Can't Wait!

Books I'm looking forward to:

Missoula by Jon Krakauer

I always enjoy Krakauer's books.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

I feel like I'm going to die if I don't find out what happens with Lara Jean and Peter. I don't know how I'm going to make it til May 26.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

I was already excited about Dessen's new book, but then I read a sneak peek and now really can't wait. Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors.

What Happened to Goodbye

Big surprise: I loved Sarah Dessen's new book, What Happened to Goodbye.

What Happened to Goodbye is the story of Mclean who lives with her divorced father. Her dad's job leads to them moving often and Mclean reinvents herself at each new place.

I didn't love Dave, the male main character, as much as I've enjoyed some of Dessen's previous ones, such as Eli from Along for the Ride and Nate from Lock and Key. I felt like this book focused a little bit more on Mclean and her struggles than on romance. Dave didn't stick out as an interesting character.

However, the book had some great other secondary characters: Opal, the gal from the restaurant, and Deb, Mclean's welcoming party. They added a lot to the story.

Overall, it's another great one from Sarah Dessen. It's not my favorite, but it's still really good. You can't go wrong with any of her books.

30 Days of Books: Favorite Author

George Orwell

Of course, this was a hard one to pick. I have lots of favorite authors. To name just a few: Bill Bryson, Agatha Christie, Sarah Dessen, and Jon Krakauer.

The Truth about Forever

Some of my book friends read a lot of young adult. I don't read near as much, but I do have some favorites. Many of my YA favorites are novels by Sarah Dessen.

The Truth about Forever was the last Dessen book I hadn't read. Luckily, it was worth waiting for. The book has some similar themes to Dessen's other books (some loss--a divorce, death-- summer time, dreamy potential boyfriend--where were guys of this quality when I was in high school?!), but are fresh in each book.

After having read all of Dessen's books, I think my favorite is Along for the Ride. The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, and Lock and Key are tied for a close second. The first one I read was This Lullaby, which I picked up because my friend Jessica raved about it. I wasn't thrilled with it when I read it, but I've decided to reread it since it was the first non-Twilight YA book I'd read in a long time. (Not that YA books aren't as good, they are just different.)

If you've been thinking about picking up a YA book (other than Twilight) definitely pick up one of Sarah Dessen's. Or Meg Cabot or Megan McCafferty.

Reading by the Campfire

When we go camping, my favorite thing is to read by the campfire. (This means, of course, that your fire is going before dark.) Luckily for me, in the Wyoming mountains even over the 4th of July weekend, it's not too hot for a fire.

My book club has a quarterly challenge. There are 35 categories, with topics like black cover or set in a major city or a one word title. We've been doing them for a year and a half. Despite reading enough books to finish a challenge, I still haven't done so.

This time I am gunning for it though! I've planned out about half of the books and put them in a pile next to the bed. I am trying to do it with only books I already own.

I brought two books along: Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (book about girlfriends) and Vision in White by Nora Roberts (romance.)

I've read seven Sarah Dessen books. While they aren't my favorite books ever, I do really enjoy them. I liked Someone Like You, but it wasn't my favorite Dessen book. I liked Lock and Key, Just Listen, and Along for the Ride better.

Someone Like You is about two friends, one of whom gets pregnant. It sounds like it might be really cheesy, but Dessen's books aren't cheesy at all. If you haven't read any young adult, pick one up. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Speaking of cheesy: romance novels. I used to love romance novels, but somewhere along the way I got sick of their cheese. I know that fiction of all kinds can require a suspension of disbelief, but I didn't like how neat and easy everything was, as well as how formulaic: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Misunderstanding separates boy and girl. Understanding leads to happily ever after. The end.

I'd picked up Roberts's Vision in White at a library book sale somewhere along the way. In the months I've had it, I hadn't looked at it. But, the romance category is in the challenge. I enjoyed it, but am not feeling like I need to pick up another romance novel any time soon. That's part of the challenge though, to pick up books you might not otherwise.