Insurgent

Source: deviantart.com
Note: This is not the book's cover

Having just finished Divergent (comparable to the Hunger Games), I read Insurgent as soon as I could get my hands on a copy. And once I had it, I read it in two days - that is alongside working, my kids, previously scheduled activities, and some sleep! Otherwise, it would've been done in a day easy. I really enjoyed Divergent, so I felt compelled to see what happened next!

Following the theme of dystopian trilogies, Insurgent plays the role a second novel usually does: development of the characters and the push of revolution that the first novel established as needed. In the Hunger Games trilogy, we see the second novel, Catching Fire, as the way in which rebels push their revolution into action. Insurgent spends the entire story on the revolution that began at the end of Divergent. Of course, with a third book in the series, it doesn't end with all the loose ends tied up. There's still the idea of "what now?" So, the revolution is far from over.

It is hard to discuss a book where most actions are important pieces to the story without spoiling something somewhere. But assuming you've read Divergent, I can say that Insurgent calls into question the relationships of which Divergent made the reader seem so sure. Uncertainty reigns in whom a person can trust and the mystery of some important information that only a few know and yet seems worth killing half the community over.

Insurgent is a whirlwind of uncertainty that ends with a shocking revelation about the existence of the five faction society and the purpose for which none of them realize they are to live.

Are you a fan of dystopian lit or does it all sound the same to you?

Divergent

Source: xxtayce.deviantart.com
Note: This is not the book's cover

I finally read Divergent, by Veronica Roth. I've always intended to, but wanted to wait until the whole series was published. Plus, the movie comes out in March and you better believe I'm going to read the book before I see the movie! At this point, I'm thinking Divergent's premise is pretty well known...read here for Amazon's summary if you need a refresher. Or, you can hop on over to Book-alicious Mama to check out her Divergent read-a-long discussions! Chapters 1-12 and Chapters 13-25. End of the book discussion at Book-alicious Mama will post later this week.

Knowing Divergent was dystopian lit made it easy for the parallels to the Hunger Games to snag my attention. Expected because they are both dystopian novels, but still very cool to notice. Both books are post apocalyptic and, as a result, society has divided itself into groups. The Hunger Games has 12 districts divided by the materials they produce; Divergent has five factions, divided by virtues. Each society is governed by one of the groups and the books focus on the remaining groups revolting.

In both books, the main character/heroine is a strong, independent girl who doesn't know she is strong nor does she feel independent. Simply wanting to eke out an existence of their own and nothing more, it is only through the eyes of others that Katniss (Hunger Games) and Tris (Divergent) realize they are truly strong and brave despite how they feel. Both girls unintentionally become the face of justice/rebellion in their societies, righting the numerous wrongs against humanity.

Oh, and romance. Both heroines have romantic interests throughout their journeys. Like Collins did in the Hunger Games, I think Roth handles the romantic aspect of Divergent well. It's not too much nor too little.

One difference did stand out. In the Hunger Games, the major occurrences of death in the main characters were mostly in the revolution of the last book of the trilogy, Mockingjay. I can't speak for the other two books of the Divergent series yet, but Divergent itself (the first book) has a number of important characters die. The likeness between the last Hunger Games and first Divergent's death of characters is that both contain a revolution. The Hunger Games trilogy ended with a revolution from the good guys, while Divergent's trilogy begins with a revolution from the bad guys. I am very interested to see where this revolution from the start could possibly go!

Since I loved the Hunger Games, it is safe to say I love Divergent. I would even venture to say I like Divergent more so far. The characters and setting seem a little deeper to me. And Roth has quite a few quotable lines as well.

Have you read Divergent? Are you going to see the movie?

Begin the Week with Words

Two for one deal this week! The two quotes below were from the same scene in the book and seemed like they should stay together for Sunday Sentence!

"Sorry, am I being rude?" she asks. "I'm used to saying what's on my mind. Mom used to say that politeness is deception in pretty packaging." 

AND

"Those who seek peace above all else, they say, will always deceive to keep the water calm." 

Divergent, Veronica Roth

Wake, in More Ways Than One

Source: NetGalley.com

Wake, by Anna Hope
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: February 11, 2014
Category: Fiction
Source: I received a free e-galley from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Wake: 
1) Emerge or cause to emerge from sleep. 
2) Ritual for the dead. 
3) Consequence or aftermath.

So reads the opening page to Wake, by Anna Hope. The book lives up to its title on all three counts. The story takes place over five days in London, November 7 - 11, 1920, with a few flashes of events in France. An unknown soldier's grave is dug up in France and the remains are sent to America to be buried as the "the Unknown Warrior" in remembrance of all of the MIA/unidentified soldiers from WWI and Armistice Day two years before. It is against this background, the five days of preparation for the burial, that the rest of the story takes place.

Hettie is nineteen and working as a dance instructress in order to support her mother and shell shocked brother. One night she meets a wealthy man who seems to hold promise for her future, until she finds the war's consequences have no limit on who or what they impact.

For Evelyn, working for the Pensions Exchange means daily reminders of the broken men and, by extension, families the war has left in its wake...as if she needs the reminder. Evelyn's life, personally impacted by the war, goes by a day at a time without much thought to actual living.

Ada is living the nightmare of every mother - the loss of her child. Not even sure that her son is really dead, Ada lives in a dream state, ignoring her husband and often lapsing into memories. Until one day a stranger comes by and reignites Ada's search for her son.

We watch these three women pass through life in the wake of a war that has forever changed their lives in ways they cannot seem to overcome. As with the last book I reviewed, Paris, Rue des Martyrs, Anna Hope's Wake is a "six degrees of separation" book, by which I mean, the author takes multiple characters' stories and unites them at various points, even though the characters don't always realize it. Also, the main and secondary characters experience the various definitions of wake, as listed on the first page (and above), making the title truly perfect for every happening in the book.

My only beef with the book really is the ending. You pretty much know what is going to happen with the remaining character and yet the book ends in an annoying fashion...won't say it straight out for anyone who hates too much detail being given away. I was still able to enjoy the story despite the ending, but still, totally unnecessary way in which to end the book, I think. (Unless there's a sequel coming, but I didn't get that vibe.)

What are your favorite or hated plot points or tricks an author uses?

Paris, Rue des Martyrs

Paris, Rue des Martyrs, by Adria J. Cimino
Publisher: Agency Editions
Publication Date: February 10, 2014
Categories: Fiction
Source: I received this ebook from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Also, see Author Website, where you will find links to other blogs for a cover reveal, author guest post, author spotlight, more reviews, and an upcoming author interview and book tour.

I recently had the opportunity to read Paris, Rue des Martyrs by Adria Cimino. Any book with a setting in Paris sets certain expectations by nature. Romance, the Eiffel Tower, berets, long loaves of crisp French bread...okay, okay, all very stereotypical. And not what you will find in the pages of Paris, Rue des Martyrs. True, the title of this book is an actual street set in an actual neighborhood in Paris, but the story is not a mini tourist attraction, so to speak. You can read more about the author's intentions for the setting here, but the story stands on its own, regardless of the stereotyped expectations of the setting.

Amazon's short summary starts: "Four strangers in Paris. Each one is on a quest: to uncover a family secret, to grasp a new chance at love, to repair mistakes of the past. Four stories entwine, four quests become one, as their paths cross amid the beauty, squalor, animation and desolation of a street in Paris, the Rue des Martyrs." One of my favorite plot points in a story is seemingly unconnected characters whose paths cross. It puts me on the edge of my seat to see how the author can possibly bring all of these people together.

Raphael is on the search for answers to questions that haven't been asked yet, revealing secrets he didn't know he had been sent to find, his parents' sudden death the catalyst.

Cecile, housewife and mother, can remember a time when life was exciting and she was part of it. Now she finds herself with the temptation and opportunity to claim that life once again.

Andre, after suffering an accident, finds his acting career waning. Loss of work reveals gaps in his life he never thought were important...gaps like the son he abandoned years ago.

Mira runs from betrayed love, only to find herself in Paris, running toward love. But not without a few complications.

With most stories, the cool part is the main characters themselves. In Paris, Rue des Martyrs, the secondary characters the reader meets through these main four are what makes the story. The host of secondary characters that entwine the main characters and tie the storylines together as well was my favorite part.

Guest Post: 5 Tricks to Remember What You Read

Hello Fellow Readers! Today we have a guest post from Brenda at the Daily Mayo. As a book lover, she has some ideas about how to better remember what you read while you read it! Take it away Brenda.

If you’re reading this blog, you probably love books- a lot. So do I! I probably read nearly 100 books a year for my blog, Daily Mayo (and just for fun). Reading so many books and remembering what each one is all about can be a challenge. Today, I’m sharing 5 tips that I use to keep track of what I read- whether it is fiction, non-fiction, textbooks, or whatever!

Read in a Quiet Place

This is the most important tip for remembering what you read. If you are distracted by other people, sounds, and activities, then you will not be able to give your reading the full attention that you need to really absorb the information. You may be able to get away with this when reading just for fun, but for school reading or something you really want to remember- you will have a much easier time if you read in a quiet place.

Always Read First and Last (And Dialogue)

When I was in high school, I took a speed reading course. One of the main tips the teacher stated was that the most important information in a paragraph is usually contained in the first and last sentence. The same thing is true for fiction as well. Usually the first chapters and the last chapters contain a lot of the information you need to get the gist of the story. In a story, the dialogue often contains the important plot elements that move the story along.

If you pay more attention to these parts of the story, you are more likely to remember what is going on.

Summarize

It helps to remember what you read if you can summarize the chapter. Imagine that you are going to be quizzed about the book, or that you have to teach someone what you just read without looking at the book. This will help you look for key points that you can use later to remember what the book was about.

Write Down Important Points

This is something I always do for book reviews. If there was a passage in the book that I particularly liked, I write it down; or if there are any important plot points that I want to be sure and remember.

For textbooks the same rules apply. Of course, they usually help you by bolding information that will be on a test!

Read it Out Loud

If you are an auditory learner (and sometimes even if you aren’t), reading something out loud makes it easier to remember what you read. You may feel a little silly doing it, but hearing something often helps it stick firmly in your brain. I find reading out loud particularly helpful when I am tired.

Those are the tips that I use to keep track of what I read. And as Marcel Proust would say, “remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were,” so don’t forget that!

What tricks do you use for remembering what you read?

Bio: My name is Brenda and I am a bookaholic. I devote most of my free time to reading books, reviewing books, talking about books, and thinking about books! Follow along in my reading adventures on Daily Mayo, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+! 

Begin the Week with Words

All the context you need is with this one.

"...all she could hear was tango music, which she hated for its reminder of the days when she was free. When she was 18. When she went to clubs and danced the tango with a different man every night. Before she became this woman who witnessed life rather than experienced it." Paris, Rue des Martyrs by Adria J. Cimino (emphasis mine)

Isn't that he truth? Sometimes we feel like we are watching life go by instead of actually participating. I will be posting a review of this book Wednesday!