2014: A Year In Review

Mouse, December 2014

Two thousand fourteen has been an ordinary year for the most part with its ups and downs. Our senior cat, Parker, continues to have health issues, although both he and our younger cat, Gracie, are as playful and affectionate as ever. My husband, daughter, and I saw each other through work, financial and life stressors, and several illnesses, including my recent surgery which put me out of work for several weeks. The doctor has lifted most of the restrictions as of now, thank goodness. It was months of pain and worry as I waited for a diagnosis, deliberated over my options and then the surgery. I am glad to be on the other end of all that now. I know my family is too.

I cannot thank my mother enough for all the help she provided us this year. It is not always easy for me to ask for help, even from family. We are so lucky to have her in our lives. I really need to express that to her more often.

It was a good year in many ways. The happiest moments were often the most simple: cuddling on the couch, reading a good book, playing dominoes, the feeling at the end of a good workout, finally winning that computer game, playing hide and seek or playing house, that first smile or kiss of the day, tackling a family project, work accomplishments, warm hugs, recounting our favorite parts of our day, singing along to a favorite song on the radio, making silly faces at each other, and just being together. There were extended family visits and trips to Disneyland. Lots of laughter and love. I have the best husband and daughter. And my cats are pretty special too. Oh, and good books. I can't forget those.

I enjoyed answering Jamie's (The Perpetual Page Turner) End of the Year Survey in past years and decided to join in again this year.  I did alter some of the questions and subtracted a few to make it my own.

1. Best books read in 2014?

Seven books stand out above all the others I read this year. Three were part of a trilogy and I could not separate them out, hence seven instead of a top five like I initially intended. Each of these books made my list for a variety of reasons: rich character development, beautiful writing style, and a great story for starters. Every one of them touched me deeply in some way. Ben H. Winters' Hank Palace is my new literary crush; Yangszee Choo wowed me with her imagery and mystery of the afterlife; my heart ached for Susan and Maud in Fingersmith; I was swept away by Ann Leary's writing and depth into the heart and mind of Hildy; and just how much Sandra Hunter's heart-wrenching story spoke to and moved me. It was more than that, of course, with each book. If you haven't, I hope you will consider seeing for yourself.

Losing Touch by Sandra Hunter

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The Good House by Ann Leary

The Ghost Bride by Yangzee Choo

The Last Policeman Trilogy by Ben H. Winters (all three books in the trilogy were awesome)

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn’t?

I had high hopes for Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale, but ultimately was disappointed. There were parts I loved. In the end, however, I was left feeling I missed something and was not completely satisfied with the ending.

And Isabel Allende's Ripper was another one I found disappointing. I had heard such wonderful things about the author's work, and so my expectations were high.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2014?

I had avoided reading anything by Jennifer Crusie for years because I did not think her books were for me. I read Fast Women for an online book group in early 2014 and was pleasantly surprised. The characters were well drawn, the story intriguing, and, despite its length, I raced through it, not wanting to put it down.

After being sorely disappointed with Beautiful Creatures, I was leery of Veronica Roth's Divergent. I ended up loving it.

4. Book you read in 2014 that you recommended to people most in 2014?

There were quite a few books that I read this year I have recommended to people (and given away as gifts), The Last Policeman Trilogy being at the top of the list.

5. Best series you discovered in 2014?

The Last Policeman Trilogy, of course!  I also read the first book in the Dead Witch Walking series by Kim Harrison and am excited to read the rest of the series.

Michael Robotham is a new to me crime fiction author I discovered just this year. I read three of his books and enjoyed each one.

6. New authors you discovered in 2014 and hope to read more by?

I read books by several new to me authors this year who are now on my "must read again" list.  I also finally got around to reading books by authors I have been wanting to read for years.

Jennifer Robson

Jennifer Crusie

Liane Moriarty
Michael Robotham
Ann Patchett
Max Austin
Kim Harrison
Ann Leary

Sandra Hunter

Heather Gudenkauf

Margaret Atwood
Ben H. Winters

Heather Graham
Yangszee Choo
Marc Krulewitch
Joshilyn Jackson
Rebecca Chastain
Malinda Lo
Deanna Raybourn

Sarah Waters
Rachel Caine
Sarah Jio
Sara Morgan
Cara Hoffman

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone?

While Science Fiction is not a new to me genre, it is not one I read often. I read a surprising number of books with science fiction elements in 2014. Among those was Liz Strange's novel, Erased. Erased was an intense and enjoyable book. It made me wonder why I do not read science fiction more often.

I read a surprising amount of romance novels this year, which was a huge shift in my reading as compared to past years. I have always enjoyed romance as a side dish in the novels I read, but as a main course . . . Well, this is new for me. At least new in the last two decades or so.  I had burned out on the genre long ago, but the last couple of years I have been venturing back into it.

It would be easy to point to novels I thoroughly enjoyed such as Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson and The Ghost Bride by Yangszee Choo, Deanna Raybourn's Night of a Thousand Stars, or The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I feel like that's cheating because I do not think of any of those books as being strictly romance novels. Even so, they each have strong love stories which moved me in some way. But if I were to choose one, separate from those that was more strictly romance, I would have to say Sarah Jio's The Look of Love.

8. Top five favorite covers of a books you read in 2014?

9. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2014?

I related to Sandra Hunter's Losing Touch on a deeply personal level. Even though my father died three years ago, I still find myself trying to know and understand him. I saw my father in Arjun, one of the main characters in the book.  And that final scene in the novel . . . I still cannot get it out of my head, and my eyes still well up with tears when I think of it.

Heather Gudenkauf's Little Mercies  also had a big impact on me. I was not sure I would be able to stomach the subject matter, but it was a book that reminded me how, as I stated in my original review, the "little mercies in our lives [...] help us get through even when we feel at our most helpless."

10. Shortest and longest book you read in 2014?

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon - 131 pages

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin at 768 pages

11. Favorite book you read in 2014 by an author you’ve read previously?

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness. I also really enjoyed Lisa See's Shanghai Girls.

12. Genre you read the most from in 2014? 

I was disappointed to learn that I read no nonfiction this year. Zip. I am not sure how that happened. Admittedly, I am not a prolific nonfiction reader, but I usually fit something in now and then.  I need to remedy that in 2015.

Some fun meaningless statistics:
(Much of what I read was falls under more than one genre. Here, I count them under the genre I most identified with the book).

Crime Fiction (mysteries & thrillers) - 19
Urban Fantasy - 15
Paranormal Romance - 5
Contemporary Romance - 10
Historical Fiction - 7
Contemporary Fiction - 17
Science Fiction - 5

Of those, 9 were labeled as Young Adult.

62 of the 78 books I read in 2014 were written by women.

I rated:
5 Paws (Outstanding) - 1
4.5 Paws - 9
4 Paws (Very Good) - 21
3.5 Paws - 34
3 Paws (Good) - 8
2.5 Paws - 4
2 Paws (Fair) - 1

Month I Read the Most Books: December - 10
Month I Read the Least Books: April - 4

13. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting?

Despite my disappointment in the book Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, the world building was amazing. I could feel the freezing cold as I read and I loved the author's descriptions of his various settings, especially New York.

Dare I mention Ben H. Winters' The Last Policeman Trilogy again? The premise of the novel, an asteroid on its way to destroy a good part of the earth and possibly wipe out civilization may sound out there, but the the author was very meticulous in detail with the impact such an event would have on society from an individual to a more macro level.

14. Which book made me smile and smile and smile?

Deanna Raybourn's Night of a Thousand Stars.

15. Book that made you cry?

The better question is what book didn't make me cry. I am such a cry baby when it comes to books. Losing Touch by Sandra Hunter, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and Last Train to Babylon by Charlee Fam were among the worst offenders (in a good way, each of them).

16. Most unique book you read?

Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke - This is one of those books I hesitate to talk about in depth with someone who hasn't read it. Just about anything I might say would be a spoiler.


17. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of 2014?

I participated in several challenges, each of which I completed.  I also read three books alongside Carrie in her "I've Always Meant to Read That Book!" Challenge (State of Wonder, A Prayer for Owen Meany and Blind Assassin), although not as many as I had hoped. I joined Jennifer of Literate Housewife in her Fingersmith Read-A-Long, which was a lot of fun.

I had hoped to make 2014 the Year of Re-Discovery, which did not happen.  So, in that, I failed. Perhaps this will be a goal I will work on this coming year.

Here is a summary of the challenges I completed:

I came close to not finishing the What's In A Name Challenge hosted by Charlie from The Worm Hole. When I began the year, I was not intentionally reading books to fit the challenge categories. Luck was with me. That changed when the end was in sight and I had two to go.

A reference to time in the title ~ Labor Day by Joyce Maynard 
A position of royalty in the title ~ Duke City Split  by Max Austin 

A number written in letters in the title ~  Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn

A forename or names in the title ~ A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

A type or element of weather in the title ~ Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

A book with a school subject in the title ~ The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard

I challenged myself to read at least 5 historical fiction novels in 2014 for Historical Tapestry's Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, and I ended up reading nine that qualified. Both Irving and Atwood's books take the reader into the past as the characters remember in their present times. There is enough history included for the books to count towards this challenge, fortunately.

1. Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson

2. The Final Solution: A Story of Detection  by Michael Chabon
3. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
4. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
5. Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
6. The Ghost Bride by Yangszee Choo
7. Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn 

8. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

9. The Summer of Long Knives by Jim Snowden

The Book to Movie Challenge hosted by Katie of Doing Dewey and Sergio of Tipping my Fedora was a lot of fun. I committed to read/watch six for the challenge. I had expected to exceed my goal, but it wasn't meant to be.

1.  Beautiful Creatures  by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 

2. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard  

3. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

4. Divergent  by Veronica Roth

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

6. A Prayer for Owen Meany  by John Irving

I was hesitant to join the Chunkster Challenge hosted by Vasilly of 1330V, but I could not resist.  Chunksters are defined as being 450 pages or more. I agreed to read 5 chunksters this year. Some were fairly quick books to read given the type of book and subject matter (the challenge allowed YA books). A few others took me a while to work my way through. I ended up reading eleven chunksters in 2015.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin - 768 pgs
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - 640 pgs
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - 582 pgs
Beautiful Creatures  by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 577 pgs
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness - 561 pgs
Insurgent by Veronica Roth - 544 pgs
Allegiant  by Veronica Roth - 544 pgs
Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - 521 pgs
Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie - 496 pgs
Ripper by Isabel Allende - 496 pgs

Divergent  by Veronica Roth - 487 pgs

I also participated in the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril.  I challenged myself to read four books for the event, and I ended up reading six.

The Betrayed  by Heather Graham 

A Penny for a Hangman by Tom Savage 

A Fistful of Evil  by Rebecca Chastain 

Ash by Malinda Lo

Confessions by Kanae Minato

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

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18. Looking ahead to 2015, do you have any goals for reading or your blog? Or life in general?

I have no plans as of now to join any reading challenges, but I have said that before. They can be so hard to resist! Let's see . . . Goals for the New Year. As long as we don't call them New Year's Resolutions, I am good. Semantics, I know. Still.

Reading Goals:
Read more nonfiction
Read more diversely
Re-discover favorite authors
Catch up on at least three favorite series
Read a book whose author's surname begins with an X.

Blogging Goals:
Make Mouse's Corner a more regular feature on my blog, including guest posts from authors, fellow bloggers and readers on topics related to children's books and reading (if you are interested, let me know!).

Life Goals:
Live more in the moment and less in my head
Continue to improve my health through exercise and eating right
Write more letters
Be a better wife and mother

I do not know what 2015 will hold for any of us, but I look forward to another year of blogging and sharing my life with you. Thanks to all of you, whether you are a long time reader, a sporadic visitor or visiting for the first time.  I hope your New Year is filled with love, laughter, good health, and the makings of many good memories. And may you read many wonderful books!

Happy New Year!

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. ~ Opening to If I Stay

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Dutton Juvenile, 2001

Fiction (YA); 201 pgs

When I first saw the movie trailer for If I Stay, I dismissed it as one I did not need to see.  It looked like it would be heartbreaking, not to mention another teenage romance, one in a long string that has made it to theaters in recent years.  And yet, for some reason, I found myself buying a copy of the e-book one day and with days to spare before the movie's release, I read it.

Mia is a truly gifted musician, a trait that seems to be passed on down through her family genes. She has a true aptitude for playing the cello and those around her know it. Music is what first brings Mia and Adam together, but it also may be what tears them apart. His dreams taking him in one direction and hers in another. Then one fateful day, Mia and her family are in a terrible car accident in which Mia must make an even bigger decision, one of life and death.  

Mia has the perfect family. It was hard not to fall in love with them and want to be a part of their family the more I read about them. They support and encourage each other's dreams.  They have fun together and truly love one another.  Mia's Adam seems perfect too--he is attentive and thoughtful.  

Told from the perspective of Mia as she stands over her body, remembering her life and weighing whether life is worth returning to or if peace lies with death, makes this both a heartbreaking and inspiring story.  It would be unfair to say this is a love story between a boy and a girl.  It is also a love story between a girl and her family.

The author, Gayle Foreman, takes a tragic and deeply sad story and tells it in such a way that brought tears to my eyes and also made me smile often.  If I Stay is a reminder of how fragile life is, but also of how great life can be.

I had every intention of seeing the movie soon after reading the book, but then Mouse and I both got sick, company was in from out of town, and then we went out of town . . . Suddenly when I had the opportunity to go see it in the theater, I decided against it (I saw The Guardians of the Galaxy instead).  Maybe I will catch the movie when it comes out on Netflix or cable.  For now, I'm content with having just read the book.  I'm not even sure I want to read the sequel, as much as I liked this book.  I have heard it is really good too.  This just seems like one of those books that is fine on its own.  I don't need to know what happens next.

Rating:   (Very Good)

You can learn more about Gayle Foreman and her books on the author's website.

Source: I purchased an e-copy of the book for my own reading pleasure.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice--not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany. ~ Opening of A Prayer for Owen Meany

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Corgi Adult, 1989

Fiction; 635 pgs

From the Publisher: 

John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany is the inspiring modern classic that introduced two of the author’s most unforgettable characters, boys bonded forever in childhood: the stunted Owen Meany, whose life is touched by God, and the orphaned Johnny Wheelwright, whose life is touched by Owen. From the accident that links them to the mystery that follows them–and the martyrdom that parts them–the events of their lives form a tapestry of fate and faith in a novel that is Irving at his irresistible best.

I had a copy of this book sitting on my shelf for years.  It was one of those "must read" books.  It is considered a modern classic after all, and so many people I know love it.  As we prepared for our move three years ago, I nearly gave me copy away, deciding I was never going to read it.  It wasn't calling my name.  Then when Carrie chose it as one of her selections for her "I've Always Meant to Read That Book!" Challenge, I decided I might as well bite the bullet.  Especially after Trish from Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity  sang the book's praises.

Only, when I began reading the book, I was bored.  I did not particularly care for the characters nor was I enamored by Irving's story telling.  I considered giving the book up.  The only reason I stuck with it was because there were moments in the book I did enjoy.  And the more I read, the more I found to like. However, I also found more I did not like.  It was not until about two thirds into the book that it really took off for me.  While some of you who loved the book might find that cause for applause, I want to again point out it took me two thirds of the book to really get into it.  The book is lucky I finished it.  

What I did not like: Johnny as an adult.  Whether or not I agree with his politics and his thoughts on religious institutions isn't the point (although I did mostly agree).  I found the character's ramblings tiresome and annoying. I understand exactly what his friends and colleagues must have felt listening to his diatribes.  I didn't quite see the growth or insight in his character I had hoped to see.  He was in the same place at the beginning of the novel that he was at the end, or so it seemed to me. Obviously he wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for his friend Owen Meany, but that's about all I walked away from in regards to John Wheelwright's character.

I wanted to like Owen, and, I suppose, on some level I did, but I never really connected with him the way I like to with a character I am rooting for.  He was wise for his age and didn't have a lot going for him, including an eccentric family who really did not take care of him.   At times I felt sorry for him, how little those around him understood him and how he was mistreated, and at other times I was annoyed with him and how rigid he could be.

What I did like: The author, John Irving, breathed life into the town of Gravesend and its people.  By the end of the book, I felt like a resident there myself.  I enjoyed spending time with Owen and Johnny as they grew up during the 1950's and 1960's. I found myself rooting for Owen as he strove to prove to others and to himself that his size was not going to stop him from reaching his goals.

I liked the friendship and strong bond between the two boys.  They were always there for each other, even despite their differences in opinions.  I wish I had had a friend like that growing up--or even now.

While I found the political commentary overdone throughout the novel, I appreciated seeing how the characters related to the times they were living in, including John F. Kennedy's election, his assassination and later the Vietnam War.  Irving was able to convey just how differently people reacted to such events.  

I could relate to Johnny's character more than Owen's when it came to the subject of faith.  I am the person who questions and doubts.  Even at the end of the novel, I did not feel moved to feel any differently.  I was touched by Owen's story to some extent.  Just not maybe in the way intended.

After finishing the book, I decided to re-watch Simon Birch (directed by Mark Steven Johnson), the movie loosely based on the book, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Emphasis on loosely.  John Irving did not believe a movie could capture the story he had written and so asked that the name Owen Meany be omitted.  And he was right.  The character Simon Birch (played by Ian Michael Smith) is much like the Owen Meany character and Joe Wenteworth (Joseph Mazello) is a somewhat convincing  Johnny Wheelwright.  While the bare bones are there, that of faith and fate, the movie is a mere skeleton of the first half of the book with an ending that is completely different.  You cannot watch the movie and say you know what the book is about.  

Like in the book, the two boys are best friends and a baseball, struck by Simon/Owen hits and kills Joe's/Johnny's mother.  Joe/Johnny is afraid he'll never know who his father is now.  In the movie, Joe must come to terms with his mother's death, including deciding who he wants to stay with, given his grandmother's declining health.  Simon's story runs parallel, as he wonders what fate has in store for him, knowing it will be something big.  While I enjoyed the movie, I felt the two story threads did not come together as seamlessly as they could have.  Nor did I feel the movie was as fleshed out as I would like it to have been.  It was a heartfelt movie, to be sure.  And it had its moments.  I remember liking the movie when I first saw it. Maybe having read the book, it's been spoiled for me.

As is pointed out in the first sentence of the novel, the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany is about much more than a baseball, a dead mother, the search for a father and wanting to be a hero.   It is the story about faith and doubt, yes.  But it is also a story about friendship and finding one's own path.  While I may have been disappointed in the novel overall, I can see why others have loved it.

Rating:   (Fair +)

You can learn more about John Irving and his books on the author's website. 

Source: I purchased both print and  e-book copies with my own hard earned money.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Six Month Challenge Check In

Six months into the year and I already have a few contenders for my top ten favorite books of the year, although no books have yet earned my coveted 5 paw rating.  It is hard to believe half the year is already gone.  So, how am I doing with those reading challenges I said I would not sign up for but did anyway?  Let's take a look:

I admit to always playing the What's In A Name Challenge hosted by Charlie from The Worm Hole by the ear. I have not intentionally read a book for this challenge in a couple years and somehow manage to complete it (even if by the skin of my teeth).  So far this year, I have read books that meet two of the six categories. Not the best start, but I still have another six months to work on it.

A reference to time in the title ~ Labor Day by Joyce Maynard 
A position of royalty in the title ~ Duke City Split  by Max Austin (the book has nothing to do with royalty, but the title has the word "Duke in it", so I'm counting it.)

A number written in letters in the title (I've read a couple of books with numeric descriptive words in the title ("once" and "millionaire" for example), but no specific number written in letters.  Yet.)

A forename or names in the title (I was going to fit A Prayer for Owen Meany in this category, but who would have guessed "Owen" isn't the character's first name?  It's his middle name.  Oh well.  I have lots of other choices to choose from.)

A type or element of weather in the title

A book with a school subject in the title

I challenged myself to read at least 5 historical fiction novels this year for Historical Tapestry's Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, and I have done just that.   Both Irving and Atwood's books take the reader into the past as the characters remember in their present times.  There is enough history included for the books to count towards this challenge, fortunately.

1. Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson

2. The Final Solution: A Story of Detection  by Michael Chabon
3. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
4. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving ~ review pending
5. Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood ~ review pending

The Book to Movie Challenge hosted by Katie of Doing Dewey and Sergio of Tipping my Fedora has been a lot of fun so far this year.  Reading and watching movies are both passions of mine and this challenge combines both.  I committed to read/watch six for the challenge. Even though I have met my challenge goal, I imagine there will be more before the year is out.

1.  Beautiful Creatures  by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 

2. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard  

3. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

4. Divergent  by Veronica Roth

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

6. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (the movie title is Simon Birch) ~ review pending

I was hesitant to join Chunkster Challenge hosted by Vasilly of 1330V this year, but I could not resist.  Chunksters are defined as being 450 pages or more.  I agreed to read 5 chunksters this year. Admittedly, some were fairly quick books to read given the type of book and subject matter (the challenge allows YA books this year).  A few others took me a while to work my way through.  I would say eight out of five isn't bad though, wouldn't you say? 

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin - 768 pgs
A Prayer for Own Meany by John Irving - 640 pgs ~ review pending
Beautiful Creatures  by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 577 pgs
Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - 521 pgs ~ review pending
Insurgent by Veronica Roth - 544 pgs
Allegiant  by Veronica Roth - 544 pgs
Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie - 496 pgs 

Divergent  by Veronica Roth - 487 pgs

This year I am also participating in Carrie of Books and Movies' "I've Always Meant to Read That Book!" Challenge, at least occasionally.  In March, I read State of Wonder by Ann Patchett as planned; and in April I began reading Margaret Atwood's Blind Assassin. I wasn't able to finish Blind Assassin until June.  Better late than never, right?  On a positive note, I did finish June's A Prayer for Owen Meany as planned.  As much as I hoped to join Carrie in reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins for May, I decided to set that aside to read at a later time.  The next book I am hoping to read alongside Carrie is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  But that's not until October.

Over all, I think I am doing very good!  Technically, I have completed the Chunkster Challenge, the Books to Movie Challenge, and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.  And I am only at the six month mark! Go me!  I am not ready to wrap up the challenges just yet, however. I want to leave them open to see what other titles I can add to my lists.

Are you participating in any challenges this year?  How are you progressing?

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

Katherine Tegen Books

Science Fiction (YA)

From the Publisher:  

Divergent: One choice can transform you. Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling debut is a gripping dystopian tale of electrifying choices, powerful consequences, unexpected romance, and a deeply flawed "perfect society."

 Insurgent: One choice can destroy you. Veronica Roth's second #1 New York Times bestseller continues the dystopian thrill ride. As war surges in the factions all around her, Tris attempts to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. 

Allegiant: The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. 

A part of me was reluctant to start the Divergent series, but I also really wanted to read it before seeing the first movie.  Young Adult novels are hit and miss with me, and, while I often enjoy them, I find them lacking more often than not.  It's more a matter of taste, I think, on my part. Still, I have read enough that I enjoy to keep reading the genre.

I am keeping my thoughts about Insurgent and Allegiant brief and down to just general impressions in order to avoid any major spoilers.

Divergent by Veronica Roth (2012; 487 pgs)

There is one mirror in my house. ~ First Sentence of Divergent

Everyone in society is divided into factions.  Each of the factions are based on a particular value and has its place in society.  The idea is to maintain peace and order among the people.  There are the Erudite who seek knowledge; the Candor faction in which everyone values honesty above all else; the Dauntless who guard and protect the city; and Abnegation, which is made up of people who value selflessness and the only ones trusted to run the government as a result.  

Beatrice Prior was born in the Abnegation faction and has tried all her life to be selfless.  That is what she is supposed to be after all.  When the results of her faction test come back as inconclusive, Beatrice is put in a very difficult position.  She has just discovered she is Divergent which marks her as different and not of one faction like everyone else.  It is something she needs to keep a secret or else it could mean her life.  Someone is trying to kill the Divergent population, and soon Beatrice realizes she is not alone.

What follows is a story about identity and finding one's own path.  It is a coming of age story at its most basic level.  Beatrice, aka Tris, is just beginning to really define herself and she comes up against some very real obstacles that even young people of our world face--questioning authority, reality versus the ideal, discovering who she is, bullying, and finding first love.

The novel itself is quite entertaining, and I really grew to like Tris.  She is a strong female character with a good head on her shoulders.  I also really liked her friends, including Four, who I found mysterious and charming at first.  The more I got to know him, the less of a mystery he became, but I grew to have a lot of respect for him.  I found myself wishing I could be in the pages of the novel, a part of the world Veronica Roth created, if only for an instant.

I absolutely loved Divergent.  I found the world created by Veronica Roth interesting in all its complexity, the story intense, and the characters endearing--well, some of them anyway.  The novel is action packed and heartbreaking, while, at the same time, an interesting study on society.  Despite its size, the novel is a fast read, and I raced through it.  I enjoyed it so much that I rushed right into Insurgent and then followed that up with Allegiant. I also read a couple of the short stories related to the trilogy in between, which were just okay.  I think it was more a case of my not being a big fan of re-tellings of the same story or scene from another perspective (in this case Four's).

I thoroughly enjoyed the Divergent movie when I saw it in the theater after having finished reading the trilogy.  It was action packed and the actors fit into their character roles so well.  There were minor changes made in translation from the book to the movie, but nothing that I felt hurt the story.  If anything, I loved seeing Roth's world come to life as well as her characters.  After being disappointed in several movie adaptions of books recently, this was quite refreshing.  I would have liked the movie even having not read the book, I am sure.  It's my kind of movie.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (2012; 544 pgs)

I wake with his name in my mouth. ~ First Sentence of Insurgent

Insurgent picks up at the very spot Divergent left off.  The world Tris knew has been torn apart.  Tris is feeling desperate and her grief is beyond measure.  Insurgent tackles the difficult subject of loss and guilt, and how heavily both can weigh on a person.

I enjoyed Insurgent, but not quite as much as the first book the series.  I still found the world Veronica Roth had created fascinating and was engrossed in the story and the characters.  I still raced through the book like there was no tomorrow.  I found myself annoyed with Tris, however, even as I tried to keep in mind all she was going through.  Her and her love interest's back and forth got to me though and there were a few times I wanted to shake them both and tell them to get over themselves.  I could blame it on the fact that they are teenagers, but adults act like that in literature all too often.  Probably in real life too.

What I liked most about Insurgent was the continued in depth look at society and human nature.  It is a dark take on human nature, mind you, but all too realistic under the circumstances as people lust for power and control over their own lives.  I also appreciated the way the author dealt with Tris's grief and guilt, and her continued struggle to define herself through it all.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (2013; 544 pgs)

I pace in our cell in Erudite headquarters, her words echoing in my mind:  My name will be Edith Prior, and there is much I am happy to forget. ~ ~ First Sentence of Allegiant

This is the book where the secrets of the world created by Veronica Roth are revealed.  While not all surprising given the direction the trilogy had taken at the end of the first book, it was still an eye opener.  I swear I felt just as lost and insignificant as the continuing characters must have felt once they entered the compound.  I cannot help but wonder too if that is another reference to how teenagers feel entering the "real world" after leaving school and entering adulthood.

In Allegiant, the characters continue to grapple with issues of guilt and grief.  Their view of the world has been completely altered and now new issues are coming to light, not all of which are good.

It is impossible to talk about this book without giving something/anything away, especially because I had several problems with it as I read.  I liked Allegiant okay, but I did not love it the way I did the first two books.  I ran into logic problems with Allegiant and there were choices made, particularly toward the end, that did not make much sense to me.  I had a harder time buying into this book than I did the others.  Maybe it was too ambitious.  It felt that way.

Even so, there were aspects I liked about the novel, so it wasn't a total loss.  Overall, I would recommend this series to those who enjoy the genre.  

You can learn more about Veronica Roth and her books on the author's website.

Source: I purchased the e-copies versions of these books for my own reading pleasure.  I also paid for my own movie ticket, in case anyone is wondering.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

A great city is nothing more than a portrait of itself, and yet when all is said and done, its arsenals of scenes and images are part of a deeply moving plan. ~ Opening from Winter's Tale

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

Mariner Books, 2005

Fantasy; 768 pgs

From the Publisher: 

New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake, orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side.  

Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter Lake, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young girl, who is dying.  

 Peter Lake, a simple, uneducated man, because of a love that, at first he does not fully understand, is driven to stop time and bring back the dead. His great struggle, in a city ever alight with its own energy and besieged by unprecedented winters, is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary stories of American literature.

I am sorely tempted to say this is an impossible book to review.  It doesn't help that I have waited nearly a month after reading the book to finally sit down and write my review (and it's taken me over two more months to rework and post it).  This book is not what I expected.  The description above does not really describe what this book is about.  It is barely the tip of the iceberg.  Winter's Tale is a love story on one hand, and also an adventure tale on another.  It is the story about life, about good versus evil, about balance, about justice, and above all hope.  It sounds wonderful doesn't it?

I so wanted to love this book.  I read the novel at the perfect time--as a good part of the U.S. was buried in snow.  The author, Mark Helprin, brought New York City to life.  Anyone can tell how much he must love the city (I admit there were times I wondered if the real love story in the novel involved the city itself).  My favorite parts of the book were not the descriptions of the setting, however; although, the author did a good job of making the setting a living and breathing character.  I was enamored by the characters--and not just the elusive Peter Lake and the brief appearance of Beverly Penn.  I was actually more taken with other, sometimes more prominent characters in the book.  That of Virginia and Hardesty, characters that appear later in time (and later in the book), long past Beverly and Peter's time.  Their journeys into the City especially captivated me.  I longed to join them and experience life along side them.  Fortunately, for a short time, I was able to.

Of all the characters, though, my favorite has to be Athansor, the white horse, who the reader is introduced to on the very first page of the novel.  It's clear from the start there is something special about Athansor, and as the story unfolds, his story is both joyous and sad.  He's such a strong and resilient animal.  He is a symbol of hope, in many ways.  I longed for news of him when the story was focused elsewhere and I ate up every moment he appeared. 

There was much I did not understand about this novel.  I felt like there was a deeper meaning I was missing the entire time I read.  I also had a hard time getting a feel for exactly what this book was supposed to be about exactly.  The greatest love story of all time as was advertised?  I didn't come away from the book with that feeling at all.  Could it be the book was simply about a man's love for a woman across time, even after death?  A book about justice and good versus evil?  Maybe, but even that story line seemed incomplete to me.  I wondered at times if this book was about the circle of life--how life repeats itself.  Or about how good and bad are necessary in order to keep balance.  A book about magic and miracles?  There was definitely some of both.

The book's ending left me with mixed feelings.  There were many questions answered, some in unexpected ways.  And in other instances, some of the threads were left dangling and were more ambiguous.  I can live with both.  I just wish there had been more.  It was a bit anticlimactic in places I thought should have been given more attention.

I was eager to see the movie, hoping it might answer some of the questions I had upon completion of the book. Fortunately, the movie did have a few answers.  The movie is a mere shadow of the book. So much of what I loved about the book was cut from the movie.  Entire characters and their histories were missing.  And not just one or two.  It really is a very different type of story, I think, the one in the movie as compared to the book.  And yet, I found that the movie did confirm some of my assumptions that I felt were a little murky in the book. To be more specific might be too much of a spoiler.

As poorly reviewed as the movie was, I actually liked it to some degree.  It did seem as if it were two different movies put together--but that can be said about the book too, given all the stories told there.  I thought the early portions of the movie, the scenes with Beverly and Peter, were the better ones.  The second half of the movie seemed to come out of nowhere and the tie ins which are so clear in the book are practically nonexistent in the movie. Still, it was a sentimental story, one that can pull at the heart strings.

Winter's Tale is well loved by many and I can see why.  It isn't a book I loved, however much I tried.  This is the type of book I wish I had read as part of a book club or buddy read.  I wonder if I would have gotten more from it in that sort of setting.

Rating:   (Fair +)

You can learn more about Mark Helprin and his books on the author's website. 

Source: I purchased a copy of this e-book with my own hard earned money.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.