Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

A delightful, "thinky" kind of book. That's what I love most about this one. Ari is trapped in this pattern of over-thinking everything. He is so prone to over-thinking that he tries not to think about anything uncomfortable. At the same time, he considers all these big ideas. As the title says, the secrets of the universe. And it's only when he makes connections with people that he begins to find any answers. It's almost uncomfortable to read at times, the awkwardness of his interactions with other people almost physical, but uncomfortable in a good way. It stretches you. 

Prodigy

Much like Cress, I've been looking forward to reading Prodigy for some time now. I was completely blown away by Legend. While I'm often nervous about second novels (I've read some serious sophomore slumps) this one didn't fall victim to most of those failures. Great pacing and a fantastic cast of characters keep the story fresh. I look forward to the conclusion of the story in Champion.

Sizzle

Sizzle tells the story of 14 year old Linda. Linda has always lived with her aunt in Arizona. When Aunt Elba has a stroke, Linda is sent to live with a distant relative in Pittsburgh. Not only are her surroundings different, Aunt Pat has seven kids and cooks only canned or boxed foods, a far cry from the traditional scratch-made Mexican food she's used to. Linda's story is sweet, a tale of finding family and learning to appreciate different kinds of people. It's not a particularly deep story but heart-warming. Plus it includes tips and recipes for making your own, easy, from scratch foods.

Cress

Cress continues the adventure begun in Cinder and Scarlet. These books are like every fairy tale combined, set in the future with space ships and cyborgs. I've been wanting to read Cress for quite some time now and this challenge seemed like the perfect time to fit it in. I love the way Marissa Meyer empowers her female characters. Yes, they have crushes and dream about ball gowns (some of them) but they also discover their own strength and fight for things they believe in. This is a great addition to the continuing story of Cinder's attempt to save Prince Kai from the wicked Queen Levana. My only complaint is that I'm going to have to wait for goodness knows how long to read the next installment.

Ghetto Cowboy

Ghetto Cowboy stars Cole, a seventh grader who has just been dropped off in Philadelphia by his mother after skipping four straight weeks of school. She leaves him with his father, who he hasn't seen since he was a baby. His dad is part of a stable co-op and he expects Cole to work with the horses.

The best part about this book is seeing the way Cole connects with the horses. Learning to be calm and care for one horse in particular helps him to better understand the people around him and changes the way he views the world. Black and white illustrations help set the tone in key scenes, lending playfulness, majesty, freedom, or even just a sense of scope.

The challenge begins

As I mentioned on Monday, this weekend I'm participating in the 48 Hour Book Challenge. It's 8 am and I am ready to go.

Book review - Paradigm

Title: Paradigm
Author: Ceri A. Lowe
Genre: Sci-fi/Dystopia
Similar books: The Giver by Lois Lowry
                     Life as We Know It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Rating:

Mostly enjoyable, but dragged after a while

Summary: When the storms came all of London, possibly the whole world, flooded. The population was decimated. A few hundred survivors were brought into a bunker owned by Paradigm Industries. Among them, 11 year old Alice Davenport. 87 years later, Carter Warren is a contender for Controller General of the Industry, the society that rose from the bunker. As he works toward that post, he begins to question their society.
My opinion: I loved the format of this book, with Alice's story telling the development of the Industry, Carter's telling it's possible decline. Alice's story was incredibly compelling, Carter's less so. I felt like we didn't get enough information about the world around him and the situations he found himself in. This meant that I felt less connected to his part of the story and those sections dragged considerably. So, definitely worth a read if you're willing to be patient. Also, I suspect as the series progresses the plot will strengthen.
More information: Paradigm releases June 13th

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley