"The Giver" - Lois Lowry

“It’s just that, without the memories…it’s all meaningless.”

Lois Lowry – The Giver

 

Several readers were demanding that I read this. So, hey…. I read it! I appreciate your suggestions and you all made a very good one! It was especially refreshing after the last book I read!

I understand that the movie released several weeks ago, but I have not seen it just yet. I will probably be going to see it soon, and I will let you know how it compares. Just by watching the trailer, I can tell it's been altered tremendously.

Jonas was a young boy in his community, not unlike all of the other young boys. That was “normal,” though – to be the same as everyone else. It’s how the community functioned. It’s how the community survived.

There was, however, one thing that set Jonas apart from all of the other kids. His eyes were lighter than everyone else’s. He didn’t think about it much because he hardly ever looked in the mirror, but he was aware that everyone else saw that when they looked at him.

December was approaching, meaning he was about to be assigned a career. He would become a Twelve, along with the rest of his classmates, and that is when everyone receives their career assignments. For the first 11 years of their lives, they were observed, and by these observations, their careers would be determined.

It was obvious what some kids would be assigned to because it was clear that they were passionate about one thing. Jonas wasn’t so sure what his assignment would be. He had volunteered in almost every career, and never had a special interest in any of them. To Jonas’s surprise, and the entire communities, Jonas would receive the one assignment that he would have never even guessed.

When I started this book, I was surprised how similar it was to Divergent by Veronica Roth. I never read this book, but I saw the movie. The movie was extraordinary, so I’m sure the book was ten times better. Anyway, the community situations were extremely similar.

I went into this book expecting it to be spectacular, because I’ve only heard incredible things about this book. Several people that have told me about this book read the book several times.

I agree with them! It was a great book; however, I won’t lie – I absolutely HATED the ending! I despised it! I want to shut a book with a sense of closure. I want to be sure of where all of the characters stand, and I want a clear sense of what is going on. When I shut the back cover of The Giver I had no idea what just happened. I didn’t know what to think or what to feel. I just simply... didn’t know.

The book is not a stand-alone. It is the first in a series of four books. That could be the reason that the book does not come to a solid close.

Considering that the book is a young adult novel, it was very insightful and shows that we take a lot of things in our lives for granted. The writing is very simple, but – here again – it IS written for a younger audience.

There really is no age restriction for this book. It really just depends on a child’s reading level.

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"The Man With the Golden Torc" by Simon R. Green

"If we could all see the world as it truly is, all the time, we couldn't bear to live in it...Ignorance can be bliss."
- Simon R. Green, The Man With the Golden Torc

I realize that I read a lot of girly books, so I decided to read a book for all the manly nerds out there. My friend suggested this book to me because he reads a lot, and this book series was one of his favorites. My friend is a total nerd (which I love); however, when the term "elf lord" was used on page 2, I should have realized I was crossing over to the dork side -- hardcore.

To the average world, he was Shaman Bond, but in reality, he was Eddie Drood. Eddie fought all of the things that we think aren't real: ghosts, demons, witches, magic, etc. There is a whole other world that the average eye cannot see, and Eddie, along with the entire Drood family intend to keep it that way.

Eddie has been trained his whole life to do as the family said: protect the world and fight for good. Or so he thought. Suddenly, Eddie was declared as rogue, and he didn't know why. He had done everything the family said. Sure, he did it in a different way than the family would typically do things, but he always did what they wanted him to do. So why were they shutting him out, saying he was a threat, and trying to kill him? With all of the training Eddie has had, he knew he could stay alive, at least long enough to figure out what was going on.

The plot was incredibly interesting, and it intrigued me from the start. Simon Green's imagination shines on each page. There are countless characters, gadgets, spells, magic, and action throughout the entire story. Green added humor in odd places, which made for some good laughs. A lot of the humor was sexual, which I didn't particularly appreciate, because it was unnecessary and irrelevant in most cases. I guess since this is technically a dude book, the sexual humor works for that demographic.

As much as I enjoyed the plot as a whole, I really had to force myself to read the book. I think the plot could have been twisted and turned a little more. Nothing kept me guessing. Some events were random and just really out there. I found myself setting the book down in the middle of a chapter, just to take a break from the "whaaaaaa???" I was constantly thinking.

Because the book is mainly targeting a male audience there isn't much romance, but there is just enough of a hint of a love story to to keep things interesting. There is, however, a lot of fighting and action, so there's that.

Green is English, so his flare of writing is refreshing and colorful. The way he described the world and the situations surrounding the characters is different from the books I am accustomed to reading. It's a great read for the style of writing.

So, for all the male nerds that may stumble across this review,  you may enjoy this type of book. If that is you, there are several more that remain in the series. If you are a special type of female nerd that stumbles across this review, go for it: read the book. But if you typically agree with my reviews: just say no.

For the brave souls that decide to delve into the world of The Man With the Golden Torc, I would say that this book is for anyone 13 and older. There isn't much profanity, and the sexual humor isn't too extreme, but it's not something that anyone under 13 needs to read. I would imagine the book is targeted for those 18 and older, but a younger audience may enjoy it, as well.

Overall, the book gave me mixed feelings, as you can tell. I did the best I could, guys. Maybe some of you can tell me your thoughts on this. Happy reading, folks..maybe..

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