Adventures in Author Stalking

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to attend two awesome author events. On Friday I got to see John Green and David Levithan on their Will Grayson, Will Grayson tour and on Saturday I got to go to the LA Times Festival of Books, where I met Robin Benway, Cherry Cheva, and Meg Cabot, among others.

Long, picture-filled post ahead!

Pictures and such from the Will Grayson event:

John and David. I don't remember what they were doing in this picture, but it was probably hilarious.

Them posing and looking oh so excited to see everyone.

John and David reading from the book. Both are freaking awesome readers (and that's saying something since readings are usually my least favorite part of any book signing).

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is sponsored by the letter X.

What I learned from this event:

• John Green can rap. He didn't rap at the event, but he and David kept talking about John's sick flow.
  
• Know those adjectives on the covers of the paperback Harry Potter books? Like "the phenomenal bestseller"? DAVID WROTE THOSE. Just another reason why he is amazing.
  
• John's favorite Harry Potter character is Luna Lovegood and David's is Snape.
• David recommended How to Say Goodbye in Robot, which I recently finished and it was quite good. After much thinking, John recommended Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, which is awesome.
• Jordyn and Kiersten White are awesome to hang out at events with (but I already knew this).
• I already knew this too, but wearing cool shirts at events is always a good idea. I wore my "Where's Fluffy?" shirt (which is a reference to Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which David co-wrote) and in the beginning of the event John pointed at it and was like "cool" and I was like *dead.* Although I'm sure I turned red before I died and came back to life. John also said he likes my bangs and that his wife had them in high school (or college, I can't remember). Can you believe some people I know IRL tell me to pin my bangs back? Not happening now that John complimented them.

On Saturday, I started off the day by going to see Meg Cabot. Best way to start the day, right?


Things Meg talked about at her panel/things I learned:

• She had a whole presentation about her inspiration for her books. Her next book, Insatiable, was inspired by a dog named Jack Bauer, a creepy vampire neighbor, and a heroic townsperson. And her next series, Abandoned (I think), is a retelling of the myth of Persephone and it sounds AWESOME.
  
• Brain transplants can happen, like in the Airhead series. Seriously. They can.
  
• She used to write Star Wars and Jane Eyre fanfiction.
• She likes reading"happy" books, which is why she writes them.
  
• Everyone wants more Princess Diaries. I've never read these books but two people asked her for more so they have to be good, right?
  
• She is so pretty and is a believer in telling people they are pretty.
  
• She is HILARIOUS.
  

After Meg's panel, I went to get my books signed by her. Her line wrapped around the entire signing area, but she still managed to personalize three books per person and have a conversation. She's a super-author.

Once I got my books signed, I headed over to the YA Stage, where I stayed for most of the rest of the day.



I caught the very end of a panel featuring Robin Benway, Cherry Cheva, and Joanna Philbin. Since I got there so late I didn't get to catch any of what they were saying, but I did get to go get my copies of Audrey, Wait! and The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June signed by Robin. My copy of April, May, and June is the first she's signed, so yaaay! She is totally awesome, as is Cherry Cheva. Both of them knew who I was, which was quite exciting.

The next panel I caught was the vampire panel, featuring Richelle Mead, Melissa de la Cruz, Rachel Caine, and Heather Brewer.


Comments on the panel:

• Vampire fans are devoted. There were hundreds there, wearing a lot of black.
• All the authors prefer vampires, which should be obvious since they write about them. For reasons unknown to me, someone asked if they prefer werewolves or vampires.
  
• It took ten whole minutes to get to the Twilight question! (How do you feel about the vampire genre and the success of Twilight? or a variation on that) But the ladies handled the question nicely and talked about how they love to suport one another.

After this crazy panel was over, I hung out until the LAYAPALOOZA game show started.

Basically, ten authors were divided into two teams and had to answer trivia questions with the audience's help. Team Holden (my team whoot) was represented by the amazing Kami Garcia, Alexa Young, Ben Esch, Cherry Cheva, and Jonathan Bernstein. We lost to Team Scout, but only because we didn't get to answer the question about identifying the first line of Twilight. But our team was still awesome.

I am a fan of the above picture because you can vaguely see Margaret Stohl drinking diet coke. I was not surprised that my mom managed to capture such a moment on film.

And just because, here's Alexa Young and me:

She's pretty awesome.

Things that make me squee

I'm not a very patient person, but waiting for bookish things to come out is something I love. All the excitement surrounding big releases and debuts makes me all giggly and happy. I love getting excited for stuff with other obsessed people.

Some things I cannot wait for?

1. The Pretty Little Liars show! I've mentioned this on the blog before, but I cannot wait for the Pretty Little Liars show to debut. I stalk the cast on twitter and I try to follow all the casting news and promo news.

Some of my favorite promo stuff:


Ezra and Aria! Look at the awkward look on his face! Can't you sense the tension? I CAN. Their storyline is going to be so delightfully messed-up and squeal-worthy. I can't wait.


Laura Leighton is playing Hanna's mom and she definitely looks the part (and I mean that in the nicest way possible).


But the best promo this is THIS. A whole scene from the pilot, yay! It's awesome, except for that they actually use the term "it girl." Does anyone actually say that? But I don't really care, because the clip includes more Ezra and Aria.

Is it June 8 yet? I need this show already.

2. SPIRIT BOUND! Thankfully, Spirit Bound, the 5th book in the Vampire Academy series, comes out before the PLL show, on May 18.

And here's another reason why Australia seems way cooler than the US: the Aussie publisher of the series is giving quote teasers!



Pretty sure the "two" in this quote are Lissa and Rose, but I have no clue who is saying it. I went to look for a fansite with theories, but there isn't one that isn't on like, myspace. Can you believe there's no hardcore, legit Vampire Academy fansite? I was seriously surprised.



And this quote is even more exciting! I have no idea on this one either. Probably Rose. I'm bad at theorizing, but I sure do like hearing other people's theories. Do you have any? Or any other things you're excited for?

The Bright Side of Blogging

I'm sure that if you read other book blogs you've noticed that things can get pretty negative, which is why a bunch of other bloggers and I are posting about why blogging is awesome. And because I'm no good at writing things in paragraph form, it is LIST TIME!

- I don't really get to talk about books with my IRL friends, so being able to talk about it on the interwebs to other awesome bookish people is happyhappyjoyjoy. (Can you tell that it's been a long day, based on my word choice?)

- Expanding on the "bookish people are awesome" thing- bookish people are the best people. They are so smart! I mean, did you see Steph Su's post about what's missing in contemporary YA? Genius. I have a very low tolerance for stupid people so being around such smart people keeps me a bit saner.

- I love the friends I've made. I think there's too many to list, but I love coming home on school days and being able to text or skype my bloging friends about cool bookish things.

- I love not being the only crazy person! Obsessing over Friday Night Lights (which no one I know IRL watches, WHYYYY), Wes Anderson, and DAVID LEVITHAN, among other things, makes me feel better about my (conpletely healthy I promise) obsessions.

- I've been introduced to so many new authors, TV shows, and movies. I feel so much more cultured! What ever did I do before I knew about Friday Night Lights or the Tenners?

- Blogging allows me to ditch homework for a while and do something I like. Even though writing reviews is hard and takes me FOREVER, I would much rather write them over an essay on Crusades or do math homework that I will not remember in four days. It's nice to be able to escape the school craziness for a while, and I'm sure that it will be even nicer next year when AP Bio is killing me.

- Knowing that people bother to read my opinions on things makes me happy. Getting nice comments does wonders for your self esteem, you know.

I could go on about why blogging is awesome, but it really all comes down to the people. I love the people I've met through this, and I love what they've introduced me to and how sane they keep me.

More happiness over at:

Sunday April 25th: Sarah's Random Musings
Monday April 26th: The Book Cellar
Tuesday April 27: Zoe's Book Reviews
Thursday April 29th: Persnickety Snark
Friday April 30th: The Page Flipper
Saturday May 1st: The Compulsive Reader

DJ MacHale on Novel vs. TV Writing

Today I'm hosting author DJ MacHale on a blog tour for his latest novel, The Light. DJ also wrote the bestselling Pendragon series and worked on shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark? (OH MY GOSH THAT SHOW SCARED ME SO MUCH AS A CHILD.) He also wrote and directed the Disney movie Tower of Terror, which I watch every Halloween when it's on TV because I LOVE IT.

The Light is the first book in the new Morpheus Road, and here's the summary in case you need it:

D.J. MacHale, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pendragon series, has a new adventure for readers in Morpheus Road.

Marshall Seaver is being haunted. In The Light, the first installment of this chillingly compelling trilogy, sixteen-year-old Marshall discovers that something beyond our world is after him. The eerie clues pile up quickly, and when people start dying, it's clear whatever this is--it's huge.

Marshall has no idea what's happening to him, but he's soon convinced that it has something to do with his best friend Cooper, who's been missing for over a week. Together with Coop's sister, Marsh searches for the truth about what happened to his friend, ultimately uncovering something bigger than he could ever have imagined.

---

And without further ado, here's DJ speaking about the difference between writing books and writing for TV:

I’ve written many, many hours of television and have now made the full-time switch to writing novels. The change wasn’t as dramatic as you’d think. At least not the actual, physical writing part. I still have to sit in front of my computer and tell a good story. That’s the bottom line. All stories need interesting characters who get caught up in compelling conflicts. That applies whether you’re writing a TV show, a movie, a play or a book or any other form of fiction. Whether I’m writing for TV or a new novel, I still spend hours, days, weeks, months inside my own head, calculating the thousands of variables that go into making a good story.

However, there are plenty of differences as well. When I’m writing a TV show, I always have to keep in the back of my mind that it is going to have to be produced. Most of my shows haven’t had huge budgets, so I have to be very conscious about the reality of being able to shoot what is on the page. Here’s an example: When writing a book, I can have my characters running all over the place. They can spend two pages on a boat and then the next two pages on a space ship and the next two pages on a submarine. Whatever I want to happen, can, because ink is cheap. But if I wrote that same thing in a TV show, we would have to find or build a boat, and then build a space ship set, and then a submarine set. All that costs $$$! And with TV, you only have a few days to shoot each episode, so you want to be economical about how you move your crew around. So, for example, if I’m going to write some action on a space ship, I’m going to make darn sure that enough happens on that spaceship to justify building and lighting the set. It won’t be just be for one scene, unless it’s a really, really long scene.

The great thing about writing books is that I don’t have to worry about any of that stuff. If I want to have ten thousand giant robot ants eat a skyscraper, I can. And then they in turn can be devoured by a pack of monstrous anteaters who arrive by an aircraft carrier sized space ship that is piloted by a beast with twelve heads, all of which look exactly like Stewie Griffin. It’s all possible! But if I wrote that in a TV script, it would get thrown back at me before the ink was dry.

So in that respect, after having sweat the details on my TV scripts for so long, writing books has been the best, most creative experience possible!

---

I suppose I am glad DJ switched over to novel writing because I don't think I could handle any more Are You Afraid of the Dark? induced childhood nightmares (and because I'm really liking The Light so far!).

You can find out more about DJ's novels and TV shows/movies or at his website, and check out the last blog tour stop on the 29th over at Dark Faerie Tales. (:

Happy blogoversary to me!

Today is the two year anniversary of my blog. Which is weird. I never really thought I'd be doing this for this long, especially since I often think about stopping or what the point of this whole thing is. But the point doesn't really matter- I like blogging and I've gotten to speak to a ton of awesome people since I've started. And I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. (:

And thanks to all of you who are reading. I just hit 500 followers, which doesn't seem like a lot since I've been doing this for a while, but since I don't offer many contests and don't give followers extra entries, (I think) it means you follow because you actually want to. Which is awesome and I love you for it. (:

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. (:

Descriptions and such from goodreads!

Just got stuff I bought this week.

Forget Her Nots by Amy Brecount White

When someone leaves three mystery flowers outside her dorm door, Laurel thinks that maybe the Avondale School isn't so awful after all — until her own body starts to freak out. In the middle of her English presentation on the Victorian Language of Flowers, strange words pop into her head, and her body seems to tingle and hum. Impulsively, Laurel gives the love bouquet she made to demonstrate the language to her spinster English teacher. When that teacher unexpectedly and immediately finds romance, Laurel suspects that something — something magical — is up. With her new friend, Kate, she sets out to discover the origins and breadth of her powers by experimenting on herself and others. But she can’t seem to find any living experts in the field of flower powers to guide her. And her bouquets don't always do her bidding, especially when it comes to her own crush, Justin. Rumors about Laurel and her flowers fly across campus, and she's soon besieged by requests from girls — both friends and enemies — who want their lives magically transformed — just in time for prom.

---Been wanting to read this one forever and now I finally can!

I also got Red Carpet Riot by David Van Etten, but the summary for it is SPOILERY. But I am dying to read it since David Levithan wrote 1/3 of the book and because the other books in the series rock. And I got a final copy of Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (who I saw on Friday, AHHH YAY HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY.)

Series vs. Standalone

Do you have a preference between series and standalone books? Just wondering. I like both, but personally, I'm a bit tired of series at the moment. I never have time to reread the first book in a series before book 2 comes out, so I never remember anything that happened in book 1 when I read book 2.

Book 2 (if it's a trilogy) usually sucks too. Well, not sucks, but book 2s are usually really boring compared to books 1 and 3 in a series. Is it just me or does nothing happen in them? They are really just building up for book 3 and saving all the excitement for the last book.

I do like how series allow for more character development, etc, especially when the characters are awesome. I've been a bit annoyed by some standalones recently because they take forever to get to the plot and then they're over.

But there's just something I like about standalones. I like that I don't have to wait forever for a sequel to come out. I like how I don't have to be mad when the covers/editions of book 1 and 2 don't match, because there's no book 2 to worry about. I like how most of the time they don't drag on and on or get repetetive.

So, do you have a preference at this moment? -curious-

Kay Cassidy Interview

Today I have an interview with the lovely Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society. The book is really cute, and in case you need it, here's the summary:

What's a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderlla Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? and is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

---

And without further ado, the interview!

1) Do you think having a "Corporate Girl" job ultimately helped you with your writing for some weird reason? How so?

I do! I think being a Corporate Girl helped me approach my writing career like a business. It can be hard to stay the course with all the ups and downs a writing career brings, so being able to approach it as a job with real responsibilities has made a big difference. It's also helped me prepare for the business side of writing – running a business (every author is an entrepreneur), marketing, and all the other things that go on behind the scenes to build a sustainable career.

2) Did it take you a while to think up the actual secret societies in the book and their rules, etc? Or were the Cindys and Wickeds always fully formed in your head?

I'm a big plotter, so the society rules and procedures developed gradually as I plotted out each scene. I would run into situations and have to stop and think "What would that mean for the Cindys/Wickeds? How would they feel about this and is there a protocol Jess (or Lexy) would have to follow here?" (Although following protocol is not something the Wickeds spend a lot of time worrying about.) ;-)

3) One of the things I loved about The Cinderella Society is it stands out among all the dark and paranormal/fantasy books out there- it's super refreshing to read such a fabulous, uplifting contemporary novel! Why do you like writing (and reading) chick lit/contemporary? And can you define chick lit for me? Because I totally don't know what exactly it is.

I love YA chick lit. To me, chick lit is more about voice than it is about carrying forth a certain set of tropes. I think of them as novels that sound like your best friend is telling you their story (good, bad and everything in between). I'm like you – I love books in other genres too. But when things are rough in my life, I almost always reach for YA chick lit as my pick-me-up. The uplifting themes help me regain my perspective when I'm too stressed to find it myself. And that's a very good thing!

4) Along with writing books and your own blog/twitter/stuff, you also started the Great Scavenger Hunt Contest^TM and Living Your Five^TM blog. How do you manage to juggle all these things, especially amid your (yay!) book release?

Thanks for the yay! :-) I'm not going to lie. Sometimes it's really hard. There are weeks where I only get 4-5 hours of sleep a night because I'm in my home office from 9am until 2am with breaks only for meals and family crises. (And I often forget to eat lunch which I really need to get better about.) I think what sustains me is that each of these things is really important to me on a personal level. I love that I can give back to librarians and encourage kids and teens to keep reading with the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest^TM. And I love that Living Your Five^TM keeps me focused on how I can make a difference in the world no matter how busy I am – and that it has inspired other people to do the same. That's hugely rewarding for me. And, of course, I'm passionate about girl empowerment and leadership which keeps me excited about every new thing The Cinderella Society brings into my life with its girl power themes. When you love what you do, it's much less like work and much more like fulfilling your life's purpose. (Even though there's still a WHOLE LOT of work involved!)

5) I see on your website that your favorite series is Harry Potter. Being the crazed Potter fangirl that I am, I have to ask you some HP-related things. What Hogwarts house do you think you'd be in? Favorite characters? What do you think your patronus would be? Any other HP related thoughts?

Gryffindor for the win! And not just because I think it would be cool to hang with Harry and the gang. :-) The Gryffindor priorities are very much in line with my own. The Weasley twins are probably my favorite characters (Harry aside, of course) and I love Ginny in the later books. She's definitely a match for Harry.

I think my patronus would be… hmm… that's a hard one! My first thought was a butterfly because it represents triumph over adversity (not much is rougher than having your entire body dissolve and turn into something completely different!). But that's not a very tough patronus. LOL So maybe a really big butterfly that has giant protective wings? If you can picture that without it being creepy, then I think that would be mine. :-)

---

I TOTALLY agree with the butterfly patronus for you, Kay! I see it and I LIKE IT.

Everyone else, be sure to check out Kay's adorable website, or her blog or twitter. Or, more importantly, The Cinderella Society.

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

[description from goodreads]

When the Prom Queen becomes your fairy godmother…

Sixteen year old outsider, Jess Parker, gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret society of popular girls dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world. The Cinderella Society guides all new recruits through its top secret ultimate life makeover. It’s all part of preparing them to face down the Wickeds and win. Determined not to let the Cindys down, Jess dives in with a passion. Finally, a chance to belong and show the world what she’s made of.

… be careful what you wish for.

Jess’s transformation wins her the heart of her dream crush and a shot at uber-popularity. Until the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It’s a high stakes battle of good vs. evil, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood… and herself.

What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

Review:

The Cinderella Society has a few of my favorite things: secret clubs, girl power, and fairy tale references. These things were enough to make me adore it despite the minor issues I had.

This book is such a first book in a series: it's heavy on information and light on action. Jess spends most of her time learning the rules of being a Cindy, how to deal with Wickeds, and embrace her true self. There's a lot to take in and remember, and it takes so long to explain it all that it's a bit overwhelming. It doesn't help that not much exciting stuff happens amid all the explanations, or that sometimes the messages/lessons were beating me over the head. Don't get me wrong, though- it's not boring. I loved the concept of the Cinderella Society. I loved that the popular girls were actually nice and not the enemy like in every other YA novel. Even though there was a ton to remember, reading about inner workings of the society was interesting- the little details about the Cindys effect on the whole world, for example, were super amusing.

Just like The Cinderella Society is such a first book in a series, Jess is such a YA protagonist. She's shy, she thinks her best friends are prettier than her, she has an enemy that hates her for no reason, and she has a crush on the most popular cliche quarterback. But this combination is common for a reason- it works. Most of Jess's feelings make sense (I still don't really get why she likes Ryan so much, but eh). Her "new kid" thoughts and feelings were so familiar that I had a few flashbacks to the beginning of middle school. Jess also becomes a lot more tolerable later on as she gains confidence, while still remaining her clumsy, kind-of funny self.

The Cinderella Society is a bit slow and there's a lot to take in, but the secret society itself is fantastic and the message is strong. There's also a lot of promise for the next books in the series- now that we have most of the info, the next books can get straight to the action (I hope).

Book details: EgmontUSA/Hardcover/$16.99

Links: Kay's website/blog/twitter

Source: ARC tour

Waiting on Wednesday: Contemporary Edition!

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. (:

Another theme this week! I think I might do themed WoWs for a while because I LOVE THEMES.

I've been in a contemporary mood lately, so I've picked two contemporary books that I am DYING to read.

[descriptions from goodreads]


The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

---

I am a big fan of this premise. Sounds like it could be hilariously awesome and original.

Released September 7.

---
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

It's about a girl. It's about a boy. It's about Parisian boarding school, almond-scented macarons, famous cemeteries, and cinemaphiles. It's about heartache. And it's about true love.

---

This summary is short but contains some of my favorite things: boarding schools and foreign countries. I really don't need any more than that, but the rest of the summary sounds awesome too (even though I don't really know what macarons are. But Wikipedia tells me they contain sugar, so they can't be too bad). Cemeteries are always exciting.

Released December 9.

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

[description from goodreads]

“Will I never see you again either?” I asked, feeling as though I was about to jump off a high mountain peak and hope to land without hurting myself. That’s how impossible everything seemed at that moment, no matter what I did.
“Perhaps we will meet again,” Sasha said, softening his voice. “But you must see that it does not matter. You have so much ahead of you. It’s your choice now. Choose the future! Choose life!”

For Anastasia Romanov, life as the privileged daughter of Russia’s last tsar is about to be torn apart by the bloodshed of revolution. Ousted from the imperial palace when the Bolsheviks seize control of the government, Anastasia and her family are exiled to Siberia. But even while the rebels debate the family’s future with agonizing slowness and the threat to their lives grows more menacing, romance quietly blooms between Anastasia and Sasha, a sympathetic young guard she has known since childhood. But will the strength of their love be enough to save Anastasia from a violent death?

Inspired by the mysteries that have long surrounded the last days of the Romanov family, Susanne Dunlap’s new novel is a haunting vision of the life—and love story—of Russia’s last princess.

Review:

I was initially interested in this book because I wrote a paper on the Romanovs, and as I kept reading I felt that I needed to dig up my paper for reference. For some reason, I was confused by the timeline. It felt like the story would talk about the same week for chapters, and then skip a month or two in a few paragraphs.

I'm not sure if Anastasia's Secret was supposed to be a romance, but even if it wasn't supposed to be the romantic element was a bit disappointing. I really loved the concept of giving Anastasia a love interest, but I felt that she only liked Sasha because he showed up one day and looked pretty. I never really understood why she liked him, especially since he wasn't in the book all that much. I liked when he showed up because something exciting or suspenseful would happen afterward, but I felt like he didn't show up enough to warrant Anastasia's "!!! Sasha !!!" feelings.

When I wasn't rolling my eyes when Sasha and Anastasia were together, I liked the plot. Though it is a bit dull at times because the family spends a lot of time held captive with nothing to do, there were many parts that were exciting enough. I loved when Anastasia would sneak around and try to find information about what was happening in the "normal world" for it gave the story a bit more depth- seeing the family react to things they never knew about was definitely interesting.

I was underwhelmed by Anastasia's Secret, but I was at least entertained by it. The writing was nice and the suspenseful parts took my attention from the disappointing romance.


Book details: Bloomsbury/Hardcover/$16.99

Links: author website

Source: sent from publisher for review

Why Historical Sucks

A follow up to Saturday's "Why Historical Rocks." Here's a list of why historical kind of sucks:

• How many times do I have to read about a girl who is totally against getting married but ends up falling in love with someone expected halfway through the book? I get that the girl is supposed to be ~strong~ and ~different~ but eh. I'm a bit tired of it. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't already guess who she ends up with as soon as he shows up.
  
• Sometimes it's difficult to find a specific time period with or without fantasy. Like, it seems most Victorian stuff has fantasy involved, and most 1920s/30s/40s doesn't.
  
• There's not a lot of stuff written about certain time periods. Where are my medieval or ancient history books? Then again, some time periods are kind of boring.
  
• There's so much to explain that sometimes it's a bit too overwhelming and slows the book down.
• Is it just me or does it seem like no one else reads it? Or doesn't like it much? Soemtimes i feel so alone in my history love.
  

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. (:

Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Just got ones I bought this week! :D

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

---Already read this one and it was pretty good.


Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

---I've heard great things about this one so I cannot wait to start!

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

In 1940s Chicago, fifteen-year-old Ruby hopes to escape poverty by becoming a taxi dancer in a nightclub, but the work has unforeseen dangers and hiding the truth from her family and friends becomes increasingly difficult.

---I've wanted to read this for FOREVER and finally bought it this week. Dying to start.

Why Historical Rocks

An addition to my unofficial series of posts discussing why certains genres rock and suck.

Other posts:

• Why Contemporary Rocks
• Why Contemporary Sucks
• Why Paranormal Rocks
• Why Paranormal Sucks

Today I will be talking about why historical fiction, a very under-appreciated, in my opinion, genre, rocks.

List time!

• Historical books have some AMAZING covers. Look at the ones scattered throughout the post! SO PRETTY.

• For some reason, I usually find that historical books have much...prettier writing. Like, they just sound very good when you read them aloud.
• The social class differences that cause problems are always very exciting/romantic/whatever.
  
• There's usually so much more culture in historical fiction, and I LOVE when cultural things are included.
• For some reason, the villians in historical just seem more dangerous, even when they're normal people. They just do.
  
• Paranormal/fantasy creatures are so much more exciting in a historical setting, I think. They just are.
• Really, I just like seeing how things were different and seeing how big issues fit into the book (like racism and social classes, etc).
  

In short: historical is pretty and exciting. It just is.

And one more pretty cover, just because:

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

[description from goodreads]

Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

Review:

Normally I avoid hardcore fantasy at all cost because I can never keep track of who is who and what the magic rules are, among other reasons, but I easily followed Brightly Woven and ended up really enjoying it.

All the summaries I read prior to reading mentioned the war going on, so I was expecting to see much more of it in the book. However, even though the war is mostly only talked about until the end, I was not disappointed with the plot. The book starts off relatively quickly and there's nonstop action from there. When there wasn't a battle/duel going on, or when another magical person wasn't showing up, Sydelle was finding out more about the (awesome) North and his motives, so there was a nice balance of action and mystery. Trying to guess North's motives and Sydelle's true self was fun, and getting all the answers in the wonderfully exciting ending was extremely satisfying.

The character development and relationships were a little off for me, as I sometimes felt that there were parts of the book missing. It might have been because there was a lot going on, or because I was reading in very short sittings and sometimes I skim overly descriptive things, but it seemed like I missed parts. I understood what was going on, but, for example, it seemed that North and Sydelle were oddly comfortable with each other very early on in their journey. Their character development was lovely- Sydelle was strong and dealt with her own problems in spite of danger, and North was delightfully rogue-ish (yay for not being able to find a proper adjective!)- but their relationship was a bit odd. It all made more sense at the end, but the whole time it felt like there was more going on that wasn't being talked about.

Brightly Woven is an action-packed, amusing read and I'm hoping there's a sequel or companion because 1) I want more North! and 2) there's so much more that can be explored.

Book details: EgmontUSA/Hardcover/$16.99

Links: Alexandra's website, blog/twitter

Source: bought

Random Bookish Thoughts

I'm a random mood so I'm just going to muse for a while.

- What is going on in this Pretty Little Liars promo picture?

Well, I know what's going on (I think) but yikes. It could have been a little more...pretty. Or less dirty. Is this scene/part going to happen this early in the show? I can't remember when it happened in the books.

- So two characters in the book I'm reading just kissed and I've realized that "he kissed me hard on the mouth" is the worst kiss description ever.

- For some reason it annoys me when hardcovers don't have anything pretty under the jacket, like on the actual book. Once of the first things I do when I get a hardcover is take the jacket off and see if there's anything drawn/embedded/whatevered on the actual cover. And I am sad when it's just two plain colors.

- Earlier I randomly thought "I don't have many books with mostly yellow covers" and then fives seconds later I thought "there is probably a good reason for this."

- Why don't more books have crazy families? I love crazy families. Some of my very favorite tv shows and movies involve kooky families. (The Royal Tenenbaums, Addams Family Values, Arrested Development.)

- Why don't more books take place at private schools? I go to private school, and exciting things happen. Sometimes. Last year there was almost a fight but then the teachers broke it up. Ok not really exciting.

- There's probably a good reason why books don't take place in private schools.

- My blogoversary is like next week. My blog will be turning two. I feel old.

Waiting on Wednesday: Scandalous Edition!

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. (:

I unintentionally have a THEME for today's Waiting on Wednesday. I love themes.

Pick #1:

Alexis by Alexis Singer

Description and cover from this blog post, which you all should check out:

ALEXIS, by 19-year-old Alexis Singer who writes about being lured into an emotionally devastating cybersexual relationship with an older married man.

---

This one is a memoir so it will automatically be more GASP worthy than a fiction book. When I read the little description of this book, I automatically went, minus the giggling:



This one comes out in August, which is annoyingly long time away.

Pick #2:

This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

Description from the macmillan site:

A CHILLING NOVEL ABOUT THE ISOLATION OF BEING STALKED AND THE ABUSE OF POWER.

Olivia Peters is over the moon when her literary idol, the celebrated novelist and muchadored local priest Mark D. Brendan, offers to become her personal writing mentor. But when Father Mark’s enthusiasm for Olivia’s prose develops into something more, Olivia’s emotions quickly shift from wonder to confusion to despair. Exactly what game is Father Mark playing, and how on earth can she get out of it?

This remarkable novel about overcoming the isolation that stems from victimization is powerful, luminous, and impossible to put down.

---

YOU GUYS DOESN'T THIS SOUND AWESOME? I read this summary and was so excited that I tweeted about it. Seriously cannot wait to read it. NEEEEED.

Released May 25.

For Keeps by Natasha Friend

All the summaries I found for this book suck, so we're going with the Amazon one:

Josie’s never met her dad, and that’s fine with her. To Josie, Paul Tucci is just a guy who got her mom pregnant and then moved away. It all happened sixteen years ago, when Josie’s mom was still a teenager herself. But now Paul Tucci is back in town, and Josie has to deal with not one but two men in her life—her father and her first boyfriend, who Josie fears will hurt her just like Paul hurt her mother.

Review:

I'm a big fan of Natasha Friend's middle grade novels, so I was eager to read this one. I was a bit disappointed by it, but the fact that I read it during my reading slump and while I reread Harry Potter probably didn't help.

The thing I loved most about this book is how normal Josie is. It's not often that you read about a main character who works, plays sports, has a friend who plays a role in her life and won't backstab her half-way through the book, and has a parent who cares. But even though she is so normal, she's not boring. Her reactions to situations are so familiar that it's difficult not to be entertained. She's awkward when her potential-boy comes around, sometimes angry at her mom, and scared and nervous whenever something related to Paul Tucci. These are all things that are easy to relate to, and seeing her in these situations is so familiar that they become funny, especially when her best friend Liv is around. I was less satisfied by the development of other characters, like Josie's potential-boy, because they were not in the book long enough to make an impact.

Similarly, I felt that some of the plot elements were not around long enough to be as good as they could have. The potential-boy starts off predictable but soon he's not in the book enough for me to even understand some of his behavior. Paul Tucci and his family play a HUGE role until quite a bit in, but I did enjoy seeing the effect Paul had on Josie and her mother even though he wasn't there.

I've read a few other reviews of this book that say the book reminds them a bit of Gilmore Girls. I see the connection, which might be another reason why I am not gaga over this book.

Definitely not the first Natasha Friend book I'd recommend to you (Lush is my favorite!) but a quick, entertaining read nonetheless. Good, but I saw so much more potential that I was disappointed.

Book details: Viking/Hardcover/$16.99

Links: Natasha's website

Source: publisher for review

Why Paranormal Rocks

A follow up to the other day's "Why Paranormal Sucks" Although I'm a bit tired of paranormal at the moment, I can still think of plenty of reasons why paranormal rocks.

• Paranormal tends to be much more...hot than contemporary, etc. Not always, especially since paranormal romance tends to run into creepy territory very easily, but often it is.
• Vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc are by definition much more exciting and ~dangerous~ than normal people. These supernatural creatures can easily run into the lame category, but for the most part they are EXCITING!
• Every so often, a paranormal book with a brand new creature or twist on an overused creature/idea comes out. (Examples: Banshees in My Soul to Take and...I don't know what else. It's late and I can't think.) Whenever this happens, it's always exciting, even if the book isn't all the amazing. Or maybe it's just me that's excited when this happens. It ~gives me hope~ that maybe more original ideas will pop up soon.
  
• I always enjoy the history and such involved with the supernatural stuff in the books. Like, why the fallen angel was kicked out of heaven, etc. (I am failing at examples today.)
  
• For some reason, it is much more fun to obsess over paranormal (and fantasy, but we'll save that genre for another post). It just is.
  

...that wasn't really "plenty" of reasons, so if you have more, share!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. (:

Easter basket gifts:

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Lost and alone...down the rabbit hole

Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can, by writing her music, losing herself in the love of her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife.

But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half-sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful.

Perhaps she's not so alone after all.

---Yay! I love Lisa Schroeder books, so I am quite excited to read this one.

It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder

Lisa Schroeder gives readers a sweet treat in her first non-verse novel, It's Raining Cupcakes.

Twelve-year-old Isabel is dying to get out of Oregon. She spends her free time in the library, reading and dreaming about faraway places. When her mom decides to open a cupcake shop in their little town of Willow, Isabel feels just like buttercream frosting to a cupcake - stuck.

It seems as if it will be another disappointing summer, until Isabel learns of a baking contest. If she can come up with a winning recipe, she might have a chance of competing in the bake-off in New York City!

But Isabel's best friend, Sophie, is also entering the contest, and things always seem to go Sophie's way. To make matters worse, Isabel and her mom don't exactly see eye-to-eye on the type of recipe Isabel should enter.

---Cupcakes om nom nom.

I also received Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken, which I have already read and liked. Noooorth! I got a finished copy of Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey too, which is pretty and awesome.

For review:

She Thief by Daniel Finn

The girl, Baz, and the boy, Demi, are master pickpockets. They weave through rich neighborhoods to slip bags off shoulders and wallets out of pockets before disappearing into the crowd. Their loot goes to Fay, who runs a gang of child thieves from her den in the Barrio. This sweltering slum—in a city that is imagined, but all too real—is what passes for home to the kids, and Fay is what passes for family.

That all changes the day Demi steals a magnificent blue ring. Soon, the police chief and the Barrio’s crime boss close in on Fay, and she begins to break under their pressure.
Baz has never doubted Fay before. She’s never been apart from Demi, either. But soon, Baz is left alone to find her way through a world more corrupt than she’s ever realized. Here, the lives of children are thrown away without a moment’s hesitation. Here, the rich and powerful are just thieves on a larger scale. And somewhere in this wreck of a city, Baz must find the scraps of hope, the small acts of kindness, and the steely strength that will take her back to Demi and wash them both out of the Barrio for good.

---Sounds original. Can't wait to start it!

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen

Mason has never known his father, but longs to. All he has of him is a DVD of a man whose face is never seen, reading a children’s book. One day, on a whim, he plays the DVD for a group of comatose teens at the nursing home where his mother works. One of them, a beautiful girl, responds. Mason learns she is part of a horrible experiment intended to render teenagers into autotrophs—genetically engineered, self-sustaining life-forms who don’t need food or water to survive. And before he knows it, Mason is on the run with the girl, and wanted, dead or alive, by the mysterious mastermind of this gruesome plan, who is simply called the Gardener.

Will Mason be forced to destroy the thing he’s longed for most?

---This books sounds kind of crazy, so I'm interested to see how it is.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.

---This book is HUGE! It's like 450 pages. That doesn't seem long compared to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which I am currently reading, but when I opened the package I was surprised at it's size. I haven't read many werewolf books, so I'm interested to see how this one is.

Why Paranormal Sucks

Last week I posted about "Why Contemporary Rocks" and "Why Contemporary Sucks" so I thought that I would do the same for paranormal. Since I obviously don't complain enough on this blog, I thought I'd start off with the suck post.

List time!

• TOO MUCH! This is an obvious complaint, but I'm still making it. There is so much paranormal that I cannot even keep track anymore. It doesn't help that a bunch of books with similar premises come out around the same time. I've heard about like four fallen angel books coming out soon and there seems to be a lot of werewolves coming too. I end up getting all these books confused, which is annoying. It wouldn't be as bad if I was only confusing two angel books, but I am confusing like five of them.
  
• They all seem to be similar. I also can't keep track because they have the same/similar premises. How many times must I read a "normal, boring girl falls in love with hot, dangerous vampire/angel/werewolf/whatever" book? Or "girls finds out she's a faery" books? Or another "girl falls in love with creature"? Can't we at least spice things up a bit and make someone falls in love with a kraken or something?
• This is a bit of a selfish reason, but it bothers me that paranormal is so popular and what everyone likes when there is such awesome non-paranormal stuff out there! And because it's so popular everyone wants to be a part, blah blah blah, and then more of it comes out and no one is writing me contemporary or historical.
  
• I like funny. Paranormal books are usually not funny. Often, they are melodramatic and the main character is very boring.

"Why Paranormal Rocks" post coming Monday, most likely. If you have anything to add to this list, please do. (:

Question!

Lovely people who read this blog, what do you do when you are in a reading slump? Because I am in one. It's not fun.

Technically, I'm not completely sure what exactly qualifies as a "slump" but I am calling it a slump anyway. I have not been motivated to read any of my many TBR pile books even though I have a bunch that look great. I just don't want to be disappointed by them since I have not been left ~starstruck~ by like any books this year (maybe two or three, but still, that isn't a lot). Most books I've read have been at least good, many great, but nothing that has the old razzle dazzle.

At this point I'm half-wishing to read something I despise just so that I can have a different reaction for once.

Mostly, I've just been rereading Harry Potter, which probably doesn't help because they are amaaaazing. Nothing can compare! (Except David Levithan.)

Hopefully I will pick up a random book soon, one that will take me by surprise and razzle dazzle me otherwise I'm going to be stuck in my "HARRY POTTER SERIES I LOVE YOU" phase for a while.

Books to Movies

It's "Movies in my Brain" week over at holes in my brain. I thought it would be nice to talk about some of my favorite movies based on books, because even though movies based off books I like generally suck, I still have a few ones I really enjoy.

- The Clique: I know what you're thinking. "Khy, why did you watch that movie? More importantly, you enjoyed it?" It's spring break. I'm bored. It was on Lifetime the other day, so I watched it. And I am GLAD I did. I've never read the book, but if the books are anything like the movie I am missing out on some golden quotes. For example, here is an actual exchange in the movie:

Massie: Claire, did I invite you to my BBQ?
Claire: No...
Massie: Then why are you all up in my grill?

It's even better ON SCREEN! Lucky for you, that bit is in the trailer:



What's even better than the quote is the fact that the other three girls think it is actually funny.

This movie is so delightfully terrible that I cannot help but love it.

- The Outsiders: Both the book and movie are amazing. It's probably my favorite book, and it's definitely the book I've reread the most times. Because the book is my favorite, the movie holds a ~special place in my heart.~ The movie is actually a great adaption of the book, and, if I remember correctly, the movie doesn't leave too much from the book out. I always hate when movies leave the best bits of the book out, so I always appreciate the ~authenticity~ of The Outsiders movie.


- Twilight: Ok, actually this movie is awful. But I love to hate it. I have to admit, it has some amazing quotes:

"How long have you been 17?" *dramatic moment* "A while."

"Say it...OUT LOUD."

-Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging: LOVE. It's not the most faithful adaption, but it's hilario and keeps in little things from the books that made me squealy happy.

And I think I choose my favorite movies based on their quotability (which is probably why I love Mean Girls so much), because this movie has some lovely lines too (they are better in context, but whatever).

"I wrote a song for you. It's called Bitch in the Uniform."

"I can't go out with you. Because...because....because I am a lesbian."

- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: I love this movie even if Michael Cera has probably permanently ruined my mental of image of Nick. (NICK IS NOT THAT AWKWARD *RAGE*). But I love most of the cast choices (especially Jonathan Wright as Lethario. He was in Spring Awakening! Squee!) and the movie is considerably funny, so I enjoyed it. AND David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (who wrote the book) made a cameo, which is amazing.

I have a few others I've liked but I can't quote them and I am not OMGLOVE about them so I forget about them easily.

As far as "do you think movies based on books are good idea/do you like them/blah" I generally love the book loads more, and the movies tend to frustrate me. I try to separate the two, but that's difficult and it is much more fun to complain. Sometimes, however, the movies are just AWFUL, like A Series of Unfortunate Events. That made my 11 year old self (or however old I was when that movie came out) RAGE!

I like seeing adaptions of books, though, because it's fun to follow all the casting/news about them. Anyone else have thoughts or favorite movies based on books?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. (:

Today's pick:

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

description (from goodreads):

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

---

Contemporary! Boarding school! Secret society! I cannot wait to read this and see how the Mockingbirds work. This book sounds totally epic.

Released in November.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

[description from goodreads]

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.

Review:

Long time readers of this blog know that I have a (completely healthy, I swear) obsession with David Levithan. I'm also a John Green fangirl, so obviously I had high hopes for this book. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. Too much.

The two Will Graysons that narrate this book will inevitably be compared. Most people will have a favorite, and John Green's Will (Will #1) will probably be the most adored. Will #1 will not only gain favor because he's John's Will and John has thousands of crazed nerdfighter fans (222,187 youtube subscribers at the last check), but also because he's not as depressing as Will #2. He's the normal Will. His storyline mainly revolves around his possible romantic interest, Jane. He's pessimistic, but not full-blown depressed, like Will #2. His best friend, Tiny Cooper, sometimes embarasses him, but I think everyone is a bit embarassed by someone they love at one point or another. He's funny and kind of nerdy. He's so John Green. Which is not a terrible thing- his storyline was still entertaining, thoughtful, and Will himself was often very funny. But he's just so John Green, and if you've read John Green's other books, you know what I mean by that.

I know my David obsession gives me a slight bias, but I honestly did like his parts a bit more, but I seriously think a lot of people will disagree. Will #2 doesn't use capital letters, but after a while I didn't even notice. He's literally depressed- he takes meds and everything. I've read this book twice, and the first time, I really did notice Will's depression. He whines a lot, and it's a bit annoying. But when I read the book for a second time, I realized that he's also kind of funny. Once I noticed his dark humor, I enjoyed reading his chapters much more. And really, his anger and depression don't just come out of nowhere; he has reasons to be mad, as you will see from a certain event.

But even though Will #1 is very John, and Will #2 is very David, I still love this book. It's not the most exciting book the world, but there is a MUSICAL in it. I can't dislike anything with a musical involved. Plus, this book has Tiny Cooper, the loud, obnoxious, funny, self-centered, large, gay guy who connects the two Wills together. He does seem a bit to unrealistic at times, but he's hilarious and awesome, so I will excuse that.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is destined to be a hit because of the enormous amount of fans both authors have, but at least it's one of those hits that is actually really great. It's funny, it's smart, and even though it's a bit annoying and the ending is disgustly happy, I loved it. I cannot wait to see how it's received, even though I'm pretty sure Will #1 will be loved the most, and everyone will just complain about how Will #2 does not use capital letters.

Book details: Dutton/Hardcover/$17.99

Links: David's site/John site