Under the Dome by Stephen King

Under the Dome, by Stephen King, is a big book.  A really big book.  Over 1000 pages of big book.  Thank goodness I chose to read this on my Kindle!  First off, I want to say that I loved the book.  I thought it was great.  The only bad thing I have to say is that it took me forever to read it.  I think it took me over a month, which is just ridiculous!  Yet it was all good.  I'm going to blame the Olympics again.  Watching all those events sucked a great deal of my reading time away.

Under the Dome is the first Stephen King novel I've read.  I've read On Writing, which is excellent, and I've read his columns in Entertainment Weekly.  I've also seen many movies based on his books so I'm not completely out of the loop.  That being said, I still wasn't prepared for the chipmunk dying at the beginning of the book.  Wow.   I had to put the book down for a bit after that!  And that was just the start.

The story is about a small town in Maine that is trapped by a dome that clamps down over the town.  Things turn chaotic very quickly as the town Selectman, Big Jim Rennie, starts taking over.  He thrives on the chaos as he wants very much to be in control.  He's very evil.  I don't want to give much away but there is a clear line drawn between good and evil.  There are the rebels, fighting to find an answer and destroy the dome.  There are those who are working for Big Jim who follow orders blindly.  And there are those who are just trying to keep their families safe.

This is a book that makes you wonder what you would do, trapped in a town, freedom taken away.  It's a great big interesting book.  I recommend it.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I don't know what I thought Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld, was about but I had in my mind that it was some sort of supernatural story in which everyone turned pretty at the age of 16. I didn't expect a futuristic version of Earth. I found myself doubting if I would enjoy it as I'm not much of a science fiction fan when it comes to books. I persisted and found that the characters might have fancy futuristic gadgets, but that was about as technical as it got. The story is about life altering choices and friendship. It's heart is not in the technology of the future but about the human spirit that continues to live on even in a very changed world.

Tally Youngblood is a fifteen year old "ugly" who can't wait to become pretty on her sixteenth birthday. In this futuristic earth, prejudices are eliminated by forcing everyone to look similar, with flawless skin, toned bodies, and pretty symmetrical faces. Children grow up knowing that they will be pretty and most look forward to it. Tally's adventure begins when she meets Shay, another fifteen year old who isn't so sure that she wants to have the surgery. Tally learns some secrets behind the surgery to make everyone pretty. She is faced with her own doubts as to her future after meeting David and other uglies who have resisted the change.

After reading a few chapters of book, I found I could barely stand to put it down. There is romance, adventure, and everything else that a good story needs. I loved Tally's relationship with David and her sense of adventure, despite the somewhat sterile environment she grew up in. I can't wait to read the sequel, Pretties. The book is written for young adults and yet is completely intriguing for a "middle ugly" like me. I highly recommend this book.