Witch and Wizard

Recently, I read the book Witch and Wizard by James Patterson. It was obviously a take on somewhere between nazi germany and the salem witch trials. It is about a brother and a sister in a world that has been taken over by the New Order, led by The One Who Is  The One, ( rather lengthy name), whose goal is to create a utopian society, for them at least, by disposing of all rabblerousers including witches, wizards, artists and anyone with free will, creativity or power. Told from the underdog's point of view, it positively exudes hopelessness and despair, a quality that I found rather depressing. It had it's hopeful moments, but each book makes the situation more and more dire, with no real victories. It is not the most uplifting of sources, but does a fair job of creating the feeling of being oppressed, and reads like an account of the salem witch trials I read once.
While reading it, it kind of made me think a bit more about what people in history have been through and how it must feel to be able to trust no one but yourself. Overall, a meaningful book, but a bit depressing.

Warriors: An Exploration in Rereading

I first read the Warriors series in fourth grade, but the books have been sitting in my library for years, untouched. One day, at a loss for what to read, I saw them and said to myself "Why did I like these books anyway?" So I decided to read the first series over. To my surprise, a lot had changed. Plotlines which once held me captivated, waiting in suspense for the next installment, now felt extremely predictable. I could pretty much anticipate the plot from the first page, using a combination of the painfully obvious foreshadowing and my prior knowledge of the book. They even have prophecies that basically tell you what the next plot twist is going to be. Details I once found endearing or heartbreaking or satisfying now seemed to fall flat. Even the premise seemed a bit strange. I mean, wildcats that live in clans and fight each other while struggling to survive. Throw in some pun based made up words and obvious, dead give away villain names and you basically have the Warriors series.
However, I can see why I liked it as a kid. It gave me a new and interesting viewpoint on life and culture to explore. It had peaceful, endearing moments where everything was innocent and fun, a reminder of younger days. It painted cats to look like people, like the tribes of old. The good guys won, there were themes of loyalty, forgiving, generosity, courage, love, friendship, even death. I see how I could have connected with these loose parallels to life and found amusement in a new culture and names I could barely  pronounce.