Dystopian Novels: Delirium

The Book: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Why I Checked It Out: I had read (and loved) Lauren Oliver’s first novel, Before I Fall. Delirium was in the nook books under five dollars one night when I was looking for a book to read, so I bought it.

The Plot: What would the world be like if love was a disease? A world where if you fell in love, or became infected, you would be ostracized, committed, or even killed? That is the kind of world our main character, Lena, lives in. She is even more susceptible to the disease because her mother had it, so she looks forward to the day when she can be cured and live life with the match that is chosen for her. But her life doesn’t go as she expect it to after she meets Alex.

What I Liked: First of all, I think this is a fantastic concept. But not only is the story interesting, the characters, particularly Lena are so well-written. I like that Lena doesn’t start out as being a “rebellious” character, but instead becomes one due to circumstances beyond her control. I like that she has a hard time making choices, and it doesn’t seem like her path is going a certain way. And I like the interaction that the other characters have with her throughout the book, as well.

What I Didn’t Like: The ending was a cliffhanger! I don’t like that I have to wait to know what happens, because the ending was that good. There is a sequel coming out soon.

Do I Recommend It? Yes. It seems like a teen/young adult read, but it’s more substantial that even “grown-ups” will be able to relate to it.

Related Reading:
Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver

Dystopian Novels: The Hunger Games

The Book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Why I Checked It Out: I jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon right after it started getting a little more popular, before the third book came out. I loved it right away, and made Nathan read it, too. It reminds me of the short story, “The Lottery” and The Giver.

The Plot: In a future world, two teenagers from each of the 12 districts of a former North America, must compete in the annual Hunger Games, a televised, to-the-death competition. Katniss volunteers to fight in place of her younger sister Prim, and the book follows her experience in the arena.

What I Liked: I think the characters in the book are all very real and well-developed. They are not perfect, they are not stereotypical, and sometimes they are even questionable. But they are relatable, and it was easy for me to imagine them.

What I Didn’t Like: It can be kind of gruesome if you’re like me and have a low tolerance for death and violence. However, I don’t think the book would be the same without it, and I certainly appreciate that it is well-written enough to make me feel that way.

Do I Recommend It? Highly. And if you do decide to read it, be sure to finish before March when the movie comes out.

Related Reading:
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

Dystopian Novels: The Giver

I have been doing a lot of reading lately, particularly while traveling over the holidays. This is not surprising; however, the genre of books I have chosen is: dystopian fiction. It’s not necessarily a step outside my comfort zone, as I enjoy reading a variety of genres, but I don’t often find so many books in the same genre that I choose to read at the same time. And I appreciate how dystopian fiction makes me think and leaves me with what I like to call a book hangover, where I can’t stop thinking about it for days after reading the last page.  So this week, I’ll be talking about some recent picks and some of my favorite dystopian novels.

The Book: The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Why I Checked It Out: The Giver was the first dystopian novel I ever read, though that was a long time before I knew the term and how it applied to the genre.

The Plot: It is the story of a boy who lives in a society where each person fulfills a certain role. I suppose this is not so different from our world now, but in Jonas’ world, people are all the same. Families are made by matching husbands and wives, and one boy and one girl are assigned to parents to create family units. He is chosen to be the next “Receiver of Memory,” a job that he learns from the Giver. He receives the memories of life before: pain, love, joy, violence, etc.)

What I Liked: I can still remember the way I felt after reading The Giver. It still sticks with me to this day when I think about the plot and the ending; even though I can’t remember every specific plot detail, I remember the emotional impact the book had on me. Do I consider it to be one of my favorite childhood books? Not necessarily. But instead it was a book that still makes me think years and years later.

What I Didn’t Like: I know when I was younger, I had a hard time understanding the ambiguous ending, but now, I can understand it a lot more. I learned today that Lois Lowry actually wrote two more companion novels recently, so I will have to check those out.

Do I Recommend It? Yes, and it’s not just for children.

Related Reading: To be revealed throughout the week . . .

Loving Lately

*United States Of Tara: Just came available on Netflix, and I love the concept. It's fun to watch, kind of quirky, and makes you think all at the same time.

*Saving Grace: Just finished this on Neflix and I was maybe addicted. The ending=wow.

*The Library: Made two different trips and have loved everything I've read so far. Expect some reviews, coming soon.

*New snowboots: I got new snowboots for Christmas and haven't had an excuse to wear them, what, with the 50+ degree weather we've been having. While Shelby was the only one who loved yesterday's surprise snowstorm, I'm thankful for the excuse to wear them finally!

*Shelby's agility class: Too fun--last night she learned how to go under a chair. It amazes me how smart she is, because she is just a dog.

*My new planner: Finally found one to stick with: the Arc notebook from staples. It's big and bulky, but it's everything I need and more.

*Travel sites: Currently planning our trips for the year and it amazes me the discounts out there. Now, where to book?

Toastmasters Speech: Learning Vocal Variety

One of my more challenging speeches for Toastmasters was Vocal Variety. Because I don't think as much about how things sound rather than how they read, my voice generally sounds the same throughout the whole speech I'm giving. So I had to come up with a topic that would force me to use different voices. I had written a post for my friend Laura's blog on audio books, and adjusted it so that I could give it as a speech. Here is what I came up with:

When I was little, or should I say, young, there were many professions I thought of pursuing when I grew up. Of course, I considered the traditional professions: doctor, teacher, ballerina. But there were also the slightly odd: person in the picture that came with the photo frame and audio book narrator. While none of these quite panned out, I have actually become somewhat of an audio book connoisseur, thanks to long road trips back to Denver and driving all over town for my actual job. And tonight, I’m going to share with you what I have learned.

When choosing an audio book right off the bat, you have to consider the genre, just like you would a regular book. There are audio books that can teach you things, such as languages or how to be responsible with your finances. There are nonfiction books, such as biographies, history books, political books, and self-help books. And then there are fiction books, which I prefer simply because I like a good story. Generally speaking, I tend to play it safe and pick books I would want to read anyway, because if you’re stuck in the car for eight hours, you don’t want to listen to something that doesn’t interest you.

You also need to consider the narrator. While you could pick an audio book by the narrator, I’m guessing most people, like myself, have an author and subject preference and not an actual narrator preference. So, you’ll have to give the book a test listen. This is very important because otherwise you might find yourself without a book because you can’t stand the person’s voice. This has happened several times for me—as it turns out, it is not authentic, but actually really difficult to listen to someone with a british accent read Sense and Sensibility. And while I’m sure Three Cups of Tea is a wonderful book, the narrator had a very nasally voice.

Finally, you need to remember that there might be surprises along the way. For example, many audio books incorporate sound effects. When driving to South Dakota on our very first road trip, I made Nathan listen to “Little Town On The Prairie” so he could prepare for the destination—Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home.  I love Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and everything was going fine until the fiddle started playing, and the narrator started singing. Badly.  And they sing a lot in that book. You also should bring tissues if you check out books by authors such as Nicholas Sparks, as it is a lot more realistic listening to the book than reading it. Finally, remember that unlike a real book, other people can hear the audio book you are listening to if they borrow your car. I was listening to Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea, by Chelsea Handler, which was maybe not quite appropriate to be on when Nathan took my father-in-law to the hardware store in my car. All I’m saying is, be prepared.

Audio books are a great alternative to music on long road trip or even just as you drive around town. I hope that you will remember some of these tips and apply them to your audio book choices.

Looking Ahead

Happy New Year everyone! Today marks my return to real life, back to work with no time off in sight (well, except for Martin Luther King day, but still).

I read a book over the holiday called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and have decided to start my own happiness project this year. I loved the book because she is a lot like me, and I was able to relate to a lot of what she was saying. One of her main motivators (like mine) is a "gold star," meaning that she expects praise or a good grade or something for, well, everything, and that is something I can defintiely relate to, as I find myself doing that a lot (and plan to work on it more this year). Her brain also works the way that mine does. Each month, she had an all-encompassing goal that was broken down into three action items of sorts and then made a spreadsheet to grade herslf on how she did accomplishing these goals. Her goals were all this that enhanced her happiness and helped her appreciate how good her life was now.

This year was probably the happiest year for me. I found a job that I love and challenged me, got to spend a lot of time with myself learning about what made me happy, spent time with my family, and grew my relationships with friends. I took a chance on myself and while I think that paid off, I also did nothing with my writing or any of the other foals I thought I would accomplish. So that is the main focus this year--expanding on what I learned this year to be even happier.

Some ways I will do this include:
*Set a time aside for writing: When I went to see Sarah Dessen, she said she writes at least an hour a day, and she's so involved in that that she feels weird when she doesn't. So I have set aside the hour of 3:00-4:00 each day to write, and if I have something going on during that time, I will fit it in another time.

*Time management: I will hopefully spend more time planning out my days this year, so I don't just get bored and watch TV. One way I plan on doing this is through my to-do lists, which I will show you all later this week. This will let me catch up on work more, focus on the blog more, and also get some things done around the house.

*Calm down: One thing that gets in the way of my happiness is anxiety that I get over, well, anything. Worrying gets me nowhere, and of course I shut the garage door, so taking small steps to calm myself down will help me generally be less stressed about the little things.

*Focus on relationships: I want to continue to strengthen relationships with Nathan, my friends, and my family this year. I am lucky to have wonderful people in my life, and I want to appreciate that!

And the best part of my happiness project is the cute journal I got to write it down in. Now that's motivation.