Top Ten Tuesday is a Weekly Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is top ten books which are outside the normal scope of what we read. I am pretty territorial about my reading time, so I pretty much stick to young adult and middle grade fiction with a few nonfiction books thrown in for sanity sake. This made the topic was a little tough for me. One of the things I’ve realized over the last year or so is that sometimes I need to be purposeful about choosing books with narrators who are different than me. Whether that means different in terms of race, gender, identity, or experience. Here are ten books that I really enjoyed in which the narrator and I, though we share many other qualities, have some obvious differences.
Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt – I loved the way Marquardt made me see the life of an immigrant family from the inside. The story challenged some ideas I’d had and made me reevaluate them. Definitely the mark of a good book, in my opinion. My full review here.
Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas – Moritz, a blind boy with supernatural ability to hear his surroundings, pretty much had me at hello. I couldn’t help being drawn into his tragic story and hoping for him to find his way through it. My full review here.
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp – This one was a tough read for me. It’s about a school shooting and revolves through the point-of-view of several characters connected to the shooter. Nijkamp fills the pages with a large, diverse cast of characters and manages to make each seem real and authentic. This is a must-read for anyone looking for stories with that kind of diversity. Read my full review.
On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers – This is another story with a diverse cast of characters. Myers is an author I’ve been really wanting to read more. I read several reviews claiming this isn’t his best work, but I enjoyed the story. My review.
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – If you follow Children’s Literature at all, you don’t need me to tell you how amazing this book is. I was blown away by how cleverly the story is put together and how heartbreaking it is to watch it unfold. If you haven’t read it, seriously, grab a copy now. It’s incredible. Read my review.
Sold by Patricia McCormick – This was another tough read. It’s about a young girl raised in an impoverished town in Nepal whose family sells her into prostitution. Though the horrors of her life are not much described in the story, it’s easy to imagine what it’s like for girls who truly do live this life. My review here.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio – If you’ve been around The Story Sanctuary long, you’ve probably heard me talk about how much I love this book. It was so good that when I finished, I immediately bought copies for other people. Every character leaped right into my heart, Auggie not least of all. So good. My review.
Blue Gold by Elizabeth Stewart – This is a recent read. I loved the way Stewart humanized the plight of so many nameless refugees and factory workers overseas. I never felt preached at. Instead, it was like opening a window and looking into lives so different than my own. Read my review here.
Li Jun and the Iron Road by Anne Tait – I suppose in more ways than one, this book was outside my usual go-to read. It’s a historical tale, which I’m not in any way opposed to, I’m just more often drawn to contemporary or fantasy stories. I liked that it gave me a window into history that I really didn’t know much about before picking up the book. It’s about the construction of the railroad in Canada. My husband and I visited Vancouver as part of our honeymoon trip, and I would love to go back to that area and learn more about it. This book only helped fuel that fire. My review.
As Cinder and her friends race toward Luna, the final battle with Levana draws near. With the help of her friends, Cinder must rally her people against the queen, liberate them by dethroning her aunt, and take her place as queen. If she fails, it’s pretty much game over – Levana will take over earth once her marriage to Kai is complete, where she’ll enslave everyone.
Though Levana’s ward, Princess Winter, has always seemed reclusive and crazy, the people love her. When that love becomes yet another threat to Queen Levana’s rule, Winter’s stepmother orders her killed at the hands of the guard who has loved Winter since they were children. Though Cinder comes to Luna to stir up a revolution, she may be Winter’s only hope.
There were so many moments in this story that satisfied the needs the earlier books in the series created for me. Scarlet and Wolf. Cress and Thorne. Cinder and Kai. All the romance!! So good.
At first, I wasn’t super crazy about Winter. Jacin wasn’t my favorite either. As the story progressed, I liked both of them more, but I think it was tough to compete for my affection amid the cast of other characters. I am always blown away by how seamlessly Meyer incorporates elements from the fairytales into her novels. In all the chaos of the other story elements, I kept forgetting that Winter had elements from Snow White. As the elements from the familiar tale emerged, I found myself super excited and surprised by them. I feel like this has to be the highest praise a fairytale retelling can earn because to tell a familiar story in such a fresh, new way has to be really difficult.
This entire series has been so much fun to read. It’s largely clean (I think there was maybe the heaviest content in Fairest, which is Levana’s story) and because even the approach to the mind manipulation is taken from a sci-fi standpoint, it doesn’t feature the use of magic. If you like sci-fi or fairy tale retelling, this whole series is excellent. If you’re new to the series, check out my review of Cinder, the first book in the series.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing.
Spiritual Content Lunar people possess a gift which allows them to manipulate bioelectricity and therefore control the minds of those around them. There’s a lot of discussion about the ethics of this behavior and under what circumstances it’s appropriate for the mind control to be used. Cinder struggles with when and how to employ her gift and whether or not using it makes her as evil as Levana. Winter’s stubborn refusal to use her gift has caused mental instability.
Violence Winter witnesses an execution in the Lunar court in which the prisoner uses a knife to kill himself while under the control of a high military official. It’s graphic but brief. Scarlet bears evidence of her torture in Lunar custody, though she doesn’t discuss it. There are some battle scenes between Lunars and revolutionaries. The wolf soldiers are a bit scary, and some of the battles contain vivid imagery. Winter also hallucinates some disturbing images – the walls bleeding, that sort of thing.
In a world in which women are of little value, Grey tries to remain beneath the notice of the ruling Chemists. To draw attention to herself risks her very life and the lives of her family and her best friend Whit. When Chemists punish Whit for protecting Grey, she abandons hope of escaping notice and vows to help others like Whit, no matter the cost to herself. When the Chemists realize what she’s done, her family protects her by spiriting her away to a world within her grandfather’s curio cabinet. There, among a strange world of clockwork people, Grey must find a hidden ally and a key that may bring an end to the Chemists’ tyranny.
Though I’ve been long fascinated with steampunk literature, I hadn’t really read much of it. I enjoyed this story very much. I loved the way Denmark creates not only the dystopian world in which Grey lives but also another hidden world within the curio cabinet. I hadn’t realized when I started reading that a great majority of the story would take place within the cabinet. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like that idea, but actually, though I think the dystopian world is complex and interesting in its own right, I came to prefer the part of the story that happens within the curio.
Blaise is absolutely my favorite character. I liked that he was a bit removed from both worlds. In terms of the way the story unfolds, I liked that he held his own and played his own part in fighting evil and rescuing Grey, but she had her own heroic role to play.
Also, I have to say that the villain in the curio was super creepy. Like, not in a ‘beware!’ kind of way, but in the sense that I definitely felt the danger Grey was in when she was in his custody.
Over all, I loved the pacing of the story and its great characters. Because of the pervasiveness of the attraction the characters feel for one another and the intense situation described below, this may not be a great book for younger or more sensitive readers. See the content notes for more information.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content From almost the very beginning of the story, Grey has some intense feelings of attraction toward her friend Whit and another man she meets. There are a few kisses exchanged, but nothing beyond that, though there are a lot of moments when Grey or other characters dwell on the romantic pull toward one another.
There’s a scene which might be a trigger for abuse or rape survivors. See below for details.
Spoiler — One of the porcies takes a fascination to Grey, and though the porcies aren’t capable of procreation, he intends to “explore” Grey, by force if necessary. He ties her down and tries to take advantage of her, but doesn’t get very far. It’s definitely intense, but she’s able to escape.
Spiritual Content Within the curio cabinet, the clockwork people believe they were created by a Designer. This idea seems consistent with metaphors for our relationship with a Creator, but it’s not explored.
Within Grey’s village, powerful Chemists who have magical abilities rule the people.
Violence Chemists mete out harsh punishments for rule violations. Whit bears injuries resulting from being whipped. In the curio, a fall or other mishap seriously damages the fragile porcies (living people made of porcelain with steam-powered inner workings.) A girl loses her hand in a battle. At one point, Grey finds a mass grave of tocks (living people made with clockwork pieces.)
Drug Content
Whit comes across a potion dealer who adds an addictive element to the potions. It seems to affect him the way illicit drugs would (he’s a bit out of things for a while after taking it), and he craves more of the stuff.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is music in books. I think the actual prompt is geared more toward either listing songs that would make great books or identifying a theme song for a particular book. I’m horrible at that sort of thing, and also deep in the revision process of my own project, so all I could think of were songs for my own scenes.
Instead, I’ve put together a list of books in which characters are either in a band or in which the stories feature music as an important theme. For me, music has always been a huge part of my life, so I was surprised that, as I made this list, there weren’t more books that came to mind which feature music as part of the story.
Here are my picks:
Scar Boys by Len Vlahos – Harry finds music and his role in the band to be an outlet and identity, even if it only makes the inequality in his relationship with Johnny more obvious. Read my review.
Scar Girl by Len Vlahos – After the tragic accident that tore them apart, the band struggles to reunite. Told as a series of interviews with band members, each recalls the highs and lows that ultimately led to another loss for the group. Read my review.
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman – Mia’s life hangs in the balance after a car accident that leaves her in a coma. She has to decide whether she will return to her life, even if it means facing life alone.
Where She Went by Gayle Foreman – Adam, Mia’s boyfriend in If I Stay, finds his new stardom to be a pretty empty life and reflects back on the great love he shared with Mia.
Apparently I didn’t review either of these books, though I did read them. I’m pretty sure there’s some sexual content– Mia’s parents are pretty permissive as far as her relationship with Adam goes. I can’t remember whether or not there’s profanity. I’ll have to go back and review these.
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert – I don’t think I can say it better than the description on Goodreads: “Punk rock is in Emily Black’s blood. Her mother, Louisa, hit the road to follow the incendiary music scene when Emily was four months old and never came back. Now Emily’s all grown up with a punk band of her own, determined to find the tune that will bring her mother home.” (I think I read this back before I started doing reviews here. I wish it were a cleaner read.)
Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert – I think I liked this one better than I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, but it’s been so long I’m not sure. Both are really gritty tales with great characters. One has quite a bit of drug content (mostly drinking maybe? I can’t remember.)
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen – I loved that the music in this book became this bond between Annabel and Owen, and really, a path toward healing. I remember that I adored Owen Armstrong. Must keep him handy for the next “book boyfriends” list. He’d be on there for me. (I seriously thought I had reviewed this book. I can’t believe I didn’t! Must add to my review list.)
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – (Forgive me…. I listed this book on my last TTT. Can’t help it!! It fits both categories.) While the music doesn’t play a ginormous role in this story, either, it’s definitely part of the connection between Eleanor and Park. The story does great justice to the way that music so often becomes a voice or an anthem, putting things into words that we have a hard time speaking on our own. Read my review.
Sold Out by Melody Carlson – A girl unused to fame suddenly finds herself right in the middle of it. As Chloe and her band mates have to navigate the struggles of stardom, they learn that only by putting it all in God’s hands can they succeed.
You Were Here by Cori McCarthy – Five teens connected by a fatal accident sort out their unresolved grief by revisiting places frequented by the boy they knew in hopes of finding messages he left behind. I haven’t reviewed this book yet, because I only finished reading it recently, but I really liked it a lot. Unfortunately, it does have some explicit language, alcohol content and sexual situations. Look for the review soon for more information.
As a member of the privileged, genetically enhanced Priors, Davis lives a sheltered life in which she pursues dance and enjoys parties with her friends. As the day of the Olympiads draws ever nearer, the pressure rises for Davis to succeed in competition, but to do that, she’ll have to be perfect.
Cole has only known about Priors from the outside. As an Imp, or Imperfect citizen, he’s second-class, barred from opportunities that could mean a world of difference to him and his struggling family. Cole makes his living as a fighter, working for an up-and-coming politician. When the man asks for one last favor before financing Cole’s biggest fight yet, Cole can’t refuse. After all, what’s the harm in bringing down a Prior? Then he meets Davis, and his whole perception of her people changes. If he follows through with his job, it will destroy the girl he may be falling in love with. If he fails, he will be destroyed.
After reading the sequel, Torn, I really wanted to read this book. As I read Torn, I kept thinking, man, there’s so much history to this story! I really wanted to read the story referenced in all these little backstory hints. Then I discovered there IS a first book. So, now I’ve read it.
I wish I’d read The Feuds closer to the time I read Torn. It’s been long enough that I’ve forgotten some of the things I liked or disliked about the second book, and I know there were things I was hoping were more deeply explored in the first book in the series. One of those things was Davis’s relationship with her dad. He’s a much more present character in The Feuds, and the relationship between them does drive a few of the story elements, so that was satisfying. It made the second book make more sense in terms of what was said vs just hinted at.
I still wanted more information about the Olympiads and the Feuds. They were happening, but I think I wanted to feel like this was a huge tradition really grafted into a culture, and it really just felt like an event. Which was okay.
In terms of the story, I think I liked Cole better in this book but Davis better in the second book. Over all, I think I liked the second book better. I’m not sure if that’s simply because I read it first?
Readers who liked the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld might like this series. The writing is very different, but some of the themes explored in terms of what makes a person beautiful or valuable are similar.
Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.
Sexual Content Cole and Davis have a powerful, immediate connection. They share passionate kisses. Davis is still a virgin when the story begins, as if she’s waiting for someone special. It’s implied that she and Cole have sex on a rooftop in what could be their last moments together.
Spiritual Content Davis comments that she wishes she could believe in God sometimes because of the hope that faith offers. Her world has proven that God does not exist.
Violence Cole provides for his family by fighting in an arena. He’s brutal and gifted. The fights are briefly described, one through a terrified Davis’s eyes. One fighter is killed in the arena.
Drug Content
Davis and her friends have fancy parties where alcohol and drugs are consumed. When one of her friends seems to be in some kind of medical distress, Davis assumes she’s had some kind of drug or too much alcohol.
Three fifteen year-old girls: Fiona, the daughter of an executive at a technology company in Vancouver who has just misplaced her phone, Sylvia, who bears the scars of an attack in her village in Congo and now lives in a refugee camp in Tanzania, and Laiping, a girl from a rural town working in a factory in Shenzhen, China so she can send money home to her family. They lead vastly different lives, but they all share one common connection: the mineral Coltan, or “blue gold” used to make electronics and cell phones.
After sending her boyfriend a topless picture of herself, Fiona loses her cell phone. Though her dad works for a company that makes electronics, he insists she get a job and pay for a new phone for herself. In Nyarugusu, Sylvie cares for her younger siblings and her mama, who won’t get up from her sleeping mat some days and insists that Sylvie’s father will join them soon. Sylvie’s brother, wooed by a local warlord, is slipping away from the family. The only way Sylvie can save them is through sponsorship to go to Canada. Laiping wants to please her supervisors at her new factory job and be a good daughter, sending money home for her father’s life-saving heart surgery. But when the company withholds her pay and punishes her for another’s defective work, Laiping begins to wonder whether she’ll ever be able to make a life for herself as a factory worker.
Told from the point-of-view of all three girls, Blue Gold relates three separate stories connected by the world’s desire for the mineral coltan. A nurse at Sylvie’s refugee camp sets up an online campaign to request aid for her, and Fiona and Laiping see the pictures of Sylvie posted online. They don’t know much more about the girl with the machete scar on her face, though. The politics surrounding the use of coltan are present in the novel, and it’s clearly a book with a message. Each girl’s story is compelling, however, and the passages certainly raise empathy for the real people enduring the conditions related in the tale, such as factories and refugee camps.
I really didn’t know much about coltan before reading this book. Through this story and the references included in the back, I’ve done a little more research and begun to look at which products and companies seem to be interested in or succeeding at supporting human rights and ethical production. One suggestion from a section at the back of the book suggests downloading an app called buycott, which can be used to scan the bar codes of items and provide information about whether it was produced in ways that cause harm to the environment or humanity. I’m eager to check it out.
One element that I found interesting was the way the use of cell phones and technology was portrayed throughout the story. A refugee camp worker uses a cell phone to take pictures and videos of Sylvie and her family in order to gather financial support and sponsorship to bring her to Canada. A photo of Laiping taken to test the cell phone camera makes its way across the globe to Fiona’s hands, connecting them, if only for a moment. For Sylvie, a viral photograph has the power to save; for Fiona, in the case of her nude picture, it can destroy. And certainly, where war and slavery rule the harvesting of coltan, technology and our need for the latest greatest gadgets can destroy lives. Technology connects us all, Stewart seems to be saying, for good or ill.
I liked that Stewart didn’t present the topic as a simple black-and-white issue. I really like that she includes a list of other sites and encourages readers to research products and companies for themselves. In reading reviews posted by others on sites like Goodreads, it seems clear that this book has elevated our awareness of problems surrounding coltan mining and factory conditions in China. I have to applaud her for those efforts, and I enjoyed reading this novel about them.
Language Content
None.
Sexual Content Sylvie briefly remembers being raped by soldiers before fleeing her home. There are a few details given, and it’s definitely the kind of scene that could be a trigger for rape or sexual abuse victims. Sylvie thinks about what it would be like to be married to a man she does not love, and compares it to what the soldiers did to her, saying she will withdraw inside herself, that the man can have her body, but never her.
Fiona sends her boyfriend a topless picture of herself which ends up being distributed online. She’s super embarrassed, and refuses to let her parents handle it, insisting she’ll make things right on her own. Her school principal warns her that distributing the picture is child pornography, and anyone (including Fiona) caught posting it or sending it out can be arrested. When Fiona finds out who first posted the picture, she refuses to out them. While I understood her reasons, I felt like it was a bad decision, and I found myself wishing her parents had insisted on being involved in the situation.
Spiritual Content When one of Sylvie’s allies dies in a fight against a warlord, she prays that his spirit will not be trapped in Nyarugusu.
Violence Sylvie and her mother were raped by soldiers before they fled from their home in DRC. Sylvie briefly remembers the event. For readers who are also victims, it could definitely be a trigger. A powerful warlord threatens Sylvie and her family. Soldiers exchange fire with refugees in one scene. In China, Laiping witnesses police brutalizing workers who’ve gathered for a rally to discuss rights and injustices at local factories. She is knocked to the ground and beaten.
Drug Content
Sylvie fears drunk men in the refugee camp who make lewd comments to her and may try to take advantage of her.
Fiona and her boyfriend go to a party where she gets very drunk. So drunk she’s ill and has to go home. Still drunk, she sends a topless picture of herself to her boyfriend. While she comes to deeply regret sending that picture, neither she nor her friends evaluate the role that drinking alcohol played in her willingness to send the photo to begin with.
