The Name of the Star

Life has unfortunately been very busy, as it occasionally gets.  I wish I had time to do a longer post on The Name of the Star, because it was one of my favorites so far this year.  But I know that if I put it off that I'll never get to it at all, so instead of a normal post, a summery and list of why I love this book:

I don't think that this paragraph is spoilery, but I think it has more than the cover copy, so forgive me if it is.  Also, read at your own risk.  Rory is an American teen at boarding school in London.  After a near death experience, she gains the ability to see ghosts, one of which becomes infatuated with her.  It wouldn't be so bad, but this ghost just happens to be inciting mass panic by running around the city impersonating Jack the Ripper.

-This novel is hilarious.  Maureen Johnson is consistently one of the funniest writers both in her novels and on twitter.  Dark humor is my favorite and it is one of Johnson's specialties.  This book realizes all of the dark humor I love so much in Johnson's tweets.
-This book is scary. And creepy. Seriously, I had to sleep with the lights on.  I wish I was joking.
-The characters are wonderful.  There are so many weird characters, but they all seem larger-than-life in a completely realistic and believable way.  Also, the library ghost is my favorite.
-Romance.  This book is funny and terrifying and yet it still had me blushing and giggling at all the right points as Rory made out with her Brit.
-This book is the reason I quit the readathon early.  It wasn't boring--this book has spectacular pacing--but it was so perfectly balanced and enjoyable (like a great cup of southern sweet tea) that I wanted to give it the attention it deserved.  It was totally worth it.
-Rippermania. This story explores the role of the media in how we as a society view violent crimes.  Johnson raises many interesting questions and it is especially fitting when talking about Jack the Ripper (the name was given to him by The Star newspaper, which is what made him so famous).

Better posts will resume as soon as I work on my time management skills.  In the mean time, I'm thrilled this is a series.