New Year and New Books

The first week of the year was eventful for Scott and me. On New Year's Eve, I awoke to a bad ear infection and went to the doctor for a prescription for Penicillin. On New Year's day, I awoke to the itchy realization that I am allergic to Penicillin. This was a surprise, given that I've taken the drug numerous times before. At first, I thought I might be overreacting, because I had strong memories of last year's allergic reaction to a different antibiotic. But by the end of the day, I was pretty sure that I could add Penicillin to my list of allergies. The physician's assistant started me on a low dose of Prednisone on Friday, but by Wednesday the reaction was getting worse instead of better. So I switched over to a high dose of Prednisone. I'm currently weaning myself off the drug, but I'm at the point now where I'm feeling the side effects - extra hunger, extra energy, and screwy sleep patterns. I'm definitely on the mend now, but no more Penicillin for me.

Scott opened up his new year with a cold. After hearing people rave about their Netti Pots, he decided to try it. He says that it works pretty well, but it's not a cure-all. The sight of him pouring water into one nostril and seeing it flow out the other is, to me, hilarious. Personally, I'd rather suffer than have the self-drowning feeling of pouring water down my nose. But that's just me.

Here are reviews of a books I've read since Christmas:

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

A spell-binding book. The first in a trilogy, Hunger Games takes place in a post-American world where the country is divided into twelve districts. To punish citizens for prior revolts, the government requires each district to send one boy and one girl each year to the Hunger Games. This is a Survivor-type reality TV show where the participants fight to the death in a wilderness course. The winner is rewarded with wealth and status for their entire families. Katniss is from the poorest of the twelve districts. She volunteers to participate in the games in the place of her young sister. Her companion from her district is Peeta, the baker's son. The Hunger Games is a fascinating spectacle of show, bravery, competition, and sheer brutality. Katniss has to learn whom she can and cannot trust, or perhaps most importantly, just to learn to trust in anyone at all. The ending is inconclusive, obviously setting up for future books. The world Collins created has a lot of holes in it, but I am hoping that future books will clear up some of the poorly developed facts. Rating 4/5

Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

This is the third book in the Blue Bloods series, which I wrote about in previous posts. I don't really have much new to say about these books. The third one is just as shallow and fluffy as the others. The storyline still intrigues me enough to continue with the series, but I was not as interested in this book as the other two. Rating: 2/5

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

This is the third book in the Vampire Academy series. All these books are an easy, thoughtless read - not as stupid as the Blue Bloods series, but still pretty shallow. Rose continues to mature in these books, becoming less annoying with each one. She was depressed most of this book. I felt bad for her rather than wanting to strangle her. The ending was really depressing and I'm hoping there is some sort of twist to the next book. I'm looking forward to continuing this series. Rating 2.5/5

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy is a sweet, innocent book probably most appropriate for girls ages 10-12. The main character is a 14-year old girl named Miri, who lives in a poor mining community of a great kingdom. Tradition dictates that the prince choose a wife from a region of the kingdom named by the astrologers/priests. When Miri's region is selected as the location of the prince's future wife, all teenage girls are required to go to a "Princess Academy" for a year to train them to be proper princesses. The academy starts out with a fiercely competitive spirit which gradually changes as the girls grow closer and come to rely upon each other. The book ends with a little bit of action and a nice conclusion. All in all, it was a satisfying book, although nothing too special. Rating: 3/5

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

A prequel to L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gable series, this book covers Anne Shirley's life before she arrived in Avonlea. It begins shortly after her parents marry and ends as she is leaving for the Bright River train station. The beginning of the book, before Anne was old enough to have a personality, was slow and boring. But the book picks up as Anne gets older. Wilson envisions Anne being placed with people who mean well, but are too busy or downtrodden to do anything but treat her badly. She is essentially a servant from the time she is a toddler. The book stays very loyal to Montgomery's series, although it lacks some of the innocence and hope of the Green Gables series. Perhaps this is due to the era in which Wilson wrote her book but I think it is mostly due to the fact that Anne's childhood had little joy in it, except for what she created herself. Rating: 3.5/5