Julie Kagawa
This was an excellent book 2 in the Blood of Eden series begun with The Immortal Rules. Kagawa takes both the story and the characters to the edge of logic within her world (I hate it when they can't do that, its your own made up world so why can't you go all in?). I like some of her vampire nuances, clever and yet consistent with vampire lore. A great read!
Book 23
By Barbara Demick
This is an excellent record of real life in North Korea. It makes a great companion read to The Impossible State as it really brings to life the points made in a more historical book.
"North Korea invites parody. We laugh at the excesses of the propaganda and the gullibility of the people. But consider that their indoctrination began in infancy, during the fourteen-hour days spent in factory day-care centers; that for the subsequent fifty years, every song, film, newspaper article, and billboard was designed to deify Kim Il-sung; that the country was hermetically sealed to keep out anything that may cast doubt on Kim Il-sung's divinity. Who could possibly resist?" Page 45
Vinalon - fabric unique to North Korea
"If you wanted to make a major purchase - say, to buy a watch or a record player - you had to apply to your work unit for permission. It wasn't just a matter of having the money." Page 63
"The North Korean regime understood you couldn't keep Koreans happy without kimchi." Page 63
"Enduring hunger became part of one's patriotic duty. Billboards went up in Pyongyang touting the new slogan, 'Let's Eat Two Meals a Day.'" Page 70
"In order to fit in, the average citizen had to discipline himself not to think too much. Then there was the natural human survival instinct to be optimistic. . . North Koreans deceived themselves. They thought it was temporary. Things would get better. A hungry stomach shouldn't believe a lie, but somehow it did." Page 70
"Dr. Kim hadn't been a doctor long enough to have erected the protective wall that would insulate her from the suffering around her. The children's pain was her pain. Years later, when I asked her if she remembered any of the children who had died on her watch, she answered sharply, 'I remember all of them.'" Page 114
"When North Korea runs short of food, the regime feeds its population with more propaganda." Page 290
Book 22
Glenn R Stewart
This is a wonderful, fun read. I loved learning about the birds but equally enjoyed the story of Glenn's life (which is intimately tied to the birds). I loved his descriptions of nature and our human need to be connected to it.
"I believe, and I think many agree that intimate contact with nature is a fundamental human need, one that is increasingly going unfulfilled." Location 82
"Wilderness contact was a kind of grounding that was lacking, but needed, in our world of bustling modernity where anchors to place were few, ad caring for natural features absent." Location 651
"I found the notion of a collective unconscious compelling. As a young advocate for environmental protection, it provided a logical foundation for protecting nature as a source of psychological well-being. I reasoned that a simple experience, alone in the wilderness - such as my time in the Dosewallips River drainage - could awaken a person's ancestral memory, and with it a sense of belonging or connectedness to nature and all humanity over all time. That feeling of connectedness and its solace could be what we lack in the increasing isolation of the modern world." Location 798
Book 21
Marie Lu
This book was just ok. A lot of potential but the author just doesn't go deep enough.
Book 20
Hugh Howey
This book was self-published and released as short stories, which in the version I read were combined into one volume and presented as one book. Because of this, I felt the read was a little bit choppy. But taking into account that it was released in pieces without the luxury of being able to smooth over the rough edges (or a publisher to help with this process) it was a great book. I really got into the characters and wanted to understand what they were experiencing, just as they were trying to understand. A really good sci fi read.
Book 19
By Marissa Meyer
I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed the first book Cinder. I like the premise and the characters. An entertaining cyborg read.
Book 18
By Kate Furnivall
I really didn't like this book. I think I just don't like the lightly historical romanceish novel genre. I find it boring.
Book 17
By Ruta Sepetys
YA historical fiction taking place in Russia under Stalin. I loved this story. It was well written, historically pretty accurate and a great read. A young girl, talented artist and daughter finds herself in Stalins brutal wave of mistrust and violence as everything she knows crumbles in front of her and life becomes imprisonment in Siberia. I loved the main character! My only complaint was I felt the story ended quite abruptly.
"I thought of Munch as I sketched, his theory that pain, love, and despair were links in an endless chain." Pg 125
Book 16
Pittacus Lore
This was a pretty interesting YA read. It had a good story line, a pretty well told story and it was action packed. There wasn't a lot of depth to it, but an entertaining read.
Book 14
The Power of Six
Book 2 in the Lorien Legacies series
Great follow-up book to I Am Number Four.
Book 15
I really didn't like this book. It was ridiculous on so many levels. Not my cup of tea.
Book 13
