Kearsten's Book Club Wrap-up: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Last month's book discussion was a bit more difficult than they've been in the past, as most members of our book club had a pretty severe reaction to May's selection: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.

To free herself from an upcoming arranged marriage, Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, a futuristic prison with a mind of its own, decides to help a young prisoner escape.

Our discussion ranged narrowly between those of us who enjoyed the book and those who couldn't "get into it." Some of the readers' frustrations were with the alternating chapters between Claudia, the daughter of Incarceron's Warden, and Finn, the young prisoner Claudia decides to try to rescue from the prison. According to a couple of our teens, just as you'd start to get into one story, you were jerked out and placed into the other story - and Finn and Claudia's worlds are VERY different. Finn lives a brutal survival-at-all-costs life, while Claudia's life is quietly full of gowns, balls, and extremely well-mannered ladies and gentlemen.

Another frustration was with the setting - many readers gave up too early to learn that Claudia and Finn's world is set sometime in a future, futuristic enough to allow the people to create a prison that can think for itself, BUT that the people outside of the prison have decided that Victorian times were the "best," and therefore all activities, meals, clothing, etc. must reflect that time. Those of us who read and enjoyed the book were also frustrated, because we felt that the choice of the Victorian Era made it VERY easy for those in power to control its people via the strict class (poor servants, and rich "nobility") structure. But alas, we were not able to explore that much...

(Side note: we've agreed to reserve our graphic novel selections for discussion during May, a.k.a. "finals month")

Sadly, May's discussion was a bit like pulling teeth AND herding cats, as it's hard to focus a room full of teens to discuss a book very few of them finished, but we did come up with a list of books that also tackle over-powerful governments, steampunk/robotic elements, and/or scary, seemingly sentient prisons. These all come teen-book-clubber recommended!

1984 by George Orwell. Portrays a terrifying vision of life in the future when a totalitarian government, considered a "Negative Utopia," watches over all citizens and directs all activities, becoming more powerful as time goes by.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Huxley's classic prophetic novel describes the socialized horrors of a futuristic utopia devoid of individual freedom.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.

The Giver by Lois Lowry. At the ceremony of Twelve, the community's twelve-year-olds accept their predetermined Life Assignments. Jonas is chosen for something special.Gradually he learns that power lies in feelings. Then his own power is put to the test -- he may not be ready and he may not be able to save someone he loves.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. In a world divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities--seventeen-year-old Mare, a Red, discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. But Mare risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard --a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. At age eight, David watched as his father was killed by an Epic, a human with superhuman powers, and now, ten years later, he joins the Reckoners--the only people who are trying to kill the Epics and end their tyranny.

Utopia by Sir Thomas More. Utopia, written by Sir Thomas More, depicts a fictional island with its own unique religion and customs. Sir Thomas More's work introduces readers into the concept of a perfect society with utopian, or perfect, ideas and beliefs.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. H.G. Wells' late nineteenth-century novel in which an intellectually superior race from Mars invades Earth with plans to take over the planet.

Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. This re-creation of the land of Oz, tells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn't so wicked after all. Past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Wicked just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature.

12 Days of Teen Lit: 9 Girls in Dresses!

What is it with girls in fancy dresses on teen book covers?  It seems like there are more every day!

In celebration of 12 Days of Teen Lit, we give you

9 Girls in Dresses!

Entwined.  Confined to their dreary castle while mourning their mother's death, Princess Azalea and her eleven sisters join The Keeper, who is trapped in a magic passageway, in a nightly dance that soon becomes nightmarish.

Fury. When high school junior Emily hooks up with her best friend's boyfriend and football quarterback Chase's life spirals out of control, three mysterious Furies--paranormal creatures that often assume the form of beautiful women--come to town to make sure that Emily and Chase get what they deserve.

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar.  Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship.

Grave Mercy. In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and a violent destiny.

The Luxe.  In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of parents and others.

Paranormalacy.  When a dark prophecy begins to come true, sixteen-year-old Evie of the International Paranormal Containment Agency must not only try to stop it, she must also uncover its connection to herself and the alluring shapeshifter, Lend.

Princess of the Midnight Ball.  A retelling of the tale of twelve princesses who wear out their shoes dancing every night, and of Galen, a former soldier now working in the king's gardens, who follows them in hopes of breaking the curse.

The Selection.  Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illéa, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illéa's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.

Vixen.  In 1923 Chicago, seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody rebels against her upcoming society wedding by visiting a speakeasy, while her Pennsylvania cousin, Clara, hides similar tastes and her best friend, Lorraine, makes plans of her own.

Kearsten's Book Club: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

This week, Kearsten's Book Club met for the last time in 2012 to discuss the first in Scott Westerfeld's steampunk trilogy, Leviathan. Set in an alternate pre-World War I history, Leviathan is the story of Alek, the on-the-run, orphaned son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and Deryn, a British teen who's disguised herself as a boy in order to join the British Air Service. These two form a tenuous friendship, but not before some major crazy air and steam warfare goes down.

Book club was small this month, but we had a great discussion about this illustrated (in a style Westerfeld describes as 'Victorian manga', a description that we LOVE) steampunk story pitting steam-driven machines against genetically engineered animal/machines. We discussed the ethical and moral implications of the Darwinists' creations (hydrogen-producing whale airships, hybrid tiger-wolves), the advanced technology and the way it contrasted with the strict social hierarchy of the Victorian era, and what, if anything, mattered enough to each of us to get us to hide who we are (male/female) in order to get it. We also discussed the fact that so many of the events of the story are based on actually historical happenings - one of our book clubbers wondered why more history books aren't written in this exciting, narrative style!

We also talked about the illustrations, done by Keith Thompson, with nearly all of us feeling the book would have been incomplete without them - Kearsten, for example, didn't have trouble picturing the Austrian mechanical devices, but simply couldn't picture the whale-sized leviathan without the help of the awesome pictures!

Overall, Kearsten's Book Club enjoyed Leviathan, and #MustacheYouToRead it!

Already read the Leviathan series? Try out one of these similar titles, recommended by book club members!

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's surface.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce.  Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Lyra Belacqua is content wot run wild among the scholars of Jodan College, with her demon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle -- a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or lose, this more-than-mortal battle.

The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare (beginning with Clockwork Angel). When sixteen-year-old orphan Tessa Fell's older brother suddenly vanishes, her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London's dangerous supernatural underworld, and when she discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must learn to trust the demon-killing Shadowhunters if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Creatures once extinct now roam Jurassic Park, soon-to-be opened as a theme park. Until something goes wrong...and science proves a dangerous toy...

And if you've a love of anime, Michelle recommends you watch Steamboy (description from IMDB.com): In 1860s Britain, a boy inventor finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly conflict over a revolutionary advance in steam power.

Fever Crumb

To celebrate Audiobook Month, I am listening to Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve.


Set in a London future where technology is being scavenged by archaeologists, Fever has been raised to be the first girl Engineer (girls aren't believed capable of rational thought). Her first role outside of the Order is for the "irrational" Kit Solent who has discovered the former ruler's invention lab. He wants Fever to open it up for him. Why he thinks she can do so is a mystery to Fever--until memories start coming back to her...

First of all, what a fabulous cover! Yes, I'm judging the book by its cover. We all do it. I'm just admitting to it! What you don't see in this cover is that Fever shaves her head and has two different colored eyes.

The world building is fantabulous in this novel. It's a prequel to Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles so I can see where some things may be heading, but the little details of a book are what I love. So when Fever overhears a new religious group's chant of "Harry, Harry, harry Potter," I was tickled. When she notices that a floor has been covered in little mosaic tiles that on closer inspection are old computer keyboard letters, I thought "quite clever!" I'm just delighted and looking forward to the rest of the story.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the audio version as well. I was a bit cautious since the author was reading it. With a few exceptions (Neil Gaiman), that hardly ever bodes well for an audiobook. In this case, I think he's a great narrator. He has a soothing British accent and he has a range of voices for the characters. I particularly like Bagman Creech's wheezing voice and his hacking coughs. Listening to an audiobook is a different reading experience. I don't see glimpses of phrases coming up or see how far until the next chapter. I just enjoy the pacing of the tale.

So if you are looking for an interesting world to read about, an intriguing character, or just a plain good book, then check this one out. And if you're wanting a new audiobook to try, this one may be your cup of tea too!