The Giver by Lois Lowry

Date Started:  October 30
Date Finished: November 1

Summary: Jonas lives in a world where everything is regulated. Feelings are talked through and worked out so that people don't experience them so deeply anymore. Language must be precise or one could misunderstand the meaning. Everything like jobs, mates, and children are chosen for everyone. Only the Giver and his Receiver have the memory of the times before this and the place simply known as Elsewhere. When Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory, he starts to see the dangers of a regulated world and the deep secrets that his world keeps hidden from its citizen. Jonas makes  a decision and secretly starts giving memories to Gabriel a newborn (newchild) that his family takes care of until he can sleep through the night.

Likes: This was a really well written book. It is dystopia 101. It establishes the rules of the world, breaks those rules with Jonas' character and his role as The Receiver, then it shows the "Oh sh*t" moment when the character realizes that not all is well in the world, then Jonas must decide what to do with the knowledge he receives. Even though I could pin down the story and tell you all the tropes, it was still a fantastic story. I definitely was curious to know what memories Jonas would receive. The worldbuilding is also fantastic. Isn't over done or put in as an annoying info dump. I was interested in learning what used to be and what the story is now.

Dislikes: I dislike the fact that I didn't read this as a child, because it would have been cool to read it again and see it in a new light. The cover is off-putting. I think it doesn't really appeal to children with an old bearded man on the front. It could definitely use some updated packaging because I knew I wouldn't have picked it up on my own had we not be forced to read it (see the overall section below.) And the updated packaging that I saw doesn't look much better to be honest.

Overall: Obvious it's not in my age range, but I still enjoyed it. In fact, I probably liked it more now than if I had read it in school. It's a good book and I feel that despite the horrors of the world, it is still age appropriate and not overly long or gratuitous. I'm curious to read the sequels. It definitely left itself open for being a series.

Recommended by: I had to read this for class in 6th grade or middle school, but for some reason we never got around to it. I remember having this book in my hand and opening it, reading the first page, then getting sidetracked and having to return it to the library before I got a chance to finish it.


Acquired: Library

Logline Blogfest: Sex, Drugs, and Steamwork

Copyright belongs to respective owners.

Since Sex, Drugs, and Steamwork isn't finished, I couldn't enter the logline contests, however Steena Holmes is holding a logline blogfest and I squeaked by just in the nick of time. Having this logline helps me find the focus of the story (since it doesn't have one really and/or is incredibly convoluted.)

"When steamwork mechanic, Alessandra Mijares, unwittingly becomes a criminal for saving a fugitive magician, she seeks refuge in Underground with the magical creatures. Her fate rests in an eccentric mage or a skirt-chasing prince, both eager to use her for their own interests."

 I hope this piques your interests. I'm curious to know what your thoughts are. Now off to the next blog.

EDIT: Thanks for all the feedback. Here's the edit:

"When steamwork mechanic Alessandra unwittingly becomes a criminal for saving a  fugitive magician, she seeks refuge in Underground with the magical creatures. To get to safety, she must rely on herself, but an eccentric mage and a skirt-chasing prince are both eager to use her for their own interests."

EDIT 2: Another edit. I need more action in the second sentence. I hope this clears things up (most likely not, but it doesn't hurt to get feedback). I'm wondering if giving the names of the mage/magician and the Prince would make things clearer.

"When steamwork mechanic Alessandra unwittingly becomes a criminal for saving a fugitive magician, she finds herself stranded in Underground with dangerous magical creatures. The eccentric mage blackmails her into deactivating his war machines while she catches the eye of the spoiled skirt-chasing prince who's family wants her in jail."

Time's Arrow by Martin Amis

Date Started: October 30
Date Finished: November 2

Summary:  In a strange world, where doctors injure people and harm saves people, the narrator, a conscience, a soul, is somehow stuck in the mind of Tod Friendly and all his aliases, after Tod is brought back to life.

Likes: It takes a lot of skill to write a novel like this. For one thing, you have to make sure that you don't expose your world. The idea is a bit of a gimmick and perhaps would have been a terrible novel in the hands of a less experienced author. The story takes an old "cliche" and puts a different twist on something that is so overdone. I don't want to say too much about the story without giving away the gimmick, but the story is well written in the regard that once you learn the "gimmick", you are willing to suspend your disbelief. If the story doesn't keep you interested, you do read to see if a character

Dislikes: Once I found out what the main character, Tod Friendly, was years earlier in his life, I was less invested in his story. In fact, this is the part where the narrator and the character of "Tod Friendly" become one and the novel seems to be rushed to me. I don't really like Tod and his aliases, but the opinionated conscience made his character a little more bearable.

Overall: I apologize for keeping this review sparse, but I don't want to ruin the secrets of the novel for you. It's an amazingly well crafted novel and I am in awe of how deftly it was handled in terms of the writing. I'm not really impressed with the character that we have to follow, but this story definitely falls into the realm of the experimental. It can't be written an other way otherwise you'd just have another cliched story about a horrific point in history. It is fun to watch the story unfold, but my only complaint was that the character we're forced to follow is a little boring. That being said, I wouldn't recommend the story to people who don't want to work hard to get to the heart of the story. If you want to read something that takes an idea and runs with it, I'd recommend reading this story more so for the technique and craft moreso than the actual story itself.(the story was inspired by a part of Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse 5")

Recommended by: Professor Sal. P for Anatomy of Fiction Class.

Acquired: eBook. (my print book is coming this week, which is irritating because it's after the point.)