Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging December 6, 2007

Rennison, Louise (2000). Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. NY: Harper Collins, 247 pages.

Georgia Nicolson’s dad is moving to New Zealand, her cat is a feral predator, and the produce boy is trying to steal away her best friend. But these things are nothing next to the possibility of winning over a sex god.

This book is sort of a junior high version of Bridget Jones’s Diary, complete with witty diary entries, zanny mishaps, and romantic comedy. On the other hand, this book completely fails at making you like the heroine. Or the titular cat. Or the sex god, who, considering his age, just comes off as a little creepy. Mind you, when I was 14, I wanted to date older guys too… but 19? Really? Georgia herself is almost pathologically self-centered, and is by turns cruel and callous towards her friends and family. It’s a match made in…

Still, it was decent (and very funny) light reading.

Booktalk Hook: Bridget Jones in High School!

If you want more: Try the Gossip Girls series… at least the characters will be a little more likable.

Prom Dates from Hell November 19, 2007

Clement-Moore, Rosemary (2007). Prom Dates from Hell. NY : Delacorte Press. 308 pages.

High-school senior Maggie Quinn isn’t a big fan of the prom. She’s also not a big fan of the Jocks and Jessicas, the clique that rules her school. But when someone puts a curse on the Jocks and Jessicas – not to mention possibly Maggie herself – she has no choice but to try and stop it, even if it means buying a dress, snagging a hot date, and going to the big dance.

Maggie’s witty narration made a fairly decent follow-up to my little Wodehouse binge (see previous entry), which in and of itself was a pretty big hurdle to leap. Happily, the wittiness added to the book and Maggie’s character, rather than detracting – while Maggie wasn’t the most dynamic character ever to grace the pages of a YA novel, she was definitely appealing as an intelligent and subtly vulnerable heroine.

Despite the fact that Maggie claims idolize Nancy Drew, the book itself is an unabashed Buffy tribute, featuring not only a sarcastic heroine with super powers, but also a smart Willow-esque friend, and a suspiciously helpful (and hot) older guy who is, probably, the secret love child of Angel and Giles. Happily, there is still room for an original story with some surprises. I especially liked the nature of the curse and some of the forms it took, from hilarious to near tragic.

The book went by fairly quickly despite its reasonably substantial length – like most horror books, it was really fast-paced. However, unlike other horror books, Prom really isn’t very scary (trust me, I’m a giant wuss, so I’d know) and is really more of a mystery than a thriller, despite the supernatural elements.

If you read this book, keep an eye out for the sequel, Hell Week, that’s coming out in 2008.

Booktalk Hook: What would it take to get you to the place you’d least like to go?

If you like this book: Clearly you should just watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oh, you’ve done that already? Of course you have. Well, why not check out Bleach, the popular supernatural/horror manga series? Like Prom, it’s low on gore and scariness, and high on suspense and humor.

Jeeves November 18, 2007

Wodehouse, P.G. (1976) Jeeves, Jeeves, Jeeves: Three Novels. NY: Avon Books, 585 pages.

How Right You Are, Jeeves

Bertie goes to visit his beloved Aunt Dahlia and immediately becomes embroiled in a crazy plot to break an incipient engagement, save another, steal a cow creamer (again) and prove that someone other than himself is insane. And, worst of all, Jeeves is on vacation.

Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves

When the universe seems to be sending Bertie messages warning him away from Totleigh Towers, residence of the dreaded Sir Watkyn Bassett and his soppy daughter, Madeline, he is adamant on heeding them – that is, until he hears of a rift in the lute between said Madeline and her beau, Gussie Fink-Nottle. Knowing that he’s next in line for Madeline’s undesired hand should Gussie bow out, Bertie goes forth to save their relationship. But can even Jeeves do anything in the face of forced vegetarianism?

Jeeves and the Tie that Binds

Finally, Madeline is fated to be married to someone other than Bertie. But Bertie has to get closer to her wedding than he wants to when he visits Market Snodsbury to help his friend win an election – and the hand of Florence Craye. Thievery, drugging, bribery, and other antics ensue.

It’s always interesting to read Wodehouse. The books are funny and crazy and – well, really funny. On the other hand, most of the embedded criticism of British class issues during the 1920s go right over my head. Or rather, even if I notice it, I don’t have to read the books that way – there’s a huge gap between the author’s intended reading and my reading of the books, most likely due to the fact that I’m from a different generation, culture and nation than the author. For instance, my eyebrow goes waaaaaay up when Bertie starts talking about being “one of nature’s bachelors” or how one of his friends is “Damon to his Pythias.” Is this intentional? Probably not. Does it matter? Depends on your pet brand of literary theory.

Putting that aside, however, there is the fact that reading Wodehouse never fails to make me grin like an idiot. The unique writing style that he perfected in this series had a huge impact on modern narration, and his sarcastic humor left traces all over the map.

If you liked these books: Why not watch the BBC series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry?  Or, for a Japanese take on a hero trying to dodge multiple engagements, try Ranma 1/2.

Half-Moon Investigations October 16, 2007

Colfer, Eoin (2006). Half-Moon Investigations. NY : Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children. 290 pages.

Fletcher Moon knows better than to get involved in the cases he’s investigating – even if he did only just earn his detective badge via correspondence course – but when his first case leads to him, and his enemy, Red Sharkey, getting framed for crimes they didn’t commit, Fletcher has to get way more involved than he intended.

This book hits every single one of my reading kinks in the best way – I really can’t be objective about it at all. The writing is excellent – I think Colfer (better known for the Artemis Fowl series) is really at his best here – and Fletcher’s first person narration is a brilliant cross between detective noir and teenage boy. The mystery is engrossing, unpredictable and hilarious. And I loved the reluctant-allies relationship between Red and Fletcher.

My only problem? There is no sequel.

The book is mainly a light read, but there are some deeper issues that sort of haunt the book around the edges – issues with family, rumor, society, etc. And there’s a slight vein of sort of girl phobia that some people may find offensive.

Booktalk Hook: It’s like the Hardy Boys but 100 times more awesome.

And if you like this: You might want more teen detectives, and a good bet to satisfy would be the short Japanese live action drama, Detective Academy Q. Like Half-Moon Investigations, this series also scores really high points for the quality of the mysteries, good characterizations, and strong friendships between characters.

Geography Club September 25, 2007

Hartinger, Brent (2003). Geography Club. NY: HarperTempest. 226 pages.

Being a gay kid in high school is, at least for Russel Middlebrook, kind of like being a secret agent in enemy territory. But things change for the better when he and other, er, like minded individuals form the geography club. That is, until he realizes that there’s only so long he can keep a secret once he’s shared it.

I really enjoyed this book – there was a lot it had to say on a number of key, teen appropriate messages, but there was also real heart behind it so it never really seemed preachy or grating. The depiction of a Typical American High School seemed a bit caricatured – the cliques were a little too stereotypical and the jocks were very… jock-ish. Though the general callous sort of cruelty teenagers can treat each other with? Pretty much spot on. I liked Russel’s budding relationship with Kevin (though the details were disappointingly tame), and I liked how it played out, even though the foreshadowing had all the subtlety of freight train. And I (somewhat sadistically) loved his horrible dates with the girl his friend sets him up with. The book read a little short though, I think there could have been a few more pages rounding things out. Or maybe I just need to read the sequel, The Order of the Poison Oak.

Booktalk Hook: Did high school ever make you feel like a secret agent in enemy territory? Then you can relate to Russel Hartinger, the only (or so he thinks) gay kid at Goodkind High School.

If you liked this book: I’d recommend Nobuta wo Produce – it’s a drama series based on Japanese young adult novel by the same name. I’d recommend the book too, but I haven’t seen a translation for it. In any case, there aren’t any (non-subtextual) homosexual themes in this show, but the ending of the book really reminded me of the feeling I get from Nobuta… which is actually the highest compliment I could ever pay the Geography Club.

Son of the Mob September 25, 2007

Korman, Gordon (2002). Son of the Mob. NY: Hyperion. 262 pages.

Vince Luca’s had a pretty sweet life – his dad’s a mob boss, so he’s enjoyed all the perks of life on the wrong side of the law. There’s only one problem: his dad is a MOB BOSS. And Vince wants nothing to do with the mob – especially when he falls in love with the daughter of the FBI agent who’s after his dad.

There’s a few reasons I read this book, and the number one reason is the author: Gordon Korman. A man who, without fail, writes totally hilarious books about people who do really stupid things. And makes it all somehow believable. And he certainly didn’t cut back on the humor in this book – Vince is a wry, sarcastic, funny narrator. He’s definitely a likable character, which is a good thing, because he stumbles pretty naively through most of the action (with a little help from his nice-guy mob mentor, Ray Vecchio Francione) and it would have gotten a little annoying otherwise. There are a few times where the story drifts into more dark, introspective themes of morality and law, which – if natural – does seem slightly out of place with the rest of the tone of the text.

ETA: There’s also a sequel, Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle, that I’ve only just heard of, and haven’t had a chance to read yet.  Expect more here once I’ve gotten my hands on it.

Booktalk Hook: Everyone’s probably wished at some point that their parents would just stay out of their life. But most people’s parents don’t have anything on Vince Luca’s mob boss father – who can’t even keep his, er, associates out of the trunk of Vince’s car, let alone out of his life.

And if you liked the book: You might also like My Boss My Hero, a Japanese series also about a guy in high school who has a mob boss for a father. The difference is that Makio is 27, not 17. Both the book and the series play the protagonists’ situation for comic effect, and both are chock full of wacky hijinks.