A few years ago 30-something Sarah Brown started sharing her old diaries with friends and strangers, through the web and at a coffee-house event in New York.  The project prompted an open call for old teenage journals, poetry and other writings from anyone willing to share; the most cringe-worthy and embarrassing results became this book.  The entries are funny and sad, but it shows pretty clearly that a lot of people go through the same experiences.   

As an FYI- Cringe contains uncensored journal entries, and some of the subjects covered are pretty sobering and explicit.  Brown’s and the original authors’ approach to all the entries is tongue-in-cheek, so the commentary does not take even the most heart-wrenching subjects seriously.   
 

Sisters Octavia and Talia are pretty much prepared for the summer from hell: accompanying their 80+ year old grandmother Mare on a cross-country road trip to a reunion in Alabama.  It’s not going to be pretty. Octavia and Talia haven’t really been friends lately, and Mare is far from being a normal sweater wearing, pie making grandma.  Instead she drives her convertible like she’s in NASCAR, wears stilettos and smokes like a chimney.  Along the way, Mare starts to tell her granddaughters about her history: what it was like growing up in the Depression, living in the segregated South, running away from home at 17 to join the Women’s Army Corps, about getting shipped off to Europe to help fight the Second World War.

Mare's War is a really good book.  The story of the road trip is interesting and Octavia and Talia are good characters with a pretty realistic dynamic between them.  The best part of the book is Mare’s storytelling.  She is vivid, engaging and strong.  Her story is heroic, and describes a little-known part of history, but it isn't preachy.      
 

Blue Baker is a normal, nice kid with a normal, nice family: a Mom, a Dad and a little sister.  He has friends, goes to school, and has regular run-ins with the town bully.  When his Dad dies, he gets set up with a counselor at school, Mrs. Molloy, who tells him to try writing out his feelings, which is how he ends up writing the story of The Savage.  The Savage is a savage: he lives under an abandoned chapel, hunts and kills for food, doesn’t speak except in grunts and has sticks and chicken feathers in his hair.  The Savage is Blue’s private story, but as he writes more and more chapters, it starts to become real.  The Savage starts showing up around town, and eventually Blue is going to have to face him.

Dave McKean’s illustrations make The Savage.  It’s a quick read from Almond, an author who has won numerous awards for his other books.  
 

This is the true story about how a regular guy managed to trade a paperclip for a home of his own.  Kyle was pretty much a regular unemployed free-spirit without too many prospects.  One night he decided to post an ad on craigslist offering to trade one red paperclip for anything better, with the intention of continuing to trade up until someone offered him a house.  Kyle’s journey takes him to some strange and interesting places, he meets some weird and wonderful people and becomes an internet celebrity.  He trades the paperclip for a fish pen, the fish pen for a doorknob and so on… 

One Red Paperclip is unforgettable because it shows how nothing can be turned into something with the application of creativity and determination.  Kyle is a quirky writer and a good storyteller.  I really recommend this book.  You can also read Kyle’s blog at oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com
 

Photo of the original red paperclip courtesy of flickr user kylemac