Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, Book One): Isaac Marion

"R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie.  He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains.  He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing.  He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

"After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend.  Julie is a blast of color in the dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R.  His decision to protect her will transform not only R but also his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

"Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between."

Okay.  I devoured this book (pun intended because, yes, I am just that corny).  It's not terribly long - I read the hardcover version which comes in at a little under 250 pages - but that is beside the point.  I simply could not put this book down.  I am thrilled with Marion's writing style, incredible storytelling, and knack for creating characters who, even though not all of them were living and breathing, really felt very...well...alive!

I convinced my now-husband to watch the movie version of Warm Bodies after it came out a few years ago.  Simply put:  I loved it.  I thought it was funny, well-done, great casting, and just enough zombie gore to keep my then-boyfriend interested (especially because he's such a fan of "The Walking Dead").  Now I am certainly not a person who normally cares for apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic movies, shows, and/or books.  I refuse to watch "The Walking Dead," "2012," "The Day After Tomorrow," and anything else that has to do with the end of the world as we know it - probably all stemming from my recurring childhood nightmares of all the terrible ways the world was going to end.  I was sold on Warm Bodies as soon as I saw the trailer because it genuinely looked like it had a great sense of humor.

I have to rewatch the movie since it's been a few years since I've seen it, but - if my memory serves me right - there is definitely more to the book than they were able to capture in the movie (doesn't that always happen, though?).  I feel like the portrayal of R in the book was highly existential, yet he retained the same humor I remember from the movie.  I am thoroughly impressed with how deep this book goes.  I had an inkling when it began with references to "Gilgamesh," but I am extremely thrilled with how much this book made me think and ponder my own existence.  It was lighthearted enough to be an enjoyable read, gory enough to be scary and exciting, eloquent enough to reach the level of reading to which I am accustomed, and fresh enough to be a very interesting read.  Marion is a brilliant author and I am so happy to have stumbled upon this book!  To be honest, I didn't even know that the movie had been based off of Marion's book!  I was at my local library on my way home from work on Valentine's Day and was walking past an end-cap with a sign that read, "If you love 'Walking Dead,' you should try these!" and Warm Bodies was on prominent display.  I think I even did a happy little jump when I saw it because it reminded me of how much I enjoyed the movie.

For those of you who have already seen the movie, this won't be a spoiler.  It miiiight be a little bit of a spoiler for you if you haven't.  I think the whole "zombie Romeo and Juliet" aspect of the story was played up a heck of a lot more in the film than it actually was in the book.  In fact, other than the balcony scene, I don't think I would have necessarily noticed it had I not known to look for it because of the movie.  (I am a little bit sad that the movie did away with R's button-down and tie; I liked the thought of him being a dapper zombie.)

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved the film adaptation.  The book is a little bit heavier on the existentialism and pondering of one's purpose than the film, but I hope that doesn't turn anyone off; it really is honestly worth the read.  If you have a queasy stomach or you're grossed out really easily, then this might not be the book for you.  R is a very descriptive narrator and Marion is an excellent writer...I could practically smell the rotting corpses...

Now I can't wait to go and watch the movie again!

*Aaaaand...my night is made.  Just saw that Marion has written a couple of other books that go along with this story.  I'm curious to see if they have the same depth and sense of humor that Warm Bodies did.

Divergent (Divergent Trilogy, Book One): Veronica Roth

"In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

"During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

"Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the YA scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance."

*Thank you Amazon.com for the book info - I didn't have any because I happened to listen to this one on an audiobook app.

This book marked my first foray into the world of audiobooks.  (I'm not sure that statement is entirely true...part of me seems to recall listening to Winnie the Pooh audiobooks -- on cassette tape, mind you -- as I went to sleep as a child...but I digress.)  We were teaching this book in the Children's Lit course I'm co-teaching this semester and I had to read this book...and fast...  I wasn't quite sure when I would find the time to read it with all of my other work, but then I had an epiphany:  I spent at least an hour each day, Monday through Friday, on my commutes to and from work.  Why not spend the time listening to books?  I listened to music anyway and I was getting tired of some of the morning talk shows on the radio, so I thought a change might not be so bad.  Luckily for me, there was a Living Social deal (kind of like Groupon, for those of you who are unfamiliar) for two months free subscription to Audible (which I HIGHLY recommend - very user-friendly and worked great when I wanted to listen from my phone through the Bluetooth in my car!).  I jumped on that deal and immediately snagged a copy of Divergent.

I feel like it's only right to talk about my impressions of the format of the book first.  I was unsure about how I would like listening to a book.  I usually go off into my own little world when I read, so distracted driving was a very real possibility -- and something that would have made me stop listening to an audiobook (no distracted driving please!).  I quickly discovered that it was something I really enjoyed!  It made my drives so much more pleasant.  I actually couldn't wait to get in my car and battle traffic!  I will admit that my comprehension and retention of the material were noticeably lessened.  I found myself having to rewind 30-60 seconds every time I started listening to the book again to remind myself where I was in the story.  I'm a visual person and have an extremely good memory for things like where the words were on a page.  I've never really been an auditory learner, so this took some getting used to.  It did not really lessen my enjoyment of the story, but I do think the narration helped a lot.  Emma Galvin was the narrator of the audiobook and (though I don't really have too much experience in this area) I think she did a fairly outstanding job of it.  At first, I was a little uneasy with a single narrator doing all of the character's voices, but I caught on and soon grew to appreciate how easily she maintained her continuity of tone and inflection for each individual character.  Considering how many there were, this could not have been an easy task!  Kudos to her.

As for the story, I wasn't quite sure what to think when I first heard we would be teaching it.  I was such a fan of Hunger Games that it almost fell disloyal to pick up another dystopian teen fiction (silly, I know).  I knew there was a lot of hype going on about the movie, but I'd never even made an attempt to see it. Being from the Chicago area, I think that was what eventually drew me into this book.  I know all of the places Roth describes and it was really disturbing in a thrilling sort of way to "see" the city in such ruin.

(The idea of factions was really interesting from sociological and psychological standpoints, but I won't get too much into that here for fear of putting you to sleep!)

I liked Tris as a character.  She was strong, but not without some weaknesses; she was selfless, yet selfish; and she had just enough "girl" in her to make her relatable to her readers.  Tris walked a fine line between "character" and "realistic," but I think Roth manage to pull it off nicely.  I think she was extremely relatable for female teen readers.  Had Tris had no conscience, then she would have been flat; had she been too strong, then she would have been intimidating to the readers; and had she not had a love interest, then I think the story would have lost an important facet in appealing to a certain teenage demographic.  Who doesn't love a little bit of romance?  I enjoyed the way Roth presented it -- it wasn't too over-the-top or a love-at-first-sight, which I really appreciated.  (Those of you who have read other installments here realize I don't have an issue with these kinds of things in books.  I just don't think they would have fit well with the character of Tris that Roth created.) 

I enjoyed Four as a strong male presence in the book.  He was strong without being uber-masculine.  His character shows readers how men can be both "men" and have depth of emotion and empathy as well.  Even though the story was told from the first-person point of view of Tris, I didn't feel like Four was lost or "less important."  His back story was about as rich as that of Tris, so he was an extremely well-developed character.

(I will say that it bugged me more than a little about how many times characters remarked on the age difference between Four and Tris -- as if two years equated two decades!  This seemed a bit juvenile.)

The book dealt with some pretty powerful issues in ways that teens can comprehend them.  ***Possible spoilers to follow!***  Four's mistreatment at the hands of his father unashamedly confronts child and spousal abuse.  The factions deal with identity, loyalty, cliques, and conformity issues so many teens are confronted with each day.  It openly deals with sex and violence, anxiety and death.  As most dystopian books do, Divergent makes teen readers wonder what will become of their world if solutions aren't found.  I think this book allows for an opportunity for them to see the bigger picture.  Their mental development doesn't always allow them to see outside of their own "bubble," and it's easy to see how a book like this might trigger broader thinking.  Roth is unafraid to hit on a great deal of powerful and emotional situations. ***End of spoilers***

In general, I very much enjoyed the story.  I think the writing style was very enjoyable and the pacing was just right.  It sucked me in and lingered in all the right places.  Keeping in mind that the book is teen literature, I think it was well done.  I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  The characters were fun, and the plot was interesting and exciting.  I'm definitely going to have to rent the movie now!

The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, Book One): Suzanne Collins

"WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH. THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN....

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to death on live TV.

"Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love."

This is another book I will be teaching in my Children's Literature course. I wanted to teach some "science fiction" story, and it worked out perfectly because the film adaptation of this book will come out at the perfect time for the students to do a comparison paper. My twelve-year-old cousin really enjoyed this series so I thought this might be something interesting to teach. I've been meaning to read it too, and now I am really glad that I did. I was a little hesitant about assigning it when I saw how long it was (they have to read 6 other books, have journals, essays, quizzes, and a textbook to read as well), but I read this book in just about 24 hours, so I think they'll manage! I really enjoyed it! It definitely sucked me in with its vibrant characters, dystopian society, and just enough hardships and violence to keep me utterly captivated.

Katniss, though a bit harsh at times, was still a relatable character and she really kept the story moving. Her dilemmas were touching and her hardships were often tragic. The supporting characters were just as well-written and made the plot extremely rich. The background of the storyline itself was extremely interesting. While futuristic, I was really impressed with how believable it actually was. I think this was my main issue with this series. I was worried that it would not grab me like many other books in this genre don't. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong. Overall, I'm glad that my little cousin gave this book such rave reviews. I can't wait to tach this book to my class! (To be honest, I'm looking forward to picking up the next two books in the series!)