Divergent - Veronica Roth

Divergent

Veronica Roth

2011

I only really heard about this book recently when the sequel, Insurgent, was released. I'd read a lot of futuristic dystopian type novels lately, and this one just seemed to blend in with the others I'd read. That's not to say that it wasn't good or enjoyable, but it just seemed like the others.

Divergent is about a dystopian society (apparently Chicago, but I only know that from the internet) which is divided into five different factions. Each faction believes strongly in one virtue. The factions are Abnegation (selflessness), Candor (honesty), Erudite (intelligence), Dauntless (bravery) and Amity (peace). Each year, every sixteen year olds in each faction have to take an aptitude test to see which faction they belong to. Then they have a ceremony where each person chooses which faction they will be with for the rest of their lives. They can either stay with their family, or choose a new faction. Then there is the initiation process. 

Divergent is about Beatrice Prior, who is sixteen years old. She takes the aptitude test, gets her results and then chooses her faction. Her choice is surprising. She then has to go through the very competitive and intense initiation process. She renames herself Tris. She also meets a boy. Tris also has a secret that she has been hiding from everyone. It's about her aptitude test results, and it is the kind of secret that can either help her and those she loves, or be very dangerous.

I did really enjoy this novel, but only once I got into it (so after the first 50 or so pages). The part that bothered me the most was that you didn't really find out what Divergent meant until really late in the novel, and even then it isn't entirely clear. But I loved the characters and the story. I'm excited to read Insurgent (although I'm number 138 on the waiting list at the library so that won't be for a while). The part of the book I enjoyed the most was a conversation late in the novel between Tris and her mother. It tied some things together. Another thing I loved was Four and his fears and the fear simulation. I hope that doesn't give away anything in the novel. I also loved how descriptive certain parts of the book were. There was such detail that I didn't feel like I was reading the book so much as watching it. I love when that happens with books.
Divergent kind of starts off slowly plot-wise, but that's just to establish the world and the characters and the story. Don't be put off by that, because the ending is amazing and well worth getting to.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon here:  Divergent

I give this book 4.1 stars out of 5. I loved the characters and the interactions between the different factions. I highly suggest this novel for people who like this kind of book (the whole dystopia thing).

Have you read either Divergent or Insurgent? What did you think?
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Jesse Andrews

2012

I read a review on Amazon that claimed this book was "better than The Fault in Our Stars". And since I really enjoyed that book, I figured I might like this one too. They are very different books.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is narrated by a boy named Greg. He has spent his time in high school belonging to no particular crowd and being friendly towards everyone. Greg only has one real friend, Earl. They spend their free time making pretty bad films and playing video games. They only show Greg's parents their films, until they start hanging out with Rachel. Rachel is the 'dying girl'. She has leukaemia, and Greg's mom insists that he starts hanging out with her, even though he doesn't really want to. They end up becoming friends and he makes her a film. There's more to the plot than just that.

The characters were mostly believable. You could feel Greg growing into more of a three-dimensional character by the end. But because it is narrated by him, you don't really get to know the other characters as well until later on. 

I really liked a couple things about this book. First being the parts told in script. And while it isn't 'real' scriptwriting, it adds to the story. I also loved the chapter titles and a lot of the character names. The chapter titles were funny and they were pleasing to look at. The whole book was just nice to look at. I love the cover.

This book differs greatly from The Fault in Our Stars though. Firstly, the narration is different. This book is narrated by a boy who does not have cancer. The Fault in Our Stars is narrated by a girl who does have cancer. Both books are good though. But I wouldn't say that one is better than the other. There are tons of other differences as well. 

The book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. It was an enjoyable read, but not my absolute favourite book I have read lately.

Have you read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl? Have you read the Fault in Our Stars? What did you think about the two of them?

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

2007

Oh my goodness. I had been waiting for this book from the library for a very long time. When I first started reading it I wasn't really a fan. I didn't like the narration style and it just wasn't my kind of story. So I read a couple other books I had borrowed, but since this has to be returned this week I thought that maybe I should finish it. And I am so glad that I did.

The Book Thief takes place in Germany during Hitler's reign. It's told from the perspective of Death, but the story is mainly about a young girl name Liesel. She and her brother get taken to a foster home, but her brother passes away on the train ride. He is taken off the train and is buried at a cemetery at the next station. That's where Liesel steals her first book (although she cannot read it). She makes it to her foster home and that's where the story gets interesting. Her foster father, Hans, plays the accordion and also teaches her to read in the middle of the night when her nightmares wake her up. Her foster mother Rosa does the laundry for several families in the town, including the mayor and his wife. This fact becomes important later on in the novel. Rudy is one of the next door neighbours and he is in love with Liesel, and obsessed with an American athlete named Jesse Owens.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but there are some things that just go along with being in Germany in the second world war. Liesel learns to read by candlelight, and eventually shares these stolen stories with her neighbours in the air raid shelters. Her family also hides a Jewish man in their basement, and Liesel shares her stories with him and vice versa.

Once you get past the strange narration voice, the story is fantastic. It is by no means a happy-feel-good book (in fact I was a little bit upset by the end), but it is a story worth reading. The characters are well described and you start to really feel for them, and want only the best for them. Once you find out more about the man hidden in the basement, you really want to know a lot more about his story.

I think I had heard this book from YouTube (probably in a John Green video). I usually take his recommendations because he hasn't ever really steered me wrong. The author, Markus Zusak has also written about why he wrote the novel. 

The book is available for purchase from Amazon here: The Book Thief

I give this book 4.7 stars out of 5. Wait, maybe I give it 4.8. I don't know. I give it a lot of stars because that's just how good it was. I think this book is even going to go on my birthday book list. I highly recommend this book.

Have you read The Book Thief? Do you happen to know in which video John Green talks about this book?

Sister Wife - Shelley Hrdlitschka

Sister Wife

Shelley Hrdlitschka

2008

I picked this book up at the library because the author's last name absolutely fascinated me. I had also watched the Sister Wives show on tv, and that whole culture and lifestyle seems very interesting and very different from what I'm used to.

Sister Wife is told from the perspectives of three different girls living in the community. Celeste and Nanette are sisters and Taviana is an outsider who has come to live with their family. Celeste is the oldest and she questions the lifestyle that she is forced to live with. She falls in love, which ends up badly. Nanette is excited and eager to become a sister wife. She knows who she wants the Prophet to choose to be her husband. Taviana comes to the community because she had nowhere else to go. She tells Celeste about life outside Unity. 

This book isn't exactly light-hearted and fun. Some parts of it are rather hard to read, just because they are so different from what I am used to. One part in particular stands out and that is when the mother is having her baby. That entire section of the book is so different from how I grew up.

The characters are very well written. Even though some characters are only in the novel for a few pages or so, you get to know them and you can form opinions about them and how the community is run. The plot is also very well written. It's very believable, even though I have very little knowledge about how polygamous lifestyles work.

My favourite part of the book is the ending. I can't say anything without giving it away, but it just makes the book both strange and excellent. 

I'm glad that the author's last name caught my eye and I think I might read some of her other books in the future.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Sister Wife

I give this book 3.7 stars out of 5. It was a very enjoyable and quick read, and had very good characters and plot.

Have you read this book? Have you read any other books about sister wives?