On Hiatus

Hello everyone!

Just a post to say I will be on vacation for the next two weeks in Europe. First up on the list tomorrow is the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London! I am so excited to try my first Butterbeer.

I'll be back in October with reviews of my vacation reads and some book related pictures from my trip.

~Meg

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Top Ten Books that Make you Think

 

1.  The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis: Although I don't agree with much of the theology in Lewis' Narnia series, I still adore these books. The Last Battle in particular made me think a lot about the nature of religion, and how we can find commonality in different faiths.

2. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay (Book 1 of the Fionavar Tapestry): This is one of my favorite book series and authors of all time.  Kay's writing is magical. This volume of the series features a very difficult and poignant scene where a character faces his darkest fears and truths about himself, sacrifices himself and is reborn. Kay manages to make you weep for a character you only met a hundred pages or so before, and also take a look at your own selfishness and insecurities.

3. Watership Down by Richard Adams: A seemingly simple story about rabbits that I read as a child. It has stuck with me all this time because of its powerful message of friendship, courage and perseverance in pursuit of a better life. 

4. Grendel by John Gardner: Told from the perspective of Grendel the terrifying monster from the epic Beowulf, this book makes you think about the nature of evil and what life events go into making a monster.

5. The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle: I read this long ago and don't remember all the details but the story did make me think about how people can give up everything in pursuit of something they thought they wanted, only to find it and realize it wasn't as great as they thought all along. Especially if that something is love.

6. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers: This semi-autobiographical novel made me think about the fragility of life and at the very same moment the resiliency of life. You can be broken and be at your best place in life at the very same time.

7. 1984 by George Orwell: I know, its cliche, but no one does thought-provoking post-apocalyptic stories like Orwell. 1984 is genius, and will leave you thinking about how our own world is close to Big Brother already.

 

 

Review: At the End by John Hennessy

At The End by John Hennessy

Night 1: 12 billion taken.

Day 1: Confusion.

Night 2: 13 billion taken.

Day 2: Panic.

Night 3: 13 billion taken.

Day 3: The fight for survival begins.

In 2048, the human population borders 39 billion after the termination of the birth control industry, and the realities of overcrowding have sunken into the minds of the world, until billions mysteriously go missing. In the wake of civilization’s collapse, a trio of teenage gamers from Washington struggle to endure. Maggy, a strong-willed intellectual, leads Darrel and Félix, two shy geeks, on an expedition down the west coast, as they try to determine the source of humanity’s downfall.

Let me preface this review by saying that I didn't hate this book. In fact, its a quick read that has some interesting moments that I didn't completely forget about right after I was done reading. And I finished it, so there's that.

The opening of the book is strong. Hennessy creates a pretty cool apocalypse concept of many people simply going missing. I also liked that the story begins during-apocalypse versus post-apocalypse. The main character Darrel (is likeable enough, although perhaps a little too "woe is me" at the beginning of the book. I'm all for letting a character develop into the hero of the story, but it was a little cliché just how pitiful Darrel is when you first meet him. Hard to root for a guy who's so boring. Darrel is also known as "Jelly"...one of the most ridiculous nicknames for a character ever, matched only by the equally stupid "Tortilla" for someone of Latin American origin. You could blame Maggy, the character who gives these boys their nicknames, but I'm putting that responsibility on the author.

Speaking of clichés, all of the clichés were a bit much. It was utterly predictable actually. The teen protagonists set off of their own to battle the alions (yes, you read that right. Aliens who look like lions: Alions), there is mention of a potential love triangle, they get into some trouble and the military shows up to save the day. Only the military can't save the day on their own, but  require the help of four teenagers whose only qualifications for doing any sort of military operations are that they play video games. Sigh.

The only surprising aspects of the story, once it got going, were the parts of the story that really didn't work because they were so out of place. About a third of the way through the book the plot turns into an episode of Criminal Minds: two small girls are kidnapped by the child molester/serial killer type and the teens have to go save them. It was strange.

Redeeming qualities are that in the end it wasn't a love triangle, the action is pretty good actually, and the initial concept was strong. I just don't know if I can get beyond the silliness to recommend it.

Review: The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer

The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer

In the very near future, the country is plunged into drought and unrest. Scare resources and constant heat are making life completely miserable. Casey doesn't think she can stand slugging back another gel pack or working one more shift at the wells. Fortunately, there's a solution: anyone over the age of seventeen can sign the Forever Contract and enter a utopian paradise. While people's minds take a permanent vacation, their bodies get warehoused and hooked up to a complex array of sensors and feeding tubes. As Casey's brother says, "You upload your consciousness to the system and you're free to live as long as you want, however you want. No more pain, no more heat, no more awful dust, no more work. Just pure thought. It's what our species has always been meant for. Suffering is for philosophers. Not for me."

Casey's ready to sign--a permanent vacation is just what she needs. There's only one problem: her boyfriend James doesn't trust it.

Told from his and her perspectives, The Forever Contract is a 17,000 word (60 page) novella suitable for readers in grade 8 and above.

Would you sign the contract?

(From the Publisher)

 

This short YA novella is a undiscovered gem in my opinion. Sawyer creates an imaginative dystopian world brought on mostly by lack of water, a severe drought. The powers that be create a virtual reality for their citizens so their minds can live in a place free of suffering, while keeping their earthly bodies in a stasis. Kind of like a voluntary Matrix.

The story follows two 16 year olds, Casey and James, who are faced with the decision of whether or not to enter into the Forever contract and join other family members and friends in the virtual world. You care about Casey and James almost immediately, a necessary feat because of the fast pace of the novella structure. Their relationship is a refreshing break from a string of love triangles found in other YA novels.

Of course, as with all dystopian fiction, the world is never quite what its made out to be, and the twists in The Forever Contract are somewhat predictable, but nevertheless satisfying. When James and Patrick go on a sort of "heroic" rampage near the end I was a little mystified as a reader. I think because of the short nature of the story, Sawyer did not have enough time to set up how scary and oppressive the world really was, and thus the characters come off seeming a little less heroic and a little more terrorist like than Sawyer had intended. My main criticism of the story is actually that there was so much more to tell, it really could have made a wonderful full length novel. Regardless, it was an engaging narrative, with good characterization that left you wanting to hear more of the interesting world the author created.

Top Ten Tuesdays: Fall TBR List

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Here are the top ten books on my Fall TBR list:

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth: I just finished Divergent (read my review later this week) and I loved it! I can't wait to dive into Insurgent.

2. A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin: I need to finish off this series as soon as I have time to dive into another two 1000 page books.

3. The Casual Vaccancy by J. K. Rowling: This comes out on September 27th when I'll be in Greece so I'll have to wait until October to read it. I'm really looking forward to reading something else by Rowling, especially something that is such a departure from Harry Potter

4. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness: I can't believe I haven't read this yet! It'll probably be in paperback before I get around to it. 

5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Next up on my dystopian fiction list. Cyborg fairytales. Some people have already had enough of this trend by I eat up these books like popcorn.

6. Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate: Another dystopian offering this time about creating a designer boy. Sounds like fun! (October 2, 2012)

7. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan: Codebreaking, conspiracies and mysterious bookstores. What's not to love about that? (October 2, 2012

8. Advent by James Treadwell: Rediscoverd magic and ancient mythology. I received this from the publisher and I'm looking forward to reading it.

 

 

9.  Inheritence by Christopher Paolini: The last in the series that started with Eragon. I have enjoyed the others so I want to finish the series off. 

 

 

10. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood: I love Atwood when she writes in the same style as Handmaid's Tale.

Happy Back to School

Welcome back to a new school year everyone!

I am (thankfully) no longer in school so I was not filled with a sense of dread/excitement last night, like I'm sure many of you were. Although I do kind of miss the structure of starting something new each fall. I don't miss having no time to read for pleasure, and being forced to read only journal articles and textbooks.

This week I'm going to be featuring a few reviews of some YA dystopian fiction that I've read recently. You could call this a small "what to read after The Hunger Games" feature. I'm going to start tomorrow with a review of The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer (a novella) followed by At The End by John Hennessy and finally Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Today it's the regular Top Ten Tuesday featuring my top ten books on my To Be Read list for this fall.

Thanks for reading!