Five summer reads

     Well so far my summer has been more busy than the school year! Goodness. I've been doing rehearsals, performances, drama camps, drivers ed, hanging out with my family, doing things with friends, and cooking. Barely leaves me time to eat and sleep!
     I have read far to few books this summer. Some of the only books I've read are rainy day books. Oh! I haven't explained that term, have I? "Rainy day books" is the way I describe those books you read on a rainy day, curled up on that favorite chair as you drink coffee or tea or hot chocolate. They are not a very serious book, but rather an easy read that's exciting and fun.
      The five rainy day books I've read are:
   -The Princess and the Snowbird by Mette Ivie Harrison
   -Last Christmas: The Private Prequel (Private Series) by Kate Brian
   -Wither by Lauren DeStefano
   -Entwined by Hether Dixon
   -Heist Society (Heist Society Series #1) by Ally Carter

The first book I only read because I had read the other books in the series when I was younger. It was, as expected. Not great, but not necessarily horrible. Although, in context with the other books in the series, I did not like it. The other books in the series are "The Princess and the Hound" and "The Princess and the Bear." Out of all three books, I think only the first one was good. After that, the second was okay, but it went back in time which, would only change everything that happened in the first book and completely change the two main characters. I would only suggest this particular series for younger kids, and not really high school. Most older readers would be bored.

The second book, "Last Christmas" was a decent book. It was a quick paced book, but definantely one that would be best to read with the rest of the series (Private).

"Wither" was my favorite book of the five. It was a futuristic book that painted a very different, and yet still eerily similar world to how we currently live. It was a solid concept, the cure for cancer had been found. And cancer was no longer a problem, it was a distant memory of how people used to die. But now, because of the cure, everyone dies young and no one can prevent it. All the males die at age 25, and all the females die at age 20. The author put enough familiar things in to make the story seam real, and like a possible future. A few things could have been better explained and some characters could have been made a little more life like. But overall, I think the story was good and I look forward to the next book in the series.

"Entwined" was a bit of a disappointment to me. It was a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princess'" The story was published by the Grimm brothers in 1812. The original story is simple. Twelve Princess' sleep in the same room every night that is locked. Every morning, their dancing shoes are worn as if they have been danced in all night. Their father, the King, is perplexed on how this keeps happening and says that anyone who can figure out how the princess' are leaving their room in three days and three nights can pick any of the princess' to marry, but anyone who fails will be killed. A solider, on the way home from war, meets an old woman in the woods who gives him a cape that when worn will make him invisible, and warms him not to eat or drink anything the princess' give him. He goes to the castle and is given the same instructions as everyone else. When one of the princess tries to give him wine, he pretends to drink it, but secretly dumps it. He snores loudly so the princess' think he's asleep. When they believe he is, they open a trap door in their room and leave, the solider puts on the cape the old woman gave him and follows them. He finds out that the princess' go to a underworld sort of place, that has three forests, the first of silver, the second of gold and the last of diamonds. He snaps a twig off of each to show the King and follows the girls the rest of the night where he finds out that they dance with twelve princes all night until their shoes are worn. The solider follows the girls his three days there and then gives the King the twigs he has taken from the underworld. Knowing they have now been caught, the Princess' confess. And the solider marries the eldest daughter.
   "Entwined" followed the original story pretty closely, but it wasn't different enough to hold my attention. I prefer different retellings of this story such as "The Night Dance: A Retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" (Once upon a Time Series)" by Suzanne Weyn. This story is mixed with Arthurian legend. Or "Princess of the Midnight Ball"  By Jessica Day George This story has the Princess' under a curse and that's why they continue to go dance night after night.

"Heist Society" was another fairly good book and probably my second favorite of these five. It was, a little unbelievable since the characters were so young and yet such good thieves. But, if your willing to put that aside, it was a pretty good story with entreating characters and lots of action. I would have liked it a lot better if the characters had been ages 17, 18, or 19 ish. Instead of 15, and 16.

Most of these books were pretty good. They weren't the books I had planned on reading this summer and I still hope to read more books that I had planned. But so far this is all I've been able to read.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Well, my first few days of summer have not been quite as peaceful as I originally hoped. I found out that I got an audition at NESA (a magnet school based off of Lee High School) for their Theater Program as well as their Creative Writing program and it was rather unexpected. So, I've been scrambling to memorize a monologue and find a song I can sing. As well as wondering what the writing portion will be like. So that, on top of the fact that my sister just got back in town from Missouri, plus I'm helping with an elementary camp with my theater group and looking up information, a theater class on Thursday and my first day of drivers ed on Friday, I don't quite think I'll be able to start reading Pride and Prejudice this week. So I thought that instead, I would talk about a book I have already read, and quite adored.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie was originally published as "Ten Little Indians." The name was changed in 1940 because it could be considered a racial epithet. Agatha Christie wrote many many books over her life time, but is best known for her detective novels. Many of her books were not liked at first because of her writing style of never being able to guess who the murder was. 

Agatha Christie was born with the name Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller. She was born born on September 15th 1890 in Torquay, Devon, England, UK and died on January 12th 1976 at the age of 86. She had a pen name of "Mary Westmacott" which she used to write romance novels. Her last name "Christie" comes from her first husband (Archibad Christie ) whom she married in 1914. They had one daughter, and divorced in 1928, two years after Agatha learned that her husband was having an affair. In 1930, Agatha Christie remarried to Max Mallowan, whom she remained married to until her death. 

"And Then There Was None" was written in 1939 and has been adapted into plays, and movies. The novel is about ten people, all who have come to Indian Island, all believing differnt reasons of why they are there. The novel progresses as the ten people start dying off, and the ten little Indian figures on the dining room table start disappearing as well. The ten know something is not right, but they are stuck on the island with no boat to get away until a few days later. They soon realize that each person who dies, dies in the same order of the "Ten Little Indian" Poem which each has framed in their rooms. It takes a little while to get used to the style Christie wrote this novel in, but once you do, the story is both easy to follow and intriguing. It was a story I enjoyed very much and has become one of my favorites. 

 Christie is the best selling author after the Bible and William Shakespeare. 

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is a book by Jane Austen. It is about the Bennet family and how Mrs. Bennet is trying to get her five daughters to get married. It is one of Jane Austen's most popular books and it will be my first summer read. :)

During the school year I had started reading Pride and Prejudice. But during the school year I was busy reading textbooks and memorizing a play. I only got to about the 10th chapter (which in a book that has 61 chapters, really isn't that far into the book) before getting to busy and not finishing. I'll start the book over instead of trying to figure out where I was and trying to remember everything else.  Above is a picture of the same copy of Pride and Prejudice that I'll be reading :)

First post that has to do absolutely nothing with any kind of book.

Well since it took a while to make this whole blog, and its basically 1 am and I planed on going to sleep about two hours ago, I think I'll hit they hay and work on this more later. Friday is my official last day of school and then I'll set to work reading :)

Till then,

Happy readings,

~Sam