Her: "U" Should (Not) Read These

We are close to the end of the April A-Z Challenge. I am cheating a little bit today, but here is my "U" post.

Another month has ended, which means it is time to recap what I read this month. Again, I am behind on my reading goal, five books behind as of right now. Sean and I have been doing our Devotional reading before bed and then discussing what we read. I love, love, love that we have begun doing this and am not really minding that it is eating into my own personal reading time. It'll be OK! :)

Here's what I read this month:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

 

Goodreads says:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I say:
It is a little bit of a cheat to say that I read this book this month. It would be more truthful to say that I abandoned this book this month. I got about half-way and did not like the book. I liked the author's style of writing and I liked the main character, but I did not like the plot lines. I am willing to try again this summer, but I am done for now.

Source

Goodreads Rating (with 778,706 ratings): 4.36 stars
My Rating: 2 stars 


The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

 

Goodreads says:
According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

I say:
I reread this book each year with my 8th graders. This year we went through it as a read-aloud. I loved experiencing this book all over again with them. It's the first year I have read the book aloud, but I think I have started a new tradition. The characters are incredible and so well-written. The plot line has some major twists and turns, some you see coming and some you don't. The book makes you reexamine yourself, your friends/family, and the way you treat people in society. It is truly amazing! The fact that the author was 16 and a high school student when she wrote it, just makes me love it more. 

Goodreads Rating (with 391,537 ratings): 3.99 stars (What?!?!?! This is crazy low!!)
My Rating: 5 stars


Yours and Mine by Debbie Macomber

 

Goodreads says:
A New York Times Bestselling Author, Joanna Parsons is a single mother who insists that marriage is an experience she doesn't plan to repeat. But her eleven-year-old daughter, Kristen, has a different scenario in mind - and it involves Tanner Lund, her best friend's dad.

I say:
I saw where this book was going from page 1, but it didn't bother me. Debbie Macomber has such a way with characters and plot lines. I really enjoy her writing style and this book did not disappoint. I checked it out from the library and would not buy it, but I would consider a reread later.

Goodreads Rating (with 101 ratings): 3.90 stars
My Rating: 4 stars


I have two other books that I am currently reading, but I will save those for a month's recap when they are actually finished.


Have you read any of these books? Can you suggest some more for me? I feel like I am in a reading rut and I need some help breaking out!


Happy Reading,