Divergent (Veronica Roth)

I've recently noticed that I forgot to post about "Divergent" by Veronica Roth!

Beatrice lives in a world where everyone is divided into one of five "factions," which decide how you live your life.  For example, some people live their lives as selfless individuals, whereas others are seen as honest or brave.  Each child is born into a faction, however when children turn 16, they must decide for themselves which faction they would like to be a part of for the rest of their lives.  This could mean staying with your family and the faction that raised you, or moving to a new faction and hoping that you will fit into a world that you have never previously experienced.

This book follows Beatrice through the decisions she must make when she turns 16, the turmoil and drama that follows her after she makes her decision, and the relationships and friendships that occur in her faction. 

I loved this book.  In typical Young Adult style, I thought the book was the perfect mix of exciting, adventure, suspense, romance, friendship... I could go on. 

It was a fairly easy read and it was one that you won't want to put down.  There is so much going on and you just want to know what happens next.  There are twists and turns throughout the story and you are continuously finding out new things about the characters and the factions.

I rushed through the last 100 pages of this book so that I could go see the movie (which I thought was well done!) and now I'm excited to read the next two books in the trilogy, Allegiant and Insurgent, which are on my summer reading list! 

If you were into books like The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner, then you will likely enjoy these Veronica Roth books as well!

The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion)

"The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion is about Don, a man with Asperger's, who starts "The Wife Project."  The main purpose of "The Wife Project" is to find himself a suitable life partner who meets specific (and I mean very specific) criteria.  Along comes Rosie, a woman who is on the search for the biological father.  Don, being a geneticist, is able to help Rosie with some DNA tests to help determine who her father is.  While helping Rosie, he puts a hold on "The Wife Project," which allows him to step out of his comfort zone and begin to see see the beauty in just letting things happen.

The hectic May and June schedule (OK, let's be honest - the whole September to June teacher schedule) has made it much more difficult to keep up with the extremely long list of books that are waiting to be read, but I must say that I did really enjoy this book. 

I've noticed a trend - that I have been reading lots of books about individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  I must say that this one didn't disappoint.  Like others I have read, this book was written from the point of view of Don, so it portrayed an excellent idea of what may go on inside Don's head and how confusing certain social interactions are for him. 

The other thing I liked about this book was the humour.  You feel so awkward for Don at times, but you can't help but laugh at some of the events that happen in the book.  There are so many different relationships in the book as well characters with such quirky personalities, that there is bound to be someone in this book that you look forward to reading about.

I would highly recommend this novel for a good summer read!