“Recent Reads” is a new series that I am starting where I discuss the books that I’ve read recently and give a small review and share my thoughts. I find it difficult sometimes to write a full review of every book I read, because I don’t always have a lot to say, but sometimes I still want to discuss my thoughts. Anyways, here are some of the books that I’ve read recently.
Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck
This novel follows John Steinbeck and his dog Charley as they travel across America. Steinbeck goes on this journey in the hopes of rediscovering the America that he’s been writing about for so long.
I read this book for my English class as part of my summer reading and I enjoyed it. I gave it 3.5/5 stars. This is the first book by John Steinbeck that I have read and I am excited to read more in school this year. The book was difficult to get into at first because of the dialect and the pace, but after a while it became more enjoyable to read.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This book follows Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, two teens with cancer, as they try to overcome their struggles and form a relationship together.
This was the second book that I read for my English class and I have yet to give it a rating. I read this for the first time around three years ago and I didn’t like it that much. Reading it again, I disliked the majority of the novel. The only portion I kind of enjoyed was from Amsterdam until the end. If I were to give it a rating, it would probably be around two stars, but as I am still unsure, I will not be rating it at this time.
Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose
Twelve Angry Men is a play that is set in the late 1950’s and follows the story of eleven jurors and a foreman who must decide if a young African American boy is guilty of murdering his father. The story centers around juror number eight who is on the opposing end of an 11-1 guilty verdict.
I read this book fairly quickly and for the most part I enjoyed it. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters because they were all numbers, but I did like the look inside the justice system and how realistic it felt for the time period. The men in the jury assumed that the boy was guilty because of his race which highlighted the injustices within the justice system.
These are just three of the books I’ve read recently, but I would love to hear what you have read recently or what you think of any of these books if you’ve read them.