What I'm Reading These Days

I've been very busy lately ordering you tons of new books. This is because I am attracted to printer's ink, shiny covers, and good writing. It's kind of like those little bugs that get zapped by those lights you put outside during the summer, only instead of being electrocuted, sometimes I get paper cuts.

I've never thought those lights actually worked. Think about it. You put out a light which attracts bugs, then kills them. But before they die, they come to the light. Which is by you, where you are sitting outside. So you really end up with more bugs, don't you?

I have a problem with tangents.

In between all of the new book stuff, I have been reading. And oh, is the reading not an amazing thing?

This came in the mail for me last week, and I loved it.


Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I could not put this book down.

At first I found myself looking forward to the Will Grayson chapters and powering through the will grayson chapters (Will Grayson is one Will, the other will is chronically depressed--his narration is in all lowercase letters). Why? will's life hard to read about, since it's so painful for him to live. As he starts to leave his forced-solitude, this changes. By the end, you're rooting for both Wills and Tiny Cooper (who is fantastic).

I won't tell you who wrote which Will Grayson--it's more fun to figure out on your own. But I will tell you--Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a definite must-read!

After finishing Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I started talking to Polly, who used to be the guru of all things YA here at the library before I took over a year ago. I asked if she'd read any of David Levithan's books. We talked teen lit for a while, until this book came up:


It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini.

I'd picked this book up several times because I think the cover is awesome. I mean, look at that! Then I'd vow to read it after I finished [INSERT TITLE HERE] and then when I'd finished the book I was reading, I'd vow to read It's Kind of a Funny Story after the new book I just had to read first.

In other words, I kept getting distracted by shiny new books.

I knew (this would be last Thursday) that I couldn't go straight from reading about Will Graysons to reading about zombies, so instead of jumping right into The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I went upstairs and grabbed It's Kind of a Funny Story.

Wow.

Mini summary: Craig, an ambitious 15 year old, spent his entire time in junior high studying for the entrance exam for Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, easily the best high school in New York. Finally he takes the test and discovers he's made it--with a perfect score.

But once he starts his first year, he realizes that he's not the best. In fact, he's behind. Craig quickly becomes overwhelmed, depressed, and suicidal, finally calling a suicide hotline and checking himself into a nearby hospital for psychiatric treatment. Since the teen ward is packed full (and under construction) Craig is put in with the adults. While there, Craig starts to tackle his own problems and he does what he can to help his fellow patients.

Still, it isn't the plot that made me love this novel. It was the spot-on descriptions of Craig's depression--his symptoms, thought processes, reasoning--it's so accurate that, even if Vizzini hadn't mentioned his own experience with depression, I would have still been convinced that he'd based the novel on his own struggle.

Now I'm excited about this.

A film adaptation of It's Kind of a Funny Story is in the works! The scheduled release date, from what I can find, is November of 2010, so we don't have that long to wait...I hope.

Go here for more about Ned Vizzini and his books. He also has been posting movie updates.

After I finished reading that, I read The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by


I love Sherlock Holmes. I love Enola. This is a great series--definitely worth a trip downstairs.

What's up next? The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan...


Followed up with The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King.


I love Sherlock Holmes. I love Mary Russell. If you're interested in all things Holmesian, start this series with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. And don't forget Enola.

I'm reading The Language of Bees in anticipation of The God of the Hive, the newest Mary Russell mystery--due out this month. I'm having a hard time waiting.

Keep reading and be ready for the host of new books that are on the way!