Hooked on Phonics

D because I heart you and promised this list months ago, I dedicate this post to you. After writing this I realize that I like reading “girly” books, but lets be honest, I know you love a good girly book every now and again too.

But Inside I’m Screaming
This is a story about a successful businesswoman that has a breakdown and is put in a mental institution. Going in, she thought she did not belong and was better then the other patients, but as the story progresses, she realizes what she can learn from them. I liked this book because it made me realize there is some meaning behind my madness.




Life of Pi
This is a story about a boy and his family traveling on a boat. There is a accident and he is the only survivor. He travels the rest of the way on a boat with a tiger, zebra, and a few other animals. I know it sounds weird, but really liked it. It took me a good 100 pages to get into it, but once I finished it I had to read it again because my entire perspective on the story changed.


A Thousand Splendid Suns
Both born in Afghanistan a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are brought together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them -- in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul -- they form a bond that will ultimately alter the course of their lives and the lives of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival. I cried in the end and loved this book. I really think you will like it.

Twilight Series
Eclipse. Twilight and New Moon are the three books in the series…thus far and they are even making a Twilight movie! These are young adult stories so don’t expect anything super deep or earth shattering. Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife — between desire and danger. These really are “girly” book in that a lot of the story revolves around the Edward and Bella relationship, but you may still like it.

The Giver
Please tell me you have already read this. If not, start here! This is a very quick read and schools usually have 5th graders read it, but I love it. Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.



Time Travelers Wife
This is not a cheese get in a time machine and travel story. The book starts out from the woman’s perspective who meets and interacts with a man who is time traveling. As the book moves on, the two meet in real “time” and the book ends from his perspective as he is visiting her when she was little girl. The story is great, but the writing style is what I loved. It takes some getting use to as the author jumps all over time, but it was refreshing to read something different.





Where the Red Fern Grows
This is an old school classic so no recap because we all know the story, but I love it. I read it every year and it makes me cry every time.










Pay It Forward
They made a movie out of this book, but I loved the book so much I refused to see it. It is a great story about a boy who believes in doing something nice for 3 people, and those 3 people doing something nice for 3 people and so on. It is a quick, but great read.








My Sisters Keeper
I really like all of Jodi Picoult’s books, but this was the first one of hers that I read. The one sister is born with MS so the parents have another kid for donor purposes. The two sisters love each other, but the one sisters decides she has had enough and does not want to be a donor any more. I really liked this story because I could see both sides of the story.








The Count of Monte Cristo
I am sure you saw the movie, but read the book. It is SOOO much better.













Les Miserables
I read the unabridged version, but would recommend the abridged version. There were a few parts that I had a hard time making through with my ADD. The play and movie still only cover portions of this amazing story of love, kindness, and faith in God.








The Notebook
This is a super cheesy girly love story, but I am a girl so I love it! This is my favorite quote from the book, “I am nothing special of this I am sure. I am just a common man with common thoughts. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, that has always been enough.” It is a love story about two people who were meant to be together in this life and the next.







To Draw Closer to God
I normally get board with church books, but this was a great one. It is a bung of Elder Eyering’s talk put into a book. I recommend it to everyone.










The Bourne Series
The movies were great and who does not like watching Matt Damon, but you should really read the books. Like most movie/books, the books are very different and much better then the movies. These are good “guy” books.
Memory Keepers Daughter
Another amazing book. A father is delivering his twin children when he realizes one is born with down syndrome. Not knowing much about it, he tells his wife the one baby died and gives it to the nurse to take to a home only she falls in love with the little girl and raises her as her own.





Everyone Worth Knowing
You will not like this book because it is too girl and deals with pop culture, but there are a few “soft porn” parts so maybe you should read it! The story is about a girl living the high life in New York who becomes entangled in the Hollywood life, but in the end realizes what she really wants out of life. It’s a good “chick lit” book.







The Road
This sad story is about a little boy and his grandpa traveling though the world after a nuclear holocaust. Not many people lived and survival is a hard day to day thing. It was interesting to read the authors take on how he saw society banding against one another in such a time of crisis. Makes a kid think.







My Point….and I do Have One
You know I think Ellen Degeneres is the funniest person ever and this is a great book. Some very funny material.











A Train to Potevka
A Train to Potevka is a story about a real spy during the cold war. The story takes place as the Soviet Union is beginning to crumble. The author, Mike Ramsdell, is on an undercover mission in Siberia to extract a Russian criminal. Posed as a German oil investor, his cover gets blown and he’s forced to flee to a safe house in the small city of Potevka — a slow, long train ride from his current location.





There are a few other books like Dan Brown’s books, The Kite Runner and the Historian, but we have already talked about these so I left them off the list.

Maybe next, I will post the 30+ books I have on my self (or in a box) on my list to read.

Your welcome!