Books For Friday (BFF)

I continue to enjoy reading the Young Adult genre (YA). It began ostensibly as a way to connect with my children and preview books they might be reading in the future. Although that motive is still valid, sheer enjoyment of what I am discovering keeps me reading this genre.

Recently, I read Matched, the first in a popular series by Ally Condie. The world Condie has created is reminiscent of The Giver. I found the story a bit slow at times but the dystopian world drew me in as I learned long with Cassia. Can you imagine a world where there are only 100 books, 100 poems and 100 pieces of art?

I will read the next book in the series and look forward to hearing my daughter's review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

A grittier, faster paced read set in yet another science fiction world that I enjoyed was Divergent by Veronica Roth. Amazingly her first novel. She says she spent much of the time she was supposed to studying for her MFA she was sneaking time to write this book- time well spent I say. I think this book will appeal to boys and girls alike.

Synopsis from Goodreads: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

What books might you recommend?