Bookworm 3.0

It has been some time since I have documented my latest reads, so I think I shall use today to do that.  If I can remember what, exactly, I have read. . . 

1. The Fever Series by Karen Moning

I have previously mentioned this series and am doing so yet again.  If you want to dive into a world of Fae and other sort of mysterious beings, read this!  It has made my all time favorite series list and nothing can ever seem to top it.  Once you start reading this series it will be hard to put it down.  Moning is excellent at keeping you on your toes which can lead to 2 a.m. reading benders that make the 6 a.m. alarm an unwelcome nuisance.  

2.  The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin

I have always been interested in the history and stories of Native Americans.  This books tells the story of Olive Oatman (obviously), who was taken by a tribe of Native Americans who eventually traded to the Mohaves whom she lived with for four or five years before being introduced back into white society.  During her time with the Mohaves, they tattooed Olive's face and it is speculated they accepted her into their tribe as one of their own.  Reading about her life was incredibly interesting.  I believe there is some show or movie regarding her story.  Could be interesting!

3.  The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This book was suggested to me by my sister-in-law.  She said it was the scariest book she had ever read, so of course I was intrigued.  This book is about a father and son who are trying to survive in post-apocalyptic world.  I don't believe we ever learn what really happened, but fires burned much of what once was and people have turned into homicidal cannibals.  This father and son duo are working their way to the coast where the father has hopes that life will be better there.  The have multiple encounters with other people in which the son reminds his father how to be compassionate and, well, human.  This is a dark book and a haunting read, but was definitely worth my time.  Thank you, SIL, for the suggestion!

4.  I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

This was an okay book about a set of identical twins and their trials in dealing with one-another.  Thomas is a paranoid schizophrenic and Dominick struggles to come to terms with his brother's changing mental condition.  Many reviews said it was a book you couldn't put down, but I wasn't overly impressed.  It was just alright.

5.  The Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

This was an interesting series.  It wasn't as gripping as The Fever Series, but I still struggled to go to bed at a decent hour after picking it up.  In this dystopian society, it is believed that there is one cause of all irrational behavior, violence, etc. - love.  Lucky for them, they found a cure.  Essentially, a lobotomy.  One you reach a certain age you are to undergo the procedure.  Sometimes, people are 'infected' before they get the procedure and have to have the procedure early which often leads to insanity or death.  Then there are the people who escape to the Wilds.  Lena, the leading lady, has much to learn from those she encounters and has to decide for herself what her path will be.  I questioned whether this series would be worth my time at first, thinking it sounded cheesy, but it was quite good.

6.  The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

I have written about Divergent and Insurgent before, and in October of 2013, Allegiant was released, which is the third and final novel of the series.  I was very into Divergent and Insurgent, but found Allegiant to drag on a bit.  I'm glad that I read it so that I could have closure on the series, but was not a fan of some of the happenings.  This series is definitely worth your time.  It is set in a dystopian society whose structure begins to crumble.  It has many strong female characters, which I enjoyed, and offers many characters that you can love or love to hate.  

7.  World War Z by Max Brooks

Meh.  I liked the movie better.  The book jumped around to many peoples' experiences and I generally like to be able to follow a certain character throughout a book.  Wasn't bad, but not my favorite.

8.  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Great book.  If children have that certain something, they are sent to training at a young age.  At training, they learn how to fight.  Ender was one of those special kids and proved to be the best, moving up in the ranks quickly.  There is a twist in the book that everyone said I wouldn't see coming, but I figured it out.  Still worth your time though.  

I know I have read more, but I can't remember them all. . .