"The Here and Now" by Ann Brashares

I chose to read this book because it's written by Ann Brashares, but even so, I was apprehensive. I absolutely adore The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, but I wasn't sure if I would like a science fiction novel by Brashares. Thankfully, I think that she is a writer that can handle writing in more than one genre. Prenna isn't from around here. And by "here" I mean 2014. She has actually traveled from the future along with  a small population of people that have somehow managed to survived a horrible pandemic. Most of the population did not survive, but the few that manged to escape live among us, hiding their true existence.Every bit of Prenna's life is monitored to make sure she follows the strict rules set to keep their identities a secret. But as the reader, we know that everything is not as it seems and that conflict is going to unfold soon. Very quickly, things began to change for Prenna. Along with a boy named Ethan, she begins to discover the truth about her existence and the past of her people led to the life she barely escaped. It is up to her and Ethan to change the future and keep the world safe.

Overall, I am not a fan of science fiction. Even many dystopians are too "sciencey" for my taste. Because of this I wasn't sure if I would make it through this book. I am so glad that Brashares was able to write The Here and Now, a book that has enough good characters and interesting plots to make me keep reading. I'm also glad that she doesn't spend page after page writing about the science behind the plot (there is nothing wrong with that, it just doesn't appeal to my reading tastes). Since there is a romance factor, I do see it appealing more to girls, but I think that there is enough action going to to keep the interest of any YA readers that are interested in science fiction, time travel and characters on wild adventures happy.

Happy Reading!

-Melly

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can Read Over and Over Again

Topic from The Broke and the Bookish!

There is no set theme for this week's Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and the Bookish so I decided to list the books that I basically cannot live without.  These are the books I have read time and time again and will likely be reading again in the near future.

Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Confessions of a Shopaholicby Sophie Kinsella

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

How to Ruin series bySimone Elkeles

Pop Princess by Rachel Cohn

The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot

Ryan White: My Own Storyby Ryan White andAnn Marie Cunningham

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares

Sweep series by Cate Tiernan

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I want to hear from you, what book or books do you re-read?  Does anyone else had a book that they tend to read around the same time each year?  Let me know!

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"Sisterhood Everlasting" by Ann Brashares

I'm choosing to start this blog with a book that took me completely by surprise.  I read the first Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book shortly after its release.  I remember waiting for it to come in at the library and snatching it up when it finally became available.  I also remember finishing it on a plane ride back to New Mexico (I can’t remember where I was coming from, but I remember reading it).  I quickly fell in love with the characters Tibby, Bridget, Lena, and Carmen (I think Carmen’s my favorite, but I change favorites in all things book related often) and bought each of the following three books on or right after their respective release dates.  Of course I was thrilled to find out that there was going to be another installment in the series.  I lucked out and was able to get a brand new copy fairly cheap (this is the part of the blog where I weep because Borders is going out of business and the nearest bookstore is now three hours away instead of one) and started reading it soon after returning home.

I could barely put the book down!  The first four books are relatively happy books, with the four girls learning how to maintain their friendship even when they are apart.  In Sisterhood Everlasting, three of the girls must learn to cope after a sudden death of the fourth (doing my best to avoid spoilers.  If you are very anti-spoiler, you may want to continue onto another blog, just in case).  I read the entire book in disbelief.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I didn’t dislike this book.  I just went into it expecting one type of story and receiving another.  I recommend this book to all fans of Ann Brashares, but I do suggest that younger readers think about waiting a few years (it is classified as an adult book after all).  In addition, readers who have not read the first four books about the Sisterhood may enjoy it as well.  I felt that Brashares gave just enough back-story to tell who these girls are, but that a lack of knowledge in details covered in previous books would not leave readers confused.  Overall, I think that this is a great book and will be reading it again in the future.

Happy Reading!
-Melly