"Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown

I just finished this book last night, and it was amazing! This was the very first book that I have read by Dan Brown., and it was an excellent read. This book is about Langdon and how he must solve a riddle and at the same time preserve a very important item that is given to him; called the keystone. The keystone is used to open up a lock that holds back an item that is sought out by many, the grail. This grail is very, very precious and priceless; people would do anything to get their hands on it. Speaking of which, there are people that one to get their hands on it. Remy and Silas are two of which that desperately wanted these items in order to get wealthy. Their reasonings behind everything aren't well known until near the end of the book. The book starts off slow, but it continues to get better and better. I love the author's writing style; I'd say it's on par with Brewer's! Either way, this book is amazing and I highly suggest it.

Chronicles of Vladimir Todd, "12th Grade Kills" by Heather Brewer

This is the final book in the series, and it is by far the best book. This book ties up all the loose ends and finishes everything once and for all. This is where Vladimir unites with his father who he believed died in a fire that occurred at his house. The bodies were not found, so they just assumed that his parents had died. Little does he know that his father is well alive; however, he is in a lot of trouble with the vampire council. This is where Vlad comes in. D'ablo is alive as well, and he tried to get his father executed. The drama and the action is overwhelmingly good; Brewer never disappoints me. The characterization is astounding here, the characters have all developed, either for the better or the worse (that's for you to decide!) The tension between characters have severely increased, and it keeps increasing. What's interesting is that, as the series evolves, so does the author. It's like it changes her, and as it gets more intense, her ways of writing drastically improves as well. She took all of her heart into this series and it really shows off. Her writing style impresses me greatly. After writing this, I came to the realization that I should read more of her books. I'm not so sure why I haven't!

The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd, "Eleventh Grade Burns" by Heather Brewer

This is one of my favorite series that I have ever read. The author, Heather Brewer, is without a doubt  my favorite book author. The way she describes things, makes characters change from beginning to end and how she writes the plot astonishes me and it has a very strong impact on me. The character, Vladimir, is very relatable, as he has a very tough life because he must deal with both school work and the fact that he has special powers, and with special powers comes 'special' responsibilities. This book used to be a trilogy, but it quickly grew as it had a large fan base and they constantly demanded Brewer to make more books to the series. I can't blame them, this series is amazing. This book features the return of the main antagonist of Vlad and his whole family, D'ablo. D'ablo, at first, tries to help Vladimir and worship him because he is the Pravus; a creature who will eventually be released and rule over all mankind. However; D'ablo just decides to kill Vlad. He hires someone, another vampire, to kill him instead of doing it himself. In the mean time. Vladimir is also being hunted by the cousin of Henry, his best friend, who is known as Cecil. Cecil has a strong hatred against Vampires, since his younger sister was killed by them. From all of this, can't you see that the characters are so unique and have a large variety? That's what I really like about this; all of the lovable characters and how they fit so well into the plot of the book. I will not spoil anymore because I highly suggest this book. This is the fourth book in the series, so it would not be wise to start reading this one. This book is about action, love, mystery and many other genres fit in there as well. I could go on and on about this book, but I'll stop right there.

"The Hobbit" by J. R. R. Tolkien

I'm not really a huge fan of J. R. R. Tolkien, but this is my favorite book written by him. The story is very captivating and it's easy to get into, the only problem with it is that there are quite a few places and characters to remember; just pay attention to it while you're reading! I really like the description of the book and how it starts off. It opens up by telling us the home of the Hobbit and how he lives his life. It's an interesting way to start a book and it's not done often but it was performed very well and it leaves a lasting effect on the reader. The book has amazing characterization; we see how the Hobbit really evolves from beginning to end. The plot was very interesting as well. It's about how Gandalf, "The most powerful wizard of all time" tricks Bilbo The Hobbit into hosting a party, and then everything goes downhill from there. It starts off rather lighthearted, but then it gets much, much more serious and thought provoking as time goes on. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I'll avoid saying more about the plot. Another thing I really like about this book is the time frame it's set in. Tolkien wanted to write a book that takes place in earlier times (way earlier times from now.) and it fits very well with the book and its style. I think Tolkien did a very good job with this book; as he made a very well written story. This is one of the most popular books; I think most adults of this generation have read it, if not all.

"The Dead Zone"

I have recently gotten into Stephen King, and he is one of my favorite authors. He writes his books in such a way that captivates everyone, including me, and he uses so much description as well, it's like he is bringing his characters to life. This book is about a young boy named John that awakens from a deep coma. To his surprise, he has a special psychic detective ability that enables him to read someone's secrets. Another thing he realizes is that his colleague crush, Sarah Bracknell, has been married and had a child. He tells people about his ability to read the past, present and the future and eventually takes up a detective job from the sheriff. I'll stop talking about the summary for now, as amazing as it is. Just like all of the other books, this one has amazing characters. They are all so different from each other and they all contrast each other. John is a remarkable character, and the road that he follows plus the overall plot makes the read worth its while. As the mystery unfolds, the book continues to get better and better. There isn't that much that I can say about the book; it's better to read it and take in the charm and beauty it has to offer. Stephen King did a fantastic job with this book; I think this book is much better than Misery, this may even be his best book!

"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

This book series is my personal favorite. It has everything that I could ask for: "An action-packed adventure, amazing characters, a fantastic plot based, at first, around saving your sister, but now from saving every district... so on and so forth." This series is so likable and is definitely one of the most popular series in America, and maybe even world wide. Mockingjay continues right where Catching Fire left off, but this book isn't about the actual hunger games. Katniss is helping the rebels from all districts by supporting them. However, in order for Katniss to help, she makes a deal with them. If Katniss helps them, the rebels have to get Peeta back for her. Katniss does in fact get Peeta back, but he is brainwashed by the Capitol. I would continue to go on with the summary, but that would reveal massive spoilers, and I could talk about the summary all day long. Honestly, I love the plot switch. Instead of entering another annual hunger games, Katniss has to deal with President Snow head on, except with a bunch of friends backing her up. However, the more she helps the rebels, the more friends she loses. This book is much, much more violent in comparison to the previous two books, which is very surprising since both of the books takes place in the Hunger Games where killing people is the goal. Katniss has really evolved as a character over the course of the books, and watching her develop is interesting. She's a very unique character, there are not many fictional characters like her. In fact, all of the characters are different. Ellie's hairstyle is so eccentric, I doubt anyone would do their hair like that! "Mockingjay" is a wonderful addition to the series and a great way to end the trilogy.

"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

I knew that from the start of the second quarter I would have trouble meeting the requirements (Read one award winning book). Most award winning books don't please me, but "Speak" looked very promising, and it was a great read. Speak is about a young girl named Melinda who makes it seem like she has no friends and hates most of the people that go to her school because of the cliques that they are in. There is a clique for everyone, even for the people that aren't very popular. I love the characterization in this book. Melinda starts out as a insecure girl that is cold towards everyone. However, at the end of the book, she makes a few friends and becomes a much  better person, both on the inside and outside. At one point of the story, Melinda decides to hide a secret from everyone which causes everyone to leave her, but who can blame her? Melinda was raped at the party, and she doesn't know how to tell everyone about this; she doesn't know how to recover. Because of Melinda's character, it is difficult to not feel bad for her. She is being mistreated just because of the fact that she refuses to admit what happened at the party. Melinda isn't the only memorable character either. The art teacher is a personal favorite of mine, he encourages the class to think outside of the box and he seems to really like Melinda. In fact, the art teacher is the only person that was nice to her on the first day of school. Before I spoil anymore, I'll end the summary there. Laurie Halse Anderson did an outstanding job with creating this book. The plot, characterization and characters are unique and designed in such a way that the readers will not forget them. I recommend this book for everyone .