Love, or Something Like It--Valentine's Day Stories for the Teen-age

Happy Valentine's Day!

In the spirit of the holiday, I wanted to provide your brain with some oh-so-love-ly tales. All of the novels below are available at at least 1 library in the Cumberland County Library System. Some are tales of heartbreak, while others are tales of love conquering all.

[DISCLAIMER: I have not personally read every single title on this list and therefore am not explicitly endorsing them, however, from the descriptions in the catalog, they all sound just about right.]

An Abundance of Katherines / By John Green
Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.

Blushing: Expressions of Love in Poems and Letters / compiled by Paul B. Janecsko
A critically acclaimed poet and anthologist collects the most poignant and moving musings about love from a diverse group of classic poets and writers, such as Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson.

Delirium / By Lauren Oliver
Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

Enthusiasm / by Polly Shulman
Julie and Ashleigh, high school sophomores and Jane Austen fans, seem to fall for the same Mr. Darcy-like boy and struggle to hide their true feelings from one another while rehearsing for a school musical.

Fallen in Love: A Fallen Novel in Stories / By Lauren Kate
A collection of four love stories featuring Shelby, Miles, and other characters from the Fallen series. (And if you're interested and haven't read them yet, read Fallen, Torment, and Passion before the final book in the series; Rapture, comes out this June.)

Hot Mess: Summer in the City / by Julie Kraut
To escape a bad breakup in Bridgefield, New York, almost-eighteen-year-old Emma takes a summer internship in New York City where she, her best friend, and their rich, sophisticated landlady face a series of dating disasters.

How They Met, and Other Stories / David Levithan
Eighteen stories all about love, all kinds of love. From the aching for the one you pine for, to standing up and speaking up for the one you love, to pure joy and happiness, these love stories run the gamut of that emotion that at some point has turned every one of us inside out and upside down.

Immortal: Love Stories with Bite / edited by P.C. Cast
Stories by popular young adult vampire and fantasy authors. Stories included are:
Haunted love / Cynthia Leitich Smith
Amber Smoke / Kristin Cast
Dead man stalking / Rachel Caine
Table manners / Tanith Lee
Blue moon / Richelle Mead
Changed / Nancy Holder
Binge / Rachel Vincent
Free / Claudia Gray.

Night Star / By Allyson Noel (Book #5 in the Immortals series)
Psychic teenagers Ever and Damen face down bitter rivals, jealous friends, and their own worst fears--all in hope of being together forever.

Son of the Mob / by Gordon Korman
Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.

30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend / by Clea Hantman
BEING DUMPED HURTS. But you know what? It happens to everyone. Even Gwyneth, even Cameron, even Madonna have been on the losing end of love. The part you might not believe is that no matter how brutally your heart’s been broken, those wounds will heal. But the longer you dwell on the dork, the longer your heart will remain cracked. Enter 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend. One day at a time, 30 days in a row. At the end, you’ll find you have the power to yank that dagger out of your chest, stand tall, walk proud, and move on. And along the way, you may just discover something marvelous and surprising about yourself.

Dead to You / Lisa McMann

TITLE: Dead to You
AUTHOR: Lisa McMann
OWNED BY CCLS? On Order.

Ethan DeWilde was seven years old when he was abducted. Nine years later he is reunited with his family. He tells Child Protective Services that he found his family by searching through the missing childrens' database online. When he came across his photo, he compared it to looking into a mirror. After all that he's been through, Ethan is ready to have a place to call "home" again. The transition from being abandoned in a orphanage to living on the streets and now living in a home with his new/old family would be a whole lot easier if he had any memories of his life from before his abduction. But he just can't seem to remember...

Get ready for a HUGE surprise. Who has the bigger secret? Ethan or his family?

M's Verdict: Don't judge a book by it's cover. The story almost doesn't so justice to the cover. Although it's a quick read and keeps you turning the pages waiting to figure out what could possibly happen next, I felt unfulfilled. I haven't read any of McMann's other novels, but this would probably prevent me from picking up another one. Don't get me wrong, this novel is based upon the pretty intense event of a child being abducted from his home, which keeps the reader glued, but it's just missing something... I do commend McMann for the WOW ending. I won't spooil it; check it out @ your library to see for yourself.