the river's end bookstore

This first novel in a trilogy of a dystopian society, Divergent is told through the eyes of sixteen- year-old Beatrice Prior, who lives in a world where your entire life is determined by what “faction” you’re in, each one named for a virtue that is the most important to you. Beatrice is preparing to choose between the five factions when she discovers she is a feared, dangerous anomaly: she is divergent, and doesn’t belong to any one faction. Her journey continues with a terrifying initiation, an unlikely romance, and ultimately a battle for her family and self.

Ever find yourself having a dreaded “senior moment,” but you aren’t even a senior in high school? For a student, having an amazing memory would make school a breeze, but being a champion of mnemonics is certainly easier said than done! Joshua Foer explores the unmapped territory of the world memory championships and discovers what it takes for an average person to train their memory to rain-man standards. He dedicates a year of his life to learning the centuries-old tricks of these “mental athletes.” A fascinating story and guide to memory, Moonwalking with Einstein shows us that maybe the perceived limits of the human mind are all that’s holding us back in the first place.

This suspense filled book is made all the more scary because it is based on a crime that actually occurred in 1955. Set in a sleepy town in the fifties, junior in high school Nora's top worry is if she is too tall to get a boyfriend. When her two friends are murdered, Nora and her community are shaken to the core, yet they all find solace in blaming Buddy, a victim's volatile ex, for the murder. Will anyone believe Nora when she doubts that it was Buddy? Told from multiple points of view, Mary Downing Hahn's Mister Death’s Blue- Eyed Girls will keep you on your toes.

 

The children of the President of the United States have been kidnapped. What if you were the only man in the world who had the skills necessary to solve the case of the century? What if you were the criminal himself, angry and bitter at the government who failed him? James Patterson gives us these points of view and more in Kill Alex Cross. This fast-paced page turner is perfect for someone looking for a thrilling mystery.

The year is 1996, and Emma is just learning how to use her new computer. When her best friend Josh gives her a CD-ROM to download, they are inexplicably taken to Emma’s Facebook page…but Facebook hasn’t been invented yet. They are seeing themselves fifteen years in the future, and nothing is what they’d expected. The Future of Us captures the reader until you are as invested in Josh and Emma’s future as the characters themselves.

The imaginary Rowan Pohi’s application to Whitestone Academy has been accepted. At first it was all a joke, something Bobby Steele and his friends did because they were bored. But then Bobby starts to think what his life would be like at a fancy prep school, without a name tied to an infamous father. He decides to enroll at Whitestone, never realizing that Rowan Pohi will help him learn a lot about Bobby Steele. Reminiscent of an Andrew Clements novel, Also Known as Rowan Pohi is the story of a teenage identity crisis gone too far!

As said in the foreword, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn can’t be categorized as a book about growing up as a poor girl in Brooklyn, a setting re-created so vividly you feel as if you are moving through the streets right next to Francie, the heroine. It’s not about alcoholism, although Francie’s father is an alcoholic. It’s not about family, but the Nolan family members are described so well you feel like you’ve known them your whole life. This book is just about life, and it never shies away from the worst aspects of it, yet the story is still filled with hope. One of my all time favorites!

Christopher McDougall’s journey into the heart of dangerous and deadly canyons in Mexico takes him through a whirlwind of races, attempting to track down and keep up with an ancient tribe whose members run hundreds of miles a day. McDougall meets many colorful characters in the crazy athletes who participate in this extreme sport of ultra running, including “El Caballo Blanco,” who helps to create a race most people would consider suicide: a sixty-five mile death match through one of the most dangerous countrysides in the world. Chock-full of scientific evidence to prove the title true, along with thrilling stories from races all around the world, this book will make you want to run…but not until after you finish it.

-  Cat