Exciting debut

Wow...I am so excited by this series' debut: The Testing by Joelle Charbonmeau, which will be published June, 4th. The writing was compelling, and the suspense level was quite high. I was honestly nervous at various points.

While many dystopian novels are compared to The Hunger Games, I think in the future, they will be compared to The Testing.

I have read many of these series, and often feel they could have been better written if they had just remained a stand alone novel...that too many writers are creating trilogies where only one book is needed. Cinder and Divergent being the recent exceptions.

I don't feel that way about The Testing. I am so looking forward to reading the next book, and will re-read this one when I share it with my book club, colleagues and students.

The plot sounds trite, in a way...a young girl waits to see if she is chosen for...in this case, higher education in a bleak, war destroyed, future. However, Charbonneau ratchets up the tension via her writing style and plot points.

If you would like to read a prequel, here it is: http://www.hmhbooks.com/thetestingtrilogy/prequel.html

Reminds me of Pushing Daisies

I truly enjoyed, Remarkable, by Elizabeth Foley. The characters were interesting, charming and likeable.

The writing style was particularly reminiscent of the tv show, Pushing Daisies. I felt as if I could hear that narrator's voice as I was reading. Remarkable is a town where everyone, but the protagonist, Jane, is well... remarkable. She often feels left out, and rather average, but eventually through a series of events, secrets, and mysteries, she discovers she too is remarkable in her own, average way.

I plan on sharing this title with my colleagues, and my students.