Library Finds

I finally went to the city library for the first time in forever. It was a spontaneous decision I made while taking my mother to the doctor today. The library was as just as I remember from my middle school days, slightly run-down, a little deserted, and sadly not a wide variety of books to choose from. One would think differently of the capital city of Alabama. Then again...maybe not. The Huntsville library I've come to love while at university is much more grande with a cathedral design on the outside, and wide, open space on the inside. Oh how I miss it. Despite the lack of books, I was still able to find a decent selection of novels that caught my eye.

  Jennifer Government by Max Barry
     Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card--as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale--and everything must go. 
     A wickedly satirical and outrageous thriller about globalization and marketing hype, Jennifer Government"is the best novel in the world ever."

I become interested in Max Berry after being introduced to his fun webiste, NationStates. This satirical piece immediately grabbed my attention, and it looks to be an enjoyable read.

Divergent by 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.

I hear about this book all the time, so I finally caved and rented it. I feel like it would have been a crime to not get it, as so many people are telling me to read it. Well, there you go. I got it.

Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
'On what slender threads do life and fortune hang'

     Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialised in the 1840s.


I claim this my classics read for the next few weeks, after making a bet with my boyfriend. He's going to read Three Musketeers while I read this, and whoever finishes first wins. Wish me luck!

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6 comments:

Unknown said...

Divergent is an amazing book, and so is The Count of Monte Cristo. Good luck on finishing that before your boyfriend finishes his book. Monte Cristo is such a long book.

I'm going to add Jennifer Government to my to-read list. It looks really interesting.

Unknown said...

I really hope I enjoy them all! And I hope I can beat him, haha. We'll have to see!

I hope you enjoy Jennifer Government!

Unknown said...

Divergent is a fantastic book, I hope you'll enjoy it!
New follower via bloglovin:)

Unknown said...

It's definitely interesting so far!
And thank you for the follow. :) I liked your blog!

Caroline said...

Can't wait to hear what you think about divergent! I haven't read it myself yet, but am thinking about giving it a go.

Unknown said...

I posted my review of Divergent about a week ago. Go check it out! :D

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