I finally managed to unearth my book notebook, and was pleased to discover it wasn’t as far behind as I’d feared. It was under a stack of books in my office, and now it’s sitting on one of the many stacks of books on my dining room table. There’s something comforting about having stacks of books randomly scattered around the house, especially if they haven’t been read yet because it gives me something to look forward to reading.
~ Kwitney, Alyssa, On the Couch (4)
The reviews on the back of the book go on about how it was “kinky” and “erotic.” Really? That’s what passes for “kinky” and “erotic” these days? It was just kind of vanilla, and a mild version at that. It also had an abrupt ending and a series of frustrating, unanswered questions. And boring sex, which was the greatest crime of all.
~ Hiem, Scott, Mysterious Skin (6.5)
I seem to have read a lot of books where chapters alternate between different characters and different voices. In this book, I didn’t find it very effective because there wasn’t a lot of difference in the voices – they all sounded alike. That said, I still liked the book, what with the heartbreaking “alien abduction” and the tender finale.
~ Sloan, Brian, A Fine Prom Mess (7)
For days after I read this book, something about it nagged me until I finally figured it out. The crazy prom plot and all the wild and wacky things that occurred reminded me of an early Gordon Korman novel, except there was just one protagonist who embodied both the anarchist and the uptight characters of the Korman buddy novels. Even though it was pretty implausible, it was still fun.
~ Dessen, Sarah, Lock and Key (7)
I still don’t know how I feel about this one. On one hand, it broke out of the happily-ever-after endings I’m used to, and the male protagonist was just as flawed as the female protagonist. On the other hand, the overall story was much darker than normal – child abandonment, abusive parents, alcoholism and casual drug use.
~ Peters, Julie Anne, Luna (5)
God, this book was stressful to read. There were many times where I’d put the book down and walk away because I didn’t want to know what happened next. And then I’d pick it up, read a few pages, and put it down again. The narrator, the sister of the titular “Luna,” was the most stressed-out person in literature, which is understandable considering her brother is transgender and hiding it from their parents, who are complete assholes.