The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I just finished reading this book. The ending is still sinking in. All in all, I thought it was a great book. It takes a real talent to write a mystery book like this, in which the story follows actual clues from ancient history. I found it really interesting how Dan Brown was able to write a book using all of these historical references - ranging from old Bible stories to Walt Disney's movies. Also, I take Latin so I was able to make connections between some of the history referenced and the language used. I read this book because it was recommended to me by many people and I would say it lived up to my expectations.
Though I thought this book had a great ending, it took me a little while to get into the story. After reading the first couple of pages I found myself confused by the language. Also, the story was not fully developed yet so I had to keep reading for it to make sense.
The main plot of The Da Vinci Code followed the quest of Robert Langdon, a symbologist, and Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist, to find the Holy Grail (an ancient mystery) and to avoid being caught and arrested by international police. As the book continues, the suspense heightens as secrets are uncovered, good guys turn bad, and Sophie and Robert get closer to reaching their goal. I found it astonishing that the 454 page book only covered 2 days in the life of Robert and Sophie.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes mystery books. If you have never read a mystery book before I would recommend giving this one a try anyway because I never read to much of the mystery genre either. I especially liked how the chapters were short, only about 5 pages on average. This made the book seem more fast paced and allowed for easier reading.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Though I do not read it often, I find the historical fiction genre very interesting. I find it quite impressive how authors are able to develop a story around an actual event. My aunt was the first person to tell me about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas around when the movie was entering theaters. The plot follows a year in the life of two boys, whom are both growing up in very different lifestyles. One boy is a victim of the Holocaust, while the other is the son of a commandant of the other side. The story is told through the naive eyes of the second boy described.

Because this boy did not really know what his friend was truly going through and how his own father was an accessory to his suffering, it made for an interesting turn of events. It truly seemed like a 9-year-old was telling the story, yet this book was definitely not for a 9-year-old. The lesson it teaches and the images of the Holocaust make it an emotional read for anyone. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It is a quick read but very worthwhile. You will walk away with a new perspective on events in the past and connections to the present.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is my favorite author. The first book I read by her was My Sister's Keeper in eighth grade. Immediately I fell in love with the story and her overall writing style. Picoult always adds an extra flair into her novels that make them unique. In The Pact the different twist was that the chapters alternated between "Then" scenes and "Now" scenes. Thus, the story was told through flashbacks and the present-day happenings. Little things like that truly make reading much more interesting for me.

The Pact followed an interesting love story. It was especially interesting because one of the lovers is found dead on the first page. Throughout the book the reader tries to figure out why this death occurred through emotional recollections of the teenage lovers' past and controversial court hearings surrounding the death. Picoult really keeps the reader guessing; a foggy end to the character's life makes for controversy with the court decision.

This book is definitely for mature readers. I would recommend it mostly to girls who enjoy emotional love stories. The book goes into many details of the main character's relationship. Though it was not my favorite book by Jodi Picoult I would still recommend it to her fans.