June 8th is Best Friends Day. I know, I know....there seems to be a "day" for everything, right? But best friends. Here's a "day" I can get behind.
Best friends are really what sustain us, support us, comfort us, stand by us, defend us, and oh so much more. I hope that as you are reading this, your best friend comes to mind. And I hope you smile (just as I am) when you think of the memories you have created with your best friend.
My best friend (or BFF to go with the current vernacular) and I have known each other for over 30 years. And in that time, let me just say: we have laughed and laughed and laughed til we have had tears rolling down our cheeks.
We have learned many, many things together. But in the interest of not divulging too many of our secrets, I think I'll move forward to some great reading recommendations.
In celebration of best friends, here are four books that celebrate friendship in some way. Two of the titles I've mentioned before, but they're so great they're worth repeating.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. This is the story of Hazel and Gus who meet in a cancer support group. One of their diagnoses is terminal. And even though this book's premise is based on facing death and handling loss, Green manages to insert quite a bit of humor in these two wonderfully-developed characters. If you haven't read it, read it. It's a beautiful celebration of friendship.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. This is a great story about how a friendship can develop between two very different people. As Aristotle and Dante grow their friendship, they learn some really important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi. This is actually the companion book to Ship Breaker. I haven't read either of these books yet, one look at the review from Publishers Weekly and I'm sold. I'll be reading both this weekend! Here's the blurb about Drowned Cities:
Set in the same horrific world as
Bacigalupi's Printz-winning Ship Breaker, this superb, violent tale
concerns "war maggots" Mahlia and Mouse, two kids trying to survive in
an impoverished village not far from the tropical Drowned Cities that
were once Washington, D.C. Life is a war zone, with gangs of marauders
periodically sweeping the area-raping, pillaging, and forcibly
recruiting new boy soldiers for their half-remembered patriotic and
religious causes. When Mouse is taken by the United Patriot Front,
Mahlia, who has already lost a hand to the war, makes a foolhardy
rescue attempt, aided by Tool, a hulking, genetically enhanced
half-man, a killing machine who has broken away from his masters. Tool
still remembers "how he and his pack had run the streets under fire,
blades and machine guns held high," but finds himself forming a new
pack of sorts with the determined Mahlia. Beautifully written, filled
with high-octane action, and featuring badly damaged but fascinating
and endearing characters, this fine novel tops its predecessor and can
only increase the author's already strong reputation.
The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin. This one is set in a wilderness school, which already sounds pretty adventure and action-packed. It's about a troubled sixteen-year-old girl attending a wilderness school in the
Idaho mountains who must finally face the consequences of her complicated
friendships with two of the other girls at the school.Yep, this one is on my weekend reading list too!
A few books that feature friendship on this -- Best Friends Day.
And of course, a special shout out to my BFF: Thank you for everything.
Until next week, happy reading!
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