Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green, 305 pages

Q is a nerdy guy, friends with two other nerdy guys, and all of them are just weeks away from their high school graduation. Q is also in love with his next door neighbor, the beautiful and popular Margo Roth Spiegelman (yes, you should use all three names when referring to her), though he never talks to her. It seems like that's the way Q will end his high school career until one night when Margo knocks on his window and takes him on a whirlwind tour of Orlando, meting out revenge on those who have wronged her. Will things change for them at school? Will Q actually get to talk to Margo in public now? Who knows, because by the time Q gets to school, Margo has disappeared, running away from home for another adventure.

This could be a generic boy-with-a-crush-on-a-hot-girl story, but John Green in his complete awesomeness (more on that in a bit) makes it a much deeper story, delving into the nature of identity, the connections between people, and whether or not you can ever really know someone. It's not always believable, but that doesn't make the characters and their emotions any less relatable. Also, because of this book, I'm now obsessed with the very real notion of paper towns, which I will not describe here as I don't want to spoil this book for anyone.

So back to John Green and his awesomeness. This is not his best book (I'd give that crown to An Abundance of Katherines, or if you catch me on a weepier day, The Fault in Our Stars), but he's an incredible writer, so you should read this anyway. And heck, since he's such an awesome person, go check out anything he's ever done, including his rapid-fire videos for Mental Floss and his back-and-forth vlog conversations with his brother Hank (who's also pretty cool).

The Illyrian Adventure

The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander, 132 pages

Vesper Holly and her new guardian, Brinnie, set out to Illyria, to see how much of the famed folklore is true. While Vesper doesn’t really believe that the magic was real, she is sure that some parts of the story are and she intends to unearth all of the mysteries related to the story. Unfortunately, it seems that some people in Illyria are trying to prevent her discoveries, possibly even willing to kill her and everyone in her party. And of course, they are caught in the middle of a minor civil war between the Illyrians and Zentans.

The Hero Of Ages

The Hero Of Ages by Brandon Sanderson, 760 pages

The conclusion to the Mistborn trilogy wraps up many of the questions posed in the earlier volumes. Vin and Elend have been exploring the cavern stashes the Lord Ruler set up, trying to figure out how to fix the land. The mists and the ash are getting worse, and soon, it seems, no plants will grow so everyone will starve. Food is already running short and not everyone supports their efforts. Some people still support what the Lord Ruler stood for and seek to undermine the new government and leaders.

Assyrian Identity and the Great War

Assyrian Identity and the Great War: Nestorian, Chaldean, and Syrian Christians in the 20th Century by Bül̈ent Özdemir, 168 pages

In addition to the better-known campaign of genocide carried out against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks during World War I, other Christian minorities in Ottoman territory also suffered greatly in what is sometimes called the Sayfo, or Assyrian genocide.  Bül̈ent Özdemir's work attempts to establish, without denying that many members of various ethnic and religious groups suffered greatly during the War, that the Sayfo as such never actually happened, but was the invention of post-war Assyrian nationalists.

The book is a muddled mess.  At the outset, Özdemir paints an overly rosy portrait of religious tranquility under the Ottomans, which is only disturbed when foreign missionaries arrive to stir up trouble.  Towards the end, he spends a considerable amount of space accusing the British of betraying the Assyrians, who had been their allies during the War, in a transparent attempt to deflect criticism away from the Turks.  In between, there is the story of a poorly defined religious minority revolting for reasons that are not entirely clear and being decimated by violence, hunger, and disease as a result.  I opened this book hoping to learn more about the ancient Christian communities of the Near East, but, sadly, this book failed to fulfill those hopes.

Living Walden Two

Living Walden Two by Hilke Kuhlmann, 245 pages

In 1948, then-obscure psychologist B F Skinner published his utopian novel Walden Two, which explored a fictional commune governed almost invisibly by a clique of psychologist-managers.  This was not intended as a mere intellectual exercise - Skinner saw such an arrangement as the only hope for global survival in the atomic age.  Although it attracted little attention at the time of its publication, the decades that followed would see a vast increase in both Skinner's reputation and general interest in communal living, leading to numerous attempts to start real communities modeled after the fictional Walden Two.


Living Walden Two is German sociologist Hilke Kuhlmann's study of some of these attempts, concentrating on one that survives to the present: Twin Oaks in Virginia.  Kuhlmann demonstrates considerable empathy in relating the genuine desire of her subjects to develop more humane ways of living without glossing over the fundamental, and often glaringly obvious, problems inherent in their approach.  The book is weaker when she discusses the community that perhaps came closest to success on Skinner's terms: Los Horcones in Mexico.  Conflicts apparently developed during Kuhlmann's time at the commune, cutting short her stay and leaving her analysis correspondingly shallower.

Altogether, a readable and relatable study of an interesting subset of North American communes, with some conclusions that involve broader issues in psychology and political theory.  Skinner imagined his Walden Two as, above all, an experiment, but the real world experiments he inspired do not seem to support his theories.

Curtsies & Conspiracies

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger, 310 pages

This is the second book in the Finishing School series.  Sophronia is in her second year and is continuing to learn a lot about espionage, in fact, her marks have her first in her class.  This is not such a good thing though, when her friends shun her because of it.  And she could really use some friends right now, what with all of the intrigue surrounding a stolen device.  Who is responsible, the picklemen or the vampires?  And is the same group trying to kidnap Dimity, Sophronia’s friend?  And why?

Rude Bitches Make Me Tired

Rude Bitches Make Me Tired: Slightly Profane and Entirely Logical Answers to Modern Etiquette Dilemmas by Celia Rivenbark, 254 pages

This is an etiquette book, yes, but it's not doily-and-fish-fork etiquette. But anyone who reads the title shouldn't be surprised by this. Despite a last name that makes me think she should be a Tolkien character, Rivenbark is full of Southern sass and, yes, entirely logical answers to modern etiquette dilemmas. How do you respond to those Facebook invites for events half a country away? When you have people over for dinner, do you have to accommodate every person's diet whims (as in, "I'm on a gluten-free, lactose-free, raw-food diet, oh and I don't like vegetables")? Is it OK to take a store-bought cake to the funeral reception? Rivenbark's answer to the last one alone is worth reading this fantastically funny book. It's a quick read, and while I didn't necessarily agree with some of her advice, the presentation is entertaining.

The Fallout

The Fallout by S. A. Bodeen, 328 pages

In this incredible sequel to The Compound, Eli and his brothers and sisters are finally free; free of their father, and free from the delusion of nuclear war, and free from the shelter their father kept them in for the past six years.  Best of all, Eli is reunited with his twin, Eddy.  But adjusting to life outside after being trapped for so long is difficult.  Their father’s assistant, Phil, who helped keep them trapped is in charge of the family company.  Worst of all, people seem to be following the family and keeping tabs on them.  Is this just idle curiosity or something more sinister?

The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, 295 pages

Don Tillman is a brilliant geneticist who would love to be married. And on paper he's quite a catch: intelligent, attractive, one heck of a good cook, and he's certainly no slob. But as someone who defines himself as socially awkward (the rest of us are fairly sure he's somewhere on the autism spectrum), Don doesn't exactly know the best way about getting himself a wife. To solve his problem, he creates The Wife Project, a detailed questionnaire designed to find the perfect candidate for a future mate. Enter Rosie, a wild card thrown in by Don's best (and almost only) friend Gene, who wants some help finding her biological father. Don agrees to help and, well, you can see where this is going.

And that's the thing about this book... it's obvious fairly early on exactly how Don's story will end. But what's great about this book is the charming way in which it reaches that destination. While I knew where I'd end up, I enjoyed every step of the journey. Don and Rosie, in particular, are well-realized characters, and while some of the situations they end up in seem ripped from a chick flick, they're at least ripped from a good chick flick. This was a lot of fun. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a light, quick friendly read.

Untold

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan, 370 pages

The second book in The Lynburn legacy series starts where the last book left off, with Rob and Lillian Lynburn fighting for control of the town and Kami Glass, along with Ash and Jared Lynburn and her other friends, mostly supporting Lillian, as she is the sorcerer who doesn’t intend to bring back ritual human sacrifice. However, the bond between Jared and Kami has been broken and now Jared can’t stand to be near Kami. Kami isn’t sure if her feelings for Jared are real, or a product of the bond. And fighting sorcerers together might be a problem if they can’t be in the same room together. 

Monsters

Monsters by Ilsa Bick, 680 pages

Third and final book in the Ashes trilogy, this series is better read in order. Alex, Tom and Ellie still hope to be reunited, although none are even sure that the others are alive. Alex is worried that she is becoming one of the Changed and for some reason, seems to be attracted to Wolf, who is one of the Changed. The point of view in the story switches between these three, Chris, and Peter, making the story a little confusing at times, but plenty of action means there is never a boring moment.

A Gift Upon the Shore

A Gift Upon The Shore by M.K. Wren, 375 pages

Mary is trying to make her way home when the end of the world hits. In the aftermath, Mary meets Rachel, who takes her in and the two manage to survive, always on the lookout for other survivors, which they eventually meet. There’s a group, calling themselves the Flock, who believe in the Bible absolutely and whose goal is that all survivors should believe the same. Mary’s goal is to teach the children truth and protect the vault of books that she and Rachel created to protect the books for future generations.

Unnatural Issue

Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey, 361 pages

Suzanne Whitestone’s father has always ignored her presence. Her mother died in childbirth and her father blamed her so Suzanne has been treated like a servant in her own home. This meant that she had to learn to control her magic on her own, with the help of a very powerful elemental. Unfortunately, now that Suzanne is grown, her father has decided he has plans for her, dark and unnatural. Suzanne, realizing something isn’t right, runs away and finds other magical help, but it may not be enough to dissuade her father from his evil plan.

Bastion

Bastion by Mercedes Lackey, 342 pages

The fifth book in the Collegium Chronicles, these books mostly can stand alone, but are so good, you will want to read them all anyway. Plus, this is one is a little more dependent on what happened in the previous book than some others. Mags, having just returned from the terrible ordeal of being kidnapped, has planned a journey, the purpose of which is to convince his kidnappers that he is actually dead. While learning a lot about being a herald, he also learns more about his own heritage, not always in the easiest ways.

Elantris

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, 492 pages

Awesome story takes a city that used to turn people into gods and now turns them into demons. Princess Sarene arrives in Kae expecting to marry Prince Raoden. She learns that Raoden died during her journey and because of the way the marriage contract was written, she is now a widow, even though the ceremony did not take place. Unbeknownst to her, Raoden has actually been taken by Elantris, the devastated city right next to Kae (which is as good as dead anyway). Sarene is willing to put up with being a widow because it ensures the trade and treaty agreements between her old and new countries and she is determined to make a difference in her new home. Meanwhile, Raoden is trying to uncover the secrets of how Elantris fell and to see if it can be restored.

From Norvelt To Nowhere

From Norvelt To Nowhere by Jack Gantos, 278 pages

In this sequel to Dead End in Norvelt, Jack and Miss Volker are still trying to track down Spizz, poisoner of old ladies and the man hopelessly in love with Miss Volker.  When Eleanor Roosevelt dies, Jack is elected to help Miss Volker take a trip to see her gravesite.  Little does he know that it will turn into an adventure of epic proportions, with Miss Volker chasing down Spizz to try to kill him.

Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 328 pages

A story about 2 people who don’t really fit in, finding each other and then trying to stay together.  Eleanor is new to the school and has to take the only empty bus seat, next to Park.  Every day they ride next to each other, never speaking until one day Park notices Eleanor reading the comic book over his shoulder. 

It is very easy to become enamored with both characters and hope that, in the end, they will live happily ever after.  Although it’s a young adult novel, adult readers will find the story familiar and engrossing.  It is like every John Hughes movie from the 80's rolled into one novel.

Strangelets

Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon, 272 pages

Sophie is dying of cancer.  Declan is about to be shot.  Anat is in a tunnel that is on the verge of collapse.  All three of them suddenly find themselves in some sort of hospital, apparently fine, but with no idea of where they are.  There are three more kids there with them.  One of them, Nico, figures out that they are on Long Island, but it doesn’t look right.  Everything is corroding, covered with dust or spoiled.  And where are all of the people?  And what is crashing around in the woods, big enough to scare a bear?