The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton

one sentence summary:
a murder makes a Greaser come to realize that no matter what class you belong to hurt feels the same.

review:
I didn't realize until I read this as a teenager that teenage boys feel just as much emotion as teenage girls (though I still find that hard to believe), that kind of hits the nail on the head as to the whole theme of the novel, no matter how different we are we are still the same. This is absolutely aimed at middle-schoolers or high-schoolers but it is still worth a read if you somehow made it through school with out reading it. The characters are all really well written and though the themes are obvious the plot is still engaging. That said the obsession with sunsets is a bit odd, I know it is a big symbol in the book but it is so obvious, which I guess is a good thing given the age I recommend this for. I recommend that everyone read this in grade six or seven.

8/10
8/10

memorable quotes:
"I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me."

"Can you see the sunset real good on the West side? You can see it on the East side too."

"It's okay. We aren't in the same class. Just don't forget that some of us watch the sunset too."

if you enjoyed this read:
The Watsons Go To Birmingham
To Kill A Mockingbird
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Animal Farm - George Orwell

One Sentence Summary:
An allegory of the Russian Revolution told through farm animals.

Review:
In this brilliant(ish) allegory the farm animals take over the farm and depose the farmer (ie. The people take over Russian and depose the Tsar). I also believe it could be read as nothing more than a fairy tale, a story to keep us entertained that teaches a lesson but has no real bearing on anything. And that is why I like it, it is an obvious allegory but still a really compelling story, it is written using an easy to understand language but in a style more befitting the Grimm's telling a complex story. I recommend everyone read this at least once, when you are older than 15. It is a short read so just do yourself a favor and sit down and read it.
8/10
8/10

Memorable quotes:
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

"Four legs good, two legs bad."

If you enjoyed this please read:
Fahrenheit 451
Catch-22
Brave New World
1984

I Still Dream About You - Fannie Flagg

one sentence summary:
A real estate agent nearing retirement age makes one final attempt to save her agency.

review:
Another fun story from Fannie Flagg combining drama and comedy in her signature style. I really liked the overall message of this book, - don't kill yourself it will get better...probably...maybe. Written in Flaggs typical style of light laugh out loud reading I recommend this to anyone needing a pick me up. But some of the characters may be a bit whiny for your tastes, I know that from time to time I wanted to smack the lead character and her side kick upside the head (but really I seem to want to do that quite often in the books I read). Great reading for a sunny (or snowy) afternoon pick-me-up.
8/10

if you enjoyed this read books by:
Fannie Flagg
Garrison Keillor
Maeve Binchy

Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer

one sentence summary:
A true account of a journey up Everest.

Review:
This is a real armchair adventure travel book, one of the best I have read in fact. It grabs you from the start and suddenly you feel the need to look up the more technical aspects of mountaineering. I rather liked the tone Krakauer used and the attention to detail was not overwhelming but was administered in just the right amount. It was a very successful remedy for any thoughts of adventuring into the great wild, I refuse, Everest is a very expensive place to die, and that is most likely what would happen if you tried to climb it. So don't, instead stay home and read this book. It is all the adventure you will ever need. It is a great read that will be hard to put down with a writing style that really grabs you and makes you feel like Krakauer is sitting there with you and telling you his terrifying story ( I read it in one day it's that good ).
8/10

If you enjoyed this please read:
Into the Wild (same author)
Jungle - Yossi Ghinsberg

The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger 

The Lost City of Z - David Grann

Making Spirits Bright - Fern Michaels et al

One Sentence Summary:
A collection of four romantic Christmas season novellas.

Review:
over all this was a cute, easy to read book. Some of the stories were better than others, the one by Bass was my favourite and the one by Rossiter was my least favourite. The romance was a bit rushed in all of the stories but that is to be expected when you are writing with less than 150 pages to work with. For a light read around the holiday season (or anytime of year if you are like me and occasionally miss Christmas) I recommend this. Be warned the writing is really not particular good.
6/10
8/10

If you enjoyed this I recommend:
Nora Roberts
Debbie Macomber
Robyn Carr

The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

one sentence summary:
A story of excess and entitlement set in 1920s America.

review:
This novel tells a lot of story in under two hundred pages, sometimes it feels like the writing was rushed but that almost adds to the story. The story is well narrated by a likeable character and the novel really flushes out five characters (including the narrator) in it's under 200 pages (which I find amazing). The descriptive prose in the novel are beautiful and the story is fast paced. The main characters are well developed and the relationships between them makes you want to give them all advice (or smack them upside the head) at one point or another. Lots of drama. I recommend reading it to anyone who wants to see what life was like (for the very rich) in the 1920s or just wants an entertaining read on a rainy afternoon. I DO NOT view this as a great work of modern literature like it seems so many people do. Also ignore the sexism... it is upper class 1920's that is how they acted.
7/10

memorable quotes:
“I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” 

“He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.”

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”

“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”

“I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity.”

If you enjoyed this I recommend:

Ernest Hemmingway - In Our Time

E M Forester - Howards End

Robert Penn Warren - All The King's Men

Interred with Their Bones - Jennifer Lee Carrel

one sentence summary:
a Shakespearean academic turned director is sucked into a mystery to discover a missing work by Shakespeare.

review:
This novel is so full of stereotypes and predictable plot twists it really was mindless reading. It reminded me a lot of The Da Vinci Code from the grade seven style of writing to the excess of historical details. The history is very interesting but really was the only well researched and well written part of the novel. All that negativity said the story was entertaining but it is only to be read for entertainment value and not for great writing or new ideas. I recommend this to people who enjoyed the work of Dan Brown. The writing does get more fluid toward the last third of the novel only to have a rapid decline for the whole "fifth act". I will probably read the second book in this series at some point in the hope that it will be better, but even if it isn't I have no doubt it will be entertaining.

5/10

If you enjoyed this I recommend checking out works by:
Dan Brown
Matthew Reilly
Elizabeth Kostova
David Hewson
Kate Mosse
Katherine Neville