girl murdered by her neighbor, unbeknown to her family. It’s scary to think that things like that actually happen, youth being taken away. Two of my siblings are teenagers and remembering when I was in junior high and high school, we think nothing like that would happen to us, even into our twenties, “6 feet and bullet proof.” It puts things in a different perspective to make good choices and don’t trust anyone until they’ve earned it.
The second book I read wasDear John by Nicholas Sparks. In Sparks fashion, he jerked the tears from me. The book didn’t end like I would have predicted, but that always happens with his books. In truth, I picked this book because I knew there was a movie coming out with Channing Tatum and I like the music on the trailer. However, lately I’ve heard the movie wasn’t so great. I guess I’ll have to see for myself.
My favorite read of the winter break would have to be this new vampire series. (Yes, that’s right.) I received the first two books for Christmas and I fell in love. The Blue Bloods series by Melissa de La Cruz is a mix of Twilight, Buffy and Gossip Girl all mixed into one. That should make sense to readers of this series. In short, there is a love story and lots of history and background to the plot lines, and yet it can be quite dark. The vampires of the series are the New York social elite, and they live among humans with unmatched beauty, money and strength. They are not exactly born, but their souls are saved when their bodies can no longer be used and recalled for the next “cycle,” all except for one. The souls include memories from every life, going back to the time when the blue bloods were banished from heaven by God. Essentially they can never die, but something is killing them. I don’t want to say anymore about it. The background guidebook comes out this spring and the fifth book sometime in the fall.