Bookworm Blurbs

So, my time at school is officially done and stay-at-home-mommyhood has begun! This means that my time to read has increased hugely (though not quite back to where it once was - O keeps me busy!), and I am faced with the wonderful dilemma of not knowing which book to read first. Since you've all been reading much more than I have lately, I thought it might be fun to put it to a vote on here! This might become a monthly thing for me, we'll see :) 

So - here are my options: 

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov - this was gifted to me by my friend Tina Rae (the reading chronicles - follow her, she's awesome!) during our book club's Christmas book exchange... and because I've been so horribly, terribly busy, I have yet to read it! If you aren't familiar this book, here's what the blurb on the back says: 

THE THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS: 

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. 

 

Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the classicl laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot Asimov chronicles the development of the robot from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future - a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete. 

 

Here are stories of robots gone mad, mind-reading robots, robots with a sense of humor, robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world, all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asimov's trademark. 

 

The Wilderness of Ruin by Roseanne Montillo - I got this through the Book of the Month club in May (or June? It's all a blur) and, again, have yet to read it. It looks really interesting though! Here's what the inside cover says: 

In 1871, young children were disappearing from Boston's working-class neighborhoods. The few who returned told desperate tales of being taken to the woods and tortured by a boy not much older than themselves. The police were skeptical - these children were from poor families, so their testimony was easily discounted. And after the Great Boston Fire of 1872 reduced much of downtown to rubble, the city had more pressing concerns. Finally, when the police apprehended Jesse Pomeroy for the crimes, he, like any twelve-year-old, was sent off to reform school. Little thought was given to the danger he might pose to society, despite victims' chilling reports of this affectless Boy Torturer. 

Sixteen months later, Jesse was released in the care of his mother, and within months a ten-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy went missing, their mutilated bodies later discovered by the police. This set off a frantic hunt for Pomeroy, who was now proclaimed America's youngest serial killer. When he was captured and brought to trial, his case transfixed the nation, and two public figures - Herman Melville and Oliver Wendell Holmes - each probed the depths of Pomeroy's character in a search for the meaning behind his madness. 

Roseanne Montillo, author of the acclaimed The Lady and Her Monsters, takes us inside those harrowing years, as a city reeling from great disaster reckoned with the moral quandaries posed by Pomeroy's spree. What makes a person good or evil? How do we develop as moral beings? At what age do we hold someone responsible for violating society's moral code? And what does our fascination with such ghastly deeds reveal about us? 

The Wilderness of Ruin is a dazzling combination of true-crime thrills, a fresh perspective on mental illness, and a fascinating look at American class turmoil that captures the spirit of a turbulent age. 

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee - This is one that I preordered and, again, didn't have time to read right away. My husband is getting frustrated about that, haha - he keeps asking me why I'd spend the money on it if I wasn't planning to read it ASAP. My answer - 1) I got it for less than $10 because I preordered it from Amazon and they gave me the lowest price during the time when I preordered it and 2) I just had a baby and finished grad school, no time to read! Well, now my reading time is back and I'm really excited to see what To Kill a Mockingbird evolved from. And even though I'm sure that you've all heard what this is about, here's the synopsis: 

MAYCOMB, ALABAMA. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch - "Scout" - returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town, and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past - a journey that can only be guided by one's own conscience.

 

Well, those are my options! Looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks. I've got quite a variety to choose from and I think each of these will be good for different reasons. I'll start whichever has the most votes on Friday! 

Cross-posted on both Booklikes and Tumblr.