In My Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.  The books you share do not have to be ones you actually received in the mail.  They can be ones you bought at the book store, checked out at the library, or downloaded to your e-reader.  The idea is just to share what's on your TBR pile for the upcoming week.

For Review:

My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond

Won:

signed copy of Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann from Reading Lark

Free E-books:
 
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Library Loot:

Audiobook:
 
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Picture books:
 
Say Hello to Zorro! by Carter Goodrich


Pirates Don't Take Baths by John Segal


The Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi and Krysten Brooker
These Hands by Margaret H. Mason, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Audiobook Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

From Goodreads:

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

I acquired an advanced reader copy of Delirium through Netgalley back in December. When I read the book a few months ago, I didn't feel like I could write a review that would do it justice. Then a few weeks ago, someone at Harper Audio offered me the chance to listen to the audiobook.  It was then that I knew this was the time to start attempting to put my thoughts about this book into a cohesive message. 

The HarperCollins Children's Audio website plugs this book as "Romeo and Juliet meets 1984." What a perfect description of this story in only five words.  Lauren Oliver's latest book definitely shows large glimpses of George Orwell's classic dystopia.  Clearly Oliver was familiar with Orwell's famous work before writing Delirium as evidenced by this saying from the book:

Liberty in acceptance
Peace in enclosure
Happiness in renunciation

which mimics Orwell's famous motto from 1984:
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength.

Since the popularity of The Hunger Games, the dystopian genre has been so over-saturated that, at first glance, this book might just get dismissed as just another author trying to cash in on a trend. However, what sustains this book and sets it apart from all the other dystopian novels is in the beauty of Oliver's simple, no-nonsense prose.  And yet, despite its simplicity, it is also lyrical and poetic. Even further to Oliver's credit is her ability to subtly  weave a developing and evolving protagonist through a suspenseful, page-turning plot.  Lena's character begins the novel having accepted the previously stated Orwell-esque mantra. However, as the story progresses, you slowly but surely see that lie begin to unravel as everything she thought she once believed comes crashing down around her. 

In regards to the audio presentation, Sarah Drew did a phenomenal job at interpreting this story.  Her emotions were perfectly on point and they were so believable that I almost felt like SHE was feeling those emotions as she was reading the story.  When Lena cried, I could almost see the tears running down the narrator's face.   I highly recommend the audiobook if you're a fan of listening to books, but, like me, get frustrated with indifferent, apathetic, or just plain ill-suited narrators.

Without revealing any spoilers, I will say that upon first reading, I was perplexed, almost angered by the ending.  But the second time around, I understood why the book had to end the way it did.  I would love to say more, but I don't want to give anything away.  All I can say is that if you're a fan of dystopia and you haven't read this book yet... what are you waiting for?


Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Audiobook Narrator: Sarah Drew
Published: February 2011 by Harper Teen and HarperCollins Children's Audio
Pages: 441
Audiobook Length: 11 hours, 41 minutes
Genre: Dystopia
Audience: Young Adult

Pug Hill by Alison Pace

From Goodreads:

For Hope McNeill, pugs are love, unconditional friendship, happiness, and freedom. She doesn't have one of her own (busy life, tiny apartment), but she does have Pug Hill in Central Park, where pugs (and their owners) from all over New York convene.

She also has a crush on one of her co-workers, a flailing romantic relationship, and an unspeakable fear of public speaking. Then Hope's father calls with an assignment: to make a speech at her parents' anniversary party. Frantic, she signs up for a public speaking class, but can't help wondering-will it transform her into an eloquent orator? Maybe some fears are so big that even all the pugs in the world might not be enough to assuage them.

Alison Pace has mastered her niche as an author: fun, lighthearted stories that include neurotic main characters who possess an endearing love for dogs. This is my second reading of Pug Hill and it is by far my favorite of Pace's novels because, well, like Hope, I understand that pugs are love and happiness. When Hope feels most hopeless, her go-to happy place is pug hill. The people in her life don't understand her obsession with it, and despite her incredibly neurotic, sometimes downright annoying, tendencies,  I completely get this facet of her personality. And even if you as the reader don't get that pugs are love, the way that Pace describes Hope's encounters with them, you can't help but understand why this is her happy place.When you read passages like this, you will be sure to plaster a smile on your face so big that your face will hurt:

"Eustice!" someone yells from a few feet to my right.  An extremely, let's say, girthy pug, in a gray turtleneck sweater, comes bounding up the hill.  His tongue hangs out to the side, the way so many tongues of so many pugs seem to like to do, and he's panting very loudly; I can hear the panting, accompanied by some intermittent snorting even before he gets close, even before he heads in a beeline right past his owner and right toward me.


"Well hello, Eustice," I say very encouragingly and very enthusiastically at his arrival. He looks up at me, and very politely hoists his tongue up and licks the foam from his pug nose. And the way he does it, everything about him, makes me smile so completely. I say next what makes most sense, "Thank you Eustice." With a jerking motion, he moves his whole body to the side throws back his head and turns around, and just like that, he's off. (165)

What Alison Pace did so perfectly, in just a few short paragraphs, was describe the mannerisms of a pug in such a way that you almost feel like you're in the presence of one - or even better, that you want to get one for yourself. And despite whether you think they're the most adorable dog or the most hideous dog, you can't help but smile when there are pugs around.

As a pug lover, the title and overwhelming cuteness of the cover is what initially drew me to the book, but Pace's fun, jaunty writing style is what kept me reading, and what inevitably drew me to some of her other books. 

I'm not going to lie. This book is total chick lit. There will undoubtedly be people who read this book and feel frustrated at how neurotic and self-centered the main character is. Not to mention how neatly the book ends.  And I would normally be one of those critics.  I'm one who likes books to end neatly, but not so neatly that it feels contrived.  In the hands of a less dexterous author, the ending would have felt contrived. But with Pace's deft writing style and commitment to seeing the growth of her protagonist, this story works and just makes you feel good all over. A highly recommended title for anyone who needs to be jolted out of a funk from reading books full of grave, heavy-handed prose.

And, better still, if you loved the first installment of Pug Hill, Pace has written a sequel set to be released on June 7th called A Pug's Tale.
 
And coming soon, Alison Pace will be joining me here on the blog for an interview to talk about her new novel. 

Pug Hill by Alison Pace
Published: May 2006 by Berkley Trade
Pages: 312
Genre: Realistic fiction/chick lit
Audience: Adults (pug lovers!)

Waiting on Wednesday: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is meant to showcase upcoming books that you can't wait to read.

My anxiously awaited title this week is:

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Expected Publication: October 18, 2011 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 304
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult

From Goodreads:

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. Two weeks before the most important violin competition of her career, she has bigger things to worry about—like growing out of that suffocating “child prodigy” label, and not disappointing her mother. But it isn’t just the wrong time. It’s the wrong guy. Jeremy is Carmen’s most talented rival, and according to her mother, he’s only interested in one thing: winning.

He isn’t the only one.

Carmen is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to control performance nerves. But what started a year ago as an easy fix is now a hungry addiction. Her mother insists now is not the time to quit, but Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of doing what she’s told.

When the darker side of the classical music industry and her mother's ambition collide, Carmen must choose between her career and her love for music.

I have a huge affinity for stories about musicians. I played classical piano for 13 years and even planned to go to school for it when I got to college. But the reality set in - college music programs are ridiculously competitive (even at easy-to-get-in schools like the university I went to) with professors so intent on perfection and precision that it sucked the life out of any sort of love or passion I had for music. So I get stories about high-strung, competitive musicians. Even though I wasn't one, I certainly encountered some in my semester and a half as a university music student. 

I definitely have a vested interested in reading this story.  

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Should Be Movies

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is:

Top Ten Books That Should Be Movies:

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Apparently my prediction that this book would become a movie within 5 years of publication came true because I just found out yesterday that it's set to come out some time this year! Yay!  I'm so happy about this! I can't tell you how much I adored the story and the characters in this book!

2. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
This would be such a perfect romantic comedy for Disney to produce. Something an Amy Adams type actress would be perfect for.

3. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Let's ride this dystopian wave. Wither was such a thought-provoking read, I think it would be amazing on the big screen (especially the whole love triangle thing that audiences seem to clamor for).

4. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
I have been putting this book on every list lately, but I just can't get enough of it! I can picture this being the next great animated blockbuster. And Bahni Turpin (the narrator on the audio book) HAS to do J. Lo's voice! (for those of you who haven't read the book, that's J. Lo the alien, not Jennifer Lopez).

5. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
I think movie-goers need a good sci-fi mystery.  What do you think?

6. Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
A family adopts a chimpanzee and raises him as their own child to see if chimps can acquire language.  There are tons of questions about ethics in this novel, along with Kenneth Oppel's amazing story telling ability. I read on Kenneth Oppel's Facebook page that this book has been optioned for a movie.  I really hope it becomes a movie!

7. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Who wouldn't adore watching two hours of Etienne St. Clair on the big screen, in the perfectly romantic setting of Paris? If this doesn't become a movie someday there is no justice!

8. The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian
An elderly husband and wife, one dying of cancer, the other wasting away from Alzheimer's set out on one final roadtrip together along Route 66.  If done properly, with the right actors, this could be an award-winning film.

9. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
Not only was this book the perfect summer read, but it would be the perfect summer movie.  Filled with travel, teen angst, and young love.

10. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
I picked this book just because I want to see how perfectly ridiculous this movie would look on screen.  I think it would look like one giant acid trip.  I could totally picture Kevin Smith running with this story and making something purely genius from all the madness.


Wow!  I had a hard time choosing just ten.  I probably could have done a list of at least 25!

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

Brooke and Kathryn used to be best friends, but now they're bitter rivals. Brooke is the all-powerful queen bee from a well-to-do family,  while Kathryn is the studious, hard-working wallflower from a more blue collar family. Both girls are star singers in the honors choir at their high school and often compete against each other for parts. But soon they will be competing against each other for something even bigger: a $25,000 prize at the prestigious Blackmore vocal competition. 

This novel is told in first-person point-of-view, alternating between Brooke and Kathryn. We start off the narrative during their senior year, with these two ladies already hating each other. The reader is left to puzzle the pieces together to figure out why they hate each other so intensely. While the novel ping-pongs back and forth between Brooke and Katrhyn as narrators, it also sections back and forth between junior and senior year so we can start to see the unraveling of their friendship and how they came to the point of contention. I especially loved that each section was met with a musical term that related to what was going to happen in that section such as dissonance, capriccioso, crescendo, etc. I thought that was a wonderful way to foreshadow for the reader what was coming up. 

I thought Rival was a perfectly addicting debut novel  with just the right amount of character development and plot excitement. I also enjoyed the "protagonist is also antagonist" approach Wealer took with the plot. As I continued to read, my opinion of each girl changed depending on who narrated.  I couldn't decide whose side I was on more: Brooke's or Kathryn's, which I'm sure is exactly how Wealer designed the novel. I loved that the prose read with such ease and facility, and kept you turning page and after page, convincing yourself, "Just one more chapter, then I'll go wash the dishes." This was especially true as you get to the part of the book where you finally figure out why Brooke hates Kathryn so intensely.

Lovers of classical music/opera will devour this book, along with those who eat up stories of catty girls. Though, I have to warn you, this book delves much deeper into the cattiness than just your normal fluff read.While this is Sara Bennett Wealer's first novel, I certainly hope it will not be her last!

Cover Comments: I like the striking red flower in the foreground with the piano keys behind it, but I almost wish the piano were a more prominent part of the cover. You almost have to be looking for the piano keys to know that's what they are - or be like me who played the piano for 13 years and can spot piano keys from a mile away. 

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
Published: February 2011 by Harper Teen
Pages: 327
Genre: Realistic fiction
Audience: Young Adult

In My Mailbox (24)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.  The books you share do not have to be ones you actually received in the mail.  They can be ones you bought at the book store, checked out at the library, or downloaded to your e-reader.  The idea is just to share what's on your TBR pile for the upcoming week.

I got a great haul of books this week at my library's used book store. Most of them are for my classroom library, but some of them are just for me. 

Claiming Georgia Tate by Gigi Amateau
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Pandora Gets Jealous by Carolyn Hennesy
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Ranger's Apprentice 1: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
Remnants 1: The Mayflower Project by K.A. Applegate
Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

This set of books from the used bookstore deserves its own picture:
 
How lucky am I that I scored the last four books of the Harry Potter series in one trip to the used book store?  And even better is that I already have the first three.  I just needed the last four. It's like they were waiting for me.


E-book purchase:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This e-book is a GREAT deal right now at only $5!  I saw it on B&N and had to snag it for my classroom set of Nooks since I have a really hard time keeping this book on my bookshelf.  Now I can have at least 5 kids reading it at once. 

Library Loot:
 
Decoded by Jay-Z

 
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (audio book)

 
The Loud Book! by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwska
The Quiet Book was one of the best picture books of 2010.  I'm looking forward to reading this follow up!


Press Here by Herve Tullet

What did you get in your mailbox this week?