Reasons to Read: Every Day by David Levithan + Giveaway

Reasons to Read (R2R) is a new feature at The Hiding Spot. This weekly post will give readers reasons to read (or pre-order, if the case may be) a specific title I've read and loved.   A giveaway of the weekly title may also occur.

Every Day by David Levithan

August 28,, 2012/Alfred A. Knopf/Random House

1. A, the novel's main character, doesn't have a gender, as every day brings a new body (sometimes female, sometimes male). A is always A, but has access to the individual's thoughts as well. This added incredible depth to the ideas discussed in the novel.
2. There's a love story, made unique by the fact that A is without gender. A loves, period. Love is not defined by gender.
3. At one point, A is in the body of a girl that is severely depressed and self-harms. A feels the depression and must fight it: depression is due to chemical and physical imbalances. Not all depression can be willed away with positive thoughts and chocolate. As someone who has struggled with depression, I was impressed and appreciative of this distinction.
4. A only has one day in a body and will never land in the same body twice, which begs the question: How large (or small) of an effect can one day have on an individual's life? 
5. A falls in love with Rhiannon when he spends the day in her boyfriend's body. Rhiannon's boyfriend doesn't treat her well, but she insists her loves her deep down. I could definitely identify with Rhiannon and felt for her, especially after knowing how her boyfriend truly feels for her, courtesy of A's access to his thoughts.
6. A experiences all walks of life... each new day offers an incredible look into something completely different from the day before.
7. Levithan's writing is, as always, fantastic... Every Day has a plot that sounds impossible, but he somehow pulls it off.

More about Every Day:

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. 

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Win an ARC of Every Day by filling out the form below! 

Don't forget to comment and let me know whether I should keep Reasons to Read as a weekly feature!

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Reasons to Read: The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle + Giveaway

Reasons to Read (R2R) is a new feature at The Hiding Spot. This weekly post will give readers reasons to read (or pre-order, if the case may be) a specific title I've read and loved.   A giveaway of the weekly title may also occur.

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

September 25, 2012/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

1. The Hallowed Ones features a look at Amish life. I haven't read any other YA books that focus on this, so it was entirely new to me.
2. There is discussion of religion and individual beliefs, but it's not overbearing. I actually enjoyed it a lot, which was unexpected.
3. Katie, the MC, is a bit of a rebel, but maybe not in the way you might think. She's actually a "good girl,", but she's a very free thinker. She questions things instead of blindly accepting them, something not exactly encouraged in her community.
4. There's a touch of romance. I love that Katie and her love interest are very different in many ways, but similar at their core.
5. The monsters in the novel were unique. I've heard them referred to as vampires, and I suppose that they are a version of vamps, but I feel like they need their own name.
6. This book is intense. The themes, the gory murder scenes, the decisions made by the characters. Whoa.
7. There's a woman from the outside world that ends up taking shelter with the Amish as all hell breaks loose outside. The comparison of how she reacts to the situation and her views about life in general versus the way Katie's community reacts and thinks is fascinating. 

More about The Hallowed Ones:

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.

Win an ARC of The Hallowed Ones by filling out the form below! 

Don't forget to comment and let me know whether I should keep Reasons to Read as a weekly feature!

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