Insurgent

My Rating: ★★★

Method of Reading: Personally owned hardback, 525 pages.
Dates of Reading: April 20, 2014-May 14, 2014
Author: Veronica Roth
Publication Year: 2012
Recommended to: People who liked Divergent. It's not any better than the first book but I was more involved with the characters. This book is effectively only useful as a stepping stone to Allegiant, but that's okay.
Quotes: 
Movie: Coming up soon, release date set for March 20, 2015.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurgent_(novel)
Link: http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/p/books.html

My View: Love the character development here (when was the last time a character felt so personal?) and the honesty of the writing. Yet the story still doesn't appeal to me in this one. Maybe I'm just so lame that I want my stories (at the least) to be clear and this isn't giving me that but… but it felt like the Battle of Hogwarts for a book and a half with not enough meat to make it worthwhile.

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliography:
"Insurgent." Goodreads. Goodreads Inc., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014.
"Insurgent." Bray and Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014.
"Theo James and His Sexy Voice Take an Audi Commercial to the Next Level." Divergent Movies. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014.

Divergent

My Rating: ★★★★

Method of Reading: Personally owned paperback, 487 pages.
Dates of Reading: April 17, 2014-April 19, 2014
Author: Veronica Roth
Publication Year: 2011
Recommended to: I'm not sure I agree with the assessment that anyone who likes Hunger Games will like this. I can't think of the right group to funnel toward this, but I'm tempted to say early high school. It's weirdly suited to more of a Twilight reader in a lot of ways.
Quotes:
Movie: Brand spankin' new. Have not seen it, not really clambering to see it, but some of my friends went and loved it… probably like 90% of that is thanks to Theo James. Maybe 95%… Sadly, there was no Uriah in this movie and I find that unacceptable. I'm told that several high-stakes changes were made when moving this story from literature to film, some of which I'm told weren't pulled off very well. If I ever see it, I'll have a real opinion to share on those edits.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divergent_(novel)
Link: http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/p/books.html

My View: Bravo, Veronica Roth. You've created a heroine I can feel with even when I don't agree with her. Her world kinda drives me up a wall even before it starts showing signs of severe crumbling. Now I'm feeling all dystopian and wanting to read Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Giver, and This World We Live In… even "Harrison Bergeron" again. Sadly it reads like thin soup tastes... almost like Twilight or another epic without enough plot.

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliography:
"Books." Veronica Roth. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
"Divergent." Blogspot. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
Don't Try and Define Me. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.

The Giver

My Rating: ★★★★

Method of Reading: Online ebook, estimated 180 pages
Dates of Reading: May 14, 2014
Author: Lois Lowry
Publication Year: 1993
Recommended to: Readers 7th grade and up.
Quotes: 

Movie: Yes'm. That and the tide of dystopian youth novels sweeping the literary world lately are what brought me back to this.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giver
Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3636.The_Giver

My View: Impactful even the second time around. The first time I read this, I was in the only 7th grade Language Arts class that wasn't reading The Giver. I was unable to accept that. So I waited for a day when I had unusually little homework and snuck the book out of my twin's backpack. I read it quickly that evening. Interestingly, this time I had just finished finals and needed somewhere to send excess academic energy and then I decided to read this in an evening again. Again, very powerful, very thought provoking, beautiful in its simplicity. Sometimes children's books are more meaningful than that we give them credit for. Very glad that, in my research for this article, I uncovered that this is part of a "quartet." So I shall be reading those soon…

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliography:
"The Giver." Goodreads. Goodreads Inc, n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
"The Giver." NPR. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

My Rating: ★★★★★

Method of Reading: Personally owned paperback novel, 213 pages
Dates of Reading: March 11, 2014
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Publication Year: 1999
Recommended to: Thoughtful people in love with stories.
Quotes: 

   "[he] seemed like the kind of guy you could just walk up to at a football game even though you were three years younger and not popular" (19). 

   "Do you always think this much, Charlie?" (24). 

   "I swear we were infinite" (39).

   "I don't know the significance of this, but I find it very interesting" (50).

   "I wanted the angel to come down and show us how Uncle Billy's life had meaning" (76). 

   "I just want it all to stop spinning" (94). 

   "I really did love her. Because there was nothing to gain and that didn't matter" (179). 

   "I think he was drunk... but Patrick does that stuff sober, so it's hard to tell" (192). 

   "What if they need the arms or something like that?" (200). 

Movie: That's why I wanted to read it! The differences between the book and movie really stood out to me because Chbosky wrote the screenplay so whatever he changed between publishing the book and writing the movie is kind of interesting, especially in light of the recent JKR "scandal" about whether authors can change their mind.  Most of the changes are minor but impactful (personalities in Charlie's family, details about Patrick and Brad's relationship, one-word differences in descriptions of Sam and Bill). Whether the changes were to streamline the story, appeal to a wider audience, or edit a Chbosky regret, I feel the movie retained the integrity of the book well. 

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossypants
Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bossypants-tina-fey/1100058573?ean=9780316056892

My View: Catcher-style opening but with less flair, leading into the story of a boy learning to write while he learns to tell, hear, and have stories to write about. Structured around an interesting plan to address the audience by treating them exactly as they are--as compassionate listeners, strangers willing to follow Charlie wherever he goes. That may be what compels me in this story: it is being told as if to a personally present, sympathetic ear--expecting me to listen, expecting me to hear hard things, expecting me to wince/laugh/curse/smile alternately. And ultimately, trusting me to sympathize, to listen, to withhold judgement, to love.

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliography:

• Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Pocket, 1999. Print.
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" cover. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

The Count of Monte Cristo

My Rating: ★★★

Method of Reading: Personally owned paperback novel, 441 pages
Dates of Reading: January 9, 2014-March 11, 2014
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Publication Year: 1844-1845 serialized
Recommended to: Adventure movie fans.
Quotes: 
   "Happiness is like those palaces in fairy tales whose gates are guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it" (15).
   "That ultimate word of human wisdom: 'Perhaps!'" (76).
    "…you are unable to see those men whom God has placed able kings and ministers by giving them a mission to fulfill, rather than a position to occupy" (176).
   "I'm ready to pick a quarrel with anyone today. But don't worry; I'll give you priority over everyone else" (302).
   "…the Count of Monte Cristo is commanded only by the Count of Monte Cristo. I do as I please, and, believe me, it's always very well done" (309).
   "suffering is like life… there is always something unknown beyond it" (373).
   "…all human wisdom was contained in these two words: Wait and hope" (441).
Movie: Of course.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo
Link: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/montecristo/

My View: An adventure book for the ages! Filled with what I suspect was some intentional Christian allegory, many Frenchie parallels to Les Mis (Otherworldly priestly mentor turns an unfair/wretched life around, escaping as a "corpse," lovers at garden gates, aliases galore), and themes echoing The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, and The Great Gatsby. The writing is quick, choppy, and cartoonish, allowing for very little scenic description, leaving historical and psychological constraints entirely out of the picture, and focussing mostly on heart-pounding action. This necessitated a different reading style than my usual and I kept no notes or annotations, reading quickly. 

As I read, I wanted to scream at Dantés something similar to what Watson once did at Sherlock (in the BBC TV series), "People don't have arch nemeses in real life, you know?" I have a feeling he would have responded much like Sherlock did: "They must get so bored." In "the Count's" crazed drive for revenge (rather than redemption), I felt hubris piling up to my ears and was shocked by his final admission that he had, indeed, gone too far. 

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliography:

• "Count of Monte Cristo" cover. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. .
• Dumas, Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo. Trans. Lowell Bair. N.p.: Bantam Book, 1956. Print.

Bossypants

My Rating: ★★★★

Method of Reading: Personally owned paperback book, 250 pages
Dates of Reading: March 12, 2014
Author: Tina Fey
Publication Year: 2011
Recommended to: My SNL/Mean Girls peeps.
Quotes: 
Movie: Not yet. Probably never.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossypants
Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bossypants-tina-fey/1100058573?ean=9780316056892

My View: Very very excellent. I was laughing out loud and could not put it down.

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliography:

• "Bossypants" cover. Digital image. Amazon. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. . 
• Fey, Tina. Bossypants. New York: Reagan Arthur, 2011. Print.

Hyperbole and a Half

My Rating: ★★★★

Method of Reading: Personally owned paperback book, 369 pages
Dates of Reading: March 12, 2014-March 14, 2014
Author: Allie Brosh
Publication Year: 2013
Recommended to: Humor fans.
Quotes: 
Movie: Nope.

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole_and_a_Half
Link: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com

My View: So. So. So, ridiculously hilarious. Absolute absurdity meets memoir comics (on MS Paint, no less!). Kept me laughing out loud nearly the while time. Perfect for the All Grown Up Calvin and Hobbes fan.

Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliography:

• Brosh, Allie. Hyperbole and a Half. New York: Touchstone, 2013. Print.
• "Hyperbole and a Half" cover. Digital image. Amazon. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.