Right now I'm reading Doing It by Melvin Burgess, and it is taking me much longer to get through than I anticipated. To be fair I've dropped it several times to read a couple of books that I had been waiting for months to come out. I do wonder though if the subject matter and/or the realness of the characters is slowing down my normally frantic reading pace. Even though I'm not finished with it, I just know that this is a book I am going to be talking about and recommending for quite awhile.

Why am I so impressed? First, the book began with the characters playing their own version of Death is Not an Option (which I took as a shout out from Melvin Burgess to me). I think this snapshot of the boys' lives and attitudes was the perfect way to begin this book. I'll admit that I flinched a couple of times while reading those first few pages (must be getting prudish in my old age), but it was a perfect start for the story. Also, the authenticity of the characters has me completely absorbed in what I'm reading. I feel like I went to high school with these boys. I knew someone just like Dino, and I dated someone just like Jonathan. Finally, the concept of this book (teen sexuality from the male perspective) is completely engrossing, since it is not a perspective we really see in YA literature. I've been trying to think of other books like it, and the only thing I can think of is the Diary of a Teenage Stud Series by Jonah Black (which doesn't even come close). Any ideas?

If you would like to read another opinion on this book, check out: Filth, Which Ever Way You Look At It. And in case you were wondering, the reviewer did not like the book.

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