An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

The difficult part about coming late to the Young Adult books of the high school crowd is that there is so much to read! It's always a difficult decision. Do I read the newest books out? Or do I go back to the standouts of the past 10 years to catch up? If only there were more reading hours in the day! My reading list is long and varied, and my bedside table (and my iPad) are filled with books that beg to be read...if only there were more time!

I grabbed John Green's An Abundance of Katherines on the way out the library door on Friday. I've booktalked this book many times without actually having read more than a few reviews, but there it was on the return cart, and I knew I needed something light for a quiet weekend.

And so it was that on Sunday morning, while Colin and Hassan were being chased by hornets after trying to scare off the feral pig, I was laughing out loud. And moments later, when Colin and Hassan were discussing what mattered in life, I was wiping the tears from my eyes, and realizing that I truly love reading whatever John Green writes. When you're old, this happens (the crying!) You read about teenagers finding out what's important - and how, as Hassan put it, "how you matter is defined by the things that matter to you." You see, a teenager, realizing that the future is unpredictable, is one of those things that makes me cry. Partly because I wish I had learned it when I was teenager. Mostly though, because I want all teenagers to come to that realization: that they can matter. That they can make a difference.

An Abundance of Katherines turned out to be one of my favorite books. I love John Green's writing style. I enjoy his sense of humor. And if you're working on young adult novels too, and are trying to catch up on some of the best of the past 10 years, grab it as you're walking out the door. You'll be glad you did.

“You matter as much as the things that matter to you. And I got so backwards trying to matter to him. All this time, there were real things to care about: real, good people who care about me, and this place. It's so easy to get stuck. You just get caught in being something, being special or cool or whatever, to the point where you don't even know why you need it; you just think you do.” 
― John Green, An Abundance of Katherines