Champion by Marie Lu
The series was interesting enough to get me through to the end, but I was kind of disappointed by the turns it took into slightly cliched territory. The big final twist was definitely a cliche... but not from the expected set of Y.A cliches. Seems like Lu looked for a surprise ending from a different genre. Interesting though, definitely unexpected. I feel like this book was less strong than the others though, like maybe the author was starting to get tired of the world and just wanted to wrap everything up.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
WOW, did not expect so much from this book! The big twist was a complete surprise to me, which gave the rest of my experience reading a really eerie quality since the narrator did exactly what was intended.
I don't even know how to write about it if someone hasn't read it....
The longer it's been since I've read this book the more I can appreciate it. It was surprisingly well written (surprising only because it was recently a successful movie... I'm a bit biased), and it affected me quite strongly at points, to the level where I would sometimes need to stop reading for a little while, even though I was so invested in finding out what was going to happen. This modern day murder mystery pulled me in like murder mysteries rarely do.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
March 15 - 21
Prodigy by Marie Lu
Wow! Okay, this one got impressively political in a way that added a lot to the world, AND didn't bore me to tears. That's quite an achievement. If Lu had been an author in Antarctica in her own novel, she would have gained MAJOR points and probably and actual achievement from managing that. The characters' travel to outside of their own boundaries was incredibly interesting. The political landscape on a global scale was creatively imagined in ways most people ignore. It can be hard to imagine Africa as a technological mecca, and most people don't even think twice about Antarctica. That whole aspect really caught my attention.
(Note... I'm actually thinking this might have been in the next book in the series... but it was still awesome.)
Wow! Okay, this one got impressively political in a way that added a lot to the world, AND didn't bore me to tears. That's quite an achievement. If Lu had been an author in Antarctica in her own novel, she would have gained MAJOR points and probably and actual achievement from managing that. The characters' travel to outside of their own boundaries was incredibly interesting. The political landscape on a global scale was creatively imagined in ways most people ignore. It can be hard to imagine Africa as a technological mecca, and most people don't even think twice about Antarctica. That whole aspect really caught my attention.
(Note... I'm actually thinking this might have been in the next book in the series... but it was still awesome.)
Monday, March 16, 2015
March 8 - 14
Legend by Marie Lu
Yep! Finished this one. It was a pretty solidly entertaining read, even if I was able to guess most of the "big plot twists" way ahead of them ever being revealed. Still worth the read. I don't really feel like I have much to say about this one---it's a pretty standard YA dystopian novel.
Rich privileged girl, poor slum boy. One pitted against the other with an unexpected similarity. Both have lost their families and friends, and both have their beliefs shaken about things they thought they knew to be true.
Prodigy by Marie Lu
Started in on the second one, and already I have my suspicions. I'm not too far in yet, but I think I have some ideas about where this is all heading... we'll see....
Yep! Finished this one. It was a pretty solidly entertaining read, even if I was able to guess most of the "big plot twists" way ahead of them ever being revealed. Still worth the read. I don't really feel like I have much to say about this one---it's a pretty standard YA dystopian novel.
Rich privileged girl, poor slum boy. One pitted against the other with an unexpected similarity. Both have lost their families and friends, and both have their beliefs shaken about things they thought they knew to be true.
Prodigy by Marie Lu
Started in on the second one, and already I have my suspicions. I'm not too far in yet, but I think I have some ideas about where this is all heading... we'll see....
Saturday, March 7, 2015
March 1 - 7
Hello March! It's starting to feel like spring, even with the several feet of snow and temperatures in the teens.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My goodness this kid swears a lot! It's very distracting and bothersome. If I wanted to listen to a fourteen-year-old, I'd go help out at the high school. I can say that Salinger did at least capture the voice well, but JEEZ, on a personal level it was hard to deal with and I nearly put it down every time I started again. I think it was a large part of why that relatively short book took me so long to get through.
Kind of dull. Someone in class this week used it as an example of "a book with no plot." I used Country of the Pointed Firs as my example, if you recall that one (it's in here somewhere...). I guess I agree with that argument. I think the most interesting thing about the book was the way it was a tragi-comedy. Holden puts on a face, and that is supposed to be funny (and at times it certainly is), but he is one sad boy. The world has got him down and he just hates everything except his little sister and his dead brother. The only thing he ever seems to not hate is children, which is a sign of how he views them as uncorrupted at their young ages, unlike everyone and everything else in the world (in his mind). That could be an interesting consideration of the novel, but as a simple story, it was pretty lacking. I think any depth from this book comes in discussion.
What Was She Thinking? [Notes on a Scandal] by Zoe Heller
A floaty new teacher named Sheba stumbles into a young male student's arms. Their ages and positions as teacher and pupil are obvious problems, forcing them to keep everything under wraps. The fact that Sheba has a husband and children certainly don't make things any easier. We already know that she has been exposed, and is evidently being taken care of by a friend in her time of need. How did this all happen? That's what this kind friend of Sheba is here to tell us about.
I was surprised by how much I liked this book! Maybe I'm just a sucker for teacher drama since it plays to my interests, but the characters were unexpected and their interactions even more so. The narrator felt like she was losing it a bit at the end there, and it had a distinctly creepy feeling to it that I couldn't quite place that I can't wait to discuss with everyone. The usual role reversal was refreshing, and some of the points made in the story via other characters' comments and judgments made me chuckle. It feels like a novel packed with moments that could be used for anyone's political agenda. Feminism and double standards? Definitely. To Catch a Predator-esque commentary about our children's safety? You betcha. Help services about abusive relationships? In a number of surprising ways, without a doubt.
Legend by Marie Lu
This is the same lady who recently published The Young Elites which I read a few weeks back. I didn't realize that when I bought it on sale on Google Play the other night, but I guess I've found a new author I like. This is a distinctly young adult dystopian novel, as I've been diving into quite voraciously lately (when I have time, that is). I'm very barely into this one, only a few chapters (maybe thirty pages) but I'm already quite drawn in! Stay tuned!
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My goodness this kid swears a lot! It's very distracting and bothersome. If I wanted to listen to a fourteen-year-old, I'd go help out at the high school. I can say that Salinger did at least capture the voice well, but JEEZ, on a personal level it was hard to deal with and I nearly put it down every time I started again. I think it was a large part of why that relatively short book took me so long to get through.
Kind of dull. Someone in class this week used it as an example of "a book with no plot." I used Country of the Pointed Firs as my example, if you recall that one (it's in here somewhere...). I guess I agree with that argument. I think the most interesting thing about the book was the way it was a tragi-comedy. Holden puts on a face, and that is supposed to be funny (and at times it certainly is), but he is one sad boy. The world has got him down and he just hates everything except his little sister and his dead brother. The only thing he ever seems to not hate is children, which is a sign of how he views them as uncorrupted at their young ages, unlike everyone and everything else in the world (in his mind). That could be an interesting consideration of the novel, but as a simple story, it was pretty lacking. I think any depth from this book comes in discussion.
What Was She Thinking? [Notes on a Scandal] by Zoe Heller
A floaty new teacher named Sheba stumbles into a young male student's arms. Their ages and positions as teacher and pupil are obvious problems, forcing them to keep everything under wraps. The fact that Sheba has a husband and children certainly don't make things any easier. We already know that she has been exposed, and is evidently being taken care of by a friend in her time of need. How did this all happen? That's what this kind friend of Sheba is here to tell us about.
I was surprised by how much I liked this book! Maybe I'm just a sucker for teacher drama since it plays to my interests, but the characters were unexpected and their interactions even more so. The narrator felt like she was losing it a bit at the end there, and it had a distinctly creepy feeling to it that I couldn't quite place that I can't wait to discuss with everyone. The usual role reversal was refreshing, and some of the points made in the story via other characters' comments and judgments made me chuckle. It feels like a novel packed with moments that could be used for anyone's political agenda. Feminism and double standards? Definitely. To Catch a Predator-esque commentary about our children's safety? You betcha. Help services about abusive relationships? In a number of surprising ways, without a doubt.
Legend by Marie Lu
This is the same lady who recently published The Young Elites which I read a few weeks back. I didn't realize that when I bought it on sale on Google Play the other night, but I guess I've found a new author I like. This is a distinctly young adult dystopian novel, as I've been diving into quite voraciously lately (when I have time, that is). I'm very barely into this one, only a few chapters (maybe thirty pages) but I'm already quite drawn in! Stay tuned!
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