Voting Post #4
1. Name of book: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
2. Small blurb about the book: The year is 1914 and Europe, armed with futuristic machines and biotechnology, is on the precipice of war. Prince Aleksandar is fleeing for his life, having discovered that his parents have been assassinated and he is now a target for the Clanker Powers, a group determined to take over the globe with their mechanical machinery. When he meets Deryn Sharpe, an orphan girl who has disguised herself as a boy so she can to join the British Air Service, they form an uneasy, but necessary, alliance. But the pair will soon discover that their emerging friendship will dramatically change their lives - and the entire course of the Great World War...
3. Why this book is awesome: Uh, let's see: alternate steampunk/biopunk World War One Europe, giant flying whales, a girl dressing up as a boy, a runaway prince... What's not to like? Like most of Westerfeld's books, it's fun, entertaining soft sci-fi with awesome characters. And did I mention the cracky flying whales? (Plus, also, I want someone to talk to me about how awesome Alek/Deryn is. Seriously, it's like if, in the Lioness books, Alanna and Jon had actually worked.)
1. Name of book: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
2. Small blurb about the book: My father took one hundred and thirty two minutes to die. I counted.
3. Why this book is awesome: Those are the first words in the book. It is in the contest for my favorite book of all time. It is brilliantly written and layered and complex and aboutreal people. And it's rich in detail and every little thing matters. It makes you think just to understand it initially because you're plunged in with no explanation. (Also, it's Australian. Why is it that all the Australian books I read are great books?) No summary because I think summarizing it sort of cheapens it. It needs to be read and absorbed and experienced.
1. Name of book: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
2. Small blurb about the book: The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it -- from garden seeds to Scripture -- is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
3. Why this book is awesome: So I'm not always (or even often) a fan of "literature," you know what I mean? But this book!! It's wonderfully written, makes me think and, most important for me, it's enjoyable. And, well, one of the things I don't like about literature is their blurbs, so basically this is about four sisters who move to a new place, grow up and learn to overcome their father's influence. Forget all the pretentious language people use to talk about these kind of books, this is just a good story!
1. Name of book: The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne
2. Small blurb about the book: From her website:
Two spies on the run - a woman loyal to France, a man loyal to England - and a secret that means peace or war for two nations. They break the first rule of spies. They fall in love.
3. Why this book is awesome: Okay, first of all, I do read books that aren't about spies. And the spies in this book are awesome. But the real draw of this book is the way that it plays with language. The characters shift through a number of different languages (French, English, and German, for sure), and every time they do, the cadence of the dialogue adjusts just perfectly and I've never read any other book that handles this so well. Even if romance novels aren't your thing, I'd recommend it for that reason alone. I still don't know how she did that. Also, there are the spies. You should read it for them, too.
1. Name of book: Juliet, Naked
2. Small blurb about the book: From the beloved "New York Times"- bestselling author, a quintessential Nick Hornby tale of music, superfandom, and the truths and lies we tell ourselves about life and love.
Annie loves Duncan-or thinks she does. Duncan loves Annie, but then, all of a sudden, he doesn't. Duncan really loves Tucker Crowe, a reclusive Dylanish singer-songwriter who stopped making music ten years ago. Annie stops loving Duncan, and starts getting her own life.
3. Why this book is awesome: Because it's Nick Hornby and he gave us High Fidelity? I haven't read this one yet, but I'm starting it tonight. Plus, I figure February would be a good month to read about love.
1. Name of book: Matched by Ally Condie
2. Small blurb about the book:
In a story that is at once evocative of Lois Lowry's The Giver (Houghton, 1993), George Orwell's 1984, and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Condie introduces readers to the “perfect” Society. Cassia Reyes is a model student, daughter, and citizen. How could she not be when the Society has everything planned and functioning perfectly? All of her needs are met: food, shelter, education, career training, and even her future husband are selected by officials who know what is best for each individual by studying statistical data and probable odds. She even knows when she will die, on her 80th birthday, just as the Society dictates. At her Match Banquet she is paired with Xander, her best friend and certainly her soul mate. But when a computer error shows her the face of Ky, an Aberration, instead of Xander, cracks begin to appear in the Society's facade of perfection. A series of events also shakes her dedication to Xander and puts her future in jeopardy.
3. Why this book is awesome: I have no idea, as I haven't read it, but I've seen it on a lot of lists and it seems intriguing. Worth a shot?
Poll February's book
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