Kirby's Summer Reading List

During the summer holidays I am setting a task for Kirby. I want her to read a selection of books I have compiled in what I call 'Kirby's Summer Reading List'. These are the books:

My mum owns almost the entire Discworld series, and as a sort of rebellion against my mum I refused to ever read them (this was when I was about 10, I've changed my mind and I'm planning on reading them soon)...For the same reason I didn't plan on reading Good Omens because I was sure if my mum thought it was cool, then it wouldn't be cool enough for me. I was wrong. It's an interesting idea, and really funny and well written. Here's to liking what our parents like! hoo ha!

Another book on behalf of my parents. Although I never was against Ben Elton... I think the first book of his I read may have been High Society, and after that I tried to track down every single book he has ever written. I love This Other Eden for two reasons. 

1. It made me start worrying about the environment a lot more than I did before.

2. It is just a really interesting concept. 

I just find that Ben Elton is great and creating a whole new world in his books, and I read almost all of his books in about 1 day because I just can't put them down.

Another book that I was reluctant to read at first. Only because I always get confused between Markus Zusak and Tim Winton, and after 'That Eye The Sky' I resolved never to read another book by Tim Winton. This book is just amazing. It is so beautifully written, and once again just a fascinating concept. From now on I will definitely remember that I am a complete Markus Zusak fangirl. 

I had to read this book for Gothic English, and it was one of the only books on the reading list that I completely enjoyed. I put this book in there because the dark side of me always enjoys a little murder and the supernatural, and I just think it's an interesting book because of both its factual and fictional aspects. 

I am waiting for An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns to arrive in the mail. I thought I would enjoy Looking For Alaska, but I had no idea how much I would. This book made me feel things I hadn't felt in a while. I felt like I was back at school, not at uni pretending to be all grown up, and I just felt this book in every possible way.

I had a hard time starting this book. The language is fairly archaic, and the sentences are so long and drawn out. It took a trip to Belle Ille, in France, to get me to read this book. I started reading during my holidays, but after the trip to Belle Ille I finished almost all of it that night. I started appreciating the beauty in the words and in the story. It became one of my favourite books ever. 

I came across this book in Big W, and I was just drawn in by the cover. It's hard to explain exactly why I love this book so much, but it really just tapped in to so many of my emotions that I couldn't help but love it. I fell in love with the character of Michael, and wanted him to be real and alive so badly. Once I'd finished I couldn't get this book out of my head.

I have chosen all of these books because although they are all quite different they all had the same affect on me. They made me feel things and they affected the way I look at things. They all affected me a lot more than just being another book that I've read and they're ones that completely immersed me in them, so that I didn't feel like I was reading a story, but that I was in a story.

I hope you enjoy them Kirby and I hope they do similar things to you.