Books I've Read On The Train

   I have spent the last three weeks commuting back and forth from New Jersey to New York City and though the train ride is only about forty minutes, it has given quite a lot of time to read a wide array of books. So here it is; my reviews of books I've read on the train.

One Man Guy
    Before I get into how fucking terrible this was, I guess I should describe the plot. Alek is just a average armenian kid who then has to go to summer school and meets Ethan. Ethan is about two years older than Alek and in a group called the D.Os (drop outs) who all talk like they're from the 90s and enjoy skating a lot and being the stereotypical "bad kids". Basically, for some unknown reason, Ethan takes an interest in Alek and forces him to go into New York City with him (Alek's parents don't allow him to go into the city alone) and Alek soon realizes that Ethan is gay. If the book isn't stupid enough, Alek figures out in ONE DAY that he is gay and just begins dating Ethan out of nowhere. Is it just me or was figuring out my sexuality a process not just a thought that hit me and then I decided I was gay? Like Alek literally says he never thought about being gay and then all of a sudden dates a boy. Anyways, the rest of the novel follows Alek and Ethan sneaking out a lot into New York City and is pretty uneventful (exempt for some AWESOME slurs towards lesbians because you know it's completely fine to support gay men and not women). The entire novel felt like it was written by a sixth grader and was extremely inaccurate towards the process of coming out. I am not saying that everyone is the same but I highly doubt that it's possible to just wake up and realize you're gay.

Firecracker
   OK this was one of the funniest books I have ever read and it makes perfect sense since it's by the writer of "New Girl" (it's a guilty pleasure OK?) and SNL. The novel follows Astrid Krieger and how she was recently expelled from Bristol Academy, a prestigious prep school, and now has to attend public school for the first time in her life. I usually never actually laugh out loud at books but this actually got me giggling! The entire novel is funny, witty, and extremely hard to put down.

Beyond Magenta
   This was one of the most gorgeous books I have read. Beyond Magenta is a collection of stories and photographs from transgender teens as they go through different phases of their lives. I have never really learned much about the whole trans community (aside from Tyler, the Rookie writer) and this really opened up my eyes to show that every single story was different. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone for it is absolutely wonderful.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

    I began watching "The Mindy Project" right after the Rookie post last year and have fallen head over heels in love with Mindy Kaling ever since so when she released a biography, I had to immediately buy it. The thing was that I never actually got the time to read it until I was spending eighty minutes in total everyday on public transportation. Mindy is just as hilarious, intelligent, and awesome on paper and I suggest anyone who even remotely is a fan of her's to read it.