FINISHED:

Link, Kelly. (2008). Pretty monsters: Stories. New York: Viking.

[Um, call me an idiot, but I just DIDN'T GET THIS ONE AT ALL. The first story, about a guy digging up his ex-girlfriend so that he could retrieve some poetry that he wrote and put in the casket with her, was kinda straightforward and interesting, but then it just got bizarre and difficult to follow in a stream-of-consciousness kind of way. There's a story about a TV show called "The Library" that loops back on itself and contradicts itself and includes superfluous and esoteric details. Just not my cup of tea, but I suppose others might think that it's bold and refreshing... I suppose...]


STARTED & FINISHED:

Koertge, Ron. (2008). Deadville. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

[Read and reviewed for ACL (just neglected to update this site in the last few weeks... Won't let it happen again). Here's my official review:

Ever since his little sister died a few years back, high school sophomore Ryan Glazier has been perpetually stoned, hangs out exclusively with the school pot dealer, and keeps a constant soundtrack of music in his ears. Inexplicably (even to himself), Ryan begins visiting a popular girl from school – with whom he wasn’t even friends – who is in a coma at the hospital. This behavior causes Ryan to begin a life change, waking him from the smoke and music-hazed coma under which he was living. Ryan is a relatable character who engages in situations – such as dealings with his parents, and a scene in which he finds himself at an outdoor party spot – that teenage readers will find familiar and true. Pot smoking, while prevalent throughout, is hardly glamourized and is realistically portrayed with Ryan finding it difficult to cope without getting high, passing out asleep in a fast food restaurant, and a friend stumbling around looking like a buffoon. This is a genuine story of a lost boy finding his way back to the real world through redemption and a willingness to once again deal with life head-on and sober.]

STARTED:
St. James, James. (2007). Freak show. New York: Dutton/Penguin.

[Read great things about this one when it came out, and I'll read anything with a gay character.]

*