The Royal Diaries - Marie Antoinette

5 Stars

This book belongs to an entire series of Royal Diaries. They are meant for young readers, and not very condensed, so it was a quick read. It was a series of diary entries, some of it fiction but many parts based on real facts. The author did a lot of research and created a story that shows the less glamorous side to being a queen. She even includes a small history lesson in the last few pages. I had heard the name Marie Antoinette before many times, but never stopped to take note of who she was and what her story was about. This book, while short, was fun, educational, and entertaining.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

I can't rate this book. This book is my absolute favorite novel of all time (so far :P). I cried at the end yes, but I also cried many times before reaching the end. Parts of it read like a poem. The descriptions and detail in this book make the story REAL. The author, Rebecca Wells, wrote it with raw, fearless emotion. It made me long for experiences I've never had, and ache for experiences I've had but have no more.

The Measure of a Lady

5 Stars

I just finished the second half of this book last night after reading it for about two hours straight. I got lost in it, completely forgetting that I was reading in the first place. I loved it. I loved it from the beginning, and I loved it the rest of the way through. While the ending was somewhat predictable, the means of getting there was not. The setting takes place in San Francisco during the gold rush. The author actually did a ton of research and included several actual historical events into the story in such a graceful way, there was no reason for me to believe that ANY of the details were made up. Her writing and descriptions are beautiful, and the story was very clever and entertaining.

Skipping Christmas

I enjoyed the beginning of this story almost immediately. It seemed to be a story about nonconformity, and I was all for it. Then it took a turn, which I expected only because I knew there had to be some kind of irony on the way, but really was not prepared for. I was disappointed by the twist and felt cheated and let down just like the main characters. But then another twist that I was not expecting at all made me fall back in love with it and almost brought me to tears. If this story hasn't been turned into a movie yet, then it should be. It should be one of those cheesy Christmas movies that gets shown on television every December.

Wasted - Marya Hornbacher

5Stars

It took me a while to finish this book, mostly because of the anxiety it caused me to feel. When the author described something beautiful, it made me want to be there to experience it myself, but when she described something horrible, which there was plenty of, it made me want to sprinkle holy water everywhere and curl up under a blanket. The author's dark and dysfunctional perspective of the world made me feel better about my own perspective, even lucky. The only way the ending can be considered a happy one, is if you compare it to the previous details of her life.