Ape House
Sara Gruen




rating: 7 out of 10 "books"

If there’s ever been an author who will go above and beyond to research for a novel, Sara Gruen ranks high on that list. The newest book from the author of Water for Elephants explores the link between human-primate communication abilities, but on a deeper level, delves into the emotional link between the two and the similarities that exist no matter man or ape.

Isabel Duncan works for a college research facility studying the language and communication behaviors of bonobo apes. The closest things to family, her bonobos are her life. A reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, John Thigpen is assigned to report on the bonobo language facility. While Isabel and John are pretty much strangers to one another, leading two very different lives, when something major happens within the language lab, Isabel and John find themselves working side-by-side together.

Total romance novel-esque summary aside, Ape House is a very good read. Despite some bad reviews of the Water for Elephants follow-up, I think Gruen accomplishes a lot with this novel. I had no idea what this story was about besides apes, and even that gained tidbit from the title is not a fair presentation of the plot that follows. I really enjoyed the sort of split POV (point of view) that alternated between John and Isabel. The drama that occurs in each person’s life is a minor plotline that accentuates the overall theme of the story. John is constantly battling to keep his marriage afloat while economic, career, and mother-in-law troubles threaten to destroy his and his wife’s relationship. On top of that, his wife’s constant depression and yearning for a child leaves John anxious all the time. Isabel on the other hand, is dealing with her own personal demons; namely trust issues and an inability to fully open up to anybody, her fiancée included. Little is given to us as readers as far as Isabel’s family background, but it is enough information to discern that it has hugely affected Isabel’s current relationships.

Overall I’d say, if you liked Water for Elephants, try giving this novel a read. A lot of what happens in the story in relation to the bonobos are things that happened to Gruen herself when she was researching for the story at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa. A word of warning however for adults: the subject matter does get a little mature in some places, so have caution before adding this to your school collection or teen’s reading list.

Ballads of Suburbia
Stephanie Kuehnert



rating: 7 out of 10 "books"

"It's like a big anomaly, but everybody in suburbia has a fucked up secret, an event or series of events that made you who you are. That's what you're confessing to here." Hence, ballad. "A true ballad tells a story about real life." "A lot of ballads are about the mistakes we inevitably make while trying to figure out how to live our lives." -- Ballads of Suburbia


Ballads of Suburbia is one of those stories that starts with the epilogue and then spends most of the book in a flashback. After being left for dead while OD'ing in the park near her house the summer after her junior year of High School, our narrator, Kara, is just now returning to Chicago after a four year abscence. Kara, however, was not always a royal screwup just a typical angst-ridden teen searching like any of us, for her place in the world. The back story of Ballads of Suburbia begins with not only the start of Kara's High School days and the loss of her best friend Stacey, (who has moved to another part of town), but the constant downpour of family issues that threaten to destroy the last familiar part of her life. It isn't until Kara meets the goths and punk rockers that hang around Scoville Park that she begins to feel as if she finally has a close group of friends. And while, for the first time in years, Kara and her younger brother, Liam, are hanging out and making the same friends, partying every weekend with the Scoville crowd, and experimenting with the abundance of drugs, everything around them quickly begins to spiral out of control.

The title of this story, Ballads of Suburbia, is part of the basis behind the layout of the story. As Kara descirbes, the dictionary definition of a ballad is "a song that tells a story in short stanzas and simple words, with repetition, refrain, etc," or as Kara puts it, "the punk rocker or the country crooner telling the story of his life in three minutes, reminding us of the numerous ways to screw up." Large chunks of the story are even divided into the parts of a ballad starting with the Verse, followed by chorus, and so on, including the must-have element of a ballad: the guitar solo. But even more central to the title of this story is the notebook that Kara finds out about one day that contains each of the authors included's messed up childhood stories ("firsthand accounts of the things that changed you and the mistakes you made.") and immediately labels "ballads." It's these ballads that really centralize the plot of the story and unites the various characters in the book. One cannot read the notebook until they have written their own ballad, a confession of one's own mess ups and secrets.

On the one hand, I feel as if I've lived a completely sheltered life, having lived in Suburbia myself throughout my childhood and never having anything like this happen to me. Sure, I'd hear of people at my High School having parties, doing drugs, and getting pregnant, but most of the time my friends and I saw this all as very scandalous and stayed away from it. But on the other hand, I can see how easy it is to fall into those sorts of traps, especially in High School where fitting in is probably one of the biggest deals ever. I can honestly see how Suburbia would be the perfect place for all these bad, lurking elements to collide and I have no doubts that some of the newspaper articles that the kids in this story collected about bad things happening in the Suburbs could be, or are, true. I suppose I could say that I have had some suburban drama happen in my life, and I do wonder if some of the problems I've faced in my post-High School life have been as a result of growing up in "sheltered" Suburbia.

I really liked the idea of the notebook and the fact that the characters felt safe airing their dirty laundry to their fellow peers. What was essentially personal journal entries for these kids became group knowledge. It reminds me of that new MTV show "If You Really Knew Me." I think it's really made these teens feel a whole lot closer during a time when parents, as hard as they might try, really don't understand what their teenagers are going through. I think a lot of parents argue that they know perfectly well what's going on in their child's life because "we were once teenagers too," but "the times, they are a changing." I don't know when the next generation of teens are going to have it easier than the previous, but for now it seems like it always gets tougher and tougher to be that magical age.

I liked this story. It might not be a literary masterpiece, but I think it speaks out to people, not just teenagers, of the trials and tribulations, up and downs that people go through, possibly have to go through, before they can become the people they are meant to be.

My Horizontal Life
Chelsea Handler



rating: 7 out of 10 "books"


For anyone who's ever watched the E! channel relatively late on a week night, I'm sure you've come across "Chelsea Lately," a late night talk show hosted by the hilariously witty, Chelsea Handler. On the show she openly talks about subjects that many would consider taboo or controversial, dishes out and speaks her mind about celebrity gossip, and most of all makes fun of the Hollywood elite. With her roundtable of guest comedians and her personal assistant, whom she calls her "little nugget," Chelsea Lately is hardly boring. I have become an avid viewer over the years, and try to catch it when I am able to stay up that late, but I had never really known anything about her personal life or other work-related projects outside from the show. I had never seen her do standup either, whether in person or on a TV special, so I was curious to read "My Horizontal Life" to try to find some kind of explanation as to the experiences that shaped the character that she is.

Of course, this book is a true story about a bunch of different one night stands, and given the subject matter may not be the best book for anyone under the age of 21 to read. However, apart from all the intimate details, this book is filled with laugh out loud moments from the situations (both embarassing and bizzare), down to Handler's writing style itself. While I had a hard time reading about her childhood memories and believing that she could act in such a manner as a 7-10 year old (the style of writing makes it feel like as a youngster, she spoke and thought much like she does now), eventually I was able to get used to it. I mean of course, having written this book as an adult, things are going to come across in her current voice... I think I just had a hard time believing she could be so clever and funny all her life. I sought some sort of explanation as to what kind of made her into the person she is, and yes the situations more than explain it, but somehow I still didin't find my answer. But again, that was not the intention of this book at all.

All in all, "My Horizontal Life" was a super fun read. I was able to get it read in no time at all. If you are a fan of Chelsea Handler, or just need an entertaining book to read on vacation or wherever, then I'd definitely recommend this book! Now I just need to get my hands on her other book "Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea!"

Derby Girl
Shauna Cross


rating: 7 out of 10 "books"

I don't really know why, but I seem to enjoy reading a lot of books that are later turned into movies or read books after I've discovered that a movie has been made about them. I think it's just my love of film that makes me do this. Having said that, I find it no surprise that I was drawn to the book "Derby Girl" by Shauna Cross when I discovered it was the book that later became the Ellen Page movie, "Whip It."

"Derby Girl" is the story of Bliss Cavendar, a 16 year old punk rocker who is, unfortunately, stuck in the small Texas town of Bodeen where football rules and people like her are limited. From her small Texas town to her "two culturally clueless imposters for legal guardians," Bliss imagines her "real parents" are out there somewhere doing cool art stuff or something. Bliss is into all things "punk rock." She loves indie music, thrift store shopping, etc, and has even dyed her hair blue to show her disgust for all things ordinary. Her mother is addicted to beauty pagents and is always trying to get Bliss to compete. Luckily Bliss's 4 year old sister fulfills much of that void, but "Brooke" (her mother) still has the delusion that Bliss will participate in the Miss Bluebonnet beauty pagent, a Cavendar tradition that has seen both Bliss's grandmother and mother win.

Her only friend is the beautiful Pash Amini who moved into town and shares the same indie rock spirit as Bliss. They spend most of their free time slaving away at the "Oink Joint," a gross barbecue restaurant that all the local hicks frequent. The only thing that gets them through the hell of small town Texas life is each other. That, and imagining finding the perfect rocker boyfriends whilest getting the hell out of Bodeen.

But everything seems to change when Bliss picks up a flier for Roller Derby while shopping in downtown Austin with her mother and sister one day. She doens't even know what it is, but Bliss knows she has to go check it out. She instantly falls in love with Roller Derby the first time she sneaks out to go watch a match. When one of the Roller Derby girls encourages Bliss to try out for an opening, the idea scares her, but yet as Bliss states "something about watching those Derby Girls and hearing their skates pound on the track -- it's like I got to peek through the window at what life could be like outside of Bodeen. I want more. I need more." Remarkably, Bliss makes the team and lies to her parents that she's joined an SAT study group in order to get away with coming home late. Bliss is suddenly immersed in a totally different culture. She falls in love with a rocker boy and gains a whole group of friends like she's never had before. Bliss even finds herself being nicer to her mother, and agreeing to enter the silly beauty pagent to appease her. But while her life gets better because of derby, her friendship with Pash begins to suffer.

"Derby Girl," is the story of a teen finally finding out who she is and gaining a sense of belonging. There's some heartbreak and true learning experiences thrown in there, but it's something Bliss, I'm sure, would not trade for the world. I enjoyed this story a lot. It was a super easy read (the book was small in size and length), and had a lot of enjoyable moments. However, this was also part of what I did not like about the book. I felt like the author could have developed the story a lot more; really gotten into Bliss's emotions. It felt like as soon as I began the book it was over. That's why I've given this book a rating of 7 "books" out of 10. If you want a humorous book that will take you no time to read, I think "Derby Girl" is perfect. From the first page of the story I could also see why they cast Ellen Page as Bliss: it sounded exactly like her character in "Juno." I have yet to see the movie, and have heard some negative reviews of it, but I wonder if it has anything to do with the shortness of the book. Oh well, I still want to see it!

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury (Book 3)
L.J. Smith


rating: 7 out of 10 "books"


*** WARNING: Contains Spoilers!!! ***

At the end of “The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle,” Elena is being chased by some sort of “Power” that causes her to accidentally drive Matt’s vehicle into the river while trying to escape over water (one thing vampires cannot cross over). The book ends with Elena drowning and waking up as a vampire. If you remember the events of the second book, Elena not only exchanged blood with Stefan but also with Damon. Because so much vampire blood was in her system at the time of the crash, instead of dying Elena became a vampire herself. It is also somewhat coincidental, if not ironic, that this double exchange is very similar to the events that occurred between Damon and Stefan centuries ago when both brothers linked themselves with Katherine. Elena of course, is almost an exact replica of Katherine and the two could be mistaken as twins, except for the minor detail that Katherine would be over 500 years older than Elena had she not taken her own life to stop the feud between Stefan and Damon over her.

The third book in the series, “The Fury,” is about Elena trying to come to terms with what has happened to her, as well as her trying to get a grasp on her new powers. The beginning of the story was somewhat confusing: Stefan and Damon are fighting and Elena comes to Damon’s rescue, saying she loves him, and pretty much trying to kill Stefan. It’s not specifically mentioned, but the author implies that Damon is essentially Elena’s “creator” since he gave Elena more of his blood than Stefan in their exchanges with her. I was confused for awhile, especially since Damon denies having anything to do with what happened to Elena. It is only after Elena reads one of her old diaries that she remembers who she really loves and who she used to be. There’s a passage in “The Fury,” about her diary that I think really sums up Elena’s character. This passage is as follows: her diary, “was the story of a girl who’d felt lost in her own hometown, in her own family. Who’d been looking for…something, something she could never quite reach…” I think it’s a really well written transition into Elena’s current state and how she feels about being a vampire. Later in the story, Elena reflects on this and the diary entry and thinks, “I was searching for something, for some place to belong. But this isn’t it. This new life isn’t it. I’m afraid of what I’ll become if I do start to belong here.”

Like any of the books in this series, nothing in Fell’s Church can remain calm for long. Strange things are happening again, and it’s not just with regards to Elena. At a memorial service for Elena, the town’s dogs show up outside the church and start attacking the townspeople. Elena is suspicious of the new man in town, Alaric Saltzman, as well as the ever mysterious, Damon who, although repeatedly denies being involved, doesn’t appear all too innocent. Elena is set on finding the true culprit in order to save the town and avenge her death. But what she finds is nothing she could have ever imagined…

I really enjoyed this book, much more so than any of the others in the series. This is probably the most stripped down we’ve seen Elena in the whole series. Completely gone is that “Queen of the school” type attitude, and replacing it is the desire just to be normal again. The quote “you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone,” totally applies to this story. It was kind of sad seeing Elena reading her old diary and realizing not only how lost she was in her life, but also how completely desperate she is in her death. She didn’t ask for what happened to her. She didn’t want to die. Her life was taken from her and she has no idea why, or who did the taking. In this way, “The Fury,” somewhat reminds me of “The Lovely Bones,” with the main characters looking back on their lives from the other side, and having to see their family and friends going through the grief brought with their deaths. Of course, the major difference between the two is that Elena is still physically present in Fell’s Church, and not just looking on in the afterlife. But the feel of the two stories felt very similar to me.

My final thought is that if you are interested in reading only one of the books in this series, this is the one to go with. However, in order to understand many of the events that occur, in other words, to get the background details, I’d recommend you read them all! Stay tuned for my review of the final story in the original “Vampire Diaries” series entitled “Dark Reunion.”

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl
A Novel by Barry Lyga


rating: 7 out of 10 "books"



The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl could be classified as yet another “teen angst” drama revolving around those tough teen years. However, AAFGG takes this young adult formula and turns it into something refreshingly different. Sure, there’s plenty of boy-girl drama in there, but what makes this novel special is the characters and the situations in which they are involved.

Donnie aka Fanboy, is your typical High School geek. Obsessed with comics and getting the heck out of town after High School, he spends his weekends and social time working on his secret comic book project. His best friend, uber jock Lacrosse player and secret comic book enthusiast, Cal, only speaks to him when the coast is clear of other popular jocks. Donnie pines for Dina, the popular “senior goddess,” who doesn’t give him the time of day let alone acknowledge him. His mother doesn’t understand him, and his “step-fascist-father,” can hardly relate to Fanboy’s ultra dorkiness. But as Fanboy constantly tells himself, “in two more years I can go to college. Go to college far away, where no one knows me, where I can start over. And in college, everyone is smart, so it’ll be ok to be myself and I won’t be a freak anymore.”

But a series of events crushes Fanboy’s hope for the future and his belief that once he leaves town to attend college things will be different. The only thing keeping him sane in his life filled with bully beatings and constant misery is his unlikely friendship with Goth Girl Kyra. Chain-smoking, pint-sized, sharp mouthed Kyra doesn’t take anyone’s crap. When she sees Fanboy being beaten up in gym class, she befriends him and an unusual acquaintanceship turns into friendship if not more. Fanboy reveals his secret comic book plans with Kyra, who immediately takes interest in helping Fanboy perfect his graphic novel. But as it is with any young adult novel, things between the two friends are bound for a nasty turn. The story cliffhangs after events involving a party, Dina the “senior-goddess,” an appearance of Brian Michael Bendis, and a missing bullet.

I really enjoyed this novel and was excited when I discovered Lyga had decided to and wrote a sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. There were many mentions of comic and graphic novel writers including: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and as mentioned previously Brian Michael Bendis. Lyga definitely did his homework researching and brining his own comic book experiences into this novel. Not only that, but his realistic characterization of his characters was suburb. It is really a treat to read young adult literature that successfully captivates the essence and turmoil of being a teen.