Mundie Moms

Friday, September 21, 2012

KatieB is in Toronto!



Okay, I normally only take over the blog on Katie's birthday, but I couldn't resist posting this picture of Katie at Simon & Schuster's Canadian headquarters. See her reflected in the window? At least I hope it's her. Oopsies, if it isn't. :-}
 
Although Katie cannot take pictures on the set, she has taken some great pictures of Toronto. Be sure to follow Mundie Moms on twitter and on tumblr. She's posting/RT-ing wonderful photos and you  guys know her, she can hardly wait to update us on everything she can share when she gets back home.

Flashback Friday - An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Author: John Green
Published by: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: September 21, 2006
Source: Purchased
Purchase from: IndieBound | amazon | Barnes and Noble

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars -- I loved it!

Synopsis: When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself by Printz medalist John Green, acclaimed author of Looking for Alaska. 

I’m a firm believer that sometimes on road trips, we end up not where we intended but where we’re needed the most. John’s An Abundance of Katherines explores what happens when a quick pit stop (to see the grave of Archduke Ferdinand) turns into a summer job for anagramming child prodigy Colin and his quick-witted, best friend Hassan.

I adored Colin and Hassan. Like most of friendships, theirs is based on balance. While Colin is obsessed with searching for a formula which explains 19 iterations of getting dumped by girls named Katherine, Hassan is trying to avoid enrolling into college. In fact, Hassan tries to avoid anything which remotely resembles work. I snort-laughed, giggled and literally laughed-out-loud on a public beach (yes, I attracted lots of stares but I didn’t care) reading their exchanges.

And then, John does what he does best – he places them in a tiny town in Tennessee. Good old Gutshot, a place filled with secrets. Colin and Hassan accept a job to take down the oral history from Gutshot’s oldest residents. In listening to the stories, they discover their own predictable patterns of behavior may not be the best route going forward. As they come to these conclusions, they unearth Gutshot’s biggest secret.

I know this book has been read and reviewed by many and all I can add to the praise is how masterfully John writes minor characters and how beautifully everything comes together in the end. Not one thread is left hanging. As I mentioned in my review of Paper Towns, I’m late to the party, but boy, am I glad I’m here. I think I’ll tackle Will Grayson, Will Grayson next. Which John Green book will you pick up?

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