Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner

Sixth grade was supposed to be different. But AJ's still short, still boring, and still invisible to the girl of his dreams. When he's paired with the lovely Nia for a class project, he begins adopting various characteristics of pop culture vampires to draw her attention.

I really enjoyed this middle-grade graphic novel with its mish-mash of vampire lore and all the angst 11-year-olds can inhabit. It wasn't as predictable as I'd feared, and I quite enjoyed the twists.

The Nix by Nathan Hill

A struggling college English professor finds the jolt of writing inspiration he needs when his estranged mother is very publicly arrested for assaulting a Senator.

The novel juggles several storylines: grown men stunted by their addiction to an online quest game, a childhood friendship's long-lasting impacts, the radical 70's story of his mother, childhood tales of folklore and fantasy.

I really enjoyed the story - the hopping between time periods and characters kept it fresh, yet every divergence presented characters you felt strongly about (sometimes pity, other times irritation and even hatred). The overall theme that everyone's haunted: by the past, by expectations, by a decision made or an action not taken.

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson

Where, you ask, is the most dangerous place on earth? The American high school, of course.

This book is considered a novel, but it's almost a series of short stories. Perspective constantly shifts between students, and only a young, new English teacher pops up again and again with an embroiled outsider's perspective on the kids' drama.

The book takes these students from 8th grade through senior year. They study (or not), they party, they get in trouble, and they try to figure out what the world has to offer. We see their actions through the lens of other students (and their teacher), we see their roles in the social caste system, and sometimes we see things from their perspective, too - which often brings new information that alters your reaction to their behavior.

Pretty much they're all self-absorbed shits (they're teenagers - that's the default setting!). But Miss Nicholl isn't too far distanced from her own youth, and her naivety helps illustrate that maturity isn't a threshold you step over, it's more of a series of steps toward an unattainable goal.

The roiling dramas of high school is a near universal touchstone, even if you didn't grow up in this new, technological age, and this is a really, really good book full of complex characters and horrifying, realistic events.

It's being marketed as an adult novel, but it's very much like many of the young adult books being published today (I think the difference is the insertion of an adult rather than an all-teen perspective).

The Best Man by Richard Peck

Archer Magill's story starts and ends with weddings - but all the fun happens in the in-between.

He makes friends with a girl, his class gets a long-term substitute teacher and then they get a MALE student teacher. There's bullying, sick grandparents, baseball, a new school, and a budding realization that if he keeps his ears and eyes open there is a big, fantastic world happening all around Archer.

The book shifts back and forth in time as Archer tells his own story, and it covers his first-grade through sixth-grade years. It's no secret to reveal there's a gay marriage - Archer tells you right away - but there are plenty of other surprises along the way.

It's a realistic look at modern schools and multi-generational families. A lot of the humor comes at Archer's expense, since his friend Lynette is as savvy as he is oblivious. It's a story sweet, sad, funny, and very, very good.

When I finished, I actually sighed, closed the book, and said aloud, "Oh, Richard Peck." What a writer! What a book! What a fantastic tale told well! Can you tell I loved it?

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

Nanette can't keep pleasing everyone else at the detriment of her own desires, but can she face the disappointment of her teammates and parents? Alex has decided to fight back against the bullies, but that might not be the best way to express individualism.

Have you ever read a book that absolutely changed your life? For the characters in this YA novel, a cult classic, out-of-print paperback leads to a different perspective on being one of the generic human crowd. But how much can you "quit" and still be alright?

This book isn't as dark as Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, but it's certainly no spring June walk in the park. Metamorphosis is hard work and not always pretty. (Let's hope Quick does better in handling the enthusiasm of his readers than his character Booker did.)

I adore Quick's writing, and his characters are amazingly nuanced, flawed and very relatable. These kids are searching for something - searching for themselves - and the way they work through it brings love and light but also unpleasantness and drama to their lives.

Love May Fail by Matthew Quick

In a mid-life crisis meltdown mode (after not quite shooting her philandering husband), Portia Kane returns to her childhood home to figure out her next step - little knowing it will lead her on an epic journey of discovery and disappointment.

Author Matthew Quick has become famous for his fair, honest depiction of human frailties and mental disorder, and this novel is well within that wheelhouse. Every character in the book has his or her issues, but they're not presented as a problem to be solved, just a thing to be experienced.

Portia's quest to "save" her beloved high school English teacher leads her down nostalgia's path in many ways, and the book is full of 1980s-vintage metal and hard rock lyrics, puns, and references. It's also full of strange coincidences, chance meetings, and what may be divine inspiration.

My only quibble is that I found the character Danielle Bass flat. She's a means to move the story along, but I don't feel that we really get her perspective or struggles in any real way like we do every other character in the novel.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

You'd think you only get half of a story if you're given only one person's letters, but in the case of college professor Jason Fitger we get a more-than-complete story reading only his hilarious, twisted, and sad outgoing correspondence. Trust me.

Through his rants, recommendations, and personal letters of reference we learn all about Professor Fitger's ex-wife, ex-girlfriends, ex-students, college friends, and coworkers. We know all about the building's remodeling project gone wrong, about Fitger's love life gone wrong, and about his career gone wrong.

It's a story of office politics, university backstabbing, and one insufferable man's attempts to do right by a promising young writer. I laughed out loud on several occasions. It's a very good pick-it-up-and-put-it-down book, and make sure you stick around for the end.

The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen

A lonely teacher becomes the much-anticipated 10th-and-final member in a lauded writer's group. But before her initiation can be properly carried out, the famous children's author who founded the group disappears mysteriously - leaving the newest member unmoored and without a mentor.

The woman learns about the group's history and relationships though a strange "game" the members play. It's a kidnap-and-interrogate system that lends the whole thing an illicit element and makes every revelation feel like a dark confession.

This is a strange, dark story (translated from Finnish) and I was never sure if I was reading a supernatural novel, a murder-mystery, or literary fiction. It could be a good book discussion title, if only to see and discuss what others thought of the characters and story.

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden

Almost from the moment they meet, there's something different and precious about the friendship between 17 year olds Liza and Annie. It's when the girls realize that perhaps it's not mere friendship - perhaps it's simply love - that things become anything but simple.

I picked up this book because the author passed away recently. In a tribute, they discussed the ground this book broke for fair and accurate representation of same-sex couples in fiction. Seemed like a good enough reason to look it up.

The book was originally published in 1982, yet it's aged incredibly well; there are very few hints in the book to place it outside our own time. My audiobook (read by Rebecca Lowman) was 2008 commemorative edition, which also included a fairly extensive interview with the author on the book's impact and legacy both in her own life and in LGBTQ history.

It's a great book (the tension that builds through the middle section was agonizing for me!) and I can understand why it's had the impact it has. Gay or straight, it's a good love story and it's also a fair look at the impulsiveness of teenagers and the implications of unthought actions.

Rumor has it

by Jill Shalvis

Get ready for a hot flash.  The sparks between Griffin and Kate were flying even during his sister's book (Rescue My Heart) which is an early title in the Animal Magnetism series. 

Grif's been medically discharged but would rather not mention that part as he returns for the wedding of his sister and best friend.  Kate's always had a huge crush on her best friend's big brother.  Of course, that means she and Adam are the only people tuned in to Grif enough to see his suffering. 

She's spent years caring for extended family while delaying the opportunity of a lifetime.  He once lit out of town like his tail was on fire.  Now she's got a chance at something great away from Sunshine, Idaho and he has finally returned to his roots. 

Although her self-confidence is often in question when he shows up, Kate knows what she wants: Griffin.  He knows two things: it's a bad idea and his sister will kill him if he touches Kate.  If you thought the sparks flew during that accidental topless Skype in the previous book, just wait until you see these two try to resist the pull in person.  All she wants is one night.  All he wants is to do what he sees as the right thing.

Maybe this time

by Jennifer Crusie

Do you like ghost stories? How about romance? This one has them both. Andie stops by to tell her ex-husband that she's getting remarried. The next thing she knows, she is in charge of two very disturbed children that live in a haunted house. Can she get the kids up to grade level, and moved out before the ghosts kill again? Normally, I am not a fan of ghost stories. However, I was absolutely riveted. Just like Andie, I began to see more to the children and the haunting than previous characters were given credit for seeing. The twist at the end was also a nice touch.

Too good to be true

by Kristin Higgins

Dumped by her fiance, Grace has enough on her plate. Add to that the fact that he chose her sister as the "better" option, and Grace is not only getting sympathy from the whole family, but also pity. Her solution? Make up a wonderful boyfriend and flaunt the fictitious man at every opportunity. This, of course, snowballs into a series of lies to nearly everyone she knows, including her unbelievably good looking neighbor. Callahan O'Shea just happens to be showing an interest in her as well, when she isn't causing him accidental bodily harm. What will it take to bring out Grace's honesty?

This book kept my attention when the story stayed in the present. Grace flitted back in her memory an awful lot as she worked to show the world that the time spent with her ex felt as though it had happened to a different person. I have to admit, there were times when I skipped a page or two to get to the next scene. However, those up to date scenes were a lot of fun. I will definitely not be giving up on Ms. Higgins anytime soon. Grace and Cal did hold my attention very nicely.

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

You could say this book is about the tragedy at Columbine High School and it would be accurate. But it's about so, so much more. Actually, it took me nearly 6 weeks to get through this audiobook - so you can see that it's not "simply" about anything.

Both Caelum and his wife work at Columbine, but only Maureen was at school that day. The events of that single day reverberates through their lives in ways both big and small, forever. This book deals with something like four generations of Caelum's family history, Maureen's trauma, the couple's starting over, their network of friends and family ... I'm just not sure I can summarize it.

The characters and the meadering storylines are well drawn and very interesting - would I stick with them for 6 weeks if I hadn't bought into it? Worth it, but WOW! What a behemoth.