Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. 
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. 

Hardcover, 366 pages Published November 30th 2010 by Dutton Juvenile

Food to Eat While Reading: Trapped in a Bubble Bobo Drink

Fruity Bobo drink for
Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie is my kinda book--YA romance, strong female protagonist, smooth writing and packed with emotion. It asks the question, "Can there be freedom without choices?" I hope we can all wonder, as Cassia in the book, and continue to ask questions that lead to choices.

Condie's writing is superb overall, but there were a few scenes that blew me away:

When Cassia is on a train and what she thinks is snow floats to the ground. It's really a cottonwood tree fluff and it is a perfect mirror of what is happening in the story. It shows the fear her people have of anything that is different, it introduces her mother's love of trees and foreshadows future events, and it asks the question, "Can something wrong be true?". This scene shows that Cassia is not bothered by the truth that may be seen by others as wrong, it shows how society is tearing down everything that is impractical in their world. Cassia says there is a mystery in it's little brown core that she doesn't know what to do with and she puts it in her pocket-a symbol of how she will wait until she knows what to do to unlock the truth.

In this one scene, Condie seamlessly provides information about the society, Cassia's role in it, background information and set up for future scenes. Beautiful!

The second scene that gave me cause for reflection is the scene when it is her grandfather's time to die. At first I was temped to say that his is the perfect way to die--surrounded by family, eating whatever you like, getting to say goodbye before you have to leave this life.  But then I understood that Grandpa was forced to comply, and he wished that he had more years to plant that cottonwood seed of an idea and wonder, to always question his ideas and find out for himself the meaning of life and death and what is in between.

The other poignant scene for me happened when the society is at Cassia's house to take away all artifacts. She sits on the couch with her brother. Quote: "We have things of value but you can never find them because you don't even know how to look."

The romance was pleasant. I'm not sure that I agree with Cassia's choice of love, but the point of the book is for her to have the right to choose. I'll be excited to see what happens in books two (Crossed, available now), and three(Fall 2012) with both love interests.

I love the involvement of Cassia's family in her life, which is not often included in YA. Her relationships with her family were key to her decisions and she loves her family so much.

Matched is a romance with themes so deep that your mind and heart will ponder for weeks after you read the last page.

Tasty Tuesday-Trapped in a Bubble Bobo drink

Trapped in a Bubble Fruit Drink
for Matched by Ally Condie

Trapped in a Bubble Bobo Drink

Trapped in a society that long ago stopped questioning, Cassia in Matched by Ally Condie is brave enough to break out of the bubble and use her ability to wonder, "Can something wrong be true?". Cassia's world is filled with colorful images: a bright green dress, and red, green and blue tablets that inspired the brightly colored bubbles in this colorful fruit drink. Like Cassia, this tapioca pearl drink is free from harmful additives, and will brighten any occasion.

1 cup guava nectar
1 cup peach mango juice drink (V-fusion)
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
10 ice cubes
2/3 cup tapioca pearls (I used rainbow colored pearls)
1/3 cup water
2 T white sugar
2 T brown sugar

Place the three juices and ice cubes in a blender and mix until combined.  Pour into two tall glasses. Cook the pearls in a saucepan according to package directions.  Strain the water from the pearls.  Return the pearls to the saucepan and add the water, white and brown sugar.  Heat the mixture on medium-high until the it is syrupy and sticky.  Divide the sticky pearls into the two glasses of juice.  Drink with an extra large straw or use a spoon. Experiment with other fruit juice combinations.

Tasty Tuesday-Perfect Ten Dauntless Chicken Skewers

Perfect Ten Dauntless Chicken Skewers
for Divergent by Veronica Roth 

Perfect Ten Dauntless Chicken Skewers

Tobias only has four fears to overcome in the simulations common in Divergent by Veronica Roth, an insanely small number compared to the majority of the population. When Tris begins her own initiation, she has only seven fears--until she finds enough strength to conquer one of them. Between Tobias' four and Tris' six fears, they make a perfect ten, just like the combination of soy and soda in this marinade. As a selfless Abnegation, Tris is accustomed to eating plain food, like chicken.  These skewers take ordinary bits of chicken and transform them into a mouthwatering wonder.  In a similar way, Tris keeps what is good from the life of service that she learned as an Abnegation and slowly steeps herself in what she finds positive in her life as a Dauntless.

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 can of lemon-lime soda

1 cup soy sauce

1 T horseradish sauce 

Place the cubed chicken in a large bowl.  Add soda, soy sauce and horseradish sauce. Mix the horseradish  sauce into liquid with a fork.  Allow to marinade at least 3 hours in the fridge.  Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill or broil in the oven. 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her. Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Hardcover, 487 pages Published May 3rd 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books


Food to Eat while Reading: Perfect Ten Dauntless Chicken Skewers

Perfect Ten Dauntless Chicken Skewers
to go with Divergent by Veronica Roth

What a fascinating world Roth created in Divergent.  The book felt as real to me as The Hunger Games and is often compared to the dystopian best seller. I have to agree.  The story is original, the characters full of emotion and the themes worthy. I wasn't sure how Roth was going to pull it all together, but she tied it all up nicely.

The romance in Divergent was heart pulling and a bit heated, but not racy. I didn't mind it so much because it served a purpose and was dealt with as a valid teen issue.  I would recommend this to older teens (in fact I gave a copy of this book to my 3 teen nieces for Christmas.

The fear simulations that Tris went through were fascinating and thought provoking.  I read with a watchful eye as she overcame some of those fears through her experiences.  Each time that she overcame her fears she became stronger.

Courage in selflessness, facing your fears and being true to yourself are the themes that stood out to me.  Tris overcame obstacles she never imagined and came out a better person for it.  Isn't that one of the secrets to peaceful living?

There is a real sense of loss near the end.  Tris changes and is forced to change in so many ways, not all of which are pleasant. I am left with questions that beg to be answered: why is Tris Divergent? And why can she control the simulations?

Fans of The Hunger Games will devour Divergent, the new dystopian with real characters, suspenseful romance and a world that is close enough to our own that they will whisper, "it could happen".

Insurgent, the second book in the series is due to be published on May 1, 2012.