Transitive Verve

I got to see John Green (and Hank!!!) for the TATWD book tour! I've been SUPER excited about this for WEEKS, if you couldn't tell by my uber-capitalization and excessive use of exclamation points!!!! The only bummer about this was that there wasn't actually a signing where we could've met the Green brothers, but hey, we all got a signed copy of the book (and swag) included with admission, so... I'm not complaining all that much. You guys, you have to know how much this means to me to even be in the same room as John Green. He's not just the author of my #4 favorite book of all time (TFIOS); he's one of my favorite HUMAN BEINGS (that I don't personally know). I know it's dangerous to put people on pedestals, but he's one of the few famous people in the world I would feel even remotely comfortable nudging in the general direction of the proverbial pedestal. As a book lover, as a media consumer, and as a teacher, I am so heavily influenced...

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it!) Summary:  Seven years ago, Elliot let the love of her life walk away, and she's regretted it ever since. She has always known that Wade was The One, but she was too young at the time to make that kind of promise, and as a result, she hasn't heard from him since the day they broke up. Wade is back in town after seven years of running from the memories of the girl he loved, but under the worst of circumstances: his father is dying. So now, not only is he having to deal with being strong for his sisters, but he also has to face Elliot, and the very real possibility that his feelings for her are as strong as ever.

Thoughts at a glance: ** (It was okay) Summary:  Autumn has a seemingly-awesome life. She's a photographer for yearbook, she's friends with some of the popular kids, and she's finally, finally going to make things happen with Jeff, who's been flirting with her for years. AND, she's about to go spend an awesome weekend with her awesome friends and almost-boyfriend in a cabin at the canyon. Until she finds herself left behind and locked in the library. With Dax, of all people. Where Autumn is the one who always follows the rules and goes along with the crowd, Dax is the mysterious one, the loner, the one who doesn't give a crap, the one who everyone talks about. At first, Autumn wants nothing more than to get out of there. But as she gets to know Dax, she starts to realize that she's not really sure what she wants anymore.

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: I honestly don't know how to sum it up better in my own words, so here's the official copy: Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: Maria Lopez and Jay na Thalang are sworn enemies from the start. Jay, a professor at Berkeley, assumes that beautiful, glamorous Maria is a fake, shallow dolt; Maria, rightfully, thinks he's sexist and elitist. Every encounter between them after their first meeting is ferocious and full of fire. Unbeknownst to either of them, they actually get along really well--online. Maria runs a popular blog, and Jay is one of her biggest fans, and for the past year and a half, they've been communicating under pseudonyms, Em and A. Their friendly messages have turned into flirtation, and their flirtation is slowly turning into love. As sparks fly (not always in a good way) between Maria and Jay, Em and A grow closer. But eventually the truth will...

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Summary: Tina Chen has about fifteen dollars left in her bank account, and no time for any foolishness. She just wants to get her degree and become a doctor so that she can help take care of her family and their bills. On a particularly bad day listening to privileged college students complaining about welfare and EBT, Tina loses it--on Blake Reynolds, who happens to be the son of the CEO of the Apple-like corporation, Cyclone Industries. She bets him that he wouldn't last one day with her life, and he takes her up on it: they will trade jobs, houses, salaries, responsibilities, etc. for the rest of the semester. But things aren't exactly as they seem, as each discovers the difficulties of each other's lives. As Tina and Blake get to kno...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Gabby and Ryan are an unlikely pair of best friends--Gabby is a loner who gets panic attacks and prefers to stay home and play Monopoly with her family on the weekends, while Ryan is a popular hockey player who loves to party and probably can't even remember all the girls he's hooked up with. And yet, they've somehow managed to stay best friends since they first met freshman year, going bowling and making Top Ten lists about everything under the sun. Now they've just graduated, and their separation for college is looming just over the horizon. As we count down their Top Ten moments of their friendship, Gabby and Ryan need to confront their feelings and decide if they really want to be something more.