andrea reviews books

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Hello Everyone

I know I haven’t posted a review in a really long time and while I have been reading, I just have read anything in a while that has been so wonderful that I need to write about it. That all has changed now that I have finished The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. 

I have been meaning to read this book for a really really long time, but didn’t have the chance to until a few days ago and I will admit that based on other people’s reviews I had very high expectations and they were fully met.

The story is based on a girl named Rory who moves to England and begin boarding school there. She has a near death experience and because of that starts seeing ghosts. At the same time there is someone in the city recreating the murders of Jack the Ripper in the same fashion and on the same days as the original, freaking out both the school and the city.

I am not usually someone to head towards a book involving ghosts or anything of the sort because I don’t usually enjoy those types of books, but this one was different from the norm. For one the way that the ghosts were set up it was not completely weird that this was happening to her as there was a real explanation I found. As well there was a little bit of romance, but it didn’t hold the full focus of the story which many authors tend to do and after a while becomes very tedious. I felt the story-line very compelling and I didn’t find that it dragged on at any point in the novel. 

I really enjoyed this book and I think it was well worth the wait it took for me to get to it.

Currently Reading: A Midsummer’s Night Dream by William Shakespeare

The Soloist by Steve Lopez

The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

Goodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5397114-andrea

Happy Reading and DFTBA!  

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

As a reader with many interests, one of those is historical fiction. I hadn’t read a historical novel in a really long time though, but I am glad that this is the story that brought me back to this genre. The novel focuses on Marie Grosholtz (later Tussaud) as she straddles the line of both royalty and revolt during the French Revolution. As the tutor to the King’s sister and the household of many revolutionist meetings Marie saw both sides of the revolution, a fact that keeps her alive. I really enjoyed seeing the French Revolution from a commoner’s point of view as well as some on who was pretty neutral as she had friends dying on either side of the political spectrum. It was well-written and engaging and I learned a lot about the French Revolution that I had either never heard before or had completely forgotten. Overall it was a very good book and it combined love, friendship, and the bloody horrors of the revolution perfectly. 

8.5/10

Currently Reading: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Goodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5397114-andrea

The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth by Alexandra Robbins

For many people being popular in middle school and high school is a very important thing and may even dictate everything that they do, buy, and act like. That was me in middle school, trying to fit in with the cool people, but it never made me happy or fulfilled. Those feelings came to me in high school when I gave up trying to be cool and just started to be myself. I found myself in a group of people who were the same as me in how they thought and became more comfortable with who I was and honestly started to not care what other people thought of me. This book followed the lives of six different people for a school year as they tried to fit in and expand their horizons. The beginnings of all of their stories were hard to read as I kept drawing parallels to my own life, stories that brought back memories I hadn’t thought about in years. I rejoiced with these people as they gained friends and became happier without changing who they were, which someone should never do just to fit in. I found this book honest, helpful, and relevant to today’s society and I loved it.

Currently Reading: The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claborne

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

Goodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5397114-andrea   

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

If you know me at all you know that I have a weird obsession with dystopian novels for about the past year and as such many of my books on my to-read list are of that genre. Even such it had been a while since I had read a dystopian novel and this was a really great one to go back to. The Declaration takes place almost 150 years in the future where people have found a way to live forever and as such having kids was made illegal to stop the growing population unless you opt out of the medicine keeping you alive, so in a sense a life for a life. If illegal children are caught they are brought to “surplus houses” which is what they are called, surpluses. There they are made to work, learn how to serve the “legals”, and indoctrinated to believe that they really are worthless. That is where this novel takes place centering around a girl named Anna who grew up in the house and a new boy named Peter. I don’t want to give away too much, but this novel both broke my heart and kept me on my toes the entire time that I was reading it. 

I have another review coming today so watch out for that and until later, happy reading :)

Currently reading: The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth by Alexandra Robbins

The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

The End by Lemony Snicket

and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 

Goodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5397114-andrea

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie

Ever since I first learned of TOMS last spring I have been in love with both the shoes and the message behind them. That is when I bought my first pair and when they first became popular. Reading the story of how TOMS started as well as stories about other organizations was really inspiring as well as entertaining. It was a short read, with both personal stories and tips on following your own dreams and going for what you want to do and change the world at the same time. This is a great read for any fan of TOMS and all that they stand for. 

Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean

This was a hard book to read, but an easy book to love. It is the true story of a nun who befriends two different men on death row and tries to get them away from the death penalty. I am personally completely against the death penalty and so glad that I live in a country where it is not an option, but a recognize that in many places that is not the option. Helen’s views on capital punishment are very similar to mine so it was very nice reading a real life example of someone fighting for the rights of people that society deems unforgivable or unable to save. Through the journey of this book I laughed, I cried, and I became firmer in my convictions of what I believe is right. I also gained more knowledge into the realities of the death penalty and what it entails. I highly suggest reading this book as for me it was a real eye opener.

10/10

Currently Reading:

The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket

Another Man’s War by Sam Childers

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie

and (I know finally) The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler

Goodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5397114-andrea