bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

Julia, 12 years old, is living in a world where the days are becoming increasingly longer due to the Earth's rotation slowing down. Scientists are completely baffled, and people choose different ways to deal with the crisis. Amidst all of the change, Julia also has to navigate normal 12 year old problems, such as parental infidelity, her first crush, and mean kids at school.

Age of Miracles made this slowing of the Earth seem so believable. Thompson Walker never tries to explain WHY, but inestead focuses on the consequences (changing gravity, mass extinctions, food supplies dwindling, skin cancer, etc). After the complete failure of modern science to figure out how to stop an oil spill, her premise that scientists in her book could also not figure out how to 'fix' this problem seems ever more real. Also, as I'm growing tired of post-apopalyptic fiction that seems to fixate on huge disasters (zombies, war, etc) the notion that the world could descend into chaos from such a slow crisis was very refreshing. It was also nice to see this through a young girl's eyes.

Highly recommend!

A rare thing happened to me ... I enjoyed the movie more than the book! Actually, this was also a rare instance where I saw the flick before reading the tome, so perhaps I was swayed by my love for the actors.

All that aside, Silver Linings was a quick, thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved Pat People's thoughts on life, his family, his mental illness, and therapy. As a Packer's fan, I also enjoyed reading about the herd mentality that takes over football fans (the Eagles, or Birds, in this case). Matthew Quick used repetive language well in this book, and I will now never forget the saying "trying to be kind rather than being right."

Tiffany was my main gripe; she is much better portrayed in the movie by Jennifer Lawrence.

I'd be happy to discuss if someone has read the book first then seen the movie.

While I always enjoy a dystopian romance, this sequel to Under the Never Sky was a bit formulaic for me. "Let's just get to the ending already" is not a good feeling to have when this is only the second of a planned trilogy. It would be refreshing if authors were brave enough these days to complete a story in one book. However, I'm still invested in finding out what happens to the main characters as they struggle to find safety in an increasingly hostile world (re: Aether storms, cannibals, etc). Language, vocabulary, and pacing are more suitable to younger (i.e. not almost 30 year olds). :)

A sequel to Divergent. The story picks up with the aftermath of the Dauntless invasion and massacre of the pacifist Abnegation faction. Tris is still coming to terms with her "divergence" and her budding romance with Four (Tobias) and what it means to live in a city at war. The different plot movers didn't really hold my attention, and I felt myself skimming to get to the end, which ended up in a cliff hanger (of course). This series still seems a bit like a shallow version of the Hunger Games.

Poignant tale of a 5th grader's search for acceptance amongst his peers. Auggie (August) has a facial deformity that he nimself tells the reader is worse then can be imagined. Due to the many surgeries and the obvious social implications caused by his birth defect, Auggie has never attended regular school, until now. How will he be accepted? Can people look beyond physical appearance to see the charming, shy boy underneath?

Told from various points of view, this story captivates and lifts your spirit. I highly recommend for anyone even though this is technically a children's novel. If you have small kids, read it with them. Far from a black and white tale, the various viewpoints help young readers see that no one has it easy, and everyone has daily struggles.

Love!

A series of essays written by various YA authors on topics relevant to the Mortal Instruments series. Nothing earth shattering or extraordinary here. I breezed through a few of the essays and had a few chuckles.