Delirium

This is the first book I have read since I starting doing reviews that I didn't care for. I'm actually a little excited - I get to rant!

I just finished Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I had not really heard much about this book - but I had heard a lot about Oliver. Her debut book Before I Fall is supposed to be incredible. But it isn't sci-fi-y at all, so I opted for her dystopian trilogy. I think I chose wrong.

(Spoilers!)

This is the story of Lena. She lives in a not too distant future where the government has decided that love is a disease and needs to be eradicated. When kids are 18 they are evaluated, then matched with a partner, then they undergo a brain surgery to "cure" them from love. Then they go through life blissfully happy.

Lena can't wait for the cure - her mom had undergone the cure 3 times and it hadn't worked. She ended up killing herself instead of going through the procedure again. Lena's friend - Hana - has discovered some on-line friends who party and listen to the wrong music and hang out with the opposite sex. Lena meets Alex - who she thinks is cured - and starts to have feelings for him. She finds out that he is not cured - he is actually from the Wilds beyond the fences around the city. They fall in love - and Alex has discovered through his visiting the prison that Lena's mother may be alive.

They sneak in to see her only to find out she escaped. Lena feels betrayed by everyone and decides to run off with Alex into the Wilds. They are discovered before they can go - and Lena's cure is moved up. She manages to escape - Alex arrives on a motorcycle just in time - and Lena makes it over the fence. Alex doesn't. Lena is running through the Wilds injured. The end.

I have several issue with this book. First - the pace is SLOW! So freaking SLOW! Lena discovers she likes music. That takes up like a chapter. Lena and Hana fight. That takes 3. The end is pretty exciting - but it takes over 400 pages to get there - and when I got there - it felt forced. They are careening around on a motorcycle - driving through blockades of armed guards like they are in the Fast and the Furious or some shit. It seemed a little much.

Then - this cure happened about 60 years ago. 60 years does not seem long enough to have gotten the entire population under control and for no one to remember that love didn't kill people. I just don't buy that the entire USA is behind fences, happy, submitting to brain surgery without a care in the world. Nope.

I also got really tired of hearing about how "ordinary" Lena is. She doesn't think she is pretty. She isn't tall - she isn't that smart. She can run - but that is it. I just hate how in ALL of these YA stories - its a girl who isn't the most gorgeous - but the gorgeous perfect boy loves her anyway. I know that they do it so the 16 year old normal girl reading the story thinks "Ohemgee! This could totes be me!" but it doesn't work that way. Way to sell books, though.

Finally - and this is the worst - but I know Oliver is a beautiful writer - but holy balls - she is so wordy. Girlfriend loves a simile. Every feeling was felt as though it was the first time she had ever been mad, happy, sad, anything. I know as a teen you get mood swings - but damn.

Shit like this:

"The farmhouse and the old barn are positioned in a dip of land between two hills, a mini valley, like the buildings are sitting right in the middle of somebody's pursed lips."

Really - the building weren't just sitting in a valley? Now I have a weird image of monopoly houses sitting in my mouth.Or Lena describing being drunk as out of control or "the way my thoughts seemed to break apart like a mist in the sun." I understood at out of control - but thanks for the visual.

Then there was my favorite - when Lena and Alex are in the Wilds and he is reading poetry:

"I close my eyes and listen. The feeling I had before of being surrounded by warmth swells and crests inside of me like a wave. Poetry isn't like any writing I've ever heard before. I don't understand all of it, just bits of images, sentences that appear half-finished, all fluttering together like brightly colored ribbons in the wind."

And just a page later:

"He speaks on, words washing over me, the way that sun-light skips over the surface of water and filters into the depths below, lighting up the darkness. I keep my eyes closed. Amazingly, I can still see the stars: whole galaxies blooming from nothing - pink and purple suns, vast silver oceans, a thousand white moons."

Oh. Em. Motha. Effing. Gee.

Seriously?? She sees feels whole oceans and sees dancing ribbons AND whole galaxies from a poem? By the end of the damn book I had a headache from rolling my eyes so freaking hard at whatever feeling was slamming into Lena at the moment.

The pros for me were that it ended strong enough to hook me. I want to know what happens to Lena in the Wilds and if she ever finds her mom. I kind of hope that Alex is dead so I get away from the chick who sees stars all the time - but I know he isn't. I'm not that lucky. Bella Swan didn't die when I wanted her to, either.

Writer's Block

I didn't want my blog to feel lonely. But - I can't come up with a single clever thing to say. So here it sits.

Is it called writer's block if you aren't really a writer?

The thing that I like writing about the most is books...I am debating just turning it into a book blog. That would take away my ranting capability though. I do love a good rant.

Argh. I'm around. I'm just not funny or clever at the moment. I'll keep you posted.

Fix the Damn Roads!

I have started walking in my quest to lose weight (10 pounds down!).

I just have one small request from the city of Salina, KS-  please take care of the DAMN ROADS.

I have yet to find a route that has a sidewalk that is passable by stroller, and the asphalt doesn't rattle Pants' teeth out. I really don't want to have to load up my stroller and everything a drive somewhere else to walk. I live in a nice neighborhood - I don't see why I can't just head out of my front door.

I have really been wanting a jogging stroller for the limestone path they have here - but I think I am going to need one just to make sure that Pants doesn't get shaken baby syndrome.

Gotta Learn Somehow

We have been trying to let the teeny man feed himself more....it is going swell.

See?

Awesome.

Divergent

My latest book is Divergent by Veronica Roth.

(Spoilers!)

This is the book about Beatrice (Tris) Prior and begins with her "Choosing Ceremony". Tris lives sometime way in the future where society has broken down - and as a result society has broken into 5 "factions". Each faction believes one bad personality trait is the reason for all the problems in the world. They split into factions where they focus on what virtue they believe is the most important - some value honesty, some selflessness, some knowledge - and so forth.

When children hit 16 - they go through an aptitude test which tells them which faction they are most likely compatible with. They they can choose from any of the five factions - they do not have to choose which one the test told them.

Tris is from Abnegation, the faction that values selflessness. Everyone is equal, there are no mirrors, no crazy clothes, no jewelry. They all wear their hair the same way - and remind me of the Amish when they are described. Tris never really fits in there- she has a hard time fitting in there. During Tris's aptitude test- something strange happens.  Her test results are inconclusive. She is not a perfect fit for any faction. The person administering the test erases her results - manually imputing results. She tells Tris she is "Divergent" and she should never, ever tell anyone. It's dangerous. Tris does not understand this - but abides.

At the choosing ceremony - Tris chooses the faction Dauntless. The Dauntless value bravery. Tris is put through initiation, where she learns how to fight and shoot. She learns how to conquer fear - and she begins to have feelings for the mysterious instructor, Four. During training - she begins to feel like the Dauntless are more violent and barbaric than brave and others feel the same. Due to her divergent status - Tris excels at some of the tests - and ends up being first in her class. The leaders of Dauntless say that due to new tensions between factions they have to begin tracking all of their constituents. They are implanted with tracking chips - which end up being some sort of mind control chip.

One of the other factions - Erudite - has teamed up with Dauntless to overthrow Abnegation- who run the government. The reason being divergent is dangerous is because the mind control does not work. Tris and her now boyfriend - another former Abnegation - are shocked as those around them begin killing. There is a lot of action at the end - which I will not spoil - and basically - the ones who survive Abnegation and Dauntless are now refugees who are in danger...dum dum dummmmmm.

This was a fun read. I have been reading a lot of YA dystopian fantasy lately. I enjoyed this more than my latest reads - like Uglies, The Lost Hero and the book I am working on now, Delirium. This felt more like The Hunger Games to me. It's dark, it's exciting. I feel like if you are going to write a dystopian novel - you should just go for it. Roth does. She makes bold choices- including an attempted murder/sexual assault. Boom.

I also was very pleased reading about the beginning of the relationship between Four (Tobias) and Tris. It took me back to when I was younger - and the confusion, the electricity - the does he or doesn't he? There were even a couple scenes that were bordering on hot - straddling Four in a train with doors open and hands all over. Whoo! I had to remind myself that I was reading about teenagers, and then I felt a little dirty.

The only problem I really had with this book isn't even the books fault. I have been reading so much of this genre lately that they are all starting to sound alike. There is always a ceremony around the 16th birthday, then there is personal angst and standing up against the man, then there is a love interest, then it ends with a huge looming problem.  Divergent does it REALLY well - one of the best I have read so far - but its still familiar.

I don't really care though - I will still read Insurgent before I read any of the other sequels.

  

I Would Like You To Meet The Newest Member of Our Family

I have a new baby - would you like to see her?

Gorgeous right? Here is her face....

Faces don't get much better than that. She isn't just pretty - she is helpful too - look what she does to chicken!

Shreds it right up! Then there is my first batch of muffins I have ever made - 

They tasted at least as good as they looked. She rocks. 

We haven't settled on a name yet, everyone I come up with just doesn't seem fitting. I'll let you know when we settle on one. 

Subtlety is Not Her Strong Point

I'm an atheist. I don't believe in a higher power or of life after death.

What I DO believe in is the inherent good in people. I believe that you get back what you put out - and my goal in life is to make my little corner of this world a little better than when I left it. I believe in kindness, wit, intelligence and that I have the cutest baby in the world. I try very hard to be a good person. Which is enough for most people in my life - except my mother in law. Christine.

Christine has said that she doesn't care that we aren't Catholic (even though that would be the best), but she does think that we need to go to church. Any church. There are lots of prayers thrown in my direction.

I would like to say that I am not one of those angry atheists who hates religion. I don't - I understand the place that faith can have in peoples lives. I understand that it gives direction, helps with the fear of death and the unknown, and helps those who are going through difficult times have something to hold on to. I would never, EVER begrudge the right of anyone to believe what they want. I just ask that the same respect is shown to me.

Anyway - apparently all the "subtle" hints - you know like flat out saying she thinks we need to go to church more - aren't working (duh!). So she has decided to ramp up her attempts.

This was the gift I received for Mother's Day:

Fan-fucking-tas-tic. 

While I don't have an issue with someone being a person of religion - I do have a take serious umbrage with it being shoved down my throat. Here are some of my favorite passages from this little treat...

"I stared at my newborn son, dear God, and watched him eagerly nursing. I delighted in that tiny bundle of love, and it brought great joy to see him grow - to know I'd had a part in that miracle. Father, let me desire Your Word just as my son delighted in that milk. Let it nourish and sustain me and bring continued growth."

Um - Ew. I don't know why that parallel had to be drawn - because I'm pretty sure those two ideas have nothing to do with each other. Thinking of a grown woman sucking on a big of teat of God doesn't make me want to run out there and join on in. I do understand the delighting in knowledge thing, I love books and all that, but I am not sure what nursing has to do with it. Ew. 

"Showing hospitality is a part of Your perfect will, but it isn't easy. It's not that I don't want people here. It's just that sometimes I fall behind in my domestic duties, and I'd be embarrassed for anyone to come. Please give me the organizational skills I need to care for my family, clean up after them, and still have a home I am willing to share with others."

First - the feminist me gets all "Oh, hellz no" when we act like its a woman's duty to be the housemaid. I am a stay-at-home-mom - so it's really my job -so I should probably just breeze right on past that. Consider it breezed. What I find is really funny is that the answer isn't just "Get off your ass and do the dishes." It's PRAY and then god will MAKE you get off your ass and do the dishes. So he just a middle man? And whatever happened to free will? 

Plus, sometimes I just don't want people over to my house. It's that simple. 

"I try doctors and medication. I try whatever this article or that relative suggests, but real healing comes only when I turn my condition over to You. You just want me to pray. When I pray for my child who is out late, I don't worry. When I pray that my family will escape the virus, I dole out the best immunity. When I release my problems to You, You answer prayers."

This one actually really pisses me off. So - what - a woman who doesn't believe on god who has something terrible happen to her kid could have prevented it if she prayed? Or what if she is devout and prays and prays and prays and the kid doesn't make it anyway? Did she not pray hard enough. It places the guilt on the people instead of whatever is actually going on. Kid sick? - hate the disease. Teen out late? - get the teen in trouble. I hate that in religion - every thing good that happens is given to god - but all the bad things are us.

"Are my affections improper, dear Jesus? Am I too committed to the things of this world - my job, my children, my hobbies? Oh, I know these things have their proper place, but they should come after my love for You. Please make them clear to me and help me to eliminate them, for I want Your love in me."

Did I read that right? Eliminate the children? 

Alright - one more - 

"We've been praying hard for one of our friends to receive You, Lord. We share the Gospel with her, and week after week the children invite her to church. She's just so afraid of what she'll have to give up if she accepts You. Oh Lord, help her to see what she will gain if she does allow You to live within her. Open her eyes so that she'll understand that living with You truly is life."

If I had :"friends" who were always shoving the gospel down my throat and had their children badger me about church week after week - we would not be friends anymore. 

Did you hear that Christine? 

Back off.