Week 2: Appeal Factors & Book Recommendations

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth is an adrenaline packed teen dystopian that is a perfect read-a-like for fans of the Hunger Games trilogy.  Set in future Chicago, society has been divided into 5 factions based on virtues: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent), with each faction performing duties based on their virtue.  Once a year, all 16 year olds are gathered together and must select the faction in which they will spend the rest of their lives.  This decision weighs heavily on Beatrice Prior, as she must choose between remaining in a safe life with her family, and acknowledging who she really is.  Forced with a difficult decision, Beatrice surprises and is forced into initiation where she learns that she has a secret, one that if outted, means almost certain death.  Through this fast-paced journey, Beatrice finds that not everything is as it seems and that her dangerous secret is both a blessing and a curse.  Following in the footsteps of the Hunger Games, it will be made into a movie in 2014.  An entertaining debut novel and first book to the trilogy by Veronica Roth.

A Storm of Swords by George Martin

A Storm of Swords, book three of George Martin's famous series, A Song of Fire and Ice, is a meandering modern fantasy which is quickly growing in popularity because of the hit HBO TV series, Game of Thrones. Martin's epic saga continues to build as the combination of complex and often dysfunctional characters, magic, mystery, and adventure keep reader's guessing and constantly on their toes  The fight to rule the Iron Throne rages on as contenders come and go and alliances are made and quickly broken.  With the Seven Kingdom entrenched in constant chaos and war, armies of wildlings, misfits, mythical creatures and undead corpses are forming and waiting to strike.  Meanwhile, across the sea, exiled queen Daeneries continues to watch her dragon's grow as she builds an army to stake her claim on the throne.  With tensions mounting, each character is tested, as no one seems safe during the storm of swords.  

I recommended two book's to Karin Kinzel's Blog.

Week 1: What You Already Know

Goodreads 

    I decided to follow Goodreads because, sad to say, it is a readers' services tool that I completely underuse.  I have an account and have it for a while, but I normally resort to NoveList or Amazon when I get stuck and need to use an RA tool while assisting a customer.  I know Goodreads is a valuable tool and would like to move it higher up on my list of priorities.  Additionally, I would like to grow my bookshelf so I can keep better track of the books that I am reading.

SF Site

  I chose to follow the SF site for the genre portion because I recently got into the SF genre, courtesy of the Game of Thrones television series.  After watching season 1 on HBO, I decided to listen to the series on CD in my car.  Eight months later, I am winding down on the 4th book (the second book was like 38 discs long).  Since I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and it was my first venture into reading SF, I decided to follow this site to see if it is a genre I would like to continue reading in.