The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I have heard a lot about this book, and I decided to give it a try. What's interesting is that the person who wrote it wasn't unhappy. She just felt that she should be happier. Some of these techniques didn't apply to me, but I loved this idea. A "happiness project" is a period of time that you devote to making yourself happier. you start by asking basic questions. "What makes me happy?" and "What makes me unhappy?" then you go into deeper questions that are more specific to your personality and situation. It's a very powerful thing, and unlike the story in Eat Pray Love, this project involves changing your routine instead of making major changes like a trip or a vacation. I found this useful because there is some wisdom to the outline of the "happiness project". Even thinking about how to make yourself happier can make you happier. So this book is about one woman's quest to dedicate a year to finding ways to be happy, but you read everything very differently when you outline your own "happiness project". I think this is extremely useful for people that have to hurry up and wait while they pursue a dream or goal to be happier. You don't have to drive yourself crazy waiting for a big change. You can make little changes to yourself and discover a way to appreciate your life without taking things for granted. I highly recommend this book to anyone at any time. Even if you're already happy, like Gretchen Rubin when she started the book, pursuing happiness is not selfish. The atmosphere you create around you can be a positive or negative influence to yourself and others around you. Another important note is that this book isn't about faking happiness. It's about discovering what makes you happy and working toward staying that way.

Mara Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

I read this book in Middle School with my English class, and I have loved it ever since! It is the story of Mara, a young slave girl who is literally thrown into the balance of politics and deception. She becomes a spy for both sides of the throne and enjoys the new freedom of her occupation. As she learns about the inner workings of the palace, and gets to know the people behind the plans on who will rule Egypt, she discovers that she must eventually choose who she will support. This opportunity has helped Mara discover things that she had never needed before. As a slave Mara trusted and looked to no one. In this dangerous game, she finds friends and discovers who she wants to be.
This book uses a different accent of Egyptian jargon translated into English. If you've never read about Egypt before, or the events of Egyptian history, some research wouldn't be a bad idea. This story is entertaining and thrilling. I recommend it to anyone who loves adventure, historical literature and a clever character.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming

I found this book at an antique store, and to be honest, I had no idea it was a novel! So, naturally I had to buy it and started reading it immediately.
The book is charming and imaginative like the film, but it is a different story. Instead of an adventure in a different country where children are banned, The Potts family are swept up into a mystery and discover the most notorious burglar Joe Monster in France. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang can also talk in a way, printing messages to tell the family what to do. She can fly, float and she has a mind of her own. As I read this book, I was reminded of Roald Dahl, and the narrator takes liberty to explain things to the reader in a similar way that Lemony Snicket did in The Series of Unfortunate Events. It's a fun adventure and a very creative story. I recommend it to fan of the film, Roald Dahl books and the Series of Unfortunate Events.
Fun fact: Roald Dahl was actually a script writer for the film!

Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

It's amazing how a book can make you think and learn. When I first read this book, I only thought of it as a sequel to Wildwood Dancing, but it is more than that. While Wildwood Dancing was Jenica's story, Cybele's Secret is Paula's story. Paula is a thinker, worrier and an explorer. She is constantly curious about different cultures, languages and folklore. This book is told through her point of view as she travels to Istanbul to help her father obtain the mysterious artifact of Cybele for a highly interested buyer. Once they arrive, they discover that danger is lurking around every corner and hire Stoyan as a body guard to keep them safe. Paula focuses on the task at hand, but soon becomes involved in something she never could have imagined. Their competitors have been threatened, and rumor has it the pirate Duarte could be behind the viscous attacks, but his interest in Paula is noticed by many. With her sister Tatiana's warning, Paula must complete a quest of her own. The challenges that await her are less complicated than she makes them. As a debt to Draguta, the witch who helped both Jenica and Tatiana become who they are, Paula must find a way to protect Cybele and learn what her task in Istanbul actually is. As she learns to trust and rely on others, Paula takes a step of self discovery on her own and embarks on a journey that will teach her strength, courage and love.
I highly recommend this book, as a nice sequel to Wildwood Dancing and an amazing story that has lessons of its own.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

I bought this book after reading the back, and started a tradition of buying a book on random, due to this book's discovery. It's a beautifully written tale about a family of sisters who must find a way to deal with the adversity that threatens to tear their lives apart. It starts when their father is sick, and needs to leave their home, the castle of Piscul Dracului, to receive medical attention. Jena, the second oldest in the family must take on the responsibility to balance two worlds, but she isn't alone. Her best friend and adviser Gogu, a frog she found when she was young,  has always been there for her, and only she can hear his voice. The family harbors a secret of their own. Every full moon, the five sisters and Gogu go to the Bright Between and dance with the other kingdom, made of magic, fairies, dwarves, elves and many other magical beings. Once Tatiana, the oldest sister falls in love with one of the night people, Jena must become the caretaker for her family, and guard them against her former friend Cezar's obsession with power.
I read this book once a year, after I discovered it in middle school. It's many fairy tales woven into one, and it has it's own story that takes place in the mysterious land of Transylvania. If I were to write a fairytale, I would want it to balance and have an amazing narrator like this story does. I recommend this book to anyone who loves fairy tales, magic, adventure and the coming of age story. Beautifully done.