Posted by Brian on Friday, Aug 9, 2013
Rainbow Rowell, author of the great "Eleanor & Park," has created another irresistible, Young Adult, coming-of-age book: "Fangirl" Cath is starting her freshman year of college, and she's more than a bit anxious. Her twin sister Wren doesn't want to room together. Their sometimes manic dad has never been alone, and that worries Cath. Instead of making friends, Cath would rather disappear into the world of Simon Snow (think Harry Potter), where she's very active and well known in the fan fiction community.
College also means boys: Lanky and smiley Levi, one her roommate's numerous boyfriends, is a constant fixture in her room, and Nick is her good-looking, fiction-writing class partner. On top of this, she has to confront her mom issues (she left when Cath and Wren were eight) and her sister's increasingly out-of-control drinking and behavior.
Funny and real, "Fangirl" is an excellent alternative to the glut of paranormal and dystopian options on the YA shelf. If you read "Eleanor & Park" by Rowell earlier in the year, "Fangirl" should be at the top of your "to-read" list. I cannot recommend this title enough.
Review based on an uncorrected digital galley.
About the Author
Brian works as the Senior Adult Services Librarian at the Iowa City Public Library.
Before reading this, I'd been on a break from reading comic books for roughly a year and a half. It was for no real reason other than there not being anything that caught my interest. Ultimate Invasion definitely caught my interest. Short version--an alternative version of Reed Richards--Mister Fantastic--calling himself "The Maker" escapes from the regular Marvel Universe into a different one and stops a wide variety of superheroes from gaining their powers. He then controls that world--with the help of other super powered folk--until the past and future catch up with him. This volume is wild--incredible world building and art--and it got me very excited for this new Ultimate Universe. -Brian