Review -- My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park

by Steve Kluger

Penguin, 2009

416 pages

*I borrowed this book from the library.

Summary: Three friends (T.C., Augie, and Ale) write about their freshman year as an assignment for 11th grade English class. Through their diary-like entries, they tell a tale of love, baseball, movies, and showtunes.

Review: I think this novel would make an excellent television show for ABC Family. The characters (both main and supporting) are so vivid and wonderfully written. This book is like a cross between Gilmore Girls and Glee. The style of the prose is engaging and keeps the reader invested in the story. However, I do feel that this book is a fantasy of what high school could be like, not what it is truly like. But I struggle with whether that matters or not. There are great lessons in tolerance and acceptance that all young adults (and even some adults) could learn from. Rating: ****1/2 out of 5

It's Monday! What are you reading? -- 5/10

This week I read Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris, finished The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (for book club tonight, review to come), and am half way through My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger. I was also able to review Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin and The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

What are you reading? (This meme is hosted by Book Journey.)

3 W Wednesdays -- 5/5

This meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

What am I reading now? I just started My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger. This is a fun young adult read that makes me laugh every time I sit down to read.

What did I just finish reading? I just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and am hoping to review it early next week. Before that I need to review Kathy Griffin's memoir, the very funny Official Book Club Selection.

What are you reading next? Not sure. I just received We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver from the library and I also picked up a copy of Anna Quindlen's Every Last One. Both books seem pretty deep, so I am not sure which one to read first.