Orphaned and penniless at the height of the Depression, Jacob Jankowski escapes everything he knows by jumping on a passing train—and inadvertently runs away with the circus. Thrown into the chaos of a second-rate traveling show, Jacob is adrift in a world of freaks, swindlers, and misfits.

Jacobd uses his veterinary skills in the circus menagerie and becomes a savior for the aninmals he so loves, including a baffling elephant named Rosie. He also comes to know Marlena, the enchanting star of the equestrian act—and wife of August, a charismatic but cruel animal trainer. Caught between his love for Marlena and his need for belonging, Jacob is freed only by a murderous secret that will bring the big top down.

Water for Elephants is a dark and beautiful portrait of a crumbling circus. With warmth and whimsy, Gruen depicts an unforgettable world where love is a luxury few can afford.

Ah-maze-zing! This book is so beautifully written, you can picture everything in your head perfectly while reading it. I do warn that there is a few scenes of animal abuse, and I’m soo against that, but don’t let that turn you away from reading this book there is probably only two or three small scenes of it that you can easily skip and not miss anything important. 

Overall, this is one of my favorite books. You can easily get lost in the writing and you can picture it all so clearly it’s as if you are right there experiencing it all. I would honestly give it a 9.9 out of 10 — the .1 is because of the animal cruelty.

I just want to point out that I read this book long before the movie was even made. And I will say that I was very disappointed in the movie, this is a case of book-is-better-than-movie.

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

I just simply loved this book. It sounds like a bit of a bore and angsty, but there is acutally a bit of humor in the book. At least I found some humor anyway. It’s not completely dark and depressing, and it’s better than the movie, so if you watched the movie and haven’t read the book, read it. 

My favorite Shakespeare play I have read yet. There’s not much more to say than that. It has murder, witches, betrayal and Kings and much much more. Here’s something I’m sure you’ll recognize, especially you Potterheads.

Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

—

Fillet of a fenny snake

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting,

Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,

—

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes

— The second witch: Act 4 Scene 1

It’s obviously not the whole part, but those are the ones that make up the choir’s song in Prisoner of Azkaban. I remember reading that J.K loves Macbeth and it’s her favorite Shakespeare play which is pretty awesome. 

The legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes inspired Sophocles (496-406 BC) to create a powerful trilogy about mankind’s struggle against fate. King Oedipus tells of a man who brings pestilence to Thebes for crimes he does not realize he has committed and who then inflicts a brutal punishment upon himself. With profound insights into the human condition, it is a devastating portrayal of a ruler brought down by his own oath. Oedipus at Colonus provides a fitting conclusion to the life of the aged and blinded king, while Antigone depicts the fall of the next generation, through the conflict between a young woman ruler by her conscience and a king too confident of his own authority.

I read Kinf Oedipus and Antigone in school and enjoyed them both so I kept the book and read Oedipus at Colonus and enjoyed that as well. Yes people, I actually read plays outside of school.

The title is pretty self explainitory. It’s Steve-O’s memoir. If you are a huge Jackass fan, then read this book. It is definitley a must read for any fan of the series or even of Steve-O himself. You get to see why he is and was the way he is and was, and I found myself shocked at some of the stuff he talks about in the book, especially when it comes to his addiction to drugs and alcohol and fame. The added exerpts of his family and friends talking about certain points in his life is also pretty interesting to read too. I just finished this book and I loved it.

Passionate, profound, and deeply moving, The Hours is the story of three women: 

Clarissa Vaughan, who one New York morning goes about planning a party in honor of a beloved friend; Laura Brown, who in a 1950s Los Angeles suburb slowly begins to feel the constraints of a perfect family and home; and Virginia Woolf, recuperating with her husband in a London suburb, and beginning to write Mrs. Dallowat. By the end of the novel, the stories have intertwince, and finally come together in a act of subtle and haunting grace, demonstrating Michael Cunningham’s deep empathy for his characters as well as the extraordinary resonance of his prose.

I read this book for my Novel Cinema class in high school and really enjoyed it. It takes place in 3 different times, modern day New York (‘Mrs. Dalloway’ chapters), the 1950s (‘Mrs. Brown’ chapters) and about mid-1920s (‘Mrs. Woolf’ chapters). It’s a great read and the movie was just as good as the book and I just think if you haven’t read it yet, you should. 

Society hostess, Clarissa Dalloway is giving a party. Her thoughts and sensations on that one day, and the interior monologues of others whose lives are interwoven with hers gradually reveal the characters of the central protagonists. Clarissa’s life is touched by tragedy as the events in her day run parallel to those of Septimus Warren Smother, whose madness escalates as his life feaws toward inevitable suicide. 

This is a classic, and since it’s a classic, it’s not the easiest read in the world but it’s not exactly the hardest either. I remember when I brought this book to one of my religion classes in high school (my religion teacher is also an English teacher) and when she saw that I was reading this for fun, she was amazed. She was only amazed because she told me that this isn’t exactly a book one would read for fun because it’s a little difficult for some people to grasp the writing. I didn’t find it hard really, but I didn’t find it too easy either.

Overall, it’s a good book and I recommend it to people who like a little challenge or just like classics in general.

Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London’d trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must haves. The only trouble is, she can’t actually afford it—-not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair od shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of that ultra-trendy boutiqe? But lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank—-letter with large red sums she can’t bear to read—-and they’re getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something…just a little something….

Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life—-and the lives of those around her—-forever.

Another book series that I love. It’s charming and witty and even humorous. It’s 100% better than the movie by the way, and it’s just a cute girly kind of book. Read it! :)

Here’s the list of the books:

1. Confessions of a Shopaholic
2. Shopaholic does Manhatten
3. Shopaholic ties the Knot
4. Shopaholic and Sister
5. Shopaholic and Baby
6. Mini Shopaholic

Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne, her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates. Schuyler is an outcast at her school and only survives with the help of her best friend, Oliver Hazard-Perry. Her mother, Allegra, has been in a coma for years and her father, Stephen Chase, is believed to be dead. Schuyler lives with her grandmother, Cordelia, in a rundown mansion located in upper Manhattan. Although they share a home, Schuyler receives little affection from her grandmother.

Mimi Force is the “It” girl at Duchesne and believed to be the most beautiful girl in New York’s history. Rich, beautiful, smart and powerful, Mimi and her twin brother Jack are the most popular children at their school. Their father, Charles Force, owns a series of businesses and has a lot of influence in New York City.

Bliss Llewellyn is a new girl at Duchesne. Big, curly red hair and cheer-leading moves are not as impressive in New York as they were in Texas. She quickly gets in the popular crowd by befriending Mimi Force, but later becomes good friends with Schuyler. Her father, Forsyth Llewellyn, is a senator.

When Schuyler and Bliss turn fifteen, their lives change dramatically. They are invited to join “The Committee,” which is made up of a select group of New York’s oldest and most influential families, including Mimi and Jack Force. When Schuyler and Bliss attend their first meeting, they learn that they are vampires (or vampyres as Bliss liked to call herself), fallen angels known as Blue Bloods. They are born again and again, forever cursed to walk the Earth in a series of different lives, or “Cycles.” Their current Cycle turns out to be an exciting one when they discover that their continued existence as Blue Bloods is being threatened by the Silver Bloods, Blue Bloods who have gone bad and are draining the life blood of other Blue Bloods. This is known as “Full Consumption” and allows the Silver Blood to carry the life and memories of their victim inside them forever.

The series follows the full cast of characters through several exciting adventures throughout the world.

— wikipedia

I personally love this series and I’m excited for the sixth book that comes out in October of this year. It’s not really the typical teen vampire novel in my opinion and it’s very well written and the story is fantastic and I highly recommend this to anyone who is into these kind of books.

Here is a list of the whole series.

1. Blue Bloods
2. Masquerade
3. Revelations
4. Van Alen Legacy
5. Misguided Angel
6. Keys to the Repository — companion book
7. Bloody Valentine — companion book
8. Lost in Time — October 2011