Books for...Cute Shoes!

Second to last list, people! I hope you aren’t worried about running out of stuff to read. Fifty books in one summer is a good goal, eh? Just kidding. I know you’ll be lucky if have time to read, like, one. It counts so much that you even try.

Today’s section may have had you wondering. “Cute shoes?” You may have thought. “Why does my footwear influence my reading experience, Anna? You are large amounts of nonsense.” While that may be true, dear reader, I do have an explanation: these books are all about love, and it might want to make you fall in love, too. So you need to be prepared, looking your best! Wearing cute shoes! Of course, these books are equally enjoyable wearing no shoes paired with yesterday’s sweat pants. It just might not be as easy to attract your own Henry or Noah in that outfit. (I am not discriminating against the two guys who might look here for book suggestions when I list the books this way. I just think maybe you wouldn’t want to read these books, anyway.)

BOOKS FOR…

…CUTE SHOES!

• THE NOTEBOOK by Nicholas Sparks: If you love the movie, you ought to read the fun, breezy book upon which it was based! And you can picture yourself as Ally, what could be better? It is just as sad and moving as the film, of course, but the back story is a bit more complex, as is the switching between two different times that happens in the movie. I read the entire book in one morning, but that’s the best part: I can read it over and over again without it losing any of its sweet power in no time at all.

• NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan: Anyone who has ever dreamed about having one epic night that changes her life will LOVE this book (which is infinitely better than the mediocre and manufactured teen pop-tart of a movie). Told in alternating voices between the girl and the guy, the story follows a fast-and-lose adventure through a nighttime New York City, in clubs and cabs and Polish diners. If I had to pick a book to live inside for one night only, this would be it.


• SWEETHEARTS by Sarah Zarr: The story of a teenage girl with a rocky past and a fragile psyche who reunites with a male childhood friend with whom she shared a traumatic event, this book is short, tart, and unexpected. Though I didn’t quite feel this way, a reader said of the boy in fan mail to the author, “I have fallen in love with a fictional character who isn’t Edward Cullen. He goes by the name of Cameron Quick.” More complex than you might expect from the saccharine cover art, this book is like the Sour Patch Kids version of an early Sarah Dessen book.

• IN HER SHOES by Jennifer Weiner: All of Weiner’s books are a smart, frothy delight, but this one is my favorite. The story of a hot-shot lawyer and her crazy younger sister, this is a great book about family, relationships, love, and getting what you want out of life. There is also a great movie based on this book – it could be a fun book club party to all read the book and then watch the movie together. And they both feature fabulous shoes!

• THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by Audrey Niffeneger: For a long, long time, this was my favorite book. OF ALL THE BOOKS IN THE WORLD. (I know I haven’t read all the books in the world. But I’ve read a lot more than a lot of people, so it still says something). That is high, high praise. The story of a man who spontaneously travels to different time, usually in his own life, is well-plotted, heart-felt, and heartbreaking. Not only is there the scientific/metaphysic problem of the time travel, but then there’s the girl, naturally: Clare, one of my favorite characters after Holden Caulfield. This is the best, most convincing, most real-feeling love I have ever read or seen – exactly the kind every girl would want. One can only hope one’s own is easier than the love of Clare and Henry.

• For more cute-shoes reading, try THE NANNY DIARIES by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin and 21 PROMS edited by David Levithan

Thanks again for going on this intrepid journey o’ pages with me, reader people! Next time is our last post (second to last! ☺Oh, I miss Darwin), so get your fill of quirky book selections right here right now. I mean, I’m going to leave this site up so you can visit it any time (and so your friends can visit it any time, or your family, or your mom…). Just…thanks. Yeah. Last post:

BOOKS TO READ…

…THAT DID NOT FIT ON ALL MY OTHER LISTS!