Bon Voyage!

We have been getting a lot of rain here in Wisconsin. Well, not me personally, but more in the south. For me it’s just enough to keep the sun away and the mood bleak. I thought of something that was able to bring a smile to my face, though.

Two of my kids have been visiting relatives this week. Now I can finally get rid of all the unwanted items in the house without guilt. When they get home, I can tell them the two turtles and two cats joined the rest of the animals on the ark! They can’t blame me for that, can they?

Seriously, though, what is there to do with all this rain? I’ve found myself spending a lot of time reading. Currently I am reading our book club selection, Can You Keep a Secret . This is definitely the perfect selection to lift anyone’s spirits. Another laugh out loud hit from Sophie Kinsella .

My daughter read the Pretty Little Liars series and now she has me hooked, too. Finally some of the mysteries are revealed in book four, Unbelievable. Ky finished in a day or two and then was disappointed because she couldn’t share her excitement. Now I know how she feels. I finished while she was away and now am anxiously awaiting her return so we can finally discuss who “A” is. Sara Shepard has been stringing us along for almost two years, so it was both thrilling and a little depressing to find out. Luckily, there will be four more books to continue with the characters we know and love and/or hate.

I began the week engrossed in Little Face by British author Sophie Hannah. This psychological mystery starts strong and had me from page one. In my mind the story could go one of two ways, so I devoured the story to see which direction it took. Although I enjoyed the journey, the end was like returning from a trip visiting relatives. I dump the dirty laundry out of my bag in exhaustion and don’t care enough at the moment to sort through it all. Maybe one day, but more likely it will be forgotten forever as I move on to the next journey.

What about you? Have you read anything you loved or were disappointed in this week?

Young Adult

While flipping through a stack of books, I notice that many of them are listed as young adult books. What exactly is a young adult? Am I one? The last book I read was Perfect by Sara Shepard, thanks to my daughter. After finishing Pretty Little Liars, she proclaimed it to be the greatest book ever and said I just had to read it! Now after finishing the third book in the series, I have to admit, I despised this one as much as the first two. Not because it is a YA book or because of the way it is written or even because of the cover which depicts a too skinny, too pretty, too, well...too perfect girl. The reason I wish I never started this series is because I'm completely hooked! The first book left me hanging for six long months before Easter came and my daughter found an empty dust jacket in her basket. I didn't quite finish Flawless on time. Five months later she kept the third in the series hidden while she absorbed every word. Finally turning it over to me after declaring this the best yet. Now life will come to a standstill for another six months until the fourth and final, Unbelievable, is published. Who is "A"? Will Hanna survive? How can I, an intellectual woman, be hooked on a young adult series?

So, am I a young adult? I suppose I am, considering the oldest man in America lived until the age of 114. Others may say I crossed the threshold of middle age long ago. Either way, next on my list is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, which is our teen book club selection.
I'm guessing, or hoping, I'm not the only adult reading young adult books. What about you? Have you read any good children or teen books lately? What got you interested in reading them in the first place? Please, let me know I'm not the only one!