Book Thoughts: Crazy

Title: Crazy
Author: Han Nolan
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This book took me a while to get into at first because the narrative style is so different — a lot of Jason’s thoughts and memories are narrated by these imaginary friends he has made up to keep him company, and that was really weird for me to adjust to. But once I got into it, I actually thought it was really cool and added a lot to the story, because you really get to see things the way Jason sees them.

Jason’s mom has died, his dad is losing his mind, and Jason is struggling to care for both himself and his crazy father. When he gets noticed at school, he gets sent to a lunchtime counseling group with the school psychologist, and despite his resistance, he makes friends. Making friends won’t stop the tidal wave of bad news about to crash down on Jason — but it just might help him survive.

I thought this was a beautiful story. Heartbreaking, absolutely, but beautiful. A starkly honest look at mental illness and its impact, and… just wow. I absolutely recommend it. 

Book Thoughts: Code Name Verity

Title: Code Name Verity
Author: Elizabeth Wein
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Holy freaking cow. This book. I don’t know where to start.

Code Name Verity is one of those books that made me giggle and then tore my heart to shreds and now I want to share it with absolutely everybody, because it’s so beautiful and heartbreaking and real and ugh I’m about to cry again.

Code name “Verity" has been taken prisoner by the Gestapo. This book is her story — her story, and the story of her best friend Maddie. A spy and a pilot, two girls in an unlikely and heartbreaking situation during World War II, and the story of how they find, and re-find, each other.

The Nazis’ treatment of POWs is handled tactfully and without being overly gruesome while at the same time being hauntingly honest. And the realities of war become far too real in the pages of this book. But the girls’ friendship, and the kindness of strangers, and the often-forgotten humanity of even the enemy soldiers — those are equally powerful and real. And basically, you should DEFINITELY read this book.

Book Thoughts: Forgotten

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
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London’s memory works backwards: every night when her memory resets, she remembers nothing of her past. Instead, she remembers the future — things that haven’t happened yet. But when she keeps meeting a boy she can’t remember meeting (in the future) and unearths a shocking memory of something from the past, London’s already complicated life gets a lot more interesting.

I was expecting something paranormal from the description, but aside from London remembering the future, there’s nothing weird about Forgotten. It’s a powerfully honest story of love, loss, psychological trauma, and friendship. It’s beautifully written (and the romance is perfect), and I am immensely glad I read it. If you're thrown by the seemingly paranormal/unnatural premise, I encourage you to read it anyway. It is a beautiful story about a girl falling in love, a family in grief, and a friendship working to survive a strugge. Read it!

Book Thoughts: Every You, Every Me

Title: Every You, Every Me
Author: David Levithan

I read this one around New Years, so it's been several months, and the impression that it has on me is still incredible. I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I remember it being emotionally very intense.

Evan's going crazy missing his best friend Ariel. And he might actually be going crazy: he keeps finding photographs aimed at him. The photos are actually in the book, which is really cool -- it's neat being able to see what it is that Evan's seeing.

Stylistically, David Levithan has created an interesting novel. Not just with the pictures, but with the text. Evan strikes through the words he changes his mind about saying, which gives readers an unusual (and powerful) view of what's actually going on in Evan's head versus what he's trying to make himself believe.

The other thing that really struck me about EYEM was the emotion. Evan's struggling with his own emotional and social difficulties, but he's also pressuring himself to manage Ariel's increasingly unstable tendencies. It was really intense seeing the way his emotions related to Ariel's. There's really no other way that I can describe it: emotionally intense. I had to put it down a couple of times just to come back to myself before I got lost in it entirely.

But wow, guys. Definitely read this one if you get the chance.

Book Thoughts: Countdown

Title: Countdown
Author: Deborah Wiles

Countdown is a little outside the genres I usually read – it’s historical middle-grade, rather than contemporary/paranormal YA – but I loved it. Franny, who is eleven years old, is a wonderful narrator: the perfect blend of humor and seriousness, completely believable, and Deborah Wiles captured the voice of a child perfectly. The other characters are just as good: Franny’s parents, her brother and sister and crazy uncle, her friends, the boy across the street…this could very easily be a totally true story.

It gets even easier to believe when you consider the documentary part of the novel. The whole book is full of actual footage from the 1960s – photographs, quotes, ads, political cartoons, reminders to stay safe in the bomb shelters if the air raid siren goes off…it’s all there, in between chapters. Seriously the coolest way to set up a historical book that I have ever seen. The book would be worth reading just for that. But there’s more to it than that.

The story is great too. Reading about an eleven-year-old protagonist was kind of different for me, but Franny is great and the story is amazing. I think it’s easy to forget that while the Cold War was going on, life was still going on like normal – for those of us who have never lived through something like that, it’s just history book stuff. Countdown takes those events that we read about in history class and makes them real, which is really awesome. Historical events aren’t the focus of this novel; they’re the setting. The story is about Franny and how she comes to terms with what it means to be afraid and, more importantly, what it means to be a friend.

Countdown is such a sweet, fun, and interesting book. I know those aren’t particularly original adjectives, but they certainly apply. It’s also very much a stay-up-until-you-finish-it kind of book. Definitely, definitely read it if you get the chance!

Book Thoughts: So Much Closer

Title: So Much Closer
Author: Susane Colasanti

I have very mixed feelings about this book. The writing and the characters were wonderful. Brooke's thoughts and the issues she was dealing with felt very real. Colasanti's writing is splendid. It felt like a real teenager was telling the story the same way she'd tell a story to her best friend - which was excellent, and very well-done, although I will admit that some of the same slang ("like" and the substitution of "goes" for "says") got on my nerves the same way it does in real life.

I loved the characters. It was my love for John and Sadie that really kept me reading to the end of the book, but Brooke was excellent too - she was a genuinely real character, and she challenged herself and the readers to think about what it means to figure out who you are. John was easily my favorite; I wish I could meet a boy like him in real life. Sadie was also fun. I want a Sadie friend. Scott, I did not like. I don't know what it was, he just got on my nerves. He felt flat and boring, and I never understood why Brooke liked him so much. His main character trait seemed to be that he liked The Office. Still, I could put him aside to read more about John and Sadie (and, okay, Brooke too).

But to me, the plot fell flat. I loved the characters and the writing -- I really did -- but the entire premise of the book seemed contrived and ridiculous. At seventeen, she finds out this boy that she's loved from afar for years is moving away, and he just happens to be moving to NYC, where she just happens to have always wanted to go, and where her dad just happens to live? And then she gives up a life with great best friends to move closer to a boy that she doesn't even really know? I mean, I get that teenagers occasionally do dramatic things for what they think is love, but that just seems to be pushing it. And I thought the end was incredibly predictable (although it was executed in such a way that it was also really, really sweet and adorable).

Middle of the road on this one. Characters: A-plus. Writing: A-plus. Plot: D. Maybe a C-minus at best. If you're willing to overlook the strangeness of the premise, though, So Much Closer is still a sweet, fun read. Despite its shortcomings, I enjoyed it.

Book Thoughts: Past Midnight

Title: Past Midnight
Author: Mara Purnhagen
Series: Past Midnight #1

I love when I find a book that completely exceeds my expectations. I thought Past Midnight was going to be good -- certainly not bad, but ghost stories are often hit-or-miss with me, and I thought "good" was as good as it was going to get. But...I was wrong. And in times like these, I love being wrong.

Charlotte's parents are professional ghost-story debunkers. They believe in residual energy, nothing more. They never live in one place for very long, always on the move to debunk more ghost stories. So when they settle in South Carolina with the intent to stay there long-term, Charlotte is thrilled. Until a pair of ghosts turns up in her bedroom...and her new friends turn out to have ghosts of their own.

I loved the friendships between Charlotte and the cheerleaders and Charlotte and Noah. As much as I love romances, I loved that this wasn't a romance. I loved that college was mentioned - it's realistic. I can attest to the fact that high school seniors spend a lot of time thinking about college, so that was a nice touch. And I loved that I didn't solve the mystery before the end of the book - it kept me reading to find out what was going to happen next. Mostly, I just really liked Charlotte as a narrator, too. And, okay, I've read books set in Charleston where you can tell the author has never actually been there, but Mara Purnhagen got it right. So the book gets bonus points for that too. :)

Past Midnight hasn't earned a place on my all-time-favorites, read-them-over-and-over list...but it was definitely an awesome, fun read (and pretty short, too, if you don't want something long). It gets the thumbs-up from me! Check it out if you get the chance.

Oh, and before I go: is this cover gorgeous or what? I'm not sure what about it appeals to me so much, but I love it. It's awesome.

Book Thoughts: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
Author: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

This is one of my favorite holiday novels. Dash and Lily both live in NYC at Christmastime... but other than that, their lives are entirely different. What brings them together is a small local bookshop and a red notebook.

As they pass the notebook back and forth, leaving each other dares and challenges and slowly learning more about each other -- and about themselves, as they go through ridiculous shenanigans they would otherwise never go near -- they develop a friendship that is beautiful to watch and affects these two completely opposite characters so incredibly.

The question is, will their friendship last when they meet in person?

Told in alternating POVs, this novel is adorable and sweet and clever and funny and everything that is good about the holiday season (whether you celebrate Christmas or not). Definitely read this one if you get a chance. You won't regret it.