Sweet and Spicy

Gingerbread

by Rachel Cohn

Last month, I fell hard for Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, coauthored by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. I learned from the book jacket that it was the third book the pair wrote together, the first being Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist. A little more research pointed me to a few titles that Cohn had authored independently, one of which was Gingerbread, which I actually owned but had never read.

Summary

As a love child born to a woman having an affair with a married man, the only time Cyd Charisse has met her father was when she was 5-years old and got to have lunch with him at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He gave her a doll and some gingerbread, a treat which inspired the name for her doll.

Cyd’s troubled beginning in life seems to have set the tone for her later years. When Gingerbread readers first meet her, Cyd has just been kicked out of boarding school and has returned to her home in San Francisco where she lives with her mother and stepfather. Her uber-controlling mother is driving her up the wall, and once she realizes that her boyfriend isn’t as sure about her as she is about him, Cyd is ready for a change. In a rather fortuitous act of timing, her father (the real one!) has recently asked if she could come visit him in New York for a bit. Her mother relents, and Cyd finds herself off to a city she has only thus far dreamed about inhabiting. What follows is less of a quest for distraction and play time, and more of a journey of self-discovery and understanding about herself and the people in Cyd’s life.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Gingerbread was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn’t think I would like it at first (Cyd is quite tough, and for some reason her initial attitude grated on my nerves), but I was quickly won over. Cyd can be tough to like - she is defiant, rebellious, and totally honest - but under her tough exterior, she is caring and smart, and just wants a little love and respect, as well as some understanding about her rather screwy life. Definitely a book worth staying up for.

Recommended for ages 13 and up.

V is for ...

Vegan Virgin Valentine

by Carolyn Mackler

I needed no further incentive to read this book after noticing two things about it: 1. The title (how can you not be intrigued by this title?); 2. The author, Carolyn Mackler, who wrote the fabulous The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things.

Summary

Mara Valentine is nearing the end of her senior year of high school, and she is on the fast-track to success. A straight-A student in the running for valedictorian, accepted into Yale, already has a few college credits under her belt ... basically, she’s got it all worked out. But then her niece, V, who is one year younger than Mara, comes to live with her family and throws a big wrench into Mara’s life. Where Mara is focused and determined, V is go-with-the-flow casual; Mara makes decisions with regard to how they will affect her, while V does what she wants, when she wants. Needless to say, Mara doesn’t understand V, nor does she particularly like her. This isn’t helped by the fact that, within 24 hours of her arrival, V has managed to make out with Mara’s ex-boyfriend, and the story quickly spreads around school.

However, as Mara seeks time away from home and V in order to maintain her own sanity and focus on her future, she finds herself wondering about how all of good decisions have affected her life. One thing that brings these questions to mind? Her adorable, smart, funny boss at the coffee shop, a 22-year-old entrepreneur who has yet to attend college yet can hold his own with Mara’s intellectual conversations. And as much as V makes her crazy, Mara can’t help but wonder if she would benefit from a little less structure as well.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Definitely. Mackler did a great job shaping these characters, and as with The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, she gives an honest and realistic portrayal of the average teenager. I really enjoyed this book and was quite happy to keep the light on late to find out what Mara would decide to do about her life.