Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! We did some trick or treating last night because it is suppose to rain tonight. It was fun although my little girl was a bit confused. Free candy, who knew? But my son knows what's up and showed her the ropes. My husband carved pumpkins yesterday and each one matches a kid's costume. He did an excellent job! I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

Ninja and Cinderella pumpkins

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Divergent #3)

Now that the message is out that the Divergent are meant to go out and save the rest of the world, Tris' city is in turmoil. Evelyn has effectively replaced the factions with her own dictatorship and it does not sit well with many of the citizens. So when a revolutionary group called the Allegiant want to explore the world outside of the fence, Tris and Four agreed to go as well. What they discover changes how they view their city, the world, and even their own selves.

I haven't read any other reviews of this book but I do know from some Twitter comments that it was not well received by some readers. And I can see why. It's just like Mockingjay. Some people will like it and some won't. I fall into the liking category. I think it ended in the right place. Is it the place that I wanted to see? No. Was it appropriate? Yes. We can talk more about that in the spoiler section.

Mild Spoilers
It seems so appropriate the world they find outside is just as damaged but willing to blame it on genetics and unwilling to admit to human nature. I don't even know if they were capable of realizing that people are the way they are and that there is a lot more than just genes that account for behavior. There's a lot of moral behavior explored with the Bureau between how they treat the "genetically damaged" and their ruthlessness in trying to make the experiments behave, so to speak. It was almost more of the same between the city and the Bureau. It's not surprising at how society rearranged itself into the have and the have-nots. It's interesting that they did it  along a genetic line though.


SPOILERS (highlight)
*So Tris dying. I wasn't surprised though I did have a few moments of waiting for her to be saved at the last minute but really it seemed right. I think I went in thinking that Four was going to die and so when it was Tris instead, it was like of course. It had to be one of them. The things they have survived and seen and done, I just didn't see one of them surviving the series. I was sad that it was Tris but then it explains the use of alternating voices. I can see how people would be upset. They wanted a happy ending for Tris and Four. I did too. But life does not always come with a happy ending and the author probably wanted to tell the story that felt right to her and not one to just please an audience. 

I was a bit disappointed at the seemingly simplistic way the experiments were dissolved and the society began to fix itself. It seems like it would be harder and maybe it was but that all was glossed over pretty quickly. It's probably a whole other series anyway. *

I realized that I hadn't reviewed the first two books but then I read them on maternity leave while I was on hiatus. I might have to do a reread one day.

Weekly Round-Up 10/28

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen and listening to Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers, read by Angela Goethals. With my son I'm reading Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Ramage by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith.

I finished Allegiant by Veronica Roth over the weekend so look for that review coming soon.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Divergent #3)

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Weekly Round-Up 10/21

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen and listening to Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers, read by Angela Goethals. With my son I'm reading Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Ramage by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith.

Weekly Round-Up 10/14

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen and listening to Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers, read by Angela Goethals. With my son I'm reading Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Ramage by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith.

Last week I reviewed Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers. 

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers, read by Angela Goethals

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (audio)

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

I didn't realize this was a historical novel set in 15th century Brittany, a place I didn't know a lot about so I learned something new. Isamae is an interesting character. Very much abusive by her "father" and eventually sold off into marriage by him to what would have been an abusive husband, she is rescued from that situation and brought to the convent of St. Mortain as the saint is her true father. There she learns about all the ways to kill a person and becomes an expert at poisons. Finally she is sent out on her first mission to kill a traitor of Brittany, someone who is marked by Mortain. In the course of her mission, she meets Duval, the bastad son of the former Duke of Brittany though she doesn't realize it at first. Isamae and Duval do not like or trust each other at first and so it's nice to see their relationship grow in an organic manner.

There is a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering in this book as befits this time period. And learning more about court life and assassins is always interesting. While the romance part was nice, it is the court life that makes this book so interesting. And the character growth in Isamae is refreshing.

Provided by SYNC

Erin Moon is the narrator and I enjoyed her reading. Her French pronunciations are excellent and she moved the story along just fine.

14 hours, 15 minutes

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor is the new girl. Unfortunately she looks different with her big red hair and her eclectic clothes.  So naturally the bus is a minefield for her. Fortunately Park offers her a seat but in the most begrudgingly way possible. The two strike up a friendship through the comics that Park loves, a friendship that quickly becomes something more. But Eleanor's home life is far from ideal and she finds that falling for Park is both the best and worst thing she's ever done.

If Eleanor tried to kiss Park, it would be like a real-life version of some little girl making her Barbie kiss Ken. Just smashing their faces together.   p.164

A co-worker lent me this book and I am so happy she did. This is one of those books where you finish it and you are not sure how you lived without it. I'm not sure how to describe it really. It was just beautiful. John Green said in his review of the book that "'Eleanor & Park' reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book." I have to agree with that.

Eleanor and Park fall in love sure. And he can never really understand what she is going through with her abusive stepfather and poverty and her mother who has half-abandoned her. Eleanor lives in both a state of fear and acceptance, that if she wants to stay with her mother and her siblings then she has to deal with having almost nothing and with having a stepfather who could go off at any second.  But Park has the mother and father who love each other who would give him whatever he needed and support him. So there's not much in their family lives to bring them together. But they find love through comic books and music and just being together. It's pretty beautiful.  The whole book is just amazing.

Weekly Round-Up 10/7

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen and listening to Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, read by Erin Moon. With my son I'm reading Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Ramage by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith.

I read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell last week so look for that review soon. Short version: AMAZING!

Last week I reviewed Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith.

Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Ramage by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith
In this second novel of the Nick and Tesla series, the precocious brother-and-sister duo find themselves solving another baffling mystery.  As the story opens, their Uncle Newt takes a consulting gig at a cut-rate amusement park, engineering animatronic figures for a cheap Hall of Presidentsknockoff.  One perk of the job is that Nick and Tesla have unlimited access to the amusement park all summer long—but the kids quickly discover that one of the park employees has a sinister plan.  They’ll have to build a few robots of their own to foil him! Readers are invited to join in the fun as each story contains instructions and blueprints for five different projects. Learning about science has never been so dangerous—or so much fun!

Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

Nick and Tesla are 11 year old twins who are sent to live with their mad scientist uncle while their parents are off to Uzbekistan for their own research. The twins love science and are excited to share their uncle's lab. But when Tesla's pendant that their parents gave to her is lost, she and her brother stumble onto a mysterious house with some shady characters living in it. Not to mention the girl in the window. Can some quick thinking and science solve this mystery?

Quirk Books sent this one for review and I thought it would be a fun book to read with my 6 year old son. We have just got into chapter books and I was looking for one to engage him with. This turned out to be a good choice. He really liked it and asked to read the science book at night. Some of the chapters are longer so I would break them into two parts but mostly we read a chapter a night. This might be one of the longer books we've read together. He is really excited to read the second book which Quirk Books also sent to me for review.

We both enjoyed the story and I like how the science and inventions really helped them out. The twins are as clever as their names and they were good characters. Plus it is a mystery which I always like. My son liked the dogs, Jaws and Claws, for some reason. He thought they were hilarious. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to try out a few of the inventions. Because that is another cool thing. The plans and instructions for the things Nick and Tesla invent are included in the book. And it is nothing too complicated and something that would be fun for a kid and parent to do together.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Rachel Chu is absolutely in love with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young. So when he invites her along to his best friend's wedding and then to spend the summer in Singapore, she agrees. But he does not to prepare her for the society she is going to  meet. Because Nicholas' family is not only rich, they are crazy rich. And they are also just plain crazy.

I really only picked up this book because one of my favorite gossip sites,  Lainey Gossip, was so enthusiastic about it. It seemed like a fun read and she was pretty adamant that it was a great summer read. Obviously I didn't get to it in time for that, but it was fun autumn read as well. It's hard to imagine that people actually live like the characters in this book but according to her and other reviews, it's pretty accurate on that front. The sheer amount of money they have is overwhelming. But it's also proof that money cannot buy class, taste, or sympathy.

I felt bad for Rachel. I realize that Nicholas has been conditioned since birth not to talk about his family's money but he honestly could have prepared in some way. Just mentioned that they are very influential or something. Though the book did work hard to point out that Nicholas was pretty oblivious to that kind of thing. It's easy to ignore money if you have it. Poor Rachel was just so unprepared for these people. The way they even talk about money is astounding. Throwing millions around like chump change. Americans are generally not accustomed to such displays. But it was kind of fun to see how people live with that kind of money.

Overall this was a fun book. I enjoyed it. It is definitely a beach read kind of book. My only complaint was how rushed the ending felt. A whole lot was thrown at the main character very quickly and then it was basically resolved in a few chapters. Other than that, it was a super fun read.