“Like Water for Chocolate” was definitely an interesting, unpredictable read for me. It is sort of a romantic tall-tale based on Mexican traditions and history. The main character Tita is the youngest of the family and must take of her mother, Mama Elena, until she dies. Tita is in love with Pedro, but is not allowed to marry because of her life sentence to take care of Mama Elena. This causes a strong tension and resentment between the two. Pedro marries his sister, Rosaura, to keep close to Tita; this brings immense pain to Tita, and also Rosaura. The whole story revolves around Tita’s forbidden love with Pedro, and their struggle to be together. It is told in a unique style; the story is intermingled with recipes in a way that actually fits the book. Elements of the story are also exaggerated to an extent that is unrealistic, but gives the book a fairytale feel. “Like Water for Chocolate” left me puzzled at the end of the book. I don’t think I would read it again.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” was a touching story that takes place in Afghanistan about two women, Laila and Mariam, who struggle through out their lives. It took me a while to get into the story, but after about the first 100 pages, I could not stop turning the pages.

The first part of the book focuses on Mariam, a Harami who lived in a poor shack with her mother, Nana. Mariam and Nana were both rejected by Mariam’s father, Jalil, because he couldn’t ruin his wealthy reputation. Jaili eventually marrys off Mariam to an abusive man, Rasheed, after Nana’s death. This man changes Mariam’s life for the worse.

The second part of the book focuses on Laila, a beautiful girl, who was born in the same neighborhood Mariam and Rasheed reside in. Laila falls in love with a boy named Tariq, who she has known since her early childhood. War breaks out in Afghanistan, causing Tariq and his family to move away, and Laila’s family dying in the outskirts of the battle.

This is where the two stories come together. Mariam finds Laila, who is severly injured from the bomb that killed her family. Mariam and Rasheed decide to let Laila live with them, and Laila soon becomes Rasheed’s second wife. At first , Mariam and Laila were enemies, but get closer and closer after they realize the real enemy is Rasheed.

Mariam and Laila unite to get rid of Rasheed, resulting in two deaths out of the three. The story closes with a happy ending, which seems unreal and in a way, inappropriate. This show more book led me to shed more than couple tears, I definitely recommend it. show less

If this was my first time reading a dystopia, then it would have left a huge impact on me. Unfortunately, This was the fourth dystopia I have read. It wasn't anything new and maybe that's why i didn't really lke it, I already knew what to expect.
Other than being a typical dystopia, it's always interesting to see how society reacts to different types of government and control.
This book made me appreciate all my freedoms and made me aware that this could be a possibilty for the future.

Impulse is about three teenagers who all end up in the same psychiatric hospital. They all struggle with their own different problems. Conner is a jock that comes from a rich family who only think about themselves and is neglected. Tony was also neglected by his mother and left to survive on his own, most of the time on the streets. Vanessa is bipolar and cuts her self to get rid of the pain she suffers. They all meet eachother and almost immediately become close while they help eachother with their troubles.

I picked this book because I read Crank by the same author and I expected this one to be just as good. I was disapointed. This book didn't keep me wanting to read more like Crank did. While the story did touch me, I didn't really enjoy it as much as Crank.