Direct Correlation

There is an inverse relationship between how much writing I'm doing and how much reading I'm doing. On a positive note, I've been doing a ton of reading lately! I finally, finally read the Hunger Games. It only took me three years to get around to it. I must confess that the ending was spoiled for me last year, almost immediately after I told this particular person that I had not read the series. That might have had a little to do with my delay in reading the first book, but I'm glad I finally got around to it.

I've not read a lot of dystopian YA lit (as I mentioned in my review of Matched), but I have to say that I"m really enjoying the genre. Maybe it's influenced by my lifelong love of zombies (George A. Romaro is a genius). But I can totally understand why everyone is so into this right now. I like Suzanne Collins dark dystopia where life is hard and survival is not guaranteed. I like Ally Condie's peaceful world, where food and jobs are available, but free thought is discouraged. Both are equally depressing in their own ways. Up next, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies- finally! Or maybe I'll get back to my writing.

Side note: It's not too late to enter my Yay Contest! The soaps smell fantastic- it's all I can to keep from using them myself. I wanted to mention that the journal is a bit on the small side. It's not a full-sized notebook, more of a pocket-sized journal. Well, bigger than a pocket, smaller than a bread box. My stack of ARCs is read and waiting! Good luck, everyone!

I Read a Book: Matched

Remember that time I was going to read a YA book and post a review every week or so? Good, neither do I.

But I am super thrilled to finally post another review. This time I read Matched by Ally Condie.

Cassia is a happy peon, living under the watchful eye of The Society. She works hard at her job as a "sorter," enjoys the same three free-rec activities when she gets a chance to hang with her friends, and anxiously awaits the big day when she’ll meet the one. Except, Cassia doesn’t get to choose who to love. The Society takes care of everything from what its members eat to who they marry.

Confession time: I am "streets behind" when it comes to dystopian YA lit (any other Community fans out there?). I may be the only person on the face of the planet who has not read The Hunger Games yet. So, I can’t comment on any similarities/differences, but what I can comment on is how much I enjoyed Matched.

The book has two plots running in parallel: one, a teen romance, and the other, a story of a girl learning to question the world she lives in. The romance is a typical boy next door-girl-boy from the wrong side of the tracks love triangle. It's not earth-shattering, but it's entertaining. In my opinion, the stronger arc focuses on Cassia's growing curiosity about why things are they way they are. There were times I wanted to grab her and smack her and other times when I pitied her. The writing is beautiful, and I am dying to find out what happens next (second in the series due in Nov 2011). The ending is a cliffhanger, and those usually annoy me, but it works for Matched. It reminded me a lot of the end of the Golden Compass (book, not the movie).



Hardcover, 366 pages 

Published November 30, 2010