Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Date of Publication: April 6, 2010
Memorable Quotation: "i feel my life is so scattered right now. like it’s all these small pieces of paper and someone’s turned on the fan. but talking to you makes me feel like the fan’s been turned off for a little bit. like things could actually make sense. you completely unscatter me, and i appreciate that so much." (pg. 37) NOTE: The lack of capitalization in the quotation was intended; that is how part of the narration is written.
Grade: A-

Love is a word that has more meanings than any language can express. Some believe love is the highest form of affection someone can feel for another while others may see love to be a chemical reaction due to hormones and different neurological chemicals interacting at an enormous rate. For the story of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, however, bestselling authors John Green and David Levithan show their definition of that love to be accepting someone for who they are, despite the stereotypes of physical definition and sexual orientation. 

Although the story's narration is controlled by two teenage boys both names Will Grayson, the story line focuses on the extroverted and gay (in being both gleeful and homosexual) Tiny Cooper, a name ironic for his "more to love" body structure, and Tiny's musical about love, sexual identity, and the rises and falls that occur throughout life. Will Grayson, Tiny Cooper's best friend, is introverted and afraid to express himself but eventually overcomes his fears with the help of Tiny and a few epiphanies.  The Other Will Grayson, whose place in the story will be revealed upon reading, has his heart lurched left to right as the reader follows his moody nonchalance towards love develop into the motto "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

The theme of homosexuality is seen from two different stand points: Tiny knows who he is, as does the rest of the world, and switches between who he loves as if he is changing television channels while the other Will Grayson's sexuality is hidden initially while he loves a boy who he had yet to meet deeper than most can expect someone in high-school to feel.

One of the best features of this young adult novel is how the reader becomes so connected to the characters, cheering them on when things are going right and feeling their hearts tremble when the characters experience heartache. The way the turmoil and triumph love brings in the novel as well as the strain love puts on friendship is far more mature and real than most novels of this genre, mostly due to the characters feelings being expressed through careful precaution, not sexual innuendos as some other novels may describe.

Although the entire book was an amazing read, the way some of the climaxes the novel presents came too early was frusterating, leaving the reader to finish the book out of curiosity and the hope for more surprises. The ending itself was a surprise but some may not feel fulfilled by it because, long past the end of the book, they (including myself) will still be connected to the lives of both Will Graysons, Tiny Cooper, and their friends as we wonder what happens to them after the last page of their story.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on my latest book review and the book itself in the comments below! Thank you and until next time, happy reading!

~Shelly-Beans

Whiskey Sour: A Jack Daniels Mystery by J.A. Konrath

Date of Publication: May 31, 2005
Memorable Quotation: ""Robertson." I nodded at the uniform.  "Sorry to hear about your dad." He shrugged. "He was seventy and we always knew fast food would kill him." "Heart attack?" "He was hit by a Pizza Express truck." (pg. 5)
Grade: A

Written with the fast pace of a James Patterson novel and the thoroughness of an actual crime investigation, J.A. Konrath enraptures his audience from beginning to end with his debut murder mystery, Whiskey Sour. This first installment in the Jack Daniels mystery series follows Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels (whose cleverness and  dedication to her job can be associated with The Closer's Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson) and Daniels search for the twisted serial killer dubbed "The Gingerbread Man."  Through the eyes of both Jack and the killer himself, the reader is given a new experience in reading a murder mystery, in that there are no loose ends to contemplate over and watching as the cat and mouse game between cop and killer continuously changes as to who is really hunting who.

The thoroughness Konrath writes with is a double-edged sword because although his style pulls the reader into the story, sometimes he gets carried away with the graphic details that could be left to the imagination i.e. the specifics of the crimes that are committed. To counterbalance the explicit imagery Konrath creates, the puns and one-liners he incorporates into the dialogue are original and add some spice to what could easily be an everyday murder case.    

The way the ending is rapped up is very clever, although it is important to keep in mind this is not the typical "who done it" crime novel.  What makes this novel so different, so extraordinary from other novels in its genre is being given the ability to read the thoughts of both the cop and the killer, which creates a sort of relationship with the reader. Although certain details could have been left unsaid, this novel is ready to amaze by giving the first real look into what it is like to be stuck not knowing if you are the hunter or the hunted.

My next book review is coming soon! Until then, happy reading and take care!

~Shelly-Beans

The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer

Date of Publication: March 2, 2010

Memorable Quotation: "Two moral forces shaped how we think and live in this shining twentieth century: The Virgin and the Dynamo. The Dynamo represents the desire to know, the Virgin represents the freedom not to know." (pg. 186)

Grade: A+

Dexter Palmer's debut novel, The Dream of Perpetual Motion, is one of absolute magnificence. Palmer's novel is told by Harold Winslow, a greeting card writer who is imprisoned on a Zeppelin created by Prospero Taligent, a scientist whose genius borders on madness, with Prospero's daughter, Miranda, who has gone insane due to the twisted love of her father.  The world they live in takes place in a Steampunk era that has replaced where angels once roamed free and people once believed in miracles, although this world of advanced technology cannot always replace the miracles that human love creates.   As the reader is transported back to Harold's childhood, they travel with him through his friendship with Miranda and the Shakespeare-worthy tragedies he must face to eventually find him writing his journey on paper.  

Two of the main characters, Prospero and Miranda (and one other that will be introduced to as the story goes on) are representative of Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, as Palmer has the characters point out but are not essential to understanding the story. (He does, however, make innuendos to the Tempest that can be best appreciated by those who understand the play.) 

Aside from the clever use of Shakespeare's characters in his novel, the imagery Palmer creates are paintings through words, from Ophelia (another Shakespeare reference), one of Harold's co-workers, posing in front of her bedroom mirror to Harold's repetitious dreams of the Virgin Queen.  The only downfall to this novel is a catch twenty-two;  the amount of detail Palmer puts into the story is what makes it so enrapturing, but at the same time, the momentum decelerates at points with how in depth he goes into with detail.  Nevertheless, if the reader is patient, the story will pick back up.

The Dream of Perpetual Motion is a piece of literature that has the ability to change the world through Palmer's beautiful and innovative visions, challenging the way people view art, philosophy, and the modern day takeover of technology.  

Thanks for reading my review! Until next time, happy reading!

~Shelly-Beans