What I'm Reading Right Now

I just went out and bought...

Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau!

What It's About: "In book three of the Testing series, the United Commonwealth wants to eliminate the rebel alliance fighting to destroy The Testing for good. Cia is ready to lead the charge, but will her lethal classmates follow her into battle?

SHE WANTS TO PUT AN END TO THE TESTING

In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor, Cia Vale, vows to fight.

BUT SHE CAN'T DO IT ALONE.

This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves--and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

WHO CAN CIA TRUST?

The stakes are higher than ever-lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope--in the electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau's epic Testing trilogy. Ready or not…it's Graduation Day."

What I Think So Far: I'm on about page 100 and so far I feel a little iffy about the plot line. First off, I forgot what happened in the sedcond instalment, Independent Study, so I was confused for the first 20 pages or so. And right now I'm just having a hard time getting into the story. *SPOILER* Cia is not a killer so I find it hard to believe that she is so willing to sign up to kill 13 people. That's about as far as I have gotten. Oh, also I feel that Tomas isn't as important in the second and third installments and he was in the first. Maybe this is to show the choices Cia will make on her own without anyone's help? I don't know. I will continue to read and post a review when I am done. 

Check out my reviews of The Testing (here) and apparently I never did one for Independent Study. I'm slacking. Make sure you read those two before picking up Graduation Day! 

-Shawnee Smith

New This Week

Week of July 8, 2014

Hardcover:

   

Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth

Midnight Thief (Midnight Thief #1) by Livia Blackburne

Idols (Icons #2) by Margaret Stohl

Through To You by Lauren Barnholdt

Starbreak (Starglass #2) Phoebe North

Paperback:

   

Fool's Gold (Order of Darkness #3) by Philippa Gregory

Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough

Raven Flight (Shadowfell #2) by Juliet Marillier

Starglass (Starglass #1) by Phoebe North

 

Linked (Linked #1) by Imogen Howson and Ali Smith

The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong by L. Tam Holland

-Shawnee Smith

I Finally Watched Ender's Game!

Ender's Game (the movie)

based on the book by Orson Scott Card

came out a while ago, and yet it has taken me this long to sit down and watch it. 

I know, I suck. I just kept hearing that the movie wasn't that great and I kept putting it off, and putting it off, until finally I saw it On Demand and said "why not?" 

So last night at 10:00 P.M. I finally watched Ender's Game. This is what I thought:

First off, I haven't read the book since I was 14 and in the eighth grade so I don't remember all of the little details, but all of the big plot points that I do remember were there and I believe in the right order. So that was great. 

I didn't like the casting all that much, some of the actors (and unfortunately the guy who played Ender Wiggin) I didn't enjoy watching all the time. He did have some good moments, but overall I don't know. I just didn't get Ender all of the time. I understood that he was smart but he was almost emotionally unobtainable through the whole movie.

There were also a lot of other 'stars' in this book like Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Moisis Arias, and Viola Davis. Each had a minimal role that somehow impacted Ender's journey. Personally, I only liked Viola Davis' character ;)

    

I liked all of the battle training scenes where it seemed as they were all in zero-gravity. It was exactly what I thought the scenes would be like when I envisioned them in my head. It was great. 

And the ending was the same. That was a big plot point that I was hoping through the whole movie that they would keep the same. So Yay! Also, that was pretty much the only time I felt compassion for Ender. So good job to Asa Butterfield for that. 

So in the end, though I don't know many of the smaller details, I believed the movie makers got the majority of the major plot points to fit into the movie. I do recommend you read 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card and then watch the movie. Read FIRST, then watch. :)

-Shawnee Smith

Happy Independence Day!

Yes, it is officially Independence Day! That means you can eat too much food, celebrate with friends, and set off fireworks without annoying anyone. 

With that being said, I was going to compile a list of American-themed books in honor of my country's independence but it started to come off as a list of books one would read in a high school English class. And that's not what this blog is about. 

That is one reason that although I have stated over the past few weeks that I have read a book called

City of Thieves by David Benioff... 

...I have not written a review of it because I feel that it would just come off as an paper worthy of being turned in to my AP Lit class in high school. And I don't want to bore you with that. 

Instead I will tell you that if you TRULY want an American-themed novel you can read something by Mark Twain. He was an American author who wrote books about a hundred years ago (check my math I may be wrong) so they are older but are about as American as you can get. 

With that I will leave you to celebrate with your families on this glorious day. Don't blow yourself up with fireworks either ;)

-Shawnee Smith

Ballet Classes?

I have decided to take a Ballet Class this summer.

It may come as a surprise to some of you, but I actually used to dance quite a lot when I was younger. I stopped when I became interested in other things (acting and singing) and I had to pick and choose. 

In honor of my first class I have put together a short list of ballet-themed books.

Enjoy. 

As The Waltz Was Ending by Emma Macalik Butterworth

"Inspiring, haunting, real life autobiography of a young girl who wanted to be a dancer with the Vienna State Opera and did - and also ended up marrying a young American paratrooper."

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

"As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?"

Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

"Partly based on the author's own experiences at the famous Manhattan high school for the performing arts, this novel explores friendship, freedom, and the art of challenging convention.

Set in New York in the 1980s, this story of two ballet dancers (one American, one Russian) recounts the unforgettable night they spend in the city, and celebrates the friendship they form despite their cultural and political differences."

Dancing On The Inside by Glen C. Strathy

"Ever since her grandparents gave her a DVD of "Swan Lake," twelve-year old Jenny Spark has wanted to be a dancer. But on her first day of ballet class, she suffers a panic attack and makes a horrifying discovery. She's terrified of dancing in front of the other kids, and as for actually performing for an audience? Forget it. Yet Jenny refuses to give up her dream. With determination and a little ingenuity, she finds ways to observe ballet classes without actually participating. She trains in the safety of her room, while hiding the truth from her parents. Then Jenny meets her exact opposite: Ara Reyes, an outgoing, spontaneous, and accident-prone girl who loves dancing but has always been overlooked.

The girls' friendship blossoms as they help each other uncover their real talents. Ara's dancing takes a leap forward and Jenny discovers she has an amazing gift for choreography. With the support of the school's newest teacher, Jenny's original ballet might just make it on stage ... but will she?"

Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

"When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she's deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem's muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she's chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent."

-Shawnee Smith

I LOST MY TO BE READ LIST

Just a few days ago my phone (that I previously LOVED) decided to crap out on me. The screen went black and wouldn't turn on even though the phone itself was still on. 

I was unable to get ANYTHING off of my phone, including my contacts, pictures from my vacation, and my To Be Read list! 

It is most upsetting! 

I do have an older one I posted on here a few weeks ago, but its not updated. You can check that out here.

And I may have a list on my computer but my phone was always the most current list I had.

I'M SO UPSET! 

Anyways, I will try to rebuild my To Be Read list over the next few days and hopefully I can get it back to where it was. 

In the mean time, I will go read another book and study for my Biology Test. 

-Shawnee Smith

Review: Divided by Elsie Chapman

Divided by Elsie Chapman

Pages: 309

Publisher: Random House Children's

Series: Dualed #2

Read my review of Dualed here.

"West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.

The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.

How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? "

I have been racking my brain all day to figure out what to say about this book without sending the wrong message. If you read my review of Dualed, the first book in the series, you will know that I absolutely loved it. While the ending was predictable I liked the characters and the idea of the book. However, for Divided, I didn't like the book as much as I thought I would. I felt the plot to be bland, the climax rather boring, and the questions left not at all riveting. Especially the whole set up for The Surround but I will get to that later. 

As a character, I thought West should have been different. She went through this whole ordeal of striking and almost losing Chord, the boy she loves, in the last novel. So wouldn't someone who went through all of that be questioning who they are and what they are doing? Other then not taking Striker jobs, West seemed like the same person. She hopped back into Striking all too fast for my taste without thinking of the repercussions. I felt as though she didn't go through a personal crisis in this novel, *SPOILER* well other than one of the targets being her Brothers Alt. That wasn't a huge surprise to me. I thought she took it all too well. 

I just felt that the novel didn't stay true to the characters that were set up in the first installment. I mean, West should have taken seeing her brothers Alt, and saving his life, way, way, WAY harder than she did. She took it well. Which is not something that I expected. And I'm not even going to talk about Chord because, well, he didn't really do much. And he took the other Alt too well also. 

The two biggest plot points, as I have stated before were West's Brother's Alt, Auden, and then the big question of what is in The Surround. Also there was this whole thing about Alt's not having to be made for 55 years, that there was a way around the sterility but the Board buried the information. 

The Surround and The Alts no longer being necessary were plot points set up for the next novel. I am still curious about those plot points so at least that was done really well. I have not previously heard the name of the next book or when it is going to come out. When I know more I will post. 

In the end, I believe that Divided was a let down for me personally. I was just hoping for a lot more than what was delivered. Now you might think differently, but that is just my opinion. I will still read the next one when it come out. If there is a next one. Just kidding. There better be. 

-Shawnee Smith