Waiting on Wednesday: Divergent and Delirium

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

Yep, the theme for this WoW is dystopian:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads' description:

"In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen.

But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her."

Wow. I just love the premise of this one. It sounds like it has everything I look for in a dystopian novel: a well-thought-out society, action, romance, secrets...can't wait!! Also, the cover is eye-catching and awesome (lol does that ring of fire remind anyone else of Sauron's eye?)


Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Goodreads' description:


"Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love."

I enjoyed Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall and I'm interested to see what she'll do with a dystopian. Heard fabulous things about this one and the cover is so so pretty!

 What books are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Crushes

The "Top Ten Tuesday" meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is books that we'll never read. My picks for this one are quite similar to my post for Random Ramblings' "Top Ten Male Literary Characters" here, but I decided to shake things up a bit and make a couple changes.
So, in no particular order:

1.) Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice

Okay, so I had to include him. Who wouldn't? He's the ultimate romantic interest who starts out as an anti-hero and then makes some major changes in his attitude to better himself for Elizabeth's sake. Sure, he's proud and snooty at the beginning, but Elizabeth has her faults too, and I'd argue the greater character development is on Darcy's side. How can you not love the guy who pays off all the debts of the wicked villain who's run off with your vapid sister?

2.) Geric of The Goose Girl

Yes, I know The Goose Girl always seems to make it onto these lists, lol. Geric is part of the reason for that! He's gentle and kind-hearted and a little unsure of himself, and the romance is very sweet. I only wish the book had more of him! :D

3.) Mr. Rochester of Jane Eyre

Yes, the brooding Byronic hero makes an appearance here. He's intriguing, cynical, passionate, and secretive in a way that makes us long to know more. Perhaps I wouldn't really care to hang out with him in real life - at least not until his attic had been cleared of all wives - but in fiction, hey, why not? And in the end, he really does get thoroughly punished for all the lying he did to poor Jane.

4.) Jesse of the Mediator series


He's a ghost, but he's a good-looking one. Also he's all chivalrous, even when Suze, the main character, refuses his help (and then he gets her out of trouble anyway, because he's awesome like that). Love the way he sometimes talks like he's still living in the nineteenth-century!

5.) Thomas Schofield of Sorcery and Cecelia

The odious Marquis of Schofield is such an appealing character. He has just the right balance of good and bad qualities, and his sense of humour is wonderfully sarcastic. Most importantly, you can count on him to always come through when others depend on him (and you can also count on the fact that he will gloat about it later!)


6.) Mendanbar of Searching for Dragons

 Mendanbar's the king who doesn't really enjoy kingship - the social niceties, the administrative duties, the schmoozing with delegations. He's smart, diplomatic, and likes to think things through rather than making a snappy but poor decision. Mendanbar's actually rather modest for a ruler, which is nice for a change, and he doesn't mind admitting when he's wrong (well, at least, not much). The one thing he is proud about is his connection to the Enchanted Forest - and why shouldn't he be? He understands it better than anyone else can. Cimorene has such a strong personality, which Mendanbar counters well with his more understated one - but he's not afraid to speak his mind when necessary.

7.) Taran of The High King (and the other Prydain Chronicles, but this one's my favorite)

I love seeing the confident, mature, intelligent Taran in this novel (as opposed to previous books in the series, where he is sometimes quite foolish). It's great seeing his character develop, of course, but the end result is even better! He's loyal to his friends, he understands compromise and loss, he's got a big heart, and he is a fabulous leader. What's not to like?

 8.) Mr. Tilney of Northanger Abbey

Well, I'm an Austen fan, so more than one Austen character was bound to pop up. There are too many to choose from, but Tilney's one of my favorites. He's got an eye for irony as well as muslin, a charming manner, and he's willing to stand up on the dance floor (unlike Mr. Darcy...). All right, so he's flawed - he makes fun of Catherine's wild imagination, although it must be said he does have a bit of a point - but so are the best characters, right?

 9.) Matt of Twenty Boy Summer

He won't end up one of my all-time favorites but I just read Twenty Boy Summer recently and I really liked his character. Matt's dead at the beginning of the book and throughout the whole book I kept hoping (totally irrationally, I know) that he would somehow make an appearance. The glimpses of him we do get in Anna's memories give the reader a sense of his personality – he loved books (that already bumps him up in my standings!), the ocean, music, and Anna. I just wish we could have gotten to know him better, because he seemed like a very sweet guy.


10.) Zane of Hawksong

He comes across as a little dangerous – you don't want to get on his bad side – but he's fiercely protective of the people he cares about. He can be vulnerable at times, even if he doesn't like to show it, and he has a good sense of justice, duty and compromise. I love the way his romance with Danica evolves.

Plain Kate: In A Nutshell

Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate has a way with a knife; she trusts her hands to carve the truth. Taught by her father, she makes a living at it, selling luck charms to the people in her village. She's not a witch – although her talent is so great it seems like magic, and whispers about her are plentiful.

And then a man enters her life who wants more than just a carving: he wants her shadow. In exchange, he'll grant her deepest wish. He's different, he's desperate, and he'll turn the town against her.
 
Kate is forced to give in, but soon enough she realizes the price. No one will trust a shadow-less girl. Trouble is, a bargain's a bargain, and it will cost Kate dearly if she wishes to get her shadow back...and stop the man from using it for his own ends.

One sentence sum-up: A story about magic, friendship, sacrifice and shadows.


My reaction: Erin Bow has a way with words. I was reminded very much of Lloyd Alexander's style of storytelling (The Rope Trick and The Iron Ring in particular come to mind) as I read Plain Kate. She creates a mysterious world that evokes images of gypsies and caravans, and strong but complex characters. However, some of the writing seemed a bit choppy, and more variety in sentence structure and length might have made for smoother reading.

You can't help but sympathize with Plain Kate – the poor girl is forced to endure so many hardships, but she perseveres. At first I was a little leery of the talking cat, but I found that Taggle wormed his way into my heart. So much so, in fact, that a couple of scenes involving him made me cry a little (and not too many books do that!) And the author got me to feel sorry for the villain at one point...he's very three-dimensional, which is always fabulous to see in the so-called 'bad guy.' I did find the plot somewhat slow-moving through at least the first half, but I kept picking up the book to read more.

Also, I can't quite decide if I agree with one part of the ending or not. Big spoilers if you highlight the white text: I seriously thought that Taggle was going to die for good, and though I was sad about it, I thought it made sense and had an emotional impact. Then he got raised back to life...which I wasn't so sure about. I was going in my head, "Really? Isn't that a little too convenient, making for a nice happy ending?" But I did appreciate that it was explained with the same rules of magic the author used all along. And it made me cry again when Taggle lost the ability to speak...so I'm torn.

Best aspect: The creative conceptualization of how magic works in this world. The idea that it is an exchange makes sense and gives the reader some structure in understanding it. Also, I liked the way everything was connected; the climactic scenes use some elements introduced earlier in the book and by the end the story feels like it has come full circle. Plus, a YA with no romance and no sequels needed? That's rare.  

If I could change something... Hmmmm...well, I sometimes found that Taggle's lines (while providing some needed lightness) were a bit too comical when placed right after a serious remark from someone else. And the ending came rather suddenly – I wanted a bit more resolution when it came to Kate's relationships with Drina and Behjet, and maybe a glimpse at her future.

Also, I enjoyed many of the similes/metaphors, but I think there were more than necessary in there (and a few of them seemed kind of obscure.)

In five words or less: mystical, sad, and compelling.

Quote: 


"What do you want, Linay?" It was the first time she'd said his name. It tasted powerful.

"The dead, you know, are hungry. Those that do not rest. They are hungry all the time and cannot even eat grass." He was halfway to singing again. He seemed to stop himself. "They have mouths the size of needles' eyes and stomachs the size of mountains. It is a terrible fate."

Recommend for: anyone who wants to read a story with a simple but fresh take on magic, complex characters and the lilting feel of a legend.

Final verdict: 4 shooting stars

Author's website: http://erinbow.com/







Note: I won this book in a giveaway.

In My Mailbox (3)

In this meme, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library. I actually got something this week in my physical mailbox!

Won from Bella's Bookshelves (thanks Steph!): Plain Kate by Erin Bow

And from the library:

I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McMahan
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Other by Karen Kincy

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
Darklight by Lesley Livingston
Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

So a pretty good haul this week!!

Forget-Me-Nots: The Ramona Series

This is a feature on my blog for highlighting books I enjoyed in childhood and the teenage years that I don't see getting much attention nowadays.


Okay, who remembers loving this series by Beverly Cleary?  I adored Ramona's adventures – she was so feisty and opinionated and always getting into trouble! I admired all of her escapades because I was not nearly as bold as she was growing up. (Although, she is a younger sister and I am too...so I totally related to her in terms of that.)

The series starts off with Beezus and Ramona:

 Description from Goodreads:

"Nine-year-old Beezus Quimby has her hands full with her little sister, Ramona. Sure, other people have little sisters that bother them sometimes, but is there anyone in the world like Ramona? Whether she's taking one bite out of every apple in a box or secretly inviting 15 other 4-year-olds to the house for a party, Ramona is always making trouble--and getting all the attention. Every big sister can relate to the trials and tribulations Beezus must endure. Old enough to be expected to take responsibility for her little sister, yet young enough to be mortified by every embarrassing plight the precocious preschooler gets them into, Beezus is constantly struggling with her mixed-up feelings about the exasperating Ramona. 

There's no one in the world like Beverly Cleary, either. This terrifically popular author of over two dozen children's books has withstood the test of time for generations, as her many awards, including the Newbery Medal, attest. Two books in the Ramona series, Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Quimby, Age 8, were also named Newbery Honor Books. Louis Darling's wonderful ink illustrations are the kind that will stay with a reader for a lifetime."

But my favorite has to be Ramona the Pest (I don't know how many times I re-read this book). This was the cover of my book, isn't it so cute? Sorry for the poor quality, I couldn't find a better image.

And the original illustrations were fantastic too!

I remember I was really sad when I finished off Ramona Forever... But as I was looking up the books now, I see Beverly Cleary wrote another book way later called Ramona's World, that I don't think I've ever read. So I am going to have to pick it up!

Ramona fans, anyone?