Reading Wishlist

The books that I want to continue to read consist mostly of what you might call "classics" or at least books that seem to be very highly regarded. I want to be able to understand what the heck certain allusions in other books/poems/etc. are referring to at times, so I felt like this was a good place to start:) 1. The Great Gatsby 2. Great Expectations 3. A Tale of Two Cities 4. Les Misérables 5. Gone with the Wind That's only the top 5: Here is the rest of my Goodreads list: • The Odyssey • The City of Ember (series) • Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) • The Help • The Memory Keeper's Daughter • The Five People You Meet in Heaven • The Fault in Our Stars • Son (Giver, #4) • Fyre (Septimus Heap, #7) • Darke (Septimus Heap, #6) • City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6) • Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2) • Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3) • Sarah's Key • Meant to Be • To Kill a Mockingbird

Book Talk

Book #3: Book Review

Allegiant by Veronica Roth is the third book within her Divergent Trilogy. This final installment deals with the ultimate “end” of the tyrannical rule over the characters’ society, and how characters learn more about themselves and their true nature, and the relationships they have forged with one another. The story is told through the points of view of Tris and Tobias, who are taking part in an effort to escape their city and receive aid from whatever lies beyond to help them in regaining the city from Tobias’ mother, Evelyn.

Not unlike the book City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, which is the fifth installment of her Mortal Instruments series (book #6 City of Heavenly Fire coming soon). In this book, Jace is Clary’s love interest and he is also being held captive by her demonic (and I DO mean demonic; he literally has demon blood) older brother Sebastian. Sebastian has bound Jace so, that he is unable to be injured or killed without Jace also being injured or killed. This connection has also clouded Jace’s mind so that he no longer has his trademark attitude and cannot exercise his own free will.

Within another “mainstream” series, the book addresses many of the same topics and contains similar elements, such as, but not limited to:

·         The idea of taking the normal everyday world, and altering it to make it anything but,

·         Teen love (DID say mainstream),

·         A strong female protagonist,

·         A really big fight scene,

·         A few botched plans,

&

·         At least ONE crazy relative that is viewed as the antagonist

 

However, according to Google (which is without a doubt, completely and absolutely always 100% right) these books fall into these general genre categories:

 

These books are not what most would ever compare as similar or complementary, however they do possess some key underlying theme/plot elements that bind them more closely than many would piece together without having read them and better understanding them.

One thing that ties these books together is the dialogue and language chosen by each respective writer to portray the characters and their world around them. Both books were told through the points of view of teenagers, so the characters spoke in very casual tones, occasionally swore, and were often very sarcastic with their speech.

Allegiant:

“'…Is this Prior?'

'In the flesh.'

'Why’s he bleeding?'

'Because he’s an idiot.'

Zeke offers me a black jacket with a factionless symbol stitched into the collar. 'I didn't know that idiocy caused people to just start spontaneously bleeding from the nose.'

I wrap the jacket around Caleb's shoulders and fasten one of the buttons over his chest. He avoids my eyes. 'I think it’s a new phenomenon,'” (Allegiant, 79)

City of Lost Souls:

“'I stabbed you. With a massive sword. You caught on fire.'

His lips twitched, almost imperceptibly. 'Okay,' he said. 'So maybe our problems aren't like other couples,'” (City of Lost Souls, 522)

 
It makes sense that the authors would chose to write about their characters speaking with this type of language because it makes them more relateable to the target audiences of the books, and it adds to the tone of the book altogether. If these books were written without this modernized/casual tone, they would likely not carry the same weight that they do amongst their targeted young adult audiences.

 

Another element that rings true in both books is that they both feature a very strong female protagonist that not only through her actions advances the plot, but she also before the book’s end has to make whatever the “ultimate” sacrifice is to her for the greater good. Though it may seem corny and overplayed these books’ writers both played up these endings to end in a way you were NOT expecting, and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU PLAN TO READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS! ENDINGS ARE GIVEN AWAY!



 For Allegiant, Veronica Roth made a very bold move in her ending. The ending was spot on with Tris’ underlying character and personality and ultimately her ex-faction of Abnegation (everyone is “selfless”). In order to complete their mission of overthrowing the outside government, their team has assigned her brother Caleb with the suicide mission of entering the Weapons Lab and obtaining the necessary serum to wipe the compound workers’ minds. She ends up not being able to let him go, because she knows the only reason he is doing so voluntarily is because he feels he can never be forgiven by her. In the end, he is.

“Tris went into the Weapons Lab instead of Caleb,” Cara says. “She survived the death serum, and set off the memory serum, but she… she was shot. And she didn’t survive…” (Allegiant, 489)

In City of Lost Souls Cassandra Clare writes in an equally moving finale, exemplifying the hardship that the protagonist, Clary faces in choosing what is right, even though she doesn’t know how she will live with the decision. For her ultimate sacrifice, instead of her life, it is Jace’s life that she must end, so that her brother can be stopped.

Both books were written with an underlying theme of self-discovery, and the message as Roth clearly states in her acknowledgements is to “Be brave.” This message was demonstrated through two very different pieces of fiction; however they both hit close to home in some or many aspects depending on their readers. Allegiant was very well written, however there were some points where the book’s pace would jump from painstakingly slow too so fast you sometimes had to reread a section. However, its strength in an absolutely killer twist ending overshadows Roth’s minor writing flaws.

                As for City of Lost Souls, Clare gives an ominous ending where a single phrase sets up for the perfect introduction of her upcoming book City of Heavenly Fire:

“Erchomai, it said.

I am coming,” (City of Lost Souls 534)

                As far a rating goes, both books deserve a solid A. Both writers demonstrated amazing character development, used outstanding voice throughout the pieces and both left completely different yet equally clenching twist endings.  

Blog Post #9 ~ Likability

     In Veronica Roth's third book in the Divergent Trilogy, Allegiant, the story is told from the perspective of both Tris Prior and Tobias "Four" Eaton. I feel like these characters are very likable, and that Roth's audience can relate to them very well. Keep in mind that they are both questionably suicidal, have tempers that terrify even themselves at times, and both come from a less than "perfect" family situation...

     But THAT I think is why they are so likable; it's because they are RELATABLE. They are not the stereotypical "heroes" that are held on high pedestals and always do whats right. It is often that their own fears and selfishness that is the cause of issue within their lives, thus what advances the book's plot. Throughout the entire series they have both struggled with personal self-inflicted pain and doubts right alongside their crumbling dystopian society.

     I wouldn't go so far as to call either of them the next Oedipus or Humbert Humbert, for these I feel are somewhat extreme cases of characters that make for good books, however I don't really agree that either of them would likely be all that "likable". But I do acknowledge that there are SIGNIFICANT flaws pertaining to both Tris and Tobias, because they acknowledge them THEMSELVES. This inadvertently ends up being almost just as bad a flaw, particularly for Tris as this leads her into a time in her life of obsession with her self-pity and depression.

     I don't think the term "likable" when pertaining to a character needs to imply "perfection" or larger than life morals. I honestly think such things almost add an air of arrogance to the character and definitely annoyance for me as I sit trying to read about how they are perfect. I think that for a character to be likeable, some readers (though most would never admit it) sometimes enjoy some who is "just as bad", or sometimes "worse" than they feel they themselves are, but arestill the protagonist and somehow come out on top in the end...

And are liked.

Blog #8

I personally believe that it depends on what you are attempting to market the book as. For example, I feel that it’s ok to change, embellish, or omit certain details in a story… if its title has the tagline “Based on a True Story”.  If it doesn’t, then I feel that while the author does have “creative license” to the degree of how their memory serves them, or how they felt during an event, that they should stick to the facts and the reality of what happened.

Laila Lalami stated how “fact is different than fiction, and the two are not the same”

She argues that there is room for differentiation based on the author’s memory and their individual interpretation of an event. However, there is no room for entirely “made-up” events created by the author in order to only “liven” the publication. She feels that there is a sort o9f unspoken “contract” between a reader and a writer based on whether or not the publication is fiction or nonfiction. As readers, we often feel hurt or cheated to know that our emotions we experienced while reading a supposedly “true account” were toyed with when we learn that these events we opened up to and experienced things about, were in reality, not REAL.

Paul Mandelbaum stated that if the author owns up to the fact that sections of their book are indeed fictitious, that that is ok and doesn’t violate their contract with the readers. I must say that I agree to a degree: so long as it is made clear EARLY ON of the semi-fictitious-ness of the work, then by all means, go ahead. You have established what needs to be, and that is fine as long as you whole heartedly admit this ahead of time. That was not the case in the instance of A Million Little Pieces and Frey’s “apology/acknowledgement” that was hastily added to soothe the dwindling fan base.