Delirium: About the Author

   As I mentioned in my previous post, the book I am currently reading is Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I grew curious of where Oliver gets her ideas for her novels if many of them have been New York Times bestsellers. I thought I should learn more about the author herself.

  Lauren Oliver was born in Queens, New York in 1982 and grew up in Westchester, New York. In fact, she got the inspiration for the setting in her novel, Before I Fall, from Westchester. With both of her parents being literature professors, she grew up in an environment where reading and writing were both highly encouraged hobbies, and soon enough, she developed a passion for them. She likes for her present-day house to be that way,too.

    When Oliver grew older, she attended University of Chicago and majored in philosophy and literature. She later went to NYU and attended the MFA program there for creative writing. After that, she started working in Penguin Books, and that is when she began working on her bestselling novel Before I Fall. She eventually left the company to pursue a career as a full-time writer.

    Going back to Delirium, Oliver says that she found some interesting things as she was writing the book. She says that when she was initially listing the symptoms of deliria nervosa, also known as the "love disease," she realized that love really did sound like a disease, making it even more fitting to be understood as one in the book. She also talks about how the audience for Delirium doesn't only have to be teens, and how it could be read by an older audience as well. According to her, adults are capable of having romantic anxieties just as much as teens, making them a suitable audience,too.

Check out more in the video below:

Delirium: Connection to Divergent and Matched

      I just recently began a new novel and I am completely addicted to it. It's called Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I am just 50 pages in, but I'll give you a brief synopsis of what I've read so far before I elaborate more into connections. The novel is set in the future and the main character, Lena Haloway lives in Portland, Oregon. She lives in a time where love for anybody, including her family, is forbidden and where love is considered to be a disease by the name of deliria nervosa. Everybody has to go through a procedure that prevents them from ever falling in love. Before that, though, they have to have an evaluation that determines who they will marry in their future, but not love.

      While I have been reading, I've noticed a connection to Divergent by Veronica Roth. The main connection is that the main characters in both novels seem to have similar personalities and thoughts. Another minor connection that I found in both novels was that both contain some sort of evaluation to open the novel. Lastly, they are both dystopian novels.

      I also noticed a connection to Matched by Ally Condie. Once again, Lena and Cassia, the protagonists in both novels, seem to have similar personalities and thoughts. The main connection, though, is that both novels have an evaluation to match one up with their future partner so that they'll have a good future. Matched is dystopian as well. 

      Finally, I have come to realize a popular trend in recent young adult/teen novels. Most recent novels are dystopian and take place in societies where there are bizarre restrictions and tests to determine one's future. Also, in many of these books, the world is at war. Delirium, Divergent, and Matched are just a few novels that exhibit at least one of these characteristics. I enjoy these novels, but I believe that there should be a variety in young adult books and not just one genre.

What do you think of the common trend in recent novels? Do you enjoy it or get bored of it?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Charlie's Characterization

   One of my latest reads has been The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. The novel was wonderful. It was very heart-warming and emotional, but fun at the same time. The book is basically about how Charlie, the main character, is growing up, and his adventurous experiences throughout his journey. At the beginning of the novel, he is just beginning high school, and hasn't had many close friends in his entire life.
   Chbosky does an excellent job of developing Charlie's character in the novel. Charlie starts out as a lonely, 15 year old boy who is extremely anxious about starting high school. At the end of the novel, he is a completely transformed young man who has made friends and has had unique experiences.
    Charlie befriends two seniors named Sam and Patrick. He becomes very "tight" with them and their entire group of seniors. The group changes Charlie into a more friendly, cheerful person, but sometimes pressures him into doing not-so-great things. Charlie develops an unforgettable and unchanging bond with Sam and Patrick. He even has first experiences like a first date with a girl from the group and his first party. One of the biggest "firsts" though is falling in love for the first time. Charlie ultimately falls in love with Sam and experiences sorrow and jealousy as Sam already has a boyfriend. Sam eventually does like him back later on but he realizes he's not ready.
   When it comes time that Charlie's friends go to college, of course Charlie becomes upset and doesn't want them to leave, but he realizes that he will get  through and he will be fine, because he feels like he has changed for the better. As a reader, I felt that Charlie became a more complete person at the end of the novel and he was thoroughly developed as the novel progressed.