Carson Reads

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

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

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

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

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

The series finally wraps up, thank goodness! The last two chapters of this book are the best by far. I am so excited to be done reading and talking about this series. If you have been following along, you know I have some issues with it! But it was good to see Percy and the gang join forces and finally conquer evil. Would recommend it only if you're this far in the series and feel like there is no turning back, you have to finish now! Pages- 381 Published- 2009 Author- Rick Riordan 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

Dare I say that this is my favorite of the series? It feels like Rick Riordan is finally done throwing in more characters into the mix so the plot can settle and the action starts to pick up! That being said, there are still the classic Percy Jackson tropes and cheesiness oozing on some of the pages, but I came to the realization that it might come off that way to me only because I don't have the imagination necessary to fully enjoy. (Maybe?? Idk it's hard for me) Would recommend it only if you're this far in the series and feel like there is no turning back Pages- 361 Published- 2008 Author- Rick Riordan 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

What is up crazy kids, this week we are talking about the third of five Percy Jackson books!! (Why are there so many), in my most humble opinion, I think that this book is the weakest of the series. It feels like a ramping-up period for the bigger plot of Kronos slowly rising to more power. Nothing major major happens but more characters are introduced and the plot continues to thicken. Not a regrettable read! Recommended for those who have never read it or who are of the younger variety, yknowwhatImean Pages- 312 Published- 2007 Author- Rick Riordan 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

The second installment to the Percy Jackson series! Similar to the first but the plot thickens here a little bit. New characters are introduced and new adventures present themselves! We meet Tyson, who turns out to be Percy's half-brother, and we see into the overarching plot of the entire series. Luke is trying to bring back Kronos, the head titan, and overthrow the gods! Sheeeeesh. Again, I would recommend this book to those in grade school! The series is fun, it just doesn't hold up as well as other teen thrillers in my opinion Pages- 279 Published- 2006 Author- Rick Riordan 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

The Lightning Thief was one of the first "big chapter books" I read back in elementary school. I remember LOVING it. Since 2021 I have been trying to reread my entire bookshelf and that includes rereading this children's book hahah. I learned very quickly that it just does NOT hold up like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games do. Would recommend it to children around the age of 12 hahah if you do NOT fit that criteria you would really do best to go and read something else. Unless you want to be disappointed, I would recommend having the memories of your first time reading shine bright by leaving it on the shelf. And I say that so respectfully. Pages- 377 Published- 2005 Author- Rick Riordan 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

The Hiding Place is a true story written by Corrie Ten Boom. She lived in Holland during the era of WWII, and she shares her story and how through it all, her faith in God acted as her "hiding place". This was my second time reading this book and it is brilliant. Would recommend it to anyone! I'm fairly certain that this is one of those books on reading lists in high school- and for good reason! I think everyone should read this. It will be especially impactful if you believe in God as that is how Corrie and her family find hope throughout those many dark years. Pages- 243 Published- 1971 Author- Corrie Ten Boom 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

I read the first installment of the Book of Mormon symposium papers and liked it!! In 1988 Jeffrey R. Holland gathered together scholars to write individual papers on an aspect of the Book of Mormon. This first book compiles the papers that teach about the Book of Mormon as a whole. Would recommend it if you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are curious about the symposium and what was discussed there. Other than that, I think there are more enriching teachings in the Book of Mormon, it might just be me though. Pages- 250(?) Can't remember and don't have it in front of me haha Published- 1988 Author- Various Let me know what you think! What book should I read next? Follow me on my socials, and let's chat books! ig- CarsonCampbell_ Twitter- Carson7Campbell Youtube- Carson Reads

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves art and art history and who has a basic understanding of who Michelangelo was.

The first half of this reads like a MOVIE it was so well done. The second half moves a little bit faster as it covers many more years, but I really do feel like I know who Michelangelo is now. He is a genius and I am completely astounded by his perspective and contributions. Humbling to see the works in person over this summer

Pages- 700+

Published- 1981

Author- Irving Stone

Let me know what you think!

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A Case for the Book of Mormon explores the truths of the Book of Mormon intellectually as well as spiritually. Tad R. Callister addresses the common arguments found against the Book of Mormon and looks at the pieces of evidence in favor of the Holy Scripture!

This is my podcast's first "do not read" given to a book. Do not read it! The book is published as a "journal" that chronicles the two years of this girl's life. It begins when that girl is 15 years old and ends around the time of her seventeenth birthday. Early on in the first journal she is exposed to drugs while at a party. She trips off of LSD when someone gives her Coca Cola that was laced. The entire diary follows the aftermath of that incident. She dabbles in other drugs and eventually falls from grace and runs away from home, becomes homeless, practices prostitution for a second, etc. The whole 9 yards. It sounds intriguing but what I found out this time around is that NONE OF IT IS TRUE

I first read this book when I was a sophomore in high school (around the same age as the diarist) and I remember being so impacted by this. I would think back on it all the time and for the last seven years, I would even recommend it to people! I'd tell people it was a true story and that it was crazy and that they had to read it.

When I was about 150 pages in, I flipped to the front cover and I discovered that it was purely a work of fiction. I did some digging on the internet and sure enough. We have been deceived! I am still in complete disbelief, the entire book was made up by a middle-aged woman! wow.

The Four Agreements is a book published in 1997 by Mexican author Don Miguel Ruiz. I felt that I had seen this book everywhereee, I needed to see what the hype was about. It is a "wisdom book" and draws upon the teachings of ancient American peoples, the Toltecs, for inspiration on how to live life more fully. Ruiz and the Toltecs say that the human spirit has been domesticated and that we are all chasing a form of perfection that does not exist. It is impossible to attain and ruins the quality of our life by running after it. To come to any conclusion we have to make agreements with information. Ruiz's invitation is to break all other agreements that we have made previously and to agree with the four pieces of wisdom in this book.

These Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable with Your Word

2. Don't Take Anything Personally

3. Don't Make Assumptions

4. Always Do Your Best

At times this book felt too radical for my domesticated spirit, but I enjoyed the read nonetheless! At the end of the day, Ruiz is inviting us all to live more fully, and that is something I can get behind. I would recommend it for any who feel they need a jumpstart or are in a funk.

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One Hundred Years of Solitude follows seven generations of the Buendía family living in a fictitious village named "Macondo". It has been praised far and wide and won Márquez the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982! As with most classics that I read, as soon as I finish I feel like I need to reread it in order to digest the story and its message fully. I would recommend this book to almost anyone— just know that it is NOT an easy read! It combines the supernatural with the ordinary in order to tell the story of Latin America. Totally mesmerizing, totally difficult, but totally worth it.

* means that I read it in Spanish

Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon and was 47 years old when he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He uses his illness as an opportunity to give his "Last Lecture". A last lecture is usually provided by a professor as a hypothetical, if it were to be their final lecture what would they want you to remember from them and the life that they had lived? The address in this memoir, however, really would be Randy's last.

He talks much about how to overcome obstacles in life, why we should dream big, and how time is really all that we have— so use it wisely.

I'd recommend this short read to anyone! It's a good reminder of how precious and delicate life is.

A story about Charlie. He is friendless and about to start his freshman year of high school. This sounds like a trite plot that has been tried over and over again, but Chbosky does it in a real and raw way. Although the protagonist is 15 (and his friends are just a few years older), the story is universal and relatable to everyone.

The best book I have read so far this year. I was blown away by how much I grew to love each of these characters and how much I wanted them to be happy and find their way in life.

WOULD RECOMMEND

It is a book (and a movie) that I will be thinking about for a long time.

"Watchmen" is named one of the best 100 novels by Time! It comprises 12 separate comic books and tells the story of a group of superheroes called the Watchmen. Published in 1987 during the height of the Cold War, much fear existed around war. Definitely a product of its time, it shows what people will go to in order to achieve the "greater good" and the lengths people will go to in order to preserve peace.

None of the Watchmen (except for one) actually has superpowers. Instead, it follows deeply flawed individuals who don masks and try to fight crime.

But if they are so imperfect and obviously human, who will watch the Watchmen?

My first ever comic book read and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Would recommend!

Let me know what you think:)

"The key insight behind Radical Candor is that command and control can hinder innovation ad harm a team's ability to improve the efficiency of routine work. Bosses and companies get better results when they voluntarily lay down unilateral power and encourage their teams and peers to hold them accountable, when they quit trying to control employees and focus instead on encouraging agency."

A book that teaches you how to "be a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity!

Not my most favorite read of all time, but I think it would be valuable if you find yourself in a management position somewhere in corporate America.

It felt like Scott intentionally writes redundantly in hopes of having her point get across and stick. I can't tell if it worked or not.

Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor and author of the French fashion magazine Elle. When he was 43 years old he had a massive stroke but was saved! Well, kind of, they kept Bauby alive but he now suffered from something that is called "locked-in syndrome". He was left completely paralyzed except for the use of his left eyelid.

In this memoir about his life, he illustrates how he remains undefeated even though his body is powerless. It is a beautiful and touching read with Bauby telling us about his life through short vignettes that cover different facets of his life. It's one of those books that teaches you empathy and compassion and leaves you feeling small, we take so much for granted and we should all be thankful for the life that we lead and be more compassionate to those who are less fortunate. Jean-Dominique Bauby does not throw himself a pity party and he is not whiny throughout this book. Not once.

It is a beautiful and short read. 100% worth it to get that most valuable perspective shift and learn about the life of this man. Would recommend to any and everyone.

Normal People is what happens when you take talented writing and pair it with a plotless series of vignettes depicting an unrealistic and frustrating relationship between two very ABnormal people.

It follows Connell and Marianne and is set in a fictitious city in modern-day Ireland. Connell is poor but ultra-popular and very athletic. Marianne is very rich but a bit of a loser. Both are very intelligent and get accepted to prestigious schools and win scholarships. It follows their relationship starting in high school. Connell doesn't dare acknowledge Marianne at school even though he has professed his love for her— what would his other cool peers say if they found out he has feelings for someone like her?

It was rated #7 among the most popular books published in 2018, yet it has one of the lowest star ratings on that most popular list. You either love it or hate it and I sincerely didn't enjoy it. There was not a single likable character and it was also very difficult to relate to any of them.

I read it so you don't have to!

Let me know what you think of this book! I'd love to hear.

"Dear Pat,

You came upon me carving some kind of little figure out of wood and said, 'Why don’t you make something for me?'

I asked what you wanted, and you said, 'A box.'

'what for?'

'To put things in.'

'What things?'

'Whatever you have,' you said.

Well, here's your box. Nealy everything I have is in it, and it is not full. Pain and excitement are in it, and feeling good or bad and evil thoughts and good thoughts- the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation.

And on top of these are all the gratitude and love I have for you

And still the box is not full." - John Steinbeck

12 years after writing "The Grapes of Wrath", John Steinbeck crafts this almost biblical story of a family who moves to California. It covers 3 generations and explains that we are not cursed to be good or evil, but we have a choice of what we want to be and that choice is what makes us human. A deeply moving book, I already need to put it back on my to-be-read shelf to read again. 

"We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is." pg 413.

"In the Blood"- John Mayer

I also recently watched the movie! James Dean plays Cal fantastically.

Written by Mitch Albom, this book spans 196 small pages. It follows an old man named Eddie. The storyline starts at the end and follows Eddie as he is involved in a terrible amusement park ride accident. In the next life, he meets 5 people who have had some contact with Eddie or influenced his life while he was still alive. These are the five people who help him, "make sense of [his] yesterdays" (pg. 92). Between almost every chapter there is a page titled, "Today is Eddie's birthday" and it gives us insight into the different stages of his life. We learn about his wife and his deep devotion to her, his service in the military that left him rattled for the rest of his life, and his rocky relationship with his father. We see Eddie as he makes sense of all of these conflicts and more while learning from these five people who he meets in heaven. It is a lovely story and I'd recommend it!

"Everyone has an idea of heaven, as do most religions, and they should all be respected. The version represented here is only a guess, a wish, in some ways, that my uncle, and others like him-people who felt unimportant here earth-realize, finally, how much they mattered and how they were loved." - Mitch Albom

I just read The Common Path to Uncommon Success by John Lee Dumas 

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, I knew it was in the vein of self-help and I had just heard about it from people probably from my business classes in college or in a Twitter thread on business books that everyone should read.

The book is 258 pages long and is supposed to teach lay folk like you and me how to be successful entrepreneurs. It was published in 2021 and it is basically John Lee Dumas bestowing his knowledge on us in 17 easy-to-follow steps!

John is the host of a podcast called "Entrepreneurs on Fire". It was established in 2012 and was the first business podcast to have a new episode released every single day. In it, he interviews different entrepreneurs, picks their brains, and gets their stories in short episodes. I haven't listened to any of his podcasts but it does seem like a good and cool idea.

If you are seriously trying to figure out how to be an entrepreneur and don’t know where to start, I would recommend this book to you. If you are basically anyone else, don’t waste your time. I think John should stick with podcasts and maybe stay out of books. Is that too harsh to say? Let's unpack it.

I just finished Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton today, Christmas Day 2022.

Listen now to see my review of the book!

Ethan Frome is set in New England, I think in Massachusetts. He lives in the small town of Starkfield. It's wintertime. It was written in 1911 and the story also takes place around that time. The book is less than 200 pages, 181 to be exact, and if it would've been written with regular-sized margins it would probably be closer to 150 pages. Super quick read.

To summarize still w no spoilers, he is married to his cousin named Zenobia, they call her Zeena. She is 7 years older than him. He's 28 and she's 35. They've been married for 7 years and the love is running dry. Did they ever love each other to begin with? No, I don’t think so. They're poor and he works a farm to make ends meet. She is too sick to do much of anything and a lot of resentment builds between the both of them.

THEN enter a new character. Zeena's cousin. Her name is Mattie, w two T's. She is young and lights Ethan's heart on fire. She is hired to take care of Zeena during her bout of sickness. She provides so much of what his wife can't

The question of the book is, "what's he going to do?" Stay with a wife who doesn’t like him and who he doesn’t love anymore? Or abandon this sick wife and run off with his wife's cousin to who knows where and do who knows what. That’s what he feels are his two options. To find out what happens, you should read it.