Amelia's Book Room: Anna and the French Kiss

Hey guys, I'm back! I had a pretty busy holiday season, dancing in the Nutcracker Ballet and getting a cold and lots of other fun stuff. But most importantly, I read lots of books! So let's get to it.

This week I bring you the first book I actually finished in 2011; I stayed up super late a few days after New Years reading it, it was so good! Anna and the French Kiss was actually recommended by Vlogbrother and young adult author John Green in this video; that was how I found out about it. And boy, am I glad he mentioned it! Stephanie Perkins' debut novel is fantastic.

We jump right into the story of Anna, whose father has inexplicably sent her away to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school. Anna barely speaks any French, and is homesick already, but luckily she gets taken in by sporty and sweet Meredith and her friends; Josh and Rashmi, the couple who, when they're not making out, are arguing about something, and Etienne St. Clair. Wonderful, funny, English, charming St. Clair... who has a girlfriend.

As St. Clair shows her Paris and the two become close friends, Anna tries her best, but it's hopeless--she falls head over heels for him. And it seems like he's falling too. But of course, there's his girlfriend, and Anna was just starting to get serious with a boy back home.

This is an adorable, sweet, hilarious romance, that I know you guys will love. Beautifully written, with lovable, real characters and just heartbreaking in parts, it's already my favorite book of 2011, and I have a feeling it'll be at the top of my list for a while!

It feels good to be back! Tell me, what did you all read over the holidays? I want to know :)

Amelia's Book Room: Looking For Alaska

OK, I'm back with another great John Green novel! Let's hop to it!

In Looking For Alaska, John's first book, we meet Miles--or, as we will later come to know him by his ironic nickname: Pudge--a teenager from Florida, starting his first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School. One thing you should know about Miles is that he is obsessed with learning famous people's last words. His excuse for leaving public school for boarding school? "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." -Francois Rabelais.

His first week at school is a little bumpy. He meets his roommate, Chip Martin, who prefers to be called "The Colonel." He also meets a highly interesting and very pretty girl named Alaska Young. Things seem to be going well so far, right? However, his first night, he gets wrapped in duct tape and tossed into the lake by a group of the "Weekday Warriors". This triggers a series of pranks between the feuding students.

This is a fun book at first, although you'll notice that the passing of time is marked by days until an unknown event. And trust me, the event is pretty shocking.

John is the author of two other books, as well as his new collaboration with David Levithan: Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It made it to #3 on the New York Times Best Seller list! Just behind the Hunger Games books, of course.

Happy reading!

Amelia's Book Room: An Abundance Of Katherines

It's time, ladies and gents, to review another of my favorite author's novels! I recently reviewed John Green's latest book, Paper Towns, and I just finished this one, An Abundance Of Katherines.

Colin Singleton is a child prodigy; he knows facts and languages and lots of math (although, as John says, he's not that good at math, but certainly better at it than the average person), but what is a child prodigy become when he's not a child?

Oh, yeah, another thing about Colin. He's dated nineteen girls... and all of them were named Katherine. And K-19 happens to have recently broken his heart. So he and his best friend Hassan go on a road trip to take his mind off of the notorious nineteenth Katherine. They end up in the small town of Gutshot, Tennessee, where they meet Lindsey Lee Wells and her mom, Hollis, who offers them a place to stay.

I haven't read John's first book, Looking For Alaska, yet, but I think this is my favorite out of his books. It has lots of footnotes and facts, like why the shower curtain blows in when you turn on the shower, which I've always wondered about! Don't forget to check out Vlogbrothers, John's awesome youtube channel, shared with his equally awesome brother, Hank.

Anyways, that's the end of this kinda long review; have a good week, don't forget to comment, and keep on reading!

(Hoo-hah, Nerdfighters!)

P.S. Oh, hey! I just wanted to tell you guys that my audition for this year's Nutcracker Ballet is tomorrow, I'll probably know my parts by next week! Wish me luck!

Amelia's Book Room: Paper Towns

In John Green's latest novel, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen was once friends with the elusive Margo Roth Speigelman. They used to be playmates, but they drifted apart, Margo becoming popular, practically a legend in high school, while Q hangs out with Ben and Radar from the band. So, Q is understandably surprised when she shows up outside his window at midnight.

They end up driving around Orlando, Florida till the early hours of the morning, getting revenge on various high school students, visiting SeaWorld, and discussing the significance of paper towns.

When Margo goes missing the next day, and leaves a trail of clues leading to her location, Q takes it upon himself to find her. What I love about this book is how Green includes real-life web sites, places and things; the plot itself ends up revolving around Omnictionary.com. Paper Towns kept me turning pages late into the night! The characters are all so lovable, and you feel as though you actually know them. Full of humor and mystery, you're sure to love Paper Towns.

John Green also wrote Looking For Alaska and An Abundance Of Katherines. Happy reading, and don't forget to join the Dekoposh Book Club!