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19 Love Songs
by
The New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, Someday, and Two Boys Kissing is back with a short story collection about love--perfect for Valentine's Day or year-round reading!
A resentful member of a high school Quiz Bowl team with an unrequited crush.
A Valentine's Day in the life of Every Day's protagonist "A."
A return to the characters of Two Boys Kissing.
19 Lo ...more
A resentful member of a high school Quiz Bowl team with an unrequited crush.
A Valentine's Day in the life of Every Day's protagonist "A."
A return to the characters of Two Boys Kissing.
19 Lo ...more
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Paperback, 320 pages
Published
January 7th 2020
by Penguin Random House
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19 Love Songs
, David Levithan's newest book, is a collection of stories and verse celebrating the big and small moments of love, life, relationships, and finding yourself. It was so fantastic!
"He liked the idea that when you fall in love with someone, the other person becomes your lighthouse keeper, even if it means staying up all night, even if it means staring out into the darkness until the darkness assumes the shape of your love and comes back to you."
In this collection, Levithan explore ...more
"He liked the idea that when you fall in love with someone, the other person becomes your lighthouse keeper, even if it means staying up all night, even if it means staring out into the darkness until the darkness assumes the shape of your love and comes back to you."
In this collection, Levithan explore ...more
Jun 01, 2019
Tucker (TuckerTheReader)
marked it as not-released-tbr
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
lgbtqia
why aren't more people freaking out about this?
...more
David Levithan is the OG gay YA author. He has published dozens of queer books and started doing so long before Simon or Ari & Dante were a thing. Boy Meets Boy must have been the first overtly gay book I ever read. And that was about ten years ago.
19 Love Songs is a collection of 19 (surprise) short stories and poems. Some revisit previous stories like Two Boys Kissing and Every Day, but most are independent stories unrelated to any of Levithan's published books. The main characters of these st ...more
19 Love Songs is a collection of 19 (surprise) short stories and poems. Some revisit previous stories like Two Boys Kissing and Every Day, but most are independent stories unrelated to any of Levithan's published books. The main characters of these st ...more
4 Stars
This LGBT anthology is impressively written, as expected, and delivers a variety of writing styles and formats, ranging from straight-forward narratives, to poems; even featuring a comic strip story to keep things interesting.
Of the 19 stories available, I read 13, skimming a couple that simply didn’t hold my attention, and skipping two (for now) that were direct continuations featuring characters from other prominent Levithan books that I’m shamelessly yet to read.
Of the shorts I did re ...more
This LGBT anthology is impressively written, as expected, and delivers a variety of writing styles and formats, ranging from straight-forward narratives, to poems; even featuring a comic strip story to keep things interesting.
Of the 19 stories available, I read 13, skimming a couple that simply didn’t hold my attention, and skipping two (for now) that were direct continuations featuring characters from other prominent Levithan books that I’m shamelessly yet to read.
Of the shorts I did re ...more
Every Valentine's Day, Levithan writes a short story to send to his dear friends. I've heard about this for years, and finally, some of those Valentine stories are released and included in this collection! All sorts of love in these nineteen stories are explored; romantic, familial, true friendships... a portion of them being tales from his own life. Each story, whether one I've read before or not, warmed my emotional insides. His signature soft, poetic way of phrasing mood and experiences will
...more
Jun 29, 2020
Laura
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorite-reads-of-2020
L.O.V.E. Four letters that mean so much. It could be the biggest little word ever! As the song says…love can suck, conquer, soar, climb. Hell it can do it all! Or I like to think it can anyway. Love dances and smiles and shouts and bounces around the sun and back again with joy! Love wraps around us oh-so quietly and keeps us warm day after day without any kind fanfare too. It can be funny or sad or funny and sad. And love…yes, love…can be brutal. We all know it can be. THIS book shares all of t ...more
Oh man, this book was a rough one for me to get through. Having just read “Everyday” by David Levithan in March and loving it beyond words, I immediately checked to see what other books my library had available from the same author. Hence, me stumbling upon this one. “19 Love Songs” came out in the very beginning of this year , January 7th 2020.
I started off by rating each of the 19 individual stories as I do with all other short story collections or anthologies. After-all, I believe that a book ...more
I started off by rating each of the 19 individual stories as I do with all other short story collections or anthologies. After-all, I believe that a book ...more
Umm, EXCUSE ME, but why did no one tell me David Levithan has a new book coming out 😤
This is such a beautiful book. These stories are lovely, they're charming, they're gentle and loving and good. Every single one of these stories was something heartwrenching in the most wonderful possible way.
...more
19 Love Songs by David Levithan collects short stories and poems as if it were a playlist or mixtape. It is the mixtape of music of love and relationship among people who are often experiencing romantic love for the first time. Each story stands on its own and has no relationship to others in the book and all are written by Levithan.
Because it is a collection of stories and poems, some stories are better than others, or, at least, more appealing to me. However, most of the stories, almost all of ...more
Because it is a collection of stories and poems, some stories are better than others, or, at least, more appealing to me. However, most of the stories, almost all of ...more
1/17/20:
THIS HAS A IN IT.
I FREAKING CHOKED.
I mean, I haven't read Someday yet... I know, I'm just not ready... aagh. I'll do it. I'll have to read Someday before this so I can read this on Valentine's Day.
But... still...
I love Every Day so much.
Really pumped for this. ...more
THIS HAS A IN IT.
I FREAKING CHOKED.
I mean, I haven't read Someday yet... I know, I'm just not ready... aagh. I'll do it. I'll have to read Someday before this so I can read this on Valentine's Day.
But... still...
I love Every Day so much.
Really pumped for this. ...more
this book wasn’t BAD i actually did enjoy some of the lines but overall it was just. hard to get through since it was separated into 19 different stories but i guess i should’ve known that starting it.
overall i’m disappointed because i thought it would make me feel happy and loveyyy or whatever but it didn’t straight face emoji
anyway if you hate trump and are a homosexual man you’ll probably enjoy this :/
overall i’m disappointed because i thought it would make me feel happy and loveyyy or whatever but it didn’t straight face emoji
anyway if you hate trump and are a homosexual man you’ll probably enjoy this :/
I guess I didn't realize how many of these stories I had already read. Didn't stop me crying through a lot of them upon reread.
...more
Just lovely. So many gems in this book.
Jan 03, 2020
Wild
marked it as to-read
I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T KNEW ABOUT THIS BEFORE!!!! WE GET MORE TWO BOYS KISSING STORIES MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE!!
...more
4.5/5 I loved this compilation! It's a beautiful, sentimental blend of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and graphic novel. David Levithan is one of my favorite authors, and this was a perfect (new) choice for Valentine's week. It's a reminder to remember to love yourself for who you are and to not settle for less. He also includes a lovely portrait of his parents' relationship; how it began and how it unfolded. There's something here for everyone.
...more
“this is why we love stories, and love them from an early age: nothing bad ever lasts in stories. and this is ultimately why we love life, too—because nothing bad ever lasts in life, not with the same intensity with which it initially appears. if we pay attention, stories can teach us that.”
—
at this point I think I could even read the shopping list of Levithan and enjoying every word!
—
at this point I think I could even read the shopping list of Levithan and enjoying every word!
True confession: I have attitude about short stories. I either get invested and then it’s over too fast (rare), or because there’s so little time/space, you don’t get a full story or complete characters and I just feel cheated (far more often). I’ve read a few YA anthologies in the last several years that I’ve enjoyed more than I expected and where the majority of the stories are pretty strong. There was a winter/holiday one, a Halloween one, and a summer one. So I thought I’d give this one a tr
...more
I was just not in the mood for this like I had hoped. It's not that the stories were bad...I just wasn't into it. If you have read his other works, you will find familiar characters in these "songs".
However, all teachers and librarians should listen to/read the 19th song...thank you Mr. Levithan for such a wonderful reminder. Almost had me crying. ...more
However, all teachers and librarians should listen to/read the 19th song...thank you Mr. Levithan for such a wonderful reminder. Almost had me crying. ...more
I wanna give it 1 star but can't since i love the tracks 1, 4, 6 and 19 but the rest..... nah.
...more
Feb 14, 2020
Eli B.
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
lgbt,
gay,
fiction,
romance,
young-adult,
contemporary,
3-star-good,
school,
geeky,
music-references
19 Love Songs
FEB 2-14 2020
3 Stars
With the cheesy, the bitter, and the heartfelt, Levithan is back.
I have never been able to dislike anything I’ve read from David Levithan. I think that is because no matter how cheesy some of his love stories get, they’re always emotional and thought provoking way beyond reading the last line and closing the book for the first time. When I think of books, I’ve never not thought of Two Boys Kissing. I don’t think I’ll stop thinking about some of these stories eit ...more
FEB 2-14 2020
3 Stars
With the cheesy, the bitter, and the heartfelt, Levithan is back.
I have never been able to dislike anything I’ve read from David Levithan. I think that is because no matter how cheesy some of his love stories get, they’re always emotional and thought provoking way beyond reading the last line and closing the book for the first time. When I think of books, I’ve never not thought of Two Boys Kissing. I don’t think I’ll stop thinking about some of these stories eit ...more
Even though Valentines day was a month ago, these stories are still warming my heart.
Nice, innocent stories of love and hope.
Some sadness, some hints of crushing defeat ... But is it weird to say, it's not a big deal? We get accustomed to being losers.
A lot of queer stories are in here, which can heighten the fear and darkness, because so much vulnerability goes into these stories, and real people who are like these characters are often met with hostility, but the overpowering emotions are love ...more
Nice, innocent stories of love and hope.
Some sadness, some hints of crushing defeat ... But is it weird to say, it's not a big deal? We get accustomed to being losers.
A lot of queer stories are in here, which can heighten the fear and darkness, because so much vulnerability goes into these stories, and real people who are like these characters are often met with hostility, but the overpowering emotions are love ...more
19 Love Songs | David Levithan | 24Jun2020
-------------------------
One-Sentence Review
Too much sugar can be harmful for you.
---------------------------
Published/Pages : 07Jan2020 | 320 pages
Location: Indianapolis (Indiana), Millburn (New Jersey), New York City (New York), Boston (Massachusetts), Georgia
Genre: Anthology, Short Stories, Realistic Fiction
Characters: Alex, Jason, Infinite Darlene, David, Avery, Ryan, Clark, Sarah, Phil, Leo, Simon, Mosha, Alan, Beth, Courtney etc.
------------------ ...more
-------------------------
One-Sentence Review
Too much sugar can be harmful for you.
---------------------------
Published/Pages : 07Jan2020 | 320 pages
Location: Indianapolis (Indiana), Millburn (New Jersey), New York City (New York), Boston (Massachusetts), Georgia
Genre: Anthology, Short Stories, Realistic Fiction
Characters: Alex, Jason, Infinite Darlene, David, Avery, Ryan, Clark, Sarah, Phil, Leo, Simon, Mosha, Alan, Beth, Courtney etc.
------------------ ...more
This is an anthology of 19 short pieces (as you can probably tell from the title) that explores one of the most powerful things that exists, love, in a variety of forms: short story, poetry and even in comic strip style. Levithan is great at conveying emotions beautifully through prose and evocative imagery.
This book casts an eye on love in all of its beauty, its messiness, its simplicity yet complexity, uncertainty and tenderness. And it looks at love in its many forms: the teenage crush, the ...more
This book casts an eye on love in all of its beauty, its messiness, its simplicity yet complexity, uncertainty and tenderness. And it looks at love in its many forms: the teenage crush, the ...more
This is a collection of 19 Love Stories.
A series of stories and verse celebrating love, life, relationships, and finding yourself.
Some taken or referencing David's previous writings, such as Everday, Boy Meets Boy, 2 Boys Kissing.
Some stories copied from compilation books he has been a part of. Such as Proud and My True Love Gave to Me.
Track 7 made an impact on me particularly. A haunting story about a couple going through a hard time. Connected by telling each other stories to make it through ...more
A series of stories and verse celebrating love, life, relationships, and finding yourself.
Some taken or referencing David's previous writings, such as Everday, Boy Meets Boy, 2 Boys Kissing.
Some stories copied from compilation books he has been a part of. Such as Proud and My True Love Gave to Me.
Track 7 made an impact on me particularly. A haunting story about a couple going through a hard time. Connected by telling each other stories to make it through ...more
i loved this book because it made me feel hopeful and reminded me why i love writing and why i love observing the world. it was also great to read some stories that seemed autobiographical--as someone who's been a big david levithan fan for the better part of 2 decades, i've often wondered what his day to day life is like and this answered my question! he seems like someone who isn't overly dramatic or angsty and just sits his ass down and does the writing, which is probably why he's written so
...more
I went back in forth about how many stars to give this. When the stories were great, they were really great! The others just fell short for me. I've loved Levithan since Two Boys Kissing. He writing is wonderful and thoughtful.
...more
My introduction to Levithan, and I wish there were more stars to offer. I haven’t encountered a more well-rounded account of love—loving yourself, loving your partner (and all the gorgeously diverse partnerships that exist), loving your parent, managing to love the world’s goodness while you watch parts of it go to shit, loving the power of words. Perhaps I’m also biased in favor of people who enjoy being “librarian-adjacent.”
A sweet compilation of beautifully written, truly heartfelt stories.
I really enjoyed this book! I liked how every chapter was a different, short story and how love was portrayed in so many different ways. Track 14 and track 19 were my favorites.
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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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“And love, I learned, is a constant act of creation, just as creation is almost always an act of love.”
—
2 likes
“We are writing ourselves,
writing each other.
I am words,
and there you are
to read them.”
—
2 likes
More quotes…
writing each other.
I am words,
and there you are
to read them.”
