It’s been awhile since I’ve written up a book review and I’ve had a few people asking what I’ve been reading. It feels like I’ve hardly read anything but when I look back at all the titles I guess I have! I am going to share the Young Adult books I’ve read and what we thought of them. None of these books have any gratuitous sex scenes or scenes where the main character ends up stinking drunk. I am not sure why those types of scenes are so prevalent in Young Adult Literature but I don’t want my girls diving into that. (If you don’t have time to read all these blurbs then skip to Ready Player One. So good!)
Let’s jump right in:
-Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. This was a fun book by the author of Eleanor and Park (also a good book!). It follows the story of Lincoln O’Neill and his new job as internet security officer for a London newspaper. Part of his job requirements are to read system flagged emails to make sure employees aren’t abusing the email system. In particular, Lincoln enjoys reading the hilarious emails between Beth and Jennifer. He even falls in love Beth as he sees her personality develop. This book is perfect mind candy for a hot summer afternoon but it does feel more adult than the rest of the books.
–Being Henry David by Cal Armistad. I’d seen this one pop up for me numerous times on Good Reads but I’d ignored the suggestion until recently. I’m so glad I finally picked it up. It is about a boy who finds himself in Grand Central Station with absolutely no memory of how he got there or who he, himself, was. The only clue he had about himself was that he was carrying the book Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Slowly Henry’s memory returns and with it the grim reminder of a tragic accident. This is a good read for boys and girls and middle aged moms too!
-Guitar Notes by Mary Amato. I read this one quickly over spring break and then my girls picked it up too. It’s an interesting story of two completely different people who share a music practice room on alternate days. Communication between Lyla and Tripp starts with snippy notes going back and forth and ends up blossoming into a cute friendship and sweet romance. Of course there is a tragic turn towards the end but this book has a satisfying ending. Another mind candy type book perfect for the beach.
–The Rosie Project by Graem Stimson. Technically this is not a Young Adult book and there is a bit of content that might be a little bit uncomfortable, but the main character is so socially inept that it is hard not to laugh. Jill and I adored this book. If you are a fan of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory then you will love the main character Don. He does not think he has Aspergers but all signs point to a big yes. Don has designed a test/quiz to find himself the perfect wife. During this quest he meets Rosie and while she does not meet his standards for a wife he decides to help HER with her own project, finding her biological Dad. These two characters could not me more opposite in nature and that is what makes the story so endearing. I’d love to see this turned into a movie!
–Counting by 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Speaking of Aspergers, I think the main character of this book, Willow, also suffers from the same affliction. When her adoptive parents are tragically killed in a car accident she is taken care of by some unlikely characters. She also does a lot of the care taking too. I enjoyed seeing how her mind worked and rooting for this young girl.
I saved the best for last here!
–Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I just finished reading this book out loud to my kids on Monday. We could hardly put it down. (At one point I read out loud for two hours straight!) This book is set way in the future where the real world society was crumbling but a virtual world/game was an escape for the main character Wade. Shortly before he dies, the game’s creator sets off a huge scavenger hunt in the game. The winner becomes the game creator’s sole heir and gains control of the whole virtual world. There was plenty of action and suspense in this book and the part I loved best were all of the 1980’s references. The game creator grew up in the 80’s and used all sorts of pop culture references in his clues. Atari, Max Headroom, War Games, Monty Python, Rush, etc., they all make appearances. My description really can’t do it justice but the book was awesome. We just found out that this book is preproduction for a movie. Can’t wait! (Please note that there is a lot of bad language in this book. Do you know how hard it is to read out loud and change those words on the fly? Let’s just say that my record wasn’t perfect!)
Amazingly most of these books have a boy as the main character, but if you are looking for a home run for your son to read then grab Ready Player One.
Is Young Adult the only type of book I read? Nope! I’ve read a lot of regular books too. Me Before You (Jojo Moyes), The Expats (Chris Payone), Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan) and the Boys In The Boat (Daniel James Brown) are just a few of my favorites.
Leave a comment if you think I have missed some good ones. I’m always looking for a good book!