Summer Reading #10/Fall required reading

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Yesterday, I found out that my professor for this upcoming fall semester changed the reading list for my young adult reading class. I was a bit miffed because I'd made decent progress on the old list. Never fear though, because I've already read twelve of the twenty-five books on the new list. This book makes thirteen.

I like Myers. I have read a handful of his books, and they are relatable-usually to boys and people of color, but reading them has opened my eyes to the plight of others not like myself. He's not afraid to tackle topics like crime and war.

This book chronicles the trial of Steven Harmon. He is on trial for a murder committed during a robbery. He is on trial with another young man. When you read this, or at least when I read this, your first thought is that this is a kid who made a terrible mistake. I mean, his defense attorney doesn't seem to believe him, so that should tell you something. As you progress through the book, and learn more about the circumstances, your opinion changes. I won't tell you how it changes, just know it does.

My biggest complaint with this book is the format. Most of it is written as a screenplay, and, while it makes for a shorter read in this case, I find it harder to stay focused than when I read regular prose. And really, this was such a little thing. This was a good book, and it's one I think I ordered for my classroom this year.

Summer Reading #9

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

This is the sequel of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and I was excited about it because I liked the first book so much. That excitement waned as I started reading. I didn't think this was terribly special.

Lara Jean and Peter start dating for real, but Peter still seems to be hung up on Genevieve. There's a "sex tape" scandal involving Lara Jean and Peter too, and Lara Jean is convinced Genevieve is behind it. Peter refuses to believe it. One day Lara Jean gets a letter in the mail, and it is from John, the one boy who didn't respond when her letters were mailed in the first book. They have unresolved feelings for each other. Will Lara Jean stay with Peter, or will she go with John?

Seriously, this was too high school. I teach high school, so it seems I live this mess everyday; I don't need it in the books I read too. I like relationships to be a little more complex than what was here. Not a bad book, just not what I was hoping for either.

Summer Reading #8

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

I am prone to selecting books because I like the cover. I was drawn to this cover, but what made me choose this book was this paragraph from the back: "But something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a t.v. series. The bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically sits them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes Lea and Gabe were meant to be together." Actually, it was that last sentence that made me buy this book. I figured if I was going to get to read from a squirrel's perspective, it was going to be interesting.

Basically, Lea and Gabe go to the same college, and are in the same creative writing class. They are attracted to one another, and EVERYONE knows except themselves. The story of their relationship, or lack thereof, is told from fourteen different perspectives. Baristas, professors, waitresses, bus drivers, classmates, various friends, a bench (yes, a bench), and a squirrel all weigh in to tell this story. It WAS different, and I LOVED it!

The bench cracked me up talking about perfect butts, and the squirrel's sections were the most fun to read. This was a sweet book, and I highly recommend it.

Summer Reading #7

The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger

I didn't know this book existed until the movie came out a few months ago. It looked cute, and my daughter wanted to see it, so I said we had to read it first. She read it a couple of months ago, and now that I've finished it, we can catch it on Amazon Instant Video.

I read a ton of young adult literature, and this was a bit racier than what I am used to. In fact, as I was reading this, I was a bit concerned that I let my daughter read it before I did. While it wasn't graphic in any way, I was a bit concerned about all the sex that was going on in this book.

Bianca has two gorgeous friends, Casey and Jessica, who she accompanies to the local teen hangout fairly frequently. One night while there, Wesley, the "man whore" starts talking to Bianca. According to his logic, talking to her, the DUFF, would score him a date with her hot friends. Instead, Bianca ends up using him as an escape for some of the hard things in her life right now.

There's some typical high school drama, some sex, and lessons to be learned. Overall, it was a cute book, and I am looking forward to seeing how the movie compares.

Summer Reading #6

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I loved this book! I was iffy about it based on some of the reviews I read, but after reading, I determined they were idiots.

This book follows Esther Greenwood, and her downward spiral. I don't know that I would label her depressed, just apathetic. Then again, I am not a psychiatrist. Anyway, Esther is indifferent about everything, or so it seems, but then something happens, and she loses her sense of self. Once that happens, she decides to kill herself. After one particularly intense failure, Esther ends up in a mental institution or two, and receives shock treatments.

While she is in the mental institution, there are many similarities to Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted, both the book and the movie. Now I am not saying that the things Kaysen portrays in her book didn't happen, but it's a little to convenient for me that they are so similar to Plath's work. Particularly since Kaysen would have had access to this book prior to her own experiences.

Anyway, I can't recommend this book enough. Particularly if, like me, you are drawn to stories about broken people.

Summer Reading #5

The Cellar by Natasha Preston

This one was recommended to me by a student. Truth be told, I probably never would have read this one, but it was an ok read.

Summer is a sixteen year old girl in England. At the beginning of the book, she is looking for a friend who was having a fight with her boyfriend. A dude comes up to her, calls her Lily, and kidnaps her. Seriously, this happened in less than ten pages.

Psycopath/Colin/Clover takes Summer back to his place, and takes her to his immaculate cellar, where three other girls are living. They are Rose, Poppy, and Violet. Clover refers to the girls as his Flowers, and comes to have breakfast and dinner with them. They have no contact with the outside world, and Clover "falls in love" with them, which is just a nice way to say he rapes them.

All these girls had lives on the outside, but Clover kidnapped them so he could have a family. If they made him mad, he was not above killing them. Speaking of killing, he brings prostitutes home and kills them in front of the girls. He blames all prostitutes because his father slept with one when he was a child, and it scarred Clover for life.

Summer has a boyfriend, and there are chapters in his perspective detailing his months long search for her. Everyone should be so lucky to have someone love them like Lewis loves Summer. We also see Clover's point of view in chapters devoted to his perspective. What a freak.

Not sure I will read other offerings by this author, as this was only ok.

Summer Reading #4

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

I loved this book! I picked it up from the "Soon to be/Already are movies" table at my bookstore. I didn't know much about it, and I thought "Why not?" On the cover, it says that it is compared to The Fault in Our Stars, but honestly, the only similarity I can see is that both books have a girl with cancer in them. Seriously, that is where the similarity ends.

This book is funny. Greg, the narrator, is a bit crude, but it's funny. It's even funnier when you add Earl to the mix. The things they say...... holy cow.

In a nutshell, Greg is a senior in high school. A girl he knew from Hebrew school has been diagnosed with leukemia, and Greg's mother talks him into spending time with her. He tries to cheer her up, and sometimes it works. Greg and Earl make movies, bad movies. As it turns out, the dying girl, Rachel, loves their movies.

The book is mostly about Greg's misadventures, but there are some sad, sweet moments too. I highly recommend this one.

Summer Reading #3

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

First of all, the cover is intriguing, and makes you curious as to what is inside. Then you read the back and learn that, according to rumors, Alice is a slut. And a killer. Is it true? You have to read to find out.

Alice herself doesn't actually tell this story. The story is told by the most popular girl in school, and on again/off again girlfriend of the boy who was killed; the best friend of the boy who was killed; Alice's best friend; and the neighbor of the boy who was killed. Not likely to get the real story because of personal biases.

Allegedly, Alice slept with two boys in one night at a party. One of those boys was the quarterback on the football team, and a huge player. Alice gets a reputation for that. Then, a few weeks later, the quarterback is involved in a car accident. He was driving drunk, but his mother wrote that off as no big deal, there had to have been something else, so the boy's best friend tells the mom that Alice was sexting him, causing the crash. As if the previous rumors weren't bad enough, this turns Alice into a pariah in their small town.

An interesting read from the various perspectives. As you read, you find out what really happened, and see the madness started by rumors and lies.

Summer Reading #2

The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings

This is the sequel to The Murder Complex, and tells what happens next for Meadow and Zephyr. As it turns out, they are going to bring down the Initiative. Meadow's family is missing, and she wants to find them, but first she has to escape. She manages that, and finds Zephyr. They end up leaving the Shallows, and this takes a HUGE toll on Meadow.

Once again, I don't want to go into too much detail because I really don't want to ruin the story. I will say this though: I am glad this didn't end with one of those endings where everything is sunshine and roses. It feels real somehow. I also appreciate that Cummings doesn't resort to foul language in her writing. I read a lot of YA books, and I know that language is an important component for readers to relate to the characters. I also know that there are a ton of kids who miss out because they don't want to read the bad language. This book shows that you don't need the bad language to tell a fantastic story. Also, no sex. There is one sentence that implies some intimacy occurred, but that's it.

Will there be a third book? Seems like Cummings said "No" when I met her a few months ago. That being said, I feel that she left the ending open should she decide there is more to tell about Meadow and Zephyr.

Summer Reading #1

Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I like both of these authors, so I am not sure why it took me this long to read this, but I am so glad I did. I would also like to say that this is not like any other John Green book I have read, and that is a good thing too.

This book is told from two perspectives: Will Grayson, straight, Tiny Cooper's best friend, and Will Grayson, gay, tormented, and once Tiny Cooper's boyfriend. Both Will Graysons live in Illinois, and have a chance meeting at Frenchy's porn shop. The book basically goes on about their lives and how Tiny fits into it.

There is so much more I want to say, but I am afraid that if I say anymore, I will ruin the story. Just trust me, this is worth the read.

Tragic Family Drama

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

"Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." How can you not want to read a book that starts out this way? When I saw this in the blurb on the back, in the Target in San Marcos, Texas, I knew this was going on my summer reading list. I managed to hold off buying it for a week, and then read it BEFORE a book I have been waiting for since March. Why? Because I was intrigued. I have no complaints whatsoever with this book. It was a fairly quick read, and there was the perfect mix of description and dialogue, so it kept me interested.

As the first line states, Lydia is dead, just days after her sixteenth birthday, having drowned in the "lake" near her house. Is it a homicide? A suicide? No one knows. While we do find out the answer to that question, that's not what this book is about. It's not a mystery to solve. Instead, we see what led up to this tragedy. We see how Lydia's siblings felt about Lydia being the center of her parents' world. We see how her parents met, and how tough things were because one was Chinese and the other a blond blue eyed American.

There were reasons for what happened to Lydia, and in reading these stories, you understand. I can't recommend this book enough.