I was at a gay prom and there were too many references to this book. I just had to read it. So I did. And it was amazing. I could not put it down! It was so personal; uncensored and honest. You have to open your mind to read this- let go of judgements and enjoy the ride. Charlie writes letters to an anonymous person who only goes by the name "Dear friend." He learns from his two new friends: Sam and Patrick. He started smoking and got into drugs. He learned about sex. He learned all the wrong things in all the right ways. He got asked out by a girl named Mary Elizabeth and they went to a dance together. He didn't kiss her then, not later either. She talked a lot. It was alright, but Charlie got drunk and messed it all up. That seems to accurately describe most of his life. There isn't much of a plot. It is life. It shoves a character, someone you can relate to, flaws and all. They felt real and raw. My favorite was Charlie's older sister. She was a mess. She had an abusive boyfriend who she stayed with for too long. She was insecure and used to using a destructive offense as a way to protect herself. She was bitter and sad, and yet she put trust in her brother. She loved him so much. And that touched my heart. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.
0 Comments
This humorous, fast-paced, musical kept me on the edge of my seat. After reading it's companion novel: Will Grayson, Will Grayson*, it was the perfect dessert. Written like a script with songs that will get you laughing out loud! The director and main character is the only and only: Tiny Cooper. He is anything but small. Even his huge, football-player build can't contain his personality! He is big and gay and not afraid to show it- not that he could even if he wanted to! He uses this musical to explore all the past- failed- relationships. He shows off his parade of boyfriends #1 - 18. He writes side comments that put it all together. Levithan and Green take you on a journey of what love really means. Even his song titles hold your attention: The Ballad of the Lesbian Babysitter; OH! What a Big Gay Baby; The Size of the Package; Stating the Obvious. The character of Tiny is so strong, I want to reach into the pages and give him a big hug! This is a must-read break from all of those psychological thrillers! Even thought Tiny sees her as being effortless old, she's really just a sixteen-year-old girl dealing with everyone's shit, including her own. The time she spends with Tiny is her escape from the outside world, and she wants to teach him a few things about life before she inevitably leaves him for Oberlin. * Will Grayson, Will Grayson, was co-written by David Levithan and John Green and is the first book of these two. I recommend to read this first.
I finished the book and immediately thought, "What the hell do I do with this information?" This was a "psychological thriller" that left goosebumps on my arms even after I finished frantically searching the back of the book for more pages. A novel told from many different perspectives between a girl named Syd, who I classify as the main character, and her sister, Allyson, and friends: Becky and Declan and Graham. Graham is the new kid who moves next-door. His creepy need to capture all parts of his life on film catches Syd's attention even as no one believes her. Graham seems like a gracious, shy kid with a merely a troubled past. But is there more behind the lens? If you read other reviews, many comments are bashing how nonsensical the entire production is. It may be what I love most about it. Olson isn't trying to make you thing any one thing, every reader has to come to their own conclusion. It's unapologetically raw. While some characters feel underdeveloped at times, I greatly enjoy the attributes of Sydney. She is a straight-A student. Her friends include a tech-savvy computer hacker and a genius boy who can ace the SSAT in his sleep. valedictorian material, the friends part ways to go to fill their obligations as president of the Model UN club and to figure out how to create a software that will find only indie music from anywhere on the web. In their free time, the three teens enjoy skateboarding whilst getting high off of their old friend: marijuana. At least... when they aren't in detention. "I'm not one of those girls who does what everyone wants," I tried to explain, "Hell, Tate, I don't think you could get a bad grade if you tried. But you can sure make yourself get stuck here by other means, and you seem to be working hard at it. You don't have to wrestle with being a certain way, with being good or bad. You're just who you are." Above are two excerpts from a conversation Syd has with her, slightly eccentric, guidance counselor.
I didn't know much about superheroes. I watched the occasional Marvel movie, but never read any of the comics. These TV shows changed that for sure! SPOILER ALERT - I may spoil some details without even realizing it! Also I am not close to being done with all the shows - try not to spoil it for me! Haha! I'm going to start with the Flash, since that is where it all began for me. Barry Allen is struck by lightning when a particle accelerator explodes, is in a coma for nine months and then wakes up with the ability to run at super speed (a little over mach 2 on average). His team consists of geniuses like bio-engineer Caitlin Snow and mechanical engineer Cisco Ramon. Funny and sweet on the romance this show will make you wish you could even meet this guy! It gives all of it's villains well rounded backstories and interesting powers. Watch to find out more! Oliver Queen doesn't have super powers. He's not an alien (see Supergirl below) and not a metahuman (that's what the Flash is). At first glance, he is just the son of a billionaire. But after surviving five years on a horrific island named Lian Yu, which means purgatory in Mandarin, he has seen too much death and violence for it not to have changed him. He returns to his home city to avenge his father's dying wish and protect his home. But his methods may be a little bit less than legal, or even morally okay. This show has the best combat out of all of them. Supergirl depends on her brute strength and the Flash depends on his speed, but Oliver Queen has his hands and a bow and arrow to defend himself. And he does! His team grows a lot of the course of the show, but it begins with just him and his bodyguard John Diggle and IT girl genius Felicity Smoak. Steamy romance and wobbly friendships follow this show and hopefully so will you! Kara Danvers is an alien from the planet Kyropton. Yes, the same Krypton that Superman is from (they're cousins). After years of hiding her powers one inciting incident causes her to shed her fear and put on a suit. With the help of the secret alien hunting division of the U.S. government, the D.E.O. Kara helps save the world! Sisterhood is strong in this show and WARNING: it might make you cry sometimes. I've only seen a few episodes of this show, but it seems really fun! It's a team of misfits: people picked because they won't be missed from the timeline. FIRESTORM with Martin Stein and Jefferson Jackson, Sara Lance as the White Canary, Ray Palmer as the ATOM, Leonard Snart as Captain Cold, Mick Rory as Heat Wave, Kendra Saunders as Hawgirl, Carter Hall as Hawkman, and Rip Hunter leading them all. Phew! That was a lot of names! But they all fight to make a difference... sort of. Right now they are all causing trouble to fix their personal problems. I can't tell you much, but if it's anything like the others it is worth the watch! Especially for a badass like the White Canary. I love her because she uses a bo staff (like me) and turns them into Filipino kali sticks when she fights. I've never read a book with such a distinct point of view. Graeme Simison writes with a different pen that makes you need to read what's she's written. Don Tillman has Asperger's, but like most adults with the condition, he has no idea. So he begins his story giving a talk for his friend on the subject. Then the book takes a turn and he decides he needs to find a wife. The perfect wife. And he thinks that he can determine this all through a complex algorithm shaped into a questionnaire. This questionnaire should be able to sift out any unwanted candidates. Then in walks a woman who gets all the answers wrong. Could she be enough to get Don out of thinking that this was the best way to find a wife? Hilarious and charming, this book will take you on a romantic journey! It made me smile and I hope you read it so that you can get the same reaction! |
Currently reading:
the Shadowhunter Chronicles Categories
All
Archives
December 2020
|