reviews

Young Love in Alabama... Author:  John Green What should teenagers read?  My answer is anything that captures their easily diverted attention, an answer that really applies to anyone.  But a response more to the point might be anything that addresses the real issues that teens face in their increasingly complicated lives.  Now, I don’t read a lot of teen literature, but even a brief glance at the bestseller lists confirms that much of the genre fills an entirely admirable role as escapist fantasy.  But there are other books out there that face the real world head on, warts and all.  [...]

Irish Fairy Tale Author: Cecelia Ahern Who doesn’t like a good fairy tale?  Fine, plenty of people.  And mostly with good reason.  Watered down versions of once-cautionary tales have made their way into modern culture and caused a mass-gagging among those of us with low tolerance for sexist, puerile, pabulum.  I’m looking at you, Cinderella.  But sometimes a fairy tale can be light and fun, like Cecelia Ahern’s If You Could See Me Now. Now, not all of If You Could See Me Now is light and fun.  But the premise is definitely for the young at heart.  It seems [...]