Book Review- Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title:  Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Author:   Becky Albertalli

Series:   N/A

Published:   7 April 2015 by Penguin

Length:  320 pages

Source: netgalley

Summary :  Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Review: ​Simon has been emailing Blue for some time. And he may be falling in love with him. When the emails are discovered by Martin, he is blackmailed into trying to set Martin up with Abby or risk being outed. 

I've had this on my radar a while because cute funny stories with queer characters are definitely right up my street.  

I love Simon to pieces. I totally understand where he comes from, with his love of grammar and his ensembling in plays, and his sweet personality.  The rest of the characters are just as good. ​ Abby, Leah, and Nick were great friends, Cal was  adorable too, and everyone spoke like they should and everyone was real.

I liked the constant mystery of who Blue was, and when we find out, it wasn't who I expected but the scenes afterwards are perfect.

The tone of writing is perfect. There’s many relatable experiences to do with many aspects of teenage life, and it’s done with a mix of thought provoking things and also humour and also seriousness when needed.

It's hugely quotable.  I could probably make a tumblr with all the brilliant quotes from this novel.  I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to quote without breaking copyright law, so I’m just going to say “read it” and give special mentions to  the conversation with Blue from which the title comes from and the bit   and "White shouldn't be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn't even be a default."

Only thing that I did not understand: the homecoming scene a quarter of the way through which left me really confused. Luckily, Becky told me what it is (where school alumni come back to play a football game) and my confusion led to amazement that Americans really do take school sports seriously enough to have a parade for these things (I thought homecoming was an excuse for a dance and everything else about it was a myth). This isn’t a major thing in the novel, but it got me for a long time.

This review doesn’t the book justice, because I can’t put into words how brilliant it is.  It’s not even one specific thing-just  the general atmosphere and the way everything develops just infuses you with happiness. It’s definitely something to reread on a bad day.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a heart-warming coming of age and coming out story that is best described as a warm, giant hug in book form. 

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- Boys Don't Knit by T. S. Easton

Title: Boys Don't Knit

 Author: T. S. Easton

Series: Boys Don't Knit #1
Published: 1  January 2014 by Hot Key Books

Length:227 pages

Source: publisher

Other info: There's an amazon page for a sequel, An English Boy in New York!

Summary : Ben Fletcher must get to grips with his more 'feminine' side following an unfortunate incident with a lollipop lady and a stolen bottle of Martini Rosso from Waitrose. All a big misunderstanding of course. To avoid the Young Offenders unit, Ben is ordered to give something back to the community and develop his sense of social alignment. Take up a hobby and keep on the straight and narrow. The hot teacher he likes runs a knitting group so Ben, reluctantly at first, gets 'stuck in'. Not easy when your dad is a sports fan and thinks Jeremy Clarkson is God. To his surprise, Ben finds that he likes knitting and that he has a mean competitive streak. If he can just keep it all a secret from his mates...and notice that the girl of his dreams, girl-next-door Megan Hooper has a bit of a thing for him...(less)

Review:  Ben Fletcher is in trouble after an incident with Waitrose, a bottle of wine, and a lollipop later. As a result, he has to keep a diary to show to his probation officer, which is what we read. He also has to give something back to the community, which will be helping out the lollipop lady. He also has to take up a hobby, which is knitting, because it's taught the the teacher he likes.  He starts, it he likes it, he gets good at it. Now all he has to do is deal with his family, friends and lovelife.

I heard about this from the Hot Key brunch thing. I decided to read it because of my project I'm doing which is all about gender stereotypes in YA (which I will post up here when it's done) and this definitely fit into my “cisgender characters challenging stereotypes). Boys Don't Knit  was full of this-and a lot more.

I was not expecting the sheer amount of fun I got from this. From the beginning, it's told in a fun style, with a look at Ben's family life. Ben is a good narrator, he's chatty, he's relatable, he seems totally real with his priorities, thoughts and actions. I like the fact that Ben really gets into what he wouldn't have chosen to do, and goes on to get really good at it. I like the fact that he and his friends aren't thuggy, they're nicer, and they're all supportive of Ben.   All the characters are likeable- Megan, Jessica, Joe, and  others. Aside from Jeannette. Who was funny.

I liked the way that Tom looked at the challenging of stereotypes and Ben's worries about being seen as different.   There's one thing with Ben's dad, who is comically masculine (Top Gear, thinking he can do things etc) and where he's not particularly accepting that the fact his son's started knitting. But everyone else is fine with it, and I think this helps in the real world because readers will pick up on characters' positive reactions and be more accepting of real people who challenge stereotypes.

There's a few plotlines going on, like keeping knitting from his family, from his friends, Ben's love life, Ben's success with his knitting, Miss Swallow's life, and they were all really well woven together.

As I said, the writing is diary style and chatty. It also works in a lot of pop-culture references, and so many oneliners that keep you laughing from start to finish.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a really fun book. Good for fans of Adrian Mole- ie everyone.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I’m back! I am SO SO sorry for the random disappearance! Stuff happened with the internet and then I didn’t have motivation to do things. Seeing as it’s now impossible to fit everything into the original schedule, Rainbow Reads will run over into the beginning of October. All giveaways will end on the 29 September as planned. Normal posting resumes today!

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

 Author: John Green and David Levithan

Series:  N/A

Published:  April 2010 by Dutton Books,  10 May 2012 by Penguin in the UK

Length: 308 pages

Source: publisher

Other info:  David Levithan has written Boy Meets Boy and some other things. John Green has written The Fault in Our Stars, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns and looking for Alaska. John Green is awesome.

Summary : One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Review: Will Grayson goes to a concert with his friends, but isn't let in because his fake ID says he's not old enough.  Will Grayson goes to Chicago to meet a boy he has been chatting to over the past year. Both of them meet in an adult shop, meaning their lives go in different directions. Will starts dating Will's friend, Tiny, who is  putting on a musical at school.

 I read this sometime last year. I forgot to write a review. I reread it again for Rainbow Reads. It didn't seem any better or worse second time round.

For ease of reviewing, the Wills are going to be referred to by the person who wrote them. John's Will starts off  with a funny quote from his father and his explanation of why he is friends with Tiny Cooper. David's Will starts off telling us that he is “constantly torn between killing [himself] and killing everyone around [him]”. They're two different  characters with different issues and things to work out, but they're both intriguing and well fleshed out.

Tiny is a little annoying to start with, but you soon get used to him. He's very OTT, but does become a bit more complex as it all goes on. I really liked Jane, and the way the relationship between her and John's Will progresses.

I like David's stylistic point of David's Will only writing in lowercase. David's Will is living with depression, and the way David gets into the head of someone with depression is powerful and emotional. 

Plotwise, there's Tiny's putting on of a musical, and there's David's Will and Tiny's relationship, and there's Jane and John's Will's relationship, and there's the varying friendships, and there's character development from everyone, mainly David's Will. Not particularly epic, but you get to like the characters so much that you just want to know about and spend time with them.

Will Grayson Will Grayson covers the full emotional spectrum. There's happiness, there's heartbreak, there's anger, there's a good bit of humour, everything conveyed really really well.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fun story about four peoples' journeys through life.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | John’s website | David’s Website  

Book Review- Swim the Fly by Don Calame

Title: Swim the Fly

 Author: Don Calame

Series:  Swim the Fly #1

Published:  9 May 2011 by Templar

Length:336 pages

Warnings: Sex references, kind of adult things, 13+

Source: Publisher

Summary : Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart

Review: Each Summer, Matt, Coop and Sean have had a goal. This year, see a naked girl. Then there’s Matt with his own goal-impress Kelly, the girl he wants to date. Method-win at the championships for the 100m butterfly.

About 0.2% of my real life interactions involve teenage boys. It really makes a change reading something from a boy’s point of view, where there isn’t crazy, fantastical things going on.

Matt and Coop and Sam are kind of crazy, in the good way. Their quest leads them to do things that...really aren’t normal (and from me, that’s saying a lot) but are great entertainment. Despite some of them being really really disgusting. I think that teenage boys, or people with stereotypically teenage boys’ humour,   would really enjoy this.

I liked the characters. They’re full of, well. Character, and it’s a good friendship. Matt comes along a bit. Valerie was really sweet. Swim teacher Ulf was my favourite because as wlell as providing hilarity in his treatment of Matt, he also gives him good life lessons with sticking with things and providing space for Matt to develop.

The writing is first person, chatty and honest. I really liked the chapter titles for some reason.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book that wasn’t my thing, but still enjoyable. I’ll read the sequel, Beat the Band, because it seems a little more my thing.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

IN HONOUR OF TOMORROW'S APOCALPYSE. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THE WORLD ACTUALLY ENDS WITHIN A CLOSE TIME PERIOD, IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOU. 

IN THE MEANTIME, ENJOY THIS REVIEW.

Title: Good Omens

 Authors: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Published:  First published 1990.

Length:  398 pages

Source: bought

Summary : According to "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter," "Witch" (the world's only "completely" accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon--both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle--are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

Review:  The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter tells us that the world will end. Next Saturday. As foretold in Revelation, the Four Horsemen (or now, Bikers) will ride, Heaven and Hell will fight and the world will end. Crowley and Aziraphale are the only demon and angel that don’t want this to happen. And to make sure that it doesn’t, they have a lot to do. For example, deal with the Antichrist-an 11 year old named Adam who is a generally nice boy. Other things happen too. Lots of other things.

I’ve not read much of Pratchett’s work (I think Nation and Maurice and that’s it) and only a little bit of Gaiman’s. But what I have read of both was generally awesome, and Good Omens is no exception!

The dramatis personae really sets the scene for this. Quote:

Satan (a Fallen Angel, the Adversary). Beelezebub (a Likewise Fallen Angel, and A Prince of Hell), *other Fallen Angels* Crowley (an Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards).

 Also generally descriptive of this book are the explanation for the M25 being such a hellhole, the Angel’s conversation with the Snake, and the Satanic nunnery in which the nuns are meant to keep talking. If you  laughed, liked, or weren’t morally offended by these things, then you’ll enjoy the rest of this.

There’s a lot of plots that intertwine with each other eventually. Crowley and Azireaphale running around, Anathema dechipering Agnes’ prophecies, the Four Horsepersons getting together, the witchfinders running  around, and Adam and his friendship group. There’s also a lot of shorter plots featuring characters for one block of text and then moving on. For some reason, this works in Good Omens (cameo characters in this volume don’t work in other books).

The main characters are all one of a kind. Crowley and Aziraphale aren’t your typical angels/demons, and most of this defys your stereotypical views of heaven and hell. I loved the Four and the way they’re presented-both darkly funny and a little creepy (especially when their disguises drop) at the same time.

The thing that really makes Good Omens is the writing. The “Who wrote what bit”  of the Q&A proves you can’t say exactly which is Neil’s and which is Terry’s, but I’d say they’re both equally good. The footnotes! There’s more of them at the start, but they crop up throughout in amusing and appropriate places. The writing style of the whole thing contains many pus and is full of sarcasm and dry wit.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a comedy of apocalyptic proportions you just have to read again and again.

Links: | Goodreads | Neil’s website | Terry’s Website

Japanese YA Week review- Kamikaze Girls by Novela Takemoto

Title: Kamikaze Girls

 Author: Novala Takemoto

Series:  Kamikaze Girls #1

Published:   English, 2006 by Viz Media

Length: 208 pages

Source: Library

Other info: There is apparently a sequel, which isn’t out in English, and also a manga, which is. Kamikaze Girls has also been made into a film rated 12 which is popular with people like me.

Summary : Life in the boondocks of rural Ibaraki prefecture is anything but glamorous, and so Momoko, a Lolita, daydreams about the Rococo period, Versailles, and dresses in the finest and frilliest of 18^th century haute couture from an expensive Tokyo speciality store. Her dreams of an idyllic existence are rudely interrupted by the appearance of Ichiko/Ichigo, a tough talking Yanki motorcycle chick on a worn  out moped. Together, this unlikely duo strikes out to find a legendary embroiderer, pachinko parlours, chic boutiques, and epic bike punk battles. This is more than a quirky coming of age tale, its a new way of life.

Review: Before we go any further, you all need to understand a little terminology. In this book, "lolita" is a style of fashion in which the wearer dresses in frills and dresses inspired by France, the 18th century and everything that is cute. A "yanki" is harder to explain, but its garish fashion, sloppy and the general opposite of Lolita. For more information, go here for lolita and here for yanki. And the Tokyo Specialty Store mentioned in the summary really exists. Look up Baby the Stars Shine Bright and you will find a real shop. Actually, don’t. The clothes are 1)expensive, 2)impractical and 3)only somewhat pretty.

Momoko is a Lolita obsessed with Baby the Stars Shine Bright and embroidery and Ichiko(born Ichigo, changed name because a tough yanki girl shouldn't have a name meaning strawberry) is a Yanki obsessed with her highly customised scooter and her girl biker gang. Through various chains of events that stem from Momoko's birth, they meet. They have adventures, they fall in love (Ichigo only, with the guy who'll be getting married to the ex-leader of the gang and her idol) they gamble(underage) at pachinko places and win a lot of money(Momoko only-Ichigo, despite being self-proclaimed "pro", never gets anything out the machines). Through various events, Momoko and Ichigo develop a lasting friendship, despite the fact they have completely different fashion and logic.

The entire thing is told from Momoko's point of view, which gives us a good insight into her character. As for Ichigo, you can get a good enough idea of her character as a)She talks enough and b)Momoko is repeatedly making remarks as to her opinion on Ichigo's outlandish fashion and attitude.

Both of the girls have very strong characters fixed in their beliefs as yankis and lolitas. They also undergo serious character development, with Momoko deciding on how she's going to live her life without *spoiler, so can't tell. It's not that she'll live without Lolita though* and deciding she may just be a little more outgoing, and Ichigo getting enough courage to leave the gang(which isn't easy, considering the ways these gangs make you "draw the line") and ride on her own.

You get a lot of insight to Lolita and Yanki lives, and rural Japan in general. Some things were new, such as pachinko, but it was easy to guess what was happening (it helped that I saw the film before too).

The ending is great. I'd love to tell you what exactly happened, but that would spoil it for you. It's kind of tied into what's been happening throughout, but it's so unpredictable and is generally great.

I love the tight friendship that eventually forms between Ichigo and Momoko. The fact they are completely different in all respects just makes it better and proves that you don't have to be alike to form a great friendship.

The film of this book is also really good(Do you want a separate film review, despite the fact this is a book blog? You decide...) and I enjoyed the manga spin off. I really want to get hold of the sequel(there is one. Novala Takemoto said so in the afterword), but I think that depends on Shojo Beat translating and publishing that, as I can't read Japanese.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a great book of laughs, friendship, frills.

Links:Goodreads |  

Book Review- Mostly Harmless

One of Katy’s reviews I found lying about

Title: Mostly Harmless

 Author: Douglas Adams

Series:  Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy/Trilogy of Five #5

Published:  13^th October 1992

Length: 218 pages

Source: LRC

Summary : (included in the review)

Review: Like all the books in the 'Trilogy', Mostly Harmless spreads Douglas Adam's unitversally useful wisdom to us humans.

The book mainly describes the story of Arthur Dent, and his attempt to get himself a life after he had travelled into a parallel universe and lost Fenchurch. Armed with the fact that he doesn't know anything, he sets out on a quest to find Starvomula Beta, or something like that, which he must find before he can die. Meanwhile, Ford Prefect steals his boss's identification details and the space equivalent of a credit card and tries to do something, that I can't quite remember, with a robot named Colin.

Tricia McMillian, not Trillian, leads a successful life as a reporter in America when aliens land in her back garden. Realising that this would make the perfect story, she takes her video recorder and gets inside. She starts to interview then and most of their answers are 'We do not know'.

As you can see, Mostly Harmless is a stroke of pure genius as none of the events appear to have any relationship whatsoever. But somehow, they all come together to make a story that generally does not make any sense.

Concerning character depth, all the characters are quite shallow: most of them just want to get drunk or raise their popularity.

Overall:  4

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |