Sep 1. A book with a number or color word in the title
The Four Winds
Author: Kristin Hannah
Genre: historical fiction
Number of pages: 499
First published: 2021
Setting: Texas
Rating: 4 stars
First sentence: Hope is a coin I carry: an
American penny, given o me by a man I came to love.
One sentence comment: I’m impressed to have
a glimpse of the drought, the sand storm, the flood and the worker association
during the 1930’s America.
The first few chapters are eye-catching; it drew me to the struggle of a woman being distained by her native family. She had limited choices and she bravely chose one for her future. The story further impressed me when the protagonist, Elsa and her mother-in-law developed a strong bond. The flaw of the story is the relationship between Elsa and her husband. I could not sympathize with it at all. He was the weakest person in the whole family, but how could she had so much love for him?
This is the second book by Kristin Hannh that I have read after The Great Alone. I love her story and the way it was told. Never lose hope when the worst kept coming.
Sep book 2. A book written for children or
classified as YA
The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Genre: YA
Number of pages: 313
First published: 2012
Setting: Indiana, USA
Rating: 5 stars
First sentence: Late in the winter of my
seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I
rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book
over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free
time to thinking about death.
One sentence comment: It’s a young adult
fiction that tackles heavy subject, counting your time to death.
I bought the book because the book title was attractive. it sounded like a line of poem, and it triggered my curiosity. Then I found out it was about tragic stories where the protagonists tried their best to live a fulfilling life. I love their conversations and the philosophy involved. Surprisingly the book with depth is focused on life of the young people whose short lives were embedded with books, movies, thoughts and love. Having a much longer life than them, I felt as if I had not lived when I were young. It is a book that makes me think whether I take life for granted without being grateful and I should have worked harder.
Sep book 3 a classic or modern classic
which is sometimes required reading in high school or in university
To Kill a Mocking Bird
Author: Harper Lee
Genre: classic fiction
Number of pages: 307
First published: 1961
Setting: Alabama, USA in 1930’s
Rating: 4 stars
First sentence: When he was nearly thirteen
my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.
One sentence comment: The 7-year-old
narrator is fabulous and adorable.
The beginning of the book cast an intriguing shadow by the ‘malevolent phantom’, which reminded me of another book My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, and I thought perhaps Ferrante got inspiration from this book.
I enjoy reading the protagonist’s family and school life. Doctors and lawyers were paid by potatoes. You could be scolded by the teacher that you had learned reading and writing at home before going to school. The incidents were so unique that I was surprised that it was like a completely different world in Alabama in the 1930’s. However, I think the heroism related to the protagonist’s father is over the top and unrealistic. Perhaps the author’s next book Go Set a Watchman is better.
Sep book 4 a book with a word in a title of
something that you would find and learn in school (war)
Warbreaker
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: fantasy
Number of pages: 676
First published: 2009
Setting: T’telir
Rating: 5 stars
First sentence: It’s funny, Vasher thought,
how many things begin with my getting thrown into prison.
One sentence comment: I am intrigued by the
fantastic kingdom of returned gods and awakening magic.
It’s the first book that I’ve read by Brandon Sanderson, who’s probably the most noted fantasy writer nowadays. I started to read fantasy this year, hoping to be revitalized because young people like to read fantasy. It provides a larger world of imagination and with adventure. I chose a book of which major protagonists are women. However, I somewhat dislike the two female protagonists. I think they are too much into the trope of princesses. On the other hand, I was particularly interested in the male protagonist, Lightsong, who was esteemed in the kingdom but doubted his role and the rules of the system. The line of his story was a mystery, about which I was as much curious as he was. This book makes me want to read more by Sanderson because I reckon he may think like a philosopher