Summer Reading Challenge

I decided to join yet another challenge the Summer Reading Challenge this runs from June 1st till August 1st. I'm pledging to read at least 4 books that I have purchased this year and I have also added some spares if things go well - as its the 6 weeks summer hols for me it could be easy.
My List:
My Book of Lost Things
The Book Thief
Water for Elephants
The Testement of Gideon Mack

Spares:
Gould's Book of Fish
The Poison Wood Bible
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
The Peacock Throne

Flowers for Algernon, Keyes

I read this for the Banned Books challenge and absolutely loved it. Certainly a book I would never have thought about picking up myself. This is about a boy with an IQ of just 68, untill science starts tryig to 'improve' him. His intellect increases dramatically but then Algernon, the test mouse for this operation dies and Charlie's future hangs in the balance.

WARNING: A real tear jerker!

If you have read this book feel free to comment or leave a link to your own review.

Dystopian Challenge.

I'm joining in with the Dystopian Challenge hosted byBooks.Lists.Life. I'm pledging to read 3 of these books by November the 6th and set myself an extra 2 to tackle if all is going really well.

The Books:
Cloud Atlas, Mitchell
Z for Zachaiah, O'Brein
The Road, Cormac McCarthy

Extras:
Do Androids Dream of Sheep, Dick
Naked Lunch, Burroughs

Silas Marner - Elliot

This book is one of my attempts at tackling the classics, and it didn't disappoint.

The book tells the story of Silas Marner a weaver who is a loner as a result of an incident earlier in his life, he lives a secluded life and is obsessed with the gold he collects. Then his life changes when he is suddenly the adopted father of a small child, Eppie. She brings into his life new joys and new people.

A well told story but I only gave it 3 stars, for most of the book is fantastic but it seemed to really drop off in the middle, and there was a few random chapters where I was completely lost and confused.

Definately worth a read.

If you have read this book feel free to comment or leave a link to your own review.

A A-Z Challenge, The City of Beasts - Allende

I was attracted to this book because of its eye-catching cover and was unaware that it was a YA book untill I started reading it as I brought it from the adults section of the bookshop. Despite this I thoroughly enjoyed the read, was a great relaxing read for the long lazy lay-ins of the bank holiday weekend.

The book tells the story of Alex a 15yr old boy from California, as his mother is seriously ill he is spent to live with his grandmother, a travel writer. He joins her in the Amazon in search of The Beast, a 10 foot tall creature who kills humans on sight with his stench. All sounds a bit far fetched but was a great fantasy novel.

If you have read this book feel free to comment or leave a link to your own review.

Regeneration - Pat Barker

I read this novel for 2 reading challenges and really enjoyed it.

It is set during the war in a recovery centre for soldiers who have return from war as they are suffering some form of mental breakdown. The author builds this story up out of the real life meeting and relationships between the British poets Robert Graves, Seigfried Sasson and Wilfred Owen.

The book is fantastically well written and shows the horror of the war through the mens, memory and deteriation.

A 5 star read

If you have read this book feel free to comment or leave a link to your own review.

Milkweed - Jerry Spinelli

I was attracted to Milkweed just for the cover, but when I started to read it I was immediately sold. This is a book that grabs you from the first few lines.Its tells the story of a young street boy living in Poland in 1939. With no family or friends he believes he is called 'Stopthief' and does not know his name or if he is a Jew. He is taken under the wing of an older boy and gradually he learns more. This book shows the lead up to the holocaust for Jewish people in Poland from the eyes of an uneducated, naive bystander.

The prose is innocent and sparse, the short chapters move through the events so quickly that it is often a few pages on when it hits you what he has seen.

In my opinion even better than The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

If you have read this book feel free to comment or leave a link to your own review.