World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War- Max Brooks

I have a lot of thoughts about this book… So many that I started keeping notes in my phone as I read. Not only is it an interesting plot, playing directly into the zombie obsessed America we’re currently living in, it’s told in a way that is exceptional to how many books are written: retrospective, as a reporter has been traveling around the world to interview subjects of the war (hence the subtitle). 

World War Z takes place in the not too distant future, shortly after Earth has narrowly survived a virus that creates the undead, which then bite uninfected humans to continue the virus’ spread across the world. The plot device is an unnamed and rarely heard from (except in occasional questions) reporter, interviewing subjects affected by the war, progressing from infection to the aftermath. The story is cynical. Kind of unbelievably so, and especially towards politics, the media, and the way that the general population treats and reacts to news. However, because of this, it is extremely interesting and can easily be applied to a life unaffected by a zombie apocalypse. It’s desolate, desperate, and horrifying. So much so that I’m not sure I want to see a movie based on this book. But you know the humans win. And you wonder the whole time how in the world they got out of it. So you keep reading. Usually I can't get involved in a story without any real main characters or plots, but this one is different. If there are books written like this about real wars I would be interested in reading them. It’s a documentary in book form.

The only thing keeping this book from a five is that I kept getting pulled out of the story. I don’t know if it was due to the way it was told, the specific person’s interview I was currently reading, or distractions in general, but I had occasional trouble with remembering who was talking and how they fit into the overarching plot. When I put the book down, it was hard to get back into. And the middle was by far the best part of the book. All in all though, a really interesting book, and recommended if you like this sort of thing. 4/5

Quick Hits for June

Read 6/2/13- The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss- Sequel to The Name of the Wind, and equally, if not more enjoyable. Still really loving Kvothe and his travels, especially as we hear more and more about his adventures away from school that lead him to where he is at the time of the book’s telling. Extremely disappointed I have to wait for book three!! 4/5

The Mystery of Mercy Close- Marian Keyes

Finally! The much anticipated (in my head anyway) fifth Walsh sister book. Helen's book wasn't quite as enjoyable as Claire, Rachel, Maggie (Margaret), or Anna’s before her, but I am pleased to discover that it doesn’t matter too much. Still a great book, worthy of placement alongside the other four.

Helen Walsh is having a tough time. After losing her apartment and any source of income, she moves back in with her parents and takes a job from her ex-boyfriend to track down a missing member of a reuniting boy band. No one knows where he has gone, and the reunion concert is looming. We follow Helen through her investigation into his disappearance, with the usual cast of crazy characters filing in as she goes. Similar to her sisters before her, there is twist of darkness to Helen and the events surrounding her, but this one was especially heavy, I think mostly because so many of the Walsh family members were MIA throughout the book. We saw appearances from Claire, Margaret, and Mammy Walsh, but with Anna and Helen herself being absent as comic relief, the sinking depression that Helen is battling with casts a significantly somber tone over the book.

Having said that, this was still a good showing from Marian Keyes, and I think that my anticipation for a new Walsh sister book was a bit unrealistic. This one didn't have quite the same amount of humor as her other books, but all in all it was well written and enjoyable, and I’ll definitely be reading it again. 4/5

Quick Hits for May

Read 5/6/13- This One is Mine, by Maria Semple- Not really sure why I liked this so much... All of the characters are deplorable for the majority of the book. But here I am two days later and I'm already done with it. Really well written and a quick and addictive read for sure. I'm still trying to decide between a 4 and a 5. I liked Bernadette better, but Bernadette was easily one of my favorite books in recent memory. Maria Semple impressed me again with this one. 4.5/5

Read 5/11/13- The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green- I don't have a lot to say on this one, but that’s not because I didn’t like it. It was really well done, but also sad, as you'd expect from a book about teenage cancer patients. Glad I read it for sure though, and I’d definitely recommend it. 4/5

Read 5/18/13- The All of It, by Jeannette Haien- I did not care for this book, our May book club selection. Not sure in general how it won so many awards, as it was essentially a 150 page conversation. And not a particularly interesting one. Lots of potential, and I think if it was told differently I would have enjoyed it more, but all of the suspense promised was gone after about 20 pages, and after that it was a tedious read. 2/5

Quick Hits for April

Read 4/7/13- The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss- Very much enjoyed this book and looking forward to the sequel. Started out a bit slow for me, took some time to get into the story but once it got moving, it stuck with me. Kvothe is such a badass character. I am excited to find out what has been hinted at and what has made him become the man he is as he narrates the book. 4/5

Read 4/12/13- The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald- April’s book club book was a re-reading of the classic, The Great Gatsby. Even better the second time through. I forgot how much I enjoyed this book! 4/5

Read 4/16/13- The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin- I wanted to like this more than I did... Gretchen Rubin's happiness project is a novel idea and has a lot of good things to say, but she says things that are fairly self-explanatory in a way that makes it seem like she has never heard them before or as if they are revelations... For example, that money helps to keep you happy. She is a bit irritating and occasionally insufferable. That said, some good advice here and I'm glad I read it. 3/5

Quick Hits for March

Read 3/3/13- Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn- OMG. What is the matter with Gillian Flynn that makes her come up with this stuff? Holy crap. Disturbing but riveting. I think I still liked Gone Girl better, but this one was good enough to make me want to check out Sharp Objects. 4/5

Read 3/4/13- The Bungalow, by Sarah Jio- Predictable and somewhat repetitive, but maybe that was more obvious because I listened to this instead of reading it. The plot was decent until it tried to be too much and I saw the ending coming. Disappointing. 2/5

Read 3/5/13- Spin, by Catherine McKenzie- Flew through this one. Quick and entertaining read that reminded me somewhat of Rachel's Holiday, which could be why I enjoyed it so much! 4/5

Read 3/10/13- Genghis: Bones of the Hills, by Conn Iggulden- Third in the series of novels about Genghis Kahn, this one is similar to #2. A good read, definitely interesting, and I wonder how much is true and what is embellished. As with #2, I wish this had fewer battles and more politics. In particular, the relationships between Genghis' sons were well written and engrossing; I could read another few books about them, and will. Worthwhile read, but the first one is still by far the best. 3/5

Read 3/28/13- Spring Fever, by Mary Kay Andrews- Listened to this one and enjoyed it... pretty decent chick lit and I will definitely check out more Mary Kay Andrews books! 3/5

Girl in Translation- Jean Kwok

 

Our first book club selection of the year! 

Girl in Translation was a cute, semiautobiographical book that follows Kimberly Chang, an immigrant who arrives in New York City with her mother from Hong Kong. It chronicles Kim’s struggles and adversity as a young girl who has a “knack for school,” working alongside her mother in a sweatshop at night and working through classes and schoolwork to get out of that life during the day.

This was a very interesting book. It makes you uncomfortable at several moments, but you keep reading because it’s so gripping. You want nothing more than the best for Kim and her mother, if only because the squalor that they are put through daily is inhumane and unnecessary. It makes me wonder how much of this is true, and whether people are forced to live like this for the freedom that America offers. 

I gave this a 4, mostly because I was unhappy with the way it ended. If it’s what really happened, then ok, but if not, I don’t like it on principle. I don’t feel like I can say anything more than that without explaining myself and spoiling the way the book ends, so I’ll leave it at that, but it was certainly a topic of discussion at book club!

The End of Your Life Book Club- Will Schwalbe

As expected, I cried in a quiet, tears running down your face way through pretty much the last few chapters of this book. With a title like that you have to expect it. I knew what I was getting myself into. But I am happy that I read this book.

Mary Anne Schwalbe has pancreatic cancer. The book is very clear from the beginning that her prognosis is not optimistic. But that is not what this book is about. This book is about a mother and a son, the books they read together, and the way to live a happy and fulfilling life. 

I was pretty afraid to read this, honestly, and especially during January. Trying to read Jonathan Franzen's Freedom and being so depressed I had to stop about 10% in comes to mind. But Schwalbe's book isn't so much about dying as it is about living. I am really impressed with both the writing and the way he told his mother's story. It's clear that she was an incredible woman. 

I don't know what to say. This book was fantastic, despite the tearful ending. 4. 

Quick Hits from November, December, and January

Long time, no blog entries. Mostly, this is because I haven't read anything that I've really loved in the last few months. But that's not entirely true, because I have entries written for a few books that I've had an opinion on, and haven't posted anything because I feel like I can't go out of order, and just ignore the 15 or so books that I've read in between ones that I want to talk about.  Another problem is that I read a LOT of sequels, which I always have problems talking about, because I don't want to spoil anything. 

So in order to fix this, I've decided I'm going to just write down some quick thoughts for books I don't have anything huge to say about. Here goes. 

Read 9/25/12- 11th Hour by James Patterson- Exactly what you'd expect for the 11th book in the Women's Murder Club series. As usual I am disappointed with James Patterson and haven't really loved one of these books in awhile. I read them because I care about the characters, but he's even starting to ruin that. Please see reviews for 10, 9, 8... etc. 3/5

Read 10/28/12- Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand- Good, not great. Interesting but not engrossing. I was hoping for more from this book since I loved Unbroken so much. Read this one for book club in October and really only finished it out of obligation. 3/5

Read 11/4/12- Dances with Dragons by George RR Martin- I actually have a lot of opinions on this one, but feel uncomfortable voicing them, as they're spoilers. Still loving this series and anxiously await book #6! 4/5 (only because I still liked the first three more than this one)

Read 11/24/12- Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor- Really enjoyed this sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Crazy and an incredible fantasy book, but not as good as the first one. Will re-read for sure though!! 4/5

Listened to 11/26/12- The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore- Wanted this to be better because I really enjoyed the first two in the series. But still good. 3/5

Read 12/11/12- The Black Echo by Michael Connelly- Expected more out of this because I'm a big Connelly fan, but it was kind of boring and predictable. I hope they get better. I'll keep reading, but not if they're all like this one. I wonder if back when this was written the ending was more novel and all kinds of thrillers weren't writing "twists" like this one. 3/5

Read 12/16/12- Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich- What can I say? I like Evanovich's writing even if her books are simple, girly, and let's face it, kind of pointless. Liked this one though. Currently, I'm liking this series more than Stephanie Plum books. 3/5

Read 12/21/12- Where We Belong by Emily Giffin- LOVED this chick book. Very cute and very much meets the standard that Emily Giffin's past books have set. The problem is that I just don't have a lot to say about it. It's very similar to her other books. 5/5

Read 12/24/12- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens- I think I read this back in grade school but I didn't remember much about it. And tis the season right? Dickens is one of the few "classic" authors that I enjoy. May be returning to some of his other books in the future. Really liked A Christmas Carol. 4/5

Read 1/2/13- Graceling by Kristin Cashore- Very much enjoyed this book. Another YA Fantasy series that has been popular recently. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series. 4/5

Read 1/3/13- One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp- Different kind of book for me. Not a novel, but more of a book for reflection and finding happiness in every day life. Her writing is a bit flowery and overly detailed, but I liked this so much. 4/5

Listened to 1/3/13- Redshirts by John Scalzi- Really liked this book, it got me through my driving to and from home over Christmas break. Different and crazy, but once I bought into the completely unrealistic premise, it was interesting and I really enjoyed it.  4/5

Read 1/11/13- Defending Jacob by William Landay- Very well written, but upsetting book. Fairly dark and twisted, but engrossing nonetheless. Highly recommended if you like Grisham, lawyer books, or thrillers. 4/5

WHEW. 

The Casual Vacancy- JK Rowling

Out of sheer loyalty and goodwill to the author of my favorite series of all time, the woman who created so many of my favorite literature moments, and characters I love like my own friends, I am determined to like this book, and therefore at least my first comment has to be positive. And here it is- JK Rowling knows how to write characters. I was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. Wondering what would happen with the people involved.

She is a damn good writer. I will read anything she writes, even after finding this book an extremely depressing look at life and definitely a downer. But she did it in a way that was interesting. In a way that makes you think a little bit more about your every day interactions. With events. How you react to things and take personal responsibility. This book, while mainly a character study based around events that don't really end up all that resolved, does succeed at that.

The biggest problem is, in this character study, every one of the characters were unlikable or pitiable.

I literally cannot believe this book was written by the same person who wrote Harry Potter. Good triumphs over evil? I suppose the characters in this book were mostly terrible and have mostly terrible lives. Faith? It's difficult to see here. Friendship, loyalty, and love? I'm not sure that was present at all.

Clearly my overwhelming feeling after finishing the book is depression. And certainly I am a tiny bit disappointed that my unrealistic expectations for grown up Harry Potter went unfulfilled. But I think after letting some of it set in and thinking a lot about what she was trying to accomplish with this book, I am overall ok with what she's done here.

Sure, it wasn't at all what I thought it would be, but I think that was my biggest problem. First, I was somehow under the impression that the book was a thriller based around a small English town politician's death. Nope. Political and small town gossip based around a death. Second, my hopes were sky high and comparisons to HP were inevitable, which does not lend itself well to a book like this. And third, reading a book about the unpleasant side of humanity while also being aware that this is the same woman whom I idolized for creating characters and a story that spanned nearly 15 years of my life, is extremely unsettling.

That being said, I stayed up late to finish it, I read 500 pages in less than a week, and at 1130 at night on a Tuesday I was writing down my thoughts and trying to define how I feel about it. Which I think is kind of the point, and yet another reason that I think Rowling is one of the smartest writers of our time. Despite the depressing forage into adult books.

Bottom line: I can't say I liked this book because of the depressing subject matter. I can admit that if this was another writer I'm not sure I'd be putting such a spin on it or giving the author so much credit. But I like what it's doing. I like where she's gone with it. I like the writing. And I like JK Rowling. End of story. If that isn't a muddled review, I don't know what is. I didn't even know what rating to give it. In the end, I went with 4, because I think I'll eventually read it again, even though it was pretty unpleasant.

All I can say is don't expect Potter.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened- Jenny Lawson

Let’s Pretend this Never Happened, a mostly true memoir by Jenny Lawson, was a foul mouthed book of hilarity. In the vein of Tina Fey, Jenny Lawson records her childhood, college years, and adult life in a voice that is unlike anything I’ve ever read in a book. Written as if Lawson is talking to us, with asides, footnotes, and editors notes apologizing/clarifying, “the blogess” lives up to her name, and has gained a new reader.

I’m not sure what else there is to say… Lawson grew up in the country and has had some seriously unbelievable things happen to her in life. Each of these is told in its own chapter, mostly winding its way up to present day. She may actually be a crazy person, but in a good way, an incredibly entertaining way.

Another 4, bordering on a 5. So funny that I can’t do it justice. Read it.

The Next Best Thing- Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner! Where has this been in the last several years?? The Next Best Thing, her latest, is a return to form. I won’t go quite as far as to say I liked it as much as In Her Shoes or Good in Bed, but it was light, funny, entertaining, and sweet. And considering that I have been fairly disappointed with nearly everything she’s written since she ruined Good in Bed with its sequel, Certain Girls (which I hated), that is a major step up. 

The Next Best Thing tells the story of Ruth, a television writer and showrunner whose pilot based loosely on her own life is picked up for a new season and immediately taken out of her hands. The book chronicles the sacrifices made by her to get her show on the air, good and bad, and her relationships with the other writers, producers, actors, and so on. I was hooked by the beginning, around chapter three. Ruth’s grandma is the best, and I couldn’t believe how fast I loved the character. Unfortunately for Jennifer Weiner, my first thought after realizing that she was the best thing going for the book was how she could ruin it. 

But Weiner proved me wrong and wrote an endearing story of a disfigured girl trying to make it in the entertainment world, with her loving grandmother by her side. Very much enjoyed this one, and it’s up there with the other ones. 4, bordering on a 5.

Brave New World- Aldous Huxley

August’s book club pick, Brave New World is a bit of a different pick for us. Rather than going for a pure entertainment standpoint with lots to talk about, this one was one of the first that we chose that is most likely read in high schools everywhere. Certainly a step up in the intellectually challenging department.

Brave New World is a book about a dystopic future where people drug themselves to happiness, don’t fall in love, don’t feel any major emotions. People are manufactured and conditioned to be in certain social castes, literature is banned, entertainment is only in the form of the “feelies” which are movies that engage all senses. It’s a distressing story of what the human race could eventually become. After documenting the society and its control throughout the first half of the book, Huxley switches things up a bit, and adds a character that resembles humans in society today, who is of course appalled by what he sees. Discussion of art, individuality, and true humanity ensues.

Even a month after finishing, I can’t decide what I think about this book. It was definitely weird, and certainly made me think. It’s unsettling and bizarre, but says a lot about humanity, and the fact that it was written in the 30s says a lot for Huxley’s imagination/perception of the future.

4, I would read it again... I think.

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)- George RR Martin

And now I’ve arrived at book 4 in Martin’s wildly successful series. Sometimes I legitimately wonder what I’ve gotten myself into with these books, and whether I wouldn’t be better off quitting now to wait until Martin is done writing. This book was the first one that I saw a glimpse of why they drive people so crazy. There are some noticeably absent characters, which is not addressed until the end, in a note from Martin himself. Books 4 and 5 are apparently two parts of the same giant book, and all of the interesting characters are in book 5 (don’t worry, a hold has been placed). The kicker is that the resolutions to the problems characters had in this book may not have even been written yet.

After looking over reviews to see if everyone was as dissatisfied with this book in comparison to the others (the answer is undeniably yes) I realized that despite the note at the end of the book saying that book five is pretty much already written (as this was to be included) and would be out in a year, it was six. I worry about that. But at the same time, I look forward to the same feeling of anticipation for the end game of the series as I had with Harry Potter.

This wasn’t a bad book. Putting aside comparisons to the others and trying not to notice that two of my favorite characters were absent, I can see that I enjoyed it overall and it’s necessary to the series. It’s clearly a transition. I liked it for what it is.

But what it isn’t is as good as the previous three. What it isn’t is book five, which I now have sky high expectations for since all of my favorites will be present and accounted for.

The fact is, despite the similar writing style and intriguing plots, which have become par for the course with this series, this was the first one that seemed to unnecessarily meander. Several of the POV characters were people who were unnamed, or who I didn’t care about at all. Lots of intrigue over who will have the Greyjoy throne, lots of Cierce going crazy. But I still want to know what happens, and that makes the book.

4. Retroactively I went back and gave the first three a 5 rating. These books have definitely grown on me.

Attachments- Rainbow Rowell

The opposite side of the trip, the drive back from the Outer Banks, was spent reading Attachments, a surprisingly cute and girly book that I ended up kind of loving. I had heard about Attachments several months ago, but didn’t get around to reading it until now. And now having read it, I’m not sure what took me so long.

Attachments is one of those cutesy books that allow you to view a story through emails, but with the added twist of occasional chapters of narrative that isn’t told through emails. It’s a clever twist. Beth and Jennifer know their emails are being monitored, and yet they still use them for personal reasons (email portions of the book). Lincoln’s job is to notify people using the email system improperly, but instead finds himself engrossed in Beth and Jennifer’s lives, and doesn’t reprimand them (narrative portion). 

I liked this book significantly more than I thought I would, it was a very pleasant surprise. Somewhere between a 4 and a 5 for me. Very enjoyable and adorable. 

The Poet- Michael Connelly

Highly enjoyable and perfect for a long car ride, I read over half of The Poet on a 13 hour ride to the Outer Banks. With The Poet, one of the best crime thrillers I’ve read in quite awhile, I think Michael Connelly has officially taken over from James Patterson as my go-to thriller author.

Jack McEvoy is a journalist who is thrown into a serial murderer case when his brother, a cop, is killed in an apparent suicide while investigating a particularly gruesome case. But McEvoy doesn’t believe that his brother would have killed himself, and instead digs deeper and finds a pattern. From there, he finds himself drawn into the disturbing pattern of The Poet’s murders.

Like I’ve already said, Michael Connelly has really started to impress me… I had accidentally read the sequel to this book awhile back, and knew who was/wasn’t the killer, and I still really enjoyed the book. Next I think I’m going to have to get into his big moneymaker- the Harry Bosch series.

4- really liked it, bordered on loving it.

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)- Cassandra Clare

Suddenly faced with an unexpected afternoon off, a pleasant day (in the shade!), and a library due date, today I finished City of Bones, which as of this morning I could not have been more than halfway through. Worth it.

City of Bones is a book not unlike many other YA series out at the moment, full of supernatural beings, heroes, villains, romance, and suspense. This particular one focuses on Clary Fray, who witnesses a murder at the beginning of the book and is suddenly wrapped up in the comings and goings of the Shadowhunters, humans that devote their lives to hunting demons and policing the part human, part demon citizens known as Downworlders (which is where the expected werewolves and vampires come in).

Admittedly, the book started slow. It took longer than I’d like to get into it, but it certainly finishes with a bang. This is another series I can see myself getting sucked into pretty easily. It’s not quite up to Harry Potter or Hunger Games level, and I would even say that I liked Divergent more, but I enjoyed it at least as much (if not more) than the Sookie Stackhouse books and Twilight. Definitely more than Matched. (enough YA ranking? I think so).

Another solid 4, thanks mostly to the ending. I’ve already put a hold on the sequel.

A Storm of Swords (a Song of Ice and Fire #3)- George RR Martin

Well, somehow I was up about an hour and a half past my bedtime reading the end of this one, and I think that tells you what you need to know about it.

As usual with sequels I’m not going to get into a lot of details on the plot of Storm of Swords, but this one keeps with the pattern of those previous. Multiple view points, battles, blood, love, romance, honor, kings, houses, and supernatural gods. It was just fantastic. With this one even more than the other two, I am astounded with Martin’s ability to write characters. How do you take someone like Jamie Lannister, Kingslayer, someone that you’ve grown to dislike throughout two books and make him sympathetic? It happened. I am shocked to report that I now actually LIKE the person that was set up to be the biggest villain in the first two books. it is truly impressive.

I still have some trouble keeping characters straight in these books, and of course the 1000 page length with multiple characters telling the story through multiple settings and countless events doesn’t help with that. I think that’s the only thing keeping this book from a five. But at the same time, I’m not sure I would like these books as much if it was just one narrator in third person explaining everything, or told from just one character’s point of view. I think my sudden turnaround on Jamie is proof enough of that. Sometimes I think I could be one of those people that read the books over again in anticipation of a new one coming out, but other times it seems completely overwhelming when I remember that I’ve already read nearly 3000 pages about Westros, with probably around 4000 to go. (seven books in the series, I think)

Regardless, aside from that small complaint, I am loving these books, and I put the fourth on hold at the library within five minutes of finishing the third one. This is somewhere between a 4 and a 5, my favorite one so far.

Baking Cakes in Kigali- Gaile Parkin

June’s book club selection, Baking Cakes in Kigali, is essentially a collection of short stories about a baker, Angel Tungaraza, in Rwanda, Africa, in the wake of the horrifying genocide. Through several celebrations, momentous occasions, and trials and tribulations, we get to know Angel, her family, and the people living near and with her in the compound where she lives.

Angel has had a difficult life, marred by disease and tragedy, but it’s really quite touching to see the way that the character lives despite all of that. She has a hand in most of the things that happen around her, and steers other people to live their lives to the fullest, to be content. She keeps an open mind, is kind, and believes in balance.

Honestly there’s not a lot to say about this book, it was a cute one about life and making your way past tragedy to see the good in things, but also had its occasional dark side. It was a good book club pick for discussion, and overall I’m definitely glad that I read it, and I would read it again. Solid 4.

Insurgent- Veronica Roth

Spoilers for Divergent below!

The sequel to Divergent, Insurgent was every bit as engrossing and entertaining as its predecessor. Set in the same future world, the factions are now at war, with several of them having to choose sides throughout the book, and no clear line for many. Tris Prior, as the Divergent that stopped the hostile takeover of one of the factions, is now dealing with some serious PTSD, as well as the fallout from her choices in the previous book on her life and her relationship with Four (Tobias). Insurgent is very different from Divergent in several ways, much more about politics, secrecy, and war than a coming of age story, but even though it is different, it is still incredibly good.

I don’t know how much to go into here, because I think that if you’ve read Divergent you have an idea of what you’re in for, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but trust me, this is a good one. Roth is very good at keeping the reader engaged, with twists and turns that are occasionally predictable, but ultimately (relatively) satisfying. Unlike the other Hunger Games wannabes I’ve read in the last few years since my discovery of that book, this one is holding its own, and I have to admit that I’m impressed. Insurgent is one of the first books in awhile that I’ve been disappointed to finish, and I’m upset that I have to wait another year for the third book in the trilogy and to see where Roth goes from here!

4, but this is another one that is really close to a 5