"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx

So I've finished two books since Monday and wanted to review them so you guys don't waste your time.

The first book was rec'd to me for its snarky tone and no-nonsense approach to the topic of healthy eating and whatever.

This book is such a waste of paper. First of all, yes, the tone is very in-your-face and brutally honest, which I usually love. But on the touchy topic of weight, nutrition, and self-worth, there are only so many times you can be called a "sloppy fat pig" or "fat ass" by the authors, who happen to be former models. Also, the plan for getting skinny? Eating vegan, drinking nothing but water, and working out 5 days a week or more. Um, hello. I don't need a book to freakin' tell me that if I lived THAT kind of life I'd be skinny. And a bitch. A MAJOR bitch. So for those of us who actually like to eat something other than bok choy and tofu, this book is a complete waste of time and don't even bother.

My reactions:






The second book I tried because I never read books that take place in the modern day, and Young Adult fic is always so sketchy and entertaining to me. It's like watching Jerry Springer. You know you have better things to be doing, but once they introduce cakes and trailer trash people, you simply can't look away.


(This book had no cake, but it did have some white trash. But it was not entertaining.)

Okay, so I the reason I chose this book is because the cover was pretty. NO LIE. And it looked nice sitting on my bed when I wasn't reading it. I have to give Dessen props for moving her story along quickly. I probably would've given up if she'd dragged it on too long. Also, she does this thing where she talks about what happened in the past, kind of like a flashback but not as hokey, and blends this seamlessly with events in the present, which is quite a feat so props.

Apart from that, I have nothing to say about this book. The characters were very bland and stock-ish to me: pretty jock boy with a troubled home life, runaway mom, uptight sister, and the main character, who is a teenaged girl who's given up on her future and is just trying to make it through the world. Nothing we haven't heard before. I can't even really summarize the plot: Ruby, the lead girl, has this druggie alcoholic mother who just disappears. Social services get involved and she has to go live with her estranged older sister and brother-in-law, who is the CEO of the book's version of Facebook. So she basically finds herself going from trailer trash to private school princess overnight. And then she angsts about it for like 200 pages.

This story could have been greatly improved with the inclusion of some corsets, carriages, and the 1800's.

I guess I liked it? I honestly have no feelings about. I read it, and by next month will have forgotten it entirely. I have no idea why I even read it. It wasn't important. It wasn't a story I felt any connection to and it had zero significance. I think that about sums up my foray into Young Adult lit.

My reaction:


So there you go. I'm about a quarter of the way through my next book and I'll let you know how that one goes. Overall though, avoid these two. Y'know how Jimmy Fallon does "Do Not Read" lists? Consider this mine.