Cover via Amazon

“Extras (Uglies #4)” by Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Source: Bought

Other books: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras (You’re here!)

Summary from Goodreads:

Fame

It’s a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. “Tech-heads” flaunt their latest gadgets, “kickers” spread gossip and trends, and “surge monkeys” are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it’s all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of “American Idol.” Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn’t suck enough, Aya Fuse’s rank of 451,369 is so low, she’s a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn’t care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity…and extreme danger. A world she’s not prepared for.

Review

This book was a bit weird for me. One of the main reasons I enjoy reading series book is the familiarity. I like stepping into a familiar world and knowing what’s going on. I realize that Extras is more of a stand alone book rather than an addition to the Uglies trilogy because it certainly felt like it. The reader is thrown into a completely different world than we left Tally in 3 years ago. I just felt so confused and unsure of everything that was going on.

I’ll admit I had a really hard time getting into the story. I didn’t know these people! [I realize that's completely stupid because I read other stand alone books and don't feel this way.] Things got smoother once the story picked up and I found familiar faces.

Once I got past the initial shock/confusion, the story was pretty interesting. The author took a step away from the beating you over the head with his message that was abundant in the first three books. This book explores more of the interpersonal relations people have rather than the relationship they have with the Earth. As a result, they have a reputation economy so your literal worth is built into how ofter people are talking about you. Scary thought, huh?

Characters were okay. I wasn’t too wild about any of them. Even when Tally and gang showed up I didn’t like them. Then again I didn’t enjoy Tally too much in the other stories either.

The bottom line? Eh. It was okay. I don’t see a real need to read this if you’re happy with the way Specials ended.

I stumbled across these interconnected stories the other day and needed to share them with you guys. If you have the time, definitely check them out. They’re worth your time. (They’re in the order you should read them in)

Footsteps
Balloons
Boxes
Maps
Screens
Friends

Seriously, don’t read while you’re home alone and especially don’t read these at night. I still get shivers thinking about the stories.

That idea engrained into our minds from a very early age. Many (if not all) of the stories we are read as children all end happily. [But then again do you really want to upset a small child by ending a story badly?] Generally this trend of happy endings follows readers as they grow. Of course, the definition of happy ending depends on the genre and type of book. The basic idea is the same: everything turns out okay in the end (the boy gets the girl or vice versa, the kid saves his/her parents, the team saves the world from destruction, etc). I’ve got questions for you to think about: are happy endings a good thing? Should we continue to have them in books?

I keep going back and forth on the issue. On one hand, I read to escape my life. Obviously things aren’t perfect for me. I don’t always get what I want. That’s real life though. Stories allow you to experience things that you won’t get to experience in your normal day to day life and that includes happy endings. Why wouldn’t you want the characters that you’ve grown to love be happy? It’s nice to fantasize about a ‘good life’. I don’t want to finish a book and be upset and miserable. [I've read books that don't end happily and it always feels like a punch in the gut]

On the other hand, it could lead to disappointment. Small kids might start to think that happy ending are the way things should be and become increasingly frustrated when they don’t happen. What about  us grown ups who ‘know better’? Should we read books that stick closer to our world (the wrong people die, things don’t work out the way we want, etc)? Don’t we to look to literature to figure out how to cope with life (to a certain extent)? Can we learn to cope if our learning tool is skewed?

I might be rambling at this point but I think you understand what I’m trying to say. What are your feelings on the subject?

Cover of The Magicians: A Novel

“The Magicians”by Lev Grosman

Genre: Adult Fiction, Fantasy

Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:

Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he’s still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery.

He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn’t bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin’s fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart.

At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren’t black and white, love and sex aren’t simple or innocent, and power comes at a terrible price.

Review

This book screams ‘Alison’ in every way possible. Some people have likened the book as Harry Potter for adults or Harry Potter, the college years (which is totally misleading, by the way). That caught my interest obviously. I was immediately attracted to the idea of wandering into a romanticized fictional land. As someone who read quite a bit as a child and for many, many years wondered what it would be like to attend Hogwarts, this was a  very interesting idea.

So what do you do when you get stuck in a reading slump? The most common responses I’ve heard in the past are reread something you love or read a short book.

*Hooray. I broke my slump! I guess I need to mix up my reading more often. I’ve been on a fantasy kick lately and apparently it’s been dragging me down. I picked up a contemporary book yesterday and devoured it in one afternoon!

Do you have a suggestion for Style Saturday? Let me know! (Seriously folks, my list of ideas is shrinking otherwise Style Saturday may be done for a while.)

This weeks: Major Spoilers

How do you feel about the big spoilers of a book. Do you stick your fingers in your ears and start humming whenever someone even brings up the title of a book you haven’t read yet (or are currently reading)? Do you cut yourself off from the outside world until you’re finished with a book so nothing is ruined? Or are you more lax about spoilers?

I used to be pretty uptight about not wanting a book to be ruined. I’d jump down someone’s throat if they tried to ruin the book for me. Now I’m more lax about the situation.

Obviously I don’t want a book spoiled if I’m currently reading it. As far as books I’d like to read in the future, I’m not concerned with spoilers. It’s not a huge deal if I read or hear one. I read a lot of books so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll forget about the spoiler by the time I get to the book. No harm done!

How do you feel about big spoilers?

Related articles

• Style Saturday (February 11): Spoilers Part 1

Cover of Gregor Overlander

“Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles #1)” by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Fantasy

Source: Bought

Summary from Goodreads:

When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New York apartment, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats—but the fragile peace is about to fall apart.

Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland’s uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life. Little does he know his quest will change him and the Underland forever.

Review

Don’t go into this expecting something similar to The Hunger Games. She wrote these books first and they are written for a much younger audience. Don’t let those turn you off though. I thought this was a great debut book. While is for a younger audience, she doesn’t take it easy on adventure. This is completely action packed and fun read.  Think of the Percy Jackson series.

The characters were likeable enough. Gregor was a great older brother and very sweet towards Boots. Boots was adorable but I’m also a sucker for cute kids. I liked the ‘underlanders’ okay. Some of them seemed a bit cold but perhaps that was Collins’ intention. Hopefully that changes in the other books if they stick around.

Collins did a great job with the bugs. She was able to make you care about creepy, crawly things. That’s a HUGE deal for me. I’m not a typical girly girl but I hate, hate, hate bugs and other gross things.

The plot wasn’t terribly original. We have a boy stumbling into a new world and he’s the ‘chosen’ one to save to world. But you know what? I’m willing to read familiar plots if there are likeable characters and fun adventures. Gregor the Overlander gives me that.

The bottom line? It’s a solid, fun* book well worth reading. Glad I bought the box set!

(*Yes, I know I’m using ‘fun’ far too much but the book really is fun. It’s a good way to spend an afternoon or three.)

Other books you might enjoy

• Middleworld
• The Lost Hero
• Peter and the Starcatchers

1.  What made you want to start blogging?

I’d just finished college and knew I was going to have a chance to read more with my new found free time. I knew about book blogs for a while so I decided to try my hand at it.

2.  How long have you been blogging?

Since June 2011.

3.  Who are some of your favorite book bloggers?  Why?

Anastasia! She’s the first blog I started reading. She drew me into the dark side book blogging.

Claire because we have really similar taste in books. I love being able to tell her about books to pick up and she does the same for me.

4.  What series have you not even started that you would still like to dive into?

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

5.  What are your other passions besides books?

I used to be really into music and pretended I was super cool because I listened to bands that you’ve never heard of before. I’ve mostly outgrown that.

6.  How many books on average do you read a year?  Do you review them all?  Is it hard to keep up?

Up until last summer I didn’t read for fun much because I was a full time student. If I read 10/15 books a year that was a lot for me. I’ve only recently started reviewing books. So far I’ve been able to put together at least quick review for all the books I’ve read. It’s not too hard right now. I’m sure it will be more difficult when I find a job.

7.  What are you reading right now?  What do you think of it so far?

The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale. It’s okay. I wasn’t too into it at the beginning but it’s getting better.

8.  What is your favorite series?  Why?

It’s a tie between Harry Potter (it’s the series that made me realize how much I love reading) and The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness (it made me realize that books can be good reading and make you question and reflect on your world).

9.  What one book are you always eager to talk about?

Harry Potter. I enjoy them so much I’ve written 2 massive academic research papers on them.

10.  Where is your favorite reading spot?

My bed! It’s super comfy and no one really bothers me in my room.

My Questions for the Tagged

1. What’s one book that you wish you could make everyone read?
2. What book(s) are you a bit embarrassed to say you’ve never read?
3. Are there any books that book blogging has turned you on to that you never would have read before?
4. If you had to be stuck on a deserted island, what 5 books would you bring with you?
5. What’s your favorite series?
6. Summarize your taste in 4 books.
7. What’s your favorite stand alone book?
8. What book would you want to magically transported into?
9. What character(s) would you want to be best friends with? Why?
10. What’s next on your to read list?

Who I’m Tagging

The Grown-Up YA
Alita Reads
Just a Lil’ Lost
Claire Reads
Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog
Leighanne’s Lit
Pretty In Fiction
Attack The Stacks
The Reading Date
Respiring Thoughts

How It Works

1. You must post the rules.

2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create ten new questions to ask the people who you have tagged.

3. Tag ten people and link to them on your post.

4. Let them know you’ve tagged them!

“Delirium”

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Source: Bought

Summary from Goodreads:

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love — the deliria — blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Review

The book world has been buzzing about this book for quite a while. I was pretty leery about reading it. I really don’t like romances but since this was also a dystopian book I thought it would mellow things about a bit. So I decided to buy it when it was cheap on Amazon. I had fairly high hopes for the book because so many people seemed to love it.

The world building was a bit shaky for my taste. As a reader, I don’t mind venturing into the totally bizarre in a book if an author makes the bizarre believable. The book describes a bit about amor deliria nervosa (aka love) and the symptoms. Maybe I’m just cynical but I don’t really understand how they are able to classify love as a disease (when we know it’s an emotion) without labeling other emotions as diseases. Maybe because emotions go away when they have the surgery? I don’t know. That never made sense to me. I also wondered how far they went with the precautions. Was Portland the only safe place? Just the US? The whole world? How exactly did we get to this point? I might just be overly critical but there were quite a few things that went unanswered.

I guess more than anything I was just disappointed in the book. That’s not to say it was bad though because it wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. I just had much, much higher hopes for it. I guess The Chaos Walking trilogy ‘ruined’ me in that way. Delirium had the potential to be really good if it pushed a bit more but in the end it just kind of played it safe. Because it played it safe, it really wasn’t that memorable.

Oliver’s style is beautiful and I highly enjoyed reading it. It was very easy reading. I really loved the way she started all the chapters with excerpts from The Book of Shhh and other safe books within their universe. That was a really creative idea. It would be really cool if she released a novella or short story of The Book of Shhh in the future. I’d read it. Unfortunately those snippets of info aren’t enough for me. She really needed to explain more about the world for me to enjoy it.

The bottom line? An enjoyable enough book but not the best dystopian book I’ve read.

Now it’s time to announce our first book pick:It was a very close race but the winner is…

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

Here are some places you can get the book if you don’t own a copy:

Buy

Download a free Public Domain copy

Library

If you wanted to read one of the other choices, have no fear! I’m adding the titles back to my master list of books. I’d still like to read those books so you’ll see some them pop up on another poll in the future.

Now here are the picks for April’s book.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott [Public Domain]

In picturesque nineteenth-century New England, tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy come of age while their father is off to war.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle [Science Fiction]

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract“.

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L’Engle’s unusal book.

Peter Pan by James M. Barrie [Public Domain]

It was Friday night. Mr and Mrs Darling were dining out. Nana had been tied up in the backyard. The poor dog was barking, for she could smell danger. And she was right – this was the night that Peter Pan would take the Darling children on the most breath-taking adventure of their lives, to a place called Neverland, a strange country where the lost boys live and never grow up, a land with mermaids, fairies and pirates – and of course the terrible, evil, Captain Hook. Peter Pan is undoubtedly one of the most famous and best-loved stories for children, an unforgettable, magical fantasy which has been enjoyed by generations.

Summaries are from Goodreads. This poll will be up until mid-March.