Shelf Discovery (2009)

Shelf Life by Lizzie Skurnick

In this ''reading memoir'' loosely based on the ''Fine Lines'' column she pens for Jezebel.com, Skurnick takes us back to our tumultuous teenage years — and to the books that helped us get through them with our psyches intact. Judy Blume's novels, not surprisingly, figure prominently (you'd be hard-pressed to find a woman alive who hasn't read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.), but some long-forgotten titles — like Island of the Blue Dolphins and The Clan of the Cave Bear — also turn up in the mix. Guest essays from the likes of Jennifer Weiner (who writes about Blubber), Meg Cabot, and Cecily von Ziegesar add to this fast, fun trip down memory lane. B+

See all of this week’s reviews