Waiting on Wednesday: The Meme Plague by Angie Smibert

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Meme Plague
by Angie Smibert
Publication Date: August 13, 2013
Published by Skyscape










(from angiesmibert.com)

It begins with the name JONAS W. on the side of a cardboard coffin—right before the funeral procession blows up. Then it’s the whisper in the back of Micah’s head: Your father betrayed his country. You can’t always trust your own brain. Not when you have one of the mayor’s mandatory chips in your skull. Micah knows that the chip developed by TFC (the corporation that runs the Therapeutic Forgetting Clinics) does more than just erase unpleasant memories—it implants new ones. The MemeCast warns citizens to “fight the hack.”

Micah and his friends have each lost something—a parent, a relationship, a home, maybe even their own identities as they remembered them to be. But together, they can make sure some things are never forgotten.

Election Day is coming, and Mayor Mignon is set to be elected to Congress. It’s time to build a new electronic frontier, one that’s not controlled by the mayor and his cronies. It’s time to get out the vote and shake up the system. It’s time to finally say enough.

Why I'm Waiting:

It seems 2013 is the year of the series finale and The Meme Plague is the final book of the Memento Nora trilogy.  I read and reviewed the previous two books and I need to know how this story ends!

Read my reviews:

Memento Nora

The Forgetting Curve

   

The Forgetting Curve by Angie Smibert

The Forgetting Curve
by Angie Smibert
Published by Marshall Cavendish
Available: May 15, 1012
Pages: 202
Source: Publisher

Aiden Nomura likes to open doors—especially using his skills as a hacker—to see what’s hidden inside. He believes everything is part of a greater system: the universe. The universe shows him the doors, and he keeps pulling until one cracks open. Aiden exposes the flaw, and the universe—or someone else—will fix it. It’s like a game.

Until it isn’t.

When a TFC opens in Bern, Switzerland, where Aiden is attending boarding school, he knows things are changing. Shortly after, bombs go off within quiet, safe Bern. Then Aiden learns that his cousin Winter, back in the States, has had a mental breakdown. He returns to the US immediately.

But when he arrives home in Hamilton, Winter’s mental state isn’t the only thing that’s different. The city is becoming even stricter, and an underground movement is growing.

Along with Winter’s friend, Velvet, Aiden slowly cracks open doors in this new world. But behind those doors are things Aiden doesn’t want to see—things about his society, his city, even his own family. And this time Aiden may be the only one who can fix things . . . before someone else gets hurt. (from Goodreads)


My Thoughts


With Memento Nora, author Angie Smibert created an world where you could forget your worries and troubles by simply taking a pill. In The Forgetting Curve the world has changed and has become a place where your thoughts may no longer be your own. Let me just say that the world described in both of these books is a pretty scary place and definitely not a world I would want to live in.

The Forgetting Curve gives some back story to what happened in Memento Nora and some of the characters make an appearance along the way. The Forgetting Curve is more of a companion novel than a sequel as a whole new group of characters are introduced and their stories are told. Of the 3 central characters in Memento Nora, only Winter plays a crucial role in this new saga. 

While reading, I lacked a connection with the characters. I think that may be because the story was more action driven rather than character driven and a lot happened in this novel in a short period of time. Plus there were a lot of characters to who appeared throughout the story but for only short periods of time. One character who I did begin to care about was Velvet - a friend of Winter's who had been implanted with an ID chip (the new forgetting pill). Like Aiden, she was major player in "opening the doors" that the government was trying to keep sealed up.

I hate to admit that this book didn't live up to my expectations. The lack of character connection and even a connection to the story, left me a little disappointed. Memento Nora put the fear in me with the possibility of this future world. I mentioned earlier this isn't a world I would want to live in, but I just didn't see the likelihood that this world could exist. 

BUT I do think that The Forgetting Curve does touch on some interesting ideas. Both Aiden and Velvet question authority and are free-thinkers. They trust their instincts and make hard decisions when there are easier, safer ones to make. 

It has already been announced there will be a third book and I will definitely read it too. The first 2 novels are relatively short so when the third one comes out, I'm likely to read them all together.  While it is not a true sequel, I do suggest that it be read along with Memento Nora. There are so many instances in this book that would only make sense after reading Memento Nora. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian, science fiction, and conspiracy theory books.

Disclaimer: I requested this book from the publisher and was provided an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for my honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Forgetting Curve

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Forgetting Curve
by Angie Smibert
Published by Marshall Cavendish
Available: April 2012

Aiden Nomura likes to open doors—especially using his skills as a hacker—to see what’s hidden inside. He believes everything is part of a greater system: the universe. The universe shows him the doors, and he keeps pulling until one cracks open. Aiden exposes the flaw, and the universe—or someone else—will fix it. It’s like a game.

Until it isn’t.

When a TFC opens in Bern, Switzerland, where Aiden is attending boarding school, he knows things are changing. Shortly after, bombs go off within quiet, safe Bern. Then Aiden learns that his cousin Winter, back in the States, has had a mental breakdown. He returns to the US immediately.

But when he arrives home in Hamilton, Winter’s mental state isn’t the only thing that’s different. The city is becoming even stricter, and an underground movement is growing.

Along with Winter’s friend, Velvet, Aiden slowly cracks open doors in this new world. But behind those doors are things Aiden doesn’t want to see—things about his society, his city, even his own family. And this time Aiden may be the only one who can fix things . . . before someone else gets hurt. (from Author's website)

Angie Smibert just released this info on her website today. Yes, I have been checking it regularly. I am a fan of her debut novel Memento Nora and the follow-up sounds just a good. It sound like a lot of new characters are introduced in the novel and I am anxious to see how it all plays out. 

If you haven't read Memento Nora yet, you should and then wait, along with me for The Forgetting Curve.

Interview: Angie Smibert author of Memento Nora

Memento Nora is the debut dystopian novel by Angie Smibert. I was lucky enough to receive a copy for review. If you missed my review, you can read it here.

I am thrilled to have Angie here at Actin' Up with Books to answer my questions about Memento Nora, her writing habits and some thoughts on books.

 
Welcome Angie!



About your book:

What was your inspiration for Memento Nora?
I was reading some current research in the area of post-traumatic stress disorder. (Yes, I'm a geek.) Scientists are looking at medications that could help break the stranglehold that traumatic memories have on PTSD sufferers. So I thought what if the pill erased those memories. I know it's not a new idea, but I had a vision of those pills then being available in Starbucks-like shops on every corner. I built the story out of that idea.

One of my favorite parts of Memento Nora is how the different chapters are told from the first-person perspective of 3 different characters. Why did you decide to write the story this way? 
Actually, I wrote the first draft (s) of MN solely in Nora's point of view. However, she didn't know the whole story. So then I added Micah and Winter's POV's, and the story really came alive. Also, using several POV characters let me play around with how each interpret what's going on in a particular scene or plot point. The reader can put all those together and get a better picture than the characters do.

In Memento Nora, Micah and Nora create a comic to tell their story. Did you ever consider having your book published as a graphic novel? 
No, but that's not a bad idea.

My favorite scenes is between Nora and Micah in the waiting room at TFC at the beginning of the book. Micah thinks he is just messing with Nora and doesn't realize what the one small act would lead to. What was your favorite scene (or your favorite scene to write)?
I like that scene, too, because you see how Nora interprets what's going on as some big act of rebellion on Micah's part. Then Micah reveals he's just trying to mess with the popular girl that he has a crush on.

On writing:

What is your favorite writing environment?
My office. This is my full-time job. So I roll out of bed in the morning, feed the critters, grab a cup of tea, and park my behind in front of the computer for many hours. However, every once in a while, I do need a change a scene. I go down to my favorite local coffee shop with my netbook and write there for awhile. Working there has it's drawbacks (or perks, depending on how you look at it). The chocolate croissants are way too good.

How did writing your first novel differ from writing your many short stories? (I will be checking those out soon!)
Memento Nora actually started off as a short story, which was published in Odyssey magazine. The story was really about the decision Nora makes during her first TFC visit. That decision served as the starting point for the novel. In a short story, you can focus on a moment of change or a call to action whereas in a novel you have play it out and show that change or action. (You can do that in short story, too, of course.)

Do you save everything that you have written? Or do you delete/trash anything that you consider unusable?
If it's made it to the computer stage, I do save the story. I don't necessarily look at it again, though. I have saved notebooks where I started working on story ideas or research but never did anything with the information. Someday I may come back to those ideas.


You are of a member of Class of 2k11 and The League of Extraordinary Writers. Can you tell me how being a part of the groups has helped you prepare for your novel's debut? 
Being a member of those two "collectives" as well as the Elevensies has really helped in a number of ways. The Class of 2k11, of which I'm an officer, is a group of debut YA/MG authors who've banded together to market each others' books. (Elevensies is a community of YA/MG debuts as well, but the emphasis is less on marketing.) Working together gives each of us more opportunities and exposure for our books than trying to go it alone. The best thing, though, is that we have each other to talk to about the whole process. We vent. We commiserate. We advise. We celebrate. Together.

The League of Extraordinary Writers is a group blog where each of us have a YA dystopian book coming out this year. The League is more geared to talking about YA dystopian and science fiction in general. We do celebrate each others' debuts, but it's cool just hang out online and talk about the stuff we love.

Random questions about books:

Do you have any comfort reads? - a go-to book that you read because it will make you feel better or is filled with characters that you loved or want to revisit?
I have comfort genre: paranormal mysteries. I love Charlaine Harris and Kelley Armstrong. I just read the Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

Searching for new books to read is a small part of my love for books. What are some determining factors when you are selecting new books to read? Current favorites?
The story has to grab me in the first few pages. I like a fresh voice and setting as well as story that promises to reveal something really interesting along the way. Some of my recent favorites are the Adoration of Jenna Fox and the Book Thief.

Is there one book or author that you wish you would have read and can't believe that you haven't yet? (Mine is Jane Austen)
I couldn't believe I waited so long to read Markus Zusak! The Book Thief was astoundingly good. The Messenger is on my to-read list.

Can you tell me about your latest novel or any works in-progress? 
I'm working on the sequel to Memento Nora. The Forgetting Curve will be coming out next Spring.

Memento Nora will be available April 1, 2011 from Marshall Cavendish publishing. More information can be found on the Memento Nora website at http://www.mementonora.com/

I am currently hosting a giveaway for a signed copy of Memento Nora. If you would like a chance to win, ENTER HERE. The contest is offered to US and International entries and ends April 2, 2011.