Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

I first decided to read Angels and Demons because i loved the movie so much. One thing I loved about the book was all of the details it went into--you knew exactly what every character was thinking at each moment, and still never knew what was going to happen. I also found all of the historical references very interesting--even though it's a fictional book, I feel like I learned a lot about the history of the Vatican and the Church in general. I loved how Brown was able to create such a thrilling story about a topic that, before I read the book, really had no thoughts about it. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone because it is just an exciting adventure and is really interesting and enjoyable to read. Over the summer, I'm hoping to read  some of Dan Brown's other books to see what other adventures he came up with, and hopefully they'll be just as thrilling to read.

The Hunger Games/Catching Fire/Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

To put it simply, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is one of the best series I've ever read. I liked how it was written in a way that you only knew exactly what Katniss knew, and every surprise that she encountered was also a surprise to the reader. It made the plot that much more exciting throughout the three books, because it felt like you were facing everything Katniss was alongside her. I think the way Katniss develops as a character is really interesting. She starts off as a tough, family oriented, and slightly rebellious girl who could care less about what people think of her, and I love the way that she maintains these traits throughout everything she faces in the games. What I found interesting about her character was that she did not lose herself--all the things that made Katniss unique still existed throughout the book and she just learned to embrace them and express them in a way that not only helped herself, but benefited the entire community. I also find her admirable, because she is not afraid to stand up and fight, but she would still rather choose peace, and she cares about her family more than anyone else. By Mockingjay, Katniss has really become a better version of herself. Katniss's character and the way the book was written were not the only things that I loved about these three books. They all were impossible to put down and were constantly throwing curve balls. Also, the concept is really unique and different. I find this trilogy overall to be well written, fascinating, and really exciting.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The classic I read was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. At first, I thought that it was really cute, but as the girls grew older, I found the book much less interesting. In the middle, I was totally bored by the book, until part two. Part two had much more going on with all the girls relationships. I was surprised when Jo turned down Laurie's engagement, because throughout the entire book I thought that they had chemistry with each other. I was even more surprised when Laurie proposed to Amy, because never thought they were such close friends. I guess I was wrong about both of those assumptions. Another thing about part two that made the book more interesting was the storyline with Beth, and how she got sick, recovered, got sick again, and then died. I thought it was an interesting twist to the storyline, and it really showed how big an impact Beth had, and how little it was noticed by the other girls. It was definitely not my favorite book, but it had its moments that I really did like about it.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I was really excited to start Pride and Prejudice, but then when i started reading, I was disappointed. I thought that it was just starting off slowly like most other books, but then as i got further along i realized that it was not getting any better. I looked at how long it was--about 100 chapters--and I thought to myself, there is no way I will be able to finish this book by the end of the quarter, especially since its so boring. So, I decided to drop the book. I didn't think it was interesting at all, there was nothing about the characters or about the plot that grabbed my attention. I also was told by a few people who had tried reading it that it is not very good, and that the whole thing drags on slowly. I prefer fast paced books, so that was another reason I decided to drop it. Now that I'm done with it though, I can move on to another book.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a timeless love story about Catherine and Heathcliff. To be honest, when i first started reading Wuthering Heights I had no idea what was going on. I couldn't figure out that it was a flashback, and all of the characters were getting mixed up in my head because they were all referred to by multiple names, for example Catherine was always called "Catherine," "Cathy,""Linton,"and "Mrs. Linton." The reason that was so difficult was because there were other characters with the names "Linton" and "Mrs. Linton." I found it difficult to follow which one was being talked about. I also thought that the way it was narrated was unclear, because I couldn't tell if it was Mrs. Dean or Mr. Lockwood narrating, due to the fact that she was telling him stories and he would interject randomly, and then it would switch back to Mrs. Dean narrating the book. After a while, I started putting the pieces together and was able to figure out what was going on. I quickly became absorbed into the story and the idea of the eternal yet forbidden love that Heathcliff and Catherine had. Edgar Linton would have been the "right" match for Cathy, but Heathcliff, though he was the servant of Cathy and her family, was exactly what she wanted. I didn't like Cathy very much though, because she let her class influence her until it was too late. Despite the fact that she and Edgar Linton were married, she told Mrs. Dean "I am Heathcliff." The story of Wuthering Heights is a tragic, tear-jerking novel that I would strongly recommend to anyone who is up for the challenge of reading it.