Leviathan

Author:  Scott Westerfield

Series:  Leviathan, Book 1

Year:  2009

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Audio

Narrator:  Alan Cumming

Goodreads Summary:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

This is one of those audiobooks that took me a bit of time to get in to the story; however, once I did I loved it and didn't want it to end. I liked the friendship that developed between Alek and Deryn and can't wait to see where it goes. The story has tons of mystery of intrigue. I liked how it is close to real history but just slightly different and that difference makes the world a blast. It's taken me forever to start these stories but I think I'll be listening to the rest of them fairly soon.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Stories

Author:  Raymond Carver

Year: 1989

Publisher:  Vintage Contemporaries

Pages:  159

Goodreads Summary:

In his second collection of stories, as in his first, Carver's characters are peripheral people--people without education, insight or prospects, people too unimaginative to even give up. Carver celebrates these men and women.

Raymond Carver is a master storyteller. He writes these super short stories that are packed with intrigue and feelings. In less time that you can imagine, Carver made me connect with his characters and then he always had these twists that made me read it again just to wrap my head around what happened. The title story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, is one of the best short stories I've read. This collection of stories made a great last read of the night each night before I went to bed. 

Kill Shakespeare, Volume 2

Author:  Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col

Illustrator:  Andy Belanger

Year:  2012

Publisher:  IDW Publishing

Pages:  148

Goodreads Description:

And so the curtain falls... Hamlet, Juliet, and Shakespeare all facing death. Can Othello rally the Prodigals to defeat Richard and Lady Macbeth's now-fractured army? But even if he does, will anyone be left alive to celebrate victory? The critically acclaimed series ends its first run in this second volume collection.

This is a fun little graphic novel series. I love the idea of all Shakespeare's characters being alive and waging a battle. I like the way the authors kept some of the basic personality of Shakespeare's characters but still expanded and made them different (yes, I'm talking about you, Juliet). I do feel like certain parts of the story could have been better developed but overall, it's a fun series.

March, Book One

Authors:  John Lewis & Andrew Aydin

Illustrator: Nate Powell

Year: 2013

Publisher:  Top Shelf Productions

Pages:  128 

Goodreads Description:

Top Shelf Productions is proud to present the first volume of MARCH, a graphic novel trilogy co-authored by Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) and Andrew Aydin, with art by Nate Powell (a New York Times bestseller, Eisner Award winner, and finalist for the LA Times Book Prize).

MARCH is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights (including his key roles in the historic 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma-Montgomery March), meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation.

In MARCH, a true American icon teams up with one of America's most acclaimed graphic novelists. Together, they bring to life one of our nation's most historic moments, a period both shameful and inspiring, and a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.

This is a wonderfully beautiful graphic novel.  It has a brilliant frame story. I've had the opportunity to meet John Lewis a couple of times in my life. He is such a quiet, unassuming and humble man. A part of me always had a hard time reconciling the man I'd met with my idea of a civil rights leader. However, in this first book of the graphic novel series, it's made clear that John Lewis was an advocate of peaceful resistance. He fought for what was right without actually fighting. I loved the lead up to how John Lewis got started in the civil rights movement. This was a terrific beginning to the series and was, in truth, just enough to whet my appetite for the rest of the story. It's a fantastic way to learn about this period of history that happened before my lifetime. I recommend it to everyone.

Champion

Author:  Marie Lu

Series:  Legend, Book 3

Year: 2013

Publisher:  Putnam

Pages:  369

Goodreads Summary:

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

I love how this series is compared to The Hunger Games and Divergent. Those were both tremendously popular series with huge cult followings that did phenomenally well. And Marie Lu deserves all that and more. This series is most likely my favorite of any dystopian series out there. Lu writes these beautiful stories with lines that make me sit back and say "wow, that's beautiful." She has this way with words that is unmatched in YA literature in my opinion. Whereas the ending of Allegiant drew anger (and even death threats) from fans and many fans think that Mockingjay was a disappointing ending for The Hunger Games series, Lu writes a perfect ending to the Legend series. Things aren't perfect at the end. Instead, it's bittersweet but keeps hope alive. I feel like Collins did the same thing with Mockingjay; however, her words are not as elegant as Marie Lu's and Collins doesn't have the same magic touch. 

In sum, if I were going to recommend any one dystopian series to a reader, it would be this one. 

The Naturals

Author:  Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Year: 2013

Publisher:  Listening Library

Narrator:  Amber Faith

Goodreads Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

What a fun joy ride this audiobook was! It was such a thrilling listen with a great mystery.  My sister, friend and I listened to this audiobook while driving to Yallfest and had such a terrific time trying to figure out who the killer was. Barnes did a terrific job of keeping us guessing. I really hope there are more books with this cast of characters.

Allegiant

Author:  Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent, Book 3

Year: 2013

Publisher:  Harper Audio

Narrators:  Emma Galvin, Aaron Stanford

Goodreads Summary:

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

I have loved this series from the first book. Divergent and Insurgent were both fast paced thrillers. Roth slowed the pace down quite a bit in Allegiant and spent quite a bit of time in Tris and Four's heads helping us see how they think and resolve some internal issues and grow as characters. That change took a bit of getting used to but in the end, I went with it. But what about that ending? Yes, I've read all the reviews talking about how horrible the book is and how disappointed everyone is with it. Was I disappointed with it? Of course, I wasn't happy that there wasn't the HEA that I want to see in my books. I always want things to work out perfectly for my characters. HEA's make me feel like there's hope in the world. After all if my characters can make it in their dire circumstances, then there's a chance that things will work out for me. But what do I ultimately want from my books? I want them to make me feel emotions whether it be happiness, fear or sadness. Come on, admit it, you love a good cry.  In the end, that's what Allegiant did. It broke my heart and made me cry. Years from now, when somebody brings up this story, what I will remember is the emotions I felt. And in my mind, that makes a good story.