"The Lucky One"

Written By Nicholas Sparks

\Logan is a U.S. Marine. He finds a picture of a young woman buried in the dirt in Iraq. He  takes it back to base to try to find it's owner. When no one claims it, he keeps it with him. With that picture he seems to get just a little bit of luck. He escapes deadly combat that two of his friends die in.

Logan's third tour ends, all he seems to have on his mind is the girl in the photo. Him and his dog go on a journey to find this women that gave him so much luck. He hopes to thank her. But when he finds Elizabeth, a beautiful divorced mother he can't seem to be able to tell her.

He gets a job at her dog kennel. Logan even gets along with her mother and son.  This starts a story that the both of them will remember for the rest of their lives filled with drama, sadness, and love. But what will happen when Elizabeth's Ex husband gets into it? Will Logan ever tell Elizabeth about the picture he found?

My rating: 8.5/10: i loved this book. It keep me reading for hours. But I didn't like some of the ending.

Picture from: http://www.nicholassparks.com/books

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Written by Stephen Chbosky

Have you ever felt like you don't belong? Like you shouldn't live in the world you do? That's how Charlie feels. He writes everyday to an anonymous person. He writes about what it feels to be in High School, and how it feels to be a nobody. Till he meets Patrick, a bad boy that he becomes best friends with. Then he meets Sam, Patrick's sister, who he secretly loves. Patrick and Sam show Charlie what it like to have fun and come out of your safe zone. Everyday his letters to this anonymous guy gets happier and happier. Charlie starts to know what it feels like to have friends and not be a nobody. Charlie gets together with Mary Elizabeth, one of Sam's friends, because Sam says they would be good together. But Charlie ruins everything when he tells everyone he really loves Sam. Will Sam every forgive him for breaking her friends heart? will Sam and Charlie every get together? My favorite part is definitely the ending. If you like romance books you'll like this book.

My rating: 8/10. I liked the book. It shows some peoples struggle with High school. Some parts kinda confused me though and it kinda got off track some moments. But its still liked it.

-Lynn

Picture From: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=perks+of+being+a+wallflower&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bpcl=38897761&biw=1024&bih=571&wrapid=tlif135368297726510&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=G4-vULq0NZHr0QGe54GwAw#um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=perks+of+being+a+wallflower+book&oq=perks+of+being+a+wallflower+book&gs_l=img.3..0l7j0i5l2j0i24.36344.37688.0.37860.5.4.0.0.0.0.219.563.0j2j1.3.0...0.0...1c.1.iPjxgAqzNlQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=2f61eead7157a245&bpcl=38897761&biw=1024&bih=571

"Gossip Girl"

Written by:  Cecily von Ziegesar

From:  talking-gossip.com

Serena van der Woodsen is back on the Upper East Side. Before leaving for boarding school, she was the most popular teen in Manhattan. Serena comes back with the expectations of regaining her old friends, her popularity status, and and invitation to one of the most exclusive parties in the area. However, things don't go exactly as planned. While struggling to accept these new developments, Serena meets Dan, an average teenage boy. This is new for her, as she's only ever socialized with the people of the same monetary status. Throughout the novel, all the elite are followed by Gossip Girl-- a girl with a blog that reports on all the latest news. Everything they think is private can instantly become public knowledge with Gossip Girl. I don't have a favorite part per-se, but I enjoy reading Gossip Girl's blog.

My rating:  5/10. I think this book was over-hyped. I was prepared for a brilliant new novel, but what I got was a well written diary. This book has a 5/10 because I think the Gossip Girl and Dan characters are wonderfully crafted. It doesn't garner a higher rating because it read like a diary. It followed the lives of all the characters with some drama and romance, but not enough to keep me interested.

- Louise

"The Hunger Games"

Written by: Suzanne Collins

Have you ever wondered what the future would look like? Do you think we would be better or worse off than we are now? In Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, we're much worse off. Divided by a civil war, put into twelve districts, and dominated by the capital, their world is very different from ours. The majority of the districts live in poverty.The districts revolted against the capitol, The capitol won. To flex its muscle, the capital decided to make every district offer up one male and one female between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death. The sole winner would be bathed in riches. The event:  "The Hunger Games." 

Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 with her mother and12-year-old sister, Prim. Katniss and her best friend, Gale, sneak past the district lines to hunt to put food on the table. For the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Prim Everdeen is selected in the lottery as the female tribute. To protect her little sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Peeta Mellark name is drawn as male tribute for District 12. Will Katniss survive "the Hunger Games"?

My Rating: 10/10. This book is one of my favorites. When I thought of the concept of children killing children I didn't think I would like it. But it's so written well, once I sat down to read it, I didn't get up. I also feel that the book relates to the world today. It shows that we may not seem like it but we do actually sit there and fight each other. Also there is someone ruling us, they might not be as cruel as the capitol but the government controls our actions in life today. 

-Lynn

Picture From: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hunger+games+cover+of+first+book&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bpcl=38626820&biw=1440&bih=712&wrapid=tlif135290747345410&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=2bqjUIK9Ha3H0AHH5YGwAw

"Bunheads"

Written by:  Sophie Flack

Picture from:  www.4dancers.org

"Bunhead" is a slang term for an extremely dedicated ballerina. A bunhead lives for ballet. They've dedicated their live to their art. Bunheads by Sophie Flack is a work of fiction based on Flack's own life as a professional ballerina. The book details the life 19-year-old Hannah Ward, a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company. In the company, you live or die by Otto's (the company director) cast list. The cast list details the ballet each dancer will be performing and the level of dancer he or she is (principal, soloist, demi-soloist, corps, or apprentice). Hannah has dreamed for years of becoming a soloist and decides to do whatever it takes. Then, Hannah meets Jacob, a pedestrian (the ballerinas' term for someone not involved in the ballet world), and she becomes conflicted between wanting to spend time with Jacob and the need to spend that time perfecting herself for the ballet world. Soon, changes in the cast list for the ballets cause Hannah to realize that she needs to make changes. All of this leads up to a shocking resolution.

My rating:  8.5/10. Flack's novel is well-written; however, I found myself looking for more details. Flack doesn't elaborate on what the different types of positions are (principal, soloist, etc.). But, I was pleasantly surprised by the inside look into the life of a professional ballerina. A wonderful debut novel by Flack.

When I first started reading Bunheads, I was under the impression that it was the basis of the TV show of the same name. After reading it, I realized that I was mistaken. Flack's novel is entirely different from the TV show. They are both wonderful insights into the ballet lifestyle though.

-Louise

"The Last Song"

Written By Nicholas Sparks

Veronica ("Ronnie") hasn't talked to her father in three years. When her parents divorce and her dad moves away, she loses her passion for playing piano because she used to play with her dad. But when she has to spend the summer with him in North Carolina, she realizes she has to talk to him, even if it's angry talk. Then she meets Will, a local boy who has had his far share of girlfriends. Ronnie  starts to lets her guard down around Will and starts to fall in love with the last person she ever would have ever thought of liking. In the process her relationship with her father changes. She opens herself up to being happy, but is she also opening herself up to pain? When Juilliard starts heavily recruiting Ronnie to go to there to study piano, she has to decide whether to hold on to her anger or to let it go and begin playing the piano again. Complications arise when she discovers her father has been hiding something from her all summer, a secret that had to come out sometime. Will Ronnie forgive him?

 

My Rating: 8.5/10. I loved this book. It has a good story line and keeps you attached.I did not, however, like the ending. 

-Lynn

Picture From: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1440&bih=712&q=The+last+song&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bpcl=38625945&wrapid=tlif135299401773910&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=Hw2lUKKqIMTj0QGP2YCwBQ#um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=The+last+song+book+cover&oq=The+last+song+book+cover&gs_l=img.3..0.6000.7329.2.7735.5.2.0.3.3.0.94.141.2.2.0...0.0...1c.1.Nus6V2nrbpI&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=371e9c462c3b9b01&bpcl=38625945&biw=1440&bih=712

Week Number 3: Books to Movies/TV

Because not everyone is a reader, and TV and movies take up a lot of time in our daily lives, we are offering all the reasons to turn off the TV and save money on movie tickets. So this week, as the title suggests, we'll be reviewing books that have been made into big-screen or TV movies! Louise will be covering Bunheads and Gossip Girl (book #1 in the wildly popular Gossip Girl series) to tempt you to turn off the TV. Lynn will be tempting you to save money on movie tickets through her review of The Last Song, The Hunger Games, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. So, turn off the TV, save your money for something that can last a lifetime, and tune in this week for five new reviews by Lynn and Louise.