When Violet McKenna's step-mom decides to take a job in NYC, it's up to Violet to either stay with her aging grandmother in Atlanta or move to New York...and pick a boarding school there. When Violet sees the brochure for Winterhaven, she's inexplicably drawn to the school and chooses it instantly. At Winterhaven, the reader is introduced to a cast of characters with special gifts, including Aidan--the ultra-hot boy that everyone loves but no one can seem to "get." Well, apparently, he was just waiting for the right girl--Violet. The novel follow's Violet, Aidan, and her friends through a seemingly ordinary high school boarding school existence..until it suddenly becomes not quite so normal.
Cook is a new YA author for 2011 and I'd say that she's debuted on quite a good note. This story really had it all--a solid plot, a cast of likable characters, a swoon-worthy love-interest, and a little life-death action on the side. While I'll be the first to admit that Cook's story wasn't overly original, I thought she did a good job making it her own and adding enough twists to make it interesting. It was definitely a well-written storyline that pulled me in. It was a read that I simply couldn't put down once I started. (Ask my husband. I think he was a tad annoyed.) A lot of comparisons have been made to other recent YA novels (ones that I myself drew as I started the book) but it really does stand on its own.
Monday, March 7, 2011
A Storm of Swords / George R.R. Martin / 960 p.
(Note: this is the 3rd book in the series, so if you don’t want the plot spoiled, I highly recommend you not read any more of this post, but instead go out and read A Game of Thrones.)
At the end of A Clash of Kings, the number of claimants for the throne of Westeros has been whittled down, with Renly’s death and Stannis’ defeat at the Blackwater. Things look bright for the Lannisters; the Highgarden alliance will be cemented with the marriage of Joffrey to Margaery Tyrell, and the chance of a strong alliance with the Martells becomes a possibility. In the Riverlands, the “Young Wolf” Robb Stark has won every battle but damages his cause when he chooses love over honor.
But don’t forget that this series is called A Song of Ice and Fire, and some of the most interesting events happen in the far north and south of the world. Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder’s forces are advancing, and Jon Snow is torn between his duties as a spy for the Night’s Watch and his attraction to the Wildling Ygritte. But in the dark worse things are gaining power, as Samwell Tarly finds out to his terror. In the Eastern cities, Daenerys Targaryen begins to solidify her position of power, using her dragons and wits to launch a campaign of conquest.
As always, Martin keeps the reader hooked with blindsiding plot twists and shifts in character POVs that keep your sympathies changing. The most interesting new addition are the chapters narrated by Jaime Lannister, a character we’ve seem everyone else’s opinions of but whose true nature remained elusive. In all, Storm of Swords provides what we’ve come to expect from Martin, a mix of haunting history and thrilling political backstabbing, where no one is safe, for “when you play the Game of Thrones you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Birthmarked / Caragh O'Brien / 361 p.
Read this. Now. (Unless, of course, you don't enjoy dystopian novels or you have a grudge against YA lit.) I think I say that about many books these days, but I've been reading a lot of good ones!
In the post-apocalyptic world created by O'Briend, the Enclave holds the power. It's a very Hunger Games-type of world, if that reference means anything to you. Outside the walls of the Enclave, the people struggle to survive, giving up the first three babies each month to the Enclave. This is a novel that you will start and not put down until you have read the last page. The main character, Gaia, is a sympathetic character from the beginning. The scar on her face sets her apart, even in the world outside of the Enclave. She's a strong-willed character with quite the determination when it comes to her family. When her parents are arrested by the Enclave, Gaia, scorning the advice of those around her, insists upon find a way into the Enclave to rescue her parents. Her determination, quick-thinking, and (ultimately) love drive her to impossible lengths to save those she loves. The cast of characters that she meets along the way will surprise the reader. I don't want to spoil any plot points here, so I'll suffice it to say that O'Brien's debut novel is well-written, suspenseful, and moving. The world and characters that she has created will leave your mind reeling. Don't despair: the second book in a three book deal is slated to appear later this fall.
In the post-apocalyptic world created by O'Briend, the Enclave holds the power. It's a very Hunger Games-type of world, if that reference means anything to you. Outside the walls of the Enclave, the people struggle to survive, giving up the first three babies each month to the Enclave. This is a novel that you will start and not put down until you have read the last page. The main character, Gaia, is a sympathetic character from the beginning. The scar on her face sets her apart, even in the world outside of the Enclave. She's a strong-willed character with quite the determination when it comes to her family. When her parents are arrested by the Enclave, Gaia, scorning the advice of those around her, insists upon find a way into the Enclave to rescue her parents. Her determination, quick-thinking, and (ultimately) love drive her to impossible lengths to save those she loves. The cast of characters that she meets along the way will surprise the reader. I don't want to spoil any plot points here, so I'll suffice it to say that O'Brien's debut novel is well-written, suspenseful, and moving. The world and characters that she has created will leave your mind reeling. Don't despair: the second book in a three book deal is slated to appear later this fall.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The Perfect Solution to Absolutely Everything/Arthur Hoppe/303 pp.
Another MULSA book sale remainder!
This volume consists of essays by Hoppe, previously published in the San Francisco Chronicle, on a variety of topics, including politics, the Vietnam War, birth control, Mother's Day, the arms race, and rutabagas. (Yes, rutabagas.) All of the essays were written in the mid-1960s, so a large portion of them deal with Vietnam and the Johnson administration.
Hoppe starts off, tongue firmly in cheek, by stating that the solution to overpopulation is... total birth control. As in absolutely no babies being born, period. He goes on to say that Mother's Day should be a national day of mourning, since mothers are to blame for every single bad thing that has ever happened. ("...extensive historical research shows that every evildoer, from Atilla the Hun to Adolf Hitler, had, somewhere in his background, a mother... If we wipe out Motherhood, we will unquestionably wipe out not only overpopulation, but war, soil erosion, dental caries, air pollution and people who cough on buses.") He warns against trusting anyone over thirty, as well as anyone under thirty, and advocates drinking courses for teenagers, as well as the legalization of bananas and other psychotropic drugs.
This book is a hilarious demonstration of how ridiculous so many things are, from politics to bigotry to xenophobia, and how we, as a people, take ourselves waaaay to seriously. If you're not familiar with the 1960s, some of the topics may be a bit confusing, but otherwise the book is very enjoyable.
This volume consists of essays by Hoppe, previously published in the San Francisco Chronicle, on a variety of topics, including politics, the Vietnam War, birth control, Mother's Day, the arms race, and rutabagas. (Yes, rutabagas.) All of the essays were written in the mid-1960s, so a large portion of them deal with Vietnam and the Johnson administration.
Hoppe starts off, tongue firmly in cheek, by stating that the solution to overpopulation is... total birth control. As in absolutely no babies being born, period. He goes on to say that Mother's Day should be a national day of mourning, since mothers are to blame for every single bad thing that has ever happened. ("...extensive historical research shows that every evildoer, from Atilla the Hun to Adolf Hitler, had, somewhere in his background, a mother... If we wipe out Motherhood, we will unquestionably wipe out not only overpopulation, but war, soil erosion, dental caries, air pollution and people who cough on buses.") He warns against trusting anyone over thirty, as well as anyone under thirty, and advocates drinking courses for teenagers, as well as the legalization of bananas and other psychotropic drugs.
This book is a hilarious demonstration of how ridiculous so many things are, from politics to bigotry to xenophobia, and how we, as a people, take ourselves waaaay to seriously. If you're not familiar with the 1960s, some of the topics may be a bit confusing, but otherwise the book is very enjoyable.
Ol' Prophet Nat/Daniel Panger/159 pp.
This book is a fictional retelling of the events surrounding an actual historical uprising of slaves in Southampton County, VA in 1831. The story is told in the form of a journal kept by Nat Turner, leader of the slave rebellion. As a young man, Turner felt called by God to do some great deed for his enslaved people. He experiences a number of "signs" (one of which we now know to have been an eclipse) which confirm for him that he has been chosen by God to lead the slaves in a revolt against the plantation owners. The book goes on to describe the actual events of the rebellion, interspersed with commentary written by Turner afterward as he waited in hiding for the white posse to come arrest him.
A very good fictional account of the story behind the actual historical events. Panger does a good job not only showing how such an uprising could have occurred, but also showing the reasons (fear, complacency, misplaced respect for their masters) that prevented many of the slaves from rising up along with Turner.
A very good fictional account of the story behind the actual historical events. Panger does a good job not only showing how such an uprising could have occurred, but also showing the reasons (fear, complacency, misplaced respect for their masters) that prevented many of the slaves from rising up along with Turner.
The Red Badge of Courage/Stephen Crane/162 pp.
Crane's classic Civil War novel tells the story of Henry Fleming, a young farm boy who enlists in the Union army through a combination of patriotism and the romantic wish to be a "Hero". Henry has grown up reading tales of classical heroes, and laments the fact that there are no more opportunities for a man to prove himself on the field of combat. When the Civil War begins, he jumps at the opportunity to enlist and perform great deeds. As his first battle approaches, however, he is worried that he'll lose courage at the last minute and run away from the battlefield. During this first conflict, he does in fact get scared and run, but in a later skirmish, he shows so much bravery that he is singled out for praise by his commander.
Crane makes a strong statement about the danger of romanticizing war and the killing of others. The green, naive soldiers go into their first battle bragging of all the great deeds they plan to do, but when faced with the harsh reality of the battlefield, the vast majority either hide or abandon the place altogether. The book acts as a solemn reminder that, no matter the lofty patriotic speeches given by politicians in Washington, war has a very real, very final effect on the individuals fighting in the trenches.
Crane makes a strong statement about the danger of romanticizing war and the killing of others. The green, naive soldiers go into their first battle bragging of all the great deeds they plan to do, but when faced with the harsh reality of the battlefield, the vast majority either hide or abandon the place altogether. The book acts as a solemn reminder that, no matter the lofty patriotic speeches given by politicians in Washington, war has a very real, very final effect on the individuals fighting in the trenches.
Equus/Peter Shaffer/109 pp.
Shaffer writes in his introduction that he was inspired to write this play after hearing from a friend about an incident where a young man had blinded some horses in a small English town. Shaffer's friend died before revealing any further details of the incident, and Shaffer wrote Equus partly as a way of explaining what may have caused the young man's actions. In the play, teenager Alan Strang is committed to a mental institution after blinding six horses with a metal spike. Psychiatrist Martin Dysart tries to discover what would have caused Alan to do such a thing. It is revealed that Alan views horses as a sort-of god/slave figure, to be worshiped and, at the same time, to be tamed. Alan's highly religious mother and equally-highly anti-religious father help round out the main characters of the play, along with the actors who play the horses.
Ah yes... the horses. The style of Shaffer's play is very minimalist, with plain wooden benches doing duty as psychiatrist's couch, cinema seating, and horse stables. The "horses" in the play are actors in plain brown clothes, wearing no costume except hooves with metal horseshoes on their feet, and stylized horse-head masks of metal and leather. When Alan "rides" one of the horses, he simply climbs on the actor's shoulders. The simplicity and starkness of the costumes and set, and the absence of any scenery, help focus the reader's (and, I assume, the audience's) attention on the powerful words being spoken by the characters.
Reading this play was a very draining experience for me. The underlying religious and semi-sexual reasons for Alan's actions emerge, bit by bit, through Martin's skillful (and sometimes devious) methods. As Alan described the events leading up to the blinding of the horses, I could picture these events clearly in my mind. Reading this work definitely made me want to see a live production of the play.
Ah yes... the horses. The style of Shaffer's play is very minimalist, with plain wooden benches doing duty as psychiatrist's couch, cinema seating, and horse stables. The "horses" in the play are actors in plain brown clothes, wearing no costume except hooves with metal horseshoes on their feet, and stylized horse-head masks of metal and leather. When Alan "rides" one of the horses, he simply climbs on the actor's shoulders. The simplicity and starkness of the costumes and set, and the absence of any scenery, help focus the reader's (and, I assume, the audience's) attention on the powerful words being spoken by the characters.
Reading this play was a very draining experience for me. The underlying religious and semi-sexual reasons for Alan's actions emerge, bit by bit, through Martin's skillful (and sometimes devious) methods. As Alan described the events leading up to the blinding of the horses, I could picture these events clearly in my mind. Reading this work definitely made me want to see a live production of the play.
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