L - The Lover's Dictionary: A Novel - David Levithan (211 pages)

This small little novel tracks the course of a modern romance told through dictionary entries. This made me happy this week for a couple of reasons...last week's book was HUGE and as evidenced by my Word of the Day project, I love definitions of words. 

The nameless narrator of this novel takes us on a non-linear journey of his relationship. We visit their first date, find that they met online, we see them move in together, argue, love, cheat. Though the book is called a novel - it does follow the course of the couple, I found it often read a bit like poetry. There were times that the narrator expanded used the same definition for several words, just expanding them a bit to get a little more of the story. I thought it was a brilliant way of keeping the reader engaged. 

This book could have easily been read in one sitting, but I chose to break it up in bits so as to savor it a little longer. Author Levithan is the co-author of one of my favorite reads from last year's project Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and he keeps me in his pocket this year. With poignantly written entries like this:

Encroach (v.)

 The first three nights we spent together, I couldn't sleep. I wasn't used to your breathing, your feet on my legs, your weight in the bed. In truth, I still sleep better when I'm alone. But I allow that sleep isn't always the most important thing.

We have all had that moment when one become two...pick up this fun little book - it will be worth the time.