Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

From the Goodreads.com:
   Will Grayson meets Will Grayson. One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers are about to cross paths. From that moment on, their world will collide and lives intertwine.
   It's not that far from Evanston to Naperville, but Chicago suburbanites Will Grayson and Will Grayson might as well live on different planets. When fate delivers them both to the same surprising crossroads, the Will Graysons find their lives overlapping and hurtling in new and unexpected directions. With a push from friends new and old - including the massive, and massively fabulous, Tiny Cooper, offensive lineman and musical theater auteur extraordinaire - Will and Will begin building toward respective romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most awesome high school musical.

   I love this book. I wish I had read it sooner and will soon be pushing it on a few of my coworkers. It doesn't matter if you don't like musicals, you don't have to to appreciate Will Grayson, Will Grayson. John Green and David Levithan each wrote their own Will Grayson. I love the two alternating and  distinct writing styles, each matching each Will Grayson perfectly.
   Aside from the writing, I really enjoyed the story. I became quite attached to the characters, all of them. It isn't often you find a book in which you like each character you're introduced to. There are some pretty valuable life lessons contained in these 310 pages as you learn and grow with Will Grayson and Will Grayson. I sincerely hope someone makes this into a movie, a musical movie. I am worried they would not do it credit, but I'd love to see someone try.
   If you're a sucker for a coming-of-age novel (like me) you'll like this book. I also recommend this book to those who love John Green (of course) but also if you've enjoyed Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sanez.

Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howey

From Goodreads.com:

   The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost. 

   Palmer has never been the same since his father walked out twelve years ago. His elder sister, Vic, is trying to run away from the past; his younger brothers, Connor and Rob, are risking their lives to embrace it. His mother, left with nothing but anger, is just trying to forget.

   Palmer wants to prove his worth, not only to his family, but to himself. And in the barren, dune-covered landscape of his home, there is only one way to earn respect: sand-diving. Plunging deep below the desert floor in search of relics and scraps of the old world. He is about to embark on the most dangerous dive of his young life, aiming to become the first to discover the rumored city below.

   Deep within the sand lies the key to bringing his family together - and tearing their world apart.

   This is a surprising read. I found it through one of the many sites that send me daily emails of free or bargain Kindle books, because you can never have too many books. I admit I was first intrigued by the cover (shame on me,) it's beautiful and the words, "No one will come for us. No one will save us. This is our life." How could I not be interested? I read Sand. almost immediately.
   Sand. takes place in a barely recognizable world. Pieces of the old world, of our world, are salvaged from beneath the ever shifting sand, they are the keys to survival in this new landscape. I continually wondered what happened to make such a sandy wasteland of our world. I was intrigued by sand diving. Scuba diving is the only thing I could compare it to, but (and having never been diving I can't say for sure) I think it's a poor comparison. The diver has to control the flow of the sand around them which allows their movement and also relieves the pressure from tons of sand.
   I wouldn't put this up there with the best books I've read. However, once I started I did not want to put this down. I became attached to every member of Palmer's family. As with most books, the need to know what happens kept me going at a fast pace. I was even surprised a couple times.
   If you're a fan of science fiction this book is for you. If you like some dystopian, maybe give this a try. It is not dystopian but it has a post-apocalyptic feel to it. I know I will be reading more of Hugh Howey's work.