Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

An adorable, sappy, punk rock, teenage romance that takes place in the span of one night. Nick is desperate, his ex-girlfriend the evil wench that broke his heart is at the club where his band is playing and he can't face her. She's already moved on, has a new boyfriend and he can't stop moping.  When he sees her approaching him he turns to a random girl he doesn't know and pleads, "Will you please be my girlfriend for the next five minutes?" Thus starts a long night of punk music, burlesque nuns, disappointment, heartbreak, and ultimately, hope. I really hope the movie does this edgy provocative book justice because I really enjoyed it. The story is told in alternating viewpoints from both Nick and Norah.

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

I LOVED this short story collection! I just want to wrap up this book and give it to all my friends for Christmas. It's freaking adorable! The collection of authors who have stories in here is impressive, they're all kings and queens of the YA market. There is Holly Black, Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, Gayle Forman, Laini Taylor and several more. Each short story is holiday themed romance, but beyond that, they vary wildly! There is Hannakuh, New Years, Krampus Day; Kelly Link throws some fantasy in her London Christmas story, David Levithan throws ho ho homosexuals in (adorable and sad story, as always), Holly Black gets wild in "Krampuslauf," and there is much much more. I read this book in a span of one day, and I was not disappointed in a single story! I think my two favorites were by Holly Black and Stephanie Perkins. This is a must read for teens and adults this holiday season. You seriously won't be disappointed. Best holiday book I've read in a long time, perhaps... ever?!

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Listening to the audiobook version of this was a real treat. It made me appreciate both John Green and David Levithan's writing talent even more. Usually I can't get into stories written by more than one author because I find them too choppy, by Green and Levithan play beautifully off of each other. Each chapter alternates between a different Will Grayson. The first Will Grayson (and obviously John Green's creation) is a quiet, no- nonsense kid who just so happens to be best friends with a massive hulkng, flaming gay teen called Tiny. Always hiding in the shadows behind Tiny's massive spotlight he yearns to be more than a safety net. The second Will Grayson is an angry, sulking, teen who pretty much hates everyone and everything, that is, except for his internet boyfriend Isaac. One Friday evening the Will Graysons cross paths in a porn store in Chicago. It seems to be no mere coincidence for their lives will both ultimately change.

A great poignant story that touches on friendship, sexuality, and the complexities of life. A great read (and listen!). For fans of young adult and LGBT literature.

Two Boys Kissing

If you pick any of my reviews to read, please read this one. This is by far one of the most meaningful and inspiring books I've read in years.

Ordinarily I would never have picked up this book, I would have shied away from the title. Thank goodness I'm in book clubs that make me read outside my genre/comfort zone. This book defied all odds and is an amazing read for any gay, straight, questioning, lesbian, trangendered, bisexual teenager or adult (although I can easily see it becoming a manifesto/classic for the LGBT community like the "It Gets Better" book, it's simply too good not to).

This "story" is narrated by a lost generation, the generation of gay men and women that watched as nearly two hundred thousand of their friends, family members, and partners died of AIDS and suffered through waves of homophobia like this generation has never known. This voice helps weaves several tales of young gay teens together and tries to reassure this generation that things will get better. The main story is of Harry and Craig, two gay teens that try to break the record for longest kiss (32 hours). What starts out as a small personal record for the two of them turns into an international sensation as people chime in their support (and condemnation) from all over the world. The other threads of the story involve a gay son who feels he has nothing to live for, a girl in a boys body trying to find true love, a young gay boy starting to realize that revenge for the daily slurs and harassment isn't the way to go, and a young gay couple that realize how good they have it.

This story addresses so many important and pressing issues. Coming to terms with your identity. Coming out to your family. Believing in the future. Forgiveness. Hope. It's truly inspiring. The use of the omniscient narrators is also breathtaking.

Also, the words of this story have such a lyrical quality. Here are some quotable ones for you:

"What a powerful word, "future." Of all the abstractions we can articulate to ourselves, of all the concepts we have that other animals do not, how extraordinary the ability to consider a time that's never been experienced. And how tragic not to consider it. It galls us, we with such a limited future, to see someone brush it aside as meaningless, when it has an endless capacity for meaning, and an endless number of meaning that can be found within it."

"You can give words, but you can't take them, And when words are given and received, that is when they are shared."

"Ignorance is not bliss. Bliss is knowing the full meaning of what you have been given."

"We often believe the truest measure of a relationship is the ability to lay ourselves bare. But there's something to be said for parading your plumage as well, finding truth as much in the silly as the severe."

Seriously, read this book. I read it from start to finish in one day. Granted I was home sick, but the point. This is a fantastic book that makes me have a little more faith in society. Another job well done David Levithan. This book has already been nominated for a National Book Award (and it was just published last month!) and I can see it getting nominated for many many more awards (also, getting banned because of the title - stupid bigots).

Every Day

File this under one of the most unique books I've had the pleasure of reading this year. The concept is so bizarre and thrilling that you can't put it down.

A is a gender neutral being who inhabits a different body every single day. He doesn't get to choose who he/she inhabits, it just happens. The bodies A inhabits are always the same age as him/her, but A has no control over who he/she wakes up as. One day he is a wealthy and stunningly beautiful black girl, the next a heroin addict or gay Puerto Rican. A can't stop it, every night at midnight he/she is whisked into another body and has been that way A's entire life.

When A awakes as another teenager he/she is able to access their memories in order to function as that individual for the day. The memories are used to find classes, complete homework, recognize friends, and family, etc. The next day when the teenager wakes up, they have no idea that someone else inhabited their body, they have memories of going about their day (albeit a bit fuzzy). A goes about this bizarre routine for sixteen years until he/she falls for Rhiannon. After that things get complicated.

A uses the bodies of whoever he/she's in to find her, but can he convince Rhiannon to be with him when every day A is in another body? Can love transcend such a complication? Can she love A when he shows up as a fat kid or a goth girl, or a hunky football player? Trust me you will want to read this to see how it ends. A fantastic and unique story that will have you turning pages like a mad man.