National Reading Week

In honor of National Reading Week, (which, sadly, was last week. Oh well) I present to you...seven awesome reads by one random reader!

7) I Funny by James Patterson

To answer the question you are undoubtedly asking yourself, yes, this is 'the' James Patterson. Writing a tween book that is not even remotely dark or disturbing. And doing excellently on it. 

I finished this whole book in one afternoon (yes, it has lots of pictures, but my point remains). It's funny, obviously, but I was also pretty close to tears to the end (not funny tears. Tear tears). There are a few inevitable bathroom jokes, and a kiss near the end, but other than that, it's okay for all audiences.

Meet Jamie Grimm, and ignore his last name. Jamie is anything but grim. Honestly, he has trouble going five minutes without cracking a joke (and it gets him into a lot of trouble, too). His friends all say he's funny...but is he funny enough to prove that he didn't just win the Long Island's Funniest Kid competition because the judges felt sorry for him and his wheelchair?  

6) Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

I had been avoiding these book for a long time. Everyone was saying that it would be the next Harry Potter, and I thought anyone who said that should be punished severely for treason. They are not the next Harry Potter, but they are nevertheless an incredible book. I would recommend this book for older readers who don't mind a little kissing and a few hellhounds getting their appendages chopped off.

Percy Jackson doesn't have many friends, a horrible step-dad, and a thing for blue food. Oh, and he's the son of Poseidon. Upon learning this, Percy's life goes steadily downhill. He gets regularly attacked by chimeras and minotaurs; he realizes his math teacher is actually a Fury from the Underworld; and when Zeus's master bolt gets stolen, Percy himself is the prime suspect. 

5) The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

We've all heard the saying 'Don't judge a book by its' cover.' In all honesty, I was judging the Kneebone boy by the rather less-than-attractive picture on the front of the book. But I read it anyway.
This was one of the best decisions I've made in my life.
The Kneebone Boy is - for lack of better word - fantabulous. It has a deliciously twisted plot, tons of dark humor, and a thoroughly Lemony Snicketish feel to it. It can get a bit creepy at times, and there may be a bloody h in there somewhere, but other than that, it's a clean - and excellent - book.
The Hardscrabbles are undeniably odd. Otto, the eldest, suddenly stopped talking when their mother went missing. Lucia, the middle child, is shamelessly candid. And Max spends a good deal of his time sitting on the roof. When their father goes on a 'business trip',  and they are left under the care of their eccentric Aunt Haddie, life gets even odder and more unanswered questions spring into their lives. Can they trust Saint George? What is their father hiding from them? And could Otto possibly be the legendary Kneebone boy?


4) The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch

The Secret Series is one of the few book series that can neatly combine chocolate-eating monkeys, the Antiques Roadshow, a survivalist, tarot cards, a homonuculus, a huge secret, and a vat of mayonnaise. Truth be told, I only read the first book because of it's title, and man, am I glad I did. If you like Lemony Snicket, these books are a must-read. They are quite clean; they can get slightly disturbing at times, though, so if you have a low freak-out threshold, I would not recommend these books. Full of mystery, humor, and chocolate, these books are pretty much everything you could ask for.

3) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo 

Have you ever read a book where it leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside? The Tale of Despereaux is most definitely one of them. This is an incredibly clean book; okay, one of the rats gets his tail chopped off, but it is not described graphically. And the only thing remotely close to a swearword is, 'Gor!'

According to his family, Despereaux (DES-per-oh) Tilling is everything a mouse should not be. He is outrageously small, he has ridiculously large ears, and he was born with his eyes wide open. He has no interest in common mouse activities and reads the books he should be nibbling on. Oh, and he's hopelessly in love with a human princess. 

2) A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you are better off reading some other book."

Actually, you are not better off. ASOUE is one of the best book series there is, though Snicket is consistently trying to make you put it down. Okay, I won't deny it: ASOUE is not even a remotely happy series. If you can't muscle down purposefully loose ends and the deaths of just about everyone you like in the series, you won't be able to muscle down this book. But even with the grittiness, ASOUE is an incredible book series. You will laugh, cry, and increase your vocabulary (but mostly just laugh).

The Baudelaire orphans' lives are filled with mystery and misfortune, even though, "they were charming, clever, and had pleasant facial features." The evil Count Olaf will stop at nothing to get his grimy hands on their fortune. But as they escape plan after evil plan, they are no closer to solving the many mysteries that fill their life. Who is the mysterious Jaques Snicket? What is V.F.D.? What did their parents have to do with a box of poison darts? What is in the sugar bowl, and why does everyone seem to want it? And...will we even get the answers to any of these questions? 

1) Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Yeah, you probably saw this coming. But honestly, these books totally deserve first place - they are completely un-put-downable (even if you're reading them for the fourteenth time). There are points in the story where you will laugh hysterically, there are points where you want to reach in the book and hit a certain character *cough, Umbridge, cough, cough* as hard as you can, and there are points you can hardly even read through your tears. These books contain some of the most intricately woven characters imaginable. You will hate some you thought you liked, love some you thought you hated, and end up completely confused on how to feel about Draco Malfoy. 

I will give you one word of warning, though: these books are not for the faint of heart. There are some extremely gory and disgusting scenes near the end, along with a few bouts of swearing ("NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU -) and a couple mild - um - snoggy scenes. 

On the whole, though, these books are unbelievably well-written and totally worth reading. They combine just about every genre you could imagine - adventure, action, tragedy, romance, science fiction, fantasy - and are more like a universe than just seven books. 

If you haven't read them, please do so.

NOW.

Oh, and by the way, check out immersedinthepages.blogspot.com and spillinginkthebook.com, two incredible blogs full of incredible books!