My Summer Reading List #3

Wednesday, August 05, 2015

This is the final instalment in my series of posts telling you about the books that I'd like to read over the summer. There are three books left that I'd really like to read and tell you about, all of which you've probably heard about or maybe even read. Nonetheless, I'd like to share these books with you, so I hope you like this post!


Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
"Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy. He lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley, who are mean to him and make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. (Dudley, however, has two bedrooms, one to sleep in and one for all his toys and games.) Then Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and his life is changed forever. He is whisked away by a beetle-eyed giant of a man and enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard! The first book in the Harry Potter series makes the perfect introduction to the world of Hogwarts."
I don't know why I bothered giving you a summary of this book since I'm almost certain that you will have heard about it and possibly read it. I'm afraid to say that I never read all of the Harry Potter books as a child, despite being a huge bookworm and loving all of the films. My love for fantasy books and paranormal fiction has developed as I've grown older, so the Harry Potter heptalogy is an ideal series that I can't believe I didn't fully read. I really want to read the entire series from start to finish, with this book being a good place to begin.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller
"Arthur Miller's classic parable of mass hysteria draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 - 'one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history' - and the McCarthyism which gripped America in the 1950s. The story of how the small community of Salem is stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia and malice, culminating in a violent climax, is a savage attack on the evils of mindless persecution and the terrifying power of false accusations."
This is another book that I have decided to re-read this summer as I need it for my GCSE English Literature and English Language exams. It's a short play about the Salem witch trials, only reaching around 150 pages. However, I find it to be really interesting and gripping, with an intricate plot line and history behind it. Although it can get a bit confusing as there is a lot of characters, I think this is a really good book to read and definitely won't take me long to get through.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.
I'm ashamed to say that The Hunger Games is another book series that I haven't finished. I really enjoyed the first book and found it to be quite easy but still enthralling. However, I didn't read the following two books in the trilogy as there were other books I wanted to read. This book series is aimed at such a wide audience since it features themes such as adventure, romance, science fiction, utopian and dystopian societies and many more. Also, the films are hugely popular, with Mockingjay part 2 to be released in a few months, so I really need to get around to finishing this series.

Love from Daisy x

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