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Sarah’s Key

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Book: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Publishing Info: Published by St. Martin’s Press; 294; Hardcover

Goodreads Summary: Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family’s apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France’s past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl’s ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d’Hiv’, to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah’s past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

I’m so torn about what to think about this book.  I love Sarah’s half of the book, and didn’t really care about Julia’s half, other than to find out what happened to Sarah.

Sarah’s half was powerful and compelling, and I wanted to know more about what happened to her, her parents, and her brother.  I felt for Sarah, and I want to know more about the Vel d’Hiv roundup.

What lost me, though, was Julia’s story.  I didn’t really care about her or her marital problems.  And the connection between her and Sarah?  It didn’t feel very believable.  It’s almost like de Rosnay decided that the only way to connect the two women was to have Julia’s in-laws live in the apartment that Sarah’s family lived in.

The ending was especially annoying, and I didn’t really care that Julia was divorced or living in New York.  It was no surprise that she named her 2nd daughter Sarah- the second Julia found out she was pregnant (and not sure if she wanted to keep the baby) I knew 2 things.  One, she would keep it, and two, her baby would be a girl so she could name her Sarah.

Anyway, it went from a really interesting and captivating story, and turned into something completely stupid once Sarah got back to her old house.  If only de Rosnay had focused more on Sarah, instead of having Julia figure out what happened to her…

I really wish I could give it 2 different ratings- one for Sarah and one for Julia.  But since I can’t do that, I’ll give it a 3 out of 5.

Extras

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Book: Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Publishing Info: Published by Simon Pulse; 417 pages; hardcover

Goodreads Summary: Fame

It’s a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. “Tech-heads” flaunt their latest gadgets, “kickers” spread gossip and trends, and “surge monkeys” are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it’s all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of “American Idol.” Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn’t suck enough, Aya Fuse’s rank of 451,369 is so low, she’s a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn’t care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity…and extreme danger. A world she’s not prepared for.

This is the final book in the Uglies series, and while I liked it, I didn’t like it as much as the other three.

I think part of it is the fact that it felt tacked on.  Like an afterthought.  I had low expectations, because the series was originally a trilogy.  Perhaps that is why it feels like an afterthought.  It certainly doesn’t feel like a part of the series.

That being said, I liked that we got to see what life was like several years after Tally took down the old ways.  And it was interesting seeing life in a different city.  And using fame and reputation to decide who gets what?  It’s an interesting concept, especially with people trying to gain fame, and what they’ll do to get it.  I almost wished that Westerfeld had focused on that, instead ending up in Singapore trying to figure out what the metal cylinders are for.

Tally was interesting in this book, because she wasn’t a main character.  I liked seeing her through the eyes of someone else.  She came across a lot harsher, more violent, and more mentally unstable than she seemed in the first 3 books.  Given everything that’s happened to Tally, it wasn’t a surprise.

And what didn’t I like?  It didn’t draw me in the way the rest of the series did.  It was slightly more boring than I expected, and the new characters weren’t particularly interesting.  I just couldn’t care about about them.

Overall, it gets a 3 out of 5.  It was well-paced, and enjoyable, but missing that something special the other books had.

Every Soul A Star

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Book: Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass

Publishing Info: Published by Little, Brown Young Readers; 322 pages; hardcover

Goodreads Summary: Told from three very different perspectives and voices, this compelling and humorous novel weaves an intricate story about friendship, dealing with change, and discovering one’s place in the universe.

I’m not really sure what to think of this book.  I liked the 3 different voices, but the characters weren’t engaging enough for me.  They were all pretty typical, but I can see younger teens and even tweens liking them and relating to them.

I liked that 3 kids, who wouldn’t have met otherwise, all came together to witness a solar eclipse.  Ally was pretty sheltered, since she lives in a campground in the middle of nowhere.  Her parents decide that they want Ally and her brother Kenny to experience life in the “real world.”  It’s strange that after a good 10 years in the middle of nowhere, her parents suddenly decide that their kids need to be around kids their own age?  But then again, them moving means that Bree has to live in a world that’s completely different than the one she’s leaving.  Bree seemed really spoiled, but she seemed to mature a little throughout the book.  Jack was the most interesting of the 3, and it was nice to see that they’d still be friends, even after going back to their lives.

I found the astronomy aspect really interesting, and it was done a way that wasn’t boring.  I even wanted to know a little more, and I’m glad there were some resources at the end of the book.  I totally want to see a solar eclipse now.

It started off a little slow, but then the pace started to pick up.  Overall, it was pretty well-written, and well-paced.  And I liked that I knew who was narrating without having to look at the chapter title.

It gets a 3 out of 5.  It was a little younger than I expected, but still enjoyable.

Here’s What I Found

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Remember when I said I was looking for some new podcasts?

I found some!  I have no clue whether I’ll like them or not, since I haven’t started listening to any of them, but I found a bunch that seem really interesting.  There are so many, though, that it got a little overwhelming, but for now, I think I’m good.

I downloaded one on the history of children’s literature, which seems really interesting.  It covers everything from fairy tales to poetry to Disney, and I can’t wait to listen to it.

I came across one that’s about zombies in literature.  I knew I had to listen the second I saw zombies.

And the one about mythology looks pretty cool.  It looks like it mostly focuses on Greek mythology, but that’s okay, because Greek mythology is really interesting.

The last one I wanted to bring up for right now is the sociology of mass communication.  While I find the role the media plays in our lives interesting, there are so many other things that play a role in our lives, so I may have to go looking for a few more…

I found everything in iTunes, under the iTunes U section.  They have podcasts, both audio and video, and it looks like they have actual courses.  But I haven’t look at any of them, so I can’t say for sure.  But it’s all very exciting.

I can’t really think of anything else for today, so I’ll be back tomorrow!

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.

For The Love Of History And English

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I love history.  So much, in fact, that I will read it on my own.

See, me reading history, on my own, for fun, seems to confuse some people.  And me reading for fun seems to confuse people too, especially if I’m reading anything that’s an “English class book.”  An “English class book” is basically my phrase for books that are considered classics…basically, anything you’d probably read in an English class.  It’s almost like I have to be reading it for a class, because people apparently don’t read Pride And Prejudice or Dracula for fun.  But I really need to read more classics, because there are a lot of books that I haven’t read, and I feel like I’m missing out on some books I feel like I need to read at least once.

Like The Diary Of Anne Frank.  I have NEVER read it, and I swear I’m not making this up.  I don’t think we even read an excerpt of it.  1984?  Never read it either.  Lord Of The Flies?  If you guessed that I haven’t read it, you guessed right.  I definitely need to read some of these books, but if I don’t like them, that’s fine, because the goal is to at least try to read them.

But back to history.  It’s true, I don’t have a degree in history.  And I don’t have one in English either.  Nope.  My degree is in sociology.

A lot of people think I studied English.  I understand that, because I like writing, and I read a lot.  Sometimes, it is entertaining to see people’s reaction when I tell them I studied sociology and not English.

On rare occasion, someone thinks I studied history, because I like reading Tudor history.  Someone even asked me once why I studied sociology, and not English or history.  Since I really like history, and I really like reading, it would make sense to study it, right?

Not exactly.  See, I love reading, and I find history really interesting.  But I know that those are 2 things that I will continue to do.  It’s not that I like sociology more because I have a degree in it.  It’s really that I know I don’t need any kind of encouragement or pushing to do it on my own.  I guess you could say that I’m a self-learner…I have no problem doing it on my own.

I do wish that I had the chance to take more history and English/literature classes.  There were more than a few that looked interesting.  But with an entire section of iTunes that’s devoted to podcasts posted by universities, I’ll be able to “take” some classes.  While there are a lot of classes that don’t seem to be posted, there are still more than enough podcasts for me to pick from.  Plus, they’re free, I can listen to them at my own pace, and I don’t have to do any homework or assigned reading.  I’ve looked it before, but wasn’t too interested.  But it’s time to listen to something new, I think, and I might as well see what’s out there.  I’ll definitely talking about them in the near future.

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.

A Random Playlist

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I created this playlist recently, mostly because I noticed that I was listening to a few songs in a particular order.  It’s a mix of songs I have, and songs I would totally add to the list if I had them.  I thought it might be a good idea to create a playlist for those songs.  Here are just a few of them.

  • Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer: I’ve been listening to this song a lot lately.
  • Boys and Girls by Pixie Lott: I love this song, and I have no idea why.  But it’s fun a song.
  • Turn Me On by Nicki Minaj: I’m not a huge fan of Nicki Minaj, but I love this song.
  • Lights by Ellie Goulding: I am such a big fan of Ellie Goulding.  If you haven’t heard this song, go listen to it now.
  • Safe And Sound by Taylor Swift: One, I love Taylor Swift.  Two, this is the perfect song as the theme for the Hunger Games movie.  If it is not, for some insanely stupid reason, it should be.  Seriously, it fits the book so well, it’s not even funny.  It’s very haunting, and it makes me cry.
  • Breathe Me by Sia: One of my favorites right now.  I think I like the music more than anything else…
  • Talk by Coldplay: I’m not the biggest fan of Coldplay, and have no idea why they’re considered alternative.  But this is one of my favorite songs by them.

So there we have it!  Enjoy your Monday!