Ok, so I’m really bad about keeping up with some things, and this blog is one of them. But finally, after a long wait, here’s a bit of a review for The Giver by Lois Lowry.

I absolutely love this book. It’s pretty much literature for kids. The base concept is simple: sometime in the future, the world has changed into a place that is so strictly regulated, that the idea of choices is almost entirely foreign. Jonas is approaching the age of twelve, which is highly important because this is the age when everyone is given their Assignments. In other words, they’re told by the people who run everything what their jobs will be for the rest of their lives. Jonas has no idea what his Assignment will be, and what happens at the Ceremony of Twelve is beyond shocking for him and everyone else in the community. Jonas’s life path goes off in a direction he could never have imagined before, and now he begins to learn and see things that makes him view differently and question the community he has accepted for so long.

Part of what I love so much about this book is that Lois Lowry does such a good job of painting the portrait of a utopia over this dystopian society. The reader is drawn in and made to think that maybe this world is better after all. Everyone knows their place. Everyone is polite. There is no hunger or pain or hate. Even the Assignments are given based on what the person would do and enjoy best overall. It isn’t until after Jonas becomes twelve that the reader begins to see the things that keep this place running so smoothly.

My only disappointments with this story comes from a couple of missing answers, which I’ll get to after a “read more” break to avoid spoilers. I will say, though, that since this is literature and the intent is more to affect the reader rather than explain every little detail of the story or have an ending that is clearly defined, the “missing” bits are acceptable.

In any case, I do highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I’m going to get back to Storm Front now, at least until my friend loans me a copy of The Hunger Games.

CAUTION: HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!

Read More

…coming soon. In case anyone was interested. I’ve been slow on the reading of Storm Front lately, but I plan on changing that and finishing the book. Then I’ll post a review of it. I’ll be sure to either hold off on spoilers or use a ‘read more’ break to hide them for those who do not wish to see them.

So, just finished watching the pilot for Touch. I’m going to need to rewatch it (missed a little bit of the opening voice-over), but so far, I am interested. It’s a serious drama that has a nice steady pace with intricate stories intertwining with one another. It didn’t get overly technical with the mathematics or gimmicky (or even in-your-face) with Jake’s autism. This is a show where you have to pay attention in order to see every connection that is made and fully appreciate the concept that is being used as a basis for the show, but I think it’s nice to have such intensive shows when there are quite a lot of no-brainer shows on the air (you know the type, you can put it on and multi-task a few other things and still get the entire plot no problem).

My only sadness here is that I have to wait until March 19th for the season premier. I love pilots, but I also really like to be able to dive into a show right away. I guess that’s why a lot of shows stopped doing true pilots like this and instead went to the whole ‘pilot as a first episode’ thing. Oh well. I’ll manage, somehow.