Books Are Fun!

It is now time for the "recent books Nicole has read" book list. (Not every book, but just the ones I could recommend to others as potential reading.) Sorry for the big spaces. I can't get rid of them.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I do love a good fantasy book where a whole new world is created, and this book was no exception. Graceling follows Katsa (not to be confused with Katniss from The Hunger Games - I did confuse them at the beginning) in a world of the seven kingdoms. Occasional children in this world are born with these skills called Graces. The Graces can give the person special skills anywhere from mind reading to excellent swimming. The eyes of the children turn two different colors at an identifying mark of a Grace. Katsa has the Grace of killing people, which her uncle, the king, exploits for torture and punishment. Katsa also starts an outlaw group that saves and protects others. On one of the missions she meets a mysterious stranger named Po, who has the Grace of fighting. They develop this bond because he can actually challenge her in a fight, and they learn new things about themselves, etc, etc. The beginning of the book is excellently written, but the second half is a little less well written, and the end leaves me wanting. Everyday Reading gives a good review here. I don't think it was quite as all over the place as she did, but she does give a very thorough review, as well as a great review for the prequel, Fire, on which I am excited to read and have on hold at the library for a few months. It follows different characters, which bums me out, but the third books with come back to Katsa and Po when it comes out. This was definitely worth the Saturday I gave up to read it.

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern.
Author of P.S. I Love You, Cecilia Ahern delivers another cute and fun read. Joyce Conway receives a blood transfusion and all of a sudden has a barrage of memories and random facts inside her head. Justin Hitchcock gave blood recently and finds himself drawn to this strange woman he keeps seeing around town. This books is a cute love story about strange and unusual connections between people.












Dune Road by Jane Green
This book is one of those "beach reads" books that are just fun and fluffy reads, as in a great book you could read on the beach. Kit is a recently divorced Connecticut woman who wanted out of that high society life but whose ex-husband just won't let go. She takes a job as an assistant to a famous author because she needs some cash. The book takes us through her struggles in making new friends, dating, an unknown sister, Tracy the yoga instructor's secret past, and the current stock market crash. It is another cute and well written novel by Jane Green.










The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne
Baby Betsy was left on the doorstep of a traditional English finishing school where the owners adopt her and raise her as their own. They feel she is too good to actually attend the finishing school with the rich socialites looking for a husband, so they send her off to college instead. After the death of her mother, Betsy comes back to discover the school almost bankrupt with the lack of students. She takes over and revamps the whole look of the school, modernizing it to expand the clientele. A little romance and a quest to "find yourself" makes this a fun and touching story. The Little Lady Agency, also by Hester Browne, is on my list to read next.








The Undaunted by Gerald N. Lund
As a huge fan of The Work and the Glory, I was excited to see another book by Gerald Lund. Where the Work and the Glory followed the history of the Mormon church and The Fire and The Covenant followed the Martin and Willy handcart companies, this one follows a set of pioneers called The Hole in the Rock pioneers who are called to settle the four corners area of Utah. There aren't even close to any trails or settlements in the area, so they will have to bring everything with them. The first half of the book wonderfully delved into the background info of David, an English coal mine worker and his baptism (but not conversion) and immigration to Utah, along with his early adult life. I loved the details of this portion of the book. Then you meet up with the Cedar City and Paragonah Saints when he moves to the area and is asked to travel with them to settle the area. Of course, there is a love story where he starts dating the girl you know is all wrong for him. The second half of the story is about the advance party traveling all over Utah looking for a route and then the actual creation of the trail the followed through Hole in The Rock area. I thought the second half of the book got really long. The 900 page book could have been cut down a little for my taste. I felt like it went on and on about the hardships of cutting into yet another rock, and creating yet another hard trail. I know that was the purpose of the book, but it felt a little drawn out for me. I liked it - don't get me wrong. I mean, I finished it in one day, a Sunday I was sick and had nothing better than literally read ALL DAY. It was an interesting and gripping story and worth the read.
*Side note: It also has Gerald Lund's very distinct writing style. If you have read his other books, you will know what I mean.

Oh, and let's not forget the release of the new Fablehaven book #5 called Keys to the Demon Prison coming out on March 23, 2010! I am excited to read the conclusion of this amazing series! It is another wonderful fantasy world, written by Utah's own Brandon Mull.