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51st out of 387 books
—
1,120 voters
How They Met, and Other Stories
by
David Levithan (Goodreads Author)
Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a confection from David Levithan that is sure to appeal to fans of Boy Meets Boy. Here are 18 stories, all about love, and about all kinds of love. From the aching for the one you pine for, to standing up and speaking up for the one you love, to pure joy and happiness, these love stories run the gamut of that emotion that at some poin...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
January 8th 2008
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
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Mar 03, 2008
Leela
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Gays, Lesbians and friends of those who are.
When I picked up this book, I wasn't expected it to be about gay relationships (there are some straight stories though), but I felt like I shouldn't put it down. Reading the story's, I usually had to wait until a page in to figure out if the narrator was a boy or a girl, which made me realize how love is love and a crush is a crush no matter your preferance. While there were some parts in the book where I cringed, there were others were I laughed. And although I am straight, I found myself relat...more
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Disclaimer -- I LOVE THIS MAN!! Every book I've read of Levithan has touched my heart. This collection of short stories began, he says, as a way to avoid an AP physics lesson. That story, "A Romantic Inclination," is so funny.
Levithan's characters search for someone to love...he believes in the power of love.
Favorite line: "every two people cause an intersection. Every person alters the world."
Levithan's characters search for someone to love...he believes in the power of love.
Favorite line: "every two people cause an intersection. Every person alters the world."
I highly recommend this book. Not just for YAs, but for anyone who enjoys a good story about love. As explained in his author's note, each story was written for friends on Valentine's Day, and are for the most part in their original format (the tradition began when the author was in high school). Some of the stories will make you laugh, and some will make you sad, but all are completely enjoyable.
I started this book thinking it would be a bunch of cute little love story of the usual kind. But I got a little bit of a surprise to find out the first story was about a gay boy. But I can live with some of that mixed in, I kept reading to find that out of 18 stories, 8 focused on gays or lesbians.
But they are all cute little stories about finding love and are worth the quick read. Some of my favorites (probably because they remind me of my self) are A Romantic Inclination and Without Saying.
But they are all cute little stories about finding love and are worth the quick read. Some of my favorites (probably because they remind me of my self) are A Romantic Inclination and Without Saying.
3.5 stars.
“Every two people cause an intersection. Every person alters the world.”
First, I wasn't quite aware that this is an LGBT themed book before I picked it up so I was pretty much surprised when the first story involved a boy-to-boy relationship. And so with every story, I had to refrain myself to imagine the character right away because I still need to figure out whether the character is a he or she. That major struggle aside, it was a wholly nice and refreshing read. There were really gr...more
“Every two people cause an intersection. Every person alters the world.”
First, I wasn't quite aware that this is an LGBT themed book before I picked it up so I was pretty much surprised when the first story involved a boy-to-boy relationship. And so with every story, I had to refrain myself to imagine the character right away because I still need to figure out whether the character is a he or she. That major struggle aside, it was a wholly nice and refreshing read. There were really gr...more
I ordered this book online because a. I'm a huge fan of David Levithan's work, and b. the concept sounded awesome. A collection of short 'love' stories written by Levithan? Of course I was going to get it at any cost! I read his Lover's Dictionary, and even though many reviewers weren't thrilled with it, I found it to be a genius piece of work - because of its utter simplicity.
I was sure this would be the same. It wasn't.
To start with, I won't say it was a flop, because it's not. As usual, Levit...more
I was sure this would be the same. It wasn't.
To start with, I won't say it was a flop, because it's not. As usual, Levit...more
I've fallen in love with Lover's Dictionary and have purchased Every Day, his latest book. I'm also intrigued by the concept of this one so I bought it too. Stories on love, intersecting with one another, and each one a Valentine Day's gift from the author to his friends.. what a wonderful thing.
I'm slightly disappointed, because I'm really hoping I'd fall in love with it. I did, with some. My favorite is the number of people that meet on planes. It feels like reading a short story on the local...more
I'm slightly disappointed, because I'm really hoping I'd fall in love with it. I did, with some. My favorite is the number of people that meet on planes. It feels like reading a short story on the local...more
This is a great collection of YA love stories. Some are hetero, some are not. Some end well, some do not. Some feature combating homophobia, some do not. I liked almost all of them, though some more than others, natch. There are a couple I would use to teach, because the reader isn't aware of the sex of the protagonist until we're already invested, so it'd be neat to use them to discuss normativity, our relations to characters, etc. (Some study showed that hetero men who read a story and didn't...more
"Starbucks Boy": Hilarious, clever, and sweet. 5/5
"Miss Lucy Had A Steamboat": I didn't really get this one, but I THINK it's about how one should respond to getting one's heart broken. 3/5.
"The Alumni Interview": Interviews for colleges are always varying degrees of awful. Add to it the awkwardness of the interviewer being your boyfriend's father and everything gets hilarious but even more awful. 5/5.
"The Good Witch": Painful prom story. 3/5.
"The Escalator, a Love Story": Rather meh. 3/5.
"The N...more
"Miss Lucy Had A Steamboat": I didn't really get this one, but I THINK it's about how one should respond to getting one's heart broken. 3/5.
"The Alumni Interview": Interviews for colleges are always varying degrees of awful. Add to it the awkwardness of the interviewer being your boyfriend's father and everything gets hilarious but even more awful. 5/5.
"The Good Witch": Painful prom story. 3/5.
"The Escalator, a Love Story": Rather meh. 3/5.
"The N...more
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I thought that this was a brilliant book. Oftentimes, I felt that these characters were real people that were writing their own stories. Stories that will now live on, whether in fame or infamy. I didn't find myself bothered by the fact that many of the stories were about homosexual relationships. In fact, as one reader has already said, it really does make you realize that love is a universal thing. Love is love is love and it doesn't matter how the parties associate themselves, all that matter...more
"Starbucks Boy" : Sweet, endearing, Arabella was awesome. Made me crave for coffee. 4/5
"Miss Lucy Had A Steamboat" : A complicated one, with twists and turns. A girl who is dealing -in her own way- with having her heart broken. Beautifully written. 3/5
"The Alumni Interview" : I especially loved the ending, it shows the need to stand out for yourself and for the people you love, no matter what (or who) is in front of you. 4/5
"The Good Witch" : Kind of funny, but also kind of boring. 3/5
"The Escal...more
"Miss Lucy Had A Steamboat" : A complicated one, with twists and turns. A girl who is dealing -in her own way- with having her heart broken. Beautifully written. 3/5
"The Alumni Interview" : I especially loved the ending, it shows the need to stand out for yourself and for the people you love, no matter what (or who) is in front of you. 4/5
"The Good Witch" : Kind of funny, but also kind of boring. 3/5
"The Escal...more
“When I realized I was into girls, it was scary to let go of all the things I was supposed to be and all the things I was supposed to want. It’s like you’re a character in this book that everyone around you is writing, and suddenly you have to say, I’m sorry, but this role isn’t right for me. And you have to start writing your own life and doing your own thing. That was hard enough. But that was nothing —- nothing, I tell you —- compared to the idea that I could let go of the desire to have a gi...more
In his Author's Note, David Levithan explains that this collection of short stories sprang from a tradition of presenting short stories to his friends and family on Valentine's Day. As a result, we have How They Met and Other Stories, which even contains the original Valentine's Day story, "A Romantic Inclination."
The greatest strength of this book is that David Levithan presents to the reader all the different aspects of love, and none of it is sappy or overly sentimental. We are given love bet...more
The greatest strength of this book is that David Levithan presents to the reader all the different aspects of love, and none of it is sappy or overly sentimental. We are given love bet...more
Ahhhhh, yes. What a wonderful collection of short stories made by no other than the great David Levithan.
Honestly, I've been reading books lately without reading the synopsis. It adds thrill to experience, you see. So when I read the first chapter and the characters were gay, I was pleasantly surprised.
David Levithan has made homosexual relationships a lot more easy to read. If you're new to this kind of book, I recommend that you read this because the way Levithan wrote the stories, he will ma...more
Honestly, I've been reading books lately without reading the synopsis. It adds thrill to experience, you see. So when I read the first chapter and the characters were gay, I was pleasantly surprised.
David Levithan has made homosexual relationships a lot more easy to read. If you're new to this kind of book, I recommend that you read this because the way Levithan wrote the stories, he will ma...more
Oct 24, 2010
Heather
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kids-ya,
library-books
This collection of stories about love isn't my favorite of Levithan's books—I think his particular explorations of emotion and connection work best for me when they're novel-length. But because I already like his work, I'm glad I read this book, which does have its share of excellent moments. The eighteen stories collected here (most of which are prose but some of which are free verse) center, mostly, around young love (or young lust, or young heartbreak), both straight and queer. Levithan's nar...more
He held up his finger and showed me his wedding ring, then pulled at a thin chain around his neck to reveal another ring - hers - that he kept under his clothes.
"One for my hand, one for my heart."
I used to give collections of short stories grief. Like, a lot of grief. And after reading this book (and just a few books before this - Zombies VS Unicorns) I don't know why I do it. When it's done right, it's amazing.
I love 90% of the stories in this book. I love how Levithan ended each one. I love...more
"One for my hand, one for my heart."
I used to give collections of short stories grief. Like, a lot of grief. And after reading this book (and just a few books before this - Zombies VS Unicorns) I don't know why I do it. When it's done right, it's amazing.
I love 90% of the stories in this book. I love how Levithan ended each one. I love...more
This book was absolutely AMAZING. David Levithan can weave a tale like a spider can a web, so intricately beautiful. Every tale was a worthwhile one, every single one worth the emotions that flood me as I read it. Levithan has a knack for making his stories intensely easy to relate to. I could put myself in every situation, and understand where the character was coming from wholeheartedly. My favorite stories were "Miss Lucy had a Steamboat," "The Alumni Interview," "The Number of People Who Mee...more
Levithan has such a comforting perspective. Something about the way his characters are imperfect and insecure and dynamic speaks specifically to the experience of young adults...but also to the more general experience of being a human and having flaws and learning about yourself (things that aren't really limited to a particular age, however much adults like to condescend to younger people).
I wish I had a more succinct way of expressing my appreciation for the lovely empathy in Levithan's writin...more
I wish I had a more succinct way of expressing my appreciation for the lovely empathy in Levithan's writin...more
I hardly give .5's, even in the exams I give my students, but since this is a compilation of short stories, here is the 3.5. I liked it -- but not really liked it. There were stories that were aww-worthy, but there were also stories that I just chose to browse through.
The book's title and premise make it appealing; I admit, that's what made me pick up this one in the first place. But I really can't say exactly why I feel quite unsatisfied. From his other books, I don't think I'm a big David Levi...more
The book's title and premise make it appealing; I admit, that's what made me pick up this one in the first place. But I really can't say exactly why I feel quite unsatisfied. From his other books, I don't think I'm a big David Levi...more
Most of the short stories can be classified as corny but you know what you're getting into if you pick this up, because Levithan wrote these for his friends on Valentines Days. As corny short stories go, they are actually pretty nice reads and DL managed to write quite a few that are refreshingly different. Not every story ends with a typical, happy ending for a couple - the stories are more focused on love; not necessarily between two people, or the sort of love experienced in opposite-sex rela...more
How They Met is a collection of short stories concentrating on the different ways, places, etc. that people met. It focuses both on relationships that last, and ones that don't last. It is a commentary on "intersections" and how it takes not only the two people involved in the relationship to get to the point where a relationship is started - but it also takes the relationships of their parents, the decisions of those around them to get them where they were when they met. Serendipity, if you wil...more
I decided to read this purely because I had read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which made me increasingly more interested in David Levithan's writing.
Rating this was difficult in the sense that the book is comprised of eighteen different stories. Saying that it really was deserving of five stars.
All the stories were wonderful in their own ways, in my opinion. Obviously I didn't adore every single one of them, and some made more of an impact on me than others.
My favourite stories in this book co...more
Rating this was difficult in the sense that the book is comprised of eighteen different stories. Saying that it really was deserving of five stars.
All the stories were wonderful in their own ways, in my opinion. Obviously I didn't adore every single one of them, and some made more of an impact on me than others.
My favourite stories in this book co...more
The more I read of David Levithan's work, the more impressed with him. Sure, I don't 100% love everything he writes, but he has this ability to create books that are charming, sweet and incredibly readable. I definitely intend to read more from him.
Also, I need to read more short stories. Seriously, they're just so much fun. You don't get bored, you notice the language better, you get to pick favorites and least favorites when you've finished. It's great!
So, I loved these stories. All of them....more
Also, I need to read more short stories. Seriously, they're just so much fun. You don't get bored, you notice the language better, you get to pick favorites and least favorites when you've finished. It's great!
So, I loved these stories. All of them....more
I've read a few of David Levithan's books and loved the energy behind Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and the melancholy laced within Love is the Higher Law. I was totally blown away by this book, probably because I wasn't expecting to see all of Levithan's "Valentine Day" stories packed into one volume. The 'love' in this book isn't limited to the romantic kind, and stretches to include friendship and family ties. The stories are sweet, sad, hilarious and heart-breaking, and I highly recom...more
Four and a half stars. Not perfect, but pretty darn close. David Levithan writes awesome love stories that happen to involve queer teens. Hooray. No one else does that really. There are a handful that are about questioning or coming out, but even those stories are still full of confident beautiful teens who just live their lives.
1 like · like · see review
This is an amazing book, one that all should read. It is a collection of short stories about people, relationships, that are not connected, but somehow intertwined. Levithan proves once again why he is a master story-teller. This book is one everyone should read, regardless of age, gender, creed, sexuality, or anything else.
I am a Levithan fan, but I would say that this is my least favorite of his books. I first read it while on vacation in Nice, and just reread it again at home to make sure it wasn't just my short attention span because of my beautiful and interesting surroundings that made me lackadaisical about the novel. It wasn't. I know the book is left largely intact from Levithan's high school days for authenticity and perhaps a bit of charm, but that is lost on me. I just feel that these stories are lackin...more
I'm finding it hard to rate this book because it is made up of so many separate stories. I want to rate Starbucks Boy a 5, How They Met a 4, Miss Lucy had a Steamboat a 2, and Good Witch a very indecisive 3. I love anything David Levithan writes, but some of these were good and some were great and some were phenomenal. I'm glad Starbucks Boy was first, because it caught my attention immediately. I loved every second of it. I read it while sitting uncomfortably on the floor of the train station a...more
one word that came to mind when i think of this book: refreshing. instead of the usual boy-girl love stories (or stories about love as the author says), there's some girl-girl and boy-boy stories in the book too. thank you david levithan. it's very rare for me to read books that touches the homosexuality topic (in fact, this is only my third time).
though some of the stories here are really beautiful, most of them was just okay. i didn't cry and smiled occasionally, which meant it wasn't an excep...more
though some of the stories here are really beautiful, most of them was just okay. i didn't cry and smiled occasionally, which meant it wasn't an excep...more
I heard about this book from ElfArmyWrites so I decided to give it a try.
David Levithan is apparently very popular with the younger generation. He is responsible for the book, and subsequent movie, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This particular novel, How They Met..., is a compilation of short stories; love stories. What makes this even more interesting is that each story covers a different kind of love: unrequited, rewarded, lesbian, straight and gay.
I enjoyed reading about love outside of...more
David Levithan is apparently very popular with the younger generation. He is responsible for the book, and subsequent movie, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This particular novel, How They Met..., is a compilation of short stories; love stories. What makes this even more interesting is that each story covers a different kind of love: unrequited, rewarded, lesbian, straight and gay.
I enjoyed reading about love outside of...more
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David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.
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“I think one of the highest compliments you can give a person is that when you are talking to him, you are not thinking about the fact that you are talking to him. That is, your thoughts and words all exist on a single, engaged level. You are being yourself because you aren't bothering to think about who you should be. It is like when you talk in a dream.”
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194 people liked it
“You have to believe there are kisses and laughs and risks worth taking.”
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183 people liked it
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