Start Off the School Year RIGHT, Folks.

With little intrigue, a little affair of the heart. Amour. I'm talking about love, people, or lust. I'm talking about romancey pants swoonytimes books. We've got a lot of new ones to go along with our still-as-good-as-ever old ones. A little something for everyone, I think.

Sweet and Innocent

I'm not sure why there is a cookie on the cover of this book, because Hudson, our heroine is a cupcake gourmet. That aside, what you see is what you get -- a sweet (BITTERSWEET!) story about a former competitive ice skater, who hangs up her skates for good after her parent's divorce. Totally done. Never again. She spends her time helping out in her mom's diner, and trying to forget the almost-a-star life she left behind.

Lately, though, she's been sneaking to the pond and skating a little. Just a little. It's her little secret until she smacks into the captain of the school's hockey team out on the ice. Then everything changes. Talked into using her mad ice skills to get the hockey team ready for the season (like this!), Hudson goes from quiet days spent baking to juggling her new life, her old life, two boys, her mother's failing diner, and a best friend who is getting lost in the shuffle. It's swoony and sweet and will make you want a cupcake.

Sexytimes, Holy Smokes

Jersey Angel by Beth Ann Bauman is a different kind of book. Angel lives with her swinging single mom and two little siblings, their beach-kissed life spread over three houses on the Jersey shore. In the summer they make serious bank renting out two of the houses and all cram into the one. In the off season, though, Angel lives on her own in one of the houses, and let me tell you, trouble ensues. By trouble I mean sexytimes. Whoa.

Angel can't quite stay away from the boyfriend she keeps breaking up with, but he's had it with her shenanigans. She cares about him, or wants to care about him, but the truth of the matter is she just really likes to have sex and doesn't think she should have to apologize for it. She's comfortable with her philosophy until she trysts with her good-girl best friend's boyfriend, setting off a chain of events that make her wonder if she's gone too far. Short, steamy, and thought provoking, this is the perfect book to transport you back to the beach as the weather starts to get cooler.

The Tearjerker

A family spends one last summer at their lake house together. For sad reasons. This is one of those love stories that you don't even want to get fluttery about, because everything else happening in the book is so heartbreaking. If you like to have a good cry once in a while, and need a little swoon to go with it so you don't choke on those tears, this book is for you.  

R.I.P. Lonesome George

The last of his kind, this giant tortoise was the rarest creature in the world.

Credit: RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/GettyImages (via National Post)

So yeah, you're not so special.  Also, never complain about not being able to get a date.

May Isn't Over Yet

May has been the month of awesome authors visiting the Teen Room, and it's not over yet! A week from today (Tuesday, May 29 at 4pm) debut author JESSE ANDREWS is coming to talk about his hilarious first book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

The book is super funny (and sad, but FUNNY), and it should be a total blast. Drop by the Teen Room and grab a copy to check out yoursef, and we'll see you there!

R.I.P. Donna Summer

R.I.P. Maurice Sendak: 1928-2012

And completely righteous to the end...

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Family Drama: Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

This month in our Drop-In Book Discussion (Tuesday Dec 20th! 3:30pm!) we're talking about books that deal with family drama. Because over the holidays we all spend a lot of time with our families, and sometimes it's DRAMATIC, and it's always better to read about someone who has it worse than you.

You'll find books on the topic displayed around the room, or you can always ask us. This is one of my favorites. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. A secret about me is that I've read this book more times than I have read any other book on earth. About a million, probably. When I was young I read our library's copy so many times it fell apart and they just withdrew it and gave it to me.

A lot of the books we've displayed are WICKED DRAMATIC, but this is a nice quiet one. I'm not going to tell you any more than that, you'll have to take my word for it (or come in and ask me about it in person and I'll go crazy, and probably tell you the NUTS story of when I MET JUDY BLUME on the STREET. It was completely insane.)

(ALSO: It's going to be a MOVIE soon.)

Breaking Up

So, there's book coming out at the end of the year, and it's about a breakup. A horrible, heart wrenching breakup. The kind that can only come at the end of an amazing, exciting, against-all-odds, oh-my-god-all-my-friends-hate-me-because-i-am-obnoxiously-in-love love. This book tells both stories, the beginning and the end. At the same time.

It's a pretty great book. It's by Daniel Handler (who you THINK you haven't heard of, but trust me, you have). It also has illustrations (illustrations!) by the amazing Maira Kalman. If you like love stories, sad stories, realistic stories, funny stories and beautiful art, this book is for you, trust me.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! Mr Handler has started a website where people can share their own breakup stories -- both regular people AND your favorite authors. I kind of expected it to be funny and goofy, and some of the stories are, but it's also sad, true, beautiful and most of all (worst of all), familiar.

Check it out guys. Laugh/cry.

DIY FAIL

I regret to inform you that there will be no jolly craft times today.  We're shorthanded and will have to postpone till next week.

Join us then!

Weepytimes

The fall equinox is this Friday guys, but it kind of feels like fall has already fell. Leaves are changing, everybody has on socks and sweaters, and you can get pumpkin flavored ANYTHING.

When the weather and the light and colors start to turn like this I always feel like it's a good time to indulge a little romantic melancholy. I'm not talking about buried-under-the-covers unbearable sadness, that doesn't come around until February. I mean letting yourself listen to a few sad songs, watch a few sad movies, and curl up with a sad, sad book.

We've got a whole huge display of them here in the Teen Room. Grab one, take a deep breath of the crisp autumn air (before it turns into frigid winter air, and you can't take a deep breath or your snot will freeze in your nose), and let the tears flow.

GOAT STAMPEDE (in video and fiction)

A few weeks ago I read a pretty good book called What Comes After by Steve Watkins. It was fast and a totally absorbing read, but super duper sad. There was abuse and heartache and romance... and goats. So many goats! Most of the book took place on a goat farm, and the goats had babies so there were goat kids. It was so great.

I just picked up Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore, and lo and behold - GOAT FARM! Actually it's an herb farm, but there are a few adorable goats that roam around, and get caught in trees, and oh my goodness it's amazing. (There is also a cute but surly cowboy that lives next door, kitchen magic, family rivalries and Vanilla Cokes. And I'm only on chapter 3.)

Anyway, enjoy these adorable goats, and if you want to extend the experience, pick up one of these goat-related books.

Swoon.