65 Books in a Year: Book #10 Stupid Perfect World

I think this is actually a short story...or novelette or something small like that, but Goodreads counted it, so, for now I will count it.

I have no idea why it's so short...it's like it's a teaser for something else, something else that is already for sale and I missed the memo and only got this small thing.

I love the premise of this story and I gosh darn wish it was a whole book, just when it was getting good...good little book...good-bye.

Anyway, in order to create a perfect future people have gotten rid of everything that makes the world human. There are no cravings, , no one is overweight, there are no needs or desires. Of course, in doing this Earth is devoid of war (we no longer have emotions), there's no hunger (we eat because we have to and everyone has enough) and there isn't any disease (kids don't even understand the common cold. Things are up loaded directly into their brains...I'm not sure why they even have teachers and there isn't a need to sleep. There aren't even beds in their bedrooms (as having a bed implies only one thing even asking your parents for one can lead you into an uncomfortable conversation). Students learn about the old times through a class where the major project is choosing one of these old world problems to have for two weeks and then reporting on what happens in the end. I like that this future world doesn't want their children to forget, but I wonder if it's working...

While reading this little book, I kept trying to figure out a] how I could use this story in my classroom (we're in an SF unit right now) and b] what this 'Scarcity' Class would look like now...imagine if you will students nowadays having to go back to some old way of doing things...maybe they have to talk to one another on a rotary phone only or they have to pass notes to communicate...I don't know. I think it would be fun.

I like the alternating narration and it's funny to think about how lack of sleep and teen hormones can have the same crazy outcome.

After finishing this story I wanted to read Hamlet in the rain on a rooftop...I also wanted to watch "High School Musical 3", I'm sure you see the correlation.

I love this story. I wish it had more to it. The only problem? I'd really miss sleeping...I'm not sure I see that as a waste of time at all.

55 Books in a Year: Book #30 Insurgent

The following review has been pieced together from a conversation about Insurgent on Goodreads. I figured that since all the words were mine, I could do with them what I would.


I'm having hard time putting a finger on why Tris and this book aren't as good (although they are good) as the first book.


I think it's hard to write a trilogy going into to it knowing that you are going to write a trilogy. You know there are things that you aren't going to reveal until the end and you know that these things have to be alluded to in some faction for your audience to buy it. You're main characters (in this case I'm including only Tris and Dour) have to also change in some fashion from book one to three. And, that change has to be warranted...this has got to be hard to do especially if you are writing in first person.


I don't really want to like Tris...I understood her behaviors incredibly well in the first book and her pouty petulance, defiance and all out rudeness made sense in the context of her life, her relationships and her factions. I bought it all. In this book Tris changes and I'm not sure that we can use her age as a defense , however, since 16 year olds make life changing decisions all of the time and while sophomores are different than seniors, they can still reason and think and listen and are on the path to adulthood. 


I do not like when a positive role-model (especially one for girls, as there are so few) seems to change her stripes and becomes, in fact, like all the other girls in all the other books that have girls as heroes. Can girls only be heroes if they cry/have ill-tempers/make stupid decisions? It would seem that the literary world seems to thinks so. I would even add Hermione Granger into this mix as she couldn't just be defiant she had to be, at times, downright mean and a 5-letter word...you know which one. I hear that Evie in Paranormalcychanges for the not so good, Bella Swan and Katniss Everdeen inTwilight and The Hunger Games, respectively are not girls I see as having virtues and they only gain virtues by finding or loving boys--argh; even girl leads as far back as The Chronicles of Narnia are not girls I want my daughter to emulate in any fashion. Frankly, as I go through these types of books in my mind Forgive My Fins and other mermaid books, The Girl in the Steel Corset (don't even get me started on Wither) et cetera...the girls all seem to exhibit the same traits of whininess, weakness and neediness that are suppose to make them strong.


I don't know what I want to see in a heroine, a YA heroine in particular, I thought that Tris was getting there. I am afraid that she took a few steps backward in this book, which brings me to the point about trilogies...perhaps Tris just needs some room to grow, perhaps as a Divergent she needs to act and think and truly be selfless, maybe book two was all about acting as she learned the hard way that acting without thinking or truly being selfless does not work.  All I could think about while Tris was being so reckless and going into danger when everyone was telling her not to was Bella Swan and her recklessness...the fact that I could connect them (even if for a little bit, as i know the characters are truly different) irritates me.


I am still undecided about Tris. I don't think anyone would question her goals or motivations, although they do seem to contradict in terms of being selfish and selfless (or are they just both at the same time?). She doesn't make me want to punch her in the face, i'm pretty sure i don't want to be her friend. she just isn't what she was in book one. I don't like her at all in this book, even if she does question shooting will and other of her actions that have not yielded positive results, I liked her loads in the first book when her actions and motivations seemed a little clearer. I'll see about the third.


The thing is, I did enjoy this book loads. It was easy, fast and fun and it has me thinking, all good signs, especially from so young a writer.  Maybe Veronica Roth is being consistent with her characters and plots and we don't know it because there's a whole book to go. I'm willing to give Tris the opportunity to become the YA heroine I've been dreaming of. 

55 Books in a Year: Book #20 Divergent

Hmmm...since I'm reading Insurgent, I suppose it's time that I write a review for Divergent.

I feel that you can't talk about this book without first talking about its author, as its author is truly every aspect of this book. I began reading her blog a little before Divergent came out and fell in love with her voice. I liked it so much that I found myself wishing that she could have been in one of my classes so we could have spent time talking about books and the world. If you read her blog you will find that she is truly all of her 24 years, humble, to the point of self-deprecation, witty, smart, funny and gosh darned brilliant.

All of these traits spill over into the characters in her debut novel, so much so that I found it really hard to dislike a single one, even those that are terrifying and horrible, like Eric.

This book is set in a dystopic Chicago (squee) were people have been divided up into 5 factions (Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite), during your choosing ceremony you go through tests that determine the faction that best fits you. If that faction doesn't work or you don't fall in line, you then become factionless and live in the wasteland (a place we know is probably better). Each faction then trains their initiates...and, by trains I mean brainwashes...into the ways of their respective faction. And, as with any dystopic universe this works only if there's tons of control, people who blindly believe whatever is put in front of them and people who naively believe that what is being done is right and just. Of course, they believe that because they don't know all the answers.

Both Tris and Four, in some way, fall into the latter category. As each begins to find out who they really are, they, of course, find one another. They must then learn to lean on one another when they find out that their perfect world of factions and exact rules is falling apart.

And, while Tris is the narrator, Four is the one to watch and Four, with his light eyes and dark hair and tattoos and muscles, teaches Tris about family and true selflessness.

I understand that there are people out there who have had their fill of all things dystopic. To those, I say add this to your list, I promise it will rejuvenate you and show you that there is hope for dystopia.  There are also many out there who compare this series to The Hunger Games. I don't disagree with them (and, in some ways I think this series is better...of course, this series is not for those in the middle grades) I do, however, say "Who the flip cares?". In Divergent, Veronica Roth, has given us a strong female lead who is fiery and fierce and who knows that she is flawed, who makes mistakes, a girl who I imagine is a bit more like the author than most think and therefore a bit more real than the rest of the YA heroines out nowadays.

Once you finish the book, go find a copy of "Free Four: Tobias Tells The Story", it's a little short story of the initial meeting of the transfers and Eric and Four. I like that from that story we get a sense that Four is truly sensitive and compassionate. I also like how it subtly gives us background we need for Insurgent. Four really is my favorite character...

Oh and just in case you don't have time to read Ms. Roth's back catalog of awesome blog post, here are a few of my favorites:

Prince Charming, Meet Wal-Mart
Divergent Playlist
Likeable Schmikable
Writing Out of Order
The Mistakes Writers Make

Now, back to Insurgent, I'm right in the middle!

50 Books in a Year: Book #40 Wither

I wasn't going to read Wither, as the cover makes me want to...I don't know punch puppies, drown kittens, vomit uncontrollably? Can you tell I hate these new-fangled covers that have some sort of waif model on the cover posed in some sort of Tyra Banks type manner? And, yet, against my will, I am drawn to its colors and symbolism...

Anyway, I wasn't going to read it and then I saw this review for it on Goodreads (by a reviewer whose opinion I value and whose reviews I follow) just trash the dickens right out of it. It made me curious. Isn't it funny how a bad review can do that? But, I still wasn't going to pay to read it...I waited...hoping one of my students would have it and let me borrow it, hoping one of my friends would buy it and let me borrow it and then there it was on the bookshelf at my aunts house when we went to visit her in the summer begging me to read it. I read it in a day, it's not really that hard of a read.

Frankly, I like the story. The only thing that makes it dystopic, however, is the premise. The rest is mostly a love quadrangle.

Frankly, I like the setting. It happens to be a gothic castle full of mysterious secrets and an orange grove in its meandering garden and, by contrast, a city taken over by disease-riddled, I can only imagine, zombie-like teens and pre-teens and those who prey upon them.

Frankly, I like the main characters. Rhine (isn't that a lovely name that you know 85 million teenage girls will now want to name their first born?) is strong when she needs to be, feminine when she needs to be and knows what she wants which is out of her life of sister-wifedom and back with her brother defending their home. I like her husband, a man/boy struggling not to be the pawn of his father, and the boy she truly loves (at least I think she does), the servant, Gabriel. I, even, like the other two sister-wives, even if one is a little spoiled child who enjoys that she is pregnant at 13 and the other is a bit sad (we find out for good reason) and mopey.

I've recommended it to a couple of students who I know like their dystopia on the light, romantic side and I've mentioned it in passing to a couple of my SF YA friends in the hopes that we could then chat about the many reasons this book and its author bugs me because I can't put my finger on it, except to say maybe there's too much to try to entice the reader to buy into the concept and not enough once your hooked. It's kind of like Taken (that movie with Liam Neeson), meets the Uglies series, meets Frankenstein (the book and the Kenneth Branagh movie), meets I Am Legend, meets the most beautiful sweeping romance ever...say Gone with the Wind.

Will I read the second one? I'm not sure, it's got another one of those covers and a setting that seems to be all the rage now...the carnival/circus. Maybe, I'll just have to keep my eyes on the look-out to see if anyone will let me borrow it.

3 Stars

Side note: my review for this book bounces between 3 and 4...I'm torn...

50 Books in a Year: Book #38 Mockingjay

I stumbled upon this series totally by accident. Er...sorta. I was planning on reading the series...really, just closer to the movie after THE REST OF THE WORLD had read them and I could read them alone...sorta.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
How I fell into this one: I had asked my friend Kay, via Facebook, if I could borrow her copies while visiting her in Colorado. The day we were to leave, she commented that she had the books on her Kindle and wondered why I didn't borrow it earlier in the week. I said that I didn't know and borrowed the Kindle immediately, as I had to read two books in less than 24 hrs. not counting, sleeping, packing and watching the child time. Just incase you were wondering, I did it.

Reaction:
Just incase you don't know the plot, here it is from Goodreads:
Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.
Likes
*May contain spoilers* I'm sayin this just incase you've been in a cave for the last few years and have no idea what's going on in the world. This is one of those books that doesn't end perfectly, one of those books that feel like everyone dies and yet, it is real and beautiful and propels the plot along.
As Sherman said, "War is hell" and Collins does not let you forget that. In this book there are no winner, just survivors and people who learn to cope with the losses. Finally...Katniss gets a BACKBONE!!!
Dislikes
*Again there may be spoilers* Some of my favorite characters die and there's this scene with genetically altered lizard snake creatures that is just disturbing. I'm not sure how I feel about Gale.

5 Stars

What I thought about the series as a whole?!
I am in love with this series and look forward to talking about it with my students.

5 Stars

50 Books in a Year: Book #37 Catching Fire

I stumbled upon this series totally by accident. Er...sorta. I was planning on reading the series...really, just closer to the movie after THE REST OF THE WORLD had read them and I could read them alone...sorta.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
How I fell into this one: I had asked my friend Kay, via Facebook, if I could borrow her copies while visiting her in Colorado. The day we were to leave, she commented that she had the books on her Kindle and wondered why I didn't borrow it earlier in the week. I said that I didn't know and borrowed the Kindle immediately, as I had to read two books in less than 24 hrs. not counting, sleeping, packing and watching the child time. Just incase you were wondering, I did it.

Reaction:
Just incase you don't know the plot, here it is from Goodreads:
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol. Catching Fire maintains the adrenaline rush of Suzanne Collins's series launch.
Likes
Peeta, seriously, I spent this whole book liking him more and more and more. No matter how much Katniss misread him (and, I couldn't believe that she was still...er...I'll save that for 'dislikes') he was there for her. I love how Collins added just simple gestures to let us know that Peeta would do anything for Miss Everdeen and she doesn't see it. Cinna is my favorite character, he is like 'Sassy Gay Friend' meets Rupert Evert meets every girls dream boat. He laughs, he cries, he creates spectacular clothes and he's a perfect 'Jimmie Cricket'. I do feel a little guilty that my favorite characters in this female driven book are male, but c'est la vie. I'm do like how Kat seems to be seriously conflicted between her two male best friends and I like how she's beginning to understand her role and how wonderful and powerful she is to the world and to herself.
Dislikes
I'm really glad that Katniss gets better in the next book because I spent most of this book wanted to give her a little shake. I mean everytime she talked or reacted I wanted to shake her ever so lightly, and say something like "Girl, please!".

4 Stars


What I thought about the series as a whole?!
I am in love with this series and look forward to talking about it with my students.

5 Stars

50 Books in a Year: Books #33 The Hunger Games

I stumbled upon this series totally by accident. Er...sorta. I was planning on reading the series...really, just closer to the movie after THE REST OF THE WORLD had read them and I could read them alone...sorta.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
How I fell into this one: My friend Julie and I had tickets for the NKOTBSB concert exactly 48 hrs. after the U2 concert...I was tired as I drove to St. Louis to meet her so I bought an energy drink one of those Monster M3 jobs, my first...heck it was my first (and, I'm not gonna lie...probably not my last!) foray into energy drinkdom. I was awake for the concert, awake for conversation after and...awake wayyyyyy after Julie went to bed. What was sitting on the end table by the futon? The whole set of the Hunger Games (thank-you Julies BF)...I read most of this book that night and finished it before left to go home.
Reaction: OK, so I've been reading all these amazing articles about how YA SF has really gone head over spaceship to create work that appeals to adults as well as kids and after the whole OVER THE TOP vampire craze, I am all for this new YA Dystopic phase...actually it's making this unit that I teach even easier as 3 years ago I spent a class period explaining things that kids already know now. Yippie! The thing is that no matter how well it's written it's still written for kids and not those kids who were reading LotR or Zelazny or Conan books in high school. If I were 11 or 12 and just found this book, I would have been blown away by the plot, by the characters, by the freshness of it all!
Just incase you don't know the plot, here it is from Goodreads:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Likes
The freshness of the plot...I mean I read a lot of dystopic lit and this is the first I've read that pits teen against teen in some government controlled fight to the death. I also like the way Collins lets us get to know most all the characters in the Games, so we are over-whelmed and sad even when bully children die. There are sooo many wonderful scenes that I can't wait to see rendered in the movie and the reason is because Collins can write a heck of a story.
Dislikes
While Katniss is pretty kick-butt compared to Bella Swan, she still isn't totally the teenage girl that I want my daughter to model herself after. Physically she is amazing! She bow hunts with her male friend Gale, she Mentally she is stunning! She has great inference skills, uses the medical training she received from watching her mother to help more than one of the kids in the Hunger Games, she understands enough about how bad the Hunger Games are that she makes it difficult for those in charge. Emotionally!!! she is just like every other teen girl in these books!!! She needs the boy to help her understand anything that requires the least bit of emotion or thought. She distrust everyone (just like the teenager girls in these books) and while she isn't lost without boys...she is lost without boys.

What I thought about the series as a whole?!
I am in love with this series and look forward to talking about it with my students.

5 Stars