1st Quarter Annotated Reading List

Brown, Dan. Deception Point. New York: Pocket, 2001. Print. (556)

In the presidential race, two true candidates remain: The current President Zach Herney and Senator Sedgewick Sexton. Sexton has built his whole campaign on the absurdity of the massive overspending of NASA, and is supported by their constant mess-ups and failures, but Herney stands behind the organization. So when a NASA satellite discovers a priceless treasure buried in the Milne Ice Shelf in the Arctic Circle, Herney is ecstatic. To verify the authenticity of NASA's discovery and to play a role in boosting Herney's campaign, intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton, who happens to be the estranged daughter of Senator Sexton, is called to the Arctic. Along with two civilian scientists Michael Tolland and Corky Marlinson, Rachel finds that the discovery may not be valid at all, but a clever deception. But before she and her friends can report the find, the three are ambushed by a force of assassins. Running for their lives, Rachel, Michael, and Corky desperately try to uncover the full truth and get the information to someone who can reveal the truth to the president. But when the president suddenly finds himself on the list of possible conspirators, who can the three trust?

I found myself unable to put this book down, it was so intense! I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the novel. I particularly enjoyed one of Dan Brown's stylistic elements: He threw twists and turns at the reader very often. This strategy added much color and excitement to the book, giving outcomes that were very unexpected and changed my view on the whole story. I feel as though Mr. Brown knows me personally, because I have a particular weakness for books that end chapters with cliffhangers, that hurl surprises at the reader, that present an outcome so wild that it causes the reader to almost gasp aloud. It was definitely the fast pace of the novel that drew me in, and I look forward to the next time I pick up a Dan Brown novel.

Johansen, Iris. Deadlock. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2009. Print. (374)

When artifacts expert Emily Hudson and her partner Joel Levy travel to war-torn Afghanistan for a U.N. mission, the two and their crew fall under brutal attack. Emily and Joel and held hostage for weeks by a man who is out to find the key to a legendary treasure. After multiple failed attempts by the CIA to find Emily and Joel, Jon Garrett is hired to retrieve them. Garrett's services have been called upon in the past, by a multitude of agencies. His orders are always the same: Complete the mission, no matter what. Garrett is too late for Joel, but he rescues Emily and soon finds himself helping Emily on her own personal mission: Revenge. Seeking her captor and the answers to the puzzle of the legend treasure, Emily accompanies Garrett on the most dangerous journey of her life.

The book was great regardless of relatability, but I found myself thinking about the book very frequently because of the connection I felt to Emily. Of course, I have never been attacked and held captive, but Emily's toughness resonated deeply with me. I have always had a tendency to shove aside feelings or memories, and to just determinedly push through a trying time or situation. Also, Emily's concentration and determination to get revenge remind me of the same qualities I see in myself when I set myself to a task, such as doing a huge pile of homework, or finishing a personal project. I always love when I am able to relate so closely to a book, and I can definitely imagine reading this book a second time.

Picoult, Jodi. The Tenth Circle. New York: Atria, 2006. Print. (416)

When Trixie Stone falls in love for the first time, she is ecstatic. Her life is perfect. She is dating Jason, a boy that every girl wants, she is the highlight of her father's life, she has perfect grades, and is popular. Then, suddenly, her universe is shattered by a single night. The fourteen-year old Trixie beings to accuse her first love of rape, of ruining her life. Jason, of course, denies the accusation, and goes head to head with Trixie in a case of he-said-she-said. Trixie's father Daniel, who is always so nice and calm, who never gets mad, suddenly turns wild with anger, and vows to do anything to protect Trixie. Trixie, once so popular in school, turns into a social pariah because everyone believes she is lying, and even her best friend will have nothing to do with her. Trixie goes on a whirlwind journey as she tries to escape the boy that broke her soul and heart and tries to find a way to reinvent herself after a traumatizing event, while her father desperately tries to keep his strong and ever-present bond to her and solve his own problems with anger.

The Tenth Circle was a very unique book, unlike anything I have ever read before. The novel tells a story in the traditional way of words, but incorporates a graphic novel as well. At the end of every chapter a segment of the comic is presented, with each chunk collaborating with the occurences of the story in the previous chapter. When I first picked up the book I was confused, wondering what in the world a comic was doing in a book, but after starting reading, I came to love not only the story, but also the format in which it was presented. I also enjoyed the author Jodi Picoult's trademark of ending every story with an unanticipated and baffling twist. Whenever I read one of her books, I spend the whole novel trying to think of the most bizarre ways she could end the book, trying to guess the twist. I have hardly ever been right. This book did manage to really get me thinking deeply about crime and varying viewpoints of an action, and the ties of family that can hardly ever be broken