An Abundance of Katherine's - Green

An Abundance of Katherines

John Green

Colin Singleton is many things. He's a prodigy, he's quite good  at anagrams and, he loves girls named Katherine. Though as much as he seems to love Katherine's (that's with a K. Spelling is important here) they seem to love dumping him in equal measure. After getting kicked to the curb by Katherine XIX Colin embarks on a road trip with his friend Hassah to try and get his mind off the pain and avenge dumpees everywhere.

There is something about John Green that makes all the YA fans swoon. He writes heartwarming tales about nerdy underdogs, and while they might not always have a happy ending they leave you feeling moved. However after reading two Green novels I can confidently state I'm tired of his male characters and their dream girl counterparts. Colin is smart, but he feels burdened by potential and is constantly thinking about what will make him one of the true geniuses.Oh, and he loves bothering Hassah about his lack of motivation. Even though we spend the entirety of these 200 pages in Colin's head he still doesn't feel like a complete character. Though he is a lot closer than his love interest, Lindsey. She's funny, pretty and troubled but feels like a cardboard cutout for Colin to throw feelings and tantrums at.

Overall I wasn't impressed with Green's characters and didn't feel like road trips and tampon factories in rural Tennessee made up for them. A solid 3 stars. Not awful but not a book I'd recommend.

THe Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. - Waldman

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P

Adelle Waldman

Nate's never been popular and that's fine. Now a Harvard grad with a book deal living in the Brooklyn literary scene he spends all his time thinking about high brow things like western guilt and how he thinks that girl in the low cut top probably does have a great personality. Once he meets Hannah he's sure that she is different but is she really enough to shatter his mold?

There has been a lot of buzz around Adelle Waldman's debut novel and I for one think it is much deserved. Equal parts funny and cringe worthy Nathaniel P. is a engrossing and quick read. However don't be fooled by the title, the story may be about the many loves of Nate but this is not a love story.

Nate, for he is never called Nathaniel, is actually kind of a jerk. A likable jerk, but a jerk nonetheless. He is constantly focused on his work, on his past relationships, on how progressive and supportive he can be. In any other novel he'd be intolerable but here, in these pages that feel so much like Brooklyn he springs to life. While he musing on about how he's really not superficial and that he is just as interested in plain smart women as their superficial counterparts he becomes less likable, but more real. Really where Waldman succeeds is in the verity of her characters.

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. is currently sitting atop my "favorite books of summer" list. You should totally check it out.

Life and Blogging

I love blogging. I do. I know it doesn't always seem that way. What with my long absences and lack of comments it would seem as if I might have actually forgotten about all of you.  I say you like anyone is still here. If you're reading this: Thanks for sticking around! Hi! You are wonderful!

Anyway, I love blogging and I clearly love books, but sometimes when life gets me down or complacent I fall into a trap of procrastination and Tumblr. I wish my excuse was moving (which I did) or work, but there's no point in lying. Here's too blogging more, reading a ton and Tumblin. Always Tumblin.

I'm glad to be back guys, I promise I won't turn into Dan Brown or anything.

PS: Sorry for the lame "i'm back" post. It'll get better from here. Pinky swear. 

A Map of Tulsa: A Novel - Lytal

A Map of Tulsa: A Novel

Benjamin Lytal

After his freshman year away at a university out east Jim finds himself back in his hometown of Tulsa for the summer. While home he meets the enigmatic Adrienne who will change his life forever. Over the course of the summer Jim will rediscover Tulsa while mystifying the girl he has quickly come to love. However summers must end, and with the start of a semester Jim will learn how much three months can change a person.

Maybe it's my liberal arts background, or my return to my own hometown after years away at university but my feelings for A Map of Tulsa are a lot like a famous John Green quote, or very slowly and then all at once.    While I found Jim less than desirable his single minded obsession with Adrienne was interesting, and their summer adventures got me excited for the heat and stupid decisions of late July.

The second half of A Map of Tulsa is set five years later. With a directionless Jim, an emergency and a spur of the moment trip back to Oklahoma Lytal loses some of his luster. However the end result is a novel that resonated very strongly with me.  In the end it's not so much about Tulsa or Jim, but what it means to go home again, and how memories can be muddled.

Overall I really enjoyed A Map of Tulsa. It's not the best book I've read this year, but I continued to think about Jim and Adrienne for weeks later. It's short, sweet, and would make a great summer read.

Benjamin Lytal wrote this piece for the Paris Review, talking about Tulsa and geography in fiction. You should totally check it out.

Mid Event Survey #Readathon

How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?
I'm doing very well! I haven't been as strict as i've been in the past about readathoning so I'm not as tired.
Mostly because I took a nap when I wanted to. I'm also as caffeinated as always, so i'm good to go for a while.

What have you finished reading so far?
I finished The Alienist and Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. I'm currently in the middle of The Fun Parts and The Distracted Preacher. I hope to finish both before the end of the readathon.

What is your favorite read so far?
Since I've only finished two books it's not a very hard choice. I really loved Diabetes with Owls. I love Sedaris and this new collection is a breath of fresh air!

What about your favorite snacks?
I was dumb and didn't stock up on snacks. I did go out for a cream freeze and then had ribs for dinner, so I think those make up for my lack of carby treats.


The major problem I've been having with today's readathon is that I've already been reading like a maniac for weeks. When I first made my book list for today It included A Map of Tulsa, Looking for Alaska, The Horla, The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards and The Last Runaway. All of these are books I have read in the last 10 days.  So my reading list for today started off much shorter than I wanted it to be, and when I finished Diabetes with Owls I had to pause and regroup with some fresh book ideas.

However I will be pausing for the Red Wings game. This is Michigan and we are serious about our hockey.

Seriously, Wings, don't let me down. 

6 Hour Update #readathon

It's now 1 pm here in the metro Detroit area and that mean's I've been reading for six hours!

this is my book spine poem. 

Alright, it mean's I've been reading for about four hours because I fell back asleep after a chapter in Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. It happens. It's Saturday.

So far I've finished The Alienist, by Machado De Assis. As it is a 88 page Novella it wasn't the biggest accomplishment but it helps to have a number in my finished column!

I'm still reading: Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls and plan on starting The Distracted Preacher by Hardy next.

However it is now probably time for a lunch and tea. Gotta stay nourished and caffeinated, amiright?

This is kinda a dull update. I'll try to have more interesting bookish adventures for the next one. Happy reading!

Ready to Read! #readathon

Introductory Questionnaire

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Michigan. It's cold here right now, but I expect it to warm up so i can read outside!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

I'm not sure but I'm already thinking of sending someone to get me starbucks

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I'm a 23 year old bibliophile (duh!) who loves tea, most things british and my cavachon puppy. 

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

The last time I participated was the spring of 2011. I'm really looking forward to making a dent in my TBR pile. Oh, and relaxing with some great books!