Books I Read Over the Break
The Hunger Games Trilogy - definitely an exciting read. I would consider it worthy of having the title of 'next big thing since Harry Potter (not that Twilight crap). The third book was a bit disappointing to me. The pacing was all off (lots of nothing, then a little action, then a lot of nothing again etc.), and the fact that the book is written from the main character's perspective really hinders this book because the heroine spends half of it unconscious or bed-ridden (so all the action is simply told to her, which really sucks). But all in all, a good series.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - I reread the series prior to reading the latest installment Sisterhood Everlasting (which is set 10 years later after the fourth book). This was one of my favourite series when I was younger, and even after rereading it I still love it (the first book especially). It is hard enough to make an audience fall in love with one character, but Ann Brashares did it with four girls. With that said...
Sisterhood Everlasting - I still don't know what to think of this. As a book.. I like it I suppose, but the events that take place in this novel still have me reeling. The author kills one of the girls (who happened to grow on me a lot during the series, so that was particularly upsetting). Through this tragedy we see the other girls women struggle with grief and salvaging a friendship that fell apart years prior. It is quite sobering for the most part, but in the end the author still offers us the hope that friendship really will prevail.
Me vs. Me - My dad picked up this book for 6 dollars from a used-book sale. For a fluffy chic-lit novel, it was a pretty good read. It's about this woman who has to choose between following her dream of moving to NY for her career, or marrying her super-great boyfriend and staying in Arizona (thereby giving up her dream job). Some sort of magic happens and she gets both wishes. When she goes to sleep in one life, she wakes up in another. At first, it's great because she gets to live a glamorous (and single life) in NY, without giving up her fiance (and unfortunately, her crazy, soon to be mother-in-law). But of course, we learn that you have to be careful of what you wish for.
21 Proms - I bought this anthology because one of my favourite authors (John Green), wrote a story in this. 21 Proms is a collection of stories written by 21 YA authors. Most of these stories are about the mishaps and woes that surround this rite-of-passage, thrust upon teenagers when they are especially at an awkward and vulnerable stage of life.
Zombies vs. Unicorns - Another YA anthology. This one concerns that all-important question: Where do you stand on zombies vs. unicorns? This book is pretty funny and obviously doesn't take itself too seriously. All the short stories incorporate zombies or unicorns (imagine a world where unicorns are vicious killers and a public hazard, or a world where the dead regularly come back and dwell among the living). Some of the authors take the traditional approach to zombie or unicorn mythology, and some take them in new, surprising directions.