Divergent was a great read! Beatrice Prior is the central character of a dystopian society divided into 5 factions. A the age of 16 each member of society must decide which faction they will devote the rest of their lives to; Erudite (intelligence), Abnegation (selflessness), Candor (honesty), Amity (Peace), or Dauntless (Bravery). After several wars the factions were created, each encompassing a specific virtue, to create a better society free of ignorance, greed, dishonesty, war, and cowardice. Over time there seems to have developed a tension between the factions. It has now become traitorous to choose a faction other the faction you were born into, and could result in never seeing your family again. This creates a problem for Beatrice. She was born into Abnegation, but she has always felt different. She tries so hard to be as selfless as her peers, especially her brother, but she always seems to find herself watching the other factions members with what can only be described as envy, which Abnegation considers a form of selfishness. With the choosing ceremony approaching, will Beatrice choose Abnegation as her family wishes her to, or will she chose another faction? What will her family do with the rising tension between the factions?
Divergent is Veronica Roth's debut novel, and the first in a trilogy. Insurgent is book #2, and you can begin to look for that May 1st, 2012.

Allie

Night Watch is an urban fantasy set in Russia. It tells the story of two factions of magic at war: The forces of Light and the Forces of Darkness. 50 years ago after the russian revolution a peace treaty was signed, and now for every act of good the light does the dark gets to perform an act of evil and vice versa, that is if you get caught by the watches! Now in a magical cold war the sides are reduced to espionage, backstabbing and trickery.

Anton is our hero a middling mage in the Night Watch, he and his coworkers spend their days watching the forces of dark and making sure they don’t step out of line, as he hunts down a rogue vampire he begins to find  that everything is not as it seems.

I found the book very entertaining it was the first fantasy book I have read that was translated from another language and it is well worth the time. The story is told in three connected short stories and I can’t wait to read the sequels!

~John

I listened to the audiobook version of this using the Kansas State Libraries new system. In Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. This book really touches your heart on all levels. It is funny, sexy, and heartbreaking all at the same time. I found myself really connecting with Elizabeth and what she had been through. Most of all her book is inspiring, it made me rethink my life and the path I was on, and encouraged me to seek out the things that made me happy instead of what made me rich or successful. I even started learning Italian because of the way she spoke of the language. It truly made me laugh and cry. I highly recommend this book, especially for women who are confused by their choices or are looking for the inspiration to be more than what society has pressured us to be. Although we can't all travel to different countries for spiritual and emotional enrichment, we can definitely use her story as a guide to find our own path to happiness.

~Kriztina

I recently read Tweak, and was very impressed with the courage of Nic Sheff to share his story about his chronic drug use and his struggle with addiction. The most important concept to take away from the book in my opinion is that addiction can affect anyone. Nic Sheff is intelligent, talented, good looking, and comes from a fairly well known and well off family. An addict is not a bad person, but rather a person that succumbs to bad choices through their dependence on drugs. Addicts may experience relapses, where they feel they have regained control of themselves and therefore believe they are strong enough to get high just once without it becoming a problem. Or they have a depressed mood and feel perhaps they should go back to using, because they remember the instant gratification that usually accompany the addict’s first experiences with drugs. Another interesting thing about this story, is you can hear it from both sides of the situation. Nic Sheff’s father wrote a novel called Beautiful Boy where he discusses the experiences of Nic's family while Nic was in the throws of his addiction.

~Allison

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.
The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-and aliens willing to fight for them are common. The universe, it turns out, is a hostile place.
So: we fight. To defend Earth (a target for our new enemies, should we let them get close enough) and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has gone on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.
Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force, which shields the home planet from too much knowledge of the situation. What's known to everybody is that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve your time at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.
John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine-and what he will become is far stranger.

I have been on a sci fi kick lately and it all started with this book. It’s kind of like an updated starship troopers, following a soldier through training and into combat. I couldn’t put the book down and once I finished it I went on to read most of this authors other books.

-John

This beautifully done, and well acted film is about Queen Victoria, from the beginning of her reign through her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert. Beloved by her subjects in her lifetime and now, this portrait of a queen is a pleasant movie to watch. I enjoyed it so much I watched it twice!

~Sara

Katniss Everdeen is your average 16 year old of Panem. Panem is the name of post-apocalyptic North America, which has been divided into 12 Districts that are all controlled by the Capitol. Conditions under the Capitol's control are less than ideal. People starve, freeze to death, work in extremely hazardous conditions, and are very poor. Oh, and there's one more thing. Each year, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 17 are selected from each district to fight to the death. They are called tributes. Of 24 tributes only one can go home alive. The victor is guaranteed comfortable living for the remainder of their life, and their entire district will be given enough food for one year. Hence the Hunger Games. Each year the Capitol hosts the Games to remind the districts of the "Dark Days," in which the districts rebelled against the Capitol and ultimately fell under the Capitol's rule. Katniss Everdeen hates the Capitol, hates being sick and starved all the time, and hates that her father has been killed working in the mines all for the sake of the precious Capitol. Read the Hunger Games and find out just what she plans to do about it.

~Allison

After years as a respected defense attorney, Mickey Haller continued his stellar career as a state prosecutor by convicting the infamous Jason Jessup with a brutal child murder. Now, 24 years later, DNA evidence clears Jessup of the crime. Convinced of Jessup's guilt, Haller calls on LAPD Detective Harry Bosch to uncover the truth before the killing resumes.

~Becky

Join Hannah, from Fluke's Hannah Swensen mystery series, and all the other folks of Lake Eden for a holiday cookie exchange.  This is a unique cookbook, full of sweets and delectable delights, perfect for the holiday season.  It makes me wish I had a houseful of kids to cook for.  There are twists to traditional recipes such as Hannah's Special Carrot Cakeand some interesting new ideas like Grilled Cream Cheese Sandwiches.  As for the cookie recipes for the cookie exchange, I want to try the Kiss My Grits Cookies and the Cranberry Pineapple Drop Cookies!  But wait, there is more.  This cookbook has a few savory items that I am sure you will want to try as well.  So, enjoy the conversations of the Lake Eden residents at their holiday cookie exchange, and maybe it will encourage you to have one of your own this year.

~Julie H.