A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I always enjoy reading this book.  It is about a sweet little girl who is thrown into hard times.  She knows who she is and stays true to her character.  She remains sweet to the very end.  She doesn't allow the awful circumstances around her to cause her to loose her spirits.  I love how she is secretly rewarded for her kind deeds and of course in the end she lives happily ever after.  Sara Crewe is a great role model for young girls, and even for big ones, like me.  I think I need to read this book again. . .

Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen

This book is great! It shows that real beauty is found on the inside.  It is a great children's book and there are many lessons that can be taught through this book.  I love books that put a twist on fairy tales.  This one is done very well.  I love it.  It is definitely worth reading, even if you aren't going to read it to a child. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Spoiler alert. . . read at you own risk, however I won't give major plot lines away.

I read the whole Hunger Game series.  I read the first book before I saw the first movie.  I read the second two books before the 2nd movie came out.  I really enjoyed the books.  I do recommend reading the books. They are easy to read and hook you into the story.  Which is probably why I'll never read them again.  

(Spoiler alert) The ending really disappointed me.  I won't go into all the details but I felt depressed after it and lost all enthusiasm for watching the movies.  Maybe the movie will change the most depressing part but I think if they do that, they will ruin the book.  I am all about keeping true to the book and although I don't like how it ended, I understand why it happened.  For those of you who read the book, I am not upset by who Katniss ends up with.  I think it was a perfect match.  I especially love what he plants for her at the side of their home. 

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

This is a great book that will help you bring you out of the busy hectic life and bring you back into the real meaning of Christmas.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  I related to being so busy you miss out in the important things in life.  I was humbled to be reminded to take time for what really is important in your life.  I enjoy rereading this book.  It is a great book to read this holiday season, or any time for that matter.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I read Ender's Game many years before the 2013 movie was announced.  After reading the book my husband and I discovered Orson Scott Card wanted his novel to come to the big screen but could never agree on a screenplay.  We anxiously awaited for the day it would finally happen.

Having said that, the book is definitely better, but the movie did a great job.  It is just too difficult to fit everything in a book into a movie.  The book ended in such a shocking way it was hard to believe, yet you knew it just had to be.  The movie did a fairly good job.  You whether you watch the movie first or read the book first, either one will spoil the ending for the other.  You can only get that kind of a surprise once.

The most amazing thing about this book is the book was written in 1985 and yet most of the technology mentioned in the book is available today in 2013.  Amazing. Of course we call everything by a different name.

The one part that bothered me a bit in this book was some of the language. I'd prefer some of those choice "cuss" words were omitted from the books I read, however it was used sparingly and the didn't fill up the book with the foul words.

A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin

When I checked this book out at the library I didn't make the connection that this book was written by the same author of the Baby-sitter's Club series until I started reading it at home.  I enjoyed the Baby Sitter Club series as a child and Ann M. Martin did a very well job on this book as well.  It tells a story about a girl and the summer she met one of her uncles for the very first time.  This is a very touching story and I definitely recommend reading it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This is a really good book. It was easy to read. It tells the story through the perspective of different characters.  Each chapter focuses on a different character and in turn giving you new insight to the overall story.  This is a very well written book.  Skeeter decides to write a book with the perspective of "the help" who are the African American women who work for the upper & middle class white women in the south.  There are funny and touching stories and prejudice of all kinds, not just against the races but also against the classes.