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 Gone
With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
ISBN # 068483068X
What can I say about this book other than
that it changed my life? I skipped school one day in 7th grade
so I could read it. I've since read it about ten times and
seen the movie at least as much.
The movie's great-but the book's even better.
Did you know that in the book Scarlett has three children
and not just one? And that one of my favorite characters,
Will Benteen, doesn't even appear in the movie at all? Just
some of my favorite trivia tidbits from this awesome story.
You will be swept away by the characters, the story and the
emotions-regardless of whether you like Scarlett or not.
For those of you living in a cave, GWTW
takes place in Georgia during the American Civil War. The
heroine, 16-year-old Scarlett O'Hara is the spoiled eldest
daughter of a plantation owner in Georgia. The book follows
her life through the turmoil and degradation of 4 years of
brutal war and the loss of everything she loves and then through
the years of Reconstruction as she fights for the survival
of her family, much to the chagrin of those she is trying
to save. Of course, it's also one of the grandest love stories
of all time. Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara have become
synonymous with Romeo and Juliet, and when you read the book
you'll find out why. And don't forget to bring along the hankies!
 Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
ISBN# 0385302304
This is the book that convinced me to take
a two week trip to Scotland with my husband just so I could
see if touching ancient stone monuments would send me back
in time. The book is that convincing. Whether you're a fan
of time travel novels or not, it doesn't matter. This is an
emotionally gripping novel, fast-paced, action-packed, and
superbly written, and should not be missed by any lover of
books.
Claire Randall, a combat nurse in WWII,
is in Scotland on her honeymoon when she is mysteriously transported
back in time 200 years to the time of the Scottish uprising.
The realism of the setting will transport the reader, too.
Claire must use her wits not to be captured by the British
or thought a witch by her captors, as well as resist falling
in love with the man she is forced to marry in the 18th century
since she already has a husband in the 20th century.
The love story between Jamie Fraser and
Claire Randall is right up there with Romeo and Juliet and
Scarlett and Rhett-you will fall in love and, if you're like
me, demand to be taken to Scotland on the first available
flight. The best part of OUTLANDER is that it's only the first
book in a long series. The most recent, A BREATH OF SNOW AN
ASHES, is on top of my 'to be read' pile so be looking for
a review of it here.
 …And
Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
ISBN# 0425174409
You've probably already guessed that I
love really thick books. Unfortunately, when I read the above
three, my life was completely different inasmuch as I actually
had time to sit for long periods of time over a juicy novel.
Now, I gravitate toward smaller books because I can squeeze
them in between my own writing as well as the demands of two
children and a husband. Still, I would drop everything if
a book as wonderful as any of these were to find its way into
my hands.
AND LADIES OF THE CLUB is an extremely special
book. I was given it as a gift my junior year in college right
before Christmas break. That was the year my dad took my brothers
and me to Switzerland to go skiing. I was so engrossed in
this book that it killed me to have to put it down to sleep,
much less actually hit the slopes. Each morning, I'd reluctantly
buckle on my boots and skis, do a couple of runs, then return
to the chalet where I'd cozy up to a fire and read the rest
of the day. My dad was not a happy man but I was certainly
a very happy reader!
The author was a young woman when she started
the book in the 1920's and continued to work on it well until
her eighties when it was finally published. The book is a
sweeping saga encompassing the decade before the Civil War
and beyond. It involves the lives of two best friends growing
up and coming of age during the War and the aftermath. A ladies
club is interwoven seamlessly, introducing new characters,
and saying goodbye to others. The two main characters are
old women by the end of the book and you will feel as if you've
felt every heartache and every joy in their lives. Don't miss
this book!
Check back for more book faves--I
always have a pile on my bed stand and I love to talk about
books almost as much as I love to write them!
- Great young adult reads
 Art
Geeks and Prom Queens by Alyson Noel
ISBN 0-312-33636-5
Rio Jones, a sixteen-year-old girl relocated from New York
to southern California is trying to fit in at her new fancy
high school, but her first day stunk. Luckily, she makes friends
with art geeks Mason and Jas who help her out the first day.
However, popular and rich cheerleader Kristi takes notice
of her and invites Rio into her elite clique where the rules
are tight and no one can be more popular than Kristi. But
as Rio becomes well-known in school and more popular, she
has to decide if she will stay with the popular crowd and
stay a follower in Kristi's group, or leave and be the girl
she used to know- the art geek.
This book was fast-paced and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The
people at the California high school reminded me of "Mean
Girls" and I thought that made it all the more better.
I highly recommend this book.
 Keeping
the Moon by Sarah Dessen
ISBN 0-14-240176-5
Fifteen-year-old Colie is sent to stay with
her Aunt Mira in Colby, North Carolina for the summer because
her mother, a famous aerobics instructor is going on tour
in Europe. Colie has always felt insecure around people, mainly
because for fourteen years was an overweight child who moved
around too often to fit in. One day her mother decided to
start an aerobic program and lost a lot of weight. She decided
to put Colie on it too and she lost about forty-five pounds.
Still, Colie isn't all that comfortable in North Carolina,
even though her new friends Isabel and Morgan, Norman, and
her aunt are very kind to her and weren't there to witness
Colie's past. However, they teach Colie to look away from
her past and move on.
This book was a very enjoyable book and
I couldn't put it down. Sarah Dessen is a great author who
really writes from a teenager's point of view on life. She's
also written many more. I recommend The Truth About Forever.
 The
Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
ISBN 0-439-49882-1
This book is written as if a bunch of letters and emails
were joined together. Cassie, Lydia, and Emily go to Ashbury
High School in Austrailia. Their English teacher starts a
program where they write letters to their rivalry school,
Brookfield, in a chance to help end the hate. But as the three
friends and their pen-pals' letters get more involved, secret
assignments, evil plots, and really mean people become unearthed.
This book was a little hard to get into because there wasn't
a good sense of how old the characters were and where they
lived or what they looked like, but once I got further into
the novel, I realized how excellent the book was. I never
would have guessed the ending. The author is really good at
showing the characters' personalities through their letters.
I really enjoyed this novel.
 Pulling
Princes by Tyne O'Connell
ISBN 1-58234-688-7
Calypso Kelly is hated at her all-English boarding school
in England because she is American. She invents a boyfriend
(who is really her friend) to try and become more popular,
but that doesn't quite work out very well. The Honorable Honey
O'Hare, the spawn of Satan, makes life at St. Augustine's
for Calypso awful for her and is determined to ruin her life.
While Calypso is battling Honey, a picture of her kissing
the heir to the British throne shows up in the tabloids, and
she must quickly sort it out before it gets too messy for
her and the prince's relationship.
This book was very good. I fell in love with Calypso and her
thinking. It was very funny and quick. I was very happy to
hear there are two other novels out in the series, called
Stealing Princes and Dueling Princes. I suggest them all.
 Confessions
of a Teen Nanny by Victoria Ashton
ISBN-10: 0-06-073178-8
Sixteen-year-old Adrienne Lewis lives in New York and is
paid a tremendous amount of money to nanny Emma Warner, a
rich eight-year-old who is also a spoiled genius. But she's
nothing compared to Emma's half-sister, Cameron, who is an
evil liar and user who gets whatever she wants and listens
to no one. Cameron is always in the tabloids and puts her
evil powers to use on Adrienne. Of course, Adrienne doesn't
know that…
This novel was sooo fun to read. You hate Cameron when you
first hear about her and the feeling shouldn't change. The
way Adrienne and her friend, another nanny for a rich family,
deal with Cameron's evilness and wild ways was brilliant.
There is also a sequel to this novel, called Confessions
of a Teen Nanny: Rich Girls.
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