I am now two-thirds of the way through Veronica Roth's Divergent series, and although I can't say that I'm loving these books as much as the Hunger Games trilogy, I can say that they have captured my attention.
On Goodreads, I gave this book three stars but then bumped it up to four stars after a couple day's reflection. The thing is, I liked Divergent better than Insurgent, so it doesn't seem right to give them both the same ranking. But since there are no half stars, and since the trilogy so far (in my humble opinion) is a four star story, I decided to do my "packaged deal" ranking of the books. Also, giving the book Four stars seems quite appropriate, don't you think? (*giggles*)
Now, as far as the plot goes, I don't want to reveal too much since you really must read the first book, um, first. If I tell you the plot of Insurgent, I will be spoiling the plot of Divergent. Since I strongly lack talent in summing up plots anyway (and in writing as a whole), I'll just skip it this time. (You're welcome.) Just know that if you do read Divergent, I do recommend continuing on in the story by reading Insurgent.
With that said, I have started reading the third and final book in the trilogy, Allegiant. I am actually really interested in how Roth will end her series, especially since it has such mixed reviews. (Nothing peaks curiosity like a good controversy!) Also, when I'm done reading it, I can pat myself on the back for being so cool and contemporary (two things I never attained in high school) even if my fourteen year old doesn't think so… she watched the movie, "Divergent," and hated it because she had no idea what was going on. *sigh* Oh well.
I never like to admit when my husband is right, but it's true, it didn't take much time for me to go silent on this blog. Since no one is following this blog, I suppose it doesn't really matter, but let's pretend it does for a minute…. ;)
Last month I moved to a new city. With that being such a big life event, I have fallen behind in a lot more than updating this small corner of the internet. One thing I haven't neglected, though, is reading books!
After reading The Alchemist, I gave in to popular culture and picked up Divergent, by Veronica Roth. It came highly recommended by friends of mine, but I must admit I wasn't too interested in reading it until after I saw the movie. Yes, it's true. I really did just admit that. Here I call myself a book lover and I saw the movie before reading the book it's based upon. (For shame!) But I can't take it back now, and maybe it's a good thing after all, since I am now enjoying this trilogy quite a lot.
The book is a dystopian novel, set in Chicago many years after society (as we know it) collapses and a new society forms. The new order consists of five classes (or factions): the Erudite are the intellectuals, Amity consists of those who work the land, Abnegation are selfless and caring (taking the role as government leaders), Candor value truth and transparency, and the Dauntless are brave, providing protection and keeping order.
Beatrice ("Tris") Prior is the heroine, who must decide which faction to dedicate the rest of her life to on her 16th birthday. She takes a routine aptitude test on that day, which is designed to reveal which faction she truly belongs to. Instead of giving her clear direction, it shows that she has strong traits from more than one faction. She is what they call Divergent. With that knowledge --which she must keep a secret since the Divergent are considered a threat to society-- she goes on a journey of self discovery within the faction she chooses.
There is romance in the book (which makes me happy, of course) when she meets a boy named Four. They soon discover a plot by the Erudite to usurp control of all the factions, conspiring against the Abnegation leaders. Since her father is one of the Abnegation leaders, she takes a personal interest in stopping the plans of the Erudite.
It is the first book of three, and I am currently reading Insurgent, the second book. I am a bit nervous about finishing the trilogy since there are such mixed reviews about the final book… but, of course, I must read it and come to my own conclusion (as everyone with an opinion on anything must).
I'll be sure to update this blog again once I finish reading Insurgent… which will be soon… since it was due back to the library three days ago. :)
“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.” -Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, has been on my "to read list" for, well, a very long time. So long, in fact, that I forgot I wanted to read it. Ha. But now I have, and I'm glad I did!
Browsing through people's reviews on Goodreads, it is apparently a book that you'll either love or hate. It is full of deep truths and profound thoughts on life and our purpose in living. Either the author's beliefs will resonate with you and your personal journey through life, or it will piss you off (seriously, some people were quite angry with their reviews).
The author mixes many religions in his views of God and draws man's purpose, his Personal Legend, from them. Although I don't personally believe that "all roads lead to Rome" (to use that popular phrase), I do believe that all truth is God's truth, and this book was full of little nuggets of truth.
The story is of a Spanish shepherd boy, named Santiago, who dreamt of finding treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. Shortly after a gypsy woman interprets his dream and tells him to go seek his treasure, he meets a man (who calls himself a king) that prophetically encourages him to discover his Personal Legend by making the journey to Egypt. The boy then sells his flock of sheep and sets out to find his treasure. On his way he overcomes obstacles, fights discouragement, almost gives up… and meets an Alchemist.
I do recommend this book, as I quite enjoyed it. It's less than 200 pages and an easy read, although it shouldn't be read too fast since the book is more philosophical that fanciful. Just be sure to read it with a highlighter --there are lots of great quotes like the one I posted above (that one is a favorite of mine) that you might want to refer to again as you make your own journey through life to discover your Personal Legend. :)
A friend recently posted a link on my Facebook page to a list of 100 books:
The BBC Believes You Only Read 6 of These Books…how many have you read?
What?! Only 6? I'll bet ya' five dollars I've read more than that…!!
Yes, that was my internal dialogue and yes, I can't help myself when it comes to book lists --especially ones that consist of books that everyone should read!
This list was super fun since you get to scroll through and click on the books (with gorgeous covers…I want them all) and it keeps a tally for you in the upper left corner. Watching the tally increase brought on an excitement comparable to tax day, when I watch my refund amount grow… Come on, more money! More money! I knew I had all these kids for a reason! Woo-hoo!!
To my dismay, the tally stopped at 25. After a brief moment of grief (I've only read a quarter of the books on this list? *sniff sniff* What kind of book nerd am I? *sob*) I resolved to do better next time and start reading.
There are quite a few books that I haven't read yet that are sitting on my shelf, staring me down and waiting for me to read them. So, with a renewed determination, I will tackle them one by one until I have read them all! (Well, all of them except for one… I just can't read Moby Dick. I've tried and I've failed many times over... It's just not going to happen.)
So, my goal is 99 books! I only have 74 to go! :)
How many have you read?
Please tell me you are already signed up on Goodreads. If you're not, and if you truly consider yourself an avid book reader, then go to Goodreads.com right now and get started. But don't get too sucked in… I do want you to come back and continue reading this blog. ;)
It is my favorite site to keep track of my books --what I've read, what I'm reading, and --most importantly-- what I want to read (I have a very long "to read" list). ;) You can connect with friends (feel free to add me as a contact! *wink wink*), read book reviews (although they won't be as awesome as my reviews), and even enter giveaways to get early release copies of books (I have won! So it's legit!). It gives recommendations based on your books and ratings… in short, it's a book lover's dream come true.
Hopefully I'm preaching to the choir here, but if you haven't checked it out yet I do highly recommend it. And if you know of any other good book sites, please tell me! :)
This was Kearsley like I've never read her before. I am a big fan of hers, so I was more than excited when this showed up at my local library. After reading her more recent books, most of which I now own, I tried to find some of her older ones (including this book) without success. Thankfully, her newer books have been a hit so this book and Mariana are now easy to get your hands on. :)
If you have read her newer books, they do tend to fall into a familiar pattern (sort of). This one is an exception. Yes, there's a touch of romance --it wouldn't be a Kearsley book without romance! --but it's a mystery. And a good one!
Emily Braden, our heroine, travels to Chinon, France, to meet up with her cousin, Harry, after he talks her into taking a much needed break. He has a reputation of being quite unreliable, so she wasn't surprised to arrive in Chinon and find Harry was missing. As she settles into her hotel, she gets to know the people staying there along with a few of the locals, and as she begins to uncover the hidden history of the castle, she discovers that her cousin may be in danger, and that she may be in danger herself.
This book is a fun and easy read… all in all, I quite enjoyed it. :)
One might think, roughly 4000 pages into a story, that the plot is getting a tad bit tiresome and perhaps even drawn out… ok, with that many pages it would be a lot drawn out... but Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series is a rare exception. I do believe the story is getting better and better as the hundreds of pages fly by!
This is the fourth book in the Outlander Series. I recommend --no, I insist!-- that these books be read in order, starting with Outlander. It is a must read for anyone interested in historical, time-traveling romance. (If that just made you barf, then you will not share my enthusiasm over these books and you can quit reading this right now, with my blessing.)
Gabaldon's writing is amazing, to put it humbly. From her pen (or keyboard?), the characters, history, and places in these books come alive. I would definitely put this book into the "romance" category, but it is very much a historical novel too, beginning a couple years before the Jacobite rising of 1745 and continuing on from there, taking you to England, Scotland, France, and eventually the American colonies (where this particular book takes place).
The series starts out with Claire, an English WWII war combat nurse who finds herself transported back 200 years through an ancient stone circle. She meets and falls in love with a Scottish highlander named James Fraser, and… well… the rest is history! Haha. (I couldn't resist.) Ok, honestly, I can't sum it up neatly. I'm a reader, not a writer, and so much happens in these books! I really have tried to explain it to my husband, but without success. He just rolls his eyes once I get to the falling in love part (party pooper).
Anyway, I could go on and on and on about this series (which, obviously, Gabaldon does) but you'll just have to read it for yourself. And, as a special treat, once you have read the first book, Outlander, you will be ready for the TV series that is beginning this summer on STARZ. (Check out the website here!!) But seriously folks, read the book first! Every honest book nerd will affirm that the book is always better (except for Nicholas Sparks' books, I'll admit --there always is an exception).
For now, read and enjoy Outlander and try to get caught up before the 8th book in the series is released this June… you know I am. Perhaps by the time I finish that book I will be writing my review for it in Gaelic. ;)
