From the Bookshelf of Basically Books!…

Delirium (Delirium, #1)

Lauren Oliver

Start date: February 14, 2011

Finish date: March 5, 2011

Discussion: Former Group Reads

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 68 topics — 2,678 comments total

Former Group Reads

* Reckless by Amanda Quick (September 2013 Group Read)
By Rea , Ghost · 9 posts · 20 views

last updated Oct 26, 2013 12:24PM

* Beauty and the Bounty Hunter by Lori Austin (September 2013 Group Read)
By Rea , Ghost · 2 posts · 8 views

last updated Sep 01, 2013 07:24AM

showing 5 of 5 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 05, 2011 Naomi rated it liked it

The first half of this book bored me to tears & I was thinking i'd probably end up giving it a one star rating then half way through it started picking up so I then thought hmmmmm maybe a two star rating. By the end of the book (with tears in my eyes may i add) it has been kicked up to three stars. I am now looking forward to reading the next in the series because I refuse to believe Alex won't be in it! I love him!!!! He was by far my favourite character & the sacrifice he made was wonderful bu ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2010 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it it was amazing

What would it be like to live in a world without love? Everyone walked around like robots, doing what society told them. I don't know about you, but I would not want to live this way.

From the start Lena wanted to be cured. She did not want to be like her mother, diseased and gone. She wanted to be safe and secure. During the waiting period before her procedure, she meets a boy who is about to shake her world. Lena not only realizes what her mom meant, but now know what loves feels like. Will she ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 13, 2010 Annie McElfresh rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, wishlist

This novel has gotten a lot of buzz, so I'm always a little hesitant to read a book when people going ga-ga over it because it always seem to let me down. DELIRIUM however didn't do that. It really was just as good as people say. I'll admit, though, the 1st 80 pages or so didn't really hook me, but I kept reading, hoping to be blown away. For me it really didn't happen til the party scene. Once you get there, this novel is action packed. The 1st quarter of the book is all world building, so if y ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 04, 2011 Kathryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, ya, dystopian

Not too long ago I read Matched and was totally disappointed. Before that I read The Hunger Games series and loved it, so coming in to this book I was cautious. With that said, I am glad that I have read this book w/o high expectations b/c I am surprised in how much I like this book.
First: Lauren Oliver is a talented writer that can take words and wove them in to sweet dreams...I felt like I was in the story. However, this was also a bad thing b/c there were times when it was too wordy and I beg ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 05, 2010 Monique rated it really liked it

4 1/2 stars....

Wow!!! This was a really good book...I am such a slow reader and finished this in a couple of days..I haven't read her other book, "Before I Fall," but, I may have to check it our now...This read like a cross between "Divergent" and "Matched" to me...But, it still managed to stand on it's own. I followed all of the characters...loved Alex, I could tell by his description he was beautiful. Though I'm of course really bothered by how it ended, even though I know there's a sequel. On ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 21, 2010 Tara-Jayne (♥ I Read, I Love ♥) Bell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2011, favorites

This book was amazing, it had allot of detail and i want to thank Lauren Oliver.

Description of the book:
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2011 Candy rated it really liked it

“You cant be happy unless you are unhappy sometimes.”

Why oh why oh why did I decide to read this NOW?!?!?! I have to wait almost a year to find out what will happen next! Don't know if I can/want to wait, lol!
From reading 'Before I Fall' and now 'Delirium' I have found that Lauren Oliver is an author that wants her readers to think. And here what she gives us to ponder is the importance of love in our lives. Is it better to live a pain-free, 'happy' existence, or to know REAL love, joy and ...more

Like · see review

Apr 03, 2011 Kailia rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, ya-dystopia, 2011

I love Lauren Oliver’s writing. Her debut, Before I Fall, was one of the best books I’ve ever read. When I heard that she was going to have another book coming out, I was ecstatic. Then I heard it was going to be dystopian and I was even more excited. When I got an ARC for review, I began reading it that day and I finished it that day too. It blew me away!

Love is a disease. It’s forbidden in Lena’s world and everyone gets an operation to remove any chance of them falling in love. I was intrigued I love Lauren Oliver’s writing. Her debut, Before I Fall, was one of the best books I’ve ever read. When I heard that she was going to have another book coming out, I was ecstatic. Then I heard it was going to be dystopian and I was even more excited. When I got an ARC for review, I began reading it that day and I finished it that day too. It blew me away!

Love is a disease. It’s forbidden in Lena’s world and everyone gets an operation to remove any chance of them falling in love. I was intrigued by this dystopian topic. Love is always around in most books so making love against the rules and dangerous made me want to read the book even more. The story had a slow beginning overall and I had some trouble getting into but it didn’t last for that long. As soon as Alex was introduced, the story moved right along. I loved the world that Oliver created. It was vivid and descriptive. The ending was crazy and I hated it only for the fact that it was such a HUGE CLIFFHANGER!

Love is a disease; I get that. WHY? Why was it so bad to fall in love? My only problem with this book would be the fact that we never find out why it’s such a bad thing. I understand that it’s the first book in a trilogy but background information should be included in the first book as the introduction. I felt that a lot was missing because I couldn’t figure out why love was such a bad thing!

I think Oliver has a very poetic writing style. She has a way with words that make them sound so great. The way she portrays her characters and writes about them make them so believable. She writes a lot of descriptions to bring her world to life. I do think that sometimes that there were some unnecessary details that could have been left out but that’s just my opinion. Overall, Oliver’s wonderful writing style brought out this story in a wonderful way.

I love Oliver’s characters because they’re so realistic and have so much depth. Lena, our protagonist, has grown up hearing about how bad love is. Her past with her mother haunts her and her family. Lena has one thing on her mind: What if I become like my mother? Lena doesn’t want to fall in love. She wants nothing to do with it. Everything is fine until she meets Alex. Alex begins to make her feel things she shouldn’t feel. She wants to go against the rules but she doesn’t. Lena was a great character and the conflict that was raging inside of her was real, true, and raw. I felt bad for her a lot of times but other times, she got really annoying. Alex was an awesome love interest and I loved reading about him and his life. Lena’s best friend Hanna was also an interesting character and though I liked her personality, she got on my nerves quite a bit. The other secondary characters such as Lena’s other friends and family were a great addition to this book.

Delirium was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. If you read Oliver’s debut, then you HAVE to read this one. If you’re out for a good read, check it out too!
...more

Like · see review

Jan 04, 2011 Kathy Martin rated it it was amazing

Lena is counting down the days until she is eligible for the cure. Love is a disease. She has seen the ill effects in her family. Her mother committed suicide because she had the disease and the cures didn't work. Her older sister fell in love but, since the cure, she has been fine -- changed but fine. Lena has a great fear of falling in love. Then she meets Alex. Alex should be safe but he faked the scars from the cure. He is part of the Resistance. Gradually, Lena has her eyes opened to the re ...more

Like · see review