The Pursuit of Mary Bennet: A Pride and Prejudice Novel
By Pamela Mingle
Genre: Historical Fiction
Personal Rating: 9/10

This is a random novel my mom found for me in the bargain bin at Barns and Nobel. I hadn't heard of it before and wasn't necessarily expecting to love it, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a novel about what happens after Pride and Prejudice, particularly to the middle sister, Mary. Mary has always been the more awkward and withdrawn sister, and this book is about her finding her own happiness while living in a world that seemed to revolve around her sisters. I thought the author did a very good job of maintaining the qualities of the characters Jane Austin has created. The story did start out a little slow, but I found it very enjoyable by the end. If anyone is looking for a nice, clean regency romance, then I would highly recommend this one.

The Hiding Place
By Corrie Ten Boom
Genre: Non-Fiction
Personal Rating: 10/10

This is one of those books I think everyone should read at least once in their life time. It is the incredibly true story of a woman and her family's mission to save Jews from the Nazis in an occupied Holland. Because of their mission, Corrie and her family were eventually arrested. This book describes first hand their struggles and testimonies through one of the world's darkest times. It was very meaningful to me, getting a different perspective of the war; the life of those hiding the Jews. It was a spectacular read.

The Book of Ivy
By Amy Engel
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction/ Dystopian
Personal Rating: 10/10

After a series of wars and nuclear bombs, the United States was left crumbled. Only a small group of people survived and struggled to reform the country. But after the war, democracy died out, leaving a single family to rule. Now the country is divided into two groups: the people who stood with the monarchy and won, and those who voted for democracy and lost. To keep the two groups happy and civil, every year the daughters of the loosing side marry the sons of the winners. An arranged marriage system meant to instill peace.But not everyone wants peace. When it's Ivy's year to marry, she is paired with the President's son. And she swears to kill him.

On the surface there isn't anything incredibly unique about the story line of this book--nothing I haven't seen in other dystopian novels--but I absolutely loved it! This book was all about character development which I think I usually prefer over a dramatic plot--although the plot was still plenty dramatic. The characters were real and dynamic, the writing style clean and moving. This wasn't a book I was expecting to love but I was pleasantly surprised, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Finding Audrey
By Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Personal Rating: 7/10

Fourteen-year-old Audrey has an anxiety disorder. A chemical imbalance that disrupts her life and leaves her too afraid to leave her house or make eye contact with anyone. Although she has been making steady progress with her therapist, Dr, Sarah, Audrey's real recovery happens when she meets her brother's friend, Linus. She can talk to Linus about her anxiety without feel insane or nervous, and through the strength of their friendship Audrey finally begins to heal.

This is the first young adult novel by New York Times Bestseller, Sophie Kinsella. She wrote the very popular Shopaholic series, as well as a number of other adult novels.This was the first book by her that I've read and I was expecting great things since I've only heard good reviews about her other books. This book was really hilarious--especially with all the funny British slang--and I really liked her writing style, However, this book is about a young girl dealing with an anxiety disorder which is a series mental issue, and sometimes the humor sort of pocked fun or distracted from the main character's problems. But I also felt like the author described what having an anxiety order feels like, and brought to attention how other can help people dealing with it.

There is some bad language in this book, including some F-words, so be cautious going into it. Another thing that got on my nerves about this novel is that the author alludes to this big event that caused Audrey to have this anxiety disorder, but actually never tells us what it is. I was sort of waiting to know what the big thing was that made her break down, but then it is never explained, and that really aggravated me. It sort of felt like she was cheating on telling the whole story.

I overall did enjoy this book. It was accurate on a lot of accounts and dealt with a real issue that is very rarely written and talked about. The book is also written partially in screen play format which added some fun variety to it.

A Monster Calls
By Patrick Ness
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Personal Rating: 10/10

I am not going to write a synopsis of this book because I feel like it is best to go into this story blind. I started reading it knowing nothing about the plot line and I think that is best since a big part of this story is the mystery aspect. Overall, I thought this was a haunting beautiful story. It is a very powerful story with a lot of depth. The book is part graphic novel with some amazing drawings. It is also a very quick read, I had it read in one day. There isn't a lot I can say, only that I think this is a book everyone should read.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
By Jessica Day George
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Personal Rating: 9/10

This book was very much a pleasant surprise. This was another book I needed to read for a class and I didn't except to really enjoy it, since I'm not the biggest fan of high fantasy or of Jessica Day George's other books. But I did end up thoroughly enjoying it.

This book is a very unique spin of Beauty and the Beast. At birth a young girl is cast aside by her mother and is not given a name. But aside from being a rejected child from a poor family, she grows up happy with her many brothers and sisters, and her unique gift of speaking to animals. A curse has been set on this girl's home land so that winter is always harsh and eternal--the work of evil trolls that torment all living creatures. The girl didn't necessarily believe in such myths and stories, until one day when a large white bear insists that she come live with him for a year in his palace. The girl agrees to go under the condition that her family would be without want. But under the finery of the bear's ice castle lies mysteries and curses too dangerous to uncover.

I usually don't like to read a lot of high fantasy--especially the kind that involves talking animals--because it usually just comes out sounding silly to me. But I felt like this book was written out really well and I found myself on the edge of my seat during the last couple of pages. I also feel like this book could appeal to a wide audience; I would recommend it to anyone over ten-years-old. It's entertaining but entirely clean and appropriate. A delightful read.

Things We Know By Heart
By Jessi Kirby
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Personal Rating: 10/10

400 days ago, Quinn Sullivan's boyfriend, Trent, died in a car accident. In an attempt to cope with the loss, Quinn reaches out to the recipients of Trent's organs--his kidneys, liver, cornea, and of course his heart. Only the recipient of his heart is the only person who never responds to Quinn's letter. So she seeks him out, still looking for a way to find peace with Trent's passing. She goes out of the system and against the rules to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas. She doesn't plan to get to know Colton, or even talk to him, all she wants is to see the person who now has her boyfriends heart, but after they do meet they only grow closer, and Quinn learns to live again. But is it right for her to feel so much for boy who's only alive because the love of her life died?

I absolutely adored this book! This is a definite 10/10 read for me! It was really touching and written in a real believable and heart-wrenching way. It was a story centered on family, overcoming grief, and the importance of living life to its fullest. It was also a really clean read with very little language, which I definitely appreciated. I loved all the characters and the summertime beach setting. I just over all loved it!

The Sin Eater's Daughter
By Melinda Salisbury
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Personal Rating: 9/10

This story centers around Twylla (do not ask me how you pronounce that) who is the executioner for a strict, unforgiving queen. Twylla kills with just one touch of her skin to another's flesh, a trait that supposedly means she is gifted, though she feels anything but. No one dares to be near her, everyone fears her, and she has never had an opportunity to make a decisions for herself. Only Lief, Twylla's outspoken guard, can see past the role that was handed to her, beyond her duty to kill. However, very little is as it seems and, under the control of a dangerous queen, some truths are too dangerous to be known.

I overall really enjoyed this book and it's plot line. At first I thought that it resembled Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, because of the whole touch of death thing, but as the story and world unfolded I found the plot very unique and intriguing. The story kept surprising me--especially at the end--and I found very little boring or predictable. The story also left me at a huge cliff hanger and I am dying for the next book.

There were some aspects of this book--mostly the religious views of the characters--that I found sort of strange, but in the end it enhanced the world building and the character development. I overall really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for something fast paced and entertaining.

Off the Page
By Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Personal Rating: 6/10

This is the sequel to Between the Lines, so I obviously can't say much about this book without spoiling the ending of the first book. This book is labeled as the companion novel to Between the Line,  meaning that you don't need to read the first one in order to understand this one. But I don't understand what makes this a companion novel. You DEFINITELY need to read the first book in order to enjoy this one.

This book was cute and a super fun read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first one. It was just a little too cheesy at times. But overall, it was a nice clean read and enjoyable. It still had a few paintings every few pages that I thought was a nice touch. Also, I absolutely adore this cover!