We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a true story

We Should Hang Out Sometime

by Josh Sundquist



“When I was twenty-five years old, it came to my attention that I had never had a girlfriend"--the first line of this compelling and occasionally ridiculous true story.

Josh Sundquist has written a funny, awkward memoir about his dating (or not-dating) foibles, and has done so with a good balance of hope and frustration.  Sundquist, who is a Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star, and motivational speaker, knows how to endear himself to the reader in a way that doesn’t come across as false- even when some of his dialogue feels way too on-point witty for a teenager. Not all his sentiments about unrequited crushes are likeable, but who hasn’t had a slightly selfish thought about someone they like?

In We Should Hang Out Sometime, former romantic entanglements are revisited and analyzed. Sundquist isn’t blaming anyone for his lack of romantic luck, but it is more that he wants to try and understand why something so universally simple for other people is so difficult for him. An amputee cancer survivor from a young age, he revisits the stories of his romantic failures from comically scientific perspectives that include graphs, a hypothesis and follow up investigations. Even as he struggles with issues of fitting in and self-worth, his humour keeps the story flowing in an upbeat way.

Funny, easy to relate to, and genuinely very sweet, the book is a pleasure to read as you find yourself rooting for Sundquist to shake off his insecurities and fight for what he cares about. A definite feel-good memoir for anyone who has ever questioned their exact place in the world.

A Thousand Pieces of You

by Claudia Gray  

Marguerite Caine is an artist in a family of scientists. Her parents are physicists that invented a device to travel to parallel-universes that they call the Firebird. When Marguerite’s father is murdered, all fingers point to one of his assistants: the quiet and awkward Paul, who immediately jumps into another universe to avoid being caught. And the chase is on. Marguerite, along with her parents’ other assistant, Theo, follow Paul to the different universes. With each jump Marguerite learns more about the two guys, and the truth about her father’s death.

Why yes, this book caught my eye because of the cover, but the plot was what sucked me in. Alternate universes are always fun to read about, and Gray did an amazing job building each world Marguerite landed in. One of the places Marguerite visited was Tsarist Russia (as shown on the cover, so it’s not a spoiler!) which was beautifully depicted by Gray. Unfortunately, that part was also a fault in the story -- it was oddly long and slow compared to the other universes Marguerite goes to. That’s because the adventure gets overshadowed by romance at times, but what’s a YA novel without a complicated love triangle, right?

Overall, it was a really fun book to read. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series, Ten Thousand Skies Above You.

Book of the Month: January - Dorothy Must Die

By Danielle Paige

We’ve all heard the tales. Dorothy, a simple farm girl from Kansas and her peppy little dog Toto, are whisked away by a tornado to a magical land called Oz. There she meets a strange assortment of friends, and in a deal with the Wizard of Oz she battles the Wicked Witch of the East and as a reward is sent back to Kansas. Or, at least that’s what Frank Baum wants us to believe…

Finally, we have the true tale of Dorothy who overthrew the Wizard of Oz and now rules with a fury that would make Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts seem like a pacifist. What about Scarecrow, Tin man, and Lion? Scarecrow is a mad scientist experimenting on monkeys, Tin Man has knives for fingers, and Lion kills his foes by absorbing their fear. Magic is strong in Oz.

Along comes Amy, another girl from Kansas. She’s no farm girl, but rather she’s a strong-willed teenager from the local trailer park. One night Amy, along with her mom’s pet rat, is whisked away to Oz where she’s recruited to take down Dorothy and restore peace.

To do so, Amy will have to undergo rigorous training to use weapons and magic. Guided by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, a trio of witches and an assortment of teens, Amy reluctantly takes on her task in hopes to get home.

This is a fantastic retelling of an age-old classic that both those familiar and unfamiliar with the original story will enjoy. It’s gritty, violent, and yes there’s a touch of romance without it being center to the story. Highly recommend.

There is a prequel (e-book only) called No Place Like Oz, and three sequels, The Witch Must Burn, The Wizard Returns and The Wicked Will Rise. Other books like Dorothy Must Die: Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz, and The Iron King by Julie Kagawa.

Book of the Month: December - Seconds

by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could change the past? Katie is about to find out in this new stand-alone graphic novel from best-selling cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley.

Katie is a young restaurant owner who lives in an apartment above her restaurant. One night she discovers that there is a house spirit living in the restaurant. The house spirit guides Katie to some magical objects that give people the power to alter the past.  Write the action that you want to change down in the notebook, eat a bit of the magic mushroom, and when you wake up in the morning things will be different. 

The only problem is, when you change the past, you also alter the present.  As Katie changes more and more about her past, her present gets more and more complicated.  Imagine waking up married to a man who you thought was your ex-boyfriend!  It’s pretty bizarre when you have no recollection of getting back together, never mind marrying each other!   

And of course, the house spirit isn't all too happy about how Katie is abusing the ability to alter the past.

Don’t let the length of this book scare you off.  Yes, it’s quite thick at over 300 pages, but it’s a fast read.  A delightful mix of fantasy and reality, you’ll want to keep reading to find out what happens – will Katie accept the way things are, or will she continue to play with time?  

Bryan Lee O’Malley is the author of the Scott Pilgrim series.  

Every Day

by David Levithan

'A' is a soul who wakes up in a different body every single day. This has been happening since the day he/she was born. Every day 'A', who is of indeterminate gender, race and physical appearance, gets to be the person whose body he/she is inhibiting, and has access to their memories and to their lives.

The day 'A' wakes up in the body of Justin seems like it will be an average day in the life of a moody teenage jock, until 'A' meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.
 
The next day, 'A' is in a different body again, but is unable to forget Rhiannon. From that moment on, 'A' goes against his/her code of conduct and has only one goal each day - to reconnect with Rhiannon, in whatever body he/she may be inhabiting that day.

I loved this book and the questions it brought up - like, how interconnected are attraction and physicality? What is it that makes you love a person? What, if anything, separates what 'A' does from what some religions would consider demonic possession? And if you could truly walk in another person's shoes for a day, how do you think it would change you? 

Another Day is the companion novel, which tells the story from Rhiannon's perspective.

 

Stone in the Sky

Stone in the Sky

By Cecil Castellucci
Have you ever gone to the library to pick up the newest book series only to find that the first book in the series is out. Well that is what happened here but I decided to try reading the second book first and see how it went. I was not disappointed at all. I was able to follow the story even though I had not read the first book, Tin Star. Stone in the Sky is set in space and filled with aliens and adventure this book is a wonderful look at the human experience. Our main character, Tula, has not had it easy but she has found her place, safety, a home and a family. Award winning author Cecil Castellucci brings the reader to a remote space station near a resource rich planet. Beings from across the universe, some very dangerous, are descending upon the planet in the hopes of becoming rich. Unfortunately, for Tula, one of these people is the man who nearly killed her many years ago. Readers should be ready for an intense read when they pick this up. Adventure, intrigue and romance fills this duet of novels. According to the author this series is only going to be two books long, unlike many series and trilogies on the YA shelves.

Book of the Month: November - 100 Sideways Miles

100 Sideways Miles

by Andrew Smith

Here's what you need to know about Finn Easton: He has one blue eye and one green eye. He lives in the shadow of his father's cult-classic book, in which the main character bears an uncanny resemblance to Finn. He measures the world in miles instead of minutes. He plays baseball. As a little kid, a dead horse falling from a bridge broke Finn's back and killed his mother. The aftermath is that Finn is scarred and suffers from epileptic seizures.

If this is sounding a bit strange, let's not forget that this story also features knackeries, abandoned prisons, and a lot of raunchy analogies for the symbol : | :

One summer, Finn falls in love with a girl named Julia. After Julia moves back home, Finn and his best friend Cade go on a road trip to Oklahoma. The boys leave in hopes of figuring out life after high school, but their involvement in an unexpected accident rewrites their future.

When author Andrew Smith went on a book tour earlier this year, his tagline was "Keep YA Weird". He is the master of offbeat, experimental fiction and this coming-of-age story was the perfect combo of great writing, likeable characters and a dash of weirdness.

Other books like 100 Sideways Miles: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Noggin by John Corey Whaley, Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, Going Bovine by Libba Bray