The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Harry Potter and Water for Elephants had a baby?

Me neither, but The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern would be that bundle of joy.  I kept seeing the cover for this book everywhere, and I thought it looked cool.  Yes, I judge books by there covers.

A magical circus appears in town with no warning, you have to wait till nightfall to go in.  Everything in the  Le Cirque de Reves is black and white with shades of gray.  The circus is a maze of tents full of different attractions more amazing than the last.  The visitors leave amazed, and can't wait to go back.  Little do they know that the circus is actually the arena for two magicians competing against the other.  Cecil and Marcus have been training for this event their entire lives.  Their imagination and stamina are pitied against each other.  Instead of making them hate each other, the circus provides a bond that begins to develop into love before they realize that this will be battle to the death.

I really wish that I could visit this circus! Imagine if Disney World was full of real magic, and you will begin to understand how awesome it would be.  This book has a little bit of everything in it fantasy, adventure, suspense.  I'm looking forward to other books by Moregenstern.  Can you believe this is her first book?

While this is an adult fiction title, I believe a lot of teens would enjoy it as well.

MWF seeking BFF: My yearlong search for a new best friend by Rachel Bertsche

For the sake of your own happiness a woman should have 3 to 5 lifers, 5 to 12 close friends, 10 to 50 casual friends, and 10 to 100 acquaintences.  How do your friendships stack up?

I want Rachel to be my new BFF.  You know how you pick up a book and feel like someone has been reading your mind?  I feel like Rachel has been eves dropping on some of my conversations.  A few months ago a friend and I were complaining about how hard it is to make new friends in your 20s.  I'm so glad that I'm not alone! 

In MWF seeking BFF: My yearlong search for a new best friend by Rachel Bertsche, Rachel moved to Chicago from New York 2 years ago to be with her now husband.  She misses the two BFFs she left behind, and decides to go on a search for a local one.  She dedicates one year of her life to making new friends by going on 52 friend dates.

This book is full of funny stories from her "girl dates," and chock full of research on friends and happiness.  Did you know that low levels of friendship is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day?

I can't stop talking to people about this book, and I've already passed it on to two different friends.  This is a must read for anyone who has ever been bummed out because they have no one to talk to about the last episode of Glee.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

17 year old Mia has a choice to make, does she want to die or does she want to live.

Mia, her parents, and her younger brother Teddy were in a car accident early that morning.  Mom and Dad died on impact, Teddy does not live much longer.  Mia is at the hospital watching the doctors try to save her, and her family and friends visit her.

This is a beautiful and haunting story that will make you reach for the Kleenexes again and again as you follow Mia trying to decide what will be the best choice for her.  This is one of the best stories I have read in awhile.

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent the debut novel by Veronica Roth is a dystopian story following Beatrice as she is making the biggest decision of her life.  A test is given to everyone on their 16th birthday to show them what faction they belong in.  However, Beatrice's test shows that she is divergent (she belongs in more than one faction).  Her test giver warns her to tell no one this secret as it means certain death.  Without the guidance of the test, she has to choose which faction she will become a member of, each one dedicated to a different virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).  Growing up as a member of Abnegation she has always felt like a failure.  She is forced to make a choice between her family and her wants.  


Renaming herself Tris, she goes through a brutal initiation process that makes her face her fears.  Her results in the initiation makes the leaders of her faction start to pay attention to her, putting her in danger of exposing her secret.  Conflicts between the factions threatens to destroy their peaceful society, and the very secret that can ruin Tris' life seems to be the one thing that could save her friends and family.


A really good story similar to Delirium by Lauren Oliver and Legend by Marie Lu.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Josh and Emma have been best friends and neighbors their whole lives, or at least they were until Josh tried to kiss Emma last November.  It's now 1996 and they are finishing up their junior year in high school.  They both miss their friendship, but don't know how to move on.  Emma's dad gives her a new computer, and Josh's mom makes him take over a free AOL cd they got in the mail.  When they sign on to the computer, the get logged into their Facebook pages as they will be 15 years in the future.  


First they think its a prank, but as they begin to do things differently than normal, they see how it affects their Facebook futures.  Josh loves his future and doesn't want anything to change.  But Emma seems unhappy in all of her different futures and keeps trying to change things.  Emma begins to realize that she needs to make herself happy now or she will never make herself happy in the future.

Growing up in the 90s I loved all of the pop culture references!  The easy to read plot reminds me of Dash and Lily's Book of Dares.  The unique story is like of Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why and the humor is all Mackler's The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things.

 

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

I got a Kindle Fire as an early Christmas gift, but I haven't had a lot of time to use it.  It's mainly for watching movies/videos and surfing the web.  (I wouldn't buy it if you want just an ereader.)




The first book I read on it was Enclave by Ann Aguirre.  I hadn't heard of this book before which is sad since it came out last April, but it was a recommended read by Amazon after I bought Divergent by Veronica Roth (more on that later).

It's set in a post Apocalyptic world, where the oldest person is in there 20s and life is survival of the fittest.  Deuce has just turned fifteen and as an "adult" she makes her first trip out as a Huntress, which she has been training for her whole life.  Her and her partner, Fade,  battle Freaks zombie-like creatures for food in their underground world.  Fade is fierce hunter who mysteriously appeared in their sanctuary a few years before.

Deuce begins to realize that their leaders are misleading their people to keep them in order, and regularly dole out harsh punishment to those who break the rules.  Deuce and Fade begin to realize that the Freaks are becoming smarter and their lives are in danger.

Fans of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and The Hunger Games will like this book.