Feature and Follow #2

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This week's question: Today’s is the US’ Independence Day. Share your favorite book with a war in it, or an overthrow of the government. 

I'm afraid I can't just pick one, so I will list them out (no particular order) and why I like them:

1. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - I had to read this for an English class, and although there were some very disturbing moments (baby buffalo and lemon tree made me cry), this story was so beautifully told. I am a sucker for unreliable narrators, and this book definitely had one of those. I love the idea of a "true war story" being one that has the right emotions and ironies, which may or may not be what actually happened.
2. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - This is one of my favorite books (you can read my full review on goodreads here. This book was just so well-written and thought-provoking; it talks about ideas from the future that might not be so far away, like genetic modification of food leading to famine and wars being fought over something as simple as a bunch of seeds. The novel has a grand vision and talks about global issues, but it also focuses in on very personal stories, and that is what made it stick with me.
3. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness - Another one of my favorite books (again, here's my review on goodreads). This is the third book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, which is one of the best trilogies I have ever read. It deserves a lot more popularity and recognition than it has, so this is me doing my part by telling you GO READ THIS. Quoting from my review, "[Patrick Ness] creates such complex characters, relationships, and story lines. Nothing is quite as it first appears, and I'm sure I could reread the series and find tons of bits of wisdom that I didn't catch the first time. Ness knows so much about people. He knows how much potential we have, as well as how much evil we can create. He is unafraid to let mayhem and violence loose on his reader, but he never glorifies death or killing. "
4. Divergent by Veronica Roth - Perhaps the most "mainstream" book on this list, I really liked this action packed story. Triss was such a strong character, and the author wasn't afraid to take risks with this book and let bad things happen to her characters (and then let those characters grow into stronger people after facing these "bad things"). My full review - this is a long one - can be found here.
5. Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta - If you haven't read anything by Melina Marchetta yet, there is a void in your life that needs filling. All her characters are so real and their stories are so tangled and heartwrenching yet so so hopeful and beautiful. This is the second book in her Lumatere Chronicles trilogy, and it shattered my heart into a thousand pieces and barely stitched it back up again. This book is very powerful - I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy or books driven by characters in general.

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