The Theban Plays (Sophocles)

****

         I read two of the three plays for my English class: Oedipus Rex and Antigone.  The former is the tragedy of Oedipus, a Greek prince who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother.  Oedipus Rex takes place years after this has occurred, when Oedipus must discover the truth about his identity in order to save the people of Thebes.  Antigone is the story of his daughter, a defiant young woman who has grown up as the daughter of a disgraced king.  

         I didn't expect to like these plays, probably because books on the school curriculum are hated by the general population.  You end up hearing a lot of bad things about school books whether they're bad or not.  However, I actually thought both plays were really interesting.  The language isn't too difficult all things considered, and there's a lot of action and drama.  Neither Oedipus Rex nor Antigone is very long, so if you were interested in reading a Greek play, this might be the way to go.  (I know that sounds like a long shot, but I think there may actually be some people out there who really are interested in reading Greek plays.  Just a few, but still.)

Rating: 4/5

Completed: March 14, 2013

Perfect Scoundrels (Ally Carter)

****

Book 3 of the Heist Society series

         As a con artist, Kat Bishop knows a trick when she sees one.  When her boyfriend, W.W. Hale the fifth, suddenly and very unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's company, she can't help but suspect foul play.  Kat needs to find out the truth about Hale's inheritance, and fast - something is off and she wants know what before Hale gets hurt.  The biggest problem?  She can't tell Hale what she's doing.  Kat will have to enlist the help of her expansive web of criminals to prevent Hale from losing the company to somebody he'd never suspect.

         This was another great book by Ally Carter!  The plot was exciting and the characters were awesome as usual.  I appreciate the blend of serious, emotional scenes and hilarious banter between characters.  I also love all the names of the different cons that Kat and her family pull off.  It's been a while since I read the last Heist Society book, but Ally did a nice job of making it so that I still sort of remembered what was going on.  If you've read the other books in this series and liked them, you'll definitely like this one as well.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: February 23, 2013

Pivot Point (Kasie West)

****

         When Addie Coleman's parents announce that they're getting a divorce, they want her to decide who she'll live with.  After all, the decision should be simple for Addie: she is a Searcher, so she can look six weeks into the future to see which path is best.  Addie's Search isn't as straightforward as she'd hoped, though.  Life with her dad outside of the Compound is unlike any experience Addie's ever had, and she meets a cute guy in the process.  Staying with her mom and best friend, Addie has the familiar and a boyfriend to boot.  Neither place is perfect, though - dangerous forces are in action regardless of her decision.  And once the Search is over, Addie will have to choose what (and who) she is willing to sacrifice to protect the people she cares about.

         I really enjoyed the concept of this book, and it was executed pretty nicely.  It only took me a few days to read because I always was excited to find out what happened next.  Addie was a likable character with some good friends on the side.  It was cool how each chapter flip-flopped between alternate futures, especially because there was a sort of mirror affect between the two.  Some of the events that occurred changed drastically in the alternate paths, but others were unaffected by Addie's choice.  It was interesting to see how much influence Addie's choices did or didn't have on the future.  I'm not convinced that there will necessarily be a sequel to this book.  If there were, though, I would definitely make a point of reading it.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: February 18, 2013