Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

I've been a reading machine lately, and I wanted to talk about one book in particular that I really enjoyed last month: Matched by Ally Condie. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I am a fan of dystopian literature and a few of my favorite books in the past couple of years have been the Hunger Games series. On a related note, if you're also into this kind of literature, I HIGHLY recommend The Handmaid's Tale by Margaraet Atwood, which is one of my most favorite books ever, in the whole entire world!

But back to the novel at hand. Matched was recommended to me by Amazon, and I promptly ordered the sample to my Kindle upon reading a snippet of the plot.  Two things you should know about me and my reading habits: one, I really love my Kindle for one reason in particular outside of its portability and convenience.  I'm obsessed with the sample feature! One of my favorite things to do is browse Amazon and order sample upon sample to my Kindle. When I go to turn it on later it's like Christmas, and the promise of finding at least one new book to love really makes me happy. And two, I really dislike reading in-depth reviews or summaries of a book. I typically just glance at it to get the main idea and that's it!  In a perfect world I wouldn't know anything about any book ever, and just go off recommendations. I really enjoy going into both books and movies with a completely unbiased opinion. So that's why when I review books I stay very vague and never, ever give spoilers.

So to give you a very brief idea of what Matched is about, here's a small snippet from Amazon:

For Cassia, nothing is left to chance--not what she will eat, the job she will have, or the man she will marry. In Matched, the Society Officials have determined optimal outcomes for all aspects of daily life, thereby removing the "burden" of choice. When Cassia's best friend is identified as her ideal marriage Match it confirms her belief that Society knows best, until... 

See? I gave nothing away. But if you're intrigued even a little bit, I urge you to avoid reading any more of the summary on Amazon and just go get the book, or order it! I definitely enjoyed it and it was an incredibly quick read. I did feel like some of the writing was a bit "fluffy," but at the same time it is a YA book and that part of the charm.  I did like the main characters, but I thought that they were lacking just a touch in depth. I would have loved to gotten to know them a bit more. All in all though, none of these things were large enough flaws that would prevent me from very eagerly awaiting the next book (to be released November 2011) or recommending it whole-heartedly to a friend.  I read it in two sittings because the author did such a great job of keeping everything moving and her writing definitely has an appealing flow to it. Two thumbs up!

So, if you're looking for a great book, in the same vein as The Hunger Games, then definitely try Matched by Ally Condie! And if you do, please let me know what you think! Happy reading.

Book recommendation!

 So, call me crazy, but I got Tina Fey's new memoir, Bossypants, a day ago and already finished it within 24 hours. It's just that good! A few pages in and I was laughing out loud, and that continued throughout the entire book. It's the perfect mix of wit, sarcasm, humor...and I thought the writing was just excellent.

The book is a memoir, so it's chock full of tales from her youth, all the way up to today. It's funny, it's personal, it's the kind of book you can't put down. Quite simply: if you like to laugh, then this book is for you!

If you get it, let me know what you think. Happy reading!

Roald Dahl, I love you!

Let's talk books again, shall we? I've always been quite the bookworm and as early as I can remember I've pretty much been obsessed with reading. I mean, I am a former English teacher! Now that I'm a Mom I find myself browsing the kid's and young adult section more than I did before, and just the other day I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite authors, Roald Dahl.

If that name doesn't ring a bell, be sure to check out his website. After clicking around, you may realize that this wonderfully talented man has created something you are indeed familiar with. Some of my favorites: The Witches, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Other titles you may recognize: The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The BFG, or James and the Giant Peach. He's also written countless short stories (some for adult audiences too), two novels, and a laundry list of books and plays.

I remember falling in love with Roald Dahl's creations after I first read The Witches. I adored the dark undertones and humor, and even as a young girl I could recognize just how awesome all of his stories were. They painted such vivid pictures in my mind, and later when many of these books and stories were made into movies I fell in love with those too. I was 8 years old when The Witches was made into a film and it absolutely terrified me, but in a good way. My sister and I sat on the downstairs couch, watching with baited breath as those horrible witches removed their wigs and stretched their toe-less feet. We covered our faces with the old blue blanket as the girl in the painting aged, wondering if that could really happen. Later we looked for signs of a witch, as first made clear in the book, and later clarified in the movie. We believed.

And years later, I still believe. Roald Dahl is the kind of author that makes you believe. Whether you are a child or an adult, his stories are magical things, a wonderful and sometimes scary world where imaginations can run wild. I still appreciate his writing today, and I look forward to the day when Henry does too.

Do you have a favorite childhood author? I'd love to check out some of yours, so if you'd like, leave a comment below and let me know! Happy reading!

Children's Literature

I'm still in a bit of a book mood, so I thought I would make another literary aimed post, but this time, geared towards children's books!  Last year I also shared a post about all of the young adult books I loved, and the comments were absolutely amazing- it was really fun to take a trip down memory lane while reading through everyone's personal favorites. Like many of you, most of my earliest memories involve books; either my father reading us "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" every Christmas Eve, or my Mom taking us to the library multiple times a week, allowing us to check out stacks and stacks of books at a time.  My sister and I devoured books, and they were my favorite thing growing up besides dancing and sports.  Over the years my love for reading has only grown, and my sister and I still trade recommendations and excitement over great titles.  From as early as I can remember, the library was a huge part of our lives and we were incredibly involved in our small town's children's lit. scene...i.e, the summer book club, weekly readings, and any sort of contest they had.  And I mentioned this in the other post, but remember "Book It"?  Personal pan pizzas for reading books...so into it!

Because reading was such a huge part of my life, when I happen to stumble upon an old book that I once loved, I am flooded with memories upon memories.  I am taken right back to the corner in our small public library; I can see every detail, the smell of the old books, the sometimes yellowed pages, the hushed quietness that pervaded every nook and cranny of that magical place.  I would sit on the short stools used for shelving books, leaning up against the stacks, and read and read.  My Mom would let us stay for as long as we wanted, and she put no limit on the amount of books we could take home, as long as we stayed under the library's twelve book rule.  So, with so many fond memories, I thought it would be fun to share some of the children's books I hold close to my heart, and invite you all to share some of your favorites from childhood.  Share in the comments, and if you'd like, feel free to post your own list on your blog, and link back here.   Here are five of my favorites, although if I was to make a comprehensive list it would be much longer.  For reference, I was born in 1982, and in a small town, so a lot of the books I loved were a lot older, and often were first published anywhere between 1940-1970.

Some of my all-time favorites:

What are yours?

3 things: a book, a movie, and an album

Hello everyone! This post was from Sunday morning, but when I started going into labor I pulled it! I rescheduled it for today. :) Friday I will begin sharing my wonderful guest blog features, so get excited!

Today I thought I'd share three things: a book, a movie, and an album!

1) a book

My blog has been lacking a bit in my normal book recommendations for one reason, and that reason is...HARRY POTTER! I've been reading the HP books for the very first time, and I recently finished book four. I'm trying to go slow so I can savor every bit of the series, so I decided to take a small break before I start book five. It's hard though, because I have the last three books stacked up on my nightstand, taunting me, but my Kindle is also full of samples of great books I've been looking forward to checking out. On a related note: did you know on the Kindle you can get the first chapter (or sometimes couple of chapters) sent to your device for free? I always do this to make sure I want to read the book before I commit to spending the nine or so dollars on it, and I'd say it's one of my favorite features of the Kindle. So, during my Harry Potter break this week I've read a few books in my downtime (aka waiting to have a baby time), and there was one in particular that I really enjoyed.

I am going to include a short summary from Publisher's Weekly, but I've shortened it because if you're anything like me, you dislike hearing too much about a book!

Near the start of this outstanding novel of psychological suspense from Edgar-winner Lippman (Life Sentences), Eliza Benedict, a 38-year-old married mother of two living in suburban Maryland, receives a letter from Walter Bowman, the man who kidnapped her the summer she was 15 and is now on death row. The narrative shifts between the present and that long ago summer...

This is the first book I'd read by this author (it was published just a few months ago) and I was really impressed by not just her style of writing, but her ease of story-telling. Her characters have great depth, and as a reader I started to really feel like I knew these people, and I got to live a bit in their experiences, which was an experience in itself. I found this novel to be fascinating, dark at times, but overall an intriguing read that I'd recommend to anyone who is looking for a new book!

2. a movie

Yesterday Hank and I went and saw "Morning Glory." I love Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, and Harrison Ford (along with a lot of the other minor actors), so you'd have to imagine my happiness when I first came across this preview over the summer:



Hank wasn't too keen on seeing it, but throughout the entire movie I glanced at him to find him laughing, smiling, and even maybe, sorta, kinda having a little tear in his eye. In the end, he enjoyed it. And as for me? I LOVED it. I found it to be motivating, inspiring, and uplifting. It went beyond a "chick flick" and I thought it was a lot of genres rolled into one; romantic comedy, a feel-good film, a "finding yourself" kind of movie, and yes, a movie that girls would enjoy. But my husband loved it too! There's something for everyone. I highly recommend this movie!

3. an album

I'm quite late on the Mumford & Sons bandwagon, but recently this album has been on repeat in our house close to everyday. It's just that good. I adore these guys- their music, their voices, and those cute scruffy faces. But, on the small chance you haven't yet fallen in love with this band, give this little playlist a listen, and then head over to their website to buy their album! Enjoy!