Code Orange

I finished Code Orange about three weeks ago while on vacation. It was a good book, and had a good message, but I shouldn't have read it right after finishing Life As We Knew It. After finishing Code Orange, all I thought about were situations in Life As We Knew It. For instance, my husband and I were canning a BUNCH of tuna the other day, and I was thinking that if I were in the same situation as the characters in LAWKI, I would have plenty of protein to eat. Then I was trying to figure out how long the tuna would last if we both at it daily.

Anyway, Code Orange IS a good book. The main character really grows up and figures out what is important in life. If you read Code Orange and like it, you will also like Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Hot Zone is a book I think every one should read. Scary.

Surviving the Applewhites

I finished reading Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan a while ago and have the book right here to refer to while I write this post. My memory's not that good anymore:) What struck me the most about Surviving the Applewhites is the diverse cast of characters. You have Jake the juvenile deliquent, E.D. the thirteen-year-old girl who sees herself as the only "normal" person in her family of eccentrics, Grandpa Zedediah and his swearing parrot, and a guru named Govindaswami. Add in various other family members and crazy things are bound to happen. Jake, whose placement with the family is his "last chance", changes without his even knowing it sometimes. You'll laugh out loud at some of the predicaments of Jake and the Applewhites and learn that family can be found where you least expect it. I'd been meaning to read this book all year and I'm glad I finally did. Spend a little time with the Applewhites--they might change you a little too.



Mrs. Olson

Hunger Games

I'm curious as to how many of you have read this book. Please e-mail me if you have. If you haven't, you should! It is so good. It's about a futuristic society where once a year one child, aged 12 to 18, from each district has to fight to the death. The "arena" is televised in the sky so everyone can watch the "games."

It is definitely worth the read! Can't wait to read Catching Fire, the sequel. I have loaned it out continuously so I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Life As We Knew It

Life As We Knew It is a dystopian novel about a family trying to cope with conditions on earth after an asteroid has knocked the moon off its axis. This causes tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes to erupt. The definition of dystopia is:

1. An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.

2. A work describing such a place or state: dystopias such as The Hunger Games, The Giver, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451"Brave New World

In the town where Miranda lives there isn't any immediate danger. There are inconveniences: sporadic electricity, sporadic phone service, no mail delivery, no supplies in stores, and, eventually people leaving town.

As time goes on the air is filled with ash and no one can see the sun or moon. Winter comes early with a blizzard. Miranda and her family are pretty much isolated. Her family gets a terrible flu and she goes into town for the doctor only to find out he is dead.

Sometimes when I get into a good book, I sort of subconsciously live it. This happened with this book. Every once in awhile, just for a nano second, I'd be in survival mode. Weird. I'd be worried about electricity or food. Too strange.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. You have to give it about 100 pages before it gets to the point where it's hard to put down.