Book review - Gifted

Title: Gifted
Author: H. A. Swain
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: MARTians by Blythe Woolston
                     Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos
Rating:

Great concept, decent execution

Summary(provided by publisher): In Orpheus Chanson's world, geniuses and prodigies are no longer born or honed through hard work. Instead, procedures to induce Acquired Savant Abilities (ASAs) are now purchased by the privileged. And Orpheus's father holds the copyright to the ASA procedure.
Zimri Robinson, a natural musical prodigy, is a "plebe"--a worker at the enormous warehouse that supplies an on-line marketplace that has supplanted all commerce. Her grueling schedule and her grandmother's illness can't keep her from making music--even if it is illegal.
Orpheus and Zimri are not supposed to meet. He is meant for greatness; she is not. But sometimes, rules are meant to be broken. Here is a thriller, love story, and social experiment that readers will find gripping--and terrifying.

My opinion: Firstly, this is a great variation on the standard dystopian setting. Other novels have a world where art and music are tightly controlled or outlawed outright. In Swain's novel it is privatized, own by corporations from the moment it is created. That's new and entirely believable. So I was completely on board with the concept. The execution, though, had some believability issues. I could accept Orpheus vanishing into plebe society. He had kept out of the public eye and everyone he knew only used him as part of some agenda. It was the characters themselves I struggled with. Orpheus is just a little too good, too enamored with hard work and "real" life. He doesn't really wish for the comforts of his old life or even struggle to adjust to plebe life. With the exception of Orpheus, all of the privileged characters are shallow, concerned only with their own position in society, and have no real care for others. While we are given explanations for their behavior, it can feel like a judgement of all people who come from a privileged background.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Books on screen

Arthur and the Minimoys/Arthur and the Invisibles

This movie is actually based on two books: Arthur and the Minimoys and Arthur and the Forbidden City. Plot-wise, the movie follows the books relatively well. There are changes of course. It is inevitable in a movie for timelines to be shortened, locations to change, that sort of thing. Casting is sort of a mixed bag. Freddy Highmore was a great choice for Arthur, Mia Farrow as Granny not so much. My biggest issue with this movie is actually the pacing. While the books tend to drag a little, the movie races ahead, jumping from scene to scene without pause or reflection. Even the dialogue progresses too quickly. It doesn't reflect the natural flow of a conversation at all. I felt like the movie focused entirely too much on special effects and quips instead of the complex plot and world-building of the novels.

Book review - Genius

Title: Genius - The Game
Author: Leopoldo Gout
Genre: thriller
Similar books: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
                     The Silence of Six by E.C. Myers
Rating:

exciting but over-simplified

Summary(provided by publisher):Trust no one. Every camera is an eye. Every microphone an ear. Find me and we can stop him together.
The Game: Get ready for Zero Hour as 200 geniuses from around the world go head to head in a competition hand-devised by India's youngest CEO and visionary.
The Players:
Rex- One of the best programmers/hackers in the world, this 16-year-old Mexican-American is determined to find his missing brother.
Tunde-This14-year-old self-taught engineering genius has drawn the attention of a ruthless military warlord by single-handedly bringing electricity and internet to his small Nigerian village.
Painted Wolf-One of China's most respected activist bloggers, this mysterious 16-year-old is being pulled into the spotlight by her father's new deal with a corrupt Chinese official.
The Stakes: Are higher than you can imagine. Like life and death. Welcome to the revolution. And get ready to run.

My opinion: A surface understanding of computers, networking, engineering, and/or coding is helpful but not necessary when reading this book. The narrative presumes we understand these things and thus provides no explanation. While the sciences play a major role in the plot there isn't a lot of detail. For instance, we're told that Tunde builds a laser from parts scavenged from the auditorium. While there are design drawing, understanding how it works or even exactly what it does are not crucial to following the plot. Similarly, while politics and power plays are involved in the plot, they are linear, black and white. There is a clear villain, the implication that those in power are either corrupt or inept, not a lot of room for grey areas. Entertaining, decent pacing. I'd have liked to have seen the characters given a little more depth, more genuine personal conflict with others apart from that which is inherent in competition. A decent thrilling read. Just not anything you'll spend much time contemplating later.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

It's always winter...

When I first moved into my new place, I was immediately enamored with the builtin storage in one bedroom. With nearly a dozen drawers and a large wardrobe, its a great space-saver. Even better, its a wardrobe. I had visions of painting the back of it to look like the entrance into Narnia. In the end, I decided to paint a panel to insert into the wardrobe rather than the wall itself. I got a large piece of cardboard, a reference picture from the Lionsgate movie of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and plenty of acrylic paint. After an afternoon of concentrated effort, this is what I ended up with.

Book review - The Sound of Us

Title: The Sound of Us
Author: Julie Hammerle
Genre: romance
Similar books: Guitar Notes  by Mary Amato
                     Signs Point to Us by Sandy Hall
Rating:

Nice enough

Summary(provided by publisher): Kiki Nichols might not survive music camp.
She’s put her TV-loving, nerdy self aside for one summer to prove she’s got what it takes: she can be cool enough to make friends, she can earn that music scholarship, and she can get into Krause University’s music program.
Except camp has rigid conduct rules—which means her thrilling late-night jam session with the hot, equally geeky drummer can’t happen again, even though they love all the same shows, and fifteen minutes making music with him meant more than every aria she’s ever sung.
But when someone starts reporting singers who break conduct rules, music camp turns survival of the fittest, and people are getting kicked out. If Kiki’s going to get that scholarship, her chance to make true friends—and her first real chance at something more—might cost her the future she wants more than anything.

My opinion: What I liked about this one: Kiki is passionate. She has strong interests and doesn't let her opinions be swayed by others. She finds her own strength, not in other people but in spite of them. Her relationships with Jack and her former best friend don't end up fixed. They find a sort of stalemate, a potential for things to get better in the future. And while Kiki does end up stronger, her life isn't perfect. She's an anxious weirdo with only a vague plan for her future. She has simply accepted those imperfect parts of herself. 
What I didn't like: the cliches. Kiki is a cliche, a nerdy girl, mildly overweight, introverted, with a tv obsession and a semi-secret musical talent. Her parents are cliches, pushing their children to choose "practical" majors instead of the arts (though honestly, what's so practical about studying Latin?), setting ultimatums, overly concerned with what others will think. Even the other campers fit into an expectation for a performing arts program: at least one who is elitist and almost all cut-throat. It can work to embrace cliches if characterization is strong enough, especially if there is a touch of self-effacing humor. That's not the case here. Most of the characters were not developed beyond a basic profile. A read for an afternoon or two but nothing that will blow you away and ultimately forgettable.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Bad Machinery

Bad Machinery series by John Allison

Bad Machinery is a middle grade graphic novel series out of Great Britain.  It is, to put it simply, odd. But the most delightful kind of odd. Quirky in a strangely endearing way. Allison combines pseudo-paranormal investigation with regular preteen concerns: crushes, popularity, siblings. The books follow two groups of students, one of boys and one of girls, as they investigate mysteries in their town. These mysteries usually have some unusual element. There is a heavy dose of humor in each book and that, with the extreme quirkiness, makes for a surprisingly enjoyable read. While these books might not be a good choice for every tween, for the reader with an unusual sense of humor they should be a hit.

 

 

When you can't find a good poster, make your own

I've been on something of a Harry Potter kick of late which is weird considering I haven't read or watched Harry Potter in something like six months.

Actually, this week's project is just as inspired by art as it is by Harry Potter. I was thinking about Magritte's pipe painting recently and, for no explicable reason, I got to thinking about Harry Potter. And this is the end result.
 

Not a portkey, though it could be