It's no secret to those who know me that I love to read and previously being an English major left me with barely any time to read on my own. So this new year, I made the resolution to read at least one non-assigned book per month and I thought I'd share the ones I've read so far!
January: Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. If you're a fan of the Hunger Games, this book is definitely one you should pick up. My boyfriend's sister recommended the series to me and I finished the first book within a few days. It's centered around a country that is divided into factions based on certain virtues. Among them are Candor (the honest), Amity (the peaceful), Dauntless (the fearless), Euridite (the intelligent), and Abnegation (the selfless). At the age of 16, boys and girls take an aptitude test to determine which faction they belong to and then decide whether or not to stay with the one their families are from or move to a different one. The novels follow the life of Tris, a girl who (much like Katniss in the Hunger Games) is strong and out to change her sheltered world. Veronica Roth is releasing the third book in the series this October called Allegiant while Divergent is in the process of being made into a movie.
February: The Long Hard Road out of Hell by Marilyn Manson. Anyone who knows Marilyn Manson knows he is a unique individual (understatement of the year?) and I had no doubt that his autobiography would be as well. I had heard some horror stories about what I'd find between the pages of this book. I was warned it'd be graphic and disturbing but I mean really, considering the author I couldn't be surprised at whatever was inside. In this book, Marilyn Manson starts from childhood describing the crazy things he witnessed - like his grandpa's basement with a chest full of sex toys and friends who would kill animals and burn them - to his teen and adult years as a rising star in the world of music. I'd be lying if I said there weren't times I had an odd look on my face while reading, but the depth of emotion and sincerity Marilyn Manson put into this book made me feel as though I knew him after I reached the last page.
March: I didn't have a book for March, and since I read two in January, it counts as one for this month.
April: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I heard so much about this book and had seen pictures and quotes from it floating around Tumblr so when I came across it in the bookstore one day, I had to buy it and am I ever glad I did. The story itself is powerful enough, about a young girl who goes through a traumatic event the summer before her freshman year of high school and loses all of her friends because of it, but the way Anderson writes makes the novel all the more beautiful to read. Her use of metaphors and vivid descriptions sound true to the characters and by the end of the book I just wanted to go back and read it all again.
May: Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous. If any of you have heard of or read Go Ask Alice, this book constructed the same. This novel is supposedly the diary of a teenage girl who became addicted to drugs and the fact that it says it's written by Anonymous is said to be to protective of the girl's true identity. While this was a good book, I have to say it was predictable and I have a hard time believing that it was a real diary found randomly by someone and then published. There are three books written in this style. Go Ask Alice, Jay's Journal, and then this one. The fact that there are that many random diary occurrences seems a bit fishy to me, but the story was entertaining nonetheless.
As of now, I'm searching for some more books to read for the following months. What are your favorite recommendations?
I don't think you would like any of my books. :)
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