A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Hey everybody! Cassia here! Happy summer! I love the summer. I can spend my days reading. Now that we have a blog, I can also rant talk about these books to you all whether you care or not. Anyway, here's another review for you all! I have the Kindle edition, so that's the cover I have here, plus I think it represents the book perfectly. It's a classic, and spoilers are marked.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Lucy Manette's father has finally been found! Well, her financial guardian, Mr. Lorry, knew, but kept it from her to guard her heart. When she finally meets with him above a wine shop, he is mad. His mind is set on making shoes, and he will not rest. When he catches sight of his daughter, he gets slightly better, and eventually, with much coaxing, Lucy--and only Lucy--brings him out of his madness. They help in the trial of Charles Darnay, who is accused of treason. Little do they know that Sydney Carton is the one really running the trial. Lucy is taken on a journey through the bloody French Revolution. Secrets are revealed, and when Lucy was just trying to find peace between the two cities, she is brought into the heart of the Revolution.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Picture courtesy of Goodreads

The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #1
Release Date: April 24, 2013
Pages: 336
Review by: Tessa

       After World War III, America (the country) decides to change its way of running things, so we go back to a monarchy. There are eight castes, with One being royalty and Eight being a beggar on the streets. The monarchy is headed by a King with a Queen at his side. Everything is normal until they need a new queen. Thirty-five girls compete against each other to marry Prince Maxon and become queen. This doesn't sound dangerous, but add in an army of country rebels and some good old-fashioned cat fights and the book gets interesting. America (a girl, not the country) is persuaded by her low caste family to join the competition. She reluctantly agrees, but only because her secret boyfriend Aspen breaks up with her.
       Did you know that the best way to get over a break up is to hook up with the prince? At first America refuses to do anything with the prince, but she soon realizes that even though he is a prince and she is only a musician, they can fall in love. So sappy, right? But it turns out that Aspen isn't done messing with America's life. Will America crack under all of the pressure?

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Hey everybody! I finally have another review for y'all today. Max says she'll be doing a music picks thing, too, but I don't know about Tessa. Anyway, here's a review of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card:

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Ender hasn’t really had much of a life yet; he’s six, after all. He does go to school, though, where he’s bullied for being a Third, all the while being tested for something he doesn’t know, but knows it’s important. Turns out he passed, when his siblings didn’t. And his brother Peter resents him for it. When Ender gets to the Battle School to train to fight the buggers, an alien race that has already attacked humankind twice, he is again hated on for being so intelligent, but he excels, and everyone notices. In the Battle Room, Ender is a genius, knowing how to defeat his enemies even though his commander won’t let him even step inside the room. Nobody else seems to understand how to think in zero gravity...

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Picture courtesy of Goodreads

This Is What Happy Looks Like

Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Pages: 416
Review by: Tessa

       Graham and Ellie are pen pals, but they don't even know each other's names. Graham is an international superstar, but Ellie is just a small town girl with a past she would like to forget. They start emailing each other when Graham accidently sends Ellie a message about his pet pig. She is intrigued and they start talking about everything, except for who they are. When Graham's new movie conveniently takes him to Ellie's small Maine town the fairytale really begins.
      Graham hunts for his princess, but all his princess wants to do is hide. With a plot full of mistaken identities, lost pasts, and paparazzi anything can happen. They figure out that emailing each other is very different from meeting face-to-face.

Cassia's Top Music Picks

Hey everybody!  I don't have a review today, but I do have some of my top music picks!  I have no idea if Tessa or Max are doing this, just to let you know.  Anyway, here's some of my top genres, artists, albums, and songs, and a little bit about why they're on my top lists.

Top 5 Genres:
1.) Country--This is just about all I've listened to.  I grew up with it, and it will forever be my favorite genre.
2.) Rock--Same with this one. I grew up with it, but I've grown to love it more over the past two years.
3.) Classical--I play a viola, so this is all I've ever played and I love it: the emotion and just everything about it.
4.) Pop--Any popular music, and it's played so much on the radio I can't help but like it.
5.) some Alternative, depending on what you put in that category--Another version of rock that I've grown to love.