Reached

I got Reached at the library to finish up the Ally Condie series. It follows Cassia and her friends as the Rising rebellion begins.

This was my least favorite in the series. It was a little slower of a read, and the conclusion seemed to drag on. It was also a little unnecessarily sophisticated at times (like describing medical things in a complicated way). I also was not happy with how the book ended. But, of course I wanted to finish the series, and I liked how things came together plot-wise. There were some clever twists and turns and fun surprises, so it was still a fun read.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

Crossed

I picked up Crossed by Ally Condie (book 2 in the Matched trilogy) at the library and finished it in a day and a half. It continues Cassia's story, but this time, the book also follows Ky's point of view. As they both travel through the outer provinces, they search for each other and try to find out more about the Rising, the organization of rebels.

This was another super addicting book. I just had to keep reading constantly to figure out what happened. Again, though, I didn't 100% love it. It might have been the believability thing again--I often was interrupted in my reading by my own questions about whether it would have happened that way. I also think this book just had a lot of sad, negative things happening. There wasn't enough happiness to help me really love the book. But it was still a good book that I enjoyed reading. The plot and details about the Society and how it works are very engaging. And of course I already have book 3 from the library and will probably be finished very soon.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Matched

I have heard people recommend Matched by Ally Condie, and so when I saw it on a friend's bookshelf, I asked to borrow it. It follows Cassia, a 17-year-old in a dystopian society (comparable to those in Hunger Games, The Giver, and other such books). When there is an error in her "match" (who she is statistically best matched to marry), Cassia starts to question lots of different things relating to her society and its Officials and decides that she won't go down gently.

This was a really good book. It was very addicting, so I finished it in like 2 days because I just kept wanting to read to find out what happened. I liked the storyline, and I am excited for the sequel, especially because the book didn't really leave me hanging but just left me interested. I wasn't completely convinced by the book, though, in that I couldn't really understand Cassia's sudden obsession with Ky. (I won't elaborate on this since I don't want to give anything away if you want to read the book.) But, it was still a really great, engaging book.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Help

A few months ago, a lady in my old book club was moving and getting rid of lots of stuff--the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett was among the things I took. I saw it on my bookshelf this week when looking for something new to read and started it. Two days later, I was finished. The Help is a novel about three women in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi--a young, white woman and two black maids--who come together on a brave and risky project.

Why have I never read The Help before now? This was a really amazing book. It was beautifully written, and the characters were distinct and interesting and real. It was a very inspiring book and gave me a glimpse of what life was like in a southern town leading up to the Civil Rights movement. The book kept me so engaged that it was hard to put it down (even when I should've...like when Emmeline woke up from her nap or when I should've been sleeping last night), and I thought about it all the time. It just kept a few elements of mystery in the story that I wanted to keep reading to figure out. This was a wonderful and beautiful book that helped me better understand the time period and glimpse the good and bad in the 1960s lives of black domestic help--who I consider to be really inspiring people.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Gathering Blue

Connor and I continued on our reading of The Giver series by reading book 2--Gathering Blue, also by Lois Lowry. This book does not follow the characters or world from The Giver (but subtly refers to Jonas toward the end). Gathering Blue is about Kira, a girl who was born with a deformed leg.  When Kira's mom dies, others in the village want Kira thrown out to the beasts since she can't contribute much.  But, the Council of Elders instead takes her in to use her gifts with threads to repair the Singer's robe.  Kira's new life is luxurious, but she soon learns more about the village where she lives and begins to wonder if she is really free.

This was another really good book.  I wanted to read it more often and more quickly, but reading together doesn't really allow for that.  :)  The characters were so easy to get to know because they were distinct and well described.  I loved all the side characters (Kira's friends) and was anxious to see how things would turn out in the story.  Some questions were left unanswered, but I think the series is going to tie things together in book 4.  Can't wait!

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Imperfect: An Improbable Life

I saw Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott and Tim Brown recommended in the Washington Post one time and added it to my to-read list. It is a memoir about Jim Abbott, a baseball player (pitcher) who was an Olympic gold medalist and also threw a no-hitter as a Yankee. And, he was born with no right hand. The book tells his life story from childhood until his retirement from baseball--following the highs and lows.

This was a really good book! I was almost surprised that I ended up reading it all the way through because before I started, I thought I might get bored with it. (I was wrong.) It was interesting and inspiring. I had a decent level of baseball knowledge before reading it, but I learned more (but was also still confused by lots of the details sometimes). It was just really neat to hear about this guy's accomplishments and how he didn't let his disability define him.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Selection

My friend Katherine recommended The Selection by Kiera Cass to me. It is about America, a teenager who is a Five in the caste system--meaning she has some food to eat (not as bad as the Eights), but her family never has leftovers. When the time comes for the prince to get a wife, America's family wants America to apply for the Selection--because if she is in the running, their family gets some extra money. When America surprisingly makes it as part of the Selection, she leaves behind her family and boyfriend in a competition for something she doesn't even want--or so she thinks.

This was a super engaging book. I read it super fast (although that could also be because we are an empty house with no Internet and so my time-wasting Internet time was instead spent reading). From the very beginning, I was pretty hooked into the story. It reminded me of several other books I read and enjoyed--just had parts of lots of good books (Hunger Games, Princess Academy, Uglies, etc.). Even though the book was sometimes a little cheesy or sometimes had a tell-rather-than-show explanation, I thought it was a fun story and a cute chick flick. The characters were great, and the story stayed in my mind after finishing it.  Unfortunately, it is Book One in a series, which I didn't realize until the end when I could tell the book was not going to be able to conclude in the few pages I had left. Bummer! I wanted to see what would happen, but I guess I will have to wait until book two.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)