Dystopian Visions

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
YYYY

This is the stand-alone companion to Oryx and Crake. This book is not necessarily a sequel, as I understood the terminology and characters quite well without having read Oryx and Crake. This book looks at another side of the situation, not the continuing story.

I enjoy dystopian novels. The Handmade's Tale is one of my favorites. With this book, the author continues to explore the connection between religion and the end-times.

God's Gardeners are a cult with teachings that stress the importance of eco-friendly living. They are vegetarians who insist or reusing or recycling in an effort to preserve what's left of the Creation.

On the opposite side of the conflict is the Corporations. The Corps are high-class compounds where the rich and well-to-do of society live and work. They specialize in science and bio-engineering. They create gene-spliced animals that never would exist without human intervention. Not only do they combine lions and lambs to make liobams, they also manufacture the Mo'Hair sheep, which grows purple, blue, or green hair that is used to make wigs. To the Gardeners, the Corporations represent the ultimate evil- the bastardization of God's handiwork.

When the Waterless Flood strikes, who will be left? The Flood is a disease that annihilates humanity and breaks down society. This is ultimately the story of the survivors.

There is a major trigger issue within the book. As with The Handmade's Tale, this book deals heavily with the objectification of women and with their treatment by men, including rape and murder. Those who might have traumatic situations that have not been resolve, are warned to steer clear of this one.

Wax On--- Wax Off

Evermore: The Immortals by Alyson Noel
Y

At first glance, this one looked interesting. But after getting into it, I found myself reading it simply because it was there, since it was the only book I had left from my trip to the library that I hadn't read.

This one quickly adds up to the "new" vampire trend... hundreds-of-years- old immortal boy vampire meets and falls in love with modern teenage human girl. Though I guess that's not really a new trend, as I was reading vampire/human love stories years ago. The only real difference is that this guy isn't a "vampire," but rather some kind of immortal magician.

For a teen novel, it works. However, there are several jumps in the text where the author magically transports her characters away from the crucial action to dawdle around in a pretty green pasture. I found it hard to follow the plot around these jumps.

Another huge disappointment- the author trivializes major teen trigger issues. The main character becomes an alcoholic. Instead of treating this as a sensitive problem, the author does a ho-hum "white-wash" job and calls it good. She treats other issues like teen sexuality, homosexuality, peer pressure, and self-injury in much the same way; by glazing over the problem and pretending life is good.

TWitches II

The Secret Circle: The Captive Part II and The Power by L. J. Smith
YYY

This book finds Cassie struggling with her secret love, loyalty to her best friend, and the power within herself.

This one was much more predictable than the first book. I had 2 major plot twists figured out long before they materialized in the book. A bit too little imagination in building up the suspense, but overall still a nice read.

Cassie, The Teenage Witch

The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I by L. J. Smith
YYYY

I wanted to try out something non-Vampire related from this author.

This story is about Cassie, a junior in high school. Her life is turned upside down when her mother forces her to move from sunny California to New Salem, Massachusetts to care for her elderly grandmother. Once there she meets The Club- a group of friends who seem to have some very strange powers.

Cassie eventually joins The Club, a coven of teenage witches. Through the first book they have several misadventures and encounter a ruthless enemy.

Though this is a teen-reader book, it was interesting and kept my attention well.

A Bad Rap

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
YY

This one was on my list of 100 books I'd like to read. I placed it on my list after getting a recommendation from Amazon.

I discovered this book on a list of banned books when I was doing research for a post on banned books. So I committed myself to finding a copy and reading it.

The story is fairly simple, Susie, the narrator is a 14 year old girl who is brutally murdered. She tells the story of the aftermath as she peers down from heaven to follow the lives of those she left behind.

I'm not a huge fan of this novel. I found the story to drag on unnecessarily. This book was challenged in public schools and libraries due to it's graphic nature concerning rape and murder. Parents claim that the story is too mature for younger audiences. I have to agree. There are several issues discussed in the book that could be emotional triggers for readers, among then, rape, adultery, depression, murder, teen sexuality, and violence. I feel that this is a warranted case of "Reader: Beware!"

#BeatCancer at
http://www.whatgives.com/beatcancer/

The Sequel Sucks!

The Line Between by Peter S. Beagle
Y

I love The Last Unicorn. However, this book left a lot to be desired. This anthology contains "Two Hearts" the short-story sequel to The Last Unicorn.

I was disappointed with the direction that the characters went after the end of the first book. Maybe it's just that I invested a lot of empathy and passion into the characters, especially the unicorn and Lir. Finding Lir in the condition he is in in the sequel is heartbreaking. It wasn't what I envisioned the sequel should be.

The other stories in the book are fairly forgettable as well. I had a hard time following most of the stories and actually remembering what they were about once I finished the book. Overall, I was not impressed.

The Joy of Giving

Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright
YYYYY

This is the story of a jar. A simple glass jar with a lid that sits on the kitchen counter. The jar collects change. Pocket change that grants the wishes of one heart. That heart touches another, and another. The jar holds a miracle.

A wonderful and heartwarming story! In the tradition of Billie Letts and Fannie Flagg, Jason Wright creates a truly touching read. This short novel holds laughter and tears, and the ultimate twist at the end.