(He was so dreamy!) So when I heard that author Francine Pascal was bringing these characters back to life I literally squealed with joy. We adored Elizabeth’s down-to-earth personality and we loved to hate her trouble-making twin Jessica. Nearly every girl my age read at least one Sweet Valley High book in their youth. Sweet Valley Confidential: You can stop your laughing right there. I just always struggle reading about foot binding and poorly treated women. This book details their lives in 19th Century China, a time when women were far from valued. Snow Flower and Lily have been friends since their parents matched them as “old sames” at the age of seven. The central theme was friendship, which is a theme in a lot of books I’ve been picking up lately. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: I have read a couple of Lisa See’s books before and I always enjoy the way she describes the lives of young women in a culture so far removed from my own. Don’t be embarrassed by its youthful appearance. If anything, I feel like this book should be a mandatory high school read. Maybe it was too honest? Or maybe parents were offended by the cussing? It’s about three best friends starting their sophomore year of high school going through real issues that teenagers face on a day-to-day basis. What is so controversial about that? The format quickens the pace of this book so I was able to read it in two days, and I can’t understand what is so controversial about it. ( It is ninth on the American Library Association’s list of challenged books in 2000 to 2009!) This one piqued my interest because it is written entirely in IM. Ttyl: I found out about ttyl while perusing a list of banned books. If you’re looking for a short and sweet retelling of Beauty and the Beast, you might enjoy this young adult version. 4 STARS.īeauty: I’m a sucker for retellings of popular fairytales, although sometimes I think I set my sights too high. Although I was bothered by the cheating, I liked Rachel’s character and I appreciated that this hot-button issue was dealt with realistically. Her confession spurs an affair she never thought possible. I really enjoyed the focus on an imperfect friendship. Rachel has been in love with Dex since college but doesn’t reveal her feelings until the worst possible time-when her best friend Darcy is engaged to him. Something Borrowed: After my curiosity was spurred by the Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin movie trailer, I purchased the it’s-much-better-than-the-film novel. Maybe I will inspire you to pick up one of these titles. I’ve made some great progress-nine books in three months! Here’s what I’ve been reading, and let me just say, it’s quite the mix. If you’ve been keeping up with my blog then you may remember my goal to read 35 books in 2011.

Ttyl novel