Traveling Through Books

Verdict: A definite read for anyone that loves classics, espically Austen and Bronte fans. This is a re-read for me, the first time I read it for a Vicorian Lit class. I liked it a lot then. This time around, I loved it! I don't know if it was the absence of school pressure or that I now already know what makes this book so progressive for its time but this time around I was able to absorb much more of the nuance. This book is great for many reasons. It is not only a wonderful love story (along the lines of Pride & Prejudice) but it is also amazing because it shows the two very different mentalites that were gripping England at the time this was written. Gaskell separates them by geographic location. The North is the trade and manufacturing mentality. To them money only means something if it's earned. Your station is based solely on that. As to education, it is mostly pointless to know the classics and history; how will they help you determine the best way to sell and p...

Verdict: I think this is a Must-Read. I don't care what your tastes are. It is awesome. I loved this book. I don't want to get ahead of myself though so I'll start with the basics, as usual. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak is a young adult (YA) book that takes place during WWII. The story is narrated by Death, the protagonist is a young girl named Liesel Memminger. Liesel is an orphan that goes to live with a foster family on Himmel Street in a German town. She is a German little girl that steals books at every important moment of her young life. At the time she steals her first book, she isn't able to read. This is the story of the people of Himmel Street and how the war effected everyone, not just those we hear about all the time. I have to be honest, I've started this book four times and completed it once. When reading, the beginning is slow- keep reading, it is well worth it. I also have to admit that when it comes to WWII novels, I'm alwa...

Verdict: Okay This is a non-fiction business book about how to "Enchant" people to join your cause. I have to be honest, it was required reading for one of my classes this semester. I found it, okay. The book is well written, espiecially for a self-published book. Kawasaki has some good ideas, but mostly I found the book common sense. Don't champion something you don't believe in, don't lie, don't make promises you can't keep, or ask people to do something you wouldn't, etc. Basically I felt like this book was teaching people how be decent, honest, and overall to act ethically. The other main issue I had with this book is that Kawasaki has an immense enchantment with Apple. He uses them as great examples of how to enchant. This only bothered me because I'm anti-Apple; it made me feel a little less-than-enchanted with his book. Other than that there were some interesting stories and examples of real-life enchantment. I wouldn't call this a m...

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Laurel and I'm an avid reader. I read mostly fiction, but am trying to broaden my horizons and read some non-fiction as well. I read anything from kids books to angsty young adult, to adult literary fiction, and genre fiction. There are really only two things I can think of that I don't read often: science fiction and mystery/thriller novels. I'm not unwilling, just rarely find myself picking one up. So why the blog you may ask? Well if you have been following me on Facebook, you already know why. I love to write about what I read. I love to review it, pick it apart, and offer it to you. This is the purpose of this blog. I read it and write about it here. If you want a taste, I suggest you visit and join my Facebook group page which will have to serve as the archive of this blog for now. There you will find 96 book reviews on the things I've been reading for a little over the last two years. I made the switch to blog...