Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (#21, Reader's Choice)

Sitting by the pool requires specific types of books. I never want anything too serious. I do like to read adventure stories though. This book fit the bill. From the young adult section, Scott Westerfeld's Uglies was just what I needed for my relaxing Wednesday at the pool. I basked in the sun and read book one of his futuristic series about a world where everyone gets cosmetic surgery at the age of 16 so that everyone looks the same. The reason for this type of homogenization is to eliminate conflicts that arise from someone else looking visibly different than you. This obviously raises some interesting questions, and makes you wonder if having everyone look the same would solve some of the problems in our own world that arise out of the visible differences among people.

Unfortunately for me, I neglected to bring books 2 and 3, not knowing that Westerfeld ends Uglies with a cliffhanger. I am eagerly awaiting getting back to Portland so that I can find out what happens to Tally.