Category | Arts & Living

What I read over the holidays…

Published on January 13, 2009 by The Sentinel

   Not all KSU students stopped reading after finals last semester. The
holidays were filled with intellectual and entertaining reads,
including financial advice and motivational genres. If you missed these
books, be sure to make some reading time for them now.  

    Dog lovers can appreciate “Marley & Me” by Josh Grogan, which was originally released in Oct. 2005. The autobiographical book tells of the Grogan’s family dog, Marley, and the experiences they had with him for 13 years. On Dec. 25, the film adaptation of the book starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson was released to great critical acclaim. 

    Another film adaptation is “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer. Three years after the release of the book, the film has become quite popular. This young adult vampire-romance novel captures its audience’s attention and takes the reader on a ride through the life of Isabella “Bella” Swan and her love interest, vampire Edward Cullen.

    “Stephanie Meyer is the most amazing author,” said Adrianne Jarvis, a senior majoring in early childhood education. “She brings to life the most unlikely of all stories and draws the reader into the adventure. The way she writes makes her characters so real. I would have never thought I would fall in love with a fictional character, especially one that’s a vampire.”

    “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch is a heartfelt and inspirational true-life story. Paush, a computer science professor at Carnegie-Mellon, was asked to give his last lecture after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.    

    The phenomenon of “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne still thrives two years its release. This self-help book explains the “law of attraction.” Byrne theorizes that in order to receive a response from the universe, people should tell it what they need.    

    “Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan” was released on New Year’s Eve. This bestseller will help you get your finances on track this year. With economic woes increasing, college students have to focus not only on studies, but also on getting fiscally fit this year. Topics covered by Orman include credit, retirement, savings and spending, real estate and paying for college. Also, Oprah Winfrey’s Web site (oprah.com) features a free download of the book.

    “Princess” by Jean Sasson is a true story of a Saudi Arabian princess. The book highlights the life of a strong-willed girl in a world dominated by men. “Every woman should read this book,” said Melissa Nzamba, a sophomore majoring in business management. “It will open your eyes to a life outside of America and make you want to do something to change it.” 

    “Escape” by Carolyn Jessop is the true story of how the author escaped from a forced marriage. Jessop became the first woman ever granted full custody of her children in a contested suit involving the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the radical branch of the Mormon Church.

    A book that will make you want to get out and do something good with your life is “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson. This book gives you a different view into the lives of people in Pakistan and the surrounding areas. The main theme of “Three Cups” is that education is the key to the future. Read this book to get a true view of the Pakistani people.