White Oleander by Janet Fitch

The fiction novel White Oleander takes place in modern day California with a mother and daughter and their struggles in life. Astrid and daughter Ingrid have the “perfect” life until one man enters their lives and ruins everything. Barry is a rich, intelligent, charming, and manipulative man. Astrid falls for his games and starts to forget the rules she set on love. It isn’t until Kit (Astrid's co-worker) that she had seen barry out in town with a younger girl. Astrid was so heartbroken that she doesn't think straight and she makes some difficult decisions that puts her daughter's life in the hands of strangers. If you are looking for a jaw dropping, adventurous, roller coaster ride i would recommend White Oleander By Janet Fitch.

Into Thin Air Book Review

Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, is an epic account of an Everest expedition that took place in the spring of 1996. Throughout the book each climber (character) is introduced to all have their own interests, motives,and flaws when it comes to climbing the tallest mountain in the world. I found that one of Krakauer’s strengths through the book is the vivid description of the climbers. One of the main reasons why so many people died on Everest in 1996 is because of the selfishness and greed of those who will stop at nothing to reach the summit of Everest.

Krakauer also gives us a look of the humanity of climbing Mount Everest, which allows all readers to connect with the climbers and the process behind reaching the summit. I had a lot of sympathy for the many climbers throughout the years,not just in 1996, who had to turn around so close to the summit. I know that I would never want to turn around when I have spent so many months training to reach the summit of Everest.

Another aspect of the book that I could connect to was the grief and regret that Jon Krakauer felt after surviving the 1996 Everest Disaster. Obviously I have never been exposed to an event as traumatic as what  Jon Krakauer experienced on Everest. His description of his grief makes it absolutely relatable on a personal level. I could relate to Krakauer because he had a natural human reaction when going through the tragedy of the 1996 Everest disaster, and he portrayed it well in Into Thin Air.

I recommend Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, to a wide range of people. Which include people connected with the disaster, the media, anyone considering to climb Everest, and the public at large. Jon Krakauer’s book serves as a peersonal account of what happened at 29,000 feet. I believe that Krakauer wanted his book to be read so he would have a way to express his side of the disaster for everyone to see. I truthfully recommend Into Thin Air because it is an epic nonfiction, that shows what can happen on Everest during an epic blizzard.

The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett is a mystery, fiction book.  One of the major themes throughout the story is greed.  The story takes place in San Francisco around the time 1941.

This book begins when a beautiful woman named Miss Wonderly walks into Detective Spades office asking for help.  She wants Spade to find her missing sister who allegedly ran off with a man named Thursby.  Spade and his partner, Miles Archer, were willing to take the case. Upon discovering new evidence Spade realizes that he doesn’t know what he got himself into by agreeing to help Miss Wonderly.  Eventually, Spade gets more insight to the case and discovers that this may not be a missing person’s case but an entirely different mystery.  Spade works hard to uncover clues to solve this case.

This book is very interesting and captivating.  Reading about how Spade uncovered the clues and solved the mystery was very interesting.  It was captivating because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next.  It was hard to put the book down.  One issue that the book raises is greed.  Every character in this book is driven by greed.  They all want to benefit themselves.  I found the characters to be quite manipulative and selfish.  Lying is another issue that comes to light in this book.  All the characters seem to lie at one point or another throughout the story.  They lie in order to manipulate each other so they can get what they want.  This book opened my eyes to the fact that people will do whatever it takes to get what they want.  It is sad to read about people who are willing to lie because of their own greed.  This book makes me question how genuine people actually are.  It’s hard to tell when people are not telling the truth which makes it difficult to trust others.

I really enjoyed this book.  I liked reading about how the mystery unfolded.  I would recommend The Maltese Falcon to all mystery book lovers.  This book is a quick read because it is hard to put down.     Below are some links to the author’s website and other websites about the book.

 http://www.biography.com/people/dashiell-hammett-9326903#later-life

http://www.goodreads.com/genres/mystery

Tease by Amanda Maciel

"Tease" is very simplistic in writing yet very powerful in understanding. I felt that this book had a very accurate portray of what happens after death by bullying. I have played many parts that were shown. I have been the loved one left behind, the bully, and even the suicidal victim. Maciel seemed to capture the change that you can go through after causing the death of a human being. At first the main character is angry with Emma (the victim) for ruining her life and getting off scott free, but after hitting her lowest point in what becomes her own depression, she realizes that yes, her life feels over right now, but Emma's life IS over.  Walking away from this novel I was reminded of my own experiences with bullying and the relevance it has to schools I've been to. It also reminded me, in the second to last chapter, that suicide is a waste. You think you're death might change things, might help people in the end, but it doesn't. Nothing changes and usually the people that torment you, don't care. "Tease" is phenomenal and I would suggest to anyone going through a dark time like Emma to read it all the way through. To remember what death really means.

 "Everything Everything" is a great novel written by Nicola Yoon that brings you into the world of a girl who is allergic to everything that comes her way. Her mother and nurse Carla are the only ones that she has had contact with and occasionally her teachers from the outside world, but then she discovers some neighbors moving in next door. She catches sight of a boy named Olly who she falls in love with and discovers what it's like to be alive for the first time in seventeen years. I found this book to be very moving and adventurous throughout with a bit of romance and many obstacles. I couldn't put it down for two days until I had finished it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a bit of a twist with some adventure and romantic scenes.

Reviewed by Cassy R

   Saint Anything, written by Sarah Dessen was a book that I found to be very interesting. It's about a girl and her older brother Peyton who is the "golden child"...at first. Until a horrible accident sends him to prison and his sister Sydney has to cope with all her feelings as well as being ignored by her parents. Along the way Sydney meets the Chatham family and makes some new friends while finding romance along the way. She is also a straight "A" student and has given her parents no reason not to trust her. Or has she?  You may find yourself in Sydney's shoes and think there is no way out but read and find out if she finds a way. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. It is full of hope at times and others, it's heart wrenching. I happened to finish it in three days and couldn't put it down.

Reviewed by Cassy R.

Living Dead Girl

Living Dead Girl is a very interesting novel, written by Elizabeth Scott. It may only be about 170 pages, but I couldn't put the book down. "Alice" was 10 years old when she first went missing. Alice writes about things Ray would do to her, if she wasn't good. These actions had been going on for five years. Until she was finally free when she was 15 years old. Alice was basically Ray's slave-girl. Who would only be able to eat yogurt and a glass of water, to stay small for Ray, no more than 100 pounds. Alice just wanted to see the dolphins at the aquarium, but that was the end of her life, and a new beginning for Ray's. I suggest this book to anyone, if you like these kinds of books or not. I didn't think I was going to like it until I started reading, and I finished it in two days.

Reviewed by Hailey P.