'Dash & Lily's Book of Dares'

From the blog:

Each week I receive many, many books, and let's just say the majority of them don't pass the "subway test": After two stops, I have to put them down.

However, when something does capture my attention, I'm thrilled to pass it on to fellow book lovers. My latest passion: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

If those names sound familiar, it's because they also wrote Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, which was later turned into a flick with Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. This title is also a young-adult love story, though it's smartly written and avoids the cliches of many books found in the genre.

A quick plot recap: The book starts with Dash, who has wandered into his favorite New York bookstore (and mine), The Strand. There, he finds a mysterious red Moleskine notebook next to J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey. He follows the instructions within it -- penned by a girl named Lily -- and then leaves the notebook for her to find. The game is on.

I won't tell you much more, but Book of Dares is full of references to literature, New York spots and it swells with the passion of youth. (It's also a holiday story, but a sweet-not-sappy one.) If you liked Infinite Playlist, you'll like this one. And yes, it may be shelved in the young-adult section, but that doesn't matter.

The first four pages or so of the book have been posted on RandomHouse.com. I highly suggest you read them! Next week the authors will also be going on tour.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares arrives in stores Oct. 26. Read it before it inevitably becomes a movie.

(Knopf, $16.99)

via Pop Candy