Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

I don't know anything of this author, but Britanie was reading Uglies when they visited for Thanksgiving. It's a post-apocalyptic YA fantasy, where, in an effort to create equality (supposedly), everyone is given a massive cosmetic operation at the age of 16, which gives them all the markers of beauty - symmetry, large eyes, etc. etc. The people are physically separated based on their stage of life, and the main character is Tally Youngblood, who can't wait to join her friend who, when he turned 16 a few months before she did, had his operation and went ahead to live the party-life of all the "New Pretties."

It's an interesting book with plenty to think about, like independence versus societal integration. It's a little heavy-handed at times (maybe that's intentional, so even inattentive young readers get the point) and the characters work better when they're doing something rather than being something - by which I suppose I mean the dialogue seems a bit forced. Still, it's a good story! Thanks, Britanie, for the recommendation! I'm looking forward to, well, finishing it, obviously, but also reading the sequels.

Timeline - Michael Crichton

I've never read any of Crichton's stuff, but Kenyon's friend loaned him Timeline and I figured I'd give it a shot. It was pretty entertaining. I'm reading more pop fiction than I know what to do with these days! I often get annoyed with books that are set in the everyday world but don't accurately relect reality, and the scientific gaps in this book annoy me - which I suppose may seem odd considering how much completely imlausible sci-fi and fantasy I read. I guess I just get annoyed when books don't follow their own rules enough to be consistent within themselves.

Overall, it was fun, though, and he'd done a lot of research both into the science of the technology and the historical period his characters visited. Thanks to the Bill Bryson book I'd just read, it was a lot easier to both follow the scientific theories he was exploiting and see where exactly he strayed from plausibility. It was presented like a tv movie, with lots of logical leaps, one crazy situation after another, and characters recovering in minutes from life-threatening injuries that would have long term consequences - if not for the demands of the plot. Still, if you're able to forget that the person now running through tunnels, climbing roofs, and dodging arrows sprained their neck and nearly drowned an hour ago, it's not so bad.

The Host - Stephenie Meyer

Invasion of the Body-Snatchers from the perspective of the body-snatcher. Interesting premise interestingly fleshed out. The psychology of the characters doesn't always work, and I think she starts going interesting places and then wimps out and just barely touches on them or over simplifies. I'd elaborate, but it's been, like, three weeks since I finished it and that's WAY too long for me to remember things like plot points and character names, much less partially developed themes of humanity and the complications or existence of true altruism. I think it's a better book than Twilight or its sequels.