The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

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Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

Ever have a random encounter with someone, hitting it off so well that when it comes time to part ways, it’s all awkward and you don’t know if it’s weird to want to stay in touch? That’s what the sweet, funny and enchanting, The Geography of You and Me is about.

In this instance, the chance encounter is in an elevator that's stuck between floors during a blackout, and our two heroes, Lucy and Owen instead of being petrified by the ordeal, find the situation rather comical. The two are kind of misfits but not in a negative way. Each is going through something – Owen and his dad are working through their grief after losing his mother. Lucy’s family dynamics are peculiar. Her older brothers are away at college and her parents travel all over Europe and never take her along. She’s left to her own devices.

What struck me was how self-reliant both of them are. They’re not perturbed by the blackout and make the best of it. When Lucy has to move, she does it gracefully and takes to her new surroundings nicely. Owen too, handles the almost nomadic way of life he and his dad explore as his dad attempts to look for jobs. But no matter where they end up in the world, their center remains that rooftop in New York. Somehow, despite being miles apart and on different continents, these two have taken up residence in each other’s consciousness.

There are so many lovely touches throughout the book such as the postcards. I mean, I now look at them differently. In a world reliant on texting and instant messaging, their one-line communication via postcards is such an endearing and personal gesture. I also admire the many quotes that I either copied down or marked throughout the story. They’re simple but speak volumes. Here are three of my favourites:

One of them is at the beginning of the book when Owen and Lucy are sharing ideas about where they’d like to travel to. This sets up the rest of the story marvelously.

“Sometimes it seemed as if his whole life was an exercise in waiting; not waiting to leave, exactly, but simply waiting to go.” (p.46)

I guess it's stuck with me because it’s such a positive thought as opposed to a get-me-the-heck-out-of-here mentality.

This next one, where Lucy ruminates on the night of the blackout, is perhaps my favourite quote because of the beautiful imagery in action:

“They were like a couple of asteroids that had collided, she and Owen, briefly sparking before ricocheting off again, a little chipped, maybe even a little scarred, but with miles and miles still to go. How long could a single night really be expected to last? How far could you stretch such a small collection of minutes? ” (p.139) 

And finally, during a conversation between Lucy and her mother, her mother brings up a very good point about why she’s never gotten to travel with her parents. I think that it also sums up the stalled state of her relationship with Owen as they begin to think about what exactly their relationship is.

“You can’t know the answer until you ask the question.”  (p.253)

Okay, I won’t give any more away so instead, I’ll just encourage you once again to read The Geography of You and Me. I enjoyed how the story progressed and how their POVs paralleled each other’s. I take away from this the heartwarming message that it's not just a place but a person too, that can be the center that you return to. This thought gives me warm fuzzies and I can see myself returning to this book again.

~ Bel

Messy by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

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After a rocky start in Spoiled, Brooke Berlin and her newly discovered half sister, Molly Dix, have settled into something like sisterly love, but the drama is far from over.

Now that Brooke's caught a taste of fame and her movie star father's attention, she wants to launch a blog that will position her as the ultimate Hollywood insider. But between schoolwork, party-planning committee meetings, and spa treatments, she hardly has the time to write it herself...

Enter Max McCormack, an aspiring author with a terrible after-school job pushing faux meat on the macrobiotic masses of La-La Land. Max reluctantly agrees to play Brooke's ghost-blogger for an impressive salary, and the site takes off, but how long can their lie last? In person, Brooke can't live up to the intellectual wit of openbrooke.com, and Max soon begins to resent hiding her genius behind a bandage dress-wearing blonde. Can the girls work together to stay on top, or will the truth come out and ruin everything they've built?

If you’re in serious need of something ridiculous and outlandish, then look no further. Messy is the companion novel to Spoiled and in my opinion, it’s even better!

What makes Messy a treat is the antagonistic relationship between Brooke and Max – Brooke being the total Hollywood package with her blonde hair and deep knowledge of shoewear and Max being the antithesis with her standout green hair and astute understanding of normal humans. When Max agrees to be the ghostwriter for Brooke’s blog, it’s really a means to an end. That end being a summer writing program in New York that she’s been unsuccessfully saving money for. Needless to say, Max struggles with feeling like a sellout for working with Brooke but at the same time can’t help but be a little awestruck by Brooke’s world.  Somehow, the two manage a passable friendship that seems to call for carting Brooke around from one casting call to another. Max must  have missed that in the fine print. It’s when Brooke’s blog lands her a lead in a brand new movie version of Nancy Drew that things turn hairy and utterly nonsensical. Not only are people’s perception of Brooke more positive because of the blog but expectations are also higher. They actually think she has substance and intelligible things to say!  But the bonus is that Brick Berlin, Brooke’s famous actor dad is finally paying attention to her. His approval is what she has always wanted and she’s not about to squander this achievement.

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan have a blast poking fun at all that’s ostentatious and trendy in and about Hollywood. They have plenty of ammunition considering how successful they are with their own celebrity fashion blog gofugyourself.com. You know how you hear people say, “You can’t make up this stuff”? It does make me wonder how true some of the more insane scenarios in the book are. Try as you might, Brooke is hard not to like. She’s not as shallow and brainless as she appears. Every scene she's in is amusing because she's so unabashed about who she is. She's never malicious – oblivious may be but I look forward to whatever she has to say. And thanks to Max, my new favorite phrase is “mind bitch” as when she, through her own internal process, serves up bitchy responses to a conversation currently taking place. I think it’s brilliant! Mostly because I do it all the time. Now while Hollywood is the backdrop, the story does essentially come down to friendship, honesty and may be some humble pie.  Oh and boys. Don’t forget, there’s always a boy or two involved.

So yes, definitely give Messy a read. It's quick, smart and just simply entertaining. For me, it was just the perfect thing to take me out of the doledrums of a hellish couple of weeks recently. I needed laughs and that's exactly what I got. Now I'd also like to suggest an idea for their next book. How's this for a scenario? Brooke encounters the creatures from Jersey Sore (no, that's not a typo. I despise reality shows and consider that one in particular to be an example of an evolutionary glitch). Anyway, it would be interesting to see if Brooke could bring a little bit of class to that unkempt set. Just a suggestion ...

~ Bel

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

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Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."

"Okay."

"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"

"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"






According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.



Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.



Frankie and Anna head to California with Frankie’s parents for a 3 week long beach vacation. Frankie’s family takes this trip every year but this is the first year they have gone without Matt – the brother/son/boyfriend that died the previous year. They hope that bringing Anna will dull the pain that will come with taking this trip without him. What no one knows is that Anna and Matt were secretly seeing each other the summer he unexpectedly died. Anna has never told anyone about their relationship. So while she comforts her best friend (Matt’s sister) over her loss, Anna is secretly grieving for the only boy she has loved.

Before they leave for Zanzibar, Frankie suggests that they try to meet a new boy every day they are on vacation. That way they may increase their chance of a summer romance AND increase Anna’s chances of losing her virginity. To make Frankie happy, Anna reluctantly agrees to the plan. Once there, they begin their search and on the way, learn to deal with both their own and each other’s grief.

The grief felt in this book is very real. Between Anna, Frankie and Frankie’s parents you learn how irreparably their lives have changed after the loss of Matt. It is truly heartbreaking to watch them struggle through their grief and to see the damage their grief causes each other. There were definitely times when I was tearing up. Particularly for the parents. Being a mother, I of course identified with the parents’ grief more than anything.

Unfortunately, the romance between Anna and Matt in this book left me sad and depressed – and not just because he died. The author tries to make Matt sound like this amazing brother and boyfriend. And maybe he was. But I personally couldn’t get past the fact that he insisted on keeping their relationship a secret. Here is this young 15 year old girl with an older boyfriend who is heading off to college and he doesn’t want to tell anyone? His reasoning that he didn’t want to hurt his sister was weak in my eyes and rung more than a little untrue. I know the words in the book show his intentions to be honest but I also know from personal experience that keeping secrets like this are a horrible start to a relationship. Granted I guess this is the impetus of many of the issues Anna faces in this book so maybe that was Ockler’s intent?

And then there is the quest for summer romance and loss of virginity. I understand that people deal with grief in different ways. This wouldn’t be the first story (true or fictional) where someone uses sex as a way to deal with their grief. Regardless, I personally would prefer to read a book where a girl has self-respect and doesn’t see her virginity as something to just throw away. This story line greatly affected my opinion of this book and in turn the final rating.

In the end, I am giving this book 3 stars because it is well written and emotionally moving at times.

As a side note, if you want to read a book about teens/young adults dealing with grief I would recommend If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman. And if you want to read a book that is open and honest about teen sex, I would recommend Forever by Judy Blume. Forever may have been published over 35 years ago but it still rings true today.

~Nat

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

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Description taken from the book:

“Even at night, the wrecks glowed with work.  The torch lights flickered, bobbing and, moving. Sledge noise rang across the water.  Comforting sounds of work and activity,

the air tanged with the coal reek of smelters and the salt fresh breeze coming off the water.  It was beautiful.”

“In America’s gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota – and hopefully live to see another day.  But when, by luck, or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship is beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life …

In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paces adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future.”

I’ve been drawn dystopian books lately, therefore, this one should come as no surprise to my fellow BiblioJunkies.  

The setting takes place in the New Orleans area, or more accurately what used to be it.  What is left in the aftermath of extreme weather, hurricanes and climate change is a flooded area economically and socially depressed.  The locals live in “clans” and scavenge ships that have run aground for their endless supplies of copper, cargo and parts.  It’s a tough life that everyone is born into and children are not immune to the hard work.

Nailer Lopez is the main protagonist who is about 15 years old, so he thinks.  This is the life he’s always known.  As a ship breaker he works the light crew meaning that he’s small enough in size to navigate the narrow ducts and pipes to strip copper wiring from the ships.  It’s dirty, dangerous work.  He has all the bruises, cuts and tattoos to prove it.  And he must make quota in order to maintain his status and place on the crew.  They live by a very strong code of conduct including taking blood oaths amongst themselves to be loyal to each other.  And any break in that code of conduct results in the person being tossed out of the crew and no one willing speak for them.  The social structure is slightly reminiscent of the feudal system in Europe during the Middle Ages.  You’re born into your line of work and that’s it.  If you happen to be lucky enough to run into good fortune, you’ll be made and can call the shots yourself.  Nailer always has in the back of his mind that you have to be a combination of lucky and smart in order to survive much less be rich.

When the latest hurricane passes, he and his fellow crewmember Pima, come across a clipper that was caught in the storm.  Not believing their good luck, they immediately try to loot it for any valuables when they come across a young girl trapped in the wreckage.  This is a pivotal moment when Nailer has to decide if he’s going to strike it rich or listen to his instincts and place his trust in a total stranger and rescue her.  Nita couldn’t come from a more different world – privileged, educated and proper.  Yet Nailer finds a future of possibilities in allying himself with her especially after he learns that she’s the daughter of a successful and powerful shipping magnate whose position is being usurped by an enemy within the family.  Helping her reunite with her family means that he could escape his misfortune and distance himself from his abusive, alcoholic, murderous, drug-addict father.  He sounds like a fine catch doesn’t he?

Bacigalupi includes great detail about the ship breaking industry and blends elements of science fiction.  In this time and place, there’s a new breed of creature called “half-men” – beings that are genetically engineered from human DNA mixed with those of dogs, hyenas, cats – with the purpose of providing muscle, inspiring awe and fear and most importantly extreme loyalty to their owners.  When I first read it, I wasn’t quite sure I understood it correctly.  It just seemed so out of place to hear about something so scientifically advanced against the backdrop of poverty that Nailer lives in.  But as more was explained, it fell into place. 

The description of a ravaged New Orleans sunken below the sea left a deep impression on me.   There’s a scene where Nailer and Nita are escaping on a train headed towards Orleans.  It’s hard to fathom but at the same time very tangible to see that area as described in the book – abandoned suburbs and roads that have become swamplands due to the climate change.  Orleans itself is described as very third-world country.  Some examples: people opting to save their money wading through murky water rather than taking a water taxi to get across channels or eating grilled rat on a stick. Sorry, I had to throw that out there.

While some of the descriptions and activities did make my stomach lurch just a little, I still felt compelled to read on because I wanted so badly for Nailer and Nita to survive and find hope, particularly Nailer.  You always want to root for the underdog and in his case, I could empathize with his desire to rewrite his own fate.  His biggest fear is turning out like his dad, an addict completely lacking in morals.  Nailer at one time thought he had no choice in his future but meeting Nita has changed his perspective on loyalty and family.  My favorite part in the book is where he comes to the conclusion, “…the blood bond was nothing.  It was the people that mattered.  If they covered your back, and you covered theirs, then may be that was worth calling family.  Everything else was just so much smoke and lies.”  When he starts realizing that he can be his own man and create his own destiny, Nailer achieves the confidence he never thought he had.

Ship Breaker is full of rich detail, diverse characters and a gripping storyline.  Between all the infighting and power struggles, and the lessons he learns about loyalty and friendship, you’ll find yourself cheering on Nailer as he steps into his own new world.

~ Bel