books 28-32

oops. i've been negligent.

here's the quick wrap-up of the last five:

third girl from the left, martha southgate
rating:


this is about three generations of women hailing from tulsa, oklahoma. a grandmother, who witnessed the violent race riots in tulsa in the 1920s; a mother, who ran off to los angeles to be an actress, but only ended up with bit parts in blaxploitation films and a baby; and a daughter, who is working her way through film school in new york. the title comes from the mother's most memorable acting role -- third girl from the left in the fight scene in coffy.

boy meets boy, david leviathan
rating:


this little YA novel was described to me as "not a problem novel. more like a 'there are no problems' novel." it takes place in what amounts to an alternate high school universe where homosexuality is totally acceptable and the star quarterback doubles as the homecoming queen. it was fun and weird, and basically a typical teen love story, with some variables switched around.

birth of venus, sarah dunant
rating:


this is a great book about fifteenth-century florence. it's got the medici family, savonarola, the bonfire of the vanities, forbidden homosexuality, and a couple of plagues. it's fast and sometimes gruesome and really engaging. this book is all of what's good about historical fiction.

just listen, sarah dessen
rating:


i'm biased because sarah's my pal, but i really thought this book was great. lots of nice scenes, good dialogue, and what seemed to me like a very real plot. lots about music, and sisters, and friendship. also particularly impressive because it spans most of a school year, where most of sarah's other books are set during the course of a summer.

one of those hideous books where the mother dies, sonya sones
rating:


another YA, i'm really on a roll. this is another novel in verse, but quite a bit different from the one i read earlier in the year (a bad boy can be good for a girl). this is about a girl who is forced to live with her estranged father, a movie star, after her mother dies. funny and sad and i almost forgot it was written in verse.

okay, i think that's all i read. maybe? i might be missing one. or two. like i said, i'm really on a roll with these YAs i've been reading for my field experience.