A good book is one where the characters feel so authentic that they almost seem like real people. You wish you could talk to them, hang out with them, maybe even kiss them! 

Who I’d choose if…
 

…I needed backup in a bar fight.
Caleana starts it. Just for the hell of it. Because she’s bored, and tired of watching Tris and Four make out in the corner. Katniss doesn’t move from her table, but her bow is suddenly pointing at the drunk guy who’s getting all belligerent because of the beer stain on his shirt. Caleana seems completely indifferent, though she’s using her knife to stab olives out of her glass. Tris tells Four to stay out of it, and is suddenly a whirl of roundhouse kicks. The drunk guy manages to detach his tie, which is pinned by an arrow to the bar, as Caleana keeps pulling knives out of her clothes. When Karou mentions how nice his teeth look, he scuttles out the door.

  …want to hang out with some cool people.
Hazel and Gus dominate the conversation with insanely witty remarks that leaves me not sure whether I want to laugh or cry. So I compromise by snorting and secretly resolve to find a copy of An Imperial Affliction, though I nod knowledgeably whenever they quote it. Noah and Jude are too busy dividing up the living room furniture to pay much attention to what we’re talking about, though when the waiter walks by, Noah smiles shyly. Charlie is holding up the wall until someone puts a beer in his hand, and then suddenly he’s the life of the party.
 
…I was sixteen and looking for a boyfriend.
Calvin O’Keefe, because I like smart, geeky guys. Four because I also like stoic, dangerous guys. Patch because who can resist an angel, especially a fallen one? Jace, even though I’m not a big fan of tattoos or dating my brother. But. Still.

…I was stranded in Africa
Sophie from Endangered. Not only would she save me by sneaking me on a pirogue, but she’d pack on a bunch of endangered Bonobos and send us all to safety.

…I needed help with anything mechanical.
Cinder. Whether I needed a clock fixed or an android repaired, Cinder’s my girl.

...needed someone to lie to me.
Cadence from We Were Lairs.
 
…needed a private eye.
Scarlett from Scarlett Undercover. She was shadowing the drunk guy, and snapped pictures of the bar fight to use as proof that he was not in Albuquerque like he told his wife.

 Some sunset shots taken near the island in Positively Beautiful. Enjoy!

My eight-year-old swore this was a turtle chasing a leaping dolphin.

I love the internet. I love reading a snippet of a story on Facebook or Twitter, and becoming so intrigued that I drop down a rabbit hole of searches, chasing the elusive white rabbit into completely unexpected places. I often emerge feeling victorious from these treasure hunts, holding a bit of precious, obscure information. Often the hard-won knowledge is completely useless. Often I have spent far too long obtaining it, but there’s a feeling of smug satisfaction, as if I have accomplished something worthwhile just in the pursuit of it.

As I am on these fox-and-hound hunts, I am also answering email, Twittering, and responding to someone on Facebook. There is something that feels so very productive as I do these things. My mind feels like it is moving lightening quick as I jump from task to task, as if I am in a particularly challenging video game, or driving a race car on a crowded track. I go faster and faster until I am a blaze of energy as I juggle all these tasks at once. I am invincible.

 The problem, of course, is that this mastery of multitasking is an illusion. We have become a nation of multitaskers, while studies show that the vast majority of us are very bad at it, no matter how good it feels. A recent study at Stanford shows that this type of juggling of electronic information is actually bad for us, that it can lower our IQ, as well as making it harder for us to organize our thoughts and sort out relevant information.

And sorting bad information from good has become a skill that has never been more important. Who ever thought, “I’m glad Google puts the most accurate and valuable information at the top of my searches”? Nobody, because what pops up first is the most popular, and despite what people may think, accuracy and popularity are not the same things. We are constantly bombarded with information, from the moment we wake up, until we fall asleep at night, our tablets clutched in our hands. But as we duck and weave through an ever-increasing artillery fire of the obscure and the irrelevant, we need to make sense of it more than ever, because humans are hard-wired to see cause and effect. Instead we are slowly drowning in information overload. Sure, we may know all about how twenty thousand birds disappeared overnight from a generations-long nesting ground, but how does this information help us make sense of the world?

Because this is why humans have been telling stories, from the time we were able to draw paintings on the walls of caves. Stories put order in a chaotic world. They put things in their proper perspective. When we are in a story, our brain lights up. The sections of our brain dedicated to touch and movement positively glow as we experience a story, as if we are actually living it. Studies show that humans derive more information from fiction than non-fiction, because in a real way our brain experiences a story as if we are experiencing it ourselves.  

Stories help us cultivate “theory of mind,” which is our awareness of ourselves and others. This is an important skill that helps us in our navigation of complex human relationships, and enables us to function in society. It helps us connect with one another in a meaningful way, by understanding how others feel and respond. People who read stories are just plain more empathic than those who do not.

And reading stories is one of the most effective ways to overcome the stress of living in our increasingly bewildering world. A study from the University of Sussex shows that reading reduces stress by more than sixty-eight percent, more than enjoying a cup of coffee, or playing video games. Reading a thoroughly engrossing book eases the tension in the muscles and the heart.

Most of all, we need storytellers for the moral statements they make. Most of us simply don’t have the time to draw the big conclusions, to make sense of the chaos of knowledge that is thrown at us. We are on a breathtaking information roller coaster that is going too fast to do anything but hang on and scream. But while we may be enjoying the ride, we are losing the narration. We are missing out on seeing the complicated web of relationships that connect every event, every person, inside the bigger picture of our world.

The world still needs storytellers.

More than ever.

Urban Exploring is the exploration of abandoned manmade structures, or basically just going where you're not supposed to go. Erin and the "Excaps" go to three locations in Positively Beautiful: the John B. Gordon School, the Atlanta Prison Farm, and the Braircliff (or Candler) Mansion. I've put together a few of the websites that I used to research the book. Enjoy! 

Some are oldies, most are new, but these are five books that I read and loved in May.

 Embers in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

 (From Goodreads)
Laia is a slave. 
Elias is a soldier. 

Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

 The intrigue and excitement in this story are heart-pounding, and the characters are beautifully drawn, multi-dimensional, and wholly unforgettable. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!

 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

(From Goodreads)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.  
It’s hard to imagine falling in love with an assassin as a main character, but Caleana is utterly appealing. The world-building in this story is phenomenal, and the love triangle is delicious.

 

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

(From Goodreads)
Dimple Lala doesn't know what to think. Her parents are from India, and she's spent her whole life resisting their traditions. Then suddenly she gets to high school and everything Indian is trendy. To make matters worse, her parents arrange for her to meet a "suitable boy." Of course it doesn't go well -- until Dimple goes to a club and finds him spinning a magical web . Suddenly the suitable boy is suitable because of his sheer unsuitability. Complications ensue. This is a funny, thoughtful story about finding your heart, finding your culture, and finding your place in America.


This was a lucky find. It was one of the most beautifully-written books I’ve read in ages. Dimple Lala is eminently likable, and the story is full of sincere teenage angst as Dimple struggles to find love, and her place in the world.

 

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

(from Goodreads)

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?
Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.
The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.  
I always love Sarah Desson’s books, but this is definitely one of my favorites. I basically want to move in with the Chathams, and adopt Sydney as my little sister.  

 



Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

(From Goodreads)

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling.
What happened? Dorothy.
They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission.  
I’ll admit, I never expected to like this book. I decided to read it because I’d heard so much about it, and in the end I was completely blown away. I’m in awe of an author who can take the cheesy (come on, admit it!) world of Oz and make it come alive in such a unique, terrifying way.  

What books have you read and enjoyed in May?