1: Divergent

Imagine deciding your future at the age of sixteen. This is expected of Beatrice and her brother and all other sixteen-year-olds.  With Divergent, author Veronica Roth creates another almost-believable dystopic world, one that is set, this time, in Chicago.

According to the author, the setting chose her.  As she pondered on her setting, she realize it was her own setting of Chicago because of the trains that all run above ground in this city.  This setting dramatically impacts the actions performed by the characters, as this dystopic world affects the culture that each faction lives within.  For example, Abnegation, a selfless people, seek to make others happy, giving up seats on a bus, as Beatrice's brother Caleb does. The setting most affects the Dauntless, who love an adrenaline rush.  Imagine a zipline from a one hundred story building.  Imagine jumping from a moving train.  Fighting to stay alive.  Enduring extreme pain to win.

As you read be prepared for Roth's warning, yes, a theme, one of the lessons that she wants her readers to consider is imperfections always lie within what seemingly appears perfect.  Beatrice's world is divided into five factions that each depict a particular virtue.  So what could be better than being allowed to choose among several of these virtues? This Beatrice must do, realizing only later that this also makes her different:  a Divergent.  This begins her battle towards self-realization and and learning that some do not want her to be different; some have no appreciation for Divergents.

Even more so than Beatrice, my favorite character is Four, a leader in the Dauntless faction.  Maybe it is because he is the strong, silent type?  Maybe because he helps those help themselves?  Because he helps those when they can no longer help themselves? Because of these characteristics, Four appears older than his eighteen years, having learned much in this not-so-perfect world.  According to him, "selflessness and bravery aren't that different."  He lives both of this words, rarely putting himself before others (he could have been the main leader) and pushing himself and others, including Beatrice, to be more than they were so that they may enduring the Initiation phase.

Enjoy a book with one adventure after another?  Then, yes, Divergent is for you.  Hurry!  Book two Insurgent is already out, with book three's release planned for sometime this fall.

Additional Note:  I took the Faction Quiz at the end of the novel.  I tied for Abnegation and Dauntless.  Hummm...I suppose that means I am a selfless brave person.  Really?!  Give me minute to imagine that!

Reflecting on 2012's Reading Goals

Last year...as in yesterday, I completed 61 books, two more than in 2011.  I was actually surprised when I compared these numbers, for over the fall, I did not read as much as I had wanted.

Some statistics:

• Participated in 10 Book Challenges; completed one...and that was a challenge I set for myself.  I committed to read four christian reads, and that goal I met.
• Classic Double:  read one of three.
• Harry Potter Re-Read:  read four (am reading book five now)
• Mount To-Be Read: read 19 of 40
• Dana Huff's Obscure Book Challenege:  none
• Outlander Series:  read three of seven
• What's in a Name:  read three of six
• Why Buy the Cow:  read six of twelve
• RIP:  read one...and completed another that I selected in December
• Professional Development:  read three of ten

I read four of Dan Koontz's books in the spring, after my class read Frankenstein.  That was a very interesting experience, and I had hoped to complete my challenge by reading a parallel novel for Macbeth, and I purchased Juliet to read during the time my daughter was in the school's performance of Romeo and Juliet, but, alas, time and other obligations intervened... These I hope to complete in 2013.

My favorite read before going to see the movie novel was Abraham Lincoln:  Vampire Slayer.  I really enjoyed this book...much, much more than the novel.  For the first time, as I read, I thought if...if...I believed in vampires, this explanation might actually make sense!

Besides J.K. Rowling and Diana Gabaldon by whom I read multiple novels, I also read four books by both James Patterson and Charlaine Harris.  What this says about me is that I do, indeed, enjoy a good series.  Three of the four involve fantasy, which illustrates a change in my genre choice, for I used to rarely read anything but realistic fiction.

My greatest disappointment in my reading choices is my lack of professional reads, for as I discussed in a recent post, I purchased several this year.  I do read them...I just do not complete them; therefore, I did not list them here.  Next year,  another goal:  read and complete PD books.

Another disappointment is my lack of "classic" literature.  I read five; two of those were re-reads.  My concern?  As we continue to implement the Common Core and read more complex texts, I fear that my reading list for 2012 may reflect my students' reading choices also.  Yes, they will read some complex, but for the most part, we read for pleasure.  I digress..yes?!

My greatest reading achievement:  BHS Reads, our high school book club.  This is a book club I created a few years ago that focused on professional development reads.  For about a year, we did not meet; then a teacher asked for me to start a "fun" read club, so I reactivated the book club, resulting in our reading and discussing eight books, six of which I probably would not have read had I not been a part of this group.   Definitely, a good thing!  If you are not a part of such a group at your school, start one! Our group is not always large, we always have more reading than actually meet, so this is a win-win...more teachers reading and modeling great behaviors for their students.

All-in-all, a good year.  A grand reading year.

What was your favorite read or reading experience last year?