The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Why did it take me so long to read this book?!? This is a one of a kind young adult book. It's full of swagger, sex, vice, adventure, pirates, romance (gay and straight), and intrigue. And it's historical fiction! It's freaking awesome. Henry, his sister, and his best friend Percy are out on their "tour" of the continent. Henry just completed his schooling and as one last hurrah, he's allowed to go on a year long tour before he has to go back and start helping his father with the family estate, something he is absolutely dreading. Their barely on their way when Henry's antics at Versailles land them in a world of trouble. As if escaping from the party in nothing but his birthday suit wasn't bad enough, they are soon apprehended by highwaymen and it only gets worse from there. If they are going to survive Henry is going to have to cut back on drinking, stop sleeping around, and get his head out of his ass. The three young teenagers will need all their wits. Fun and unique. I'll have to check out the sequel!

Honeybee

Beautiful, raw, and emotional; this collection of poetry dealing with the aftermath of a break up and the struggle of moving forward will absolutely resonate with readers everywhere. It's compelling and soo soo personal! It's an intimate look at heartache and it's relate-able on every level. From questioning every little detail of your relationship, to trying to understand their motives, from grief all the way to anger; every step of heart break is included. Mateer's poetry and prose ranges from short to semi-long, but no matter the brevity; it all packs a punch. It's a wonderful collection that I know I will come to it again and again. It's even inspired me to go to the library to check out her other collections. As a final aside, I love the cover art!

Looking for Group

I'm generally not a massive fan of teen road trip books (I loathed Paper Towns by John Green), but despite my initial misgivings I found myself liking this book. There's a little romance, a lot of self-discovery, resilience, and oodles geek love (tons of World of Warcraft  terminology and asides, but everything is explained for non-gamers). While trying to register for school (after a lengthy absence from battling cancer), Dylan snaps. They're not letting him register without his mom and his mom can't be bothered to come help him so he decides to take the car and just keep driving. Unsure of where he's going he finally settles for meeting his online gaming friend, Arden, a few hours away. He has no other friends to speak of, so meeting Arden sounds better than nothing. Plus maybe they can go on a quest together. Together they decide to go on a crazy road-trip to California to find a lost ship of pearls. It's not really the destination that matters though, it's the journey. Arden and Dylan are getting used to seeing each other IRL (in real life) and they have some issues to work out. Dylan is a gay boy and Arden is a trans girl. Will all the flirting they do in World of Warcraft surface on their road trip? What do they make of it? Also what impact will their living situations and money situations have on their situation? A great book for gamers and LGBTQ teens. It's nice to see some diversity in YA books for a change.

I'll Give You the Sun

Now I can see what all the hype is about! This book was worth all the praise and then some. The prose is beautiful, the characters full of depth, beauty, and broken pieces. I just finished reading it this morning but I already want to re-read it. Jude and Noah are twins but they couldn't be more different. Jude is a gorgeous, laid back, surfer girl and her brother Noah is an introverted artist who lacks friends. Although they have their differences they operate as one, that is until an unspeakable tragedy breaks them apart. Filled with a plethora of issues: discovering ones sexual identity, dealing with the loss of a loved one, first love, acceptance, addiction, and the process of creating and seeing art. It's a beautiful novel, told from the perspectives of both twins and over the course of two years. Impossible to put down, I can't recommend this book enough!

If You Could be Mine

Definitely a groundbreaking book in LGBT literature for teens. It brings up a lot of uncomfortable but necessary questions and fears that LGBT teens have to face everyday, except as is the case in this book, sometimes it is waay harder then we could ever imagine. This story takes place in Iran, were homosexuality is punished with death. Sahar and her best friend Nasrin have been in love with each other for years. Their romance has blossomed but they are both very careful to keep it under wraps so they don't get themselves killed. When Sahar finds out that the love of her life has been betrothed to a doctor her pretty naive little world starts to come apart. She can't imagine life without Nasrin but she can't think of any way that the two of them can be together, that is until her gay cousin introduces her to his transexual friend Parveen. Is she changing genders the only way she can stay with the love of her life. Will her family forgive her? Will Nasrin still love her if she is a man?

Definitely a book that causes you to think. It also raises good conversation on how homosexuality and sex reassignment are perceived in other countries and cultures.

October Mourning: a Song for Matthew Shepard

I haven't had poetry move me so much in a while. This collection of poems brings to life the horrifying and brutal murder of gay, twenty one year old Matthew Shepard in 1998. Lesbian poet, Leslea Newman (author of "Heather Has Two Mommies") recounts the shameful and shocking incident with true grace and raw emotion. The sixty eight different poems explores the impact of Matthews deaths through fictitious monologues from the perspective of: the fence, the killers, the biker who found him, Matthew himself, mothers across the country, and more. It's a very moving piece of work and definitely deserving of the Stonewall Honor it received. A must read for everyone!

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).