Dec/Jan Book Club: No-Pressure Reading for the Holidays

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20141107_072338I don’t know about you, but the time change in combination with the cold snap really hit me hard this year. I’m having trouble staying awake past 9pm and fighting to keep my eyes open for more than a page of almost any book. When I’m not into a book, I feel a little unmoored in general and find myself clinging to any recommendation from friends or articles. I rush to the computer to request titles from the library, and quickly my nightstand looks like this…but lately I still haven’t been able to really lose myself in anything.

At times like these (and knowing the holiday travel season is upon us), I hit my go-to genre: YA lit. That’s right. Novels that are easy to dive into and carry no guilt about only having five minutes here or there to read. Harry Potter and it’s plot-driven, fantastic world saved me after a year’s drought while I struggled to read the Gabriel Garcia Marquez classic, Love in a Time in Cholera. It was my first year of being a mom, and I think I finished it. (I have no idea.) I can’t tell you what happened. I remember a few scenes—probably the ones I read multiple times because I couldn’t keep my eyes open and kept waking up to find the book closed, sans bookmark or dog ear, beside me in the morning. As painful as the cliche-riddled pages of The Catching Fire triology were to swallow at first, I totally surrendered to Katniss’s courage and struggle to survive and—more importantly—re-established the habit of picking up a book every spare moment I had instead of scrolling through Facebook or reading yet another New York Times article telling me how hard it is to be a mom in today’s society.

And so, I asked my friend Sada, who is the inside track (for me) of the publishing world, for some YA recommendations that she’s heard around the water cooler (thought I’d throw that saying in there, though it made me wonder if the water cooler actually exists anymore. Man, it’s been a long time since I saw one of those…). She did not disappoint. My friends, bring on the witches and warlocks, the summer romances and struggles to define and find happiness amidst teenage angst, the rich descriptions of dystopian societies and vampires. And zombies. Why not? Here are the selections for the coming weeks (let’s aim to finish by mid-January or so). We’ll conduct a Facebook poll of readers to select the book of choice—so check these out or let us know if you have a YA title you’ve been wanting to read!

Trial by Fire

by Josephine Angelini (374 pages)

From Good Reads: This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could…. read more at Good Reads.

Divergent

by Veronica Roth (487 pages)

From Good Reads: 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… read more at Good Reads.

Beautiful Creatures

by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (563 pages)

From Good ReadsIs falling in love the beginning . . . or the end? In Ethan Wate’s hometown there lies the darkest of secrets . . . There is a girl. Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head . . . Green eyes, black hair. Lena Duchannes.  There is a curse. On the Sixteenth Moon, the Sixteenth Year, the Book will take what it’s been promised. And no one can stop it. In the end, there is a grave. Read more at Good Reads.

Completely coincidentally, all of these books are the first in a trilogy or series, just in case you get sucked into a world you don’t want to leave. Look for our poll on Facebook—or leave comment below and let us know which book you want to read!

P.S. If YA is not your thing, check out Maynard & Jennica by Delson. We read it in Oct/Nov and, if you have time to lose yourself in a little narcissism and what your outlook on life may have been like if you had taken that internship in NYC, it’s a fun read. We’ll post our reviews soon!

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Mandy Wallace
Mandy moved back to Nashville with her husband (Joe) to raise their kids a few years ago and is convinced it was one of the best decisions they've made. She loves setting off on adventures of all sorts, whether they be roadtrips to the coast, nature walks around their block in East Nashville, or camping with friends and family. Wherever she is, you will most likely find her with a book or two within arm's reach. Mandy stays at home with the boys and her baby girl and works as a grantwriter and general website whiz for small non-profits. A lover of spreadsheets and lists, she occasionally gets personal about personal finance, sharing challenges and strategies of efficiently managing a household, at her blog: Stay At Home Money Manager. You can email her directly at stayathomemoneymanager [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I’m voting for Beautiful Creatures! But I’ll probably just get all of them anyway. Can’t wait to read and discuss! Thanks for the shout out! 🙂

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