Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Andi is not just a regular teenager living in Brooklyn. Her brother is dead and she thinks it is all her fault. In addition to dealing with the depression caused by the loss of her brother, Andi tries to take care of her mother who can no longer function because of the grief. The loss in Andi's life pulls her away from her studies and she is in danger of failing out of her rich prep school. The only thing that helps her survive is her music.
Her distant father, wisks Andi away to Paris, France to give her the opportunity to finish her senior thesis. Her thesis is on (fictional) French composer. She begins to explore his life and begins discovering more about his time. She finds a diary hidden away in a secret compartment of an old guitar case. As she reads the diary of Alex, a young girl protecting Louis-Charles the daulphin during the French Revolution and the reign of Robespierre. Eventually, Andi is literally transported back into the 18th Century and it helps her to discover how to live even with the loss of her brother.
This was an interesting story. It was not one of my favorite reads, but in the end the book did have a decent story. It was hard for me to have any feelings for Andi in the beginning of the book. She was a suicidal rich girl who tried to solve her problems with drugs. It seemed like it was the stereotypical Gossip Girl type book. You knew that her brother was killed, but you didn't know the details and it was hard to understand or feel for Andi. Once Andi leaves New York, the book improves and I really liked how she discovered all these information of the French Revolution.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Catching Fire
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The sequel to Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, where Katniss's adventures continue after her and Peeta both win. The way in which Katniss and Peeta win, is a defiant act against the government of Panem and people begin to rise against President Snow. President Snow personally threatens Katniss that her and her family will die if her actions to defy the government continue. The battle within Katniss continues on whether she must pretend to love Peeta to save her family or run away to live happily with Gale.
However, her dilemma doesn't last long. It is the 75th year of the Hunger Games, and to celebrate it the Panem holds a special edition of the games, called the Quarter Quell. This year, the tributes will come from the pool of previous victors. Katniss is the only female victor from District 12 and knows that she must battle against Peeta or Haymitch. This time, Katniss's goal is to keep Peeta alive. Only the makers of the games have much bigger plans for Katniss.
While refreshing myself on the names all the characters in the book to write the summary, I started reading some of the reviews on Amazon. I was shocked to see that someone disliked this book because it was not as exciting as the first or last book in the trilogy. While it was a bit slower than the first book, it was still a great book and Suzanne Collins does an excellent job in keeping the reader engaged. Once I got this book, I read through it in two days and hated the fact that I was so tired I fell asleep with my Kindle in hand.
What I really enjoyed was the struggle Katniss had for the boy she loved, Gale, and trying to survive and keep her family alive by loving Peeta. The inner struggle she faces, is excellently portrayed and I could feel her emotions as it was described. Even when she no longer has to pretend to love Peeta, Katniss still has that bond and need for Peeta that shows how human she is. While the action in the book was slow at parts, Katniss always kept the reader wondering what would happen because of her struggle to help others survive.
I just want to make a plug for BookLending.com. If it wasn't for them I would not have had the opportunity to read Catching Fire for free on my Kindle. The Kindle has the option to allow a user to lend one copy of a book to a friend by email. BookLending.com is a website that allows Kindle users to request books to borrow or lend books. It is a great site to read books for your Kindle for free. The only downside is that it might take a while for you to get a book you requested because of the demand. An owner of the book can only lend the book title out once in a lifetime, so it the demand is high, it will take a while. Another con, is that not all books are lendable. It depends on the publisher. Finally, you have the book for two weeks and then it disappears from your Kindle. This wasn't a problem for me because I read the book so fast, but if you borrow a book, be prepared to read it right away.
The sequel to Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, where Katniss's adventures continue after her and Peeta both win. The way in which Katniss and Peeta win, is a defiant act against the government of Panem and people begin to rise against President Snow. President Snow personally threatens Katniss that her and her family will die if her actions to defy the government continue. The battle within Katniss continues on whether she must pretend to love Peeta to save her family or run away to live happily with Gale.
However, her dilemma doesn't last long. It is the 75th year of the Hunger Games, and to celebrate it the Panem holds a special edition of the games, called the Quarter Quell. This year, the tributes will come from the pool of previous victors. Katniss is the only female victor from District 12 and knows that she must battle against Peeta or Haymitch. This time, Katniss's goal is to keep Peeta alive. Only the makers of the games have much bigger plans for Katniss.
While refreshing myself on the names all the characters in the book to write the summary, I started reading some of the reviews on Amazon. I was shocked to see that someone disliked this book because it was not as exciting as the first or last book in the trilogy. While it was a bit slower than the first book, it was still a great book and Suzanne Collins does an excellent job in keeping the reader engaged. Once I got this book, I read through it in two days and hated the fact that I was so tired I fell asleep with my Kindle in hand.
What I really enjoyed was the struggle Katniss had for the boy she loved, Gale, and trying to survive and keep her family alive by loving Peeta. The inner struggle she faces, is excellently portrayed and I could feel her emotions as it was described. Even when she no longer has to pretend to love Peeta, Katniss still has that bond and need for Peeta that shows how human she is. While the action in the book was slow at parts, Katniss always kept the reader wondering what would happen because of her struggle to help others survive.
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Necromancer
The Necromancer by Michael Scott
The fourth book in Michael Scott's The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. It is challenging to review this book because I haven't read any of the others in the series. It is an excellent fantasy series for readers who enjoy mythology and historical fiction in addition to fantasy.
In the six days since the adventure began, the Flamels and the Legendary Twins have been around the world. In The Necromancer they return to San Francisco to stop Dr. Dee from releasing the horrible monsters living on Alcatraz.
Josh is still have trouble deciding what side he wants to be on. Nicholas Flamel is still not telling Josh the whole truth and Dee is using Josh's uncertainty to his own advantage. Josh leaves Sophie and the rest of the group trying to save the humani. Time is running out for Perenelle and Nicholas Flamel and they are doing all they can to save the humani before their time is up.
While Josh, Sophie, Nicholas, and Perenelle are back in San Francisco, Scatty and Joan are in a shadowrealm from the past. They are joined by Joan's husband, Comte de Sainte-Germain, Palamedes, and William Shakespeare. They meet up with Marethyu and are transported to Danu Talis, where it is implied that the final battle for the humani will occur. It is not clear how the past and present will intertwine, because Danu Talis (Atlantis) was said to fall far in the past.
This book still doesn't come to a conclusion, but the story progresses. I hadn't read the first three books in quite some time so it took me a while to remember where the story left off from the previous book. The book still grabbed my attention throughout the whole thing and I can't wait to read the next one.
So far I have "read" this book in three different formats. The first book I enjoyed on a car ride as an audio book. The reader of the audio book was excellent and it greatly helped with the pronunciation of names I would guaranteed to have read wrong. The second and third books I read as regular print books. The fourth, this one, I read as an e-book and loved it because they're very thick books. No matter how you read this story, I highly recommend it!
The fourth book in Michael Scott's The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. It is challenging to review this book because I haven't read any of the others in the series. It is an excellent fantasy series for readers who enjoy mythology and historical fiction in addition to fantasy.
In the six days since the adventure began, the Flamels and the Legendary Twins have been around the world. In The Necromancer they return to San Francisco to stop Dr. Dee from releasing the horrible monsters living on Alcatraz.
Josh is still have trouble deciding what side he wants to be on. Nicholas Flamel is still not telling Josh the whole truth and Dee is using Josh's uncertainty to his own advantage. Josh leaves Sophie and the rest of the group trying to save the humani. Time is running out for Perenelle and Nicholas Flamel and they are doing all they can to save the humani before their time is up.
While Josh, Sophie, Nicholas, and Perenelle are back in San Francisco, Scatty and Joan are in a shadowrealm from the past. They are joined by Joan's husband, Comte de Sainte-Germain, Palamedes, and William Shakespeare. They meet up with Marethyu and are transported to Danu Talis, where it is implied that the final battle for the humani will occur. It is not clear how the past and present will intertwine, because Danu Talis (Atlantis) was said to fall far in the past.
This book still doesn't come to a conclusion, but the story progresses. I hadn't read the first three books in quite some time so it took me a while to remember where the story left off from the previous book. The book still grabbed my attention throughout the whole thing and I can't wait to read the next one.
So far I have "read" this book in three different formats. The first book I enjoyed on a car ride as an audio book. The reader of the audio book was excellent and it greatly helped with the pronunciation of names I would guaranteed to have read wrong. The second and third books I read as regular print books. The fourth, this one, I read as an e-book and loved it because they're very thick books. No matter how you read this story, I highly recommend it!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
License Plate Bookends
I found several websites for making purses and bowls. And then I found the bookends. I thought this is a great way to use license plates, especially for a book lover. Plus, it didn't require any special tools. I simply placed the license plate over the edge of a table and bend the edge down. I made sure I washed all the salt and dirt off the license plates first, but it was a quick craft and very useful to hold Harry Potter or textbooks!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Matched
Matched by Ally Condie
Cassia is a girl living in a perfect society controlled by the government. By following all the rules, Cassia and her family are able to live a long, happy life because of the science of being matched. Being matched ensures that future generations will produce healthy, productive, citizens of society. Genetics play an important role in keeping society healthy. The society also ensures that everyone remains happy by taking the choice out of all important decisions.
Cassia has been living with all of society's decisions, what she will do in her free time, what she wears, how much and what she will eat, what her job will be, and when she will die. She's even excited about being matched with the person she will be married to. Cassia attends her matching ceremony, and in a rare instance, she is matched to her best friend, Xander. However, when she looks at the information that the officials have given her on Xander, she sees another boys face. Is this boy, who also lives in Cassia's neighborhood, the correct match? Is it possible for society to have made a mistake. Cassia attempts to figure it out in the first of a trilogy by Ally Condie.
I must be into the dystopia books lately, because I really enjoyed this book. I didn't realize that it was the first in a trilogy until I finished the book and it still had unanswered questions. Even though it is a trilogy, the book is good by itself. I really enjoyed how Ally Condie paints the picture of this futuristic society that attempts make like perfect for its people.
Unfortunately, the second book in the trilogy, Crossed
, is not released until November 1, 2011. Hopefully I will remember it and read it when it is released.
Cassia is a girl living in a perfect society controlled by the government. By following all the rules, Cassia and her family are able to live a long, happy life because of the science of being matched. Being matched ensures that future generations will produce healthy, productive, citizens of society. Genetics play an important role in keeping society healthy. The society also ensures that everyone remains happy by taking the choice out of all important decisions.
Cassia has been living with all of society's decisions, what she will do in her free time, what she wears, how much and what she will eat, what her job will be, and when she will die. She's even excited about being matched with the person she will be married to. Cassia attends her matching ceremony, and in a rare instance, she is matched to her best friend, Xander. However, when she looks at the information that the officials have given her on Xander, she sees another boys face. Is this boy, who also lives in Cassia's neighborhood, the correct match? Is it possible for society to have made a mistake. Cassia attempts to figure it out in the first of a trilogy by Ally Condie.
I must be into the dystopia books lately, because I really enjoyed this book. I didn't realize that it was the first in a trilogy until I finished the book and it still had unanswered questions. Even though it is a trilogy, the book is good by itself. I really enjoyed how Ally Condie paints the picture of this futuristic society that attempts make like perfect for its people.
Unfortunately, the second book in the trilogy, Crossed
, is not released until November 1, 2011. Hopefully I will remember it and read it when it is released.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Set in the future, The Hunger Games is the story of a powerful government and the control it has over its citizens. The state is called Panem and is located in the former United States. Panem has strict control its twelve districts and controls the lives to prevent revolt. Every year, to remind the citizens of the control, the state hosts the hunger games. Two children, one male and one female, are chosen from each district and must fight in a battle to the death that is publicly televised to the nation.
Katniss is an average 16-year-old living in the Seam of District 12. Her father died tragically in a mining accident and she provides for her mother and younger sister. Because the district is stricken by poverty, mostly because of the government of Panem, Katniss hunts in the restricted lands outside of the district and sells her meat on the black market. She does this all with the help of her best friend. The family gathers for the day that the tributes are picked for the hunger games. Katniss has several entries within the pool, but her younger sister has just one. The odds are against Katniss's sister and she is chosen, Katniss takes her place. The boy chosen from District 12 is a boy named Peeta, who one saved Katniss's life as a young girl by giving her bread.
Katniss and Peeta are whisked away to the capital of Panem and are prepared for the games. Throughout the training, Katniss and Peeta are told to pretend to have a romance that blossoms as the games begin. However, is the love pretend and will it be a useful strategy to help Katniss win the games?
In my past review, I raved about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This book was way better. This book was a real page turner (even though I didn't physically turn pages because I read it on my Kindle) and I had a hard time putting it down. I read the whole book in three days and didn't want to do anything but find out what happened.
This is a great book for both males and females because it has themes that would appeal to both. For the females there is the maternal instinct that drives Katniss and the struggle to figure out which boy is right for her. It is great for males because of the survival of the characters and constant fighting.
There are no dull points to this novel. The action begins right away and doesn't stop until the end. Unfortunately, the book is a trilogy and while there is a conclusion, not all questions are answered and you have to read the next two books in the series. I can't wait to get Catching Fire.
Set in the future, The Hunger Games is the story of a powerful government and the control it has over its citizens. The state is called Panem and is located in the former United States. Panem has strict control its twelve districts and controls the lives to prevent revolt. Every year, to remind the citizens of the control, the state hosts the hunger games. Two children, one male and one female, are chosen from each district and must fight in a battle to the death that is publicly televised to the nation.
Katniss is an average 16-year-old living in the Seam of District 12. Her father died tragically in a mining accident and she provides for her mother and younger sister. Because the district is stricken by poverty, mostly because of the government of Panem, Katniss hunts in the restricted lands outside of the district and sells her meat on the black market. She does this all with the help of her best friend. The family gathers for the day that the tributes are picked for the hunger games. Katniss has several entries within the pool, but her younger sister has just one. The odds are against Katniss's sister and she is chosen, Katniss takes her place. The boy chosen from District 12 is a boy named Peeta, who one saved Katniss's life as a young girl by giving her bread.
Katniss and Peeta are whisked away to the capital of Panem and are prepared for the games. Throughout the training, Katniss and Peeta are told to pretend to have a romance that blossoms as the games begin. However, is the love pretend and will it be a useful strategy to help Katniss win the games?
In my past review, I raved about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This book was way better. This book was a real page turner (even though I didn't physically turn pages because I read it on my Kindle) and I had a hard time putting it down. I read the whole book in three days and didn't want to do anything but find out what happened.
This is a great book for both males and females because it has themes that would appeal to both. For the females there is the maternal instinct that drives Katniss and the struggle to figure out which boy is right for her. It is great for males because of the survival of the characters and constant fighting.
There are no dull points to this novel. The action begins right away and doesn't stop until the end. Unfortunately, the book is a trilogy and while there is a conclusion, not all questions are answered and you have to read the next two books in the series. I can't wait to get Catching Fire.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Three completely different lives are intertwined in Sweden because of the disappearance of one girl. Harriet Vanger, who disappears from a small island in 1966, brings together a strange cast of characters to solve the mystery. Henrik Vanger has struggled with the lose of his niece for several years. He is determined to find out what happens and hires Carl Mikael Blomkvist to search for the answers.
Blomkvist is a financial journalist who was recently convicted of libel against a large Swedish corporation. Blomkvist believes the verdict is the end of his career. He agrees to a contract with Vanger, to help find himself and get away from the scandal surrounding his life.
The third character is the girl with the dragon tattoo, Lisbeth Salander. She is a girl struggling to make it on her own, because the government believes that she is mentally unstable and retarded. However, Lisbeth is an intelligent girl and works for a security company doing background checks. Lisbeth is hired by Vanger to do a background check on Blomkvist before he is hired by Henrik Vanger.
However, Lisbeth and Blomkvist paths cross when Blomkvist discovers that Lisbeth is an amazing researcher. Together, Blomkvist and Lisbeth try to discover the mystery behind Harriet Vanger's disappearance.
I understand why this book is such a huge success. It was very difficult to get into the book because of the different story lines. However, once the characters begin to cross paths the book is hard to put down.
One warning about this book is that it is for an adult audience. One of the major themes of the novel is sexual violence against women. There is a lot of sex in the novel, and when it is violent and intended to harm someone it is very explicit. I would recommend this book to mature readers, but I would highly recommend it!
Three completely different lives are intertwined in Sweden because of the disappearance of one girl. Harriet Vanger, who disappears from a small island in 1966, brings together a strange cast of characters to solve the mystery. Henrik Vanger has struggled with the lose of his niece for several years. He is determined to find out what happens and hires Carl Mikael Blomkvist to search for the answers.
Blomkvist is a financial journalist who was recently convicted of libel against a large Swedish corporation. Blomkvist believes the verdict is the end of his career. He agrees to a contract with Vanger, to help find himself and get away from the scandal surrounding his life.
The third character is the girl with the dragon tattoo, Lisbeth Salander. She is a girl struggling to make it on her own, because the government believes that she is mentally unstable and retarded. However, Lisbeth is an intelligent girl and works for a security company doing background checks. Lisbeth is hired by Vanger to do a background check on Blomkvist before he is hired by Henrik Vanger.
However, Lisbeth and Blomkvist paths cross when Blomkvist discovers that Lisbeth is an amazing researcher. Together, Blomkvist and Lisbeth try to discover the mystery behind Harriet Vanger's disappearance.
I understand why this book is such a huge success. It was very difficult to get into the book because of the different story lines. However, once the characters begin to cross paths the book is hard to put down.
One warning about this book is that it is for an adult audience. One of the major themes of the novel is sexual violence against women. There is a lot of sex in the novel, and when it is violent and intended to harm someone it is very explicit. I would recommend this book to mature readers, but I would highly recommend it!
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