Book Review - Feed by M.T. Anderson

How did I come into possession of this book?

I bought this book at a Lexington Public Library book sale.  It was a good thing I attended the sale just before they closed, otherwise I might’ve come away with many more than just four books (it was held in a huge warehouse).  The title of this book sounded familiar and it had won many awards as a young adult book so I thought it might be a nice read.

First Line:

“We went to the moon to have fun but the moon turned out to completely suck” (Anderson 3)

What is it about?

This book takes place in a very futuristic society.  A time when traveling to the moon is like traveling to Cancun for spring break, and most houses are built underground or in domes.  Everyone is tied into a computer, and the computer becomes part of them so anything they could want to know at any point is at their fingertips as part of their feed.  A group of more privileged youth head to the moon on spring break and meet someone who comes from a different walk of life.

What did I think?

I think many of the ideas in this book were great, and I could see many of them possibly happening in our future, especially the overload of technology.  I think I would’ve loved seeing some of these ideas put into an adult book because there are many ways it can be taken and this book felt particularly young.  This is one of my frustrations with young adult (YA) books, there are so many YA books out there that can be enjoyed by adults without giving up some of the ideas, but books like this one bring the writing down a level.  I really wanted to know more about the world they lived in and everything Violet always talked about.  I was very frustrated with most of the characters and that they didn’t seem to know anything about their world, and it is a scary possibility that this could actually happen in our future. 

Who would I recommend it to?

You have to enjoy YA novels written with a young feeling voice.  If that sort of thing bothers you, I’d steer clear.  However, it makes for a very quick read.  If you are looking for another futuristic YA novel, this is one of those.  This book focuses more on a futuristic society than a dystopian society, which is what a lot of YA books out there tend to focus on.  I’ve heard this book classified as a cyberpunk novel which is basically a different look on the dystopian genre, but worth a read if you are hooked on the genre and looking for something a bit different.

Check out other reviews on this book from fellow bloggers:

If You Like Books

Opinions of a Wolf

The Readventurer

Erin Reads

Did you read this book and review it on your blog? Let me know in the comments and I'll add your link!

Book Review - The Jeeptown Sock Hop by John Harrigan

How did I come into possession of this book?

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.  I got a nice, personal email from the author that really showed he had taken time a look at my blog.  I really like this, and will review almost any book that comes my way if you take the time to make me feel like I am the one you want reviewing your book!

First Lines:

“When you drive cross country to relax for a few days with your sister you don’t expect a blind date with an old friend.”  (Harrigan 5)

What is it about?

Set in the 1950s in the Midwest this story centers around a boy who is going through a lot.  His brother is off to Korea, his Dad’s union is on strike, and his best friend is black.  All he really wants to do is play music with his friends, and show that an integrated band can work, but so much of life gets in the way. 

What did I think?

It seems like I haven’t read a recent historical book in a while.  So this was a great change from some of the other books I’ve been reading.  Since it was a genre I don’t read a lot of, I was worried the story would be slow and it would take me a while.  But this book caught me right away and I felt like it read at a great pace.  I loved the setting, the time period and everything going on at that time. I really felt for Charlie, he is a character who is hard not to like.  I could feel his anger for Mr. Jackson, and even though he wasn’t always sure about the details of the strike I really liked how he stood by his father.  All the characters seemed very genuine and real.  This book was sad, and happy, and sad again but I enjoyed it the whole way through.

Who would I recommend it to?

I thought this was an interesting look at a different time of union strikes and how it really affected families back then.  I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a good down to earth book about normal kids growing up in the 50s.  It reads pretty fast and I think it is a nice book to mix into a diverse to-be-read pile.

Check out other reviews on this book from fellow bloggers:

Book Worm Blogger

And a good Author interview at Tribute Books

Did you read this book and review it on your blog? Let me know in the comments and I'll add your link!

Book Review - Wheels by Lorijo Metz

How did I come into possession of this book?

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.  This was the first time I’d been directly contacted by an author and not just a publisher, so it felt very personal and I was happy to read and review her book!

First Line:

“McKenzie remained in the game, but her brain had split in two.”  (Metz 1)

What is it about?

McKenzie Wu is seeing weird things that don’t seem to make sense to her.  After being sent to the principal’s office for racing down the hallway she is snooping where she shouldn’t be and the next thing she knows she is being sent on a whirlwind adventure involving some long lost ancestors of hers. 

What did I think?

I thought this was a very enjoyable read.  The beginning was a little tough, I had trouble figuring out what was going on and who thee characters were and a lot was happening very fast.  But once I got into the meat of the story I really stared enjoying it.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the interviews by the FBI agent and other letters scattered throughout the book, I didn’t think they added much to what was already a good story.  Something about Metz’s writing style is very light and almost always bordering on humorous.  I loved this aspect of it because it was very different from other authors I’ve read.  I also loved how she wound HG Wells into the book as a main character; it was just another element of fun in this book.

Who would I recommend it to?

You need to be a fan of science fiction involving other worlds; otherwise I don’t think you’d enjoy this book.  There are lots of made up words as well, so if that isn’t your cup of tea I wouldn’t suggest this book to you.  However if you like science fiction and want an author with a light and humorous voice (something you don’t always see in sci-fi) you should read this book!

  

Did you read this book and review it on your blog? Let me know in the comments and I'll add your link!