2011 Reading Challenges- Update and Progress

For 2011, I challenged myself to seven reading challenges. Below I will list the challenge and my progress so far.

1. 50 Books in 2011- This challenge is complete as of September 2011! I managed to read 50 books. I'm not stopping yet, though. I am going to continue reading to see how many I can read.                                                                                                                                 
2. Debut Author Challenge (12)- This challenge is not complete. In fact, I haven't been keeping up with this one all that well. I know that I've read at least 2 debut novels possibly more.
3. To Be Read Challenge (4)- This challenge is complete. My four TBR books were: The Sweer Far Thing, Pretties, Uglies, and The Lightening Thief.
4. Classics Challenge (5)- This challenge is not complete. I have read one book and started one.
5. Shakespeare Challenge (6)- This challenge is not complete. I have read no books toward it.
6. Dystopian Challenge (15)- This challenge is almost complete. I have read 14 of the 15 books toward it. My reviews of them may be found by searching for the label Dystopian or 2011 Reading Challenge.
7. Sequel Challenge (6)- This challenge is complete. Toward it I read: The Uglies series (4), the Gemma Doyle Trilogy (2), the Percy Jackson series (5), The Hunger Games (3), Harry Potter (7).

Overall, I completed four of my seven challenges. With the end of the year closing in quickly and the increasing pressure of school and work I don't anticipate finishing the other challenges completely. 

Look out in the next few days for my post on the 2012 reading challenges. I don't think that I will be quite as ambitious in the number I join but I would like to try for 100 books in 2012.

The Book Nook

Divergent-Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication: 2011
Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.


Let me start my saying that I have been on such a dystopian kick this year! The majority of the novels that I have read for my 2011 challenges have been in the genre of dystopia. With that being said, this review is going to be a little different in terms of format compared to my other ones. One of the things that I really enjoyed about this novel, other than the amazing plot and characters, was the language. Everything that Roth wrote I wanted to have as a tattoo or put on my walls. Therefore, my review will consist of both my thoughts and some of my favorite quotes. Without further ado, my review of Divergent.

Divergent is both a novel and a work of art. Veronica Roth is able to create such beautiful and vivid imagery which is an ideal writing technique for dystopian because so much of the world is unimaginable for the twenty first century reader. Likewise, her imagery really sets the mood for the novel. Roth uses the environment and the character's surroundings as a vehicle for her message. I also really like the way that she built suspense especially through the use of one-liners. 

"My mother was dauntless." 

Roth really put an emphasis on building her world. I loved how caricatured the factions were because when they are that extreme it is easier to see their ideals and processes. Within that, I enjoy the use of the initiation as a vehicle for plot and character development. As the characters go through their initiation, we are learning about them. 

"I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that causes one person to stand up for another."

"Somewhere inside of me is a merciful girl who tries to understand what people are going through, who accepts that people do evil things...you coward."

What's more is that the novel really stresses the need for personal diversity and temperance. People are not one-sided! That is what is beautiful about our own society and what Tris is hoping to get out of hers.

"I feel like some one breathed new air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless. I am Divergent."

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Summary: Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out?



This book was the perfect hybrid of dystopia and mystery. There was just the right amount of suspense to keep me going. I literally had to keep reading because I needed to know what was going to happen. If you're looking for a page-turner, this is a novel I highly recommend. I've been on a dystopia kick this past year and of the many dystopia novels I've read, this one is definitely up there in terms of favorites. The plot is amazing and is always moving, the characters are versatile and fairly well devloped, and the setting is frickin' awesome. The characters and the Glade were definitely the best part of this book. Also, the mystery surrounding the whole plot keeps the book moving along nicely. I can't wait to read the sequel, The Scorch Trials, and the conclusion to the trilogy, The Death Cure, which is out next month. This is definitely one to pick up!

Thanks for reading!
Theresa
The Book Nook

The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

Title: The Bar Code Tattoo
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Summary:
Individuality vs. Conformity
Identity vs. Access
Freedom vs. Control
The bar code tattoo. Everybody's getting it. It will make your life easier, they say. It will hook you in. It will become your identity.
But what if you say no? What if you don't want to become a code? For Kayla, this one choice changes everything. She becomes an outcast in her high school. Dangerous things happen to her family. There's no option but to run...for her life.

I actually really enjoyed this book and the style in which it was written. It had a vague similarity to XVI by Julia Carr and my feelings for the two novels are alike. The premise was interesting but in some parts the execution feel thorugh. For me, the biggest issues I had were the idea of showing versus telling and last minute plot developments. Throughout the beginning hlad of the novel, Weyn relied more on telling us about the world she invented rather than slowly revealing it to us throughout. At times, this was distracting because I was more worried about what the slang words meant than the development of the plot. Weyn also throws in rather large plot points that should take the whole novel in a few paragraphs. Even with the fact that there's a sequel some of the points are too much for one novel. A little suspense could have taken the book farther.

This is a great dystopia novel for the younger half of the young adult reading group. There's not much violence, no bad language, and no thematic elements. It still has the dystopia themes but its packaged in a lighter form.

Thanks for reading!

Theresa
The Book Nool

Dystopian Challenge

Hello book lovers,

This is my official post stating that I am participating in the Dystopian Challenge hosted at Bookish Ardour. I am committing to the Contagion level, which is 15 books, but I have a feeling that I will eventually jump to the next level. My most anticipated read in Dystopian this year is Wither by Lauren DeStefano.


Keep checking back for reveiws!
Theresa
The Book Nook

XVI- Julia Karr

Title: XVI
Author: Julia Karr
Publisher: Speak
Synopsis: Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council–ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world–even the most predatory of men–that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina’s worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina’s mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past–one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

    In Nina's world, innocence expires at sixteen. After that, you receive a government issue tattoo, XVI on your wrist, that adverises to the world that you are legally able to consent to sex. The government commercializes the "sex-teens" in the media, making the concept out to be cool. Nina dreads her sixteenth birthday, especially after her mother reveals something very important to her before she dies. Nina must use all he strength to protext herself, her sister, and uncover her mother's murderer.
     Going into the book, I was apprehensive because I've read mixed reviews on the novel. They were certainly misplaced, however, because I really enjoyed this novel. I do see where some of the critique comes from. If you are thinking this novel is solely about the "sex-teens," you'll be disappointed. It is more of a murder mystery set within a dystopian society with the "sex-teen" being more of a sub-plot. With the misleading synopsis aside, I really enjoyed this novel. Julia Karr put a lot of thought into her setting and thought of a great deal of interesting aspects of her world. Also, the characters of Lena and Sal are intriguing. However, I think that Wei is my favorite character because she is the archetype of the rebel in this novel. The murder mystery really added to the story as a whole and was by far the driving action. The ending left the reader with quite a cliffhanger and set up the possibility of sequels. I'm really looking forward to continuing this series.

Until next time,
Theresa
The Book Nook

Delirium- Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Haper Teen
Synopsis: Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

      Love has been the driving force behind some of the greatest artistic endeavors of the world. Men and women have constructed grand temples, written literary masterpieces, and sacrificed their very lives for the salvation of their loved one. It is a concept so present in our lives that many people base their existence on attaining the greatest love of all. Many books feature love as a central theme, motif, or symbol. Despite its permanence in our world, Lauren Oliver was able to craft a novel centered on love that is so original and thought-provoking.
Delirium tells the story of Lena, an almost 18 year-old girl living in Maine in the near future. In her society, the government has declared love a disease (aptly named amor deliria nervosa) and made it illegal, punishable by death or worse. On their 18^th birthday, each person receives the cure. Lena, having suffered greatly because of the disease, anxiously awaits her own procedure and the cure. That is until 95 days before she is scheduled for it, when she falls in love.
     Lauren Oliver has written a very unique, creative, and touching story. Her writing style nicely complements the plot and is very descriptive. Oliver shows you (with her words) Lena’s world, feelings, and thoughts. I had trouble with this at first because I read this immediately following the first Percy Jackson novel, which has a very different style to it. I was so busy reading the descriptions, I couldn’t get into the story. If you feel this way, read on! Once I became accustomed to Oliver’s style, I couldn’t put the book down. The writing that once held me back propelled me into the story.
      In turn with the writing, I love the characters that she has created. Not only are they relatable and accessible,  but they actually remind me of myself. I could really relate to Lena and the things through which she was going.
     Plus the action was ever present in the novel. I was turning the pages throughout the novel. Likewise, the ending did not disappoint and left me dying for the sequel, Pandemonium. This is one of my favorite books of the year!

Go read this book!
Theresa
The Book Nook