Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower
Octavia E. Butler
329 pages
Publisher: Grand Central
Source: library
★★★☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Part of the current book challenge I'm working on asked me to get a recommendation from a librarian and, after much talking in circles, this is what I left the library with.  It sounded really interesting when the librarian mentioned it and I was glad to see it was dystopian - a genre I enjoy.  Although, what I had mentioned I liked when she asked was vampires.  There are no vampires in Parable of the Sower.  There aren't even any zombies. (Oh my gosh, what does that say about my reading habits!)

Instead, the book takes place in the future where the environment and economy has collapsed to such an extent that stealing and murder are on the docket for most people's average day.  The book focuses on a gated community trying to survive and is narrated by fifteen-year-old Lauren (note: this book is not YA).

I really liked the concept of the book.  The back cover's description really sold me on it, but the execution didn't stand up to my hopes.  Perhaps I'm overly used to the fast-paced plot lines of YA, but the plot in this book moved excruciatingly slow.  For awhile, I wasn't even sure what the plot was.  Lauren and her family lived in this community and were trying to survive daily life, but so what?  The actual plot didn't start until halfway through when Lauren loses her family and decides to finally leave the community and head north to start her new religion.  Even after that development, there wasn't a lot of action for such a supposedly violent world.  I wasn't not too well attached to the characters, though they were all unique and played a valuable role in the plot.

I couldn't decide whether to give this two stars ("it was okay") or three ("I liked it.")  I wasn't enthralled with this book, but it wasn't just okay.  Two stars just doesn't seem like quite enough, so it's getting three from me.  Worth a look if you like dystopians and want to read a non-YA version, or if you want to see what the dystopian world of 2024 looked like from 1993, when it was written.  2024 is only about twelve years off, after all.  The scary part is, I could see this happening.

In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

For review:

Random House sent Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Bloomsbury sent Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Sourcebooks sent Darker Still by Leanna Marie Hieber (What a gorgeous cover!)

The author sent Fading Into Magic by Vone Savan

Purchased:

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy 

Envy by Anna Godbersen (3rd in a series that I still haven't started yet; I buy them because the dresses are to die for)

Dark Flame and Night Star by Alyson Noel

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Gifted to me (Saturday was my birthday!):

Envy by Gregg Olsen (I was really drawn to the utter creepiness of this cover)

The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond (I was flipping through this at my MILs, there are so many recipes I can't wait to try!)

From the library:

Bossypants by Tina Fey

TBR Current Total: 120

Before I Fall

Before I Fall
Lauren Oliver
470 pages
Publisher: Harper
Source: library
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

For Samantha, Cupid Day at school starts like any other day.  She gets a ride to school with her best friends and then collects roses throughout the day, gloating at how many she has since everyone knows the more roses you are the more popular you are.  But then something goes seriously wrong when she attends a party that night, and soon she finds herself in a "Groundhog Day" kind of a situation, living the same Friday over and over again, until she can finally figure out how to get out of the endless loop.

That might sound kind of paranormal or cheesy from the description I just gave, but it really isn't.  This book wasn't cheesy at all.

I read Oliver's Delirium earlier this year and really liked it, so when I found out she had written this book I added it to my "I need to read this!" list and I finally got it from the library a couple weeks ago.  After the first few chapters, I wasn't sure I was going to end up liking it.  The main character, Samantha, really is a bitch and her and her clique didn't have too many endearing qualities.

But I ending up really liking the book.  It was great to watch Sam transform slowly over the course of the book from merely looking for way out of her predicament, to really chaining as a person and finding a way out that way.  I just really wish her three BFFs could have made the change with her.  I was very happy with the way the book ended.

Check it out!

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key
Tatiana de Rosnay
326 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Purchased NookBook
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

In July 1942 thousands of Jews were rounded in in Paris and sent to Vel d'Hiv, an indoor arena where they suffered for days without food, water, or bathroom facilities, before they were sent by train onto concentrations camps.  In 2002, journalist Julia Jarmond is assigned to write a piece for the 60th anniversary of the event.  At first she finds it difficult; the people of Paris would prefer to forget about it completely, but Julia soon stumbles across the story of a little girl and her family and they inspire her to learn more.

I had heard of Vel d'Hiv before I read this novel, though I chalk that up to my degree in history.  Before Sarah's Key was written, I suspect most people had never heard of the event.  What Sarah's Key has done is make the historical event more humanized.  By reading about one family affected by the tragedy, the reader realizes that there were thousands more people who went through the same thing.  It hurts, as a human being, to know that this happened.

It's hard to know what to else say about Sarah's Key.  Most of the novel was heartbreaking, filled me with despair, made me heart cringe for the thousands of people who suffered as a result of the Vel d'Hiv.  But at the same time, I loved this novel.  The switching points of view really help the novel rather than hinder it, and the subplot of Julia's own personal tribulations provide some relief from the terrible events.  Sarah's Key is incredibly well written and I will definitely be looking out for other things written by de Rosnay.

I wish I could tell you more, but instead I'm going to tell you to read this novel.  It's just so significant.

Stardust

Stardust
Neil Gaiman
333 pages
Publisher: Harper
Source: B&N
★★★☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Tristran is in love with Victoria and will do anything to even get a kiss from, let alone marrying here.  So when he suggests catching a falling star for Victoria, she agrees that if he is able to catch it she will do anything for him in return.

This was my first Neil Gaiman novel.  I've heard so much about him, about how he's amazing and can do no wrong, that when I needed to read a book by a British author for the reading challenge I'm working on, I choose Stardust.  Sadly, I must say, I don't get it.

It's not Gaiman's writing, which is very lyrical.  I think it's the genre.  Fantasy just isn't the genre for me and no matter how times I read it, I rediscover that.  However, I do think that if you're a big fan of fantasy writing you would love this book.  Like I said, the writing is very lyrical and the world Gaiman creates is definitely fantastical.  I enjoyed the plot a lot, actually, though I could have done without the subplots, which I admit just confused me.  Fantasy usually confuses me.

For now, I'll stick with the movie The Princess Bride as about as much fantasy as I can handle.  For those of you who love the genre, however, I think you'll really love this book also.

Blood Drive + GIVEAWAY! CLOSED

Blood Drive
Traci Houston
228 pages
Publisher: Writers of the Round Table Press
Source: Once Upon A Twilight Blog Tours
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Blood Drive is a paranormal police drama in which Cara finds her life turned upside down after her partner's murder.  She is soon thrown into a world of paranormal where she, along with her new group of friends, must hunt down her partner's murderer, an elusive vampire by the name of Christian who lures people into his way of life by convincing them he's the messiah.

If you like the paranormal, this is the book for you.  It's got everything: vampires, witches, gargoyles, gremlins, and the list goes on.  I'd never read a book with gargoyles or gremlins before, so that was an interesting turn in the plot that I enjoyed.  I also enjoyed the pace of the book - the short chapters led to a quick moving plot that left me turning the pages, eager to see what would happen next.

I thought the first chapter started out slow and was a little redundant, but as soon as Jonathan was introduced as Cara's love interest, the the book quickly got immensely more interesting.  The chemistry between Cara and Jonathan is great and I loved watching their romance develop through the novel.  (Just a note to my YA followers- this book is not YA, it has a few sex scenes.)

Four stars!  Minus one star for the redundant start and lack of character development, but other than that I thought this was a really good read.  The ending was something!  I don't want to ruin it, but let me just say I didn't know a vampire could do that!  Ha, now I've got you interested.  If you like paranormal books, you're definitely going to want to give this a read.  And lucky for you, I'm giving a copy of the book away!

Fill out this really easy FORM for a 

chance to win a copy of Blood Drive by Traci Houston.

You must be a follower to win.  US only.  Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST 10/27.

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Saving June

Saving June
Hannah Harrington
330 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: NetGalley
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

When Harper discovers her older sister June's body after her suicide she's confused and hurt.  She's fed up with the way people are treating her and she's disgusted that her divorced parents are splitting up the ashes.  Then, after finding a postcard for California in June's desk, she steals the ashes and sets off on a road trip with her best friend and June's friend, Jake, to scatter the ashes there.

This book was so powerful and there were so many things to like about.  First of all, it's very realistic.  The emotions all three of the main characters feel on their road trip is realistic, as is their dialogue- they sound like real teenagers.  The book deals with a heavy topic, but it also has humorous moments that made me giggle out loud.  And of course there was the developing relationship between Harper and Jake to like.  They had a real sexual tension that definitely kept me clicking through the pages late last night.

Harper, Jake, and Laney take several detours during their trip, which really added to the plot.  They stopped at everything from "Fridgehenge" (it's exactly what you think it is) to an anti-war protest, to a hardcore concert complete with mosh pit.

Music played a huge rule in this book, which I liked since so many teenagers look to music as a life source.  It was nice to see Jake not just like whatever was playing on the radio, he had a very definitive kind of music he liked and related to.  When I was in high school I knew a guy just like that.  There are even some "soundtracks" listed at the end of the book so you can look it up for yourself, which I thought was great.

If you're into realistic, contemporary YA then this is definitely a book for you.  I highly recommend it, it was raw and real.  Saving June comes out November 22nd, so add it to your holiday wish list or pre-order it today.