Books That Have Encouraged Me to Learn Something New

So I haven't posted on here before, but I've been thinking of a lot of different things I've read lately and how they have influenced me. I thought it might be worth sharing. Before I get into that I just want to add that I have been following and have really enjoyed what others have said. Many books talked about are books now on my list to read or books I have read and enjoyed. So thanks.

The older I get the more I have learned that I am actually not that picky of a reader. It is rare that I find I book I truly cannot get through. I am just too much of a sucker for stories. That being said I recognize that some books I read are far better than others. Some books are great for a one time read, some are books that I finished mostly just to see if the end was okay, and some books are fun when I really just need something simple and easy to enjoy. But every so often I run across a gem of a book that really gets to me. It either makes me think about life and the world and my view of it, or it makes me want to run straight to my library's non-fiction section and start studying something new. Today I am focusing on the ones that make me want to learn something new.

1) Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince by Jennifer Moore
This is a regency romance novel that takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. Our main character is Miss Margaret (Meg) Burton who hails from the Carolinas but is sent to London to try to marry a rich man to save her family from financial disaster. Meg truly is a character. She is all spunk and is not your typical timid regency woman. She is very opinionated which often times lands her in some trouble. She also had unique talents and hobbies. She loves to ride and not ride sidesaddle either. She is absolutely fascinated with gothic novels and poetry of all sorts. She loves giving recitations and is not musically inclined in the slightest. She is a girl who just wants to find an adventure or mystery. I loved her. And I loved this book, but what I really wanted to do after I finished it was go find myself a book of classical poetry. I loved the bits of poetry in this book and I loved Megs knowledge and love for it which you could just feel seeping into you was well. So I guess a few poetry books need to go on my reading list. It can't hurt right?

2) The Paper Magician Trilogy by Charlie N Holmberg
So Darcy just did a mini review on this one and while I do agree with what she said I have to disagree with only liking the book. I fell in love with the series. I found myself pulled in by the world and characters. And yes, halfway through the book I would pause and say to myself "What has really happened so far? Not much? Oh... well okay." However because I was so lost in those chapters I didn't mind. I agree too with Darcy that paper magic is awesome! And now I just really want to learn how to do origami and paper crafting. I know my creations won't spring to life or anything but I think it is a beautiful art form that I just might be able to figure out.

3) Okay so number 3 isn't specific to one book but I have read several different books lately that have characters who are bilingual or of different nationalities and cultures. These books manage to use just a few words and phrases from those languages that just make me want to learn as many languages as I can. And I also think I want to be an anthropologist now. I just want to learn about people and cultures across the world and across time. I find them fascinating.

I am a learner. I absolutely love learning so if I find a book that makes me want to do just that I consider it a great read. Let's talk. What books have inspired you to learn something new?

The Martian--Andy Weir

I hope I am not the only one who thought of this:

(aliens from outer space) instead of this:

(humans on Mars) when reading the title of this book. Honestly, I thought the book was literally about aliens, and I did not want to read about that.

This was a mistake. I started reading some really great reviews, and eventually I read an article on a blog that I get updates from (Modern Mrs. Darcy. And in answer to your question... Maybe. Maybe I started following this blog originally because of my name, and maybe not. Who can really say?) that basically said this book was completely unexpected, and really good.

So I put this one on my list of "books to potentially read but most likely won't get to list," and pretty much forgot about it.

Then, one fateful day at the movie theater, Jeremy and I were watching the previews for some show and the trailer for The Martian came on, starring Matt Damon, whom I love. And... I was hooked. The trailer was really intriguing, and The Martian shot up to the top of my reading list; I picked it up the next time we were at Barnes and Noble.

I am so glad I did, because this is my absolute favorite book that I have read in 2015 (Let me check... I have started keeping track of the books I read... yep. Definitely #1) so far. I won't be surprised if this keeps its position because, well, it is October, and also I have been trying to clear off my kindle of old books that I bought on a whim (or got for free. Both are nice, but bog down my reading list).

Anyway!! Enough about the story behind how I got this book and actually read it... Let's talk about The Martian itself!!

This book is set in the not-so-distant future, where the third mission to Mars is taking place. The crew lands on Mars just fine, and as they are going about their work, an unexpected storm arises, and they are told to abort their mission. As they are making their way back to the ship, one of the crew members, Mark Watney, is lost and presumed dead. The rest of the crew takes off without him, assuming he is long gone.

Well... he isn't.

Watney survived the accident, and has to continue to find ways to survive. I don't want to give away too much plot, but here's a hint: Watney is on MARS. No food, no water, and no equipment--except those things left by his crew. And, at his BEST guess, Watney figures it will be about four years until the next manned mission can make it to Mars. The story is told by Watney, who records his experiences dutifully in the mission log, so if he perishes and NASA eventually makes it back to the landing site, they will know what happened to him.

Weir did a lot of research on this novel, and you can tell when you are reading it. And Weir has an awesome writing style that discusses difficult concepts and science simply, without it feeling like he is "dumbing it down" for us normal folk.

The main character, Watney, is hilarious! Despite being left alone on Mars, he finds humor in every situation and since conveniently he is a Botanist and an Engineer, he is able to come up with a lot of logical solutions. In the reader's discussion questions in the back of the book (yes, I read them. I am a nerd), one of the questions asks what your favorite "Waney-ism" is. There are a lot to choose from.

This story is amazing, and part of what makes it so amazing is how real it feels! In fact,when Jeremy and I were talking about it the other day (P.S. we now have two copies and have proceeded to push this book into anyone's hands who will read it) I told him that although I know that Watney is a fictional character, I have to keep reminding myself that this didn't actually happen. Part of the reason this book feels so real is that it does encompass the vision of NASA. In fact, when the movie was being created, NASA supported the filming, and actually took Andy Weir and the producer of the movie on tour to show them plans for NASA. So a lot of this stuff is where NASA sees their program in a few years (minus, you know, the losing a crew member and leaving him to die on a lifeless planet).

This book just grabs your attention and just keeps you hooked until the very end. In fact, true story: I was on the last few chapters of The Martian and was planning on finishing it before bed one night. Jeremy had some funny videos he was looking at on his phone, and couldn't stop laughing. I had to get up, and go lock myself in the bathroom until I finished. It was that good.

I really cannot recommend this book highly enough! READ THIS. Or, if you are still hesitant, go watch the movie (I have yet to see it), and THEN read it! Then tell me your thoughts, because this was so great!!!




 

Mini Reviews-- Part one

Hey guys! As usual... I have been reading, but not doing a great job at keeping track of those books here.

But guys!!! I have SO MANY books for you to read!!! I know, I know, I say that a lot (whether it happens more because the book is wonderful, or because the book is terrible is another story) but there are all really awesome books. I have had a streak of AWESOME luck recently in the books department, so I wanted to share some of my finds.

I may end up writing a longer review for some of these, but I wanted to get them out there, in case anyone is looking for a good book. Enjoy!!

What if? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions - Randall Munroe

Randall Munroe is the creator of http://www.xkcd.com/. I had personally never heard of it before I saw this book, but have taken a look at it since, and have enjoyed what I have seen.

I don't have a lot to say about this book, because the title pretty aptly describes it all. On Munroe's website, people ask him strange and obscure questions. He, in turn, answers those questions using a mixture of math and science. It sounds like it could be bland, right? That is what I thought, at least. But man! This book is so entertaining! The questions really are absurd, such as "What if you hit a baseball thrown at 90% the speed of light?" Or, "What would happen if you gathered together a mole (unit of measurement) of moles (small, furry critters)?" Or even "What would happen if you gathered everyone together in one place and they all jumped at the same time?"

I am not going to claim to understand every term and idea Munroe presents, but I can say that I was entertained while listening to this book (though, it would be nice to read it, because Munroe does stick figure illustrations).

This book is worth the read, and will DEFINITELY give you something interesting to talk about over dinner. :)


The Magician's Lie - Greer Macallister

This book is one I got for a Daily Deal on Audible. I have to be 100% honest, I mostly was interested because one of the "blurbs" about the book mentioned Night Circus, which is one of my favorite books of all time.

I wouldn't say that this book ended up being like Night Circus, but I did enjoy it a lot. I don't want to give away too much on this one, because it is a book where you figure out what is going on along with the characters, and I think that was part of the charm. I did enjoy learning how some magical illusions worked, and this book made me want to see a magic show. I did NOT love one of the narrators. I disliked the woman's voice, since she made every male character sound identical. Anyway, it is a small complaint, since the book really was intriguing.

Uprooted - Naomi Novik

This book was a little strange, to be honest. It was loosely based on several fairy tales, and I had such high hopes for it! The blurb mentions that every ten years, a girl (around 11) is taken from the village and lives with the nearby wizard, "The Dragon," for ten years. After that, she comes home and leaves town shortly after. It is the same each time a girl is taken. They say the Dragon never touches them, but they come home with newfound extravagance and leave.

First, do NOT be fooled by the magician's title. the Dragon is not literally a dragon. He is a cranky old magician who is angry all the time and likes things tidy. Second, we never really learn about whether this book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling or not. There are more important things at hand.

So those were a couple grievances, but there was a lot to love about this book. First, the story kept me guessing. I couldn't ever figure out what was going to happen, and the things that did happen were often surprising. Second, I kind of liked the creepiness of this book. You all know that I love fairy tale magic and the like, but this magic in this books was CREEPY! The forest is, like, possessing people. It was just really interesting and soooo unexpected! So if you want a not-too-traditional fairy tale, with a bit of spooky factor, this is your book!

Oh--as a side note, the main character's name is a mouthful. Her name is "Agnieszka." If you gave up halfway through that, you experienced the same frustration that I did. The author does tell you how to pronounce it (ag-NYESH-kah) but that is at the END of the book, so not totally helpful. I figure I would try to help you out early. :)

Wool - Hugh Howey

I had heard good things about this book, and I finally bought this (also on Audible) to listen to during work. First of all... wow. This was completely unexpected! It was another book that I thought I had the plot down right from the beginning, but... man. This thing had so many twists and turns, I was dizzy!

Word to the wise: buy the Wool Omnibus. My copy happened to be that (by accident). Apparently, the book was originally supposed to be released as a trilogy, but people loved the story so much that instead of releasing three books, Hugh Howey ended up releasing the story as five books, so people could get them faster.

Wool is a dystopian adventure, and it takes place in a silo. Yes, like the silos where you store wheat. But this silo has been upgraded slightly. Apparently, when the world as we know it ended, people fled to these silos to wait a time when the air would be breathable again. As far as people know in this particular silo (It might be Silo 12? 13? I can't remember exactly), they are the last human beings on earth. These silos go about 100 floors underneath the ground, and life goes on there much as you would expect. Eventually people get a little stir crazy. However, the BIG rule of the silo is this: Don't ask to go outside. If you do, you get what you ask for.

Yes, that's right. If you ask to go outside, they let you... *ominous music.* It was a great book, and I loved the surprising twists and turns! I did gain a new worst fear, but we can talk about that later, if you decide to read this. Loved it!

The Paper Magician - Charlie M. Holmberg

This book.... sigh. I had SUCH high hopes for this, and the idea is fantastic!! The basic idea is that there is a school for those who are magically inclined (No, not Hogwarts). However, the students don't actually learn magic AT the school. Instead, when they finish their studies, they are apprenticed out to a particular type of magician, and are then "bonded" to that material, meaning that during their apprenticeship and forever beyond, they learn how to work with one material. Most of the materials are man-made: glass, paper, metal, plastic, rubber, etc.

The main character is Ceony Twill. She has her heart set on becoming a Smelter, a metal magician. However, due to a shortage of magicians, she is instead assigned to become a paper magician with Magician Emery Thane (thus, the title "The Paper Magician").

Guys... paper magic is AWESOME!! She can animate origami shapes, make a paper fan that blows hurricane-force winds, make snowflakes that are actually cold, and you know those paper fortune tellers you used to make as kids (Pick a color, pick a number, pick another number, here is your fortune)? Yeah, well, being a paper magician, you can ACTUALLY tell fortunes! It is really awesome!

The main thing about this book was that it was really slow moving. It is a trilogy, and it probably shouldn't be. Not much happens in the books, and the author gets caught up in other memories to spend too much time learning about the awesomeness of the spells. But I did like the book, and I want to learn some of the kinds of magic now.

I am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

This is a book we got for my dad on audio book, then borrowed shortly after. It is a true story of Malala (duh) who is a young girl who lived in Pakistan and stood up for education, and was shot by the Taliban (as you can see on this lovely cover picture I have provided). Fun fact: it says on the cover that she won he Nobel Peace Prize, but from what I recall, she is actually the youngest winner of the prize ever.

This book was so INTERESTING! It was cool to see a different culture. I mean, I am born and raised in America, so it was different to see how education is viewed in a different area. It was interesting to consider the Taliban and why, originally, the people loved the Taliban.

Since Malala wrote this book, I don't think it would be too much of a spoiler to let you know that she survives the attack, and she and her family are rushed out of the country to give hr the best health care possible. Malala is still a huge education advocate, and gives many speeches and attends conferences worldwide to try and open education for everyone.

It was a great read, and really, Malala's childhood and family life really obviously shaped her. I am excited to hear more about her in the future, and am positive she will do great things.

If you are looking to get out of the realm of fiction for a while, this is an awesome option!

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

This is one that I am hoping to write a larger review of later. I LOVED this book. The story gets started right away, so I can give you a bit of plot, because some of it is revealed in the first chapter.

This book is set in a futuristic earth--a very CRAPPY futuristic earth. There is an energy crisis, the world is a horrible place to live, and everyone has found refuge inside this virtual reality game--The Oasis. The Oasis is... Well, think of the Sims games, but on steroids. People live vicariously inside the Oasis. They go to school there, they work there, they even meet and marry there, all without leaving the comforts of their own computer screen. Then, there are the options for the more adventurous types--you can be a wizard, a warrior, a spy... you can be whatever you want to be and do whatever you want to do inside the Oasis. It is a massive multiplayer universe with worlds like earth, worlds like star wars and star trek... Really. I am not exaggerating when I say that you can be and do ANYTHING in there.

The Oasis was created by one man, James Halliday. Halliday was a hermit, and never socialized outside of this world he had created. Then, on the day he dies, there is a mass video sent out to everyone in the world--streamed to everyone with an Oasis account (basically everyone) as well as all over the news. In this video, Halliday reveals how his fortune will be bestowed. He has  created several Easter eggs inside the Oasis--three keys, and three gates. Whoever finds the three keys and unlocks the three gates first will inherit EVERYTHING James Halliday had (So... like over $250 billion, His company, and control of the Oasis. Winning the competition would essentially make the winner the richest person in the world). In this video, he gives the world the first clue (usually in the form of a Limerick. I tried to solve the puzzles in this book and failed miserably). And... that's it. The world goes crazy and everyone starts the search.

Until... well, nothing. For five years, the world searches in vain for the first key. There is a scoreboard on Halliday's main Oasis page. That scoreboard remains blank until one day, five years later, a name appears. And that, my friends, is all just in the first chapter. This book is fun! It is fast paced, and has a great mix of humor and intensity. There is a very HEAVY dose of all things eighties, because James Halliday was obsessed with the eighties.

This is one of my top books of the year, and I do not say that lightly. I shoved this into Jeremy's hands as soon as I was finished, and now I want to read it again! Plus, I loved when I was able to understand the nerdy references.

Please read this book, it is seriously amazing, and so much fun!

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

 So... I read this one a really long time ago, and I am afraid that I don't remember a lot of the details; I remember Steph saying she read it, so I may have to leave a review of this one in her capable hands. :)  However, not remembering much of this book doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it! I do remember a few very important things.

First, the cover is glow-in-the-dark. What is not to love about a glow-in-the-dark cover?!? I had this one on my bedside table, and squealed with joy when I found out.

The writing is awesome! This book feels so conversational, and it made me feel smart. Plus, there were times that I snickered aloud. Then felt silly, because even if I could read the segment to Jeremy, he had no idea what was going on in the story, and so it was not nearly as funny to him.

This is about books. I mean, not just the 24-hour bookstore mentioned in the title, but it is all about books and learning from books and trying to seek the **ULTIMATE ANSWER** ( This is important, which is why I made that very fancy. I thought that the ultimate answer was 42, according to Douglas Adams, but apparently these people are not satisfied with that). This book is so interesting!

Also, I loved Mr. Penumbra. He was just the perfect, quirky old man. In fact, if I remember correctly, basically all of the main characters were awesome.

So... yeah. Not super helpful when it comes to a review, but I lent this one out as soon as I finished it, and haven't been able to take a look at it again, since.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 So there you have it, guys! Some mini reviews for you to peruse, and I hopefully chose enough variety that there is something for everyone. Let me know what you think, and I can't wait to hear what you are reading!!

Women of Genesis series by Orson Scott Card

I have wanted to sit down and type up a lovely review of these books. For months I have been meaning to. But, usually when I get the chance to sit down at a computer it is to do data entry and organizations for myCub Scout pack (can I get a round of applause?). However, my computer died this week, so with no fix in sight I figure that it is time to buckle down and at least share a few comments.

Has anyone read this series? This is actually the first Orson Scott Card that I read and I am very glad that I did. Awhile after reading these, I gave in a d read Enders Game. Which while I was very intrugued by the story line, I hated. I hared the relationshil of the brothers, but especially the portraya (author notes) that that is how kids behave. That is not how hralthy (emotionally) children behave. I could go off on a rant, but back to the original thought:

I really enjoyed this series. There are so few details written I  the bible about these women, or their lives. It was so li ely to me to be placed in a story that included details of what their lives may he been like. It is always so amazing for me to think on how much different life us for women now, and how much the same as well.

The Reckoners - Brandon Sanderson

With the furor of superhero movies and stories going around, I was a little hesitant to talk about my latest favorite series... but then I figured, what the heck? Now is as good of a time as any to let you all know about this AMAZING series!

I don't know if you are into the superhero "jive," but if you are, have you ever caught yourself watching a great superhero movie and wishing that it was a book? Not a comic book, but a novel?

Brandon Sanderson found himself asking this very question, and thus the Reckoners series was born. And it all starts with the first book in the series, Steelheart. The second book is also out, Firefight, and the third (and final) book comes out in January: Calamity. This is something I love about Brandon Sanderson. He does not keep his readers waiting when it comes to books. He tries to release 3-4 books in a year, and everything I have read from him is wonderful!

If you haven't read anything by Sanderson, I recommend the Reckoner's Trilogy as a good place to start. Sanderson is a master storyteller, and leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat right until the end. Plus, Sanderson doesn't use cursing as a way to draw attention to a scene. He relies on good storytelling, and lets your imagination fill in the world.

There is so much I would love to say about the Reckoners, but I don't want to give the story away. Instead, here is a list of things I enjoyed about the series:

• As I said, masterful storytelling. I found myself holding my breath and reading faster, just to find out what happened next in certain scenes.
• Sanderson makes fun of terrible metaphors by having his main character come up with terrible metaphors. The main character, David, loves metaphors, but is REALLY  bad at employing them. As an English nerd, this makes me happy.
• All of the characters were fun and unique. Even the bad guys were awesome, and you had to respect them.
• Twists and turns--like, a ton of them. When I finished the second book, I was so amazed at what had just happened that I kind of growled and shouted and yelled at the book for the cliffhanger (true story).
• I loved the semi-realistic feel of the land. In the first book, "New Cago" is the city--a city that has been turned to steel. The image made my imagination go wild.
• The fact that David is a nerd. I don't know why, but I appreciate when authors make the hero a more realistic person.
• Sanderson's knowledge of the weaponry he is writing about. I wrote this one for Jeremy. One of the things he hated in Divergent was the fact that Tris was always just holding a gun. No description, no type of gun, nothing. It was always just "a gun." Sanderson shows his knowledge by having a lot of weapons show up in the course of the series, but David's weapon of choice is a Rifle. That just adds a whole "wild west" feel to this futuristic setting.
• Finally, Sanderson is great at making his characters vulnerable and human. Despite precautions taken by the Reckoners, they make mistakes. They fail occasionally. But they learn from it and become much stronger in the process.

Again, there is a lot more to mention. But I LOVED this series. I don't think I have a single negative thing to say about these books, other than the third book doesn't come out for about 6 months. If you have liked all the superhero movies coming out, you are sure to get a kick out of this series. Please, please, PLEASE read this!!!

Guards of the Shadowlands-- Sanctum

Hey guys!

It has been a while--which is funny, because I have actually been reading a LOT of books, and listening to a lot of audiobooks while I have been working.

However, before I talk about any of the cool, new things I have been reading, I need to talk about this trilogy that I haven't been able to get out of my head, which has been really frustrating, because there was SO much about this trilogy that I didn't like. However, I heard once that flawed novels make for the best discussions. Let's test this theory, shall we?

So, since this is a trilogy, I will give you a brief run-down of the first book, and try not to provide any major spoilers, because, well, as much as there was to dislike about this book, there was also a lot that I really LIKED about this book, and it has given way to a lot of interesting thoughts and conversations so far. (If you aren't opposed to audiobooks, listen to it. If you have a kindle, you can go onto Amazon.com, and get each of the kindle books and add the Audible narration for a total of about $6 per book/audio. I LOVED the narrator).

WARNING: There is a LOT of language in the beginning of this book. It kind of tapers off after the first few chapters of the first book and isn't such a problem during the later books, but in the beginning there is a lot you kind of have to trudge through.

So, the story begins with Lela Santos, a teenage girl with a (very) troubled past. She has been in and out of foster homes her entire life, and most of those homes are memories Lela would rather forget. On her first day at Warwick High, she meets the most popular girl in school (Nadia) and helps her out of a tricky situation. The girls become best friends, and Nadia helps Lela to see that she can have a future, and to not let the past ruin that future.

Fast forward a year. The girls are about to graduate, and are planning to attend college together. Lela is excited to have a life, and excited to be sharing it with her best friend. Unfortunately, all is not well with Nadia. Nadia has a sort of perfection complex, and has been digging herself deeper into a drug problem. Just a few months prior to graduation, Nadia commits suicide.

It should be noted here that Lela is not stranger to suicide. Once, in her most abusive foster home, she felt like she had no other options, and tried to commit suicide herself, before being resuscitated by her foster father. She has had nightmares ever since about what she saw at that time; instead of the peace and tranquility she expected from death, she had been dropped in front of an enormous city, around which was a massive wall, and a "suicide gate" that let--and kept-- people in the city. Basically, what she saw was Hell.

Anyway, back to the story. After Nadia dies, Lela begins having horribly realistic dreams where she is seeing what Nadia is seeing as Nadia wanders through Hell, lost, confused, and scared, and all the while still wanting nothing but for it all to "end." Lela, trying to clear her head, tries several times in various ways to let go of Nadia and move forward, but none of her methods seem to work. One night, about a week after Nadia kills herself, Lela decides to go to Nadia's favorite place--a seaside cliff walk near their home in Rhode Island. One of Lela's "visions" comes on her again while she is on the trail, and she ends up falling off the cliff walk, into the ocean.

When Lela next wakes up, she is in a beautiful meadow. All her cares are gone, and she realizes that she, too, has died. Everything feels wonderful, until she remembers Nadia. All of a sudden, she can see beyond the gorgeous meadow and into the Dark City (another term for Hell). Lela then makes her decision; she decides to give up paradise in order to go rescue her friend.

She sneaks past the guards at the suicide gate and into the dark city, where she immediately realizes that--besides being dark, smelly, slimy, and filled with people who are unaware of the city around them--the city has some terrifying secrets.

All Lela wants to do is get Nadia and leave the city. She manages to make some friends along the way, who are willing to help her. But her journey through the Dark City is even more difficult than she had imagined it would be, and Lela isn't sure she can find Nadia within this city of millions.

Sounds like an intriguing plot, right? I thought so, too, which is why I picked it up. But like I said, this novel has a lot of flaws. So let's talk about those first.

As I mentioned, there is sooooo much language. Jeremy and I were listening to this in our car recently, and I realized that after a time, I must have started blocking out the cussing. The "F" bomb is a particular favorite of the author's, and I didn't see the necessity of that.

Another thing I disliked was the weird... I guess symbolism. Yeah, I suppose it was an attempt at symbolism. In the city there is a place called the Sanctum. In order for anyone to get out of the city, you have to go to the Sanctum and arrange to meet with the Judge, who tells you if you are ready to leave. Being a religious sort of person, I imagine you can guess how I equated that in my mind. Everyone throughout the novel refers to him (the Judge) as completely just, so imagine my surprise as Lela steps in front of the Judge and the Judge decides to appear as a woman "Because I felt like wearing heels today." That was a little bizarre to me. Not to mention that as the books progress, you get the feeling that the Judge is more like a Greek god. It seems that the characters are the chess pieces, and the judge moves them at will. That was a bit rough for me.

And--oh my goodness--you have never experienced teenage angst like you will in this book. I mean, I had my fair share of crushes and heartbreaks, but not like Lela experiences in the pages of this series. I am trying to think of an accurate description, but my mind is drawing a blank. Just know, that if you invest yourself in this book, there is a soap opera waiting in its pages. No, it isn't quite that bad. But there are a lot of eye-rolling "I leaned into him and breathed deep, taking in his smell. He smelled of earth, and salt..." moments. So, uh... sweat? On the upside, it DID lead to a great conversation that indeed, girls do NOT actually think this way, so that was nice.

All that being said, there was a LOT I loved about this book. First and foremost--as I mentioned before--this book has sparked a TON of interesting conversations between Jeremy and myself. We have talked about the attitude of the people in the Dark City, and how interesting it is to us that they fail to connect with the world around them. That has led to talks about our world today, and how we sometimes act like the people in the dark city. We have talked about the Tower, which is a place in the Dark City that makes people re-live and see their greatest fears. It is extremely difficult to pass through, but as people pass through it offers them the chance to give up the fight and instead lay down in the tower for eternity, at "peace." The world building is amazing, and the concept of the afterlife was illustrated in an incredibly intriguing way. We have talked about the whole premise of the story--the idea of a friend sacrificing everything to rescue another friend, and what that entails. Really, there is so much to talk about, it would take a long time for me to detail it all. But I can't tell you how many times we have tied our conversations back to this series, referencing some obscure scene.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. They are all so vastly different, yet each one felt so human I could relate to them all at certain times. I could relate to Lela. She loves her friends, but also has some very real feelings of frustration towards them At the same time, I can relate to Nadia, because it is hard for me to give up fundamental personal beliefs, especially when it comes to being perceived by others. I can understand Malachi, who wants to be strong, and wants to protect those he loves, and Ana, who is graceful and deadly, and distances herself from everyone she meets because she has lost someone in the past. The portrayal of people in this book is very real, and I found myself seeing people I know in the characters.

I have thought about this book for days, and weeks. I devoured the series, and can't seem to get it out of my head. If you are okay with some language, some angst, and some really strange symbolism, you should pick up this book, because what it lacked in those areas it definitely made up for elsewhere. Read this book!!

The Midwife

After a terrible week last week, I finally have some time and mental capacity to share about this book I just finished!

If you have seen "Call the Midwife" on Netflix (or on BBC, when it was playing), you are one step ahead of this post. My mom mentioned the show several months ago, and one day, while Jeremy was in class, I decided it was time to try it. Truly, it is AWESOME. I immediately fell in love with the characters and their stories.

For the uninitiated, "Call the Midwife" follows nurse Jenny Lee (center in the picture above) and her fellow midwives who work in a convent. They are in the slums of London in the 1950's, and the challenges they face are incredible. Not only was this a fascinating series, but from what I understand, it is pretty accurate to the time period. And--if you allow me a moment to gush--I LOVE the clothes and hair of the fifties. It really doesn't have much to do with the story, but look at Nurse jenny lee in the picture below. She is beautiful, and I want that dress. However, yellow looks terrible on me, so I will settle for learning how to do the hair.

Anyway, So the series ran for three (short) seasons, and after I watched the series, I found myself wanting to know more. Luckily for me, "Call the Midwife" is based on a book that Jennifer Worth (Who actually was Jenny Lee, until she got married) wrote about Midwifery. The Midwife is the memoir she wrote, because she wanted people to learn about the truths of Midwifery.

Disclaimer: There are actually two books you can find by Jennifer Worth. One is The Midwife, which is the original, and one is actually a series--Call the Midwife. The Midwife was written before BBC came out with the series, and is a single book. Call the Midwife is a trilogy--the first book is identical to The Midwife, as far as I could tell. The table of contents was identical. I don't know anything about the other two books. I decided to start small, and go for the original. If anyone decides to read the series, you should tell me if it is similar to the original.

I loved the book! Jennifer's voice is so engaging, it felt like I was there in the situation. Although many characters are introduced, then left behind, it doesn't feel like your head is overloaded with names and places. In a way, I suppose it feels much like what a midwife would experience--where you get to witness just one small glimpse of a life, and that glimpse changes that family forever.

There was a huge mix of emotions in this book--there were beautiful stories, and there were sad stories. There were graphic stories, and there were terrifying stories. I am forever grateful that I did not pick up this book while pregnant, because there is a story about a woman who gets "Eclampsia," which is a rare, incurable disease that affects women who are pregnant. *Shudder.* But overall, the stories were so great that it didn't read like a memoir; it read like historical fiction, and after finishing, I want to know more.

Please read this book--it is amazing! And then talk to me about it, because no one else I know has read it yet, and I am dying to discuss this with someone!!

Happy reading!

I'm no saint...latter day or otherwise

The title of this post is one of my favorite lines from elna Baker's book The new York regional Mormon singles Halloween dance.- I cannot wait for the perfect opportunity to say this line to someone But I digress. I love this book and the author is one of my favorite storytellers from the moth/risk/this American life podcasts. She is (was?) A single mormon living in new York. This is a collection of stories about her life and thoughts durring her mid to late twenties. I love this book.  I read it about once a year and I always get something out of it. Elna is a comedy writer but her comedy is more like mike birbiglia instead of bill Cosby, kinda slow and more funny in a sadish way.  although I have never been single in ny (nor was I really single very long in my adult life) I can relate to her struggles in so many ways.. even if they are slightly different for me. Elna is known as the chubby funny one in her life, a role I seem to step into no matter what company I keep.
       The core of the book is about her beliefs kinda. Most of the book she's trying to be in the world and of it a little bit while also keeping in line with what she has grown up with. For her the big issue is (was?) sex. As she puts it "since I dont have sex the longest relationship I was able to maintain was 4 weeks and that was only because the guy was out of town for 2 week." So in the book she'll go back and forth between wanting to have sex and her relationship with God.  At one point in the book she states that she feels like she's riding two horses that are getting further and further apart. I can not tell you how many times I have felt that way trying to keep myself in line with my beliefs while simultaneously trying not to be "the weird one who should be interrogated." this book could've been written about me in high school (abd every so often after) if you replace the sex temptation with alcohol.
    However this book is not all sad and deep religious turmoil.  One of favorite stories is of the time Elna decided that for Halloween she was going to go as a fortune cookie. During the train ride to the dance the costume becomes disfigured and it's hilarious. (I suggest looking up a video of her telling that story after you read it.) However although this is a "Mormon" book (kinda) make no mistake it is written by a Mormon like me so there is swearing and some other such lauguage although its not super prevalent most of the time.
   I love this book Especially if I am questioning my choices in life or the church a little ( I sometimes have an existential crisis like every couple years not like a kate kelly crazy pants but a small personal one) and this book always gives me hope and encouragement. (Although the sad post script to the story is elna left the church and abandoned all the beliefs she holds to in this book shortly before/after the john delin excommunication as she is often on his Mormon stories podcast. ) I have heard a lot of people feel like in her storytelling and this book that elna whines in  a "I'm mormon so I can't but I really want to" way..
   So give it a chance. If anyone does I want to hear about it. Until then off to find another book...

P.s. I linked one of her older bits. Its hilarious and although it is one of the stories in the book it'll give you an idea of how she sounds and acts.

https://youtu.be/lBvVBXpV8tI

The Big Let-Down

I will be honest, I haven't ever posted in this blog because thus far I haven't really read anything worth mentioning.  The biggest problem with the novels I have been reading as of late seem to all have one thing in common: a big let-down at the very end of the book.  The authors seem to do a fantastic job of developing the story throughout the 100-300 pages of the novel but then you as you get down to the last 2 pages you realize there is not enough time left to resolve anything you expected them to resolve.  One prime example that comes to mind is Steamship to Zion by Jerry Borrowman.  This book looked like it was right up my alley (I love historical fiction) and it sort of was until the last few pages.

**Spoiler Alert**
The story is about the Chandler family and their journey to Salt Lake.  Long Story Short it is their father, Henry, who feels they must move from their home in England to join the Saints in Utah.  They begin their journey by traveling to New York City.  Things don't go as well as planned and they suddenly find themselves forced to work on a steamship bound for Panama City.  Their father passes away during this leg of the journey (dumb!  It was his idea to go and it took a lot of convincing to get the rest of the family to agree to go and then Henry dies!  But death happens and I was able to accept this and move on :) )

The family arrives in Panama City but they find that they don't have enough money to continue on so the boys must work in Panama City until they are able to save enough money for passage to California.  While they are in Panama City Henry's only daughter becomes ill and dies.  (Once again, dumb but it happens and is conceivable in the conditions they were living in)

What's left of the Chandler family (mother and 2 boys) journey to California and once again they must stay for a time; until they can make enough to finish their journey to Utah.  They face many hardships but they are finally able to get a guide to take them to Utah.  This is where the story becomes frustrating.  The author gave so many details about their journey and the difficulties they faced but then the story ends...it just ends.  We don't get to see the Chandler family in Utah; we don't get to see the Saints.  Nothing.  I felt like this was a huge let-down after the development of the story.  Would it really have killed the author to write 30 more pages and finish developing the story?  It feels like he just got tired and gave up or something!

What other big story let-downs have you had?

A Touch of Stardust - Kate Alcott

A coworker and I have been exchanging books back and forth lately. I like the system, because I get exposed to a lot of books that I have never heard of, or have never considered reading before. A Touch of Stardust is the most recent book she lent me.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It follows three major stories.

The first (and main) story is that of Julie Crawford, an aspiring screenwriter who wants to be discovered in Hollywood. Julie is trying to escape her Midwestern upbringing, and is determined to stay in Hollywood, even though her parents want her to come back home and get married. As the story begins, she is working a mediocre job at MGM Studios doing grunt work, until she is asked to deliver a message to David Selznick, the producer for Gone with the Wind. Despite the negative encounter she has with him, it turns out to be a turning point in Julie's life and career: she meets Selznick's right-hand man, Andy, whom she later begins dating, and she also bumps into Carole Lombard, who is on set with Clark Gable (the future Rhett Butler) to finish negotiations for Gone with the Wind. Julie somehow becomes involved in their lives--first as Carole's personal assistant, then--as Julie gets more settled into a career in screenwriting--as a lifelong friend.

The second story is of Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. According to the author, Lombard was a firecracker; loud, straightforward, and flashy. At the time the story starts, Lombard and Gable are  in the midst of their "secret" affair, since they are waiting for news of Gable's divorce to come through. Eventually, the divorce is finalized, and they rush off to elope. Their love story (as Alcott tells it) is really quite beautiful, and it is amazing to see the love they have for each other, and the support they show. Carole shares with Julie the things she has learned in Hollywood, and helps Julie make the hard decisions that come with growing up.

The final story is of the filming of Gone with the Wind, and how it ties everything together. I suppose I hadn't realized what a huge undertaking it was--or, for that matter, how important it was. There were countless setbacks, and still a lot of racism in the United States that made the movie premiere bittersweet. Gone with the Wind completely took over the lives of the people involved, and was a huge undertaking for MGM. As this book is fictional, I don't know which parts of the filming are accurate. However, if it is true, then there were barriers such as an unfinished script when filming started, a reluctant Rhett Rhett and Scarlett, the head of MGM demanding a "happy ending," and the United States teetering on the edge of joining WWII. This book touches on all of those.

Alcott does a beautiful job of tying the three stories together; so much so, it is difficult to pick them apart. A Touch of Stardust explores a lot of interesting themes--following your dreams, racism, war, love, growing up, World War 2--and how people tried to ignore it, and the illusion of Hollywood. The book feels like you would expect a book based in Hollywood to feel like--it is glamorous and exciting, and changes very quickly. But, at the same time, there is a dark underbelly that the glamor tries to cover up. Julie finds herself wondering what is real and what is a facade, and the reader asks the same question.

My one real issue with this book was the end, to be completely honest. I have thought a lot about how it ended, and can't decide if it was a nod to Gone with the Wind--it ended appropriately, but not necessarily happily-- or if the author wanted to leave an ambiguous ending for the benefit of the reader.

Either way, it was a really good book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a historical fiction-type book. And when you do, I would love to hear your thoughts on the ending!

As You Wish...

I almost don't need to reference the movie that this well-known line comes from. The Princess Bride has long been one of my favorite movies, and (once I learned it was based off a book) it quickly became a favorite book. It is one of those rare occasions when the book and movie are equal in greatness, and "book or movie?" has been a common debate among Princess Bride fans for a long time.

But the book and movie came out a long time ago. Imagine my surprise when I was scrolling through my Facebook feed one day, and there was an article about Carey Elwes (Westley) and the Princess Bride movie trivia he reveals in his new book, As You Wish. When I double checked Barnes and Noble online and realized that this was a real thing, the book shot to the top of my wish list. Luckily, We were about to go to Florida, so I needed a good book to read for the plane ride.

This did not disappoint. From pre-production to the twenty-five-year anniversary, Elwes takes the reader through his own memories, as well as the memories of the other actors and actresses involved in the film to paint an entertaining image of the behind-the-scenes happenings on the set.

For example: Did you know that the scene with Miracle Max and Valerie is almost entirely improvised? Carey Elwes kept laughing so hard during the shooting of these scenes, eventually a dummy was placed on the table, while he and Rob Reiner (the director) were asked to leave because they kept ruining takes.

Or, did you know that when the six-fingered man hits Westley on the top of his head, Westley really was knocked out? The actors couldn't get the timing right, because the six-fingered man's sword was not even touching Elwes' head, so Elwes suggested that the sword be tapped lightly on his head so he would know when to faint. Unfortunately, the sword fell harder than expected, and Carey Elwes was knocked unconscious, waking up later in the hospital. That is the take used in the film.

Page after page, I learned trivia tidbits. I loved it so much, and I kept interrupting Jeremy's reading to say "Hey, did you know..." and proceed to share the interesting tidbit I had learned.

I LOVED this, and I highly recommend it to any Princess Bride fan. It made me laugh, and it made me think. When I finished, all I wanted to do was sit down and read it again, then watch the movie, then read the original novel. Sadly, I haven't gotten to reading the novel yet, but I did watch the movie, and with my new knowledge of the behind-the-scenes action, I had a great time adding that extra depth to the story.

Read it!!

contemporary books that should be taught in school

Hello y'all

   I found a list online of contemporary books that should be taught in schools and while I totally agree with some of the titles on the list like 13 reasons why by jay Asher and speak by Laurie halse Andersen, it got me thinking What other books would you add to school curriculum and why? I would add lone survivor by marcus littrel because I think its important for almost adults to see what people went through to protect their freedom.

So lets hear it what would you add and why.  ( I also tried to link the article here. If it doesn't work then I also posted it to my Facebook page)

26 Contemporary Books That Should Be Taug... http://www.buzzfeed.com/brettvergara/26-contemporary-books-that-should-be-taught-in-high-school

What are you reading?

Hello friends,
I am currently reading a Dystopian type book, "Sneak" by Evan Angler (the second in the series). It is more geared for teen readers and I find it moves a little slow for my taste, so I find myself wishing for something new to read. What are you reading tonight? What are your top, recent, reads?

The art of racing in the rain

Hello again friends

As promised here is my thoughts on the only book I've "read" recently that doesn't fit the memoir category The art of racing in the rain by Garth Stein(I dont know that audio books truly count as reading but I dont know what other verbiage to use... absorbing?  I digress. .)
My friend at work suggested this book to me for a while before I finally decided to read it. I am notoriously against reading any books about dogs ever because inevitably something happens to the dog and it hurts my soul as I like most dogs better than I like most people. (this goes for movies too I have never seen Marley and me and I refuse to let it cross the threshold of my house) however at the time a bunch of people in my unit were reading the book and I wanted to be part of the conversation. Basically this is the story of a mans life as told from the dogs perspective. the dogs name is enzo and the owner is a middle-aged man named Denny.  Denny is an amateur racer so a lot of the book is told in racing terms. If you aren't into car racing ( like indy 500) it can make some of the book both a little boring and a little confusing.  However enzo is the perfect narrator. As a dog he is preprogrammed to see the best in everything but he can also soften the blow of some of the more depressing moments in the book because he doesn't understand the motive behind some actions. However the narration never feels forced or cheesy.
As far as the book itself the best way to describe it is it reminded me a lot of the story of job from the bible. Denny is handed crap after crap in the book and has to figure out how to deal with it(or learn the art of racing in the rain as Enzo puts it). From getting married and having a child and buying his first house to sickness, death, custody Battles, and losing his job, seemingly overnight Denny's life goes from decent and normal to everything that could go wrong does. It might seem like the kind of book that makes you consider taking up drinking just to forget about it but because its narration is from a dog even when Denny is consumed by crushing depression with seemingly no way out theres always a layer of optimism however small.
The audio book is only about 7 hours so things do move fairly quickly in the story since from what I can tell it only covers a few years of Denny and enzo's life and so it never felt rushed to me. Although the ending made me cry like a baby I really liked this book...I think. Its the kind of book you'll kinda think back on every now and again and go yeah I think I liked it ( although not sure how long it'll be before I actually read it again. Probably at least a year)

I guess thats all the thoughts I have on this book really. Its worth a shot and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a semi short book thats a little out of the ordinary.

The Midnight Library by Kazuna Kohara

This children's book is adorable. I'll admit the story is cute (what bookworm wouldn't love a story of a girl who runs a library for the animals with the help of her 3 owl friends?), but I think what I loved most were the illustrations. This is another book for my "one day" library.

The Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck

Book 1: "Tiger's Curse"

This book was recommended to me by one of my friend's. I didn't know anything about the book other than the title when she recommended it. Just a quick "Hey, you should read this."
This is a fantasy series about a young adult, Kelsey. She gets a two-week summer job stint working for a small family owned traveling circus and gets pulled into the center of a 300 year old curse. One of her responsibilities is to help care for the tiger, Ren, who turns out to be a 300 hundred year old (yet still young and handsome) Indian prince. The Saga tells the story of how the curse is broken.

I wasn't immediately drawn into this book, but kept reading due to the recommendation from my friend. The writing is a teen level, and at times I felt the story was too fast (not enough details or description. Sometimes jumping ahead to fast) and other times too slow (where lengthy explanations were given for things that seemed obvious). However, I suppose I am biased against the lower level writing style, what with me being a twenty-something doctoral graduate. The story itself is well suited for teen age reading. There is a lot of teenage romance and emotion and the reader can see the characters growing up and developing. The romance reminded me of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer in that there is a 300 year old teen boy who shows no sense of adult courtship, and an just-out-of-high-school female who has no idea how to deal with the fact that a gorgeous man loves and is loved by her. However, it is obvious that the author has a lot of background in Indian culture as well as general literature through the ages. This is what kept me reading.

Book 2: "Tiger's Quest"

This section of the story throws a huge wrench in the plot by bringing Ren's brother, Kishan, into the love mix. A little background on the brothers' past: The whole tiger curse thing was brought to pass in part, because Kishan got tied up with the girl his older brother was betrothed too. This leaves the reader wondering if there is a tragic flaw in Kishan that he will always fall for (and steal the heart of?) whatever girl is in his brother's romantic possession.

Book 3: "Tiger's Voyage"
The love triangle continues. I am sorry to keep referencing Twilight, but this made me think of the whole team Edward vs. team Jacob battle. It was satisfying to me to see the girl decide on the steady, kind, more normal guy and turn away from the controlling, but passionate, chemistry filled relationship. Though I kept thinking was too good to be true. The whole team continues to battle against the curse, and the villian. They get into sme pretty action-y situations. I didn't always the the writing, but these scenes would make pretty cool movies.

Book 4: "Tiger's Destiny"
Some interesting plot turns, though some were pretty expected truth be told. And of course it ends, as Ms. I would say, with pretty pink ribbons all tied in bows.

Let me know what ya'll think.

Dystopian Distress

I think we can safely say that before The Hunger Games trilogy, there wasn't an official "dystopian" genre. Sure, there were books that fit the mold (The Giver, 1984), but I think Hunger Games was the novel that set off the flood of dystopian novels that hit the bookshelves after that (I thought about adding a nice image of "dystopia" here but I looked online and some of the images are vaguely terrifying, so I settled with "post apocalyptic city." instead).



So first, what exactly is a dystopian novel, and what does it entail? Merriam-Webster defines dystopia as 1) an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not treated fairly, and 2) anti-utopia. Jeremy and I recently had a discussion about this. We came to the general conclusion that a "dsytopia" is basically a "utopia" gone terribly wrong. That a post-war society puts so much corrective emphasis on perfection and good qualities that they overshoot, and become corrupt and, well, imperfect.


I love the concept of the genre; the idea of a utopian society gone wrong is interesting to me; however, as  I have read more and more books in this genre, I am beginning to feel like we are scraping the bottom of the barrel. And today, I want to prove it. I am going to use three of my favorite dystopian novels: Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and The Uglies by Scott Westerfield. I will go over the plots of a "cookie cutter" dystopian novel, and then show how each of these fits the mold.

Before I begin, let me say that I enjoyed all three of these series (each is a trilogy. Similarity #1). In fact, I would highly recommend The Uglies and Delirium. I was a little less of a fan of Divergent because Tris is a very flat narrator. She got a little irritating to me towards the end. I also need to say that I deliberately excluded The Hunger Games from this comparison. Not because the similarities aren't there (they are), but because I feel like since Hunger Games was the series that really began the dystopian craze, more people have read it than the three I am comparing. 

I will spare a lot of the commentary from here on out, and give you the examples from the books. Unfortunately, my kindle wouldn't give me specific page numbers, so I don't have precise references for you for the direct quotes. I apologize in advance.

Warning: Spoiler alert (but since I am arguing that if you have read one of these you have the gist of all three...it's not really THAT much of a spoiler).

We enter into a world, a futuristic version of our own. However, our own country has been ravaged and destroyed by war. This war has since been studied and picked apart, and has been determined to have been caused by a particular quality, for which there has now been discovered a cure.

• Delirium- "It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure."
• Divergent- "'Decades ago our ancestors realized that it is not political ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for a warring world. Rather, they realized it was a fault of human personality--of mankind's inclination toward evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray.'"
• The Uglies- I couldn't find a specific quote, but in The Uglies, it has been determined that wars and hatred all started because people looked different, and usually because one of the warring parties was ugly. Scientists realized that if they made everyone pretty, there would be no need to war, since everyone would be desirable. They have genetically engineered looks to show innocence and vulnerability.
 

Enter Main Character. She (for in all three of these books it is a 'she') is nearly the age to enter the greater, perfected society.

• Delirium-"I'm scheduled to have my procedure in exactly ninety-five days, on September 3. My birthday." The procedure she is about to have is the procedure that will eliminate love from her life. All members of society have the surgery at eighteen.
• Divergent-"Today is the day of the aptitude test that will show me which of the five factions I belong in. And tomorrow, at the Choosing Ceremony, I will decide on a faction; I will decide the rest of my life." At sixteen, children determine their futures by choosing a faction to join.
• The Uglies-"What could they do to her, anyway? In three months she'd be a pretty herself." At sixteen, all Uglies go through an intensive surgery to make them pretty. This includes (but isn't limited to) cheekbone implants, new skin, nose job, eye work, lip enhancement, etc.
 

Main Character seems pretty content with society herself, but of course, she has a rebellious (however, well-intentioned) Best Friend.

• Delirium- The role of best friend is taken by Hana. Hana and Lena (main character) have been best friends for years. She is scheduled for her procedure at the same time as Lena, but "she has been strange recently." She feels the laws are too restrictive, and the citizens are not given any choice. She whispers cryptically to Lena before an important exam to determine her future husband, "You know you can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes, right?" She leads Lena to break rules, like trespassing, she listens to forbidden music and attending parties with other uncured individuals. She means well, but tells Lena she just wants to "live a little" before they are cured.
• Divergent- Admittedly, this role was a little more difficult for me to find. Tris has a few people she is close with, but none are really rebellious, as far as the reader can tell. Tris' brother is a friend, but not really a confidante. The siblings keep a lot of secrets from each other. He rebels against his childhood faction Abnegation, but wouldn't be considered a "rebel." Tris meets Christina on her first day as a dauntless and they become friends, but also not really the rebellious type. I finally decided that Divergent is unique because Tris actually IS the rebellious friend. She refuses to learn to hide her Dauntless..ness, and keeps fighting the simulations. She sneaks out of the Dauntless compound, and basically breaks a whole bunch of rules to find answers that she wants. Tris IS the rebel, though she still is happy with society.
• The Uglies- Tally's best friend is Shay, whom Tally met as she was sneaking out at night. Shay is in the same situation as Tally--her friends were made into pretties and Shay is alone until she can be made pretty as well. She doesn't look forward to her birthday and pretty surgery. She feels the whole "pretty" thing is a game, and tells Tally that "making ourselves feel ugly is not fun...this whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves." Shay takes Tally out of the boundaries of the city, into the forbidden ruins of the Rusties--the people who were destroyed by the wars. She wants to have as much fun "before it's too late."

Main Character seems pretty average herself, and most people seem to agree with that assessment. However, Best Friend is beautiful.

• Delirium- "[Hana is] absolutely gorgeous--even when she just twists her blond hair into a messy knot on the top of her head, she looks as though she's just had it styled. I'm not ugly, but I'm not pretty either. Everything is in-between. I have eyes that aren't green or brown, but a muddle. I'm, not thin, but I'm not fat, either. The only thing you could definitely say about me is this: I'm short."
• Divergent- Tris doesn't say much about herself, except that she is allowed to look in a mirror once every three months for a haircut. She says that she is average--she still looks like a child, even though she is nearly sixteen. However, most of the people Tris associates with are really nice looking. Tris, in her ever-descriptive dialogue, describes Christina as "pretty," and describes Four as muscular and good looking. She also can't take her eyes off of him, and for a long while it seems like she is in awe of him.
• The Uglies- Okay, granted, this was harder to find evidence for, because the series DOES actually come from the fact in the novel's universe, people are considered "ugly" until they turn sixteen and have their surgery. However, there are hints that Shay is beautiful: "[her lips] were already almost pretty-sized," "for a minute, Shay's ugly face looked perfect."There are also hints in the novel about Shay's self confidence. She likes the way she looks, which is strange for an Ugly. Heck, it is strange for anyone in OUR universe.

In each dystopian society, there is a secret rebel group. The government is working to destroy this secret group, all the while assuring the public that the group "doesn't exist."

• Delirium- This group of people is rebelling against the cure the government offers. They are known as the "invalids," but the news works hard to cover up the havoc they cause on the city. In the beginning, the invalids let a truck full of cows wander into a government medical and testing facility, but the government covers it up by declaring it was a mixed up medical shipment.
• Divergent- The secret group in this novel is actually the same as the title: Divergent. Basically, what that means is that the government is unable to control these people through simulations. However, the government looks harshly on these individuals, eliminating them while at the same time denying their existence. Since divergence is kept a secret, these deaths are usually made to look like an accident. When Tris finds that she is divergent, she is encouraged to hide the fact, and never reveal the truth or risk being hunted and killed.
• The Uglies- The main areas of this story take place in Ugly town and New Pretty Town. However, there is a rebel group who have escaped from the borders of the city and run to a place called "the Smoke." These are people who refused to let the government change them. Most people call them "Smokies," but they believe smokies are just made up--bedtime stories to scare them when they were little.
 

Main character is trying to behave within the realms of society, but eventually meets someone from a rebel group and forms a Love interest.

• Delirium- Lena's love interest is Alex. She at first believes he is cured, but soon learns he is a rebel. However, despite the rules, Lena begins to meet Alex after curfew, and starts to develop feelings for him. They begin to sneak out of city boundaries late at night, and Lena falls in love with him.
• Divergent-Tris begins to develop feelings for Four, who is not only her trainer, but who is also divergent. They struggle with concealing their divergence, and try to figure out their feelings for each other. Which are... convoluted, because Tris has a thing against affection, and Four had a rough childhood.
• The Uglies- Tally meets David, who has lived in the Smoke from birth, and who helps smuggle uglies out of the city who don't want to go through their surgery and become pretties. Originally, Tally thinks David is just being polite, but she realizes that they both have feelings for each other.

At this point in the story, there is a lot of indecision. Does she continue to be a good girl and live within the boundaries society has set, or does she, too, join the rebellion?

• Delirium- Alex presents Lena with the option to run away with him to live with the Invalids, instead of being cured. Lena is torn; she desperately wants to be cured. She has heard all of her life that love is what killed her mother; she has heard what terrible things love can do to people. However, she realizes that she has fallen victim to love, and doesn't want to lose Alex.
• Divergent- Tris realizes there are some strange things going on with the Dauntless and Erudite leaders, as well as with the simulations the people are subjected to. She realizes something is wrong, but she isn't sure how far she should go to figure out the answer.
• The Uglies- On the day of Tally's surgery, she is taken by an enforcement group called Special Circumstances. They give her the option of either setting out to find the Smoke and turning in Shay and all the other Smokies, or to stay ugly her whole life. Tally makes her way toward the Smoke, and deliberates for days about what she should do. Even when she arrives, she isn't sure what she wants.

Still brimming with indecision, Main character decides to take a step towards the rebels. Not to fully commit to being a rebel, but to see better what is going on.

• Delirium- Lena agrees to run away with Alex. They decide to run away and to forever cross the fence that divides the city from the Wilds, so they can be together.
• Divergent- Tris decides to break faction rules and visit the Erudite compound to confront her brother about his faction and get some answers.
• The Uglies- Tally decides to hold off on notifying Special Circumstances once she reaches the Smoke. She decides to give it a few days to better decide how she feels about the whole thing.

Main Character learns the truth behind the city she used to live in, and the government system she trusts.

• Delirium- From her own experience, Lena learns that love isn't evil. She learns that love is an incredible gift. She also learns that the cure also dulls your brain, and takes out your desires. You no longer want anything, and become easy to control. With no desires, there is no reason to disagree or to defend something you hold dear. There isn't anything you really value. There is only submission to the government.
• Divergent- Tris learns about the original goals of the factions and realizes that they have lost sight of their ideals. She learns that the simulations can be used to control others, and the factions are a way to keep the people in line. Within the course of the three books, she realizes that the city isn't actually real. That it is all a part of a huge experiment, gone wrong.
• The Uglies- Tally meets David's parents, who were the first people in the Smoke. They tell her about their time in the city as doctors, and the truth about the cure; when people are subjected to the anesthesia, it causes tiny lesions in their brains. These lesions don't kill the person, they just slow their reaction time and their desire to do anything on their own, making it easy for the government to swoop in.

Just about when Main Character has decided that she wants to join the rebellion, there is a tragic event that involves a loved one--sometimes Love interest, sometimes Best friend, but nonetheless, tragedy strikes.

• Delirium- On the night Lena and Alex are to run away, the regulators (the police, essentially) sneak up on them and try to capture them both. Lena manages to escape over the fence, but she has no idea where Alex is. She hears gunshots, and realizes he was not as lucky as she.
• Divergent- Tris and Four find out from the Erudite leader (one who wants to take over the world, essentially) that a new simulation is being developed that will affect Divergent people, and Four is her first subject. He is injected, and no longer recognizes Tris. He has become a pawn, like everyone else in the city.
• The Uglies- The morning after Tally destroys the tracking device Special Circumstances gives her, there is an attack on the Smoke. Shay is captured, and the place Tally has begun to think of as home is destroyed.

There is a short, though appropriate, time of grieving for the Main Character as she comes to grips with what has happened, and what this means. Ultimately, this drives her to join the rebellion.

• Delirium- There is a period of time when Lena wanders about aimlessly outside of the fence. She doesn't know where to go or what to do. Luckily, she is discovered by Raven, the leader of the Invalids, who takes her back to their camp. They nurse Lena back to health and put her to work. Eventually, Lena begins to find some semblance of happiness again, and joins up with the Invalids.
• Divergent- Tris is rescued by her mother from the compound where she has been sentenced to death. Her mom takes her back to a safe house but is killed on the way. Tris takes some time while in the safe house to grieve for everyone she has lost--especially for her mother and Four. She ends up becoming the leader of the group, because she is a part of the Dauntless faction, and is more decisive than any of the others.
• The Uglies- After the Smoke is destroyed, Tally and David return to see the damage. The whole place is reduced to ashes, and they try to find any survivors they can. They find no one. Every moment, Tally feels more guilt for what occurred.

Eventually, Main Character learns that the tragic event wasn't as completely tragic as she first thought.

• Delirium- After Tally has fully joined the rebellion and is seeking to destroy the cure in each city, Alex appears one day. He is thin, and has had an abusive few months, but he is alive, and is out of the city.
• Divergent- Tris realizes that if there is a way to stop regular simulations, there must be a way to stop this new, more powerful simulation that Tobias has been subjected to. She starts to plan.
• The Uglies- Tally and David realize that most of the Smokies are not dead; most have just been returned to their cities and will undergo surgery. They realize that it will be difficult, but since Special Circumstances assumes everyone in the Smoke is dead, they have a chance to rescue the Smokies.

At this point, we see a surprisingly self-sacrificing part of the Main Character come out. However, all is not well with their Love Interest.

• Delirium- Lena, who hasn't really considered the actions of her escape before this point, returns to her home city and tries to make some repairs. She helps her step-family (who have fallen into ruin since she escaped), and does everything that she can to help the rebellion. However, Alex refuses to speak with her, and refuses to acknowledge her most of the time. He feels like she betrayed him, and left him for dead.
• Divergent- Tris decides to give herself up to save Tobias. She lays down her weapon and tells him to kill her. The simulation is undone, and Tris and Four escape. However, there are barriers forming between them, since Tris feels the need to keep secrets, and Four is dissatisfied with himself.
• The Uglies- Tally decides to give herself up to Special Circumstances in order to both rescue her friend and to find the reversal for the pretty surgery. However, the heroism of this action is lost on David, who has found out the truth behind the attack on the Smokies. He learns that Tally was behind it, and feels completely used.

However, not to worry! The rebellion eventually succeeds, and all becomes well... kind of. The...end? The final similarity here is that in dystopian novels, they end (obviously), but the ending is NOT satisfactory.

• Delirium- Good news! The rebellion succeeds in finding the headquarters for the government officials in charge, and stage an attack. Lena learns that Alex has loved her all along, but is now torn between him and another love interest. The series ends at the beginning of the final battle, after the Invalids have breached the wall of a government facility. Lena isn't sure what will happen or who she will end up with, and the battle starts. The end.
• Divergent- This ending was dissatisfying as well. Tris and Four have had some rough times; secrets, lies, and a rebellion to top it all off. They learn that the city they have lived in all their lives was an experiment,  and that Four isn't really Divergent after all. Four goes through a major identity crisis, and Tris learns that the science compound outside the city doesn't have the best interests of the people at heart, either. Tris sacrifices herself for the cause, and Four ends up lonely. The end.
• The Uglies- Tally sacrifices herself, as I mentioned before, but David doesn't seem to be able to get over the fact that she lied to him. In all fairness, it was a pretty drastic lie, but all the same, David never quite acts the same around Tally. Until the end of the series. Tally has undergone several different surgeries and finally ends up working for Special Circumstances, although she eventually cures herself. She is able to find a mass cure and showers it (literally, I believe) upon the people. Although David hasn't talked with her for two books, she leaves a note with the government saying essentially, "See ya, David and I are running away together, but we will keep an eye on y'all, now that you are cured." The end.

Now that I have totally ruined these novels for you, I have to say again that I did enjoy these stories. I didn't regret reading any of them. I just wanted to point out their many, MANY similarities. What other similarities have you seen in dystopian novels (or other novels) that make you feel like you are reading the same story over and over?

memoirs...

Hello friends Long time reader first time writer. ..
   I have been on a memoir kick lately.  The last 3 of 4 books I have read have fallen into that category (I'll post on the 4th book later) I'm not super good at writing and -full disclosure im writing this on my smartphone but... here goes.

Also all 3 books have some serious language and at least 1 has some adult situations. Just a heads up.

The first book I read was lone survivor by marcus littrel. this is the story of seal team 10 and operation redwing-which went terribly wrong.  The book is a great look into what the special forces go through. the first 6ish chapters focus on marcus's upbringing and training for the seals. If you aren't into military...everything like I am I've heard this part can be kinda long. I Loved it. The training the went through from the time marcus and his twin brother Morgan (who also became a seal) were teens is intense and the actual seal training has always been kind've kept underwraps But this book gives the most comprehensive look I've ever been able to find. After all the training chapters it moves into the ill fated mission behind enemy lines.  In case you don't know the story 4 seals were dropped into the mountains behind a Taliban controlled town in the hopes of getting Intel and maybe even the opportunity to take out a major Taliban leader. Shortly into the mission 3 goat headers- an older man and a teen and a small child- found the seals completely blowing their cover. The team decides to abandon their mission and let the goat hearders go rather than killing them and breaking the rules of engagement amd saving the mission.  This discussion among the team and the repercussions of it are so..conflicting. Its easy to say obviously they should kill the shepherds but its not so easy when they lay it out. One of the shepherds was about 6-8 years old. Maybe younger.  and even killing them they would've been in a pickle. They just would've had a little more time to prepare. All four members of the team had good points and ultimately I think I would've gone with the same thing they did but who knows. Anyway after they let the Shepards go within about an hour the seals were surrounded by Taliban.  The seals lasted a while and what they go through before the end is incredible. The last 3 or 4 chapters deal with marcus as the lone survivor and what happens when he reaches the village. As soon as my children are old enough to handle the subject matter they will read this and watch the movie -it is a tear jerker I read this book on my breaks at work..poor choice. I seriously cannot say enough good things about this book. I would hope that everyone would give this book a read despite the language.

The second book I read is orange is the new black. This is the story of one woman's year in woman's prison for being a drug mule for her girlfriend in college.  (This is the book with some adult situations..)
 We love the Netflix series based on this book. (Fyi incase any of you are looking to watch it. It would probably be rated at least r if not nc-17. Its a good series just very explicit with lesbian scenes. you have been warned) Because I had watched that I think I was a little spoiled.  If I had to do it again I think I would read the book first.  As the series is just that a series some of the situations were embellished or flat out made up to make the story better for tv. So a lot of things I was expecting were not in the book or not the same even a little. Piper (the main character) also comes off a lot more snooty in the book than on tv. I like netflix piper a whole lot more than I like book piper. I kinda hate book piper. Anyway this book is an interesting look at the life in a minimum security prison and may make you question some of the "mandatory sentences" for certain law violations but I dont think its anything I will read again for a while. For now I'll stick to my netflix jazzed up version of the story.

The third book im going to discuss is called silver screen fiend by patton Oswalt  This a very quick read (the audio book is under 5 hours) but its not very funny. I think if I had known that this book wasn't funny..like at all.. it would've been a different experience while reading.  If you don't know Patton Oswalt is the voice of Remy the rat in rattatiouie (or however thats spelled..I dont speak french nor own the movie to go look at ) as well as a whole slew of other acting credits. (Once you know what he looks and sounds like it seems he's everywhere) but he got his start and is still known for being a stand up comic. Being that he can always tickle my funny bone I feel like initially I was kinda let down by the lack of funny in the book. However once I got past the fact that is wasn't a stand up routine disguised as a memoir I really enjoyed it. The book is basically a look at 4 or 5 years of patton's life when he was just starting to break through with his career. However during this time he was watching at least 1 if not 2 or 3 movies in theaters per day. It became his addiction as real as any drug ones. Most of the movies he talks about are very old classics (Casablanca) or art house foreign films (irreversible a French drama) but as you can imagine watching that many movies there is a little bit of everything.  Its actually fairly interesting to see how he relates and pieces things together.  As someone who is a little into movies myself it really spoke to me to see how it affected his life and the way it shaped some of his views on things. I dont know if this book is for everyone but as an obsessive bipolar cinephile who loves art house dramas and indie sundance films I believe I will be back to visit this book again and again.

well thats all for now. as promised I will be back with a review of the 4th book.. but thats another show.

Good night and happy reading.