tiny pink books

King of the Screwups by K.L. Going
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.

After getting in trouble yet again, high school senior Liam is kicked out of his home with his retired model mother and CEO father to live in a trailer park with his gay glam rocker uncle, Pete.  Trying to win the acceptance of his constantly disapproving father, Liam attempts to stop screwing up and change into the kind of person his father will value.  Of course, this doesn’t go smoothly, resulting in, you guessed it…more screwups!

This was a fun, light read with a sweetly positive message.  Though the premise and the characters are exaggerated and therefore less than realistic, they are enjoyable and, in their hearts, easy to relate to.  I was in a bit of a reading slump when I picked this up and this was the perfect book to pull me out of it-fluffy at first glance, but with an important, warm fuzzy self esteem message.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009

Cameron Smith is your underachiever teen.  He floats through life passively, putting in the bare minimum at school, in his family, work, and even in his friendships.  When he is diagnosed with mad cow disease, it’s like he’s going to die without ever having lived.  The disease eats away at his brain, causing visions and general madness…or is it madness?  Through a series of cryptic clues and possibly insane visions, Cameron is sent on a quest to find a mysterious Dr. X to save not only himself, but the entire world.  Bringing a new friend, Gonzo, along for the ride, Cameron is forced to really engage on an adventure that is part madness, part love story, and part spring break road trip.  But will he find a cure for his disease?  Can he save the universe?  Is this really happening or is it all just the breakdown of his mad cow infused brain?

I don’t really know what to make of Going Bovine.  It is appropriate that the main character has a deteriorating brain…because the story is messy and mad in its own way.  There are gems within it, for sure, but I can’t say, with any confidence, that they have been pulled together into a great work.  The humor, for example, is spot on.  Libba Bray is one funny lady and the world is a better place for it!  The friendship between Gonzo and Cameron and their road trip antics is hilarious in that buddies who rag on each other a la John Green’s characters kind of way.

Despite some downright delightful moments in Going Bovine, however, it was hard to get through.  The good part is, this is a teenage, stoner version of magical realism.  The unexplained happens and the entire story is unique and interesting for what it is.  Maybe it was just covering too much or maybe the mad cow journey lasted just a bit too long, but the whole story felt like it was falling apart by the end.  In a way, it was appropriate because Cameron’s brain is also falling apart by the end…but it just wasn’t that fun to read anymore.  I wanted to like this book, I really did.  I love that Bray has departed from the historical fiction setting of the Gemma Doyle books and there are some wonderful moments in Going Bovine, but I just grew tired of this book in its 496 pages.  Maybe, after writing under the more rigid constrains of the historical and fantasy worlds of Ms Doyle, Bray just had to break free and go hog wild, but Going Bovine was just a little too messy to be coherent at times.  It didn’t help that the epic journey had a bit of a letdown conclusion as well.

I would recommend this to John Green fans who want more of that buddy picture humor and don’t mind a meandering plot.  Likewise, fans of magical realism and epic road trips might be inclined to enjoy.  I would not recommend this to reluctant readers or readers who need a neatly packed plot with a clean resolution.  I’m also not sure if fans of Bray’s previous work will cross over, though those who were savvy enough to pick up on the subtle, but delicious humor, of the Gemma Doyle books may find something within Going Bovine as well.

Spud by John van de Ruit
Razorbill, 2007

Set in 1990 at a South African boarding school, Spud chronicles the first year of 13-year-old John “Spud” Milton.  Through his hilarious and insightful diary entries, Spud captures the every aspect of the madness, the humor, and the challenges that come with growing up in a school full of boys.  From hazing, to adventures with his dormmates, to first loves, to antics of his insane family, Spud’s diary captures a very specific stage of life and does so with great humor and heart.

I found myself laughing aloud (often inappropriately, in public) while reading Spud.  The boarding school antics that can arise only when so many adolescent and teen boys live together in such an isolated environment will have readers in stitches.  What surprised me about Spud though was the depth of intelligence and emotion along with humor.  Also, while I didn’t find the book to lag exactly, it was a slower than average YA read, probably because the plot centers more on character development than actual action.  That said, I would still recommend Spud to readers (adult and teen alike), especially boys, who want something funny and meaningful.  Not for those seeking suspense or action, Spud will be enjoyed by the kind of readers who like books like quirky coming of age stories, humor, and boarding school from the boy’s perspective.

Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
Harcourt Children’s Books, 2009.

Nina Harrison is not the kind of sleek, sexy, ultra powerful vampire that you have no doubt read about in other books.  No, Nina is a vampire alright, but in Catherine Jinks’ refreshing novel, vampires are pretty much like normal people–except they are weak, tired, whiny, and they are literally dead during daylight hours.  Nina is part of a support group of vampires living in Sydney, Australia.  Meeting weekly in a church basement for the last 30 years, Nina and her friends groan and moan about the ups and downs on being a reformed vampire (a vampire who does not go around “fanging” humans).  When one of their members is found murdered with a stake to the heart, Nina and her friends set out to find the killer, taking them on a caper of an adventure that involves courage, strength, wits, and all the things that this group of misfit vampires generally seems to lack.

The concept for Reformed Vampire Support Group is fantastic.  Jinks uses the concept of the whiny, beaten down vampire in a way that is both humorous and realistic (if you were around for 100+ years, don’t you think you’d be feeling tired and whiny?).  Aside from that, the reformed vampire concept gives Jinks free range to create a memorable cast of characters who, especially in Nina, must break free from their passivity to overcome.  The story is basically a standard mystery, but the characters and concept make it work.

Although I found it to be a little bit long and lagging (a witty concept can only carry you so far…), especially in the second half, I still recommend Reformed Vampire Support Group to readers who like humor, mystery, and (of course!) vampires.  Reluctant readers should beware the slowish pace (at parts) and, although there are sparks of romance, die hard Twilight fans will not find any major teenage longings of love in this satirical vampire world.  The cover gives you a fairly accurate representation of the tone of the book–it’s cute, it’s goth, and it’s silly.

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
2001

I picked up Good in Bed, yet another chicklit book with a cover that’s screams, “This is chicklit!!!” making it sort of embarrassing to hold in sight on the train, because I read through my library pile and needed something to get me through the commute.  I have been going through a recent bout of fickleness with books lately– picking them up, reading 50 pages, and putting them back down again with no interest in continuation.  Luckily, Good in Bed, despite its desperately female cover, struck my interest and allowed me to actually finish a book for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, on with the book.  Good in Bed is a humorous and touching tale of Cannie, an entertainment columnist going through a breakup and entering the next phase of her life.  Cannie is witty, sarcastic, and, oh by the way, she’s fat.  Not only is Cannie well above average in size, but she’s confident, strong, and comfortable in her skin.  The book begins as Cannie is horrified to read a column in a women’s magazine by her ex-boyfriend Bruce, “Loving a Larger Woman.”  Humiliated and, eventually, regretful of the breakup, Cannie must go through a lot of soul searching and upsets to figure out what she wants out of life and how to get it.

So, all in all, Good in Bed is a pretty good read.  Sure, it has just about every chicklit cliché in the mix (small, spunky doggie companion, entertainment journalist job, faithful BFF, etc.), but the character of Cannie is fresh and the story actually has some interesting appeal.  I was not at all surprised when I read an interview with the author in which she cites She’s Come Undone as her inspiration.  It reads a lot like She’s Come Undone, except Good in Bed is a lighter and fluffier.  I was frustrated at times with this book for lacking in substance, but overall, I’d have to say that I enjoyed my reading of Good in Bed and that I wouldn’t be totally averse to picking up another of Weiner’s books if the mood strikes me.  I’d recommend this to readers who want well crafted chicklit that’s heavy on the wit and emotion.

King Dork by Frank Portman
Delacorte Press, 2006.

Frank Portman, of the Mr. T Experience (a band fondly familiar to me from my own high school days!), is the author of King Dork, an entertaining and eerily familiar YA novel.  King Dork is Tom, also known as Chi-Mo or Moe, due to an unfortunate and mean spirited nicknaming incident.  A self deprecating social outcast, Chi-Mo gives us a humorous and, at least for me, all too familiar portrait of the social hell that is high school as he navigates through friendship, rock bands, girls, The Catcher in the Rye, his late father’s past, and his family life.  From the rigidly defined cliques, the mean spirited psychological torture from “normal people,” and the abusive vice principal, King Dork rang true, almost frighteningly so, to my own high school world.

Tom’s voice is what works most in King Dork.  Perhaps it is because I feel like I knew him (or was the female equivalent of him?), but his wit and intelligence ring through every sentence of this book.  While it is short on actual plot at times, the book never goes stale because the voice brings a certain kind of truthful humor that keeps the pages turning.

Although those seeking action or distinct plot movement will be disappointed, King Dork is a great book for YA readers who want emotion cut with lots humor.  John Green fans might find King Dork to be suitable followup.  Social misfits (and former social misfits) will find truth and amusement in Tom’s snarky observations.  This book is YA and contains a number of references to sex and drugs, though none are very explicit, making it a little more appropriate for older young adults.

Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Three Rivers Press, 2007

The third book of the “Jessica Darling” series, Charmed Thirds takes off where Second Helpings left off–the likable, yet perpetually angsty and troubled, Jessica Darling is now attending college at Columbia University in New York City.  She’s got her loving, long-distance relationship with high school boyfriend Marcus Flutie, a dream internship at an ironically hip magazine, and, of course, enough wit and sarcasm to make this book as fulfilling a read as the previous two.

Charmed Thirds covers a lot of ground in Jessica’s life.  Starting her freshman year and continuing all the way until graduation, we see a lot of time and personal changes spanned in Charmed Thirds.  Jessica’s (mis)adventures in her relationships, her education, and her career choices are written in a tone that makes them so accessible and relatable that it’s hard to put this book down.  The tactic of taking on the coming of age, college experience story, with all the very low points that come along with such, with enough seriousness to make us care and enough humor to make us enjoy, is indicative of the entire series.  There’s something smart and enjoyable and real about the Jessica Darling books that always keeps me engaged.

Jessica has grown up in the series and though I see this book often places in the young adult section of the library, I would be hesitant to call it a YA book.  Sure, mature YA readers who enjoyed the previous books in the series, which are very much appropriate as YA, will be able to enjoy this one, but through each book, Jessica has become more frank (and experienced!) about sex, drugs, and drinking, which may not be appropriate for all YA readers.   I also think that Charmed Thirds deals with some fairly adult, at least college-aged adult, problems that might be more accessible to an older audience.

Running with Scissors
by Augusten Burroughs
St. Martin’s Press, 2002

Running with Scissors is an amusing, yet emotionally moving, memoir from Augusten Burroughs that tells his life from childhood through his teenage years with a psychotic mother, an absent father, and an insane foster family.  Burroughs starts off in his childhood, which is interesting and traumatic as he grows to realize the problems his mother has with her mental health.  Eventually, he ends up living with Dr. Finch, her psychiatrist with questionable sanity, and his family. The memoir is broken into stories that manage to disgust, amuse, and emotionally move the reader.

My favorite thing about Running with Scissors is the way that Burroughs manages to write about people who are disgusting on one level, yet deeply disturbed and, in some cases, emotionally compelling.  Instead of just giving flat renditions of the strange people he grew up with, Burroughs gives us real, textured portraits of these people that he came to know as family.  For example, Burroughs successfully a human face on his first boyfriend, a man in his 30’s who started dating, and sleeping with, Augusten when he was only 14.  The characters are not always likable, but they are written with depth and texture that makes them interesting and human.

Aside from the attention given to the people, Burroughs has a knack for recreating moments. Running with Scissors is filled with so many slices of life, even if it’s an insane life that most of us will never truly know, that are heartwarming and hilarious.  Burroughs triumphs at showing us that there can be humor found in everything, even during dark times.

Running with Scissors is not for the timid.  It’s full of disgusting, disturbing situations, dark, sarcastic humor, very descriptive sexual scenes, casual drug use, and a more foul language than you can shake a stick at (not that  you would shake sticks at foul language…).  These detractors will be seen as positive points for the type of reader who will enjoy Running with Scissors.