*Special Edition* Hurricane Post!

Today Hurricane Irene visited! She took the power out very early in the morning so I set myself to reading for the majority of the day. We had trees fall and take out power lines and branches falling everywhere. Other than that we haven't really gotten rain. It's mostly been just consistently high winds. So I figured to celebrate the power coming back on I'd do a HUGE blog post! 

I'm going to also include a short review of Lisa See's latest book, Dreams of Joy.

I finished Dreams of Joy in early July, but I've been so busy, I'm just now getting a review out!

Dreams of Joy is the second book in the "Shanghai Girls" series. It took me a while to finally get into this book and there was a slow part in the middle. However, I enjoyed the story once it started to pick up and I really liked the ending. In Shanghai Girls the escape of May and Pearl (two sisters) from Shanghai is described. In Dreams of Joy the story of May's daughter Joy returning to communist China is portrayed. I really liked this continuing of stories throughout the generations, because some of the characters in Shanghai Girls' China are reintroduced when Joy goes back to their homeland. 

I will admit that I enjoyed the first book much more, but I wasn't disappointed by the second. I think the time period is so interesting and I am honest that I did not know much about it before reading this series. 

Also, I had an interesting encounter at the bookstore that I work at.

A woman was purchasing Dreams of Joy and I told her how much I enjoyed it. She told me that she was actually friends with Lisa See and she recommended that I read her first book, On Gold Mountain. She said that book was more autobiographical of Lisa's Chinese-American family history. She also said that it was more of a basis for Shanghai Girls. I'm definitely adding that book to my reading list, because I loved Shanghai Girls. 

5-Book Rating System

I give Dreams of Joy: 

3 out of 5 books!

I also finished a whole book today! I finished James Dashner's Third Book in the Maze Runner Trilogy, The Death Cure. This is one of my favorite series! The book is actually not released until October 11, 2011, but our bookstore luckily got an ARC!

I will do a more in-depth review of this book, because I really want to increase anticipation for it's release! Expect a review in the next week or two! (Sneak Preview: I LOVED IT!!!!!!)

I also started to read the classic Pride and Prejudice for my school summer reading. I was really looking forward to reading it because I love the movie, and I'm already a fan of the book!

And, at the bookstore I picked up a copy of a new book called The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch. 

I can't wait to start reading it! It sounds a bit like that new movie coming out September 9, "Contagion". The one with Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon? Count me in!

I seem to have bit of an obsession with dystopian books and movies. I just can't help it, the stories are so unique and different!

Reviews to Come:

1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
2. The Death Cure by James Dashner

Currently Reading:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Books I Can't Wait to Read:

1. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. The Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
4. Love and Summer by William Trevor (a bit different from the dystopian and medieval theme) 

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post as much this summer, but I've been ridiculously busy.

I hope to be posting more this week seeing as school starts next week, but we'll see how much I can do!

Feel free to comment on what you're currently reading, I'd love to know!

Till next time!

Photo Credit: 

First book cover from Projo

Book animated images from photobucket.com

Second book cover from Good Reads

Third book cover from Amazon