Mood: Day dreamy

I realize that I've gotten lazy about recording the books I've been reading lately, which may not be all together a bad thing, because now they aren't so fresh in my memory and hopefully I won't ramble too long about each of them. *Sweatdrop* If you think these posts are boring, then by all means leave quietly and go make yourself a sandwich or something.

• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

  I just finished this one the other day and it was really good, in that way where stories are really good in a horrible, terrible way. It's a slightly futuristic, dystopian (I never knew there was a term for the opposite of utopian -- look, I learned a new word!) take on a political and cultural revolution of the United States -- now called the Republic of Gilead -- after the reproduction rates of the American people takes a dangerous downward spiral. Told from the point of view of a woman named Offred, she describes her life as a Handmaiden -- one of remaining women still with viable ovaries that the oppressive and violent Gilead government now farms out to high society families with the specific purpose only to breed. They're allowed out once a day to the market, are not allowed to read, and have no purpose in live other than the hope of becoming pregnant by their Commanders in order to secure their worth.It goes without saying that this book is highly unsettling and disturbing at times, but again, in a fascinating way where you can't stop reading. You don't have to be a feminist to appreciate this story. Highly recommended to anyone.

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

  Oh man, I haven't read this book in such a long time! I don't really think I need to recap this one since everyone and their dog is probably familiar with the story (and if you aren't, then you should feel shame. SHAAAAAAAME.) I remember sitting in my sister's room when I was little while she read The Hobbit out loud to me for the first time and being riveted in my seat, and ever since the Gollum/Bilbo riddle chapter has always remained one of those vivid, iconic scenes in literature for me. The last time I read this book was probably when I was in junior high, so it's lost most of the high and thrilling entertainment value I remember it having as a kid (I think mostly due to Tolkien's writing style which I don't enjoy much), but even now as an adult it's still a staple for every bookworm's bookshelf.

• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

  The first novel in the Uglies, Pretties, Specials trilogy, I heard a lot of rave reviews for this series. Hundreds of years after an apocalyptic world event occurred, the remains of society across the globe now live in controlled, self-contained cities; and the most anticipated moment in everyone's life is when they turn sixteen -- and undergo an operation to turn them pretty. Sixteen-year-old Tally wants nothing more, until she's forced to betray a friend and in turn learns the horrible truth behind becoming pretty.Nothing amazing, the whole pretty operation "twist" was predictable fairly early on, and none of the characters were particularly note-worthy; but the story concept and new world and technology that the author created were all interesting enough to keep me reading. It ended in a way that I can't help but want to read the second book too. (Curse you, cliffhangers!)

• Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong

  This book is set during the 1960s Cultural Revolution, following Chen Zhen, a student from Beijing who goes to live as shepherd on the Mongolian grassland. It showcases the culture of the herdsmen and the way they live with and respect the grassland and the entire ecosystem it supports, with particular detail paid to the Mongolian wolves that are both sacred to the herdsmen as well as the enemy. In order to learn more about the wolves, Chen steals a wild wolf cub from its den to raise himself.This novel took me a long time to finish because my interest in it flip flopped from chapter to chapter -- it was either super dry and read like a history text book, or was really interesting when it came to more of the spiritual aspects, especially the Mongols views on wolves and how they are both a struggle and blessing to the herders. Even during the fascinating parts though, half the time I wanted to kick Chen's character in the head for certain selfish decisions he makes at the expense of his adopted wolf cub. *Brenna's hackles raise*

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy

  Great, emotion-packed story following a man and his young son as they try to survive on their own in a post-apocalyptic world, where every day is a life and death struggle against starvation, the elements, and any other individual they cross paths with. (The movie stars Viggo Mortensen, which is all sorts of awesome, even if he is all scruffy and hobo-looking in it.)I'd been meaning to read this book for quite a while, and while it was very different than what I'd imagined, it still didn't disappoint. There's some really heart-wrenching bits in this one. There's a particular scene where the father and son have been starving for days and all of a sudden they hear a dog bark. The boy immediately turns to his father and pleads to him not to hurt the dog, and the father promises he won't. I mean, these people haven't eaten in so long they're probably going to keel over and die any day, and still this father stands there and without hesitation promises his little boy that they won't kill this dog. Just... wow, you know? Best scene in the whole thing, in my opinion. This was an enjoyable (if not very sad) read.

• Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume by Jeff Smith

  What can I say about Bone? It's an American graphic novel series published over the course of thirteen years, or something crazy like that, collected together into one whopping 1,300+ page volume of adventure epicness, full of monsters, princesses, kingdoms, prophecies, love, betrayal, dragons, and three very funny looking characters called Bones. Did I mention that it also includes two half-hearted, dim-witted rat creatures who are occasionally hilarious and have a particular fondness for quiche? It served as a delightful (if not extremely lengthy) bathroom reader in our house for the past twelve months.

Whew. Onwards and forwards, or whatever the saying is. I'm about halfway done a new one right now, another Oprah's Club pick. (Say what you like about Oprah, but her recommended book list is usually pretty good.) With all of the free and cheap books I've been picking up lately, I may eventually have to invest in another book shelf.