Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

As far as YA fiction goes, I enjoyed this book. However, I wouldn't recommend it as a change your life must-read novel. It was fun and entertaining.

Naomi, the MC, konks her head and has amnesia. She doesn't remember anything, including her boyfriend, best friend, dad's fianceeor really her purpose in life.

As she "wakes up," she starts to see her role in the world from an outsider's perspective and recognizes some things she wishes she could change.

Zevin is very good at portraying the teenage angst that is so familiar if you ever were a teenager or have ever worked with them.

I'd suggest this book as a "coming down off a classics" novel. In other words, this was a good read after finishing The Count of Monte Cristo.

I feel like I should introduce myself...

Hi. So, Katie and I started this bloggy and I still have yet to contribute. I'm awesome. In my defense, I just had a baby, so life is just beginning to settle down.

I want to introduce myself as a reader. I love to read classic novels (that's my English major side) and I love to read teen fiction (that's my teacher side). I also like self-help books (don't judge) and pretty much anything involving poetry. So, basically, my reviews are all over the map as far as genre.

Also, I don't like the Twilight series, I usually don't enjoy movies derived from books, and I always give books a 75-page grace period before I decide whether or not to finish it.

Lift: Becoming a Positive Force in Any Situation

This book, written by Robert E. Quinn (the dad) and Ryan W. Quinn (the son), has become a serious source of inspiration in our family.

Essentially, the book suggests a process to follow that allows you to be more aware of how your actions are either lifting others or bringing them down. Because there is so much technicality to the novel, and lots of step-by-step instructions, I won't try to summarize, but I would SURELY recommend this to anyone who is a parent or employer, or who has influence in any realm of their life.

This would be a great read for the New Year, as it has helped our family to be more conscious of how our actions are helping or hindering others.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I have been anticipating the release of The Lost Symbol for a very long time. I heard rumors of it being written a couple of years ago and it was finally released this week. I was most excited about the setting of the new book, Washington, D.C. I love to read books that are set in a location that I know well so that when the character sees something, I have a perfect image of what they are seeing in my mind. For the most part, Dan Brown did a fabulous job describing the scene and painting out the details of what the character was seeing throughout his adventure. *

In his new novel, Dan Brown continues the adventures of Robert Langdon, who was his main character in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Robert is enjoying a typical quiet Sunday morning in Boston when he receives a call from the assistant of one of his dearest friends, Peter Solomon, who is the head of the Smithsonian Institute. Peter is desperate to find a last minute replacement for a speaker that had canceled on him and was supposed to speak at a major event Peter had arranged for in the U.S. Capitol. Robert agrees to help and Peter sends a private jet to bring him from Boston to D.C. Robert is running late and rushes into the Capitol building with just a few seconds to spare. He turns the corner to walk into the famous Statuary Hall where the event is to be held and immediately stops as he realizes it is empty except for a few tourists and there is no speech.

Robert is baffled as to what is going on and tries to reach Peter's assistant and as soon as the assistant picks up, Robert explains the situation. The assistant then tells Robert that he is completely careless to believe someone that he has never met before and that Peter actually has no idea that he is in D.C. The assistant then tells him that he is not actually Peter's assistant and he had kidnapped Peter and Robert had been summoned to D.C. to save his friend. Robert is told that he is the only one that can save him (very typical for a Dan Brown book if you have read any before...)

Robert must solve a very old puzzle/myth relating to the Freemasons, a very famous and historical brotherhood/fraternity, in order to save Peter. Several problems present themselves to Robert from the beginning, the biggest of which is that the CIA is after him and he has no idea how they knew what was happening moments after the phone call. Robert runs all over D.C. and is assisted by several very powerful Masons in order to get all of the clues that he needs to discover the meaning of the puzzle.

The book kept me guessing and I became addicted to the story. If you have read any of the Dan Brown books, you should definitely read this one as well. If you haven't ever read a Dan Brown book, read this! In other words, I recommend it to anyone that wants a fascinating historical suspense.

I give this book 5 stars!

*If you have ever been to DC before and are familiar with the city and especially the US Capitol building, I dare you to find the minor mistakes Dan Brown made in the details. They are minor and didn't bother me, but I did find it amusing to stop and say "wait a second that isn't right..."

Confessions of an Unbalanced Woman by Emily Watts

This short religious inspirational book is worth reading. Emily Watts talks about how she was searching for balance in her life and she attended a time-management seminar to help. She felt so inspired and made a great list of what she wanted to get done and then she prioritized them. In her words, "It helped -- for a little while. But then would come the kind of day (and this happens more often than you would believe) when everything falls apart." She then talks about what she has learned from seeking balance is that there is something more desirable than balance. I think you should read it if you want to learn more. It won't take you long to read the book and you will feel inspired after you read it.

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

If you need a good book to read, choose this one. It is a great choice.

Cleopatra's Daughter is the fascinating story of Selene, Alexander and Ptolemy, the children of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, as told by the voice of Selene.

Cleopatra's kingdom of Egypt was conquered in 30 BC by Octavian of Rome. Cleopatra and her husband, Marc Antony, committed suicide as the army of Octavian overtook Egypt and left their three children's fate up to the conqueror Octavian. The children are exiled from their kingdom and sent to Rome to be raised by Ocavian's sister, Octavia, who was ironically abandoned by Marc Antony when he left her for Cleopatra.

Instead of hating them as they suspected, Octavia became a mother to them and treated them with kindness. As the children acclimated to the culture in Rome, they are anxious about their fates since Octavian holds their future in his hands and they are constantly reminded of that. In the years that pass as the children mature to adulthood in Rome, Selene elegantly learns lessons of love, trial, friendship, forgiveness and bitterness. Her character shines in the midst of uncertainty and the dangers of Rome. It is a captivating story and I felt in touch with the characters.

Michelle Moran has a great feature on her website where you can watch a book trailer. This is the first time I have ever seen this and I really like it! Go here to check it out.

I absolutely loved this book and I did not want it to end. I finished the last sentence and I felt sad that it was over. The story is truly beautiful and I don't want to give anything away because I want everyone to read this book. I give my highest recommendations and I hope that you enjoy the book as much as I did.