The Pigeon Post

           The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann explores common themes such as grief, isolation, and artistry. I first heard of this back in December when my childhood friend recommended it to me, and I must say I was not disappointed. My favorite book is definitely the sixth book, Island of Graves as I found it the most emotionally significant.     The story follows the Stowe twins Aaron and Alex, who live in Quill, where any form of emotion or creative expression calls for you to be "purged". Alex gets caught drawing with a stick in the dirt, but instead of receiving a death sentence, he gets sent to this place where magic and artistry are praised. I really enjoyed this series because the plot was carried out in such an easy-to-understand way, and I could connect with the feeling of "being different" that Alex Stowe felt while he was in Quill. And I loved seeing the contrast between Quill and Artime, as Quill is this dark grey, depressing place. But the...

                                                                                                And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer is written by Fredrik Backman and it is a story that can deeply move someone, it's about memory, family, and the quiet ways love persists even as the mind begins to fade. The author is known for his ability to mix emotional depth with humor using that he crafted this narrative that goes into what happens when someone you love slowly loses pieces of themselves.    ...

  My best friend's favorite book, one that she has been talking to me about nonstop for weeks, is a book called Flipped by Wendelen Van Draanen. I watched the movie adaptation with her last weekend— it was alright, but nothing special— and she told me that it was horrible in comparison to the original book and that I had to read it. I usually do not go through a full-length book so quickly; however, in the case of Flipped, I finished its entirety after having started the first few pages a week or two ago in the span of two days. Although Flipped is marketed as a "romance" book, it is far more than that. It follows two characters— Bryce and Juli— both completely different people, yet Juli develops a crush on Bryce nonetheless. Like every other one of her friends, she attempts to get closer to him by showering him with gifts and compliments, however to no avail as Bryce continues to see her as nothing more than an annoying nerd that may as well be stalking him. His own fami...

  While looking through my bookshelf for something to read, I found Such a Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson and decided to reread it. In the book, the Calhouns are the picture-perfect, ideal American, upper-class family. Thom and Ginny Calhoun have everything anyone could possibly want: a beautiful house in Washington, D.C., a successful business, and plenty of money. Most importantly, they raised three beautiful children named Trey, Nate and Ellie Grace. The book starts off at the family's annual cherry blossom party held at the Calhoun house. Guests and family are enjoying food and one another’s company. However, the party is quickly cut short after a murder takes place. Thom is murdered and Ginny was left badly injured inside the house. The party turns into a crime scene while detectives search to find the murderer, questioning guests including Renée, Ginny’s closest friend. Every guest at the party is considered a suspect and everyone, even Ginny's children, are interr...

Near the end of winter break I started reading the Maze Runner series, which was recommended to me by my cousin (again, this is like the third time). And I think it was a pretty good recommendation, because I was able to read the three books in about two weeks while balancing a lot of schoolwork. Anyway, the Maze Runner is about a boy named Thomas who wakes up in the Glade, which is pretty much a big field with a stone maze around it. When he gets there, he has no memories except his name. There are about 50 other boys there, and Thomas learns that each month for the last three years a new boy has been coming up what they call “the box,” which seems like some sort of underground elevator that also sends up supplies.  In the Glade, everyone has a job. All of the boys arrived with no memories and by working together hope to escape the maze. Some of them are called “Runners” and they spend each day going through the maze, remembering patterns and copying them down, analyzing differe...

  When you first look at it, Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven sounds too basic, simple or even boring to be of any importance. Like you might be like, “A book about making your bed? Really?” But it's that simpleness that makes it impactful. This book is based on the author’s 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas and expands on 10 life lessons he learned during Navy SEAL training and decades of military service. The core idea is quite practical, refreshing even. The idea is that small actions which are taken consistently can create the momentum needed for big change. One of the 10 lessons that is repeated many times throughout the book, the title lesson (making your bed every morning), isn’t really just about neat sheets. It’s about discipline. A sense of accomplishment can be achieved by completing a small task first thing in the day. Say if your day goes terrible, at least you come home to something done right. That tiny win can matter more than you think...