Catch Up

Hey Ladies!

I know. Long time no post from me. I guess that's what moving to another state and having baby #3 will do to you! I do have some really fun books I've read lately that I thought you might be interested in.

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund - A dystopian story that is loosely framed after the plot of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I was a bit skeptical, because sometimes mash-ups can be more amusing or plain stupid, but it is well done. The author does have her own twists on things and it doesn't feel like she's trying to hard to push the romance between characters. I really liked it.

Basically, after the apocalypse, the people who have survived are the Luddites, who shunned technology. They then form the aristocracy in the new world and have set up rules to ward against a recurrence of disaster. There are lower caste groups of people that live on the estates of the Luddites. The main character, Elliot North, is the daughter of a Luddite estate owner and she had a childhood love, Kai, who was a member of a lower caste. He leaves and comes back successful to the estate. What will happen??? You'll have to read it. :)

Matched by Ally Condie - Also another dystopian story that I've described to people as a YA version of The Giver by Lois Lowry. Basically, after the apocalypse, Society has decided to restrict all the choices people could make so that things will be safer. People are matched to their mates at the age of 16 and Cassia is no different in dreaming of her match. There is a love triangle here folks and lots of interesting questions brought up about choices. This is the first of a trilogy (Book 2 - Crossed and Book 3 - Reached). I've read the first 2, but haven't read the last one yet.

The Bromeliad Trilogy (Book 1: Truckers, book 2: Diggers, book 3: Wings) by Terry Pratchett - For you fans of Terry Pratchett, these books will have you laughing out loud! These books are about Nomes (yes, they are little people, but they aren't garden ornaments). These Nomes struggle to survive as a people among humans. The Nomes are reminiscent of the Wee Free Men from the Tiffany Aching series, but not so Scottish. :)

Across the Universe - a new sci-fi series

Here is a sci-fi series by new author Beth Revis.  The third (and final, I think) book just came out so you won't have to wait to finish the trilogy.  Yay for that!  The titles are: Across the Universe, A Million Suns, and Shades of Earth

While not the best sci-fi there is, I enjoyed reading these books.  The plot is creative and the main characters are well thought out.  I especially like the female protagonist.  There are a lot of unexpected plot twists and conflicts throughout the series which kept things interesting.  A few times I thought the author was asking the reader to reeeeally stretch their imagination, but most things were thought-out and explained enough to be believable.

The  first book takes place on a space ship from earth headed out to colonize a new planet.  The journey will take so long that the ship is completely self-sustaining.  Some of the passengers are cryogenically (sp?) frozen for the trip, and others like the crew are awake and running the ship.  The first big surprise is when the male protagonist (who is the only teenager his age on board) is joined by the female teenage protagonist who has been awoken from her frozen state too early and faces 50 years among strangers until they reach the new planet and her parents are also awoken.  As she struggles to learn to live aboard a ship she likens to a cage, she learns the leader of the ship, called Eldest, is hiding some very disturbing secrets about their journey and her fellow passengers.

Very little language, if any, some adult situations though (an attempted rape for example) so I'd rate the books at a mild/medium PG-13.  

Easy and fast to read.  Overall, an enjoyable escape into a possible future of technology and space travel with some romance and mystery thrown in.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Run, don't walk, to the library/bookstore for this one! Code Name Verity is an excellent book. A gem of historical fiction told from the point of view of two young women who become best friends serving in the British military during WWII.  There is some violence and torture, but it is mostly told in third person so it is not overly graphic.  Very intense though.  There are lots of twists and surprises you will never guess.  Character development is wonderful.  The first half of the book is written very differently from most books and can get a little tedious, but stick with it, there is a reason for everything, even the style of writing. Have some tissues- you'll need them.  I loved it, it has really stuck with me and I am still thinking about it.    Let me know what you think of it. I'd put this in my top 5 books for the whole year.
~Jenny