Fabulous Finds: INSURGENT

Okay I know I'm not very punctual on this blog but honestly, with school returning to session, I have been swamped. However, I did manage to finish reading Veronica Roth's latest book, Insurgent. This book is a sequel to her novel, Divergent which I just can't stop raving about. Seriously, I suggest that book to anyone and everyone who will listen. Enough about that, let's get onto the sequel, shall we?

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

 

On Veronica Roth's blog, this is how Insurgent is described:

 

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

 

On my blog, this is how I felt about Insurgent:

 

Insurgent is an incredible read. It is exciting and adventurous. Not to mention that we finally get a glimpse into the lives of the other factions. I guess I was assuming we, as the audience, would get a chance to delve into the Erudite lifestyle but to be able to have both Candor and Amity described to us in such detail was a fantastic bonus.

 

Tris, as our protagonist, has risen above her wallflower Abnegation persona into what I can only describe as a warrior. She's strong, stands up for what she believes in, and fights with every inch of her heart to do what she thinks is right. I really love being inside her head when she is interacting with the characters introduced in this novel. I anticipate those characters to make themselves even more prevalent in the third novel of this series and I expect Tris will probably struggle to find herself in her new world.

 

Now you have not one but two Fabulous Finds by the same author. I highly suggest you run, don't walk to the nearest bookstore or library and check them both out simultaneously. Trust me, once you finish Divergent, you'll have a hard time waiting before starting on the sequel, Insurgent.

 

Also, please let me know if you have any Fabulous Finds.

 

Happy Reading!!!

-CM (currently flipping through "Double Fudge" by J. Blume)

 

 





Fabulous Finds: DIVERGENT

Okay so I am now in full book review/recommendation mode. As I have mentioned before, I am a third grade Reading teacher. I love teaching. I love reading. Ergo, I love my life. (I also happen to be mommy to 5 fabulous kids but more about them later.)

Since this is January, it is safe to admit that I have been on Holiday Break for the past 2 weeks. This has good news and bad news that go with it. The Bad News: I got the flu the very first day of my break. Boo! That was very unfortunate and I am still a teensy bit bummed about how much a loafed around on my sofa. The Good News: the flu gave me reason to get some much needed personal reading done. For once I wasn't grading papers, overseeing my children's homework, or going to class at the university. No, I was absolutely free to get my read on!! And so I did. The book I want to discuss: Divergent.

On the author's blog, Divergent is given the following book description:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

On this blog, I give Divergent the following review/description:

This book is fantastic!! I am a big fan of dystopian novels but honestly not all of them resonate well. Some, I find, seem more like political soapboxes neatly packaged than dystopian novels. With Divergent, I don't feel that way at all. It all follows a seemingly ordinary girl, Beatrice, who turns out to be a million times stronger than she first appears. She lives in a world where everyone is separated into factions. These factions are created in response to unsavory values that they blame the negativity of the world on. Beatrice belongs to Abnegation, who value selflessness. After turning 16, she is given an aptitude test to determine what faction she should truly be in. I love this aptitude test idea and with Beatrice, the test results determine that she is equally split between three totally different factions: Abnegation (selflessness), Erudite (intelligence), and Dauntless (bravery). This is why she is considered Divergent which means she can belong in more than one faction. She decides to leave her faction and join the Dauntless under the new name, Tris.

Tris is a spitfire that is not to be disregarded as a weakling. She fights each and every day to prove herself to her new family and has to overcome serious obstacles. By diving deeper into her new faction, she unearths plans that could destroy everything and everyone she has every known. Life as she has always known will be different.

It is truly an incredible novel and I am now a hardcore fan of the author, Veronica Roth. The sequel to Divergent is out and I plan on attempting to finish that novel before classes resume on Monday, January 7th. I am also pleased to announce that I recently found out that Divergent will be made into a movie. I hope the motion picture people do the novel justice because it would a tragedy for them to mess with such a strong storyline. And there you have it! My first book review/recommendation for your future paper cuts. I hope to hear some of your thoughts on this book and look forward to posting about its sequel in the upcoming days. Until then...Happy Reading!!!

-CM (currently reading "Insurgent" by V. Roth)

Welcome!

Good evening all you wonderful people out in the blogosphere!!! I began this blog in order to discuss my opinions of recently read books, give recommendations, and discuss the lifestyle of novel writing.

I am always running my mouth to my beloved husband about this book or that book. In return, he is always nodding and looking mildly amused. We are often on totally different pages when it comes to our hobbies and opinions except when it comes to reading. Often, when I recommend a book to James, he downloads the book to his Kindle within the next week. He may not read the book as soon as it's loaded but he manages to get around to it eventually.

Recently, my 12-year old has been asking for book recommendations. You see, I teach 3rd grade Reading and I'm currently working on my Masters degree in Reading so you can probably understand that reading and writing are more than just hobbies to me. I am truly passionate about it.

So back to my 12-year old (I got off topic). She has been bugging me about giving her new books to try. I asked her why she doesn't just Google some books she finds interesting instead of asking me. (Sidebar: it doesn't bother me in the slightest that she wants my opinion. It actually thrills me to no end that she seeks my recommendation.) Her response to that suggestion was this, "I don't trust those reviews. I trust your reviews. You're like the Book Whisperer." It was at this point that I had to laugh out loud and ask her to repeat that. The Book Whisperer? Ok, I'll take it. She went on to say, "You should start a blog or something and let people know about your ideas on books you've read. It may save them some time they may have wasted on a lousy book."
I responded with, "Or they may love a book that I hate and it may become a huge mess."
Then she said one of the most profound things I think she has ever said. She said, "They don't have to agree with you and if it turns into a heated thing, you could just tell them to write their own stupid blog if it's that big of a deal."
How true is that? Way to go, Becca!
And with that short little tidbit, I want to warmly welcome you to my life on a page.

-CM