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Rate — 4/5

About — I’m typically not a huge “self help” book person, but this one is worth the read. Sometimes I think personal growth is an underrated aspect of our lives. Having mental toughness can actually improve all aspects of our lives. It’s definitely something I want to work on, especially before leaving for college and living on my own in a new state. This book is worth the read. On the second slide is the list of things they don’t do. Morin uses interesting personal narratives and wisdom from her years as a counselor to highlight trends and room for improvement. This book provides realistic, doable changes that anyone can make to become more mentally strong.

Rate — 3.5/5

About — I picked up this book because I’m not usually a poetry reader, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Dickinson covers the typical poetry topics — nature, love, death, life, and more. Her poetry is sort of what I picture when I think of a poem. Short. Rhyming. And a bit confusing. It was great for stretching myself and read a genre I don’t usually read, though.

Do you have any poetry recommendations?

Rate — 2/5

About — This was Kafka’s first novel, but he never finished it. The book was actually published posthumously. These should have been signs that the book isn’t that good. I’m not normally one to give up on a book, but I am not enjoying this one at all. Amerika follows a young European immigrant as he is continually used and mislead during his early days in America. Kafka never visited America. It’s a strange and uncomfortable combination of realistic and bizarre. I enjoyed The Metamorphosis which is why I picked this up, but this book didn’t work for me the way that one did.

Rate — 4.3/5

About — I loved this book until the end. I can never put down Agatha Christie books! This one had some good promise. Two detectives try and solve a seemingly impossible mysterious murder case. Poirot hears about the case and seemingly immediately comes to the correct conclusion about it. The book was so good, but the ending wasn’t as exciting as I would have hoped.

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens in 1859

Rate — 8.5/10

About — I only subtracted points because it took so long to get to the action. This book is beautifully written. So many threads tie together in the end. I actually teared up reading the last chapter. This story not only depicts a vivid and horrific picture of a dark time in history, but also shows the unrelenting beauty and strength that humans are capable of during hard times. Some of the characters were a bit one dimensional, but the dynamic character’s growth made it all worth it.

Rate — 4.7/5

About — This book unearths the (surprisingly dramatic) stories behind daunting names like Curium, Antimony, Copernicium, Bismuth and the genius minds behind their discovery. Kean covers every topic imaginable about the periodic table —historical uses and misconceptions about elements and their properties, political and personal disputes between great scientists, even what elements might indicate extraterrestrial life. I learned so much about atomic fusion, fission, radioactivity, and how scientists can achieve mind blowing new states of matter. This book was hard to put down. I will add a warning that if you don’t at least slightly enjoy science, this book might not be for you. That being said, I enjoyed this book much more than the average AP Chem class and I learned more reading this.

Book by Mary Roach in 2003

Rate — 4.5

About — I loved this book! Roach’s writing is hilarious, but never at the expense of the people (and cadavers) involved in the story. Her research was incredibly thorough. At one point she watched med school students giving face lifts to cadaver heads, at another she went to a forensics lab studying the process of decay, she went to a crash test site. She even traveled to a morgue in China suspected of selling human meat (thankfully that one was inconclusive).

Roach interviews a wide range of doctors, forensics, scientists, and crazy people about the ways they use cadavers in their research. Some of the uses are a bit gruesome, but this is intentional. Roach is trying to convey the idea that no matter what you choose, death isn’t pretty. Even traditional burial isn’t sitting in a coffin looking like you’re asleep forever. Surprisingly, even though she paints a somewhat gruesome picture about what happens after we die, Roach makes a heartfelt and compelling argument for organ donation. We can’t take anything with us when we die, so we might as well be among the cadavers that actually do good after death.

Initially I picked it hoping to gauge whether or not I could handle a cadaver lab in med school, but I ended up learning so much more than I bargained for about the controversial, useful, not useful (and downright strange) uses that cadavers have had over the course of human history. This book would make science fun even for someone who doesn’t usually enjoy it.

Rate — 4

About — I read this one a while back, but I figured it was worth a post! This is a classic mystery novel in every sense of the word. I would recommend it if you need a fun, quick weekend read. My favorite mystery novels are ones with detectives that always uncover the mystery, and Christie's Poirot always seems to fit that bill. I love Agatha Christie books for plane flights, so I need to start stocking up before going to college because I’ll (hopefully) be travelling to and from San Francisco quite a bit! I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I love these retro Agatha Christie book covers so much.

I began the summer and fall interning at an orthodontist office. This was my first experience working in health care -- a possible career option for me. I learned what it takes to work in a health field. I worked with patients every day, and even performed simple oral hygiene and braces checks. I spoke weekly with the head orthodontist about her career and experience in dental school and undergrad. This was a valuable and enlightening experience.

Next, I was offered a job at my high school where I helped with COVID support and leading middle school study halls. It is still a bit strange for me, as an 18 year old, to see “Ms. Johnson” on the nameplate by the door, but this experience is teaching me the value of a nine-to-five, full time job and probably more than I ever wanted to know about how to resolve conflicts (aka, middle school dramas!)

In a way, I’ve also been learning how to lead and how to manage a team. I help instruct students taking Chinese (an area of expertise I can share) and act as a liaison between the high school Chinese teacher and the middle schoolers in the class. I briefly worked in the lower school with kindergarten and second grade as a building aide. I got to work in the library and learned the Dewey decimal system (who knows when that will come in handy?) and read with students who need extra help.

Throughout the year I have been helping my former high school with admissions and participating in virtual tours and student panels to share about the school to prospective students. Next weekend, I will give a speech for the school’s largest fundraising event.

As a side project, I started an online internship with the Minnesota SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) organization and have been helping do research for their marketing initiatives. Of all the projects I’ve been doing, I still see myself most interested in a health related field, and can’t wait to get to Stanford next fall!

Quiet by Susan Cain in 2012

Rate — 3.5

I’ll admit that I didn’t read this book cover to cover. I read most of it though, and I think I got the gist. This book is probably the most helpful for extroverts to read. It seems like everyone I know who’s read it is an introvert trying to learn about how their introverted minds work. But, I think as an introvert, a lot of what Cain had to say was somewhat intuitive. I’m not saying it wasn’t worth the read, but for someone who likes fiction like I do, it might be a long read. I think my favorite parts of this book were the character studies Cain made. This helped me to realize the nuances and intricacies of personalities, even across the introvert-extrovert spectrum. This book was empowering to read as an introvert. Even though we have this image in our heads about what it means to be an introvert, it isn’t always accurate. Most importantly, this book reminded me of the importance of good old fashioned alone time.

Rate — 2.5

About — Wow. This book is so utterly depressing. There’s not one happy ending in the whole book. Madame Bovary follows a young woman through her married life. After she quickly tires of her husband, she seeks excitement and romance in all the wrong places. What starts as a somewhat innocent dream of love and wealth ends in a complete corruption of her soul, and, ultimately, her demise. Emma Bovary’s failure to accept her station in life and drives her family to ruin.

Quote — “One must not touch idols; the gilt rubs off on one’s hands” This quote sums up Flaubert’s message -- accept the life you’re given.

Murder on the Orient Express

Rate — 5

About — This is another incredible mystery novel!! This book is just as surprising as and then there were none, but much less unnerving (if you want to be freaked out go for And Then There Were None) This is a classic detective story -- a murder occurs just before a train is stopped in its tracks due to an avalanche. Of course, there is a detective on board who is willing to unravel the mystery. I loved this book because the ending genuinely shocked me!

The Man in the Brown Suit

Rate — 2.5

About — This book had a slow start and was, surprisingly, more of a thriller than a mystery. This was a fun read, but wasn’t my favorite Agatha Christie novel. I think true mysteries are more her forte.

And Then There Were None — by Agatha Christie in 1939

Rate — 5

About — This one of my all time favorite mystery novels! What makes this book so unnerving is that it is not a detective mystery novel — the murders keep occuring as those on the island are helplessly trying to discover the murderer. This book follows 10 people invited to a mysterious island by someone who’s name they think they recognize. Their island vacations are quickly put to a halt when they find out that they all share a dark secret. One by one each falls victim to a mysterious murderer and those remaining must find out who is responsible. This book is so thrilling, and for someone who doesn’t like horror, it is definitely unsettling. Overall, this is a great read.

I love old books so most of these are on the older side, but I think that makes them even more fascinating. My favorite mystery authors are Agatha Christie, Wilkie Collins, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! This kind of inspired me to maybe try and volume II of the Sherlock Holmes books.

Rate — 4

About — This book follows young Liesel who navigates poverty, loss, and love in Nazi-era Germany. After her mother drops Liesel off at a foster home, Liesel learns to grow from her childhood trauma and love her new family and friends that she meets on Himmel street. Liesel develops a love for reading and is willing to find books at any cost, due to her foster family’s financial state, this means stealing them. Her life gets complicated when her family takes in a young Jewish man, whom Liesel quickly befriends. Liesel begins to question the Nazi doctrine when she hears her parents whisper about the imminent regime. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will admit that I cried reading it. Just when you think this book couldn’t get more grim, Death is the narrator of this book.

This is actually the only Christmas book I could think of. Comment others if you can think of them!

A Christmas Carol — by Charles Dickens in 1843

rate — 4.5/5

About — Everyone knows the story, but this book is still definitely worth the read. I actually read this one last year before Christmas, and it was the perfect read. It’s not too long, but is just as heartwarming and enjoyable as all the movie adaptations I’ve seen throughout the years. This is the perfect cozy Christmas Day read, with a side of hot chocolate.