Books I've Read This Year

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

1 star

I had heard of it and decided to give it a shot. There went 4 hours of my life I'll never get back. This book majorly sucked.

2. Tex by S. E. Hinton

5 stars

I love S.E. Hinton and decided to check out Tex. Best book decision ever. This book is absolute gold. It's definitely one of the best things I've ever read. {I'm reviewing it tomorrow, so stick around.}

3. Incarceron by

3 stars

Pretty interesting read. The concept of a mechanical prison with artificial intelligence is fascinating, but it's not 100% well-executed IMO. It's sometimes difficult for the reader to catch on.

4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

3 and a half stars

I liked this book a lot, but nothing about it stands out. It's a good, well-told story, but a little forgettable and I didn't quite "get" the ending.

5. No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt

3 and a half stars

This Great Depression-themed book had been sitting on my shelf for years, and I'd just never gotten around to it. I ended up liking it more than I thought {probably because there's a lot of older-brother-little-brother stuff}, but I probably won't read it again.

6. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

3 stars

The beginning of this book left me in awe; the style was absolutely beautiful; I would read sentences over again just because I liked them. But then the story got too long, and really strange, and the "big secret" it promises isn't really as exciting as I expected. It's interesting though.

7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

4 stars

Everyone is reading this books nowadays, and they deserve the publicity. Collins created a gripping and unique story line with leap-off-the-page-real characters. The trilogy is for SURE worth reading, so it's weird that they aren't some of my favorite books. I really can't put my finger on why.

8. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

4 stars

This is the sequel to Hunger Games, and it's basically just as good. In the beginning I feared it would just be a nitty-grittier repeat of the first book, but Collins saved it. It's quite good.

9. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

3 stars

This is the beginning to the second trilogy of "Mortal Instruments" books. If you think that sounds confusing, it's because it is. I wish Cassandra Clare had just stopped with the original trilogy, because they were absolutely FANTASTICALLY AWESOME and I hate it when writers take things too far. In City of Fallen Angels, I feel like Clare has lost touch with her characters {especially my beloved Jace!}, so the book is just eh. But read them anyway. 'Cause deep down I think they still rock.

10. Guys are Waffles, Girls are Spaghetti by

This book is kinda cool. It's just informational basically, about how girls and guys think differently. I just skimmed the book and got what I want out of it. You should too.

11. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

4 stars

This is the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I sobbed, which is pretty much rare for me. Actually, I'm pretty sure this book made me cry harder than any other book ever. It was great. Just GREAT.

12. Fortune by Erica Spindler

2 stars

I was bored at our beach house, it was on the shelf. It's a pretty strange, sensual, sadistic story. I really liked pieces of it because the main character has an older brother-like figure, but mostly it just made me feel dirty and the writing wasn't even good.

13. Divergent by Veronica Roth

3 stars

This was a pretty cool book. Good ideas, pretty well-done. For some reason I didn't really "connect" to the story, but it might just be me. Maybe if I read it again I'd like it more.

14. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

4 stars

I seriously liked this book a lot. It's engaging, extremely well-written, thought-provoking and real. I liked the characters and the setting and the whole thing was just super well-done. Definitely recommend it.

15 Theogony by Hesiod

4 stars

A really fascinating read XD Nothing like ancient literature to spice up your bookshelf. I actually love Greek literature, and this was no different. Hesiod has a way with words, and learning where all the gods came from is just really cool to me.

~Stephanie