Book Nerds Across America

Book Summary
Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.

When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.

So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.

Flo's Review
I adored Simon so hard. And I adore Becky Albertalli so hard. But I struggled a bit with Leah, for two reasons: 1) Leah is such an angsty teenager. She has every right to be. I completely understand why she is. But I didn't really have a lot of fun reading 300+ pages of angsty, stuck-in-own-head teen girl. 2) Seriously, everyone at Creekwood has a crush on the one same person?! Like, between the books and movie, how many people have been romantically interested in this one character?! And, yeah, she's cool, but...  I found myself picking this book up every night and telling myself that I just needed to get through it. It felt really long and like I was reading it forever.

Okay, so now let's talk about the good stuff! Simon Spier is my favorite for life! This book had a LOT of Simon and his love interest in it and I was all here for it. That promposal though?! Everything. They are adorable. I love them. One of my friends wrote in her review that she loved all the pop culture references and would just love to hang out with this friend group and I agree! So much Harry Potter love and it was so great. I would have loved to do prom night with this crew.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda review here: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2017/11/book-review-and-trailer-simon-vs-homo.html

Love, Simon movie review here:
http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2018/02/movie-review-love-simon.html

Book Summary
Love and I once had a great relationship, but I fear we've broken up. It cheated on me.

When Ben’s girlfriend, Marly, dies, he feels his life is over and the prospect of Valentine’s day without her fills him with bitterness. But then Marly arrives – or at least, her ghost does – along with three other spirits. Now Ben must take a journey through Valentines past, present and future – and what he learns will change him forever.

A remix of Charles Dicksons's A Christmas Carol with a Valentine's twist and the Levithan magic.

Flo's Review
I thought I knew of pretty much all books David Levithan, but I had never heard of this when I saw it in a London bookstore Resistance was futile. But it was the perfect little book to read on the flight back. It's a Valentine's Day retelling of A Christmas Carol -- what a good idea! Especially because Love is the meaning of life (in my opinion) so putting this tale on a holiday that celebrates love is completely apropos. 

I enjoyed the illustrations, which I found out from the Author's Note at the end of the book were based on the illustrations in the original story. Also, it was really interesting to hear David Levithan's process for writing this book, which he also discusses in the Author's Note. 

Tiny and Tim. I love them. All the heart eyes.

Overall, a quick and easy read. It's fun to see the translation of this quintessential Christmas story into a Valentine's Day tale, and see all the characters turned into regular high school teenagers. 

Book Summary
Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible.

But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for her friend ... until Kate herself starts to develop feelings for Diego. Suddenly, Kate finds that while doling out wisdom to others may be easy, asking for help is tougher than it looks, and following your own advice is even harder.

Kasie West's adorable story of secrets, love, and friendship is sure to win over hearts everywhere. 

Flo's Review
"Adorable" is right, Book Summary. Literally everything about this book is adorable. I mean, look at this cover! The book is about a girl who loves going out on the lake, the couple on the cover are in heart floaties! I cannot even with this adorableness.

I kept wanting to read this book. I was on a trip through England and Wales, you guys, and I was there wanting to know what happens with these characters. I like Kate because she's so real. She sees herself as an introvert, but she's not the over-the-top "I never talk to anyone" type introvert. She is close with her bestie and had a boyfriend. She just prefers being out on the lake to anything else. 

So the title has the word "Listen" in it, and this book is about a podcast. And the blurb is "Call Me Maybe..." So perfect! Also, I would have loved having the option of podcasting for a high school elective. Just saying. This is one those stories where you, the reader, figure out what's going on and you're just waiting to see how it will all go down and the characters will catch up to you. But it's oh so fun to get there! 

The only thing that threw me off was the whole thing with Frank...I don't know. I felt like that could have been an entire separate book on its own. It was discussed in this book with pretty good depth, but not quite enough? It felt like an almost fully formed piece, but not quite whole yet. I think his relationship with Kate and the story could have been established with a simpler back story. 

But that's all I've got, y'all. This book was adorable. It publishes on May 29th and just go get it. 

Book Summary
Shalom Auslander was raised with a terrified respect for God. Even as he grew up and was estranged from his community, his religion and its traditions, he could not find his way to a life where he didn't struggle against God daily. 

Foreskin's Lament reveals Auslander's youth in a strict, socially isolated Orthodox community, and recounts his rebellion and efforts to make a new life apart from it. Auslander remembers his youthful attempt to win the "blessing bee" (the Orthodox version of a spelling bee), his exile to an Orthodox-style reform school in Israel after he's caught shoplifting Union Bay jeans from the mall, and his fourteen mile hike to watch the New York Rangers play in Madison Square Garden without violating the Sabbath. Throughout, Auslander struggles to understand God and His complicated, often contradictory laws. He tries to negotiate with God and His representatives-a day of sin-free living for a day of indulgence, a blessing for each profanity. But ultimately, Shalom settles for a peaceful cease-fire, a standoff with God, and accepts the very slim remaining hope that his newborn son might live free of guilt, doubt, and struggle. 

Auslander's combination of unrelenting humor and anger--one that draws comparisons to memoirists David Sedaris and Dave Eggers--renders a rich and fascinating portrait of a man grappling with his faith, family, and community.

Flo's Review
My good friend Jose and I did that thing where we read one of each other's favorite books. I'm having him read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. He gave me Foreskin's Lament. 

Have you ever tried to bargain with God? I absolutely have. Like, "Hey, God, please let me get X, and I promise I'll do Y." Well, this is Shalom Auslander. Shalom was raised in a strict Orthodox Jewish household and has been bargaining with God all his life. It's interesting to hear Shalom's view on God, because it is relatable. He lets the reader inside his head as he is rationalizing his actions and you can see where he's coming from. As I was listening to this audiobook I found myself thinking at several points, "Oh my gosh, that's horrible!" ....but then also...

I love autobiographies and my favorite audiobooks are ones where the author is reading them, so I hit the jackpot here on both these accounts. Shalom's voice is perfect for his humor, which is wry and can be subtle. Shalom is also an excellent writer. He is a circular writer -- he reuses the same phrases in different parts of the same chapters and it works really well. It was fun to listen to. 

An interesting note about this audiobook is that it's the only one I've listened to where the pictures are described for the reader. I think because this is an older one, from 2007. But you hear at the end that it's actually his wife Orli who reads the picture descriptions. And then at the very end his son has a little cameo and it's absolutely adorable.

Foreskin's Lament is the kind of book that will make you laugh while shaking your head, will make you feel sad while also feeling mad. It takes a generally accepted idea -- God is good -- and says, "Well..." If you are easily offended, this might not be the book for you. But if you grew up as a part of any religion, you will find something to relate to here. 

Book Summary
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.


2. Zu: She's the best! If I do read on in the series, it will largely be to see what happens with her.
3. Liam: He's worth mentioning again. #hottie #bookboyfriend
4. The Slip Kid: There were a few twists about him, and true to Flo form, I didn't see either one coming. He's an interesting character to read.

So it looks like I liked the characters most of all then. Hmm. Interesting.

Have you read this book? What'd you think? What do you think about the upcoming movie?

Book Summary

Book Summary
In this collection of personal essays, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood reveals stories about life, love, and working as a woman in Hollywood—along with behind-the-scenes dispatches from the set of the new Gilmore Girls, where she plays the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore once again.

In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout”).

In “What It Was Like, Part One,” Graham sits down for an epic Gilmore Girls marathon and reflects on being cast as the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore. The essay “What It Was Like, Part Two” reveals how it felt to pick up the role again nine years later, and what doing so has meant to her.

Some more things you will learn about Lauren: She once tried to go vegan just to bond with Ellen DeGeneres, she’s aware that meeting guys at awards shows has its pitfalls (“If you’re meeting someone for the first time after three hours of hair, makeup, and styling, you’ve already set the bar too high”), and she’s a card-carrying REI shopper (“My bungee cords now earn points!”).

Including photos and excerpts from the diary Graham kept during the filming of the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, this book is like a cozy night in, catching up with your best friend, laughing and swapping stories, and—of course—talking as fast as you can.

Flo's Review 
So after listening to the audiobook for In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It, I found that I wanted to listen to Lauren's autobiography. Luckily, the audio was available to download from the library right away. And coming in at just over 4 hours, I was able to fly through it in a matter of days.

Lauren is funny, y'all! She read the audiobook and I love that she did because her acting skills came out as she did it. It was fun to listen to her describe her thoughts on things. I never knew that the medical part of  TV show scripts are filled in later by medical professionals and the filler in the script is written as "medical, medical." She said that became a thing between her and her sister, and I could see it becoming a thing I pick up, too. Old Lady Jackson had some good observations without being preachy. Nicely played, Lauren! And I loved hearing about her editor Jennifer E. Smith, because I love Jennifer as an author, and apparently she is a great editor, too. 

This book makes me want to go back and binge the entire Gilmore series. I won't, but I wish I had the time to do so. The only thing I missed with the audiobook were the fun-sounding pictures! I may have to try to pick up a physical copy of this so I can see them.

For now, I am off to Google "The Royal We, Mae Whitman" and "Gilmore Girls Last 4 Words."

Book Summary
Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.

But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them.

The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?

Flo's Review
Quite simply: if you loved the Percy Jackson books, you'll love this one. I don't want to simplify it so much, but it read to me as an Indian Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan's books are fun -- and all the ones I've read follow the same general formula, with different heroes and gods changed out. This is not a bad thing. I adored both Percy Jackson series. I did notice the formula of Riordan's stories in this first Aru Shah book.

That being said, Roshani Chokshi's own style did come through. I loved The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes because of the richness of the imagery, and we see the same beautiful descriptions in Aru Shah. Minnie and Aru made a great team, though I did miss the romantic tension that comes with having leads who are romantically attracted to each other. However, this is a middle grade book, and I think the intended audience will not miss that element like I did.

I listened to this audiobook and felt that the reader did a good job in making us feel like were in the story, and not just listening to it.

Related Reviews
The Star-Touched Queen: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2017/05/book-review-star-touched-queen-by.html 

A Crown of Wishes: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2017/06/audiobook-review-crown-of-wishes-by.html

Rick Riordan Author Event: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2012/10/rick-riordan-author-event.htm

Book Summary
Jasmine and Kiara have been best friends forever. They've always shared everything, down to their favorite salted caramel dessert. But this year, everything changes -- Kiara joins the school basketball team, and is suddenly too cool to be friends with Jasmine. Jasmine has never felt more alone.

Her mom signs her up for a dance class against her will, and she hates it at first, but it starts to grow on her. One of the other girls in class, Ava, is really nice, and her best friend, Joseph, is very cute! Things are looking up.

But just when Jasmine is starting to be comfortable with her new normal, Kiara reaches out. Can the girls help each other when they need it most?

Flo's Review
What an adorable book! I really enjoyed this little story. First of all, I was spoiled by the author who sent me these goodies:


The salted caramel hot chocolate was DELICIOUS! And you should have seen me when I figured out the connection of the Plum Perfect lip gloss from the book. Anyway, thank you again, Jackie <3

I knew that Jasmine and Kiara were going to have a falling out, but it still hurt my heart to see it all go down. Jasmine's mom gave her a good and realistic talk after hearing about what happened, and it was nice to read. She was honest in her response, and then took action. Go Mom! 

It was fun to read about Jasmine sliding into a new group of friends (luckily it was easy) and I really enjoyed reading about her first-time experience with the school play. The pacing on the story felt a little awkward though. We would read a scene and then it would be like, "And then three weeks went by." And then there was another scene, and then another two weeks would go by in a single sentence, and then another scene. It was like Vignettes of the Year, kinda. 

The ending was both happy and realistic, which are my favorite kind. It didn't tie together perfectly with a bow -- because that's not how life works. But it was happy in how Jasmine and Kiara evolved separately and also within their bestie relationship.

I think I might try to find the other Swirl books, because this one was fun!


Read our review of Jackie's other book On the Line: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2012/04/on-line-by-jackie-nastri-bardenwerper.html.

Book Summary
Rufus Holt is having the worst night of his life. It begins with the reappearance of his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian—the guy who stomped his heart out like a spent cigarette. Just as Rufus is getting ready to move on, Sebastian turns up out of the blue, saying they need to "talk." Things couldn’t get much worse, right?

But then Rufus gets a call from his sister April, begging for help. And then he and Sebastian find her, drenched in blood and holding a knife, beside the dead body of her boyfriend, Fox Whitney.

April swears she didn’t kill Fox—but Rufus knows her too well to believe she’s telling him the whole truth. April has something he needs, though, and her price is his help. Now, with no one to trust but the boy he wants to hate yet can’t stop loving, Rufus has one night to prove his sister’s innocence…or die trying.


White Rabbit publishes in less than a week and I don't have my review up! Whaaa?! Okay, first of all, if you have Twitter and don't follow Caleb Roehrig, go do so now. I'll wait. (His Twitter handle is @mikalebroehrig). He's fun, insightful, and civic minded. He'll have you nodding in agreement, laughing along, shaking your fist...all the feels.

Speaking of feels, can I just give Rufus a hug?! I love him. He is honest with himself, and that is an admirable quality. Because that makes him raw and vulnerable at times. It's a hard place to be in, but I love that he is blatant in his thoughts about how he's feeling. I just adored the story between him and Sebastian, too. I won't say too much about it because I don't want to give away how it all ends up, but it was a journey between the two of them that had me continually holding my breath and wanting more.

Then, of course, there's the murder. I'll be honest with you: I had NO IDEA who the killer was until that person was revealed. The night was so carefully plotted that I found myself getting confused with the sequence of events as Rufus and Sebastian kept hearing different stories from different people. But I enjoyed it -- it was intricate yet simple at the same time. Well done!


White Rabbit comes out Tuesday, April 24th and I recommend picking it up!


See our review of Caleb Roehrig's first book, Last Seen Leaving: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2016/07/review-last-seen-leaving-by-caleb.html.

Book Summary
This is Oh, the Places You’ll Never Go–the ultimate hilarious, cynical, but absolutely realistic view of a college graduate’s future. And what he or she can or can’t do about it.

“This commencement address will never be given, because graduation speakers are supposed to offer encouragement and inspiration. That’s not what you need. You need a warning.”

So begins Carl Hiaasen’s attempt to prepare young men and women for their future. And who better to warn them about their precarious paths forward than Carl Hiaasen? The answer, after reading Assume the Worst, is: Nobody.

And who better to illustrate–and with those illustrations, expand upon and cement Hiaasen’s cynical point of view–than Roz Chast, best-selling author/illustrator and National Book Award winner? The answer again is easy: Nobody.

Following the format of Anna Quindlen’s commencement address (Being Perfect) and George Saunders’s commencement address (Congratulations, by the way), the collaboration of Hiaasen and Chast might look typical from the outside, but inside it is anything but. 

This book is bound to be a classic, sold year after year come graduation time. Although it’s also a good gift for anyone starting a job, getting married, or recently released from prison. Because it is not just funny. It is, in its own Hiaasen way, extremely wise and even hopeful. Well, it might not be full of hope, but there are certainly enough slivers of the stuff in there to more than keep us all going.

Flo's Review
This. This audiobook for the win! It was only 15 minutes long, but it was a delightful 15 minutes. I literally laughed out loud while listening to it as a drove to my book club on Saturday. But then, Carl Hiaasen through in some utter truth. So it was funny, but it was also honest and realistic. He takes some popular modern sayings and dashes them with some #realtalk. Here are a fews good example:

Live each day as if it’s your last
"As wise and appealing as this might sound, it’s actually terrible advice. If you live every day as if it’s your last, you won’t accomplish a damn thing. ... Spending all your waking hours doing only what feels good is a viable life plan if you’re a Labrador retriever, but for humans it’s a blueprint for unemployment, divorce and irrelevance."

Try to find goodness in everyone 
A waste of time, says Hiaasen. "If it requires the psychological equivalent of a metal detector to locate somebody’s true self, then they’re not worth the trouble."

Don't be quick to judge other people
"Are you kidding? If you don’t learn how to judge others — and judge fast — you’ll get metaphorically trampled from now until the day you die. ... Your future colleagues will judge you, your future loan officers will judge you and your future spouse’s family will judge you. Get used to it, and tune yourselves to judge back."

You get the idea. Hiaasen himself read the audio, making it that much more delightful. Grab this one if you can.

Book Summary
Advice for graduates and reflections on staying true to yourself from the beloved Gilmore Girls actress and New York Timesbestselling author of the memoir Talking as Fast as I Can and the novel Someday, Someday, Maybe.
 
“If you’re kicking yourself for not having accomplished all you should have by now, don’t worry about it. Even without any ‘big’ accomplishments yet to your name, you are enough.” 
 
In this expansion of the 2017 commencement speech she gave at her hometown Langley High, Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, reflects on growing up, pursuing your dreams, and living in the here and now. “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.” In her hilarious, relatable voice, Graham reminds us to be curious and compassionate, no matter where life takes us or what we’ve yet to achieve. Grounded and inspiring—and illustrated throughout with drawings by Graham herself—here is a comforting road map to a happy life.
 
“I’ve had ups and downs. I’ve had successes and senior slumps. I’ve been the girl who has the lead, and the one who wished she had the bigger part. The truth? They don’t feel that different from each other.”

Flo's Review
Tis the season for graduation books and speeches! I enjoyed listening to this one by Lauren Graham. She read the audiobook, which I always love it when the author reads. You know how they mean things to sound (inflections and such) because it's literally their own voice. 

I also enjoyed the message of the speech. I know that when I was a graduating high school senior, I certainly did not have a laid-out plan for my life. It was refreshing to me, and I'm sure to the graduating seniors to whom this was directed, to hear someone say, essentially, "If you have a plan for your life, that's great. If you don't have a plan for your life, that's great too." (I paraphrased, but kept the spirit of the message.) 

If you get the opportunity to listen to or read this little insightful volume, I definitely recommend it. And not just if you're graduating -- his has good stuff for anyone at any time.

Book Summary
Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors. 

Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants. 

This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

Flo's Review
This was certainly a cute little anthology! (Sorry for the bad pun! There was really just nowhere else to go.) I enjoyed the 15 stories, though was interested in the format of some of them. I mean simply that some of these stories felt like complete stories in themselves, while others just read like they were a section literally pulled from a larger story. I guess the second method is okay, but the first I found more enjoyable. 

Another thing I noticed about the story set was the variety of main story points. For some, the meet cute was the point of the story; while for others, the meet cute was really just a plot point in the story to get the main character to learn more about herself. Again, I enjoyed the former better, but that didn't mean I disliked the latter simply for what it was. 

Finally, the diversity of settings was great. These weren't all contemporary rom coms. There was sci-fi, there was fantasy, there was magical realism. But they all still had meet cutes! Very cool.

I adored the final story in the anthology, by Nicola Yoon. That is the one I'd like to see expanded out to a full book, or even to a set of stories within that one world. There is just so much that could be done there! Dhonielle Clayton's story as well. My other favorite stories were the ones by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Jocelyn Davies. 

The good thing about an anthology book like this is that it's very easy to read a little at a time. It was so easy to pick up the book and read a story or two at lunch or right before bed. 

Final verdict: Yes, you should meet this cute book. (See what I did there?!? Thank you, folks, I'm here all week! 😂)