Debra Marsh

I really enjoyed this book and its sequel Insurgent. The heroine, Tris, is complex and therefore, for me, quite realistic. She sees herself as cowardly and selfish, yet she demonstrates incredible bravery and selflessness. Just like Tris, I think we all are a mixture of many strengths and weaknesses and react differently given different circumstances. Her romantic interest, Tobias, is also very complex and interesting. Through the adventures they share, they learn about themselves, one another, and life.

I also enjoyed the setting and the storyline. I find various author's visions of a post democratic America interesting. I loved the Hunger Games and Suzanne Collins' interpretation of a post-apocalyptic America. However, I liked Veronica Roth's even more. I found Divergent and Insurgent much more thought provoking. Tris grapples with the concept of bravery and what it means to be brave. Ultimately she realizes that sometimes being selfless is the highest act of bravery. She also learns that being brave doesn't always exonerate yourself from feeling guilt.

I also like the factionalized society that Roth brings to life. Our current society may not be as physically factionalized as Tris and Tobias', but we nevertheless pick like minded people to align ourselves with. What often comes next is ridicule and even hatred of those who believe differently. Like Roth's world, we even go so far as to start killing those who believe differently than ourselves.

Again, I found much to think about why listening to and enjoying both Divergent and Insurgent. I anxiously await the release of the next book in the Trilogy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I am rating it 4 starts as compared to other books of its type. It is a fun quick read.

I like these light, fun books by Meg Cabot. They end more happy than is really believable, but I love a positive ending, even if I have to overlook a few plot holes.

"How to Be Popular" is about a young teenager who decides she wants to integrate herself into the popular crowd in school. Her inspiration is a book she finds entitled "How to Be Popular." Her intelligence and resourcefulness allows her to accomplish this feat; however, she runs into situations that force her to chose between remaining popular and staying true to her own sense of right and wrong.

One thing I like about Meg Cabot is her ability to create characters. Her secondary characters are often superficial and stereotypical, but her main characters are always likable and well fleshed out (although they often are similar to the protagonists in her other books). Ergo, I really liked the main characters in this book. However, the female protagonist, Steph, did a few things I found a little distasteful. She actually spent many an evening watching her male friend dress and undress via some binoculars. I found myself a little uncomfortable with this voyeuristic behavior. I also felt that there were some actions on the part of minor characters that were not well explained.

I rated this book on how I felt it ranked among other books of its type. I enjoyed it but not as much as other Julie Garwood books. It may have been partially due to the narrator. Her male voices, and her reading in general, seemed somewhat stilted and unnatural to me.

The overall plot was good, and I liked the characters. The action, however, left much to be desired. I kept waiting for something else to happen, a twist, or something unexpected. Instead, the climax and resolution was more of a series of ho hum events, one of which didn't really center on the main character.

It was, nevertheless, a nice diversion. I assume Garwood will continue writing about this groups of friends and, hopefully, future novels will be more centered and gripping.

I thought this book deserved 5 stars when ranked against other books of its kind. It was an easy, light read that still conveyed a great message. The heroine in this book learned to take an active stance against injustice in her school. She managed to stop some bullying and along the way find some romance. I think the message is a good one for both youth and adults. What injustices are present in our world that we just accept as part of life? We, like the main character in this novel, may find that we can do a great deal of good if we only put our minds to it.

Insurgent is one of the best books I have read.

I really enjoyed Divergent and its sequel Insurgent. The heroine, Tris, is complex and therefore, for me, quite realistic. She sees herself as cowardly and selfish, yet she demonstrates incredible bravery and selflessness. Just like Tris, I think we all are a mixture of many strengths and weaknesses and react differently given different circumstances. Her romantic interest, Tobias, is also very complex and interesting. Through the adventures they share, they learn about themselves, one another, and life.

I also enjoyed the setting and the storyline. I find various author's visions of a post democratic America interesting. I loved the Hunger Games and Suzanne Collins' interpretation of a post-apocalyptic America. However, I liked Veronica Roth's even more. I found Divergent and Insurgent much more thought provoking. Tris grapples with the concept of bravery and what it means to be brave. Ultimately she realizes that sometimes being selfless is the highest act of bravery. She also learns that being brave doesn't always exonerate yourself from feeling guilt.

I also like the factionalized society that Roth brings to life. Our current society may not be as physically factionalized as Tris and Tobias', but we nevertheless pick like minded people to align ourselves with. What often comes next is ridicule and even hatred of those who believe differently. Like Roth's world, we even go so far as to start killing those who believe differently than ourselves.

Again, I found much to think about why listening to and enjoying both Divergent and Insurgent. I anxiously await the release of the next book in the Trilogy.

I enjoyed listening to this Sandra Brown romance mystery. It was not overly erotic and had a good story line. It was not as good as Brown's Envy or other similarly themed books but was still enjoyable.

I like Victor Slezak as a narrator. He does a good job of telling the story without sounding phony or down right weird by trying to imitate women's voices.