Here are a few titles that I’ve managed to read lately. I’ve started to hit my summer reading pile, but this week I plan to knock out a bunch of books. I hope you’ve found time to read on your summer breaks!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys and invites bloggers to recap what they’ve read this week while planning ahead on what to read next! Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers added their own twist by focusing on kidlit, from picture books up to YA.

Here’s what I’ve read lately:

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacfic Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed

2012, Memoir
315 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Stars
I’ve been wanting to read Wild for a long time and finally was able to get it from the library. It was worth the wait! I am fascinated by real life tales of people coming back from the lowest points of their lives and doing amazing things. I cannot even fathom undertaking something as big as hiking for 3 months mostly by myself, not to mention not having any experience about hiking whatsoever while doing so, at the age of 22! Strayed is very honest and doesn’t shy from any details. She recounts her mother’s death, the disintegration of her family, and her time on the PCT. Great book. Highly recommend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter

2013, YA Fantasy
480 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Stars
It took me about 50 pages to get into the follow up to Alice in Zombieland, but there was lots of action, teen angst, funny dialogue, and conflict between all of the characters to keep me interested. I’m sure I missed a ton of Alice in Wonderland references, but I look forward to reading #3 when it comes out later this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruin and Rising (The Grisha Trilogy #3) by Leigh Bardugo

2014, YA Fantasy
417 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Stars
The final book of The Grisha Trilogy did not disappoint! I had no clue how this story was going to end, and was so satisfied at how Bardugo decided to wrap things up. I read the second half while waiting at the car dealership, and fought back tears when I read the last page. I will miss the Soldier, Summoner and Saint and if you are looking for an amazing series that is unlike anything else out there, I highly recommend these books. So impressed and hope this one makes it to the big screen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Upper YA Realistic Fiction, 2012
294 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Stars
This book was very hard to read. While the writing is good, and reminds me of AS King, the subject matter is so sad and scary that I almost abandoned it. The story is based on Butter, a 17 year old who at the beginning of the book weighs well over 400 lbs. He is a loner and, as you can imagine, his peers are not kind to him. His mother enables his bad eating habits and his father pretty much ignores him. Butter spends his evenings playing the saxophone (very, very well) and talking to Anna, a girl from school who he has a crush on. Butter uses a fake name and persona while talking to Anna and she really likes “JP” even though they have never shared a picture with each other. When an altercation in the cafeteria one day drives Butter to start a website advertising his plans to commit suicide by having “one last meal” things go from bad to horible quickly. A sad story about bullying and friendship that tears your heart in two.

This week I’ll be starting to plan for next year so I’ll be reading some professional development books about reading and writing on top of some more books from my summer reads pile, which you can see here: http://wp.me/p3FLrJ-mb

Happy Reading!