American Sniper

American Sniper by Chris Kyle

From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyles kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for this book. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time.

A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war—of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends.                                     Miranda Pemosky- This book was sad, I had watched the movie before I had read the book and it was an extraordinary movie! I love that the novel was written by Chris Kyle and then continued after his death. This is an amazing story that would be great for anybody!


Rating: 10 out of 10

Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.                       
                             I didn't love this book as much as everyone else seemed to. I thought it was funny especially the first half. The plot was interesting, but it got boring to read after a while and I didn't really want to finish it.


Rating: 7 out of 10

Warriors Don't Cry

Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals

Beals chronicles her harrowing junior year at Central High where she underwent the segregationists' brutal organized campaign of terrorism which included telephone threats, vigilante stalkers, economic blackmailers, rogue police, and much more.

                                 This is a very good, well written book that plays with your emotions. The characters are easily relatable and you fall in love with them instantly. I would recommend this book to anyone who finds segregation and integration of African Americans interesting or is looking for a good book to read. The reason I rated this book with an 8 is due to the fact that it was slow getting into the book, but once I did I could not put it down. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone!

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.



                                Nikki Tomci- The book was an amazing story and unlike the typical cancer story, it wasn't all sad. Randy explained how he gained his optimistic point of view throughout his life, which provided me with motivation to be kind and make a change in my life. It's a lot like "Tuesday's With Morris" which was also a very good book. I'd recommend this to any reader.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Food Rules

Food Rules: An Eaters Manual by Michael Pollan

Eating doesn't have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings a welcome simplicity to our daily decisions about food.


               Really great quick read for getting into healthy eating. All the rules are pretty simple and easy to understand.  It's kind of like someone took everything you know about healthy eating mixed with some things you didn't know, made it easy to understand and stuck it in a book.


Rating: 7 out of 10

The Green Beauty Guide

The Green Beauty Guide By Julie Gabrial

Go green and get gorgeous The promise of beauty is as close as the drugstore aisle shampoo that gives your hair more body, lotions that smooth away wrinkles, makeup that makes your skin look flawless, and potions that take it all off again. But while conventional products say they'll make you more beautiful, they contain toxins and preservatives that are both bad for the environment and bad for your body including synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, and even formaldehyde. In the end, they damage your natural vitality and good looks. 
Fortunately, fashion writer, nutritionist, and beauty maven Julie Gabriel helps you find the true path to natural, healthy, green beauty. She helps you decipher labels on every cosmetic product you pick up and avoid toxic and damaging chemicals with her detailed Toxic Ingredients List. You'll learn valuable tips on what your skin really needs to be healthy, glowing, and youthful. 

                                                        This book is great for anyone ooking to increase their knowledge on the toxic chemicals we but into our bodies via cosmetics! It is a wonderful foundation in starting a greener life style. The recipes are a bit advanced, so try checking the internet for more basic ones, before trying the ones in the book. If you are concerned about putting cancer causing agents in your body you need this book!

Rating: 9 out of 10

This Star Won't Go Out

This Star Won't Go Out by Ester Earl with Lori &Wayne Earl 

A collection of the journals, fiction, letters, and sketches of the late Esther Grace Earl, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 16. Photographs and essays by family and friends will help to tell Esther’s story along with an introduction by award-winning author John Green

                                This book was eye opening. To be able to read someone's diary is one of the most interesting experiences. Rarely do you get the unfiltered truth of what it's like to be a cancer patient, but in this book Esther Earl tells you what it is like. Esther's story of friendship and hardship inspired me. Nonfiction isn't my cup of tea, but Esther's inspiring story kept me interested until the end. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

The Last Lecture

The last lecture by Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

                              This book really touched my heart. By the end, I had shed a few tears. The fact that it was a true story really got to me. I liked it, but it took me a little while to get through it because it was pretty slow at times. It really made me have a new look on my life after reading about people so close to death. It was an inspiring novel that I would love to read again sometime. 

Rating: 7 out of 10