Four Not-too-Romantic Reads for Valentine's Weekend

Not really big news here, but I'm not a fan of Romances.  

In my more formative years I got hooked on the squeaky clean teen romance series Sweet Dreams.  I owned so many of these books it was ridiculous!  And I loved them.  P.S. I Love You by Barbara Conklin was the first one I ever read. Here's the link to it on Goodreads.  This was in the sixth grade or so.  I continued reading NOTHING BUT TEEN ROMANCES until I was in high school where I branched out a little bit.  Even in college I still loved a good romance with cheesy characters and a love story that melted the heart.

Somewhere along the line I became cynical and it all just makes me roll my eyes and groan out loud and bang my head on my desk.  But it's Valentine's day this weekend.  So what if you want something with a little romance?  Because a little romance is perfect, but I prefer the story to be something more than just romance.  For me, it needs to have something else there to the story.  Something else to help ground it in reality.

So here is a list of "love stories" for the non-romantic person to delve into this weekend.

1) These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Really this is mystery.  Jo Montfort is prepared to marry the most eligible bachelor and begin her life as a wife and mother, but what she wants is to be a journalist like Nellie Bly.  When her father is found dead in his office from an apparent accidental gun shot, Jo doesn't buy it.  So she gets Eddie--a young journalist at her father's paper--to help her find out the truth.  The story revolves around Jo's search for the truth, but there is something between her and Eddie, despite Jo knowing that soon she will be expected to get married and start a proper life for herself.  The romance is not what keeps this story going, but it is important and not eye-roll-inducing.

For more info, check out my review here.



2) The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Not so much the love story you're thinking of--unless you're somewhat familiar with the A Thousand and One Tales. Shahrzad's best friend was chosen as a bride for the Caliph, and just like all the others she was killed the next morning.  So Shahrzad offers herself up as the next bride, with the intent of ending the nightly deaths by killing the Caliph.  Each night she tells him stories, keeping him intrigued until she can find an opportunity when his guard is down.  But he's not at all who she thought he would be and she finds herself just as intrigued by him, making her job even more difficult.  I don't know, maybe you would label this a romance, but it doesn't feel that way at all.  Plus it's fabulous and the second one (The Rose and the Dagger) comes out in May, so you should probably read it soon anyway -- if you haven't already.

Want to find out more about this book?  My review can be found here.


3) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

So this one is a romance.  It's the story of two high schoolers who meet on the bus and become a couple.  Only it's much more than that, too.  Eleanor has just moved back in with her mom and her stepdad is awful, awful, awful.  She and her four or five (I can't remember) siblings all sleep in the same room.  She has only a few items of clothings and they're falling apart.  And she has to go to highschool and get through the day there.  Park lives with his over protective mom and dad, his grandparents next door, and his younger brother who is exactly the type of son his father wants--not at all like Park.  I never once rolled my eyes during this book.  Instead, I was truly drawn into their lives and needed to know that they would both be okay.  Check it out.

Need more?  You can find my review right here.

4) Legend series by Marie Lu

June and Day.  Although this is not really about them, it is.  You have to read the entire series before you can truly appreciate their relationship.  The books are set in a future society of The Republic in which Day is a wanted criminal who is just a kid, but has managed to evade capture for years already.  June is at the top of her class in the military academy.  The Republic needs June to figure out who the criminal is that they're looking for and capture him.  It's a matter of national security.  Meanwhile there is a plague affecting citizens that is deadly and when families contract the disease, there is little hope for survival.  Read the entire series and get to know both June and Day a bit better.  If you're planning on reading this for Valentine's Day weekend, you might want to start immediately!!

I don't have a review of this one written, but here's the Goodreads page.

What are your romance suggestions for readers who aren't really into the whole romance thing?

Book Review: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park
Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

When I first started reading, I wasn't sure I would like Eleanor & Park.  I'm not necessarily a huge romance fan.  I used to be when I was in middle school and high school and refused to read much else.  Often when I read YA romances as an adult I read it and think along the lines of the teenage me. As an adult I want to roll my eyes at the pining and giggling and sunsets and all that stuff, but the teenage me would have been all over it.  I have to say that I never felt the urge to roll my eyes at anything in this book and I found that I wasn't just reading it for the teenage version of me, but for the adult version.  Rainbow Rowell has written a love story that can transcend age barriers, even though it's focused on high schoolers.

Take two teenage misfits, put them on a bus full of high school mean kids, and make them sit next to one another. Eventually they'll become friends.  Eventually they'll become more than friends.  This is the story of Eleanor and Park.  Eleanor has just moved back in with her mom, her brothers and sister, and her step dad who hates her.  She just wants to disappear, and then Park notices her.  Park's family is the opposite of Eleanor's, with two parents completely in love.  Even though he feels like a disappointment to his dad, and he is nothing like his classmates, Park has a safe place.  When he sees Eleanor, he dislikes her at first, but something about her pulls him towards her.

The dual perspective was done extremely well, keeping me equally intrigued by both characters.  Eleanor's voice comes across so strong, yet quiet at the same time as she tries to disappear when she's at home.  For Eleanor, I wanted her to be all right and I needed to know when she would truly be safe.  For Park, I wasn't so much worried for him, as I was interested in his relationship with his mother and father.

I loved the pop culture references that were woven throughout.  The story is set in the 80's and although the story isn't stuck there and inaccessible to teenagers, it definintely lives there with the Walkmans and punk music, Star Wars references, Watchman comics, and clothing choices.  I loved these little bits!

In its way, this romance is sweet and innocent, with Eleanor & Park experiencing their first real loves, but it's also not for the younger reader.  Even though there is no sex in the novel, there are some heavy make out scenes and a lot thinking about sex and touching.  It's painted as something beautiful and wonderful because they care about one another so much and at no time did I consider it gratuitous or distasteful.  I never even rolled my eyes at it for being cheesy.  Also, there is a lot of language in this novel, so be aware of that if you are considering this for a younger reader.

If you have any interest in romances, or even if you don't because they just make you roll your eyes, then I suggest giving this one a try.  Eleanor & Park will pull you in and make you want to follow both characters forever.  You'll feel like Park when he realizes how much he loves Eleanor, ready to follow her across the sky.

Sunday Status: Eleanor & Park

Sunday Status is a look at my current read.  I share one line from the page I'm currently reading and what I'm thinking about it so far.

Book: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: Bought

"He'd made eye contact with her only once since her first day on the bus.  It was last week, in history, and she'd practically gouged out his eyes with her."

Well, I'm really really close to the beginning still.  Although I started this book two weeks ago, I realized that I had a book from the libaray that I needed to finish first, and then I left my books at school...la la la.  Here I am, ready to commit to reading it.

I've been thinking about the first few pages already because I'm wondering Eleanor.  I really want to understand what her background situation is.  I've gotten hints already, and I'm sure when I read past the first 20 pages, I will find out, but it's just something that I keep thinking about.  I'm looking forward to reading it!