Carson Reads

30. The Notebook- Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook is Sparks' first ever-published novel! It deals with the forbidden love of two who had a young and passionate love when they were growing up but were separated for several years. Now that Noah is back and Allie is engaged to someone else, what is going to happen! Ah! Honestly, can I say something crazy and say that I prefer the movie? The book neglects a lot of the beginning of their love story and the end is much more... interesting than the sweet older couple shown in the movie. Allie from the book seems much more shallow and ditsy than my girl Rachel McAdams from the movie (I have not seen the movie in many years and hope I'm not romanticizing it in my head too much). But, It's a good beach read, not much substance, and is written with the lexile score to accommodate a fifth grader (850, if you were wondering. Harry Potter # 1's lexile score is 880). Read if you'd like! ((or watch the movie, honestly will be more enjoyable)) Pages- 214 Published- 1996 Author- Nicholas Sparks Let me know what you think! What book should I read next? Follow me on my socials, and let's chat books! Instagram- CarsonCampbell_ Twitter- Carson7Campbell Podcasts- Carson Reads

29. The Richest Man in Babylon- George S. Clason

Originally published as a series of pamphlets to teach money-smarts, The Richest Man in Babylon is a series of short vignettes that take place in Ancient Babylon! The main character's name is Arkad and he has a lot to say about personal finance! This is a book that I think everyone should read! We could all be more money-wise and this book does a really good job at teaching the how-to. One caution before you dive in is that Clason uses old-timey speak. Arkad speaks like he was really back in Ancient Babylon! I know that that can get on some people's nerves reading so many "thou"s and "thine"s. So there's a heads up! Otherwise, a really good book. I see why it is a classic of personal finance. Pages- 144 Published- 1926 Author- George S. Clason Let me know what you think! What book should I read next? Follow me on my socials, and let's chat books! Instagram- CarsonCampbell_ Twitter- Carson7Campbell Youtube- Carson Reads

28. Everything is Illuminated- Jonathan Safran Foer

When first opening the book it might seem like the pages are just filled with word vomit, but the message held within the pages is a beautiful one! I struggled a bit with this book's writing style and the number of times that it jumped around, but I do believe some important things can be gleaned through the chaos. It follows a young Jewish American who is on a quest to learn more about his now-deceased family, he discovers quite a bit as he travels to the opposite side of the globe and talks with many personality-filled characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a different perspective on what it is like to grow up Jewish. It is not a WW2 book! but provides many insights on Jewish tradition and the importance of family. Pages- 276 Published- 2002 Author- Jonathan Safran Foer Let me know what you think! What book should I read next? Follow me on my socials, and let's chat books! Instagram- CarsonCampbell_ Twitter- Carson7Campbell YouTube- Carson Reads

27. A Little Life- Hanya Yanagihara

TRIGGER WARNING- Sexual abuse, and trauma are VERY prevalent in this book, Ms. Yanagihara holds nothing back and describes awful things in horrible detail. This book is the most devastating book I think I have ever read, it deals a lot with trauma, abuse, and moving forward when we don't know the answers. The main themes include friendship, addiction, loneliness, and happiness. Not a happy read by any metric, it is seriously so sad. This book is far from perfect, some of the story does seem like trauma dumping with no true purpose except the shock factor, but I don't regret my read. It teaches compassion and to treat all the people in your life with love. Be there for your friends!! More likely than not they need you. A semi-controversial book, I'm very interested in your thoughts on it, please leave a comment! Pages- 816 Published- 2015 Author- Hanya Yanagihara Let me know what you think! What book should I read next? Follow me on my socials, and let's chat books! Instagram- CarsonCampbell_ Twitter- Carson7Campbell Youtube- Carson Reads

26. The Song of Achilles- Madeline Miller

I'm sure we all know the climax of the tale of Achilles, but do you know his true story? This was the first novel published by Madeline Miller, who, by the way, has her master's in Classical Studies. The book is GENIUS, I so thoroughly enjoyed it. It is narrated by Achilles' chosen friend, Patroclus, and tells the story of their boyhood all the way through to the battle of Troy. I loved this book. I would recommend this book to any and everyone, the writing is so vivid and beautiful, and the story is familiar enough but there were also things that I discovered I never knew. One of my favorite reads of this year! Pages- 416 Published- 2011 Author- Madeline Miller Let me know what you think! What book should I read next? Follow me on my socials, and let's chat books! Instagram- CarsonCampbell_ Twitter- Carson7Campbell Youtube- Carson Reads