Spring break is coming up which means you probably need a book to read for a three-hour plane flight or your week at the beach.
Biography- Where Men win Glory- The Odyssey of Pat Stillman
Pat Tillman was a man who gave up a $3 million NFL contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army Rangers after 9/11, only to die under suspicious circumstances in Afghanistan. The world needs more men like this man. Where Men Win Glory shows two sides of the military; the good and the bad. He shows the honor, glory, and bravery, but also the more dark and gloomy aspects. It touches base with a little bit of politics including the Bush foundation and commanders of the Army. We come to find that Pat Stillman wasn't perfect, but we could all learn something from him.
Science Fiction/ Thriller- I am Legend
You probably saw the movie; the book is better. The story takes place a year after a deadly plague that causes humans to turn into vampires has swept across the world. In Los Angeles, Robert Neville has managed to survive by being immune and by converting his house into a fortress. He is overwhelmed by the past, loneliness and his constant depressive state until he decides to put all his time and effort into learning more about the vampires. The story then has a significant plot twist; you will just have to read it to find out.
Romance- The Guardian
Yes, a Nicholas Sparks book, The Guardian is a little different than his typical love stories. Terror and suspense get thrown into this novel as well as love. Julie Barenson's husband died leaving her a letter and a gift of a puppy. Seven years later, Julie is finally ready to move on. Two men enter her life, but she soon is forced to start fighting to stay alive. Jealously and deception creeps into the novel taking this love story down an unexpected road. She finds herself in a nightmare.
Historical Fiction- All the Light We Cannot See
Marie-Laure lives with her father who works at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. She goes blind at the age of six, and at the age of twelve, the Nazis come to occupy Paris. They flee to Saint-Malo carrying the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel. An orphaned German boy, Werner, from a small mining town, grows up with his younger sister. He becomes an expert at building radios and gets recruited to an academy for Hitler Youth. Werner gets sent on an assignment, travels through the middle of the war and finds himself in Saint-Malo. This is where his story crosses with Marie-Laure's. The two try to survive the devastation of World War I.
Mystery- The Girl on the Train
This novel is comprised of three women's point of view Rachel, Anna, and Megan. Throughout the book, you can never truly trust any of the narrators. Rachel, an alcoholic, gets on the same train every morning. She stars out the window day after day as she passes by many houses. Rachel begins to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. She wants what they have, a perfect life. She then witnesses something shocking, and everything changes. She jumps into the life of the ideal couple and becomes much more than just the girl on the train. This novel takes many strange twists and turns but always keeps you guessing.
Classic Literature- Lord of the Flies
A group of boys gets stranded on an island due to a plane crash. They try to be civilized by electing a leader and equally distributing tasks throughout the group. A power struggle breaks out between the boys causing a lot of problems. A monster sighting also stirs emotions among the group. The book brings light to human nature and how easy it is to corrupt a group that started with good intentions. The boys get blinded with egotism and lust for power showing that destruction in society is inevitable.
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