Friday, March 14, 2014

What Book Should I Read?

You may have noticed in my side bar I have In Cold Blood by Truman Capote for what seems like an eternity now. I intend on finishing in soon, I hope. I have a little pile of books sitting on my desk that are unread. That's where you all come in! Choose one, or recommend another that you think stomps all of these books out of the water.

1. A Dog's Purpose by B. Bruce Cameron
Description: Those is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog's Purpose touches on the universal quest for an aster to life's most basic question: Why are we here?"
     Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey's search for his new life's meaning leads him into the loving arms of eight-year old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog. 
     But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey's journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again. Bailey wonders--will he ever find his purpose? 
     Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautiful crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose


2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
Description: Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. 
     When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive a special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. 

3. Tinkers by Paul Harding
Description: An old man lies dying. As time collapses into memory, he travels deep into his past where his is reunited with his father and relives the wonder and pain of his impoverished New England youth. At once heartbreaking and life affirming Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, and the fierce beauty of nature. 
**Disclaimer-I really did try to read this book, but the structures of the sentences and paragraphs drove me insane. I did find it quite boring, but if it's recommended by a lot of you, I'll give it a shot again. 

4. The Wild Things by Dave Eggers
Description: Max is a rambunctious eight-year-old whose world is changing around him: His father is absent, his mother is increasingly distracted, and his teenage sister has outgrown him. Sad and angry, Max dons his wolf suit and makes terrible, ruinous mischief, flooding his sister's room and driving his mother half-crazy. Convinced his family doesn't want him anymore, Max flees home, finds a boat and sails away. Arriving on and island, he meets strange and giant creatures who rage and break things, who trample and scream. These beasts do everything Max feels inside, and so, Max appoints himself their king. Here, on a magnificent adventure with these funny and complex monsters, Max can be the wilds thing of all. 

5. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Description: In understanding successful people, we have come to focus far too much on their intelligence and ambition and personality traits. Instead Malcolm Gladwell argues in Outliers, we should look at the world that surrounds the successful -- their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way, Gladwell reveals what the Beatles and Bill Gates have in common, the reason you've never heard of the smartest man in the world, why almost no star hockey players are born in the fall, and why, when it comes to plane crashes, where the pilots are born matters as much as how well they are trained. 
     The lives of outliers -- people whose achievements fall outside normal experience -- follow a peculiar and unexpected logic, and in uncovering that logic, Gladwell presents a fascinating and provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential. 

6. Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuNdunn
Description: From the first married couple to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, here is a passionate call to arms against the oppression of women around the globe -- "the central moral challenge" of our time. Through inspiring stories of extraordinary women, Kristof and WuDunn show that the most effective way to fight global poverty is to unless the potential of women. They also offer an uplifting do-it-yourself tool kit for those who want to help. 

7. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Description: Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides the trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect -- until the night someone takes things too far. 






P.S. I need new blogs to follow, some on my sidebar don't exist anymore :( 
If you have any recommendations or want me to check out your blog let me know! 
Love you all, sorry again I'm probably the slackest blogger ever. 








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