Graduation Day, Joelle Charbonneau

The 3rd and final book in the Testing Trilogy.

It was pretty good, but after having read such livid dialog in the Unwind series, I felt like Cia's voice was a little flat. Or maybe she's just been through so much it became that way.

I'm ok with some of the ending, but there are too many unanswered questions. I feel like there needs to be another book, but it wouldn't be exciting, just information, so there probably won't be another installment.

The BIGGEST thing that this book does is make you question 2 things. 1: do the ends justify the means, even if the means are against everything you believe in (for the most part)? and 2: The world is a very, VERY gray area. Which makes for interesting philosophical debate....because even in Christian Scriptures, there have been times when even murder has been a necessary means to an end, even endorsed by the God who said "Thou shalt not kill." There are people who would like to draw a line for everything. I am definitely a black and white thinker, but there is ALWAYS an exception to the rule.





SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One aspect just BARELY touched on is medical/scientific studies on humans. We have a lot of controversy over using animals for testing, but a LOT of medical advancements that keep people alive are only here because of animal testing. If test subjects are treated in as humane a way as possible, many people feel the ends justify the means. And after all that, we have humans volunteer to be test subjects for medicinal trials when they have run out of other options. In the Testing Society, there have been MANY issues with mutations due to radiation. We find out some students are "Redirected" to become a resource. Where they are purposefully exposed to radiation and have to report back what they are experiencing in order for the Dr's an scientists to hopefully find a cure for the mutations and help the other people who have hopelessly mutated and were "turned out" to basically fend for themselves in a semi-controlled environment. And because the results are promising, Cia actually thinks that it's worth continuing-just under slightly different protocols. I don't think any of those people ought to be subjected against their will. But there are NOT enough people in the "secret colony" to explain ALL the "Redirections" mentioned. Which was a bit frustrating to me.

UnEnchanted, Chanda Hahn

This is my "first book in a series" that I got because it came up on BookBub as a free book the other day. Super quick read, entertaining, and an intriguing premise.

So the idea is that Mina Grime (really Grimm) is a descendant of the Grimm Brothers. They got involved with some of the Fae (fairy creatures) as they collected fairy tales. They are cursed to complete, or live through, ALL of the tales in order to defeat them and send Fae people back to their own realm and leave humans alone forever. If they were unsuccessful, their descendants would be chosen in their stead. It's never passed to a female descendant before. The last person, Mina's father, died in the quest to complete the tales. I have no idea how many books are in this series, but it could be fairly unlimited as there are over 200 tales.

It wasn't the most sophisticated writing I've read, and there were times when I thought something was over done, but now I'm wondering if it was over done on purpose because of the spell/curse that was at work? One thing I did like was how the fairy tales that Mina has to re-live are modernized and morphed into things that resemble the here and now. Because she's forced to see things differently, I can imagine that readers of these books will hopefully learn to look at situations with several angles of perception. That does a lot of good for anyone to see things through another's eyes or even just look for another solution to a problem.

I'll probably pick up more of the series every once in awhile when I need something quick and easy to read.

Reader's ADD....the Adult Summer Reading Program

I am SO scattered with my reading right now! I want to read one at a time, but I always want to fill in my Adult Summer Reading Program Bingo Card! I know I can sub 1 hour of reading for ANY of the squares, but I view the squares as a challenge! Read a new genre! (Wait, is there a genre I HAVEN'T read? Contacted my editor friend, Wuxia it is! It's Chinese Martial Arts...other than that I've pretty much dappled in EVERY other genre).

So I'm in the middle (or end) of several series (The Selection, Unwind, The Testing-I'm on the last one right now). I need to read the first book in a series. So I downloaded a freebie on my Kindle (UnEnchanted), it's short-only 24 chapters, 200 some odd kindle pages. Not 1,000% impressive yet, but it will fill in a square! But Cinder (my original choice for a book 1) just got to the library (I thought it'd be on hold longer). Read a book published in the year you were born (Thank you Goodreads for your suggestions of popular books published in any given year!) I picked one written about Nikola Tesla (because my husband is obsessed with the new Tesla vehicles and while I am NOT a car person, when I test drove that car, I had FUN!). It's a bit longer than I'd anticipated, but I can do it! Download and listen to an audio book (Ella Enchanted, although I'm only in part 2 of 5, it still counts, it didn't say to FINISH the book, right? Plus I've read hours of other books to more than satisfy it, and I DID do what it said....), Read a "classic" by anyone's standards. I'm reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (well, re-reading for me, I read it in high school for a book report) out loud with my older daughter (even though she complains the language is hard to understand, not the King Arthur court language, but Mark Twain and that style of writing). I'm wondering if I can have one book count for two squares because another one says to read a book set in the past, and the Twain book would do that, most of my other books are futuristic, post apocolyptic, dystopian. I JUST finished The Widow of Larkspur Inn set in the 1800s, but I'm not sure I should count that because technically I read it BEFORE the summer reading program started.....I have never been in the middle of SO many books at one time! I knew I had literary ADD, and I put things on hold and think that they'll come in at a nice steady one at a time pace, but that's NEVER how it goes, is it? It's always feast or famine. Ah...and I'm trying to finish it all before I move. Yeah. We have to move. Again. After we were so CERTAIN we wouldn't have to anymore. But we're going back to Boise. So I want to collect on my prizes here and then go to Boise and get THEIR summer reading program and collect prizes from them too! It's the little things. Hopefully I can keep up on here as well!

Happy Summer Reading!

The Heir, Kiera Cass

I was really excited for this book. I was a little disappointed. But I think it was because I ADORED America Singer and who she became. And her daughter......is a very flawed character. Where America focused outward, Eadlyn (Eed-lyn) focuses inward. She has a very clear idea of what SHE thinks a female ruler looks like, but it pushes people away and makes her seem off-putting. *However, I MUST give props to Cass for giving Eadlyn a TOTALLY different voice from America.

But then I can't help but wonder something else. Something I worry about in my own parenting experience. I grew up without a ton of money. I never cared about it. I never even realized it. I went school clothes shopping at Good Will and had no clue that that wasn't the norm. But as I grew up and I understood the implications of that, I realized that the experience really shaped who I was. I grew up to be grateful for possessions because I didn't have a ton. I'm sure I had a lot more than others, but that was mostly because they were hand me downs. I learned about saving money and managing money. I learned about being frugal. But I've grown up, I've got kids of my own and I can't help but want to give them what I never got: special experiences at a young age. I got to take piano lessons starting at age 8 because we found a teacher who came to our house to teach us and charged $5/lesson. It wasn't  until later in life when my mom was also working that I learned flute and then desired private lessons on that as well. And I did sports that required special shoes or uniform fees. I always felt a little guilty for how much it cost. But I always wished I could have taken dance or gymnastics or ice skating (any olympic sport, really!) but missed that window since I couldn't pursue it from the moment I could walk. So even though sometimes we've had grandparents pay, my older daughter has been able to do an activity since she was 3. It was dance for 4 years, then it's been art lessons for the past 3. My current 4 year old has not made a decision yet, and we may or may not need help with affording that at this point. But we make sacrifices and ask for help. I don't think we've ever spent our own money on a full new school wardrobe in the 6 years my daughter's been in school. Grandparents have always been able to take care of that for us. And it's not at the Good Will.

Sometimes I'm wondering if I'm doing my kids any favors. Is Eadlyn's off-putting personality due to the isolation she's grown up in? The fact that she's never had to work to contribute to family finances so she could eat a decent meal like her mother did growing up? That she has no real concept of the struggles the people of her nation are experiencing? She only has reports to read. And paperwork to complete. She feels that strength and independence can only be achieved alone. So of course she HATES the idea of being part of a Selection. She doesn't have time or patience for romance. She doesn't even see the POINT or VALUE of such an emotion. She canNOT be vulnerable in ANY way. And to love is to be vulnerable. She constantly mis-judges people and makes snap judgements. She keeps thinking she's fixing things when it nearly always backfires. She has no idea how to have fun. She doesn't know how to have a meaningful relationship with anyone aside from her twin brother. She's narrow minded and shrinks away from any discomfort. Is that a product of a pampered life? With no exposure to anything unpleasant? Is THAT what creates such a girl? It makes me think that I ought to subject my kids to discomfort every now and again. Because it's good for you. It makes you a better person to broaden their perspective and push the limits of what they think is good. They complain about hiking, but I'm going to make them do it more, so they can appreciate that they CAN. Their physical bodies are perfect enough to do it and the creations of the Earth can be appreciated better that way. They hate doing chores. But I'm not going to have them grow up thinking that chores are somehow beneath them. I don't enjoy chores, but every now and then I get a certain satisfaction in being able to say that I did something myself. That I learned that hard work-even if it's mundane-has made me a better person. That fun is not just found in the absence of work, but is made sweeter by earning it, and sometimes you can even have fun WHILE you work!

Let me warn you that this book ends on a BIG, HUGE cliffhanger. Ugh! I didn't realize it was turning into another series! Eadlyn is starting to realize what a prick she can be-or at least see how she could be perceived as being one. She's starting to look at people for being PEOPLE. Even her 14 year old brother Kaden seems to have a better handle on what it would take to not only become a good leader, but a beloved leader. He would get out and get to know the people and find out their actual needs and wants. Eadlyn thinks that's a waste of time. Or at the very least inefficient. I really hope she evolves to be more like her mother. I wish her parents would tell her more about their history-the country, themselves, their selection. I think that also contributes to her ignorance of the way the world works. I think her parents are trying to protect her but in so doing are doing a great disservice to her. She's 18 now and I think she could handle more of the truth beyond what she learned in history class. Maybe all our kids could benefit from knowing more about our pasts, to help prevent them from being entitled today.

UnSouled, Neal Shushterman

Ahhh! To saga continues. There are twists and turns that are pretty crazy. Excellent split narratives again. Starkey is the guy who makes you understand WHY people think Unwinding is a good idea. Nelson is there to make your skin crawl. More back story. More with Cam. A glimpse into Lev's time before he ended up at the graveyard.

And the political undertones. WOW. All signs point to the same organization playing BOTH sides of the Unwinding issue. They pay for pro and con ads. All under different names of course. Really makes you think. Oh, and there was a DEFINITE stab at the pharmaceutical industry. At least I think so. Part of what keeps Unwinding alive is the profitability. This has been an accusation of the pharmaceutical industry for years. My father-in-law works for a government national laboratory (he does project management not experiments) and he's told us that they've discovered a sound and fairly solid cure against cancer. But that the results are being suppressed or belittled because the pharmaceutical industry does not want to lose money on what they make with cancer treatments. He's even gone so far as the accuse that the American Cancer Society doesn't really want a cure. Because a cure would mean they'd become obsolete. Now, I don't know anyone personally who is on the ACS board or anything, but I know people in my personal life would be THRILLED to have no reason to have Relay's for Life, or Race for the Cure, or the Susan G Komen (sp?) Foundation around anymore. Because honestly, there are still other things we don't understand or are close to finding cures for that they could all just totally shift their focus if they needed a cause. But it's true, the one word that puts fear into any industry at all is: obsolescence. And so it is with the industry of Unwinding. There was a poignant part, where the book talks about how the industry first created want, which then turns into a need.

I think this a very prominent thing in our society. How many times do we let advertising affect us. Let's take gluten intolerance for example. Let me say upfront that this is NOT to marginalize anyone with Celiac Disease or gluten allergy, or any diagnosed issues with the substance. There was a guy (Gibson, I believe his name is) who did a study that basically showed that gluten sensitivity existed. BOOM goes the GF market. He followed up about year ago with a study done where he grouped self-diagnosed gluten sensitive people into 3 groups and exposed them to 3 types of gluten exposure. High, moderate/low, and no. ALL groups reported the SAME amount of GI distress, although none of them knew what level of exposure they were given. He has several ideas of what COULD be causing GI issues other than gluten. And wouldn't we want to know the REAL culprit? So we could eliminate that? But science "proves" both sides http://www.medicaldaily.com/gluten-sensitivity-isnt-celiac-rigorous-study-finds-evidence-sensitivity-without-323718  http://www.buzzworthy.com/science-proves-gluten-sensitivity-isnt-real-people-are-just-whiners/

Maybe the problem is the people involved? Maybe one study used self proclaimed sensitivity vs. a sensitivity by blood test result? I have no doubt that there are people sensitive to gluten, just as there are those who are lactose intolerant, etc. But I think for a majority of people, there is no reason to avoid something. Unless you want to support the multi-billion dollar GF industry. Just for fun. Or to be a food martyr (I've met people like that). But I've found blogs where people (who I have no way of verifying credentials if they even HAVE any other than quoting what someone else said) who basically tell you why Gluten is basically a poison for our systems. Then WHY has wheat been used as a staple in many diets from the earliest records of man without it causing HUGE population issues? I'd find it more plausible that a pesticide or certain genetic interference was the problem rather than gluten itself. But anyway, it was just an example of people just feeding into what they THINK they need. Since I believe a LOT of people do self-diagnosis online and don't always check their sources instead of going to a medical professional (or maybe with the "affordable" care act, they simply can't afford to seek medical advice on the subject, that's definitely the case with some people I know, OR the medical professionals they go to can't be bothered to find the root of their problems, as was the case with another friend who found a physician who would REALLY look at her symptoms and what do you know? She's got a thyroid disease after all). So all these conflicting stories and "proofs" are doing no one any good. It's taking credibility away from people with REAL issues on one side and pushing an otherwise corner market into the limelight and straining people's budgets. GF stuff is NOT cheap. One reason why I think a lot of people are self-diagnosed is the evidence of EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN being labeled as GF. Milk-it's GF! Fruit-GF!! Veggies-GF!! Boneless, skinless chicken breast-GF!!! And seriously, companies who slap that label on it feel justified to charge MORE to "prove" to buyers that it's GF. But guess what? Milk, produce and meat never contained gluten-EVER! But how would you know that if you were just kinda doing your own thing? I have friends who have serious gluten issues, including a friend who was diagnosed with Celiac. I've done a TON of research into what does and doesn't contain gluten as well as things that tend to contain trace amounts or items that are frequently processed on the same equipment as items with gluten. People with Celiac are nearly as sensitive to gluten as someone with an allergy to peanuts, so you've got to be really careful about things like that. If someone TRULY had issues, they wouldn't need signs on produce and dairy to know it's safe.

Anyway, I digress. UnSouled takes more real life creepy accounts of things to further push home the point that our society is SO primed for Unwinding it's scary. All we're short of it is the neuro-grafting technology....and I hope we NEVER achieve it. I've often thought in the recent past that if necessity is the mother of all invention, an author's imagination is the father. So many things started as an imaginary idea and then became truth because someone decided to see if they could make that imaginary idea a reality. http://www.tested.com/tech/concepts/460223-futurists-were-right-10-predictions-made-sci-fi-writers-came-true/  http://listverse.com/2014/06/26/10-modern-ideas-predicted-by-science-fiction-a-century-ago/  A few things are duplicated between those two links.

I'm anxiously awaiting reading the last book. I have several others that I need to read first to satifsy my adult summer reading program, so it's on the back burner for a little bit, but I'm SO hoping that Unwinding becomes a thing of the past and that Proactive Citizenry gets what's coming to them!

The Widow of Larkspur Inn, Lawana Blackwell

I couldn't find a usable picture for this one.

This was an enjoyable book to read. Not a page turner the whole way through, but a nice, thoughtful and thought provoking book. It is a Christian author, so there are many thoughts from the main character, Julia Hollis, that are directed towards God. Through very difficult circumstances, Julia must come to terms with her faith and what she's made of. She has good friends who also help her to see things in a better or different light. For instance, there is a time when she is putting the Larkspur Inn together and wishes she had better silverware to use for service when she has lodgers. Her maid and closest friend, Fiona, suggests she pray for silver. At first the notion seems silly. When she had already been blessed so much, why pray to God for something that seems almost frivolous? But she reasons that she might as well, because if it's not right, then obviously God would know and would let her know or at the least not let a set of silverware fall into her path. Not much later, one of her other new found friends offers her a set of silverware, it's not a coincidence! And some people might say it was just luck. That's fine. Others might say that sort of thing doesn't happen in real life. But it does. Let me tell you. Twice in my life I've had to sell a home. Twice I've had a home sell in two weeks. And this current one we're in the process of is nothing short of a miracle because we listed on our own with just a sign in the yard and an ad on craigslist. I believe in God and I believe that when you are following His will, He makes a way. Sometimes that way is not always easy; ease of the way is not always evidence of His hand. But I believe when things REALLY matter, they have a way of working out. And when they DON'T, there's a reason.

There are some things that happen with other characters in the book that didn't need to have happened, but because of the mistake of another, vital information did not reach its intended target and there was a lot of anguish that might have been avoided. But there's also the chance that had those things NOT taken place, none of the characters could have turned out the way they did having NOT suffered a certain hardship.

Though this book is part of a series, each of the books (I'm told) are not a chronological continuation of the same people. They follow story lines of other people who live in the same town. I've got a stack of other books I need to read (all my holds from the library came at once!), but I do look forward to reading more of these books. There were times when I thought it was a little eye rolling with the Christianity, but then as I read more, I kept thinking about how different my daily life might be if I were more mindful of God and if I conversed with him in my thoughts throughout the day rather than just in formal prayer. It'd probably do me some good, to be honest.....

Unwholly, Neal Shusterman

The second book in the "Unwind" triology (which actually ended up turning into a quartet, by the way).

Same phenomal split narrative writing skills. Some of the same characters you know and love (Conner, Risa, Lev) and some new ones. You see different groups of people rise up. The group that saves tithes from themselves, the AWOLS who go in and actually rescue kids from their homes BEFORE the juvie cops get there. And the storks. One kid, who goes by the last name Starkey, was a kid who was storked. Not that he was the model child, but he went AWOL after getting away from the juvie cops that would take him to his unwinding. Oh. My. Goodness. This kid is a character you love to hate. Kids like him make you actually consider unwinding as a viable option to dealing with the problem. He plays the victim like the best special interest groups of today do. He gets every other kid who was storked to believe that they are special, that they have been second class citizens for far too long, that they deserve special privileges to make up for all the wrongs done to them. GAH! It made me SICK! And because of this attitude, his volatile temper and his inability to see the problem with using violence, he puts the entire resistance effort and ALL the kids in the Graveyard in a big compromise.

Another totally unexpected character is a boy named Cam. I won't say too much about him. You've got to learn who he is as you go.

And of course, the evil Nelson (the juvie cop Conner tranq'd with his own tranq gun) is back and you get his perspective too and it is down right CREEPY to be in that guys head. He has turned into a "parts pirate". Apparently, because the age of unwinding dropped to 17, there is a shortage of parts, if you will. So you have these 'parts pirates' who will take, unwind and sell parts on the black market to those who can't get them with the regular waiting list. They pay higher than the reward for turning in an AWOL so you can see how a guy like Nelson, shamed for his incompetence, would turn into a villain like that.

Hair raising, bone chilling, and page turning. But I'm really excited because you're starting to get more details. History. People at the head of the pioneering. How a man responsible for the technology that makes unwinding possible created an organization that was SUPPOSED to keep things in ethical balance, who are now responsible for some of the most horrific sci-fi stuff in society. I have hope that things can change in this futuristic society. Which is why I'll continue to read these books about such a crazy, messed up society.

At the heart of all this is the question of the human soul. Apparently, if you don't technically die, then your soul (if it exists) is never released from your body. You continue to exist through others in this "divided state" of being. And of course, it's total speculation, but if you ceased to be YOU as a whole, how could your soul be split? I mean, aside from Horcruxes of course ;-)

Another discussion is how much control can mankind actually HAVE over the human body and/or soul. How much can science have control over before whatever Greater Being (if you believe in such) would surrender. For instance, even if such a thing as unwinding were possible, I have a hard time believing that a God would keep a person's soul trapped in a divided state. That while all the organs, bones and tissues were still "alive" according to science, they would just be parts. Yes, perhaps muscle memory *might* come into play, but I believe that the soul cannot be divided. But it is an interesting concept to explore-especially since unwinding is done while the subject is fully conscious (yet completely numbed from any pain) and the heart never stops, nor do any brain segments stop functioning either. But that's another thing entirely-can the brain be kept "alive" and functioning even if it is separated from itself? I have no idea if that science exists and part of me kind of hopes this kind of thing is never discovered to even be possible!!