With the school year back in full swing, some students turn to the library to do some recreational reading.  These books are the top five hottest books in the FC library this week, according to the week’s Top 10 list posted in the library:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a fast-paced and hard action story featuring the experience’s of Katniss Everdeen as she is thrust headfirst into a bloodthirsty tournament where only one person is allowed to emerge victorious of all the 24 tributes.  The writing style of the book is very clear and straightforward, and its strength lies in the unpredictability and suspense in the plot.  It was published by Scholastic Press and reprinted in 2010.  Since then, it has become a teen classic and the inspiration for the hit movie. Strongly recommended to readers who love a fast-paced and action-packed story.
2. The Chosen by Ricardo Pinto is a well-written fantasy tale that surpasses and exceeds any other before it.  The book’s strength comes from its authors amazing ability to turn the genre of fantasy into a thrilling new story rich with description and suspense.  Its setting is a ingenious mix of Egyptian, Japanese, and Mayan culture.  Published by the famous Tor Fantasy, which also published The Wheel of Time series as well as the Ender Game trilogy by Orson Scott Card.  Strongly recommended to anyone seeking a well-written story.
3. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman is a fascinating tale in a unique and breathtaking setting.  The story revolves around 12 dragons representing the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals and the bonds they form with specifically trained individuals.  The setting is a very realistic blend of Chinese and Japanese culture with a very strict society favored towards men, which makes it all the harder for Eona, the crippled teenage girl masquerading as a man to train in the ways of the dragons for a chance at a life worth living.  The story’s strength lies in its rich setting and vivid description, and its unique and realistic plot certainly carries it ready along well. Recommended for people who have a taste for original plot lines.
4. If I Stay by Gayle Forman is a bittersweet story of a teenager whose life is changed forever in a terrible accident.  The story itself is told from her point of view as she watches herself being treated in the hospital and her loved ones around her.  Through the author’s use of revealing flashbacks, the reader comes to know her story and life better.  Faced with the horrible decision of living unable to move but still able to see and hear, or leaving and dying a natural death.  The story’s strength is in the authors ability to inspire emotion in the reader.  Published by Speak in 2010, If I Stay is truly an emotional story with a lesson to teach the world.
5. Black Butler by Yana Toboso is a manga that features the unusual lifestyle of the phantomhive family, which is ruled by only a single 12-year-old boy.  Forever at his side however is Sebastian, an outstanding butler how seems to excel at any task.  No matter what happens, The Butler can accomplish it perfectly….too perfectly.  A story set in an altered Great Britain during the reign on the monarchy.   This is the graphic novel for those who are looking for something that can be both lighthearted and deadly serious.

Of the three novels on this list that I have read, I would decide that my personal favorite would easily be Eon: Dragoneye Reborn.  The unique setting and story really drew me in, and the part about the 12 dragons of the Zodiac animals (rat dragon, boar dragon….) was completely original and fresh.  While I felt that it did drag on a bit in the middle of the story, it was nessassary for the author to do so to better explain the story.  Very rational and understandable, Alison Goodman does not abuse her power as an author, instead choosing actions for her web of characters that makes sense for what they would do rather than simply the author dictating everything.  I enjoyed this story, and was thrilled to find out that a sequel, Eona, was now present in the library.  

The Hunger Games similarly presented a new idea in a much faster paced story that certainly was thrilling to read.  However, I felt the writing style of the book was very staccato with its short sentences and constantly referring back to Katniss.  It seemed to me that the romance in the story was never fleshed out enough to be the focus of the story, for me it was the action that drew me in.  The strange arena where the main character has to survive and emerge victorious by being the only one left alive was certainly a good idea, and the novel also focused on the ideas of how corrupt governments use people like tools.  The Hunger Games was not the best book I have ever read, but I would have to say, however, that it was thrilling.

I firstdiscovered Black Butler because so many people that I knew talked about it and referred to it often, so I read the story myself and was shocked.  In a sense, Black Butler is a very unique story that can easily confuse the reader, because for almost the entire first half of the story is petty nonsense serving only to show off how unnaturally skilled this butler is.  In the end, if was a lot more complex than I originally anticipated, and it was very easy to understand for a graphic novel.  There are no super complex relationships and characters to understand, everything is in black and white….literally.  I would recommend this story for someone looking for a new series to start that breaks the original formula of drama typically characterized by graphic novels.