Monday, January 9, 2017
Our 2016 in Review
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Book Review for "Ready Player One" (by Ernest Cline)
TITLE OF THE BOOK: Ready Player One
AUTHOR: Ernest Cline
PUBLISHER: Broadway Books
NUMBER OF PAGES: 400
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2012
READING LEVEL: appropriate for teens and adults
GENRE: Science Fiction / Dystopian / Thriller & Suspense
BOOK SUMMARY: (From Goodreads) In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
In one interesting passage in the book, Wade says that he has been lied to. Everything he's been taught to believe in -- from religion, to cultural myths like Santa and the Easter Bunny -- is a fairy tale, and he wishes that he had been told the truth. This led to a really interesting group discussion about the 'lies' we tell our children. How do we pass on our religious beliefs to our kids? How do we talk to our kids about Santa, or other traditions? How do they feel when they discover that something we have taught them about might not actually be true, and how do parents handle their feelings if children feel they have been lied to? One group member pointed out during our discussion that life is hard enough as it is, and it's a lovely thing to have a fairy tale to believe in.
In the book, real life is so bleak that almost everything chooses to spend all their time in the massive virtual universe called the OASIS. We spent a lot of time discussing the OASIS and the ways we already feel we are 'living' in it. In a way, we are already living in a sort of OASIS through our connection to social media. In the book, characters create avatars and can choose how they look and sound to others online -- much like we use Instagram and Facebook to present a beautiful, happy, mess-free version of our lives to others. Even through games like Pokemon Go and the SIMS, we can escape into a virtual world. Even our group love of books is a way of escaping from the real world!
We agreed that we also felt like we entered the OASIS with Wade as we read the book, and could feel a distinct change as the storyline moved from the real world into the OASIS. One of our group complaints about the book was that we wished there had been a bit more action and threat for Wade in the real world. There are brief moments of real life danger and suspense for Wade, but we wished we had seen a bit more of his life outside the game, and perhaps more tension in the real world to parallel what he experienced in the OASIS.
We also talked about the experience of meeting people in real life who we've only interacted with online, an experience that is getting more and more common with the rise of online dating and friendships made through blogging and social media. We had a wide range of experiences in the group, from members who felt disappointed that someone was completely different from what they had pictured in online chats, to members who met and made great real life friendships with online friends, or even fell in love and married someone they met online.
As a group, we almost always love the romance portions of the books we read and discuss. There wasn't much romance in this book, but we felt happy with the amount we got in this book, as it felt fitting for the plot.
We ended our discussion by asking if we would be interested in the OASIS, if it existed today. We unanimously agreed that the school and education opportunities presented in the OASIS sounded incredible, and we would love to experience that. But in our day-to-day life, most of us didn't think we'd spend much time there. However, if we lived in the book and the reality that existed there, then yes, we would definitely prefer to spend our time in the OASIS rather than the bleak world of the book.
AUTHOR: Ernest Cline
PUBLISHER: Broadway Books
NUMBER OF PAGES: 400
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2012
READING LEVEL: appropriate for teens and adults
GENRE: Science Fiction / Dystopian / Thriller & Suspense
BOOK SUMMARY: (From Goodreads) In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
OUR STAR RATING:
4.4 stars
OUR GROUP REVIEW:
Almost everyone in our group loved reading Ready Player One, and especially loved remembering and reconnecting with so many cultural references from our childhoods. Almost all of us were born in the 80s or were kids in the 80s, so the huge variety of references to 80s music, games, movies, and trends was so fun for us to relive. Even those on the younger end of the group who can't remember much (or anything!) from the 80s still found it easy to connect with, and could find something to relate to, even if they didn't understand every single reference.
One of our members mentioned that part of what made this book such a successful read was the blending of past and future. It managed to capture everyone's interest, whether people typically read more historical fiction set in the past, or speculative fiction set in the future. Whatever someone's reading interests are, they are covered at some point in Ready Player One.
In one interesting passage in the book, Wade says that he has been lied to. Everything he's been taught to believe in -- from religion, to cultural myths like Santa and the Easter Bunny -- is a fairy tale, and he wishes that he had been told the truth. This led to a really interesting group discussion about the 'lies' we tell our children. How do we pass on our religious beliefs to our kids? How do we talk to our kids about Santa, or other traditions? How do they feel when they discover that something we have taught them about might not actually be true, and how do parents handle their feelings if children feel they have been lied to? One group member pointed out during our discussion that life is hard enough as it is, and it's a lovely thing to have a fairy tale to believe in.
In the book, real life is so bleak that almost everything chooses to spend all their time in the massive virtual universe called the OASIS. We spent a lot of time discussing the OASIS and the ways we already feel we are 'living' in it. In a way, we are already living in a sort of OASIS through our connection to social media. In the book, characters create avatars and can choose how they look and sound to others online -- much like we use Instagram and Facebook to present a beautiful, happy, mess-free version of our lives to others. Even through games like Pokemon Go and the SIMS, we can escape into a virtual world. Even our group love of books is a way of escaping from the real world!
We agreed that we also felt like we entered the OASIS with Wade as we read the book, and could feel a distinct change as the storyline moved from the real world into the OASIS. One of our group complaints about the book was that we wished there had been a bit more action and threat for Wade in the real world. There are brief moments of real life danger and suspense for Wade, but we wished we had seen a bit more of his life outside the game, and perhaps more tension in the real world to parallel what he experienced in the OASIS.
We also talked about the experience of meeting people in real life who we've only interacted with online, an experience that is getting more and more common with the rise of online dating and friendships made through blogging and social media. We had a wide range of experiences in the group, from members who felt disappointed that someone was completely different from what they had pictured in online chats, to members who met and made great real life friendships with online friends, or even fell in love and married someone they met online.
As a group, we almost always love the romance portions of the books we read and discuss. There wasn't much romance in this book, but we felt happy with the amount we got in this book, as it felt fitting for the plot.
We ended our discussion by asking if we would be interested in the OASIS, if it existed today. We unanimously agreed that the school and education opportunities presented in the OASIS sounded incredible, and we would love to experience that. But in our day-to-day life, most of us didn't think we'd spend much time there. However, if we lived in the book and the reality that existed there, then yes, we would definitely prefer to spend our time in the OASIS rather than the bleak world of the book.
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Monday, March 21, 2016
One Month of Reading, Reviewed
Today I thought I'd share what I read during the months of February, and March so far, with short reviews of each book. Maybe you'll find something that looks like your next read!
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
This middle grade novel about one classroom of 5th grade students is told from the points of view of seven different students, showing us how their dynamic young teacher, Mr. Terupt, changes each of their lives. It's rated very highly on Goodreads, and I chose it to fill a category on my Worthington Ave. 2016 reading challenge: a book that's set where you were born (Connecticut).
I thought it was cute, and can imagine myself loving it back when I was an elementary school kid. As an adult, it was sweet and fun, but not a life-changer.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a mysterious darkness filled with lethal monsters. When her best friend is attacked, unremarkable Alina discovers a power with the potential to destroy the Shadow Fold forever.
This trilogy is very popular and I've heard a lot of praise for it. I enjoyed it, but the world-building and characters felt weak to me -- I never felt like I understood the world, or the magic, or even the characters themselves. I started the second book, hoping for more substance, and quickly abandoned it. Not for me.
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Here's another book I chose to fill a Worthington Ave. reading challenge category, this time "a book based on a fairy tale." I chose this modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty. As a child, Ivan stumbled onto a clearing in a forest where he found a beautiful woman sleeping on a pedestal, guarded by a magical force. After pushing aside the memories for a decade, he returns to make sense of what he saw, and is drawn into a centuries old fairy tale.
I thought it was creative, but it was a major chore for me to finish it. Long and slow!
The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty
I love reading Liane Moriarty (my other favorites are Big Little Lies and The Husband's Secret), and this one was an absolute delight, too. Sophie Honeywell unexpectedly inherits the home of her ex-boyfriend's elderly aunt on a quiet island that is home to an unsolved mystery. She moves to the quiet island and learns that everyone there seems to be hiding something. It's fast and enjoyable and funny without ever feeling too 'fluffy.' Chapters are alternately told by different characters, and the parts told by a new mother going through postpartum depression made me absolutely ache. They hit a bit too close to home for me. Loved it all, though.
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
24-year old Ashley Cordova's death is ruled a suicide, but an investigative journalist suspects there is more to the story than meets the eye -- Ashley's father is a reclusive cult-horror-film director whose dark and gritty films seem perhaps too horrifying to be entirely fictional. The story only becomes more strange the deeper he digs, and family secrets come to light.
There were parts of this book that I loved, and ideas in it that I thought were really interesting. But overall, it felt too long and, in the end, totally underwhelming for me. Womp womp.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
This was our book club selection this past month -- see our posts about our meeting HERE and HERE!
I never would have picked this book up on my own. Fantasy isn't really my thing, and the plot sounded complicated and confusing to me. But this is a prime example of how great a book club can be for pushing you out of your comfort zone, because I loved this novel and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel! It was exciting and engrossing, and I didn't find the magic or fantasy elements confusing (which is what often turns me off of fantasy).
The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris
This historical fiction begins with a search for the missing daughter of a prison guard on Alcatraz and the only prisoner who knows her whereabouts, then moves back to the childhood of a young Irish immigrant in the early 1900s, alone on a ship full of immigrants entering New York Harbor.
I thought it was a really interesting setting and I loved the history. I wish that a little more time had been spent on the Alcatraz portion of the story, which I thought was so interesting. I've always wanted to visit it!
What have you read recently?
This middle grade novel about one classroom of 5th grade students is told from the points of view of seven different students, showing us how their dynamic young teacher, Mr. Terupt, changes each of their lives. It's rated very highly on Goodreads, and I chose it to fill a category on my Worthington Ave. 2016 reading challenge: a book that's set where you were born (Connecticut).
I thought it was cute, and can imagine myself loving it back when I was an elementary school kid. As an adult, it was sweet and fun, but not a life-changer.
The once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a mysterious darkness filled with lethal monsters. When her best friend is attacked, unremarkable Alina discovers a power with the potential to destroy the Shadow Fold forever.
This trilogy is very popular and I've heard a lot of praise for it. I enjoyed it, but the world-building and characters felt weak to me -- I never felt like I understood the world, or the magic, or even the characters themselves. I started the second book, hoping for more substance, and quickly abandoned it. Not for me.
Here's another book I chose to fill a Worthington Ave. reading challenge category, this time "a book based on a fairy tale." I chose this modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty. As a child, Ivan stumbled onto a clearing in a forest where he found a beautiful woman sleeping on a pedestal, guarded by a magical force. After pushing aside the memories for a decade, he returns to make sense of what he saw, and is drawn into a centuries old fairy tale.
I thought it was creative, but it was a major chore for me to finish it. Long and slow!
I love reading Liane Moriarty (my other favorites are Big Little Lies and The Husband's Secret), and this one was an absolute delight, too. Sophie Honeywell unexpectedly inherits the home of her ex-boyfriend's elderly aunt on a quiet island that is home to an unsolved mystery. She moves to the quiet island and learns that everyone there seems to be hiding something. It's fast and enjoyable and funny without ever feeling too 'fluffy.' Chapters are alternately told by different characters, and the parts told by a new mother going through postpartum depression made me absolutely ache. They hit a bit too close to home for me. Loved it all, though.
24-year old Ashley Cordova's death is ruled a suicide, but an investigative journalist suspects there is more to the story than meets the eye -- Ashley's father is a reclusive cult-horror-film director whose dark and gritty films seem perhaps too horrifying to be entirely fictional. The story only becomes more strange the deeper he digs, and family secrets come to light.
There were parts of this book that I loved, and ideas in it that I thought were really interesting. But overall, it felt too long and, in the end, totally underwhelming for me. Womp womp.
This was our book club selection this past month -- see our posts about our meeting HERE and HERE!
I never would have picked this book up on my own. Fantasy isn't really my thing, and the plot sounded complicated and confusing to me. But this is a prime example of how great a book club can be for pushing you out of your comfort zone, because I loved this novel and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel! It was exciting and engrossing, and I didn't find the magic or fantasy elements confusing (which is what often turns me off of fantasy).
This historical fiction begins with a search for the missing daughter of a prison guard on Alcatraz and the only prisoner who knows her whereabouts, then moves back to the childhood of a young Irish immigrant in the early 1900s, alone on a ship full of immigrants entering New York Harbor.
I thought it was a really interesting setting and I loved the history. I wish that a little more time had been spent on the Alcatraz portion of the story, which I thought was so interesting. I've always wanted to visit it!
What have you read recently?
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Friday, September 26, 2014
"Ruin and Rising" {by Leigh Bardugo} Book Review (WITH SPOILERS)
TITLE OF THE BOOK: Ruin and Rising (Grisha Trilogy #3)
AUTHOR: Leigh Bardugo
PUBLISHER: Henry Holt and Co
NUMBER OF PAGES: 433
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2014
READING LEVEL: Young Adult
GENRE: Fantasy
SUMMARY: The capital has fallen.
The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.
Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.
Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.
Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.
OUR
STAR RATING:
.jpg "4.1 out of 5 stars for Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo")
4.1 out of 5 Stars
OUR GROUP REVIEW: We decided for this book club to celebrate the light over the dark - our gold and white decor and costumes set the scene for this special night. Angie moderated our event and dressed the part, a golden Sun Summoner with an amazing crown she made herself, see it HERE! While we ate, she had a slide show playing from Leigh Bardugo's Pinterest board for Ruin and Rising.
As you can tell from our star rating, we all loved the book - the plot, the characters, the fantasy elements and world. I think we all wished we could be Grisha, or at least take a character or two on vacation with us.
As with most series that we read, we kind of hope that last book would be amazing, but prepare ourselves for the worst. Leigh Bardugo didn't let us down with this book. Ruin & Rising continued to take this series to a whole new level and even managed to pull a few fast ones on us.
(SPOILER ALERT)
First of all, since most of us are Nikolai fans, we were shocked by the turn of events for him (I'm not going to lie. When I read where he changes into one of the volcra, I think a few tears may have been shed . . .). We were so happy that things turned out for him in the end, though we wished that he somehow would have ended up with a hottie and his own happily ever after. Come on, Leigh, write that book for us!
The second shocker of all time is when we found out that Mal was the third amplifier. I think we all had to pick our books off the floor and re-read that part! That is one thing that I don't think any of us saw coming. How Leigh was able to make everything work out in the end is amazing. A few of us had read that some people didn't like the ending, but the majority of us loved it. I have to admit that I somehow wished that Alina could have kept her powers and continued to use them for good.
The overall story arch of Alina and Mal ending up back together in the same way they began gave us all a feeling of fulfillment. It may not have been exactly a happily ever after for every character in the book (darn you, Darkling! Why couldn't you have given up the dark side?), but overall, each character that we cared about grew. Genya learned who her true friends were and the importance of inward beauty and confidence. Mal stayed strong and showed his deep love for Alina. Alina learned to be strong and stand up for herself and her country. Together, they all learned that the exponential strength of one villain could be overcome by the combined might of a team.
After our discussion, we spent a few minutes discussing some questions we wanted ask the author because, drum roll please . . . LEIGH BARDUGO SKYPED WITH US. Want to find out what we asked her and her responses? Stay tuned. You won't want to miss out on this conversation and what Leigh Bardugo has up her sleeve now that the Grisha trilogy is complete.
Read our interview with Leigh.
As you can tell from our star rating, we all loved the book - the plot, the characters, the fantasy elements and world. I think we all wished we could be Grisha, or at least take a character or two on vacation with us.
As with most series that we read, we kind of hope that last book would be amazing, but prepare ourselves for the worst. Leigh Bardugo didn't let us down with this book. Ruin & Rising continued to take this series to a whole new level and even managed to pull a few fast ones on us.
(SPOILER ALERT)
First of all, since most of us are Nikolai fans, we were shocked by the turn of events for him (I'm not going to lie. When I read where he changes into one of the volcra, I think a few tears may have been shed . . .). We were so happy that things turned out for him in the end, though we wished that he somehow would have ended up with a hottie and his own happily ever after. Come on, Leigh, write that book for us!
The second shocker of all time is when we found out that Mal was the third amplifier. I think we all had to pick our books off the floor and re-read that part! That is one thing that I don't think any of us saw coming. How Leigh was able to make everything work out in the end is amazing. A few of us had read that some people didn't like the ending, but the majority of us loved it. I have to admit that I somehow wished that Alina could have kept her powers and continued to use them for good.
The overall story arch of Alina and Mal ending up back together in the same way they began gave us all a feeling of fulfillment. It may not have been exactly a happily ever after for every character in the book (darn you, Darkling! Why couldn't you have given up the dark side?), but overall, each character that we cared about grew. Genya learned who her true friends were and the importance of inward beauty and confidence. Mal stayed strong and showed his deep love for Alina. Alina learned to be strong and stand up for herself and her country. Together, they all learned that the exponential strength of one villain could be overcome by the combined might of a team.
After our discussion, we spent a few minutes discussing some questions we wanted ask the author because, drum roll please . . . LEIGH BARDUGO SKYPED WITH US. Want to find out what we asked her and her responses? Stay tuned. You won't want to miss out on this conversation and what Leigh Bardugo has up her sleeve now that the Grisha trilogy is complete.
Read our interview with Leigh.
*CONTENT CATEGORIES*
|
*RATING*
|
LANGUAGE/PROFANITY
|
MODERATE (D and A words)
|
SEXUALITY
|
MODERATE (brief sex scene, not explicit)
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DRUG/ALCOHOL USE
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MILD
|
INTENSE/SCARY SCENES
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MODERATE
|
VIOLENCE
|
MODERATE (fighting, killing, blood)
|
Xoxo,
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Monday, August 29, 2011
"Divergent" {by Veronica Roth} Book Review
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| (source) |
Author: Veronica Roth
# of Pages: 487
Year Published: 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Summary:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
First, let's talk about what we overall rated the book (out of 5 stars):
.............................................................................drumroll please.................................................................
Sunday, June 26, 2011
"The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" {by Alan Bradley} Book Review
Author: Alan Bradley
# of Pages: 374
Year Published: 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Summary:
It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.
For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”
Alan Bradley can be described as a delightful mix of Harriet the Spy and Sherlock Holmes. Though fantastical at times, we found the book well-written, amusing and entertaining with an Average Rating of 4.55 (12 participants).
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
"The Forgotten Garden" {by Kate Morton} Book Club Review
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| (source) |
The Forgotten Garden
Author: Kate Morton
# of Pages: 552
Year Published: 2009
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary:
A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory from the international best-selling author Kate Morton.
Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra’s life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace—the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century—Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.
Our Star Rating...
Friday, March 11, 2011
We are but Dust and Shadows... "Clockwork Angel" {by Cassandra Clare" Book Review
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| (source) |
Author: Cassandra Clare
# of Pages: 479
Year Published: 2010
Publisher: Simon and Shuster
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Summary:
In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Timesbestselling Mortal Instruments series.
The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...
Our Rating...
Thursday, October 14, 2010
"Mockingjay" {by Suzanne Collins} Book Review
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| (Source) |
Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
# of Pages: 400
Year Published: 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Young Adult
Summary:
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.
It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.
The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.
Our Rating...
Sunday, September 12, 2010
"The Help" {by Kathryn Stockett} Book Review
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| (source) |
The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Hardcover: 464 pages
Year Published: 2009
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary:
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
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