Forgotten Fire - Adam Bagdasarian

"Tell me  your story," he said. And I did. Without hesitation, in my own voice, my own language, free from ... the danger of being noticed, of being heard, of being Armenian."

Forgotten Fire - Adam Bagdasarian

If I told you how I found this book you probably wouldn't believe me because it is exactly how you'd imagine one finds a good book. I was at the local library and, despite my love for books, did not quite feel like being there that day. I had forgotten both headphones and a book, therefore I wandered to the nearest bookshelf and grabbed a book. As I did so, Forgotten Fire fell off the shelf (because I'm very clumsy). This book looked more interesting that the one I had in my hand, so I started reading it. And I couldn't put it down. I read all night. From the quote on the very first page to the final chapters, this book grabs a hold of you and I'm pretty sure it'd be impossible to put it down.

It is shocking what you can miss in history. This book was set in World War 1. Very similar to Hitler against the Jews years later, the Turkish people had one mission and that was to exterminate the Armenian race. It is been estimated that nearly 3/4 of the Armenian race in Turkey was killed during this time, and yet how many people have heard of this event?

The story was told from the perspective of a privileged 12-year old boy named Vahan, although the mood of the story quickly changes. The author had a way of writing that was not unnecessarily gruesome but rather told the story with sympathy and compassion. He also had a way of getting the readers attached to characters no matter how long they had been involved in the story.

As I was reading the story I kept telling myself that it could not be true. That the events happening were just based on the Armenian genocide in general and that Vahan and his family were fictional characters. Unfortunately, as I read to the last page I found out that Vahan was a real person, and so were the events that I had just read. (Note: this information was given in the beginning of the book and I missed it. This is not a spoiler.)

This is a story that will stay with you, it is often painful to read and you will find yourself frequently putting the book down only to digest what you just read.  Forgotten Fire has become one of my favorite books, in fact, it pales in comparison to books I've read this far. I'm so glad I'm clumsy and this book fell on the ground at the library.

Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

“You’re not dead, but you’re not alive, either. You’re a wintergirl, Lia-Lia, caught in between the worlds. You’re a ghost with a beating heart. Soon you’ll cross the border and be with me. I’m so stoked. I miss you wicked.”  

-Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls

Ever since I read Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, which is no doubt one of my favorite books, I knew I had to read another one of her books. Granted, it took me longer than expected to find another book by her, but I did in Chapters bookstore and freaked out a very tiny bit. She's that good.

Wintergirls has a very different tone than Speak did. Which is why after a few pages in, I wasn't sure how much I'd actually enjoy the book. Not as much as Speak, I thought. The way its written takes a little while to get used to, however, once it cleared up, Anderson did a fantastic job. She was able to, as she did in Speak, create a character that we get to know completely. If any author gets into the head of their characters, it's Laurie Halse Anderson.

Lia, and her best friend Cassie, are the main characters entangled in a deadly competition to see who can be the thinnest. The book is heart-wrenching, at times difficult to read, but powerful. I believe that every girl, especially those around the age of 13, should read this book. It shows the true effect of an eating disorder. Written in a way that accurately reveals the mind battles and thought process of those with any eating disorder. It shows how starving yourself affects those around you, and it shows the painful road to recovery.

While the tone of Speak was very monotone in a way , Wintergirls is eerie and hauntingly beautiful. I've never witnessed the effects of an eating disorder in anyone's life before. I listened to stories of those who overcame it, and looked into the topic a little out of curiosity. This book, however, centers on everything that happens to someone currently dealing with this deadly illness. It broke my heart.

Once again, Laurie Halse Anderson has left me at a loss for words. This is one of those books that you will have to read for yourself in order to fully comprehend the impact that it can, and will, have.

Love Anthony - Lisa Genova

He died, and for a long time after that worst of all mornings, she replayed his death in her mind, unleashing the massive sorrow that still clings to those images, consuming her in a tsunami of devastated grief every day. She thought she would do this forever. Her grief was her daily duty, her misery a humble tribute to her son."

Love Anthony - Lisa Genova

I get excited whenever I notice a book by Lisa Genova on the shelves of a book store... I get even more excited when it's a good price. Although I heard of this book by Genova before, it had never really piqued my interest. Until, well, I found a good deal on it that I really just couldn't refuse. I don't regret the decision, and if I had to go back and buy the book full price I'd go in a heartbeat.

This was actually quite different from the previous three books I've read by Lisa Genova. In Still Alice, Left Neglected, and Inside the O'Brien's, Genova told the story from the perspective of the person with whatever condition she focused on. She got inside the character's head to reveal what the affected person was really experiencing from the inside out. In Love Anthony, the story centers on the mother of Anthony, an autistic boy. We know from the very beginning of the book (it's in the description on the back cover, no spoilers.) that Anthony died at a very young age. I was at first a little disappointed, I wanted to get inside Anthony's head, but I wasn't disappointed after actually reading the book.

For the entire story, Olivia, Anthony's mother, is plagued by the question of why. Why was Anthony given to her? Why for such a short period of time? What was his purpose? These are questions we ponder after any death of a loved one, but especially when death happens at a young age. However, Lisa's books always leave me feeling at peace by the ending. In short, this book did not fail me.

I loved reading this book. It was wonderfully written, Genova did a phenomenal job telling Anthony's story. Also, after reading any one of her books, I feel as though I better understand the condition she deals with. The same is true about this novel. Although a fictional story, I believe I've really learned something about autism and those affected by it 

I applaud Genova and her writings. I have yet to read one of her books that I don't enjoy, and I doubt I ever will. She is an intelligent author, capable of understanding the topics she writes about. This is a good read for any generation.

The Last Boy and Girl in The World - Siobhan Vivian

When the rain first began to fall, we didn't see the bigger picture. We didn't even want to. The bigger picture was for our parents to worry about. We were sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and focused on more exciting things, like how many days were left before school let out. And Spring Formal and our dresses. When it started, the only thing I cared about was kissing Jesse Ford.

The Last Boy and Girl in The World - Siobhan Vivian

This book started out seemingly very predictable. I was pretty sure I could tell what was going to happen. It was the classic love story of a girl achieving the boy of her dreams. Despite the fact I thought I knew what would happen in the end, I kept reading. And I'm glad I did. The book takes a turn throughout a series of events... and everything that was supposed to happen according to my predictions, didn't. I was flipping through pages long past midnight, and excitedly texting my best friend, who read the book at the same time as me. Even though an easy-to-guess ending would've been good, too, the ending to this book was more than just good, it was incredibly satisfying.

The story centers around Keeley Hewitt, a senior in high school with an almost obsessive crush on Jesse Ford. Telling you that she ends up with Jesse will not spoil the story, to my surprise this happened quite early-on in the book. The rest of the story is their relationship as they try to savour their last days in their beloved hometown of Aberdeen, which is at risk of being completely submerged under water. There's definitely a plot-twist, but what I love is that part of this plot-twist would've been predictable if I had only paid to seemingly minor characters.

Siobhan's writing style was unique in this book. Something about it made me keep reading, even though, like I said, I thought I knew what was coming up. It almost feels like she has that mystique about her that she shares through her writing. I believe there is are so very subtly hints that there will  be more to the story than a simple love story. I hope to read more of her books in the future.

I think my favorite part of this book was the characters. For some reason I really "connected" with the characters, and enjoyed seeing their intertwining relationships, whether good or bad. Siobhan created characters that are personable, relatable, and quirky. They were not perfect, complete with flaws, struggles and deep emotions, making the characters on the pages come to life in my mind.

All in all, this book may have been the most satisfying summer read I've completed. I'd love to see it as a movie. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good, atypical love story.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

“With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.”

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

I'll admit that I went into this book with some doubts. I doubted that I would enjoy it very much after reading another one of Robert Louis Stevenson's books with disappointing results. Yet this book surpassed my expectations, although they weren't very high to begin with, and the book  genuinely impress me.

I think my favorite genre of books is mystery, so this book already was already something I'd likely find intriguing. I did find the language was a little mundane or hard to comprehend at times, and therefore it was harder to immerse myself completely into the story. Due to this slight barrier, it did require a little more effort in reading to understand and grasp the complete story. Regardless, the novel and story in itself was thrilling and exciting. I was continually wondering and curious about the next page until the very satisfactory end.

The book was shorter than what I'm used to reading, but a good size, so it was a relatively quick read for me. One thing I noticed about the overall structure of the book is that it was very well organized and every bit of the story fit into a larger story. No information in the book seemed worthless. I greatly enjoyed knowing that all the information I received in the book was relevant and I was never left wondering why the author was telling me certain bits of information.

Despite my doubts, I really did enjoy this book. Small complaints against the novel could be made, but like any good piece of literature, the good overrides the bad.

How to Read a Book - Mortimer J. Adler

"A piece of writing, however, is a complex object. It can be received more or less completely, all the way from very little of what the writer intended to the whole of it. The amount the reader "catches"

will usually depend on the amount of activity he puts into the process."

How to Read a Book - Mortimer J. Alder

This book was very well-written and relatively informative. Since the revised and updated version, which I read, was intended for an audience in the 1970s, I do feel that the style of writing was quite outdated and could have been improved once again. I could tell that the author's thoughts were clear and organized, however, I am sure I did not gain as much as I could've from this book due to the language and tone of this book.

In the beginning chapters of this book, Adler spends a considerable amount of time explaining his purpose of writing this book. He emphasizes that although most people are unable to read for understanding instead of solely pleasure, that he all human beings are capable.

Despite the few setbacks, How to Read a Book did offer some wise and insightful ways to read a book in order to gain the most out of the text. It discussed "active reading", analytical reading as well as syntopical reading. The various types of readings he discussed were all useful depending on what type of literature was being read.

My favorite chapters of this book were some of the final chapters where Mortimer Adler focused on specific types of literature and the best ways to approach them. He discussed genres such as Mathematic, Scientific, plays and philosophical works. It is here where I feel I gained the most knowledge from his book because of the specific genres and specialized methods he recommended for reading them.

In the end, Adler gives a list of suggested reads with a challenge to read books that intimidate us and seem over our head. I conclude with his words; 

"There is no limit to the amount of growth and development that the mind can sustain." 

The Naked Truth - Lakita Garth

"Teaching abstinence isn't just shaking your finger and telling someone to "just say no." Teaching abstinence is a mastery of the arts of self-control, self-discipline, and delayed gratifications." 

The Naked Truth - Lakita Garth

The message throughout this book was clear: abstinence. It was quite refreshing, honestly, to read a positive message that was contradictory to what the media is saying. It was also comforting that there are other people in the world that believe in abstinence. 

So I didn't buy this book. Honestly, I don't really care "about love, sex and relationships." My mom bought it for me, of course. But as hard as it is to admit it, I enjoyed the book. It was really informative and even entertaining to read. I definitely came away from this book with knowledge that I didn't have before.

Lakita Garth is humorously blunt and very outspoken. If anyone "tells it like it is", it's her. Although her stories were generally comical to read, sometimes I found her to be too outspoken and too nosy. That's just my opinion though, I do believe she meant well. I enjoyed her style of writing because it wasn't trying to scare me into an abstinent lifestyle. "Don't have sex before marriage or you'll die" wasn't the message. She gave a grounded, informative, and realistic perspective on both views. It is a book I would highly recommend in high school classrooms, although I believe that decision wouldn't be too popular among a young generation today. 

Lakita Garth presented in her book a message that needs to be heard today. It was told beautifully, simply and in a way that didn't make us feel that she was any better than us. I enjoyed reading this book and think it should be passed on to many in my generation.