msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

Kirkus Review starred (March 1, 2008) Novelist and screenwriter Benioff's glorious second novel (The 25th Hour, 2000) is a wild action-packed quest, and much else besides: a coming-of-age story, an odd-couple tale and a juicy footnote to the historic World War II siege of Leningrad. It's New Year's Eve, 1941, and Lev Beniov is alone in Leningrad. (Note that last name: This novel was sparked by tape-recorded memories of author Benioff's grandfather.) The 17-year-old's mother and sister were evacuated before the siege began in September; his father, a respected poet, was "removed" by the NKVD in 1937. Lev's real troubles begin when a German paratrooper, frozen to death, lands on his street. Lev deserts his firefighter's post, steals the German's knife, is arrested by soldiers and jailed. His cellmate is 20-year-old Kolya, a boastful Cossack deserter, dazzlingly handsome in contrast to scrawny Lev, who hates his telltale big nose (he's half-Je...

Jane lives with her three siblings and her Pulitzer-prize-winning poet mother, Felicity, in a house she describes as the "6th member of her family." She spends the summer with her best friend Victoria - hoping to have one hundred adventures. Jane is a thoughtful, sweet, and fun character and you'll enjoy listening to her thoughts as she handles a babysitting job, people being eaten by whales, and a variety of other situations. Horvath's writing style reminded me of Joan Bauer.

This is a funny and sweet story about a girl who loves music. When her ex-boyfriend, Evan, writes a number one song about her, she unwillingly becomes a celebrity. The repercussions of her fame include fighting with her best friend, parents who won't let her out of the house, and a slew of unwanted affection from other band members looking for a muse showing up at her front door. If you like comedy and music you'll love this book. Audrey is a girl you'll fall in love with! The fast pace reminded me of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist .

Yes, the lack of caps is intentional! 17 year old Alex started out his junior year with a suicide attempt; he drank pinesol during a friend's party and was rushed to the hospital. He survived, but his friends treat him like an outcast and his family walks on eggshells around him. His brother, James, is distant and avoids him like the plague. When Alex meets Nathen, things start to change: he joins the cross-country team and discovers a side of himself he didn't know he had. This book deals with anti-gay sentiment in the south without making generalizations. James and Alex tell the story in alternating chapters.

It is graduation day, and Dennis Cooverman's graduation speech isn't typical: he declares his longtime love for Beth Cooper, cheerleader extraordinaire and Miss Popularity. This declaration leads to a hilarious all-nighter as Dennis sets out to win Beth's heart with the help of his possibly gay best friend Rich. Larry Doyle has written for The Simpsons as well as Beavis and Butthead, and his juvenile but sharp sense of humour comes through in every scene. The film version stars Hayden Pannettiere as Beth.

This collection of short stories all feature at least a reference to Olive Kitteredge, a retired school teacher living in Crosby Maine. Each of the thirteen stories is a little gem. Daily life and its inherent disappointments, aging, small-town life, and other themes are addressed eloquently and thoughtfully in this 2009 Pulitzer winner.

This has to be the grimmest post-apocalyptic tale I have ever read. A man and his son journey through a wrecked world - the air is full of ash, it's freezing, and nothing grows. The few survivors the duo encounter as they journey towards the sea are cannibals, murderers, and the like. When the little boy says, "Oh, Papa," after seeing a charred baby rotating on a spit, you realize there may not be any light at the end of The Road. McCarthy won the Pulitzer for this book and the film adaptation starring Viggo Mortensen will be released this October. The ultimate anti-beach read.

I had a hard time getting through this book. I liked the concept; an 18 year old boy dies on a hiking trip, and the story is told via four different viewpoints. The problem was, I didn't care much about any of the characters, and it was slow moving and I had to slog through the book. Still, if you're looking for a book on how different people deal with grief, you might enjoy it.