Extras by Scott Westerfeld

I thought this was the best book in the Ugly Series by Scott Westerfeld because the story was tidy and had a happy ending. Everyone ended up with a conclusion that was satisfactory to me. A Kicker (person who writes stories that get published online) named Aya Fuse sets forth to obtain popularity, which earn her merits in her society, which merits allow her to buy things like nice clothes, larger place to live, and any other luxuries she may want. This is how her society is organized, by popularity merits.

Tally Yongblood, a heroine from the previous three novels, plays a part in Ayas adventures by joining in towards the middle of the novel and saves Aya from dangerous situations which arose out of the popularity she gained from a story she "kicked" regarding people who she thinks may be aliens who are stealing metal from around the world. Aya thinks these people might be planning another war which could possibly end the world.

This young adult/teen science fiction novel was pretty good for me. I liked the clean writing and the interesting story line. Usually I am not that entertained by science fiction, but the Ugly series, including this book seemed to have been able to hold my attention. This was a good book. I would give it an 8/10.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

For me, this book went too far. Tally, after fighting her way out of being a Bubbleheaded Pretty by just using her mind and not taking medication, undergoes another operation and becomes a Special where she has her brain medically altered once again undergoing BrainSurg (Brain surgery) along with radical body surgery where she is a lethal fighting machine thinking she's super special and more than most people. She ends up being disgusted by her old boyfriend because he is so weak and suffering from brain damage for taking the wrong pill whose nanos eat his brain away. She still loves him though and follows him through an attempted escape from the town in which they live.

As with all the books so far, I find myself being entertained by the story line and I keep on reading. As with all the novels, this book reminds me of Catching Fire a little bit, but this particular one reminds me the most of that novel as it is highly packed action.

I would give this a 6/10. I was turned off by the surgery she underwent.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

In this novel the Ugly, Tally Youngblood undergoes a radical operation becoming a Pretty, knowing that her brain is going to be altered be a Bubblehead, unable to concentrate on things and unable to recognize serious situations and react to them. She signed an informed consent at the end of the book, Uglies, giving permission for accepting the medication which is the cure for being a Bubblehead.  No one ever took this medication before.  Tally ends up sharing the medication with her boyfriend resulting in serious complications.

The novel progresses as Tally tries to overcome the operation.

I thought this was an interesting book overall. It was a Scifi book geared toward teenagers and young adults. I would give this book a 7/10.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

When I began reading this book I thought I wasn't going to finish it because it was so boring. The concept of a society based on people having to have surgery at 16 to make sure they are beautiful and all the same essentially was enough to entice me to stick it out. As I kept reading the novel became slightly more interesting, then slightly more, until it got to the point where I was engrossed in it. It's a pretty good story where Tally, an Ugly, who wants to be a Pretty and undergo the surgery at 16, finds out that your brain is altered in the process of making you pretty. Tally also experiences romance with a person named David,an Ugly who was never raised in the society where she grew up and thinks that Tally is beautiful the way she is. A rebellion against the society begins with Tally and David at the core. I would give this book geared for teens a 7 1/2 out of ten.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

This novel was about a girl (Amelia) who was thought to have killed herself and her single mother (Kate), who is trying to find out the truth about her daughter's death.

Amelia goes to a private school that prepares children to enter Ivy League schools and within this school there is a gang that Amelia gets involved in only because she is attracted to a girl named Dylan. She ends up falling in love with Dylan whose best friend (Zadie) is the gang leader and hates Amelia. Amelia's best friend Sylvia is the only real friend that Amelia seems to have outside of a person named Ben who she has never met yet confides in through texting all the time.

This novel was hard and dark. There were no beautiful moments nor joy in it. I would not be excited about reading another Kimberly McCreight novel. There is nothing grammatically wrong that stood out to me or poorly written. I just didn't enjoy it personally very much, although I did enjoy it enough to read to the end.

6/10

Looking for Alaska by John Green

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The Sins of the Mother by Danielle Steele

I haven't read a Danielle Steele book in many many years besides one a couple of years ago.  I have her up when I read one about a clone that really turned me off back when I was around 23.  I'm almost 46 now.  The Sins of the Mother was lacking, but good enough to read.  I didn't find it a literary masterpiece or anything, but the story was mildly entertaining.  Reminds me of Nicolas Sparks.  I think Nicolas Sparks gets more into the details of sexual exploits, but Danielle Steel I think used to from what I can remember.  This novel glazes over those sections and leaves the rest to your imagination.  The swearing is toned down from what I remember of her as well.

A mother who worked really hard building one of the most successful businesses in the world wasn't there for her children while they were growing up and they are all resentful of her missing from their lives.  The mother, Olivia, is extremely wealthy and can afford anything and takes her family on amazing vacations once a year for two weeks.  The novel is about her children forgiving her and them all being one big happy family in the end.

I enjoyed the story of her oldest son Philip and his relationship to a cold-hearted and ambitious wife and how he ended up having an affair (which I don't agree with) and leaving her and ending his marriage. Philip was very angry when he found out his mother was fooling around with Peter, a co-worker/employee and he ended up doing the same thing.  I guess the entire story was not in enough detail and seemed glazed over in order to just pump out a story.  Good enough though, to fulfill most peoples' demand for entertainment I guess. I would have liked more development of character.

I would give this book a 6/10.