The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

When I was in Amsterdam back in 2006, I visited the annex where Anne Frank and her family lived for two years. However, I had not read her diary, and now that I have read her diary, I really wish that I had read it before I saw the house where she wrote it.

I read The Diary of a Young Girl for the category of "a book 'everyone' has read but you" because it does seem to be a book that a lot of folks have read and a book that's assigned in school. My sister read it in both junior high and high school.

This book was a lot of things. Funny, intimate, and sad. Anne Frank captures the angst and curiosity of the a teenage girl albeit a teenage girl under very different and difficult circumstances. Her writing is so wonderful as are her ideas and her humor. Reading about her experience during World War II while also knowing that she doesn't survive was a strange, sad experience. I'm glad I finally read this book.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

While trudging through The Grapes of Wrath, I needed something a bit lighter to read, so I wandered into the Young Adult section and found Finding Audrey.

Audrey, a teenage girl, is recovering from an incident that has left her with social anxiety. She wears big sunglasses and pretty much stays at home. Then, she meets Linus, her brother's video gaming friend, who helps her slowly come back to the land of people, connecting, and communication.

A young adult book, but it's a solid read with funny, memorable characters, some comedy, and good mental health themes.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The end of 2015 is coming fast! And I still have three books to read for Modern Mrs. Darcy's Reading Challenge. I am happy to mark this one off my list. It falls under the category of "a book your mom loves."

I called my mom and asked her what her favorite book was and she said, "Great Expectations and The Grapes of Wrath."

I tried Great Expectations and got stuck, so I moved onto The Grapes of Wrath.

Note: This Reading Challenge starts some interesting conversations. When I mentioned that I was reading The Grapes of Wrath, THREE different people said, "Oh, the ending is weird." One friend said, "Oh, the ending is so weird, I don't even remember what it was, but it's really weird."

Then there's my neighbor who read it FIVE times in a row in school because her teacher didn't believe that she had already finished it and wouldn't let her read anything else! (Hi, Rebecca!)

Okay, so I moved very slowly through this book. It's very sad and bad things happen one after another. I was wondering how the ending could be so weird until I finished. AND THE ENDING IS SOOOO WEIRD. Probably the weirdest ending I've ever read.

Ok, Mom, I read your favorite book, and the ending is REALLY weird.

A Re-Read - Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott

Scott seems like such a delightful lady. Her writing is easy to read, and she has some great tips about enjoying all of the small and sweet pleasures of life, and also about making your life and environment more pleasant. I think I'll read the sequel again as well.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

This little book by the author of Gone Girl can be read easily in one sitting. It's a ghost story that gave me the shivers. Warning: includes Mature Content.

Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

Until this past year, June and Delia used to be best friends. Then, June learns that Delia has died by burning herself to death. June suspects foul play and starts looking into the circumstances around Delia's death. As June investigates, she finds herself in a world that is complicated and dark.

This was a very weird, dark, and twisty book. I liked it because it's different, but it did leave me feeling kinda dark.

Daily Required Reading

In addition to reading books for fun, I wanted to let you know what else I read during the day. Boomer and I are still subscribers to the old-school newspaper. More than several friends have asked incredulously, "You still get the PAPER newspaper??" I know, old school.

I also subscribe to The Skimm which is a week day email that summarizes the news in a concise and very hip manner (I learn a lot of new slang and what different abbreviations mean from reading The Skimm.). So, if you're looking for an easy and fun way to stay current with the news, I highly recommend trying out The Skimm. You can subscribe here.