Book Review: Recent Reads #25, #27, & #29

Quick Note: I was so close to being caught up! I was three books behind! Almost there! Then I knocked my computer off my bed, fucked up my wireless card, had to get the techs at work to fix it, procrastinated as usual, unexpectedly read a giant pile of fast-going YA literature and ended up way behind. As usual. Dammit. Also, the ordering is all messed up at this point because I skipped #17 and #18 which were comics (and thus require me to download programs to read digital comics and rip images before I can post that review... as you have to see Tabby to believe her... not to mention Aaron's mighty robot head). Plus, the Meg Cabot needs to go together so chronology be damned! Anyways, enough with the ramblings... on with the reviews!



Title: Remember Me?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Chick Lit

Quick Review: Easy breezy chick lit novel. The heroine is your standard, ordinary, chick lit heroine until she blacks out, wakes up in a hospital bed, and finds out that she's lost all memory of the past three years of her life. And now she's glamorous, has perfect hair, teeth, and botoxed lips, is married to an extremely handsome and wealthy man, and is the boss at her workplace. She may also be a big ole bitch. One who alienated all of her friends, is a tyrant at work, and was cheating on her "perfect" spouse with his hot architect. So, yeah, harmless fluffy beach read with a heroine who is a little annoying (as are all chick lit leads) but fortunately not in the "too stupid to live" category.

Final Note: I love how she used to go to "cute architect guy's" house to eat toast (sadly, that's totally not a euphemism... although "planting sunflowers" creepily is).



Title: Looking For Alaska
Author: John Green
Genre: Young Adult

Quick Review: I picked this one up because Meg Cabot's always saying how awesome John Green is and how he's not a pornographer (seriously, since when does one quick blow-job scene make a book pornographic). So, yeah, it's totally a "young man searches for his identity at an elite boarding school" book. Which makes me think of A Separate Peace or Dead Poet's Society or Prep (though that last one revolved around a self-centered unlikable girl rather than a self-centered unlikeable boy) which is unfortunate because those all have mighty portions of angst. (Oh god, A Separate Peace. I swear, that's one of the worst books I had to read in High School. Oh man, now I'm thinking about The Awakening and Woman Warrior and The English Patient and My Antonia... will this evil mental spiral ever end!? )

Except Looking For Alaska is a very modern, sad and melancholy yet hauntingly beautiful, and really incredibly well written little book. And the angst is at a minimum. And I totally cried in the middle. And I really can't say more without giving away plot.

Final Note(s): My favorite scenes totally involved Cap at the basketball games, harassing the opposing team till he got kicked out ("I am concussed."). Also, I want to read An Abundance of Katherines just because of how awesome that cover is. And that title is cool too.



Title: Book Of A Thousand Days
Author: Shannon Hale
Genre: Young Adult/Children's Lit

Quick Review: I keep reading Shannon Hale books because I liked her Newberry-winning first novel, The Princess Academy. Unfortunately, she keeps writing the same book over and over again and I keep getting bored. I'm officially done. These books have teenage heroines who are seriously great role models for 12-yr-old girls. But I'm not twelve anymore and the writing's just not good enough to hook me in as an adult. Again, another good book for kids, but not a good book for Tabatha.