All The Bright Places

The Bookworm says... Absolutely. I am sitting here, a heart broken mess over this book. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven was absolutely outstanding. Violet and Finch meet on the bell tower, 6 floors above the ground. It becomes clear that they are there for the same reason: death. Whether desire for death, fear of death, or memory of death, it brought them there. The rumors fly- Violet Markey rescues resident suicidal freak, Theodore Finch. Wandering through Indiana's not so typical but oh so lovely wonders, the unlikely pair that is Theodore Freak Find and Ultrviolet Unremarkey-able are able to connect to each other in a special way. They show each other all the bright places within the state borders of Indiana, and within themselves. 

I cannot describe how much I loved this book. I'm speechless. Here is the best way I can describe my love for it: when reading, if I come a cross a passage or a page or a thought that I really truly love, I fold the bottom corner of the page down. Most books, around 1-5 pages get turned. 14 pages. I turned 14 corners of pages. Jennifer Niven, I am in love with your lovely book and the characters that live in not only the fictional realm of this story, but in all of our lives. 

"I grew out of my clothes because, it turns out, growing fourteen inches in a summer is easy. It's growing out of a label that's hard."

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

The Bookworm says... Yes. The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards was a pretty good book! On a cold stormy night in 1964, Dr. David Henry delivers his own twins. The first baby, a boy, is perfectly healthy. The second baby, a girl, is born with Downs Syndrome. Without letting his wife Norah know, David sends Phoebe off with the nurse, Caroline, to take her to an institution. Caroline is shocked by the barbarity of the institution, and decides to raise Phoebe as her own. A story of parallel lives, secrets, and the powers of love, The Memory Keepers Daughter is excellent. 

"A moment was not a single moment at all, but rather an infinite number of different amounts depending on who was seeing things and how."

Love Letters to the Dead

The Bookworm says... Wow. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira left me speechless, in the best possible way. It starts as an English assignment: write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain, because May loved him. The letter to Kurt Cobain becomes a notebook full of letters to Kurt, Janis Joplin, E. E. Cummings, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse. Laurel writes to them about starting high school, her new friends, her parents splitting up, and learning to grieve for her sister, May. It's not until Laurel has written down her truth that she can begin to tell other people. She can finally accept that May was not perfect, nor was she. 

This book was stunning, for lack of a better word. It explored all the hardships of loosing someone dear to you, entering high school, and facing the world. Terrific. 

"There are two most important things in the world- being in danger, and being saved." 

The Beginning of Everything

The Bookworm says... Yes! The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider was a lovely book. Ezra Faulkner had everything going for him- tennis captain, homecoming king, and the perfect girlfriend. Until, that is, his "perfect girlfriend" cheats on him. Until the accident that shatters his leg. Until he falls in love with the mysterious new girl Cassidy Thorpe. A whirlwind of love and tragedy crashes into Ezra's life and changes everything.
Robyn Schneider explores the theory that all that matters in life begins after a personal tragedy seamlessly in this excellent novel.

"The funny thing about gold is how quickly it can tarnish."

I'll Give You The Sun

The Bookworm says... Yes! I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is a great book! Noah and Jude are twins, and closer than seems possible. They are thirteen years old, and they're each others best friends. Three years later, at sixteen, they're hardly speaking. Something shattered their trust in each other, and it seems it will stay that way until something big changes. Until Jude meets a boy that seems as broken as her and Noah, until she meets another driving force in her life, and until both of them realize that they each only have half of the story, they will stay broken.
This book is intricately woven, in that at the end of the novel, everything was connected. It also points out the importance of loving all of your family while you can.

"Moments pass, lots and lots of them, with us holding on, it feels like for dear life, or maybe holding on to dear life."

Fault Line

The Bookworm says... Absolutely. Fault Line by C. Desir is an incredible book. Ben first meets Ani at a 7/11, and is immediately taken by her sarcastic wit and completely honesty. Ani is everything Ben never knew he needed. Their relationship is like a dream; they do everything together. One weekend, a "girls weekend", Ani goes to a party with a few of her girlfriends. The party that changes everything. Ani wakes up the next day, but she isn't the Ani that Ben fell in love with. She's broken, but is she broken beyond repair?
This book is absolutely stunning. It left me completely speechless. I still don't have the words to describe how  powerful this story is.

"Finally I looked at the cold, white sky and prayed to a God I wasn't sure I believed in to heal the girl I loved."

Why We Broke Up

The Bookworm says... No. Why We Broke Up by David Handler (also know as Lemony Snicket) was not an excellent book (in my opinion). It's the box of trinkets, explaining why Min broke up with Ed. It's the letter, explaining why Min broke up with Ed. It's the mistakes he made that led to Min breaking up with Ed. It's the story of why they broke up. I personally did not think that this book was anything special. Honestly, I thought it was boring and slightly cliche. Not one of my favorites.

"That's not why we broke up. I love it, I miss it, I hate to give it back to you, this complicated thing, it's why we stayed together."
Printz Award Winner

Drama High

The Bookworm says... Absolutely. Drama High by Michael Sokolove has left me speechless. Levittown, Pennsylvania. You probably haven't heard of it. If you have, you might wish you hadn't. Unless, of course, you were a member of Harry S. Truman High School's brilliant drama program run by Lou Volpe. In a struggling town, Lou Volpe gave hope with the power of theatre. What he did, unlike other directors, was teach the students about the art while teaching them about themselves. Volpe went on to pilot Les Misérables, Rent, and Spring Awakening for Musical Theatre International; each a smashing success. Theatre gave a sense of accomplishment and pride to a town that was looked down upon by surrounding towns. After four decades of faithful teaching, mentoring, direction, and companionship, Lou Volpe retired from Truman High. He changed those students lives, as they changed his. This book was such a beautiful true story, giving anyone a sense of the thrill of performing, and the hard work required. A gorgeous book, very well done.

"If all we had was a bare stage with one light bulb, we could still do theater."

Panic

The Bookworm says... Absolutely. Panic by Lauren Oliver was a terrific book. Panic is a result of boredom in a small town, but dangerous all the same. Heather never thought she would play, but things change. Dodge had secrets, yet never fears, but things change. Things are destined to change. Friends change, families change, and loyalty changes. As a group of friends are pulled to the breaking point all for a sixty seven thousand dollar jackpot, they have to wonder just how far they will go in order to win Panic.

"Go somewhere, I guess. Sixty-seven grand buys a lot of gas."

Previously reviewed by Lauren Oliver: Before I Fall

Without You

The Bookworm says... Yes! Without You: a Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT by Anthony Rapp was outstanding. The book is a heart wrenching exposition of the world we live in. From the beginning of the RENT workshop, through the Broadway closing night; through the end of his mothers life; and through his relationship concerns, Anthony Rapp tells this beautiful story. A raw and true retelling of experience, sure to show similarity to everyone's lives. This book is a must read for ANY musical theatre fan (but you should still read it even if you aren't!). It left me speechless.

"Well, you know, you have to grieve the loss of the person, you know, the fact that the actual person won't be there anymore to talk to, to laugh with, to share memories with, that sort of thing."