Friday Reads

Welcome to Friday Reads, our new weekly theme, in which we’ll present the books we’re currently reading and tell you why we’re enjoying them.

Emily Hainsworth:

ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card - This was my first introduction to the steadfast science fiction classic, and I was completely blown away by its timelessness. Yes, there are spaceships and aliens, but the story was ultimately a very human one. It was so interesting to recognize the influence Ender has had on more recent sci-fi and dystopian fiction.

Jennifer Rush:

I'm currently reading CROSSED by Ally Condie. Ally's beautiful writing style has stayed consistent in this follow-up to 2010's MATCHED. Even more exciting? It's told from Cassia's point-of-view AND Ky's. For anyone who hasn't read the first book, Ky is a heartthrob of a character with more secrets than I think he's telling. Can't wait to find out what he's hiding.

Lenore Appelhans:

I'm reading DEAD RULES by Randy Russell, which like LEVEL TWO is set in the afterlife. I'm a huge fan of afterlife books and I love seeing what rules authors create for it. In DEAD RULES, dead school age kids have to go to Dead School. They don't have to eat or pee, but they do bleed and must drink 3 bottles of water a day. I'm really enjoying the fresh, irreverent tone!

Jennifer Bosworth:

THE RIDGE - Michael Koryta
Don't you love it when you discover an author who writes exactly what you want to read? This is the second Michael Koryta I've read this month. Picked up THE CYPRES HOUSE a couple weeks ago and couldn't put
it down. Koryta's horror novels are like the love child of an affair between Stephen King and Michael Connolly. The writing is straightforward and matter-of-fact, and doesn't distract from the gripping, spooky stories this author weaves. I'm going to have to save some of Koryta's novels for Halloween season.

Jay Kristoff:

At the moment I'm reading a stonkingly AWESOME dark urban fantasy book called "The Music of Razors" by an author named Cameron Roberts. It's terribly sad, wonderfully inventive (seriously, most novelists would fill a book with what Roberts does in a chapter) and simply beautifully written. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Susanne Winnacker:

REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly – I picked it up because I loved A NORTHERN LIGHT from the author. The voice in REVOLUTION is very different. Andi is bitter and broken because her younger brother died and she blames herself. Her pain is raw and, because of the amazing writing, the reader feels every bit of it – the sorrow and despair. But that’s not where the story ends. Donnelly weaves the stories of two girls – one living today (Andi) and one living during the French Revolution in Paris – into one book. A delicious combination!

Jodi Meadows:

I'm reading POSSESSION by Elana Johnson. Dystopias are fascinating and I love all the work that Elana has put into building her world and making it come alive.

What are you reading?