The Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare

For any of you who like to read Teen Lit, you must read the mortal instruments by Cassandra Clare. Every time I would go to a store that sold books, the books all jumped out at me. I had thought about reading them for a while but didn't know if I really wanted to.

I read the Twilight Saga and it was good, good story good characters and I know that this is going to get me into trouble but it was not well written. Stephenie Meyer tells a good story but she is not a brilliant writer. Then I decided to give the Vampire Diaries ago, the books were well written but so terrible slow I had a hard time getting into give and gave up for a while. I will finish the books, I just had no reason to keep going.

I finally decided to give the Mortal Instruments a chance and I have to tell you that I LOVE THEM! They were so good, Cassandra Clare is not only a good writer but she tells an intriguing story as well. These books are kind of like Harry Potter meets Twilight, you have the NEPHILIM, Werewolves, Vampires, Warlocks and Demons of all kinds. The books are exciting and action packed from the first page. You even have your fair share of an incredible romance.



Here is a link to her website and the series, it will give you a lot more on the books, I don't to ruin any thing for any one who wants to read them.

http://www.mortalinstruments.com/mortalseries.html

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With 200 million copies sold, it is the most printed original English book, and among the most famous works of fiction.[1]

It depicts the plight of the French peasantry under the demoralization of the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, the corresponding brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution, and a number of unflattering social parallels with life in London during the same time period. It follows the lives of several protagonists through these events, most notably Charles Darnay, a French once-aristocrat who falls victim to the indiscriminate wrath of the revolution despite his virtuous nature, and Sydney Carton, a dissipated British barrister who endeavours to redeem his ill-spent life out of love for Darnay's wife, Lucie Manette.

The novel was published in weekly installments (not monthly, as with most of his other novels). The first installment ran in the first issue of Dickens' literary periodical All the Year Round appearing on 30 April 1859; the thirty-first and final ran on 25 November of the same year.

I Read this book when I was in the ninth grade, but to be honest with you I don't think that I really enjoyed it all that much. I did not remember anything about this book, unless it was that long enough ago that I forgot.

I think that this is one of the most beautiful and tragic stories of the ultimate love and sacrifice one human being can make for another. When I first started the book it flopped back and for between London and France and some of the different characters so much that I was getting confused and lost. (I was suffering from A.D.D and the time) I listened to the unabridged version on audio book, it was narrated by Frank Muller. He is one of my favorite narrators; he is brilliant. This Book brought out a lot of emotions in me, Anger and revulsion. I thought that the British back in the day were brutal when it came to punishment, but they were nothing compared to the French during the French Revolution. If the citizens didn't like the cravat that you had on they would send you to the Le Guillotine, for the closet shave in France.

I loved this book; The characters the plot everything about this book. If you have never read Charles Dickens "The Tale of Two Cities" Add it too your to read list. It is defiantly worth the read.



Narrator Frank Muller

On Wings of Eagles By Ken Follett

"In December 1978 two EDS executives working in Tehran are arrested on suspicion of bribery. Bail was set at 13 million dollars. When Ross Perot, head of the Dallas-based company hears about it, he decides to get his people out no matter what. While the firm's lawyers are trying to find a way to pay the bail, he also recruits a team of volunteers from his executives, led by a retired United States Army officer, to break them out by force, if necessary.

Their well-rehearsed plan to break the two out of jail fails because of a prison transfer, and the team has to figure out another way to rescue their colleagues, culminating in a harrowing overland escape to Turkey. Meanwhile, riots and violence dominate the streets of Tehran more and more each day, culminating in the Iranian Revolution led by Khomeini against the Shah, endangering the other EDS employees as well."


I am a huge Ken Follett fan and have been since I first read the book, A Dangerous Fortune when I was twenty. It is one of my all time favorite books and have reread it many a times and never seem to get sick of it. I know that he has many more books and I am slowly reading all of them, but he is a popular author and his books are difficult to get your hands on.

I just finished reading the book On Wings of Eagles and it is an AMAZING book, beside the fact that it is a true story; it is well told and you become emotionally connected to all of the men and women who are in the book; or shall I say lived through this horrible nightmare. Many time through out the book I realized that I was teary eyed, and through out the story I developed a respect for Ross Perot that I never had before.

If you are into History and you like thrillers I say that you should add this book too your must read list, I give is 2 thumbs up and 10 stars, it is a wonderful story that is sad and heart breaking but in the end it is happy.

The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold

I just finished reading the book "The lovely bones", and it was the most tragic and beautiful story that I have ever read. The first half of the book really played on my heart strings and made me really sad. At one point in the book I asked myself how much can one family endure before they have had enough heartache. This is a beautifully written novel and a wonderful story; if you love to read this is one that you must read I promise that you will love it.

The Lovely Bones is the story of Susie Salmon, who is raped and killed when she is only fourteen. However, rather than write this story as a thriller, which had been done many times before, Sebold tells it from Susie's perspective: the dead victim tells her own story. This shifts the focus from suspense to the emotional impact of such a crime. The Lovely Bones evokes in minute detail just how much was taken from this young girl, and how much she missed out on, but it also traces in exquisite, painful detail how this violent and undeserved crimes distorts her family. Her mother leaves her father for eight years. Her father tries to catch Susie's killer, and is crippled in the process. Susie's sister and brother are driven into emotional retreat, becoming very distant from their previously idyllic family.

Given that Sebold lived through the initial experience that the main character suffers, it isn't really surprising that The Lovely Bones captures her suffering so well. What is impressive is how Sebold combines well-chosen detail and exquisite prose to paint heartrending portraits of an entire suffering community, and how well she humanizes the serial rapist and killer Mr. Harvey, but without ever excusing his terrible crimes.

In 2004, The Lovely Bones won the Richard and Judy Best Read Award (given by the British Book Awards), and a movie version is currently in production (as of January 2005).