I Love This Book

STUPID FAST is crazy good. Minnesota author Geoff Herbach has written a moving, beautiful story. The characters, the action, the Wisconsin setting of Bluffton all ring true, but what really shines is the incredible voice of the narrator, Felton Reinstein.

Felton is funny, engaging, and alternately clueless and perceptive, sometimes at the same time. In other words, he's a high school boy. I'm not going to give any of the plot away since the book is so good, but there's a wonderful love story between one of my favorite couples in YA literature.

STUPID FAST was selected as the best YA book of the year in the Cybil Awards and I can see why.

I just finished an ARC of NOTHING SPECIAL, the next Felton book, and that is something special, too. Enjoy meeting Felton Reinstein. You won't forget him.

OKAY FOR NOW

In the midst of helping to care for my 90-year-old father and preparing to fly to the funeral of my dear aunt (my father's younger sister) in Phoenix, AZ, I've been reading Gary D. Schmidt's OKAY FOR NOW as I can squeeze it in. The book would not be a typical pick for Valentine reading. It's not an overt love story, but when I finished it yesterday (Valentine's Day), I realized it is ultimately a love story on many different levels. OKAY FOR NOW is also a master example of "show, don't tell" as it is vividly "told" through the remarkable voice of 14-year-old Doug Swieteck with humor and honesty and, most notably, without sentimentality. An added bonus--Not only do I feel enriched by an array of unusual characters, but also by a new, deeper understanding of art and design through the careful and caring teachings of Mr. Powell. Now you have to read the book to find out more...

David, thank you for recommending this book a number of months ago! It's been on my "to read" list since then, and I'm so happy I finally got to it.

So, my pick for Valentine's Day is OKAY FOR NOW by Gary D. Schmidt, and in the midst of family turmoil, I am feeling okay for now--in fact, far better than "okay" after having read this book!