READ THIS! {Divergent}

June was a complete whirlwind and I cannot believe it's over already! As I mentioned this morning, I am super excited for July, but before we dive too far into the month, here's a look back at June's READ THIS! selection, Divergent by Veronica Roth.

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Amazon describes this as: "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."
This description does not do this book justice. Before reading, I had been told it was similar to the Hunger Games - dystopian society, strong female lead, mainly about young adults - but aside from those similarities, and a few others, these two stories are actually quite different. And I have to say: I like Divergent (and Insurgent - I read the second one too) more than Hunger Games. 
The first in a trilogy (the third book comes out this fall), this book is filled with excitement and intrigue - and it was impossible to put down. It takes place in a dystopian version of Chicago - where all people have been split into five different factions and live out their lives in those factions. Their lives are not being controlled by fear - there are no "hunger games" - but the book takes place over a time when the society begins to unravel as people fight for control of this dystopian Chicago. Tris is a captivating heroine, believable and honest, and we see the story unfold through her eyes. Roth's creativity and imagination throughout the story pulls you in and holds you tight as you fall in love with Tris and Four, and everything that they are fighting for.
Have you read Divergent? Or the sequel, Insurgent? Are you as excited for book 3 as I am? I would have a lot of trouble choosing a faction - but I think that I would probably end up in Amity or Erudite. If you had to pick a faction to join, which would it be? If you didn't get a chance to pick this up last month - or before that - I highly recommend this for your summer reading!
For July's READ THIS! selection, I chose a book from my summer reading list: Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron:

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Amazon describes this novel as, "Running the Rift follows the progress of Jean Patrick Nkuba from the day he knows that running will be his life to the moment he must run to save his life. A naturally gifted athlete, he sprints over the thousand hills of Rwanda and dreams of becoming his country’s first Olympic medal winner in track. But Jean Patrick is a Tutsi in a world that has become increasingly restrictive and violent for his people. As tensions mount between the Hutu and Tutsi, he holds fast to his dream that running might deliver him, and his people, from the brutality around them. Winner of the Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, Naomi Benaron has written a stunning and gorgeous novel that—through the eyes of one unforgettable boy— explores a country’s unraveling, its tentative new beginning, and the love that binds its people together."
Benaron's first novel, this book is supposed to be magical - and I cannot wait to read it this month! I hope you'll join me in reading this acclaimed novel - and that you'll check back at the end of the month for July's READ THIS! review!