Tag Archives: deep thoughts

Specials

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Book: Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Publishing Info: Published by Simon Pulse; 384 pages in hardcover

Goodreads Summary: “Special Circumstances”:

The words have sent chills down Tally’s spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor — frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally’s never been ordinary.

And now she’s been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.

Still, it’s easy to tune that out — until Tally’s offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she’s programmed to complete. Either way, Tally’s world will never be the same.

Specials is the 3rd book in the Uglies series.  I think this one is my favorite one in the entire series.  It’s been so interesting to see how Tally has changed during the series, going from an Ugly to a Pretty to a Special.

While physical beauty is an important throughout the series, and especially important in the first two books, it wasn’t so important in this one.  The power of choices and the individual was pretty important- Tally always seems to overcome whatever surgery is performed on her.  And while beauty is skin deep is an important message, our choices andwhether we can overcome things is just as important.

It got me thinking about how we’re conditioned (or socialized) to act and behave.  And that there is a price to freedom, whether we realize it or not.  And I like the idea that we need to take care of the environment instead of destroying it.  It was there, but very subtle.  Westerfeld does a great job of making you think.

It was well-written, and I’m impressed with how relevant the themes are.  It gets a 5 out of 5.

Pretties

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Book: Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Publishing Info: Published by Simon Pulse; 370 pages in paperback

Goodreads Summary: Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she’s completely popular. It’s everything she’s ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun — the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom — is a nagging sense that something’s wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally’s ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what’s wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life — because the authorities don’t intend to let anyone with this information survive.

Pretties is the 2nd book in the Uglies series, and I really liked it.  I thought it was a good continuation of the series, and it is another one that can stand on its own, but also adds to the series and the overall story.

It is hard to believe that a lot of the characters are 16 to 18, because they seem so much older than that, but they’re still really easy to relate to.  The use of bubbly wasn’t annoying, which was surprising considering that it was used somewhat frequently.  I love New Pretty Town, and I continue to be amazed by the world and the characters that Westerfeld has created.  He has a way of making you think about what’s going on in the world, and he does it in a way that’s not obvious.  I think he understands his audience really well, and portrays all the different friendships and possible romantic relationships realistically.

It was really nice to see what it was like to be pretty, and Tally was really interesting.  It seems like Tally managed to retain some of her “ugly” self, and struggled to remember what it was like to be ugly.  It seems like the lesions can be overcome, and don’t need an actual cure, but I’d really like to see how it plays out in the next book.

And the ending!  Definitely a cliffhanger, and I really want to know what happens, so I can’t wait to start reading the next one.  I do like that you’re wondering what happens next…but could stop reading after any book and be fine.  He really is good at wrapping things up and not making me feel like I’m reading 1 or 2 books that are split into 3 or 4.

It gets a 4 out of 5.

Uglies

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Book: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Publishing Info: Published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing; 425 pages in paperback

Goodreads Summary:

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. Not for her license — for turning pretty. In Tally’s world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to be pretty. She’d rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

This is such an interesting book, and I love the premise.  A society where people get surgery at 16 so that they can look pretty?  It’s somewhat scary, but also interesting.

I loved the world that Westerfeld built.  The places were interesting, as were the people.  I definitely could imagine the events of Uglies happening in the near future.

I found Tally very easy to relate to.  Her horror at Shay wanting to be ugly, and wanting to be pretty.  It got me thinking about conformity and beauty standards.  Staying an ugly is a bad thing, and it seems pretty unimaginable to Tally that anyone would choose to be ugly.  And it’s not just one surgery, but several over the course of their lives.  As they hit certain stages in life, they go through another surgery.  It turns out that having the 1st surgery causes legions, and those legions change people.  And only a handful of jobs make them go away.

It says a lot about the society, that a lot of importance is placed on beauty.  And that Maddie and Az, who discovered the surgeries caused legions, had to flee or pretend that they don’t exist.  The outside world is bad, and undergoing surgery solved world peace and anorexia, among other things.

It makes you think beauty, and what it means to be pretty.  It’s interesting to see how beauty standards do (or do not) change over time.  In the book, there’s a Pretty Committee that decides what is considered beautiful for the next generation.  It’s very readable, and beauty isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

I also like that the book seems to stand on its own fairly well.  It’s the first of 3, and while there are some loose ends that weren’t tied up, things were resolved enough so that you don’t need to continue the series.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  It really does make you think, and his world-building is pretty good.

Is It Really About The Word Count?

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I’ve been talking (mostly complaining) about how I’m behind on my wordcount and how I can’t seem to focus on writing. 

But I’ve decided that I need to worry less about wordcount and how far behind I am.  I’ve realized I seem to do better when I know random details about my characters and what motivates them, and when I have more than a vague plot.  But since those are things I don’t really have this year, I just need to keep writing.  Do I need to write the 1667 everyday?  No,  but that is my goal.  Would I like to be all caught up with both novels?  Yes.  But the words will come.  I’m hoping to work on my characters a little, and think about things that need to happen, and I’m hoping that will help me out. 

I’ve been worrying too much about how I’m not writing, so I’ll do my best to write more and worry less.  I’ve been much further behind than a few days, and still managed to get to my goals, so the words will come.  I may be struggling now, but I just need to trust the NaNo ninjas and believe that it will all work out in the end.  I’ll get some cool idea and then lots of words will come!

  • The Mermaid One: I’m at 13,025 words.  It’s going okay, and I’ve written about a witch and an old man who are arguing about whether to take sides in the mermaid war.  At least I found an interesting path, and it’s one that’s working right now, so that’s what I’ll go with.
  • The Mistaken Identity One: I’m at 13,180 words.  For something that’s supposed to be about a mistaken identity, it’s barely come up.  In fact, it’s mostly about…nothing.  Just Kaylee chatting with the coworker who wears purple a lot.  Why name characters when you can give them colors?  Something interesting needs to happen…and when in doubt, add ninjas.  I need to find my ninjas for this one.

The grand total: 26,205.  Tomorrow, I’ll be posting more funny typos!

 

Wildflower Hill

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Book: Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

Pages: 544 Pages (Paperback)

A Review: This review is based on a copy of Wildflower Hill that was won through a goodreads giveaway.

Wildflower Hill is about the intertwined stories of Beattie and her granddaughter Emma.  Upon Emma’s forced retirement from her career as a ballerina, she returns to Australia, and learns that Beattie left her a farm in Australia.  We learn more about Beattie, and her story unfolds.

I loved it!  There was something compelling about Beattie, and I found myself wanting to skim over Emma’s story just to get to Beattie’s story.  Emma does learn about her grandmother and the life she led before settling down and getting married. 

I don’t want to discount Emma, but she seemed a little cold and her story was a little boring.  This is in comparison to Beattie, whose life had so many hardships and yet she managed to be very successful and happy.

The narrative itself was very strong, and the 2 stories went together so well.  The 2 “voices” were very distinct, and you had no problem knowing who was narrating.  Plus, the weaving of the 2 stories was really well done.  There were several parallels between Beattie and Emma, and there were definitely some issues scattered throughout the book, like being a single parent and racism in Australia in the 1950’s. 

I loved the detail that Freeman put into Wildflower Hill and it was a very vivid and rich book.  The characters were very vivid as well, and I could picture everything so clearly. 

Review: 5 out of 5.  I loved it!

More Random Thoughts About Harry Potter

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I’ve come up with a few more thoughts about Harry Potter, so enjoy!

  • We know that Hogwarts students can’t do magic over summer breaks.  But what about when students first get their letter and later on, their wands.  Does the Trace start once they say they’re going to Hogwarts, or does it start at some later point?  I would imagine that it would have to start at some later point, because they aren’t actually students yet and are more likely to use accidental magic, so therefore, it would make no sense for them to have the trace.  And that actually brings us to our next point…
  • Why do the first years have to take the boats, while all the second years and above have to take the carriages?  I bet there are some really interesting theories out there, but I don’t really have my own thoughts.  The only thing I can think of is the first point.  Is that why the first years take the boat to Hogwarts, so that the the Trace can be put on them?  That makes the most sense, because once it’s cast, it’s there until it breaks when the witch or wizard turns 17.
  • Speaking of the trace, how does it work at Hogwarts?  I’m guessing it’s completely ignored, because there doesn’t seem to be a way to remove it.  And besides, they’re learning how to use their magic, so to monitor magical activity at Hogwarts is stupid.  And what about the use of magic on the Hogwarts Express?  Magic is used pretty freely on the train, so I’m assuming that the train is overlooked by the ministry.  Either that, or it’s considered to be an extension of Hogwarts.  In relation to Hermione practicing some spells before her 1st year, and everything I’ve already said, it’s likely students about to start at Hogwarts aren’t monitored.
  • Sorting students into their houses: How exactly is it determined what house each student goes into?  Personality traits and who the person is are clear factors, if you look at the song from Sorcerer’s Stone.  And choice is also a factor, because Harry said he didn’t want to go into Slytherin, even though that’s where the Hat wanted to put Harry.  But I find it hard to believe that each year is equally sorted into each house.  So does the sorting hat also take into account where other students have been sorted?  Like, would someone who has the clear traits of a Ravenclaw end up in Hufflepuff because there aren’t enough students in Hufflepuff?  Does it even matter if there are a few more students in one or two houses?  Unfortunately, my thoughts aren’t as nicely put as they are in this blog post, but I agree with it.

I think that wraps up this installment of random thoughts about Harry Potter, but I’m sure I’ll come up with more.