Top 7 favourite books. Part 2.

Welcome back to my countdown. Sorry it took so long, I had a few school things to do and sort out. In other words, do the stuff that I find important and dump the other stuff that I don't think is important. So let's skip the intro and cut to the chase.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee.
Now most of us know this book. Some of us have seen the film other than read the novel. It's in the views of a little girl nicknamed Scout who is the daughter of a lawyer who is trying to defend an African-American who was framed for raping a white woman. Now we know about this; rascism is bad but the novel is different because it's in the views of a little girl, someone who doesn't fully understand rascism. Which is actually a pretty good idea. The part in the book I really wanted to read was the trial. I wanted to see the evidence that the African-American was innocent. Now I liked Scout and I did like her other advetures she experienced. Even though they were technically fillers, it was still pretty interesting. Like the time she meets the new teacher who doesn't want her to read and write very well, the new old woman who is snobbish and she and her brother finding things in a tree. Now I'm not sure about the film. The only difference I noticed so far was the father Atticus was the main character not his daughter. I'm not sure if I want to watch it; I loved the book and everyone loves the film. I just don't want to watch dramas on TV, reading books is different even though there both dramas. I don't know, I can't figure out why I don't want to see the film, I know the ending is good. Oh well, I change my mind and might watch it, but don't worry I won't make a comparison between the film and the book. I'll just talk about the ones that's completly different from each other.

2. Kensuke's Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo.
Michael Morpurgo is one of the greatest children's authors in the world. I remembered in Primary school the teacher read the story "The Butterfly lion". Yes another drama book but it's also an adventure. Kensuke's Kingdom is a wonderful book about a boy called Michael who got washed out of his parents boat and he and his pet dog find themselves in another island. A modernish Robinson Crusoe but when Michael starts getting hungry, the next morning he sees food and water. He starts to learn that an old Japanese man called Kensuke is stranded on the island as well. Kensuke no bits of English and has some kind of friendship with orangutans. Michael and Kensuke start to become friends; working together to survive, Kensuke teaching Michael a bit of Japanese and other things. Kensuke starts explaining more about his past and how he became friends with the orangutans. But what is great about this book is the climax. We now that Michael misses his parents but it is hard since he made great friends with Kensuke and later on Kensuke admits Michael is like a son to him. Not much to give away but the ending is lovely, sad but lovely. Try and read this book, it's quite a surpise if you never heard of Michael Morpurgo or read his books before.

And the number 1 favourite book is...
Unhooking the moon - Gregory Hughes.
This is a beautiful book, believe me it is. It's a classic road trip book about two prairie kids who are now orphans and are on there way to New York and find their uncle and live with him. Their mother died along time ago and their father died after a school play he wasn't at at the time. The chief was thinking of sending the kids to a home so they could get foster parents but they didn't want to. Now I know it's stupid that these kids don't want foster parents even though they are basically parents. But remember they're kids, they don't know a lot of things, they just don't want foster parents because...they just don't want any. They want to be raised by their uncle even though they were told he was a drug dealer. Wow. So yeah it's just a basic road trip adventure but the surprise is the main character, Marie-Claire Debillier or as she is nicknamed The Rat. She is addressed as The Rat from her brother Bob (the narrator) because of her ratty features like her pointed ears. She is awesome! She's obsessed with soccer (football), rapping and skateboarding. Yeah most girl book characters are like that but The Rat does good impressions and she always has these feelings like knowing is something bad is going to happen and who is good or bad. She has a strange insight in death; When her father dies she doesn't kneel next to him and weep uncontrolably like her brother but just rushes to the phone and calls the chief and doesn't even shed a tear. She's like that because she knows her father is up in heaven with his wife. She was sad but she was happy that he was in heaven. She has these spontaneous spasm attacks which pass by at times. Her father was always there to comfort her and bring her back from her spasms but since he was dead I wanted to see how Bob dealed with it. Bob is only 12 and is more mild-mannered than his little sister, but he isn't always strong and followed his sister everywhere. Their father is incredibly nice. He is always having fun with his daughter, always waking them up early when it's not a school day, a Frank Sinatra lover and is always great drunk or sober. And he does have good parenting skills, when The Rat has a nightmare of a Native American monster about to attack her, her father warns her that there are monsters in real life called paedophiles which The Rat calls "goddamn paedophiles". And that's a good idea; parents should warn their children about paedophiles, it really does explain why they must never to talk to strangers. The kids make friends on the way: A cigar smuggler, a hustler and a famous rapper. Yeah, those are weird friends but The Rat knows whose good and who isn't. But the book has a lot of heart, she sometimes has a vision in her spasms and says she is in a white room all alone which some people asume it's not the home. Bob says that even if she is in the craziest part of an asylum, he is still proud to be her brother. That...is beautiful. But what is great is the ending which we needn't go into, all I'm going to say is it is bitter sweet, that's it. Go and read this book; its a wonderful adventure with a lot of heart and a ending that comes out of nowhere.

And that's the countdown, I know that's a lot to talk about for the number 1 spot but that's because it was so good. I know it's strange that "Catcher in the Rye" and "To kill a Mockingbird" is not in the number 1 spot since they're big hits, but it's my countdown. Plus "Unhooking the moon" is brilliant, go and rent it or buy it from a library. If they don't have it make a order. If the order doesn't arrive, use Amazon.com.

Top 7 favourite books. Part 1.

I love books! I really do, I used to care more about films and got bored just reading the first couple of pages from books. here were times I did read through and entire book but I didn't feel quite that over whelmed when I finished it. Even if it had a good ending I didn't care about it. So what made me a book-lover? Well a long time ago, during the holidays, I saw a trailer on the TV and it was called "Percy Jackson and the Lightning thief". I was so hyped up to see it. It had monsters, action, Greek myths and a race against time. I wanted to see it, but my mum found out it was based on a book, so bought that for me. I didn't care since I wasn't a book fan then, but I decided to give it a try and see what it's like. And I found myself reading on and on, non-stop. It seemed much cooler, it felt more like a 12 year old actually did write it. I thought it was good because you get confused at the beginning and you want to know what's going on. It wasn't just that book that brought me into the book series and made me interested in Greek myths, but other books. I read quite alot of books now, so I decided to type a blog about my top 7 favourite books, aside from Percy Jackson. So let's dive in.

7. The seven fabulous wonders, book 4. The Mausoleum Murder - written by Katherine Roberts.
OK, technically it's cheating that it's from a series, so I should include the other books. But the book are usually different. It's based on the 7 fabulous wonders so the books always set in another country with different characters, different beliefs and different magic. The Mausoleum murder is about a Greek boy called Alexis born in Halicarnassus during the war between Halicarnassus and Macedonia. Alexis has the gift to turn statues (with gold in side or coating it) into real people. He really summons a lost soul and sends the soul into the statue. His friend and stepmother were statues before and they can stay still very well and are incredibly strong. His stepmother is always wanting him to erase his powers by asking help from the river god. He finds out his long lost father had appeared in the streets was murdered before and he suspects his stepmother to have done it. He befriended the princess but they find out she was kidnapped; her father suggests that it was the Macedonians. So Alexis has to save the princess and proof that his stepmother did kill his father. But as it progresses, we find out more about how Alexis got his powers and who his stepmother really was before. I do like this book mainly because it drawed me in more than the other books, I just didn't like the others, like the book about a girl who is the daughter of a mortal and a sea demon called a telkhine. The problem is, Mausoleum murder and the other books are a bit rushed, like we have to accept the fact that Alexis can do this. But I think it's cool that he can do this; he uses this ability when he msakes a statue of his father and tries to transmit his father's soul into the statue and does the same with a statue of the Chimaera which the princess suggested. But what makes it better is the twist at the end, which we needn't talk about. No clues, you might have to read the book. Don't worry you don't need to read the series to understand what's going on, it's always different, just with magic and unsuspected characters.

6. The road of the dead - written by Kevin Brooks.
This is a mystery book about Ruben and Cole who are half gypsy who find out there sister was murdered. They really want to find out who killed her saw the police finds the culprit and Cole and Ruben and their mother could have a proper burial. Ruben is 14 years old and the narrater. He is quiet and observant and has the ability to "feel" what other people feel. His brother, Cole is a devil angel who doesn't smile alot and always fights with others. He doesn't care if he dies or lives but he loves his little brother. It has an esscence of prejudice since the brothers are half gypsy and quite alot of people hate them especially a small group of gypsies who Cole befriends. It brings you into the book to find out who killed te sister and why was she killed. And it has one of the scariest vilaains. Sean Redman or Red is a slimy creep who acts all nice to the brothers, especially Ruben but when he's angry, man is he scary. He even enjoys it near the end when he starts beating Ruben up. Dude, he's 14, what an a-hole. When I found out the reason for the murder, my heart felt like it just stopped. It's really good, with a good twist. Cole is...insane. He uses a gun quite frequently and doesn't really hesitate to use it, unless the villain has Ruben. The villain, aside from Red, is a greedy land owner who would do anything to get hold of the land. Nothing much to say but, dang that is a creepy baddy.

5. Push - written by Sapphire.
This is a very disturbing book. About 16 year old Claireece Jones or Precious who is pregnant for the second time after being raped by her father, for the second time! That, is so wrong! She can't read nor write and she gets expelled from her school after being pregnant and goes to an alternative school when Precious starts to excape her tormenting life and finally reach to happiness thanks to her kind teacher, Mrs Blue Rain. Her mother, is a bitch! I mean it, anyone who saw the film "Precious" or read the book knows what I'm talking about. Mary Lee Johnston swears at her daughter, beats her up with a frying pan or other things and when she is down, she carries on kicking poor Precious in the face. Sometimes Mary commits incest as well but rarely does it. I don't know what drew me into this book; it was about incest, rape, child abuse, teen pregnancy and AIDs/HIV. But I guess I wanted to know what was going to happen to her. Plus, I watched the trailer and saw a clip of Precious fighting back against her mother, so I wanted to see Precious beat that monster of a mother. Mary Lee Johnston is worse than József Barsi (look him up) I mean she keeps blaming Precious for making her husband leave her. Hello, he raped your daughter, and you're blaming her!? I pray you shall rot in hell you fat arsed bitch. The style of writing shows that Precious really was illiterate before but is learning, she usually involves her own dialect, like "chile" or "nuffin'"and. My opinion, probably read the book, the film might be good, but usually the book is better than the film.

4. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger.
An adventure of Holden Caulfield who's a 16 year old boy who recently got expelled from 4 schools, but after all that,he decides to run away and decide to live on his own and has adventures in the city. OK, he is a liar who keeps calling himself different names and about his age. But he is a normal guy who acts like most 16 year olds, he's just immature. All in all, he's an OK guy; he befriends people like a few nuns and a little kid. He does some stupid things but he's just a teen and most teens make a lot of mistakes. Adults make a few mistakes but they plan ahead. Though to be honest the stupidest mistake he made was pretending to be an adult (though he looks like one and has half his hair grey) and he was almost about to make out with a prostitute. OK, that was a bad idea for a 16 year old to do, but he doesn't really want to act older and sometimes acts like a 13 year old, sometimes he is hoarsing around. I like him, mainly because he's a nice guy and he isn't afraid to make his own decisions. It's not just about rebellionism but it also has a message on how we should make our decisions. The reason why it's called "Catcher in the Rye" because Holden mistakes the name of a poem a little boy starts humming which he believes is called "If a body catch a body coming through the Rye" though his sister corrected him and told him it was "If a body caught a body coming through the Rye" which was written by Robert Burns. (I just thought it would be nice to explain the title). So all in all, great book, great(ish) character and great premise.

Join in for part 2, because I'm still needing to think about explaining the books without revealing the ending. Plus, I'm still thinking of arranging the other numbers. But I'm still sticking with the number 1 spot, nothing can top that book.