"Awaken" To A Great Series

We are going to flashback a little bit today. In honor of the third Awaken book that recently came out, I am going to review the first two books. In my family we have a tradition that every year we draw out a name of a cousin who we are going to buy a gift for. Every year I love sitting there and getting to open the present my cousin picked out for me. Two years ago one of my cousins got my name and when I opened it, I found the book Awaken inside the wrapping. I had never heard of the book before but I was so excited to give it a go. Let me just say … I LOVED it!!!!

Growing up in a world that is so involved with technology, made this book really hit home. Every day we are becoming more and more dependent on computers, the internet, smart phones, texting, etc. In Awaken we see the world advanced to the point where human interaction is almost void. It made me realize how important everyday communication and our social lives really are.  This book is set in 2060 where everything is done on the computer. Going to school, hanging out, and even dating is done online. That is the way Maddie lives. I absolutely love Maddie. I love seeing her growth through the first book and having her realize that there might be more than just the digital world. Of course this book has a love interest and let me just say, when he was introduced, I fell in love with him almost instantly. However, the reason I loved Awaken so much is because it made me look at life and how much I was taking for granted. Was I being thankful for having friends to hang out with and have me some "girl talk"? Was I taking the time to just be outside and enjoy the world around me? Was I taking full advantage of school and all that it had to offer me? Or just simply, was I fully enjoying the opportunity to be with my family, talking ... laughing ... and communicating together? So much in life is being forgotten as we shift our focus to the things on a screen. Awaken is one of the books that I went around telling anyone and everyone I knew to go read it.

I always get nervous reading the second book when I loved the first book so much. I always have such high expectations and sometimes it is a huge disappointment. Middle Ground was definitely not a disappointment! I loved it just as much as the first book. As soon as I finished Awaken, I drove down to the bookstore and got this follow-up in my hands!  And what did that mean once I was back home ... Middle Ground and I had an all night reading date!  I couldn't put it down!!! I don’t want to give too much away for all you who haven’t read the first book. I will just say it was amazing! The book had me laughing, crying, and biting my nails at points. You continue to see Maddie fighting against the digital world … I will just stop now or else I will give stuff away.

Should you read this book series??? YES!!!!!!! A hundred times yes!!!! Awaken is the book I recommend whenever someone asks me what they should read. Go buy it so you can read the final book that just came out this month! Great author, great characters, and just an overall great book!

Here is a look at what Awaken and Middle Ground are about:

"Enthusiasm"

(Don't forget our "Battle Of The Books" going on this week.

 Vote for your favorite vampire ... look to the right!)

"When someone asks for a reading suggestion, Enthusiasm is the first word off my tongue." --Stephenie Meyer, author of Twilight

Prior to reading Enthusiasm, I read a novel that just left me feeling depressed. I knew the next book I curled up with had to be a super fun, cute, light book.  I talked to my mom and she suggested I read Enthusiasm.  I decided to give it a whirl and let’s just say … I LOVED it!  Right from the beginning it caught my attention and I could not put the book down.  These past few years I have become a huge Jane Austin fan so this book was perfect for me!  I also love how Enthusiasm focused on teenage relationships and how important they are.  My mom has always taught me that “High School is about finding bridesmaids, not husbands” and this novel shows loyalty and friendship between two girls … the way it should be.  Julie and Ashleigh are always there for each other, through thick and thin and I really admired that.  If you love Jane Austin, romance, and a book that just leaves you smiling - Enthusiasm is the book for you!

Check out what Enthusiasm is all about:

"To all the boys I've loved before"

After I bought "To All The Boys I've Loved Before", I was excited to sit down and cozy up with this book.  I wanted to get lost in the romance of it all. No one I knew had read this, so i was excited to be the first.

My feelings for this book are a little mixed.  I'll start with a few things that left me feeling a little "Meh" about the novel.  First of all ... Laura Jean.  Laura Jean is a sixteen year old girl who, in my opinion, acts like she is twelve.  At times, it was hard to remember that she was a junior in High school.  Maybe the author did that on purpose to show her growth throughout the story.  However, it was very distracting and made it hard to like her enough to care.

"The Help"

With all the hype this book (and more recently, the movie) has received, I kind of feel that it doesn’t need another review.  However, to be fair to all the other books I have read recently, it has to be included in my list of “Books You Must Read”.

When this book very first hit the bookstores, my daughter bought it for me as a birthday present.  Being so new, I had not heard much of a buzz so I didn’t have any expectations.  Expectations or not … this novel is amazing!  It is one of those books that kept me up late into the night reading. If I was to simply say it was story about the life of black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's, I would be doing it a disservice.  The author succeeds in showing that we are more alike than we realize. This book shows the triumph of the human spirit.  Thanks Kassie for giving me “The Help“.

Here’s a quick look at what  “The Help” is all about:

"The Forgotten Garden"

I really became quite enchanted with this tale.  The bewitching fairy tales and the charming cottage garden made the book enticing and captured me from the first few pages.  Kate Morton did a beautiful job writing.  I could picture, in my mind, all the events I was reading about … just like watching a movie that only I could see.  I found myself wrapped up in a mystery that kept me guessing as to the outcome.  The twist and turns, and all the transporting my thoughts to different time periods … kept me up all hours of the night reading.

Here is a look at what “The Forgotten Garden” has to offer: