60) The Invention of Hugo Cabret-Brian Selznik

Paris, 1931. Young Hugo Cabret has lost his father, his uncle has been missing for months and it has since become his job to make sure that the clocks are perfectly run in the train station. One day, he is caught stealing from the toy shop and his father's notebook is taken from him. The toyshop owner asks questions Hugo refuses to answer and the man tells him he will burn the notebook. Hugo follows the man home and begs for his notebook back. When they reach the man's home and he closes the door on him, Hugo tosses a pebble at the window and begs the girl that appears to make sure that the man does not burn his notebook. 

The next day, Hugo returns to the toy booth and asks for his notebook back. The man claims to have burned it. Hugo goes back every day asking for his notebook and although he refuses to give it up, Papa Georges says Hugo can make himself useful. Each day he returns and little by little, he helps clean the booth and learns from Papa Georges. He also befriends the girl from the window, Isabelle. Through their friendship, they learn the truth about Papa Georges, the magic within everyone and everything and discover exactly why they are so important in this world.

This was an absolutely beautiful book. Although it tops out at about 522 pages, you can read this in one sitting. The book is comprised of mostly stunning black and white drawings that take you through the story. Everything about it comes full circle. It's such a beautiful story.

Having seen the movie, I felt it was necessary to finally get around to reading the book. I wish I had read it prior to the film's release, but oh well. It was just as exciting reading it after having seen the movie as I assume it would have been had I read it before. However, having the movie as a frame of reference was nice. The book and the movie were done so closely. Scorcese was certainly the right man to tackle this movie adaptation. I highly recommend both the book AND the movie. Absolutely proves the importance of knowing that magic is real in one way or another, books and movies.

59) Holidays On Ice-David Sedaris

Okay, I'll admit this right now. I'm a pretty big David Sedaris fan. I was excited to find a compilation of just Christmas stories alone because, quite frankly, I've never laughed as hard as when I read "Six to Eight Black Men" for the first time in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Yes, my children, that one is most certainly featured in this collection of essays.

There are a few familiar essays from his previous books, along with about six new essays. There are maybe two that are in no way nonfiction, but I certainly wasn't mad at it. I was a bit disappointed in one or two, but overall I really enjoyed this. It's a good laugh and funny to read around the holidays.

If you want to read about the adventures of being an elf in Herald Square's Santaland, it's right here. If you want to read about the customs of the Dutch at Christmas, search no further. Are you looking to read about a prostitute in the kitchen at four am? Well, my friend, you found the right book!

If you are not a Sedaris fan, I suggest at least giving him a shot. He may not be for everyone, but he is hysterical to me. Since this is such a small collection, this would be easy to start with.

58) The Throne of Fire-Rick Riordan

Sadie's birthday isn't really going as planned. After traveling to London through the Duat and ending up at her grandparents flat, she realizes something is wrong. Within seconds, things have flipped upside down. The goddess of vultures and the god of baboons has decided to use her grandparents as hosts and are trying to stop her at all costs from finding the remaining two pieces of the Book of Ra. With the help from Bes, the god of dwarves, they manage to release the gods from their hosts. Carter and an initiate from Brooklyn House, Walt, show up and they begin their journey to find the second book of Ra. Will finding the pieces of the book help save the House of Life and halt the rise of Apophis, chaos itself? Can they stop chaos from destroying the world and bring back the forgotten god, Ra?

It's a bit difficult to divulge too much of this story as it is a sequel to the book listed below, so I apologize if that did not do this book enough justice. However, I quite enjoyed this book. It was just as much of a quick read as its predecessor and even more exciting. You certainly find yourself falling in love with Bes and cheering on the Kane children as they fight to save the world from darkness and destruction. You certainly wonder how they gain so much power and admire the changes made between the two books.

I really, really can't wait for the third one in May. This absolutely set up the impending war and the third one will just set the whole thing in motion. Definitely a good read if you like history or mythology. Or just really love Rick Riordan like I so obviously do.

57) The Red Pyramid-Rick Riordan

It all started the night their dad blew up the British Museum.

It was one of their two designated nights of their year that Carter Kane and his father were allowed to visit his sister, Sadie, in England. When they pulled up to where she lived with her grandparents, Carter's dad told him he would meet him inside. Curious as ever, Sadie refused to sit inside and along with her brother, the two of them found a way to overhear their father's conversation with a strange man. Whatever they were saying made no sense to the siblings and when Sadie jumped out to ask what they were discussing, their father refused to answer and hurried them into a cab. When Carter looked back, the man had vanished.

When they arrive at the British Museum, Sadie is less than thrilled. It's one of her only nights with them and they're looking at Egyptian artifacts? Isn't that what Carter and her father spend the rest of their time doing? Traveling the world and studying everything Egypt? The three head towards the museum where the curator meets them and leads the group towards the otherwise closed exhibit featuring the Rosetta Stone. Their father keeps muttering that it's his turn to put things right and asks the children to lock the curator in his office and stay out of the room. Once the curator is securely in his office, Sadie refuses to sit still. She wants to know why they're meant to stay out of the room. They move back towards the room and notice there is a blueish glow surrounding the room. As they look in, they see their father with strange objects as he mutters something over the Rosetta Stone. The stone lights up and the room explodes. The gods of ancient Egypt are released and Set imprisons Sadie and Carter's father in a golden sarcophagus.

From there, the two discover that they are not only magicians of the ancient House of Life, but they are also the two most powerful godlings to be born in centuries. With the blood of the pharaohs, they are the only two who can go toe to toe with Set before he unleashes chaos on the world during the Demon Days. If they succeed, they can work to return the House of Life to the old ways. If they fail, the world falls to ruble and ruin.

I was slightly apprehensive when it came to this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty huge Riordan fan, but the idea of Egyptian mythology didn't really do it for me. However, it was such a great read. It's dual narrators and it was funny while also really compelling. Riordan has an extraordinary way with words which is what makes him such a fantastic talent. The characters were fantastic and once you reach a certain point, it's really difficult to put it down. While I'm more inclined to recommend Percy Jackson or the Heroes of Olympus series (whatever, I love Percy Jackson), I would definitely recommend this series as well.

56) The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight-Jennifer E. Smith

Today has been the day from hell for Hadley. She realizes that her dress doesn't fit, gets stuck at the gas station for 45 minutes, her suitcase is broken and worst of all, she's just missed her flight to London to watch her dad get married. It's an event she has been dreading which only adds to her terrible day. How could she watch her dad marry the woman who ruined her family? After talking with the airline, she manages to get the last seat on the next flight...three hours from now. Just after finding a seat in the terminal, she asks a woman to look after her bag while she runs to the bathroom. The cantankerous woman scolds her and just before Hadley can say something mean, a boy says he will watch it for her. Instead of taking him up on his offer, she takes her bag and walks away.

However, the boy follows her and the two strike up a conversation. Hadley feels something that is new to her. She just met this guy! Why would she feel like she's known him forever? Why would she feel like this is the start of something big? She finds out that they're sitting int he same row on the flight and it only intensifies her feeling. They spend the next seven hours of the flight talking, getting to know one another and flirting. When they finally reach London, Hadley doesn't know what to do. Will she ever see him again? Will her dad's wedding be as bad as it seems? Will this trip be more than she could have ever anticipated?

I really loved this book. I read it in literally a day. It seems to the be the ones that I grab on a whim that I enjoy the most. Anyway, it definitely kept you reading. You wanted to know what was going to happen next and that seemed odd to me for a love story. It wasn't cheesy or over the top. It was more than just a love story. It was a story about a girl coming to terms with a lot of aspects of her life. It's amazing that it was set only over a two day span. I definitely recommend this book when it comes out at the end of January!

55) The Son of Neptune-Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson has been fighting gorgons for days, but they just won't die. Why won't they just stay dead like normal monsters? Why can't he remember how he knows what they are or where he learned to fight? He's running out of steam...and options. Suddenly, he feels a pull towards the two people standing guard at a tunnel across the freeway. Is it salvation or is it a trap? A hippie bag lady appears at his side and tells him that he has little time to decide between staying where he is and reaching the tunnel. If he chooses to cross the freeway, she asks if he would be so kind as to carry her to the tunnel. The gorgons are circling close and Percy chooses to lift the woman and make a run for it. The two guards are dressed in battle armor and tell him they'll cause a diversion until he can make it into the grounds. But where is he exactly?

Once in the grounds, he crosses the Little Tiber and puts the woman down. Quickly he turns and summons the water to crush the gorgons. How did he just do that? The bag lady smiles, spins and turns into a seven foot tall beauty sheathed in a goat skin cloak. Juno stares down at Percy and the two guards from the tunnel, Hazel and Frank, and welcomes him to Camp Jupiter. She apologizes for stealing Percy's memories and warns that trouble is coming. Without much more, she disappears and leaves the campers confused. 

After a tour of the camp and dinner, the camp begins to assemble for war games. Frank and Hazel have vouched for Percy and he falls into their ranks of the Fifth Cohort, a group that has been shamed since the 1980s. However, during the games, the three of them prove to be a triumphant trio and help win the game for their side. Just as the battle has ended, the cheering quickly stops as Mars himself appears in the middle of the battlefield. He claims Frank as his son and issues a quest stating that three demigods must head towards the land beyond the gods and face the threat that awaits them before the Feast of Fortuna. He also states that Frank must head it and is allowed to choose his companions. Mars also states that it would be wise to choose Percy because he feels Percy needs to prove himself. Frank chooses Hazel, a daughter of Pluto, as his second companion. They set off the next day, each with their own powers and each with their own secrets that could be their downfalls.

Wow. I could not say more about this book. It's a sequel to the previous book, The Lost Hero. I'm a pretty big Percy Jackson fan and was nervous that he was never to be found even though I knew that Juno (Hera, whatever) switched Jason and Percy out to help fight the bigger fight. However, I smiled like an idiot whenever I would read his chapters. He's Percy freaking Jackson, man! I mean, this was an amazing sequel. I almost cried a few times because it was so emotional. Your heart broke when you discovered Hazel's secrets, were awed when you found out Frank's skills and you felt bad every time Percy mentioned Annabeth. I mean, come on! Just the thought of Annabeth was what kept Percy motivated to carry on! And what Riordan did to tie together the two stories and the characters from both was absolutely amazing. The guy knows how to write a riveting, hilarious, can't-put-this-down book. 

The worst part? Waiting until October of NEXT YEAR for The Mark of Athena. What are you waiting for? Go pick up the first five Percy Jackson books and then these two! You won't regret it!

54) The Lost Hero-Rick Riordan

Jason has no idea who or where he is. All he knows is that he is on a bus holding hands with a girl he has never met and listening to a boy he has never met complain about their field trip. His memories are gone and no one will believe that he has no idea who they are or why he's suddenly on a field trip at the Grand Canyon. The next thing he knows, he is being attacked by storm spirits and his battle instincts kick in. Once the venti have left, Jason is only more confused. Before he can answer anything Piper or Leo are asking, two people leading a chariot of pegasi are flying right for them. Annabeth and Butch claim the other three have answers and that they were taking them where they could better discuss it.

Once they reach Camp Half-Blood, they discover that they are children of the gods of Olympus, otherwise known as demi-gods. Leo, a son of Hephaestus; Piper, a daughter of Aphrodite; Jason, a son of Jupiter. Questions pile up, but no answers are given. All they know is that at the exact moment Jason lost his memories, Percy Jackson disappeared and that something is linking the two incidents. Not only that, but the great prophecy that was made at the end of the Titan War only months before has already been put into motion. It is up to Jason, Leo and Piper to figure out how to put the demigods can end the threat and how to get Jason's memories back on a quest to save Hera.

This is what I love about Rick Riordan. He's engaging and hilarious, heartfelt and intelligent. I have learned so much about mythology through his books and I didn't even know it. This was such an amazing read. I could not put this down. And that's saying something for a book containing 553 pages of Greek and Roman myth. I thought it was really neat for him to bring in the Roman mythology and show how it differs slightly from the Greek. It was exciting.

I had no idea that this book picked up just months after the ending of The Last Olympian (finale of the Percy Jackson series). It made the book even better than it already was because, well....I absolutely LOVE Percy Jackson. You don't necessarily NEED to read the Percy Jackson series in order to understand this series, but I would definitely recommend you doing so. They were great, quick reads, really smart and funny. Read THIS for the continuation series.

(You'll want to. Trust me!)

53) A Year Without Autumn-Liz Kessler

It's the last Saturday of August, the day that Jenni and her family settle into their condo for another last-week-of-summer vacation. Everything is perfectly planned out and organized, just like it always is. Jenni's best friend Autumn, however, has quite a different family. They are a family of artists and live a carefree life of joy and wide-eyes. On the first night, Autumn tells Jenni they're going horseback riding the next day. Nervous for it through the next morning, Autumn reminds Jenni to be at her condo at exactly two o'clock.

At two o'clock, Jenni heads towards Autumn's building and without paying attention, uses the old elevator. When she knocks on the door of 210, it's not Autumn or her family that answers the door; it's a woman that Jenni has never met. She says that this is her condo now and if she wants to find Autumn, she needs to go down a floor. But what she finds there is startling. Autumn has lost her sparkle, her dad is missing and her mother refuses to get out of bed. Where is Autumn's younger brother? Why is everyone sad? Why does Jenni appear to be a year older?

She's gone forward a year. She's gone to a year that is full of nothing but heartbreak and pain, of waiting and watching as everything falls apart. Everything has changed. Now the question is: How does she fix it?

I liked this book. I'm a pretty big fan of Liz Kessler because I'm (secretly 11 and) in love with her stories of mermaids and fairies. I was excited to hear that not only was she coming out with a new book, but that it was a solo ride this time. It was a fun time-traveling story. It was a nice quick read and full of suspense. You wanted to know how far forward in time she went and if she was able to fix everything.

52) Recovery Road-Blake Nelson

"You don't see those moments coming, you don't know it when they're happening, but later, as the plainness of life begins to show itself, you realize how important they were. You understand who really changed you, who made you what you are."

Madeline is sixteen years old. She's also a drug-addicted, alcoholic filled to the brim with anger that has resulted in her stint at the Spring Meadow rehab facility. Despite making it to the halfway house portion of her recovery, she still feels angry and annoyed. Even having a friend in Trish, an 18-year-old with similar dependencies, doesn't make things easier. When Trish leaves, Maddie feels alone. That is, until 19-year-old Stewart checks into treatment. They attended movie night twice before making plans to bend the rules and hangout. Before they even make it back to the center on the night of their hangout, they realize their attraction, but Maddie is meant to leave in two weeks. When that day comes, they figure out a way to make things work. 

But Maddie's life is different now. She's back in the high school that she hated without any friends. How long will it last until she gives in? Will she give in and relapse? As hard as she tries to fix things, tragedy strikes. Blow after blow hits Maddie hard. It takes all of this to help her realize just how much has gone wrong and figure out how to fix it.

I actually really loved this book. The chapters are maybe five pages at the longest and you just couldn't stop. I randomly picked it up because, well, there are pills on the cover and that usually makes for good reading. I'm sorry, but it does. It took about two sittings to rip through. You really understood just how hard it is for someone in that sort of position. They are always dealing with the temptation and influence of others. It has to be hard to deal with. You wanted things to go right with her. You wanted to see her succeed. You wanted her love life to be right. I felt like this girl's biggest cheerleader. It was entertaining and sad, interesting and thought provoking. 

It was a story about losing and finding yourself. It was a very bizarre and twisted coming of age story. Cancel out the drugs and the rehab and what have you and you're left with a story about a girl just trying to figure out her life. This is definitely something I would pass around (however, I borrowed this and do not have a copy of my own).

51) Divergent-Veronica Roth

After a futuristic Chicago is ripped apart, it separates into five factions: Candor (the honest), Amity (the peaceful), Erudite (the intelligent), Dauntless (the brave) and Abnegation (the selfless). On one designated day every year, every sixteen-year-old from every faction takes an aptitude test that determines which faction they belong in.

Beatrice Prior has never felt like she belonged in Abnegation. She was never selfless enough and was far too curious. She stares at members of other factions on the day of the test and wonders if she would be a better fit in any of them. She doesn't understand how the simulation changed the way it did and why her results came back inconclusive. The woman tells her that she qualifies as a highly dangerous person known as a Divergent and that she is meant to keep this to herself. At the Choosing Ceremony, she betrays her family and chooses to join the Dauntless where the truth about who she is awaits along with those that are waiting to find and use her.

I absolutely loved this book. It was really, really great. I could not put it down. It kept you on edge and you were always wondering what would happen next. You wanted everything to work out. However, living just outside Chicago my entire life made it difficult for me to picture it laying in ruin. It made me really anticipate the sequel and I absolutely didn't want it to end.

If you're a big fan of The Hunger Games (like me), then this is definitely something you should pick up. It's the first in a trilogy and the movie rights were recently acquired, so get to reading before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon! 

50) The Forest of Hands and Teeth-Carrie Ryan

Earth has fallen to the infection of the Unconsecrated. Those unharmed live within the series of fences that keep the Unconsecrated at bay and those living from entering the Forest of Hands and Teeth. When Mary stays too long at the river, she learns that her mother has gotten too close to the fence and been infected. When her brother turns her out and forces her into the Sisterhood, she learns a few secrets that the Sisterhood hold and wondering what else they're keeping from the villagers. She also learns of love when she is asked to help care for Travis, a boy she has longed for since childhood. When she visits him one night, an Outsider is brought to the Cathedral and Mary is consumed with discovering out who she is and where she came from. 

Before she can find out any vital information and marry Harry (the brother of Travis), the Unconsecrated   breach the fences. Harry and Mary are unable to make it to the platforms and turn to the Cathedral in hopes that they can take shelter there. Just before they can make it to the doors, the Fast One attacks the head of the Sisterhood and they are forced to make a run for it towards the path where the Outsider came through the fence. Mary, Harry and a boy they saved named Jacob wait along the path and watch as the Unconsecrated rip apart their village. Also escaping the breach is Travis, his future wife Cass, Mary's brother Jed and his wife Beth. 

With the Unconsecrated dominating their village and surrounding the fence line all around them, it's now a fight to stay alive and find out where the path will lead them, if anywhere.

This was my first foray into zombie literature. This was also the final title on my Adolescent Fiction required list. This one made me massively paranoid and wondering if I should start hoarding food, water and clothing for the impending zombie apocalypse. It was a good book, but be forewarned: there is hardly even a sliver of hope within the pages of this story. It's 308 pages of loss, despair, destruction and bloodlust. However, it's also incredibly gripping and you can't stop flipping the pages wanting to know if they get away safely, if they survive or if they have been infected. There's also romance, but even that is somewhat depressing. There's no way around it: it was extremely depressing. Good, but depressing.

I think I'll wait to start the sequel.

49) Wintergirls-Laurie Halse Anderson

Cassie calls Lia's cell phone 33 times. After not talking for months, Lia assumes she's drunk and refuses to answer. By Monday morning, Lia finds out that Cassie is dead, her body found dead and alone is a sleezy motel room. So, where does that leave Lia? Alone and with a mountain of guilt. 

Only months out of her second stint at New Seasons Rehab facility for Anorexia Nervosa, Lia is back to her old habits. She tricks the stepmom who is given the task of weighing her every Tuesday to make sure she's on track. She helps her dad believe that she is doing OK and eating like she should be. She almost never speaks to her mom. She loves the (step)sister she would do anything (but get better) for. 

She sees the ghost of Cassie every day.

Her doctor and parents warn her that the services and funeral for Cassie might be too emotional and triggering for her. Lia does not listen. Even after discovering exactly how Cassie died, she does not listen. She continues to not eat, barely drink anything and work out for hours. They are the only things that help keep Cassie at bay. She's there cheering Lia on to continue down the path she's on. Soon, she will no longer be a wintergirl, she'll be dead just like Cassie. 

This book was honestly horrifying. I love and appreciate food just a bit too much to ever develop an eating disorder, so this was a bit eye-opening. I have read plenty of depressing books, plenty of scary and eerie books, but this one was just...horrifying. It was a constant internal battle between "oh my god, I need to eat!" to "she's RIGHT, I don't need to eat until tomorrow." Be forewarned, passages are incredibly graphic. I'll totally admit that after having read the majority of this in a sitting, I shot straight up at 6:40 AM from a nightmare. It's raw and it's honest and it's real. I would not have read this had it not been assigned for class, but it was still a really great read.

48) Paper Towns-John Green

"What a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person."

When Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Roth Spiegelman were nine years old when they found a dead body in the park of their neighborhood. After this instance, the two almost never spoke until a month before they're due to graduate high school. Margo Roth Spiegelman shows up at Quentin's window with black face and takes him on a wild adventure ending in the two of them breaking into SeaWorld. The next day, Margo Roth Spiegelman has once again disappeared. But this time is unlike every other time she's gone. This time, she doesn't come back. However, she leaves clues for Quentin that he believes will ultimately lead to finding her. Find her alive? Or find her dead? With the help of his best friends Ben and Radar, they begin to figure out the clues that Margo Roth Spiegelman has left him. Her friend Lacey soon joins in on the wild goose chase. What do the clues mean? Where do they lead? Where in the world is Margo Roth Spiegelman?

This book was really fantastic. It was mysterious, but humorous. Dramatic, but heartfelt. I was happy, I was sad, I was incredibly pissed off at certain points. The mark of a good book sometimes is how involved you can feel and how greatly it can play on your emotions. If that is how you decide on a book, then you have found the right one with this, my friend. The pages can't turn fast enough once you reach the last 25% of the book. "Where are they going? Are we finally going to get answers? The answers are just around the corner, I know it!"

I was so happy that this was an assigned book. It was absolutely amazing. I don't know what I was doing with my life before finally reading John Green. The guy is amazing. He's hysterical, but with a love of thought provoking heart. He stretches across the continent of adolescence and growing up in all of the best ways. I could read his work for days and weeks and months and not get bored. I cannot recommend this book (or John Green) enough.

47) American Born Chinese-Gene Luen Yang

There once was a monkey king who, in his own way, became a diety. When the scents and sounds of a party in heaven drifted down to Earth, he felt it was his right to attend. When he was denied at the door for being a monkey, he goes a little too crazy. He goes back down to Earth and thinks of every way possible for him to no longer be a monkey.

Jin Wang is a small boy who has just moved to a new town. He wants to fit in and make friends, but others see him as much too different. He makes a friend for a short period of time before he moves away. Again, he is sad and alone. When Wei-Chen Sun comes to Jin's school from Taiwan, he at first tells him he has enough friends, but they quickly become the best of friends.

Danny has a problem. His cousin Chin-Kee is back for another visit. Chin-Kee always causing a ruckus when he comes to town and screws with Danny's life. This forces him to change schools three times by the time he becomes a junior. Danny hates his visits and wishes they would stop.

The question is: What do these stories have to do with one another?
Adolescent Fiction read. I wasn't really looking forward to this book, but I also wasn't dreading it. It was just a book to read for class. I'd only ever read one other graphic novel (Watchmen), so this wasn't high on my list. However, I greatly enjoyed this book. I thought it was really fantastic. I enjoyed how you saw the stories weave together and how it teaches you how to love who you are and what you have. Who cares about ignorant people? You'll always find those people lurking in corners. You just have to be proud of who you are and know that at some point or another, their ignorance will kick them in the ass. It was entertaining and I can absolutely see why it won the coveted Printz Award.

This was a quick and entertaining read. I highly recommend it!



46) Juliet, Naked-Nick Hornby

Duncan and Annie have been together for fifteen years. They have come on holiday to America to see the sights of the cult music sensation Tucker Crowe's life. They've been to Montana, Tennessee, Minnesota and California. Until this trip, neither realized that they had a stagnant relationship for almost the full fifteen years. It wasn't until this trip that they realized that maybe their lives haven't been and won't ever be the lives they always saw for themselves. Maybe it's Annie's obsession with having a child or maybe it's Duncan's obsession with Tucker Crowe, either way, things aren't going to end happily.

One day, Annie is going through the mail and discovers a package Duncan has missed. She opens it and realizes that it's a previously unreleased demo version of Tucker Crowe's album Juliet titled Juliet, Naked. Duncan sees it as a work of brilliance whereas Annie sees it as a load of rubbish that takes away from the "dressed" version. She even goes so far as to write an essay about it and post it on the fansite that Duncan runs. The next day, she checks her email and sees that Tucker Crowe himself as responded to her review. What follows is how Tucker's career has caused far too many problems in Annie's, Duncan's and everyone, including himself, in Tucker's life.

It's rare that I will read the majority of a specific author's work (series not included). That's not to say that there aren't amazing writers out there (because there are), I just rarely find one that I specifically enjoy reading. However, Nick Hornby is certainly one of those authors that I love reading. High Fidelity has been one of my favorite books (even pre-Fall Out Boy line borrowing) and its movie adaptation is wonderful. I absolutely loved this book. It was really lovely. It changed perspective quite often and I like that. You get the story from all sides. It was funny and it was quite sad at times, but that was one of the more enjoyable aspects.

If you like music and weird relationships, this book is for you.

45) Parrotfish-Ellen Wittlinger

"Sometimes it's hard to remember that by tomorrow or next week or at least next year, the stuff that seems awful today might actually be funny. That what makes you miserable today will later on in life be a good story to tell your friends."

Angela is who Grady used to be. That is, when he was living his life as a girl. When he discovered that he had Gender Dysphoria and decided to live his life as a male, he chose a name that sounded like a gray area, which is sort of what he felt like he was living in. However, he had no idea that telling everyone about this monumental life change could create such a storm of confusion, hate and thankfully in some aspects, acceptance.

People were already talking about the school's "weird kid" since she chopped off her hair and started dressing like a boy. Once Grady started telling everyone about his name change, he didn't realize what people were capable of. Milk down his back in the crowded cafeteria, public verbal attacks and even an attempt to absolutely humiliate him in gym class. All at the hands of ignorant students who refused to understand what was happening, but instead calling it perverse and wrong. But it wasn't all bad. Grady finds a new friend in Sebastian, helps an old friend realize what's wrong and what's right and even discovers what love means. It's a story about acceptance in every way.

Adolescent Fiction read. This was a really great book. It was a bit slow at first, but once you get into it, it's hard to put down. You found yourself screaming at the ignorance of the idiots Grady is forced to call peers. You want him to get the girl. You want to high five him whenever he stands up for himself. Basically, you get really into it! For a topic that is hard to understand, I felt that I got a really good idea of what it is like to find yourself being born in the wrong body. The emotions in the book sort of become your own and I liked that idea. I was glad this was assigned.

44) Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist-Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

I'm thinking I would like to dance in the rain with this person. I would like to lie next to him in the dark and watch him breathe and watch him sleep and wonder what he's dreaming about and not get an inferiority complex if the dreams aren't about me.

"Would you be my girlfriend for five minutes?" Nick asks a girl wearing a flannel shirt in a seedy music club in lower Manhattan. Norah is about to say no but when she sees Tris walking towards them, pulls Nick's mouth to hers in an effort to avoid conversation. Little did either one know, they were both trying in vain to avoid Tris. 

This is how Nick and Norah meet. Two kids who are deeply heartbroken in different ways. They talk and fall silent. They laugh but try to hide the smile. Each one falls in love with the idea of the other person but overanalyze everything before it happens in their own completely neurotic way. When they enter a burlesque club and discover that one of their favorite bands, Where's Fluffy?, will be playing a secret show there later in the night. They decide to stay and tip-toe around putting together the pieces of one another. The band takes the stage and the bodies fall in sync with the music and Norah does all she can to prove that she isn't frigid and that Tal was wrong about her. Meanwhile, Nick is seeing that her heart isn't in it and she's coming onto him for all the wrong reasons. The game of keep-away begins again. They break apart and she leaves the club. Once he finds her, she hails a cab and is off into the night. Nick wonders if he should go after her. Norah wonders why she left. They both wonder why they're dancing the tango when they could easily be dancing the waltz.

Another Adolescent Fiction read. Of course, I'd seen the movie (I vaguely remember a rather loud group of people sitting over a section and up talking the whole time and then yelling at me for the split second light from my phone as I checked the time), but I was excited to read the book. To be perfectly honest, as well as I could picture the actors in my head, it was hard to picture them as the characters in this book as I was reading. They were great in the movie, but they weren't what I pictured while perusing the pages. I liked this book, but I wish it was longer. It clocks in around 183 or so pages. Quick read, but I wish it was longer. I liked the music aspect as well. It was funny and made me feel like the way I talk isn't bizarre. 

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch this movie.

43) Whale Talk-Chris Cutcher

The Tao "TJ" Jones is a part black, part Japanese, part white kid who was adopted by his parents after his biological mom thought crack was more important than her son. He's now in high school and approached by a teacher to help start the school's swim team. Reluctantly, he agrees and he sets out to find his motley crew of (non)swimmers. As a rule, TJ steers clear of organized sports despite being terrifically athletic. Mostly because his mother's abandonment instilled in him a serious case of rage fits that would frequently get him into trouble with the coaches and other teammates. Due to these rage issues, he continues to see the therapist that helped him as a child. When he shows up at her house one afternoon, he begins to help Heidi, a child who's both half black and has a psychotic, all-whites-only stepdaddy who loathes the existence of TJ. With the swim team's lettering requirements at stake and his family taking Heidi in when her stepdad loses it once more, TJ's life bounces between extremes. Fortunately, his heart is in the right place. He wants each and every misfit on his team to letter and he wants to help Heidi in any way he can. Can he do it? Can he help his team letter and fit in with his school and also help save a child in danger just because of her skin color?

Adolescent Fiction assignment. I was not a fan early on. It wasn't until the second half where I was absolutely addicted to reading it. You don't see almost anything in the second half coming! You feel terrible for Heidi, Chris and Mott. You want to hug Chris and smack some sense into Alicia. You become totally invested in the characters. I enjoyed how you might start to get bored with the swimming bits and then BOOM! The author would throw in some serious real life (mostly racist) drama at you that had you flipping the pages at light speed. You wanted to see these racist jerks get what was coming to them every time they even opened their mouths. I liked this so much more than I had anticipated. I did NOT see the end coming. I audibly gasped. That's how good it was.

Fun facts: the author had these characters written in a school shooting story, but once there were too many, he scrapped it but loved the characters. He was also a swimmer in his youth and had to start a swim team later in life with the same situation as in the book. He has also worked with children with problems such as those of Heidi and TJ. Basically, he's awesome.

42) The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate-Jacqueline Kelly

Texas, 1899. 12-year-old Calpurnia Virginia Tate, or Callie Vee for short, is enduring another blistering summer on her family's farm. As the only girl out of seven children, her responsibilities, challenges and obligations slowly begin to change. The biggest change, however, is the day her brother Harry gives her a bright red notebook. In it, Calpurnia begins to take small notes on what she sees. One day, she finally works up the courage to talk to her Granddaddy about nature. Soon, the two become inseparable as he teaches her the joy of being a naturalist and exploring the world and the realms of science. As she learns to explore and to question, she realizes that maybe the life her parents have set out for her isn't what she wants. Maybe what she wants is something extremely radical for that time, yet exactly for her. Is it possible to be in the history books with other female scientists? Or is she destined for a life of housewifery that leaves her feeling less than fulfilled?

I absolutely loved this book. The first few chapters were a bit difficult to wade through, I'll admit it, but it was just amazing. Every chapter started with a piece from Charles Darwin's book of evolution. The characters were perfectly written and you couldn't help but smile. It sort of made you want to go out with a butterfly net and catch what you could while wading in the river before rushing home to examine it. Mind you, I'm not one for science, so that's saying something!

It's a bit of a lengthy book, but it was still worth the read. I quite enjoyed it. It was a historical and scientific read that you don't often come across as being entirely engrossing. One of my favorite parts was when they were at the fair and they sampled the "brand new drink" of Coca-Cola. That part had me actually laughing out loud. It was so cute. All in all, I absolutely loved this.

41) Holes-Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats. It's the same name both ways. A name that has been cursed for generations because of a no-good-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. When Stanley is accused of stealing the shoes of Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston from a homeless shelter, he is given the option of juvenile detention or Camp Green Lake. Never having been to camp as a child, they choose that over jail. However, Camp Green Lake isn't exactly what Stanley or his parents pictured. For one, there is absolutely no lake. After he realizes things aren't as they seem, Mr.Sir tells him that he will be digging a hole (five feet deep, five feet wide) every day in order to build character and reflect on what he's done. But why do they have to dig them? Surely there is something else they can do to build character! He is given his two orange jumpsuits, his canteen, hat and group assignment. The next day, he starts digging. It isn't until he finds a gold tube with the initials KB inside a heart while digging that everything starts to change.

This was, BY FAR, the book I was most excited to be assigned for Adolescent Fiction. I mean, it's Holes! This was one of the very first "big kid" books that I ever really loved (see also: Ella Enchanted). I haven't read this since...probably fifth or sixth grade. I sort of missed it, you know? It's different but absolutely the same when you read it now. It's just as wonderful, but you pick up on so much more than you did when you were younger. You realize the underlying messages, but still love the storytelling. 

It felt so good to reread this. Sometimes, you don't realize that your favorites when you were younger could be just as great now as they were then. Great writing doesn't age and this is some really great writing. I think I'll go grab the movie from my collection and enjoy some baby Shia LaBeouf. It's been too long.

40) Will Grayson, Will Grayson-John Green & David Levithan

If you met someone with the same name as you in a porn store, what would you do? Walk away as if you didn't realize you shared a name? Say something? Don't know? Well, in the case of both Will Grayson and Will Grayson, this strange coincidence happens. Due to circumstances that neither one of them could have foreseen, they both end up in a porn store one night in Chicago. When they discover they share a name, they tell their stories of how they landed where they are. While they are completely different people, they realize that maybe their meeting wasn't just a coincidence. What follows is how this meeting changes both of them for the better.

I'll admit it. The cover caught me last year. It wasn't until about a month ago that I even finally purchased it, but I'm so happy that I did. I absolutely, in every way, love with this book. If you like the work that either of these authors have put out, you'll love this one. It's funny, full of music, feels conversational and really great all around. I read another review that said it was sort of like a John Hughes film and it kind of is. But if his work was being put out today. Did I mention they talk about Neutral Milk Hotel? That had me pretty quick. 

I smiled quite a bit, laughed a lot and kept thinking, "This needs to be a movie. It'd be amazing!" the whole time. I found it hard to put down and was sad when it was over. I would also like everyone I know to read this as well. You'll thank me later.

39) Annie On My Mind-Nancy Garden

New York City in the 80s. Aspiring to attend MIT for architecture, Liza looks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for inspiration for her solar house project. Taking a detour to avoid crowds, she walks into the American rooms where she hears a lovely singing voice. Drawn to it, she walks towards the room and comes upon a girl named Annie. For some odd reason, the two girls are drawn to each other without knowing at all why. They exchange numbers and each spend the next few days thinking about the other. Soon, they both find themselves in love for the first time. However, the ups, downs, twists and turns of a first love can be hard and unpredictable. Neither could see the trouble they could cause.

This was another read for Adolescent Fiction. For me, it was just another adolescent love story. It surely did not matter that it was about a lesbian couple. It could have been a heterosexual couple and it would have all been the same. Until, of course, I was 75% of the way through it and I just got incredibly pissed off. People's ignorance can be so appalling. I spent the last 25% of the book just angry at how disgusting people's views can be. Love is love, so back the hell up.

It was a really great story. Lesbian or not, it was a wonderful depiction of teenage and first love. The awkwardness, the trepidation, the excitement. It's all there. It really encapsulated what that is all like. What I'm saying is, be prepared to be annoyed with prejudice and ignorance. Other than that, I thought it was a great story.

38) The Elephant's Journey-Jose Saramago

"When the mind wanders, when it carries us off on the wings of daydreams, we do not even notice the distances traveled."

King Dom Joao the Third of sixteenth century Portugal and his wife have no idea what to gift the Archduke of Austria. "Solomon!" the queen exclaims. Solomon, the elephant they had received from India two years prior, has merely set in his enclosure and done little else. The king agrees and once the archduke accepts the gift, arrangements are made to transport the elephant to his new of Vienna. What transpires is the journey Solomon takes with the mahout Subhro over many lands and how a single elephant can change someone in each convoy's mind.

The first group travels by foot from Lisbon to Valladolid where they meet a group of Austrian soldiers halfway. Once in Valladolid, the king's convoy is sent back to Lisbon. From there, the elephant and the mahout, now named Suleiman and Fritz, continue traveling across Europe, through the Alps and finally arriving in Vienna.

I bought this book simply because it was about an elephant. What? They're my favorite animal and any reason you find for reading is good enough. You're still reading, right? Exactly. Anyway, I think this was an interesting read. Something that was definitely not something I would have normally read. There are paragraphs that can last for thirteen pages and dialogue is woven in throughout separated only by commas. There was also a bit of religion and as I am not generally all about that, it was interesting to say the least. It bounced around at bits, but it was still a good read.

(Sidenote: At one point, they arrive in Mantua and I found it incredibly hard not to scream about Romeo being banished. Sue me.)

37) The Chocolate War-Robert Cormier

The boys of Trinity Prep know one thing: The Vigils run this place. Even freshman Jerry Renault knows this. That is why when the school does the annual fundraiser, this year chocolates, Jerry is told by the group to defy the staff and not sell the chocolates for ten days. However, once those ten days are up, Jerry continues to say no. Much to the dismay of the corrupt Brother Leon, the student body and, most importantly, himself. This creates a cascade of events. Calls come in the middle of the night, he's attacked on the school grounds and invisible isn't even the right word to describe how he's treated during the school day. So, what happens? Does he sell the chocolates allowing the crazed brother, Archie and the goons of the Vigils win? What happens if he stands his ground? What could they possibly do to him that could make things worse? 

This was another book for my Adolescent Fiction class. I didn't really go into this thinking I'd like it or I wouldn't like it. It was just an assigned book for another class. Sadly, this book just did not do it for me. It might be a classic, but I could have gone without ever reading this as well. There was nothing that was necessarily complex. I spent most of the book bored out of my mind and thinking of all the movies it reminded me of: A Clockwork Orange, School Ties, The Emperor's Club. Then I thought of A Separate Peace and that only made things worse. I didn't like that book at all.

What annoyed me most was that everyone allowed all of these things to happen. The only person who stepped up was Jerry. I mean, let's face it. The brothers allowed the vigils to do what they did. The students did what the vigils said for fear of punishment. The members of the vigils listened to Archie without hesitation instead of telling him he was out of line. God damn! Someone take a stand around here! 

The one thing I did like was that it was told from someone else's perspective each chapter. You saw the story unfold from different aspects. I always find it interesting when authors use that form of narration. I just wish I hadn't been so bored reading this

36) The Last Newspaper Boy in America-Sue Corbett

The day before Wil David turns twelve years old, he learns that the newspaper route he has been so excited to inherit will be ending its distribution to his hometown. Outraged, he tries to find every way possible to help keep the route alive. He e-mails the owner, gets signatures on a petition and still he doesn't feel that it's enough. It isn't until he sees the new game at the fair that things start to turn around for him. When the fair rolls in, it brings with it the Cover the Spot game guaranteeing its winner a $1,000 prize. One to always figure out the catch, Wil can't seem to figure out what the catch is this time. It isn't until the day before the fair ends that he figures out how it's rigged and how he can catch the crooks, and save the paper and his town, all at once.

I really liked this book. I saw it every so often on the shelves of the bookstore and always said, "Eh, maybe next time" until I finally did. I thought it was interesting. The first few chapters didn't really do it for me, but once it got to the bit with the fair, it got really, really great. It had a lot of different elements. There was mystery (you want to find out the catch of the game just as much as Wil!), humor (one of his older brothers can never get sayings correctly), hope (you want the paper to stay alive) and so much more. I was very glad to have picked this up.

It's a quick read once you get beyond the first few pages. It's only 199 pages and will only take you a few hours to read it. It's nice to see a book about something that is certainly on its way out due to technology. Oh, the paper route.

35) The Outsiders- S.E. Hinton

Tulsa, Oklahona in the 1960s. The war between the greasers and the socs is about to reach yet another rumble. But who is to prevail this time? Will it solve anything at all?

Ponyboy is a fourteen-year-old greaser living with his brothers Dally and Sodapop after their parents died in a car accident. Ponyboy is smart, insightful, sensitive and aware that most of the happenings in his life can be changed if only he put the effort forth. He can't change that his parents are gone or his social standing, but he can always change where he's going and who he'll turn out to be. 

One night, he and his friend Johnny meet up with Dally and set out for the drive-in. It's here they meet one Cherry Valance, a soc who doesn't see much difference between the sides. She realizes that Pony is nothing like the rest of the greasers. After the movie is over, the girls can't find a ride home, so Dally suggests that he would take the girls home. Unfortunately, the soc boyfriends of Cherry and her friend spot them with the greasers. A fight is narrowly avoided and Dally leaves Ponyboy and Johnny to their own devices. The two accidentally fall asleep, which makes Pony come home late and a fight erupts with his oldest brother, Darry. Pony flees, finds Johnny and they decide to run away. They reach a park and a car full of socs spot them at a park. Outnumbered, a fight breaks out between the two groups. What happens next changes more lives than could be anticipated.

This was an assigned book for my Adolescent Fiction class. Although I wasn't a MASSIVE fan of this book, I can see why it's still such a popular book and often taught in schools. It's still completely applicable to today's society. Aside from a few aspects, the core ideas are in no way dated. They're still relevant now. It's essentially what started the YA genre. My favorite part was that the first few sentences ended up being the last few sentences in the book. When I finished, I (out loud) said, "Oh my god! That is so neat!" I felt pretty awesome about that.

If you don't want to read the book, just do what I'm about to do. Watch the movie with, wait a second...everyone before their careers really took off. I'm coming for you, Patrick Swayze!

34) La's Orchestra Saves the World-Alexander McCall Smith

La is a girl from the country. A girl from the country who wanted the proper education and attended Cambridge University. It was here that she met a man named Richard who she would later marry. Sadly, it did not go the way she planned and she finds herself removed from London and back into the countryside. Suffolk is never where she assumed she would end up, but as World War II began, she was glad to be where she was. She attended to hens on a farm not too far from her home, plants vegetables for the war effort and enjoys the quiet of the country. It's not until a friend of a friend pays her a visit and suggests that maybe what they need is a morale booster. La suggests perhaps starting an orchestra but then quickly dismisses it as a silly idea. Tim disagrees and soon they have themselves a quiet little orchestra. They meet once a month and occasionally perform concerts with the promise of a victory concert once the war is over. But is music as healing as she believes it to be? Does her orchestra stand a chance at boosting morale? Will anything she does help at all?

This is another book I have had my eye on for awhile. It always sounded so interesting. I had read a few other books by AMS, but this is absolutely my favorite. I could not put it down. It was beautiful even if it was set in England during WWII. I thought that the story had soul, that it was uplifting and wonderful. I was mad when I had to stop reading and, despite being incredibly happy with the book as a whole, was upset when it was over. It made you remember that no matter what hardships we come across (and WWII was certainly a massive hardship for anyone at that time), the power of music and the necessity for love is important. 

While I understand that the shortened synopsis I gave hardly gives anything away, I want to give enough to entice someone in and then they can discover just how special this book really is. Everyone should read this book. Male, female, flying purple people eater. Whatever you may be. It's one of those books where you stop and think, "Wow, not all books these days are unsatisfactory. Some still blow you away."

33) A Walk to Remember-Nicholas Sparks

What? They're quick 2-3 day reads, okay? So what if it was made into a movie! That happens to a lot of books. Anyway, I finally decided to give it a go recently and I'm glad that I did. 

The book, set in 1952, takes us through Landon Carter's seventeenth year. A bit of an arrogant "rebel" (apparently eating boiled peanuts in a graveyard at night makes you a rebel in those days), he cares little for other's feelings and least of all, Jamie Sullivan's. He cares a great deal of what other's think of him and wonders how she could go about her day to day life and not have a care in the world about how she is perceived. 

After attending the homecoming dance together, Jamie asks him a very personal favor. She asks if he would be willing to play Tom Thorton in the town's annual Christmas play. He agrees after she explains she wants it for her father's sake. Landon begins walking her home after play practice and slowly gets to know the girl he had been so wrong about was in actuality perfect for him. And just like that, he's in love with her. But love will always through curveballs and his obstacle was one that could not be overcome. Did it restore his faith in God or did it help him lose it? Where does true love take you and what could it make you do? Can love and faith transcend time and pain?

I thought that this was a really wonderful book. It was different in a lot of ways from the movie and I don't think that was necessarily a bad thing. Both could stand on their own for what they were. Although it's a little heavy hitting on the Jesus juice, it was much more tolerable than say... The Last Song. It was a wonderful story and a great quick read. Unfortunately...in the battle on the war of my tear ducts...

Sparky: 6, Megan: 1.

32) The Perks of Being a Wallflower-Stephen Chbosky

"But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them."

Ah, my yearly reading of this absolutely beautiful book. I've read this every year since I was in the eighth grade (14) and it's still just as wonderful and just as meaningful now at 22. Sure, it's always something different that I can relate to, but the fact that I can find something to connect with each time I read it is extraordinary.

Through his letters to an unknown person, strange and troubled "Charlie" takes us through his first year of high school after his friend Michael has killed himself. Alone and wondering what high school will be like, Charlie strikes gold when he befriends Sam and Patrick. It is through the two of them that he is introduced to the world in a new way. Love, relationships, drugs, alcohol and everything else about growing up. With his new group of friends helping him discover who he is, his English teacher, Bill, helps him to figure out just how intelligent and special he really is. 

It has all the makings of the perfect coming of age story. While many aspects of the story are foreign concepts to us (you'll have to read it in order to understand my meaning), there is something that we can all read and say, "Yeah, that's exactly how I felt when that happened to me." You can be 14 or 24 and this will be just as much of an enjoyable read. And if you're one who bases how good a book is on how quotable it is, then you need to head out and pick up a copy of this gem. It was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to one for the quote under the heading. There's that many to choose from.

Besides, if you haven't read it yet (where have you been?), get a head start on everyone else and read it before the movie comes out next summer. Oh, Logan Lerman. How I can't wait to swoon over you (regardless of how bizarre, yet honest the character is).

31) An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir-Elizabeth McKracken

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't buy this simply for the title. I mean, come on. With a title like that, I just had to buy the book regardless of what it was about. Sometimes, you just have to buy a book based on a ridiculous cover or an elaborate title. Sometimes, they turn out to be really fantastic books. After my massive memoir kick last year, I opted to not read one for a little while. I'm glad that this was the first one I read this year. While also simultaneously being wildly depressed over the subject matter.

She makes it abundantly clear that a baby dies in this book, but one is also born. She takes you along for the ride of her first pregnancy while living and writing just outside of Bergerac, France. Recounting the moments before, during and after learning she had a stillborn child are hard to read. A pain like that is, I'm sure, unbearable and eloquently translated onto the page in an effort to make you understand just how hard it is. Between discussing the loss of her first child and dealing with the world in the aftermath, she details the joy and anxiety over her second pregnancy. 

It's written in a completely honest way that it's almost scary. It's serious when it needs to be and humorous at just the right moments. Not to say that this is a situation to take lightly, because it's not. I'm just saying that when it's dark, you need to make a joke here and there to remember that you're still alive despite the devastation. It's an incredible read but should be kept on the pile for a rainy day, not the summer heat. 

30) Bridges of Madison County-Robert James Waller

Yes, I read this. Yes, this is generally assumed as a book for older women looking for a great romance. Yes, they made a movie of this with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. I always wanted to read this, but never got around to buying it. When the library was selling books and this hardcover was only a dollar, I simply couldn't help myself. 

This book tells the story of National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid and farm wife Francesca Johnson in rural Iowa. Robert drives from his home in Washington in his beat up pick-up for an assignment on the bridges of Madison County in Iowa. After scouting the locations of most of the bridges, he pulls into the first driveway he sees and asks for directions to the last bridge. This is the first time he sees Francesca Johnson. She gives him directions and offers him a cool drink on that hot day which leads to asking him to stay for dinner. What happens in the next week, the next year, the next few decades that shapes the rest of both of their lives.

What I liked best was that in the beginning of the book, you read a letter from the author stating that Francesca's children came to him and relayed the story of their mother's love for a man she only knew a week. You go this whole book assuming that this had really happened, but it turns out that it was merely a work of fiction. How fun is that? It's nice to pretend like stories like this are real. Call me a silly girl, but sometimes, you just need to read books like that to take away from all the negativity going on in the world. It's a quick read that's really enjoyable.

29) Sterling's Gold: Wit and Wisdom of an Ad Man-Roger Sterling

Any fan of Mad Men knows that Roger Sterling spent most of season four quietly writing his memoir. Like anyone else, I was really hoping that AMC would take it to the next level and actually go ahead and publish the damn thing so we could all feel really cool telling people we read it. No? Just me? Whatever. The point is, they at least did it. Somewhat.

If you're a fan of the show, I definitely suggest owning this. Sadly, it's not his story, but it's full of some of the best Roger Sterling quotes from the series. I repeat, this is a compilation of quotes, not his memoir. So many times I've watched an episode and wanted to high five the writers for coming up with such genius lines. He dedicates sections to dealing with clients, dealing with women, dealing with coworkers and how to properly live life. Not only does it include quotes, but it has some really fantastic photos from episodes as well. I liked sitting there reading it and going, "I TOTALLY REMEMBER HIM SAYING THAT. THAT WAS THE EPISODE WHERE..." I felt pretty awesome about that. Again, that might just be me, but that's not what we're talking about, is it?

As that's really all there is to say about this short little literary gem, I shall leave you now with one of Roger Sterling's shining moments. Isn't he a charmer?

Look, I want to tell you something because your very dear to me and I hope you understand it comes from the bottom of my damaged, damaged heart. You are the finest piece of ass I ever had and I don't care who knows it. I am so glad I got to roam those hillsides.

(Sidenote: Buying this book had nothing to do with my massive crush on John Slattery. Okay, maybe it did.)