A Dystopian Book Review

i dont know exactly why i get on book kicks....but recently i have been all into dystopian literature...maybe because its the fact that i am a libertarian and have a constant government phobia hovering about me...maybe its because i love to picture the "what if"...i wont even try to psychoanalyze it (too late) but i have simultaneously loved and hated all the books i have read...which are:

1. Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

i highly highly recommend these books. in fact i have been personally responsible for at least 3 people being totally hooked. there is rumors of the first book already being made into a movie, which is not hard to believe since the book reads like an action movie. the books are so completely visceral and anxiety laden its ridiculous. what i love most about them though is the discussions i have had about them. i can discuss them with my teenage nieces and "more mature" colleagues alike. they touch on the primal instincts of humans versus the control of government. they touch on the adolescent angst we all experience. they touch on survival. they wrap you up with the non-stop action - they never let you let your guard down as a reader.

i think the thing i love most is that they are written by a female with a kick-ass female lead character. they do not only belong in the "young adult" category...as many amazing YA books are so easily placed...they belong in the "kick-ass" category...but i dont believe the library has that one yet....

just a premise for those of you undecided if you want to venture here...you can read more here.

2. Maze Runner by James Dashner

right on the heels of Hunger Games i stumbled across this book. There are only 2 of the 3 out right now...the blasted third book apparently comes out this fall and i am waiting on pins and needles to read it! i was so so mad the day i finished the second book and found out i couldnt read the third yet...i almost wrote the author and yelled at him...almost...like i had the letter drafted and never sent...because its not his fault he wrote these amazingly captivating books...oh wait...yes it is!

i loved these books and can not wait until the third. i still want to have discussions with random people about this book, but no one i know has read it...so PLEASE read it and talk to me about it! so good! so filled with juicy topics...i describe it as such: its like if Hunger Games and 28 Days Later had a baby.

the book opens up with the main character Thomas not knowing who he is or how he came to be in this compound of boys. you are just as confused as Thomas for most of the intriguing book...for more info read here.

3. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

of course after those 5 books of dystopian action and adventure, i was not satisfied so i picked up this book. it is also as confusing as Maze Runner in that you have no idea what the book is about until the end. It reminded me a lot of The Road by Cormac McCarthy only it wasnt as depressing and it didnt take me over a year to finish...

The book was a good read...i would recommend it...however, much like The Road, it left a big WTF hovering in my brain...again...would love to talk to someone about it...books are meant to talk about...




PS...its ONLY because i got a Nook for Christmas that i have been able to read this many books in this short amount of time. i can pack it easily...i can hide it easily from the kids...i can always pick up where i left off...i can read with one hand...i can easily take it with me in the bathroom (ummm...TMI?) its been amazing...i was once a "book snob" and am now a "nook snob" AMEN