Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell + Star Wars = be still my beating heart.

This review is best enjoyed to the sounds of “Jabba Flow”, the cantina song by Lin-Manuel Miranda in The Force Awakens. You’re freaking welcome. 

It’s no secret: I love Rainbow Rowell. Fangirl always tops my recommendation list for YA fans, and much of the authenticity of the story comes from the fact that Rainbow herself is an unabashed fangirl.

So, when I found out Rainbow had written a novella about Star Wars? I flipped. I was all over it like an Ewok on a speeder.

This is a very quick read—the novella clocks in at 96 pages. And it was such a cute love story: two people meet in line while waiting for the midnight release of the latest Star Wars movie. Even though they both feel galaxies apart, they begin to realize that maybe they aren’t so far, far away.

This story wouldn’t have to be about Star Wars—it could be about any pop culture phenomenon. The point is that fandoms bring people together in unexpected ways. Whether it’s waiting in a line for a movie premiere, cosplaying at conventions, or reaching for the same book at a comic shop, they things we love bring us together in beautiful ways.

Needless to say, the force is strong with this novella.

25 romantic reads for Valentine’s Day

Love comes in many forms, be it romantic, affectionate, friendly, or unconditional. It can be overpowering or underwhelming, unexpected or sweeping, awkward or harmonious, melodramatic or hilarious. First loves are filled with embarrassment, flushed cheeks, and heartbreak; romantic loves are ripe with electricity, passion, and steadfast commitment. All of it deserves to be celebrated and embraced—what better way than through books?

This list includes some of my personal favorite love stories, broken down by genre to help you find your perfect literary date: each romantic adventure (or misadventure) has a thing or two to say about the nature of love, in all of its forms. Happy Valentine’s Day, and happy reading!

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Love lost and found: Contemporary romances 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Behind the scenes of a mysterious circus, two dueling magicians battle to prove their skill…but end up falling in love along the way. What happens when their relationship threatens those around them? A beautifully written, enchanting read from beginning to end.

 

 

 

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

You probably saw the movie—or at least the trailer. After the death of her husband Gerry, Holly is devastated and finding it hard to move on with her life. But on her 30th birthday, she gets a bundle of letters from Gerry, one for each month after his death, all signed “P.S. I love you”. Equal parts romantic and heartbreaking.

 

 

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

Set during the Great Depression, a young man stumbles upon a traveling circus when he jumps on their train. Schooled as a doctor, he becomes the circus veterinarian and falls into a circle of odd entertainers—among them a star animal tamer, Marlena. Written with superb detail mixed with historical research, this book is an experience as sublime as a circus act.

 

 

A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Yes, I know: objectively, it’s nothing special. It’s your basic Good-Christian-Girl-changes-Local-Bad-Boy-for-the-better romance, but there’s also stars and wind set across a charming 1950s backdrop. Even though, at the end of the day, it’s just another sappy paperback Sparks romance, this early novel stands out amongst his melodramatic oeuvre for its prose and bittersweet conclusion.

 

 

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Set in early 20th century Japan, this story follows the life of Nitta Sayuri, who is taken from her poor fishing village and sold into slavery at a geisha house. As she grows up, she learns the art of the Japanese geisha—dance and music, tea ceremony, elaborate kimonos coupled with hair and makeup—and becomes one of the most sought-after geishas. Despite being in a profession where virginity is auctioned off to the highest bidder and profit is made from pitting jealous men into rivalries, Sayuri finds herself falling in love with a customer. This book is rich with historical detail, and is equal parts romantic, erotic, and suspenseful as it explores the lives and politics within the geisha house.

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  I ❤ U: Unconventional romantic reads

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

I couldn’t put together this list without including this book. Constructed as a series of dictionary entries, the book unfolds as a non-chronological telling of a couple falling in love, painting the highs and lows of relationships and the quiet moments in-between. Abstract and lyrical, this quick read will make you melt at Levithan’s poetically crafted prose.

(Braggy side note: Levithan signed my copy “To Ashleigh—With many words about love” inside a heart. Needless to say, I’m never selling this book.)

 

 

Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl by Anonymous

A memoir about a London call girl’s adventures hardly qualifies as romantic—but oof, is it a steamy read. If you enjoy the book, check out the Billie Piper television series (“Secret Diary of a Call Girl”).

 

 

 

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

Told entirely through email correspondence, this is a fun read about a gossip columnist and a crime reporter from rival newspapers meeting and falling in love under unusual circumstances. If you enjoy this read, pick up Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments, or really anything else by Cabot (special shoutouts to The Mediator series, Size 12 Is Not Fat, Boy Meets Girl, Every Boy’s Got One, and All-American Girl.)

 

 

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

Similar to The Boy Next Door, this book is told through emails, letters, and notes, chronicling a series of missed opportunities between two friends, Rosie and Alex. As they date, marry, have children, divorce, and grow old, the two stay close…and find that fate isn’t quite done with them. A charming page-turner.

 

 

 

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli

Mr. Hatch has a usual, solitary routine—until one day he gets a Valentine in the mail, with a note “Somebody Loves You”. A bittersweet children’s book about giving and receiving love.

 

 

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First loves: Young adult romance

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Move over, The Fault in Our Stars: this tops my list as John Green’s best book. I can guarantee that no one else will agree with me on this point, but I stand my ground. The narrative flip-flops between two boys, both named Will Grayson, as they come of age and fall in love. The common thread between them is Tiny, “the world’s largest person who is really, really gay” and “the world’s gayest person who is really, really large”. Features a wonderful representation of gay romance without falling into stereotypical characterizations or plotting.

 

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

King Arthur characters reincarnated as high school students. Need I say more?

 

 

 

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

There aren’t enough stories about teenagers transitioning from high school to college, and I’m overjoyed Rowell took that chance. While many people prefer Rowell’s Eleanor & Park, Fangirl is my favorite of Rowell’s books; the perfect love note to fanfiction writers and readers everywhere.

 

 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

What can I say? This is young adult fluff at it’s best. Our protagonist, Anna, is sent off to boarding school in Paris, where she meets the charming (and taken) Etienne St. Clair. A quick read, nothing comes as a shock…but that doesn’t make it any less run to read.

 

 

 

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Macy is a teenager dealing with the sudden loss of her father. When her boyfriend goes away to Brain Camp for the summer, she thinks they can make it work—but he ends up breaking up with her over email (ouch). Feeling lost and alone, Macy finds herself working for Wish Catering for the summer, where she meets a boy named Wes.

Dessen is royalty in the young adult world, and it was hard to pick just one of her books to include on this list. If you enjoy The Truth About Forever, I also recommend Someone Like You, This Lullaby, and Just Listen.

 

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 Love never dies: Romantic classics

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The quintessential will-they-won’t-they Austen romance. Lizzie Bennet is a heroine to root for, and Mr. Darcy is just about as swoon-worthy as they come…once you warm up to him.

If you’ve already read this one approximately one billion times, there are also quite a few modern interpretations (sometimes serious, sometimes silly). My personal favorites are Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.

 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Want to read about pirates, princesses, witches, miracles, sword fights, rodents of unusual size, and true love? As you wish. The book that inspired the film is filled with even more adventure to bring the star-crossed Westley and Buttercup together in a fairy tale fashion. Told as a fable, this fantasy romance is inconceivably charming.

 

 

 

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

While romance isn’t necessarily the main point of this classic, it still shines enough to include it on this list. Winnie Foster comes across the Tuck family who, after drinking from a stream, have become immortal. It doesn’t take long for Winnie to fall for Jesse Tuck…but she has to chose between immortality and moving on. It’s what Twilight wishes it was, with much more whimsy and much less angst.

 

Shakespeare’s Sonnets by William Shakespeare

I always get so angry when I see Romeo and Juliet listed as one of the greatest romances of all time because…we all know that everyone dies, right? No one is happy. Everything about their relationship is toxic and problematic. I’m personally a bigger fan of the romantic comedies (Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night) which I also suggest.

Even more often overlooked is his collection of sonnets. The best part: the first time you read them, they sound romantic. The deeper you read, the more you realize that Billy was writing a bunch of sleazy pick-up lines. Interrupt as you like. (My personal favorites include sonnets 18, 19, 55, and 116.)

 

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

I think it’s safe to say that this is my favorite classic play. Cyrano de Bergerac brilliant and witty cadet with an extremely large nose; Christian de Neuvillette is a handsome new cadet who hasn’t a clue how to think on his own. They both fall in love with the beautiful Roxane. Cyrano, afraid that she will reject him for being ugly, works with Christian to win her heart by sending her love letters signed as Christian. The play strikes a beautiful balance between humor and drama—best enjoyed as a staged performance, if it’s around.

 

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 Make my heart go doki-doki: Manga and graphic novels

Mad Love by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm

From the minds behind “Batman: The Animated Series” comes the Eisner-winning origin story of Harley Quinn, the Joker’s sidekick and main squeeze. Before her life of crime, Arkham Asylum psychologist Harleen Quinzel always had a fascination with the criminally insane, and found herself drawn to the Joker. The resulting relationship is one based on manipulation, abuse, and insanity.

 

 

The One I Love by CLAMP

This collection of vignettes focuses on different stages of love: from love at first sight and marriage, to long distance relationships and Valentine’s Day. CLAMP’s illustrations are as beautiful as ever, complementing the short and sweet storytelling. A lovely read for romantics everywhere.

 

 

 

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon series by Naoko Takeuchi

It’s the original “miracle romance”! Usagi is just your average clumsy crybaby, until she discovers that she is the defender of love and justice, Sailor Moon. Featuring a reincarnated Moon Princess and a mysterious man named Tuxedo Mask, this groundbreaking series not only tells a wonderful love story, but also celebrates female friendship through Usagi’s fellow Sailor Scouts.

 

 

Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Want more fighting and video game references in your love stories? Scott Pilgrim is the way to go. In order to date Ramona Flowers, the (literal) girl of his dreams, Scott Pilgrim must defeat her seven evil exes. Though Ramona falls somewhat into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl stereotype, O’Malley’s work is fast-paced and downright fun, filled with plenty of in-jokes to keep any nerd happy.

 

 

Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori

Haruhi Fujioka is new to Ouran Academy, an elite high school filled with rich students with too much time on their hands. A scholarship student, Haruhi wanders the massive halls in search of a quiet place to study—and stumbles across the Ouran Host Club. What follows, you have to see for yourself. Filled with self-aware tropes and intriguing gender politics, this is shojo manga at its finest (and funniest).

 

 

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Don’t see your favorite love story here? Send them my way in the comments! 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

They’re probably listening to The Smiths or Modest Mouse or something equally hip that I’ve never heard of.

To conclude my journey through Rainbow Rowell’s existing oeuvre, I cracked open Eleanor & Park, which had the most hype around it. Which was partially why I decided to hold out on the most “popular” book—major bestsellers almost never live up to the hype, or are famous for the wrong reasons.

Eleanor & Park, however, surprised me by how it would be equal parts lovely and soul-crushingly, devastatingly, tear-your-heart-out-and-stomp-it-on-the-floor  heartbreaking.

The story follows Eleanor, who comes from a home of poverty and abuse, and Park, a boy coming of age amidst his family’s expectations. Set in the 80s, the reader flips between the two characters’ points of view as they discover, fall in love, and mature together via comic books, mix cassette tapes, and  teenage drama.

The best part of this book was that teenage drama was far from the main conflict of the story. When I mentioned earlier that this novel was heartbreaking, it had little to do with Eleanor and Park’s relationship—rather, it was the portrait of her home life that often had me on the verge of tears. Much of the time Eleanor felt trapped, unable to escape her abusive stepfather to the point that she even fears her life, as well as unable to tell anyone about her situation.

The main thrust of the novel was, of course, Eleanor and Park’s relationship, which I honestly found a bit odd and unsettling at times. During the early stages of their relationship, the pair did not even speak much to each other, saying all of two words to each other throughout the day, speaking instead through music or a glance. Eleanor would often act meanly towards Park; in fact, little of their time together felt like they were getting along. Maybe it was my failure to see through the lens of a 15/16 year-old, but there were times I would put the book down and say to myself, “This seems like an unhealthy relationship.”

However, the final act of the novel is what makes the clunky beginning worthwhile, as we see Eleanor and Park begin to settle into the semblance of a healthy relationship…only to see it taken away. Cue the heartbreak. By the final pages, I was beginning to give up hope for our young misfit lovers, but was given the smallest glimmer of hope on the final page. Leave it to Rainbow Rowell to keep me hooked to a romance novel until the very end.

Now that I’ve finished Rainbow’s current works (her next book, Landline, comes out July 2014, and I very much look forward to it!), it appears I have to move on to other things. And it appears the next book on my reading list is…George R.R. Martin’s A Feast For Crows.

Ooooooooh boy. This is gonna take awhile.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I’m getting more and more attached to Rainbow Rowell’s writing.

After blazing through Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, I was so completely and totally charmed by Rowell’s writing that I went out and bought her other two books, Attachments and Eleanor and Park. I did “eenie meenie minnie mo” to pick which of the two to read first, and landed on Attachments.

Attachments tells the story of Lincoln, an internet security officer for The Courier, a local newspaper. Much of his job consists of reading emails that get flagged with inappropriate content and asking employees to stop misusing the company’s email; however, when he starts reading emails from Beth and Jennifer, a movie critic and a copyeditor respectively, he can’t bring himself to tell them to stop—after all, their emails are harmless gossip, and he finds them genuinely funny and entertaining. The problem is when he finds himself falling for Beth…and finding out she’s falling for him without knowing it.

I loved the premise of this novel, in that it is an impossibly tricky situation; both of these characters are attracted to each other, but because neither know of the other’s affections, neither feel like they can do anything about it. I often wonder how many times unrequited love is truly unrequited, and I was so happy to see a story that explored this idea in such an entertaining way. Flip-flopping between Beth and Jennifer’s email transcripts and Lincoln’s personal narrative, each chapter pulsed with vibrant character voice, a signature trait of Rowell’s writing, I’ve found.

Speaking of characters, I also loved watching the development of each character throughout the novel. Lincoln, for example, starts the novel still living in his mother’s house at 29, having gotten multiple college degrees because he can’t see doing anything but school, and without any romantic prospects since high school. By the end of the novel, by the influence of Beth, Lincoln moves out of his mom’s place, gets a new job, starts working out, gets over his high school flame, and generally gets his life going. Beth is able to leave a dead-beat boyfriend, and Jennifer’s storyline involves a heartbreaking struggle to accept motherhood.

Though there was a lot I loved about this novel, my only complaint was the way it ended. This may not come as a spoiler, but Lincoln and Beth do end up getting together by the end of the story—however, I felt the means in which they meet and fall in love felt…anti-climatic? Rushed? Unsatisfying? Maybe it was because I had imagined their real-life “meet-cute” to be much more subtle, but their story seemed to be wrapped up too quickly for my tastes. Not that I’m complaining—I would rather see them get together than not at all (and trust me, there were times during this book where even that prospect seemed bleak.)

Attachments was a lovely read, and I can’t wait to get started on Eleanor and Park. I was also excited to find that Rainbow Rowell is coming to Boston this month to do a book signing with David Levithan, who wrote one of my favorite books, The Lover’s Dictionary. Question is, which book do I have her sign?!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I was fangirling all over this book from beginning to end.

Words cannot even begin to describe how much I adored this book.

The story follows Cath, an avid fan of the young adult Simon Snow series (think: Harry Potter), during her freshmen year of college. She enters college wanting to be an English major, as writing fanfiction has been one of her greatest joys and accomplishments. Shy and introverted in a nearly crippling sense, Cath has a delayed coming of age during this year, as she meets and falls in love with a boy, grapples with the struggles of her family, and learns who she is on her own.

The book comments on many of the issues I have with fanfiction—first and foremost being that it allows good writers to be lazy. Fanfiction, while a fun exercise in honing in one’s skills and styles, doesn’t ask the writer to truly create their own worlds, as they don’t have to worry about character development or setting since it has already been established for them. Cath struggles with this during her Fiction-Writing class, where she is asked to compose an original story and is met with crippling writer’s block—having never created anything on her own, despite being a good writer, she doesn’t have the tools to create at the level she should. Had her professor not pushed her, she would have been a classic case of wasted writing potential.

It also comments on the dangerous ramifications of fandom, as it encourages fans to constantly live in a fictional world rather than interacting with the world around them. Cath spends the majority of the novel denying outside interaction in favor of staying in and writing more fanfiction; and while introversion and social anxiety can occur in anyone, fandom certainly encourages it to an unhealthy degree.

Cultural commentary aside, this novel was a truly enjoyable read, with a fun, fast pace, well-written dialogue, and plenty of winks to fangirls everywhere. I fell in love with each character, and spent the whole novel rooting for Cath to finally get it together. Her relationship with Levi reminded me what it felt like to fall in love for the first time, but without all the corny, sappy, doe-eyed descriptions writers have become fans of abusing these days. Every page felt honest and fresh, and I literally could not put it down until the end.

Needless to say, I will be picking up more of Rainbow Rowell’s work in the future. I am, to put it lightly, a fan.