First, *hugs friendslist*. Thanks for the funny. I needed it. I may need it more when I have to come up with the insurance deductible, and then pay my premiums for the rest of the year. I swear, when I retire I'm going to move to New York City where I don't have to own a car.

Second, I got to thinking about the members of YALSA's Best Books For Young Adults committee, and how they have to read, on average, one book per day. I think I might like to try that. Maybe not one book a day, but five books a week. I could do it, right? As long as not too many authors get Aidan-Chambers-inspired to put out 800-page tomes. (And I'm STILL on page 250 of that book.)

So far this week, I've read:

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. I don't know why I can't get into Ellen Hopkins's work. She's certainly a great writer who really has a handle on what word to use when (always important when you're writing a novel in verse), but I always leave her books feeling sort of beaten down. Her books are always long and packed full of teen issues, and I LIKE long books full of issues, but...meh. Impulse centers on three teens at a mental health facility. Each has attempted suicide, and each is harboring a lot of damaging secrets: Tony is a drug addict who did six years in juvenile detention, Connor is cracking under the pressure from his perfect parents to be more like his perfect sister, and Vanessa, a cutter, is bipolar but hasn't told anyone about her symptoms. Together, they form a supportive relationship and work with doctors to learn coping skills for when they return to the real world. The ending, like the ending of Burned, is a shocker.

Stuck in the '70's by D.L. Garfinkle (dlgarfinkle). Shay, your average California teen in 2006, appears naked in Tyler's bathtub...in 1978. She's beautiful and instantly popular, and she and Tyler strike a deal: If Tyler uses his knowledge of physics to transport her back to 2006, she'll give him a makeover and all the keys to the popularity he's always wanted. Lots of fun, with alternating guy/girl viewpoints. It reminded me of Pleasantville, which is a very good thing because I love that movie, and it made me think about how the times we live in affect who we are. I've known more than one person who believed they belonged in another time, and I wonder how being transported could affect your life choices. (I know I would look really good in poodle skirts and sweater sets but I think I'd still want to go to college.)

Fix by Leslie Margolis. Cameron changes her life through plastic surgery, and Cameron's little sister Allie is about to do the same. But Allie, star soccer player and average student (as opposed to A-student not-so-athletic Cameron) isn't sure that a nose job will change her life for the better. Their mother, a former actress and model, is not immune to beauty standards, either. There's a lot in here, about beauty, self-esteem, aging, and self-confidence, but the book is a fast read, almost too fast. I think it could generate a lot of excellent discussion in something like a mother-daughter book group, even though the book itself is a little too jam-packed with Topics that don't all get their full development. Still, not a bad read at all.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci (castellucci) and Jim Rugg. This is the first book in the Minx imprint, and I can only hope that all the other books Minx puts out are even HALF as good as this one. Jane's family moves from Metro City to Suburbia, and Jane is convinced she's landed in Hell. She finds a home among the "rejects," three girls named Jane who are smart, dramatic, and almost athletic. Together, they form P.L.A.I.N.: People Loving Art in Neighborhoods, in which they find sneaky ways to bring art to their sleepy suburb. Not everyone appreciates their efforts, however, and Jane has to wonder: Is art really enough to save someone? The writing and art are both fabulous, though I can only go into detail on the writing because what I know about art could fit into, um, something really, really small. Jane is someone I wished I could be in high school: Artistic, determined to pursue art even through her setbacks, and intent on pursuing happiness even if it costs her popularity. I can't wait to see what the Janes will art up next.

And I'm going to finish, because I should finish what I start:

-Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky (adultolescent)
-Hex Education by Emily Gould and Zareen Jaffery
-The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (how much do I love this series? SO VERY MUCH!)
-Flush by Carl Hiaasen

and then the ones next in the pile that I haven't started:

-Crazy in Love by Dandi Daley Mackall
-Do Not Pass Go by Kirkpatrick Hill
-Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill (this one is getting a lot of good buzz)

My Large Box O' Galleys arrived yesterday, and ( here are the highlights of what I picked up )

So much to read and write, and so little...

Tags: 2007, books read, ya
126: determined
780: a bit of a shout and a bit of an angry snout