Hey y'all! It's book review time again :) I have MANY goals to accomplish over the summer, and one of my goals I am doing well with is reading as many leisure books as I can. During the school year, I tried to read books that had nothing to do with school, but I didn't have the time or the energy at the end of the day to stay awake for longer than 10 minutes of bedtime reading. I am steadily trucking along towards my goal of reading 12 books in 2012, and I have my latest 3 book reviews for you!
Book #6 : The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
Madeleine Wickham (pen name is Sophie Kinsella, author of the Confessions of a Shopaholic series) does it again. And by IT, I mean she writes a book that is very typical of her, starring a female protagonist who has a penchant for keeping secrets from her loved ones and enjoys champagne a great deal. So, the vibe is the same as most (all?) of her books I have read. The aforementioned protagonist eventually lands herself in a great deal of trouble by keeping secrets for so many years, and instead of coming clean, she digs herself a great big hole in an effort to keep her secrets hidden.
It's not that I disliked the book, I just thought that eventually she would be a little more creative with her plots. But I suppose that's why authors develop a fan base --- because the fans repeatedly get what they want. This fan is kind of over it (does that make me a fan at all?) I think that after reading 8 of Wickham/Kinsella's books...I'm calling it quits. Except of course, for when it comes to the continuation of the Shopaholic series. I'll read it. I know it.
Book #7 : Divergent by Veronica Roth
I had been hearing a little buzz about Divergent from a few friends who insisted it was on par with the Hunger Games. So, naturally I had to check it out. Similar writing style for a similar audience (young adult), similar overall theme (futuristic America turned dystopia), with a strong female protagonist and a bit of a love story sprinkled in. All things I love in a story. So overall I did enjoy this book. This book lacked a little of the power of the Hunger Games, you know, the way that book made your heart race throughout its entirety?
What it lacked in power, this book made up with in the topic of human nature. It made me question a lot of what characteristics of ours are inherent versus learned, come naturally versus difficult to embrace, deep within our soul versus easily discarded under the right circumstances. This story follows a 16-year-old girl as she decides her fate, and what faction she will live with for the rest of her life. Will she choose to stay with her family in the Abnegation faction and be defined by selflessness? Or will she transfer factions and choose Amity (peacefulness), Dauntless (bravery), Candor (honesty), or Erudite (intelligence). Each faction places one human characteristic above all others and strives to be defined by that one characteristic. I would say this is a worthwhile series for you to get into if you like the dystopian theme :)
Book #8: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Not going to lie, the badass tree logo on the front of this book is rekindling my desire to get a small tree tattoo. I have wanted a tree tattoo since like 2004...and I have been diligently trying to not become a completely tatted up work of art (supposedly it's more difficult to be taken seriously in the professional world...whatever)...but the Amity symbol makes my mind race with redesigns and ways of making it my own.
Anyway...Insurgent was a great follow up to Divergent. Full of action and furthered my questions about the reality of human nature. Is the world black and white? Can we separate the good and the evil? The brave can be cruel. The peaceful can be naive. What characteristics define you as a person? And are the characteristics that define you what you strive to be on a daily basis, or do you strive to improve upon your weaknesses?
Lastly --- Really, Ms. Roth? You're leaving me with a massive cliffhanger until November of 2013??? Well played. I will be waiting in line somewhere to read your follow up when it is released!
What great reads are you working on? I am finally going to read Bossy Pants by Tina Fey --- so excited! Naturally, I'll report back to you with my opinion of it.
Read on!
Cheers :)
