The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night."
(taken from back of the book)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern reeled me into its most intriguing, yet enchanting world and I don't want to ever leave it! 
(spoiler free)

The Night Circus was published in 2011 by Anchor books, a division of Random House Inc. 
Let's just say, I wish this was the first book in a series. However, like any other breathtaking book that leaves you emotional and wishing for more, you can only sit and marvel at how well written the book was and in this case, what happens next is up to your imagination! 
When I think of a circus, I think of clowns, cotton candy, and entertainment such as acrobats, dancers and lions! This book was that and so much more! Filled with poetry within the words, sadness as well as glee, and a dash of romance! The night circus is filled with magic between the pages and characters, and I can't express enough how captivated I was reading this story. I found myself there, at the circus, and attached to the characters as if I'd known them and was always a part of their world. 
There is this mysterious battle between two young magicians, which takes place within the circus walls. What kind of battle you ask? No guts, no gore… just purely and simply, MAGICAL. Read it, you'll see.

It really is hard to pick just one favorite quote because like I said, there is just so much poetry within, but I really liked, 
“I would have written you, myself, if I could put down in words everything I want to say to you. A sea of ink would not be enough.' 'But you built me dreams instead.” 
because, I think we don't know sometimes how we effect people, and we don't say things in fear of it not being "good enough" but most times it IS enough and can mean so much to someone just the thought and the effort to say it, and sometimes you just got to do it! 

So, if you haven't gathered from my review so far if I think you should read this book, the answer is READ IT. I didn't feel disappointed by this book at all, only that I wish there was a second.

-Phoebe

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Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

Childhood's End is a science fiction novel set on earth. Humans are the main characters, although quickly visited by an unknown race (they don’t show their faces until they’ve been on earth for 50 years). The book fast forwards several times, but brings everything to a conclusion, which is (SPOILER ALERT) the end of the human race, although not the way you’d think. The unknown aliens bring order amongst the human chaos, and establish what is essentially a utopia while waiting for the emergence of the next powerful race coming from the homo sapiens species. Eventually that race comes, and destroys the earth, almost nonchalantly.

The book brought up many interesting ideas. Would a utopia be good? What would we lose as humanity if another race stopped allowing us to make mistakes that “would no doubt destroy us?” There was one section of the book talking about our culture’s idolization with science and how science is ill-prepared to answer questions beyond itself. The author in many ways tried his own sort of predicting what a future in this universe would look like. I love the practice of being forward thinking, especially socially. What will society look like if X, Y, & Z happen?

A question I think is important when reading a book is: “How did reading this book make me a better person?” I think the author is right when he says the world will end. Are you prepared for that? What do you believe about the end? How will you choose to live your life in light of your beliefs about the end? These are important questions, and today, we are often so distracted by trivial things that we fail to wrestle with these necessary conversations. This is where the book has enormous value. If we began to think more about what happens after we die, I think it would greatly shape how we live our life, how we spend our precious moments here on earth, and ultimately how we interact with other people.

Overall, this was an extremely fun read, and you could read it in a day. Science fiction fans will love it, and even if you aren't a huge science fiction fan (like me), you will enjoy it as well. The ending of the book will be polarizing. Some may love it, some may hate it, but hopefully the entire book will at least encourage you to have an opinion.

-Evan

             

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True Devotion by Dee Henderson

I’ve recently become a Dee Henderson fan because of her book, True Devotion published in 2002 by Multnomah Publishers. I was intrigued from the get go and that’s always a good sign when starting a new book!

True Devotion starts out with an intense scene of survival out in the open Pacific off of San Diego, where Kelly Jacobs treads below freezing waters, holding on to not only her own dear life, but onto a 15 year old boy who gets pulled out to sea while surfing by rip tides. They barely make it. Talk about stressful and terrifying. She doesn't give up, even when her mind and body tell her to give up.  

Kelly is widowed to a Navy Seal, Nick, who has passed away, she’s told during a “training” accident. This story tells about her life after his death and how it just may have been more than a training accident that killed Nick. Kelly is wounded and trying to heal from the pain of losing a loved one, she's fragile but courageous. She's smart, her husband Nick taught her to be in the years before his death. She shows how moving on is possible after horrible events and seasons of life, and even how falling in love again is not completely absurd. 

Navy Seal Lieutenant Joe Baker, "Bear" was Nick's best friend and partner, who swears to take care of Kelly, possibly because he partially feels responsible for his partners death. What could he have done differently on the mission, "training accident", to change how things went? Joe is always there for Kelly, keeping her safe from the evil that follows her after Nick's death and she finds comfort in that. Someone she can trust with everything in her, someone who will do anything and everything to keep her safe and alive. Joe has to figure out what the right thing to do is, while still an active duty navy seal and his dedication to serve, his spending more time with Kelly he is realizing his feelings are more than just friendship. Can he risk putting Kelly through that life again? 

This was not my first Dee Henderson book I've read, but it is by far my favorite one so far.  Something I love about Dee Henderson is her ability to balance romance along side suspense, keeping it interesting but not over dramatic. To be honest, some of her books can be too slow for me or have too much detail that I lose a little interest, but that wasn’t the case with this one. I definitely recommend True Devotion, and if you love a good romance/suspense you won't be disappointed with this one.

-Phoebe 

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A Society For Reviews

Hello book friends!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out my book blog!
I'm calling it "Stories Society" because I want this to be a little society full of all things adventure, mystery, romance and magic that takes you to another universe.

I hope to write my own honest reviews that help you and whoever is reading, decide if a story is for you or not.
It means the world to me that you've stopped by, and I hope you come back soon to read my first book review on Stories Society!




Sincerely,

Phoebe

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