If you're looking for a way to kill some time on this rainy ass long weekend, I have some great new books for you...
1. Divergent by Veronica Roth. A lot of books have claimed to "be the new Hunger Games" but this one actually has promise. The writing is solid, the plot is quick and the characters are well developed. It's set in Chicago at some dystopian point in the future where society is divided into five factions that each focus on one particular character trait. At 16, everyone chooses which faction they want to belong to and our main character, Beatrice picks Dauntless (the Brave). Included is corruption, death and romance. There is apparently a sequel in the works and I for one am looking forward to it.
2. Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman. This is a YA fantasy in a similar vein to Tamora Pierce (who gave both books rave reviews) but is set in an ancient Asian society. It's your standard "girl pretends to be a boy in order to gain power in society" but has a dynamic cast of characters. Solid read if you like anything by Pierce.
3. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whalen. I'm halfway through this is and LOVING it. The book takes place in a small town in the southern USA and focuses on a Cullen Witter whose cousin dies at the same time a woodpecker, extinct for decades, reappears. The writing is funny but touching and I like all the references to zombies.
