Teaser Tuesday 5/17/11

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author so others can add the book to their TBR list

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

"I realized it was a trap as soon as I stepped inside the lab and saw all those other girls" I say, my fingers automatically curling like claws.  "I Fought.  I scratched, bit, kicked.  It didn't matter.  They herded all of us into a van.  And I don't know how long we were riding.  Hours.  Sometimes we'd stop, the doors would open, and more girls would come in.  It was so awful in there."

Top Ten Tuesday: 5/17/11 - Top Minor Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish.  We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new top ten list complete with one of our bloggers' answers.  Everyone is welcome to join.  All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating.  If you don't have a blog, just post your answers in the comments.

TOP TEN MINOR CHARACTERS

1.  Mitsuko Souma from Battle Royale by Koushun Takami.

This girl is BAD ASS.  While the rest of her class is trying to work together or crying over their unfortunate fate, she gets straight to the killing.  She's been through a lot of shit which has made her a fighter.  Her number one priority in the games is to LIVE.  Can't fault her for that.

She'll kill you and not think twice.  Because she's awesome.



2.  Fantine from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Poor Fantine, she just can't seem to catch a break.  She's left pregnant by her jerk off boyfriend, forced to leave her child in the care of some very unsavory people, resorts to prostitution to help pay for her child, and ultimately dies from some icky disease without ever seeing her child again.  She's barely in a third of the book, but it's her death that springs Valjean into action.  Before he was just on the run trying to avoid being caught, but her death gives Valjean the one thing he hasn't found, a purpose in life.

3.  Reepicheep from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Reepicheep embodies the phrase "size doesn't matter".  He's a feisty mouse who's vicious with a rapier and stylish with a red plume tucked behind his ear.  He values honor, loyalty, and chivalry, and will protect those he loves with everything he has.  This mouse means business, and you would be unwise to underestimate him.



4.  Lee Jordan in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The "third" Weasley twin, Lee is the faithful accomplice in spreading Fred and George's mayhem around Hogwarts.  He's also the commentator during the Quiddich matches, which he uses to slam on Slytherins and hit on Angelina Johnson.  He's always there fighting for what's right, a true Gryffindor and member of Dumbledore's Army.

5.  Martha from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Martha is the first character to be kind to Mary.  She sees past Mary's contrariness to the little orphan girl who is in a new place and is scared and lonely.  She teaches Mary how to use her imagination and starts getting her to go outside to play.  Martha helps Mary learn about the healing powers of nature and gardening.

6.  The Cheshire Cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

This cat pops up at random times throughout Alice's travels to provide amusing, if somewhat annoying, conversation and advice.  His infamous grin is iconic in literary history as the trademark of Alice's mischievous guide.



7.  Aphrodite from The House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast

 While not a main character, Aphrodite goes through the most personal growth of  all the characters in this series.  She starts off as the bitchy queen bee, then slowly learns friendship and acceptance.  As the series goes on we see her break down her tough exterior and become vulnerable, though she never loses her quick wit and sharp tongue.  Plus, the girl has a wicked sense of style.   

8.  Chip "The Colonel" Martin in Looking for Alaska by John Green

The colonel befriend Miles, the new kid at school, and invites him into his circle of friends.  They soon form a tightly knit group of friends who play pranks on their bossy teachers and snobby classmates.  After tragedy strikes they lean on each other for support even with a gaping hole in their circle.  The colonel is loyal to those he loves, perhaps to a fault.  *Honorable mention goes to Takumi Hikohito's fox hat.  No one can catch the mother fucking fox!

9.  Cinna from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Cinna is Katniss's primary stylist, and a huge factor in her success during the hunger games.  He later goes on to be a rebellion supporter, and is later killed for his defiant actions.  Even though he is no longer alive, his clothing designs live on, providing continual encouragement for the rebellion.

10.  Lyanna Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

Lyanna Stark was the beauty that started a war.  Younger sister to Eddard Stark, she was betrothed to his best friend Robert Baratheon, who loved her very much.  When she disappeared with rival Rhaegar Targaryen (it is unknown if she was kidnapped or went willingly) her father declared war upon king Aerys Targaryen, Rhaegar's father.  While Robert attacked the crown, Eddard rode to save Lyanna, but she was slain in the tower where she was held captive.  Robert became king, but because Lyanna was dead he married Cersei Lannister instead. 

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

#1 in Hush, Hush Series
Published in 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's
3 Stars


Goodreads Review
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. 

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. 

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review:  Hush, Hush is an ominous and titillating tale of forbidden love at dangerous stakes.  Nora is attracted to Patch for all of the wrong reasons.  She throws caution to the wind to find out the secrets of the boy she cannot ignore.  Hush, Hush is full of conflict for the protagonist, who must decide between the safty of ignorance and the danger of knowing.

The best parts of this book were the suspense and sexual tension scenes.  The writing during these parts was fantastic, and drove me to read more.  The pacing and timing of the conversations was well executed, especially on the parts of Vee(the funny BFF) and Patch (even though he has a really stupid name). I also really liked the lore behind the fallen angel, where they come from, what they can do, and what are their goals.  The ending was well done, there was enough resolution to complete the book while still giving enough new information to make me want to read the second book, Crescendo.

 However, I did have some issues with the main character Nora.  At first she is presented as a very intelligent and independent girl who is hoping to get into an ivy league school, but as soon as Patch comes along we seem to loose all sight of that girl.  Nora is very illogical and impulsive at times, while at other times she was so cautious she was teetering towards prudishness.  There were times where she was afraid of Patch, and rightfully so as he is not a peaceful character to say the least, but she still goes with him or does what he says.  She flip flops between being suspicious of him and being lustfully attracted to him.  Nora is the girl you scream at during horror movies, the one who goes up to the attic in her underwear with a dead cell phone and a broken flashlight. 

Sadly there are many similarities to Twilight.  The overall plot is pretty much the same and the relationship between the main characters is very similar as well.  I was disappointed because I was looking for something different and never got it.  I am hoping that in Crescendo the focus will be on the angel lore and less on the chaotic relationship that has no real logic and borders on abusive.  (ok often dives head first into the abusive pool).

Overall, Hush, Hush has an interesting conecpt but got lost in the need to have a mysterious and dangerous love affair.  There are enough redeeming qualities for me to want to read the next book, but not enough for me to feel any urgency at getting to it.

Teaser Tuesday 5/10/11

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author so others can add the book to their TBR list

Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan

Miranda took delicate hold of that desire with a wisp of her power and tugged at it lightly, saying in a low voice, "It's all right, sir.  You're on break.  You need to go outside and have a cigarette."

Feed by Mira Grant

#1 in Newsflesh Series
Published in 2010 by Orbit
5 Stars

Goodreads Review
In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.

It raised the dead. 

Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power. 

Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all: 

When will you rise?


Review:   Feed is a fantastic book about how the American economic and political system would rebound from a viral outbreak that reanimated the dead.  It looks at how people would adapt and what would become the highest priority to the government.  Feed is an epic first book that I cannot get out of my mind.  Even months after reading it I am still mulling over the points of the plot, character motivations, and the emotional roller coaster of a perfectly fashioned ending.

The story follows twins Shaun and Georgia and their friend and tech guru Buffy who work together as bloggers.  Georgia is a hard hitting news reporter who is focused on the facts and getting to the bottom of the true story; Shaun is an action packed stunt man who puts himself in danger for his readers entertainment; and Buffy writes romanticized fiction and poetry as well as providing some kick ass security and secret agent spy material.  Feed does a wonderful job with the blogging world, fully explaining how the system rose in the wake of the epidemic.  It also does a great job with the technology aspects fully describing hidden cameras an microphones as well as virus test apparatuses and procedures which really immerse the reader in the lifestyles in the book. 

While there is no major romantic relationship in this book, there is emotion on every page.  I became extremely attached to this trio and Grant does this so subtly that at times I was bawling without really knowing how I got there.  Feed expertly uses the camaraderie that develops from surviving near death situations, the love that siblings can share, and telling experts from their very different blogs to create characters that leave lasting impressions. 

Overall Feed is a well researched, planned, and executed zombie novel that fully explains the science behind the epidemic while still creating a world where the reader feels true emotional investment with the characters.  An instant classic for all fans of the genre. 

Sidenote: I also LOVE the pun of the title.  Not only is it referencing and blog RSS feed, but it also (obviously) references zombies feeding on brains.  Awesome.

Paper Towns by John Green

Published in 2008 by Dutton Juvenile

5 Stars

Goodreads Review
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.
 
After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Printz medalist John Green returns with the brilliant wit and searing emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of listeners.

Review: Paper Towns is an interesting look at obsessive teenage love and how our ideas of a person can become much grander than the person themselves.  This book tells the tale of a boy who discovers himself by searching for the girl of his dreams.  Only she isn't the girl of his dreams, she's Margo.  She has her own faults and shortcomings.  She is a real person, not a dream girl whose only purpose in life is to lead Quentin down the road of self understanding through her uncanny wisdom and quirky personality.  She is the anti manic pixie dream girl.  Paper Towns is romantic but honest portrayal of love, loss, and expectation. 

Paper Towns has many other wonderful aspects as well.  While rich in metaphor and contemplation, it also has a wonderful sense of humor with perfect timing delivered by an endearing supporting cast.  One thing I love about John Green's writing is the sprinkling of hilariously casual observations such as:

"I'm not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is."

"Talking to a drunk person was like talking to an extremely happy, severely brain-damaged three-year-old."

"Traveling, I am finding, teaches you a lot of things about yourself. For instance, I never thought myself to be the kind of person who pees into a mostly empty bottle of Bluefin energy drink while driving through South Carolina at seventy-seven miles per hour - but in fact I am that kind of person."

It's in this voice that John Green truly stands out as a writer of his own class.  He can connect to the reader in such a friendly and self deprecating way that allows the reader to be in the moment of the book.  I believed that these were my friends, I was at my school, and I learned things about myself.  Paper Towns was a book that came full circle for this author.  In Looking for Alaska he uses MPDG as a plot device and in Paper Towns he breaks her apart and shows her faults. 

Overall Paper Towns is an amazing book about learning to look at yourself and others for who they really are, not what you wish they could be.  This book is a unique gem, and should not be missed.

"The fundamental mistake I had always made--and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make--was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl."

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

#1 in Uglies Series
Published in 2005 by Simon Pulse
3 Stars

Goodreads Summary
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.


Review:  Uglies is the first book in a science fiction series that makes some not-too-subtle comments on societies views on beauty, the environment, and government mind control.  Uglies is a warning that getting what you want might not be all it's cracked up to be, and that people need to be more conscious of their decision making as independent beings, not drones who will follow the crowd. 


The main character in Uglies seems very one dimensional to me, but I think this might be more of the culture in which she was raised.  Her main focus throughout half of this book was to become pretty, no matter the cost.  However, some of her actions contradicted  this way of thinking.  She is willing to betray close friends and condemn them to prison or perhaps death, but she also breaks rules and does a lot of silly things that could put her chances of having the surgery in jeopardy.  Why would she take any risks if being pretty was so important to her?  I also did not like her supposed "best friend" Shay.  If Tally cared so much about her, why would she be willing to betray her?  Also if Shay liked Tally so much, why wouldn't she have tried harder to convince Tally to follow if she truly believed in what she said she did?  The minor characters, such as David's parents, were much more interesting and I found myself wishing for more back story to how this society even came to exist.


There were also some glaring plot holes.  Tally watches old black and white movies, but has no idea what train tracks are, thinks the name "David" is unusual, and she had no idea what magazines were.  This I found confusing and could have easily been fixed by having Tally watch movies made in her time.  I also thought the whole idea of the society was a bit ridiculous.  It made no sense that once a person becomes pretty they get to go party hard all day and have absolutely no responsibilities.  How do they prepare for the jobs they take when they reach middle age?  The set up of the entire society seems forced.


There were parts of this book that I really did enjoy.  I loved all of the technology and reading about how society has advanced and adapted.  There is a real focus on renewable resources such as solar power that I found interesting.  I also liked the language of the book.  There were some really fun slang words like "bubbly" to express something that is fun and interesting (I have read in other review that people found this really annoying but I think it adds to the mindless nature of the pretties).  There was some very interesting contrast between those who accept the pretty lifestyle and those who reject it.  I also really enjoyed all of the sweet hoverboarding and the technology behind how the machine works.


Overall Uglies is the first book in a series that has an intention to comment on society's values under the guise of a science fiction thriller, but falls somewhat short of the mark.  This series seems to make a stronger argument for the "bad" lifestyle, missing the author's objective.  I will be interested to see if this theme develops more strongly in the later books of the series or continues to fall apart.