This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry

Izzy accidentally tried stand-up comedy one day. Accidentally? How do you end up on stage in front of people without meaning to? Izzy did it by trying to avoid her boyfriend - that is a story in and of itself. Oh, wait that is a big part of this story. Let me back up a bit...

Izzy feels like a fifth wheel in her own family. Her mom is a big time Chicago lawyer and works all the time, so no mother-daughter time for them. Dad is busy, too. Her older sister and brother seem to get all the attention. Izzy feels like she can't get a word in at the dinner table. So, she drifts through life on her own.

The only one who seems to need her is Alex, her boyfriend. Since she and her best friend, Naomi, stopped speaking to each other over Alex, Izzy only spends time with him. You quickly start seeing red flags in Alex's behavior and wonder why Izzy doesn't see them, too. 

Being on stage is liberating for Izzy. It is the one place she can say what she wants and people listen. The problem is that in order to stand-up, Izzy digs herself a big hole of lies. She lies to her parents, Alex, and her new college age friends. It's a mess that cannot be sustained forever. 

But Izzy is persistent and tries to keep her life in balance. Check this story out and stick with her as she attempts to reinvent herself. 

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site. 

Let's Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry

Ellis is prepared for something bad to happen. She knows anything could happen at anytime. Like, getting hit by a car. Or tripping and hitting your head. Or an earthquake. Or solar flare. The world is filled with danger, and Ellis thinks about it all the time. In fact, she has talked about the need to prepare so much that her mom, dad and sister are tired of it.

And maybe that's unfair. Ellis has anxiety (she is seeing a therapist). She can't really control her thoughts (no matter how much her mother wishes she could), so Ellis carries around her emergency preparedness kit ready for something to happen.

So the worst (best?) person to appear in Ellis' life: Hannah. They run into each other at the therapist's office, but they go to the same school. Hannah tells Ellis of her dreams (no, more like visions) where she sees the end of the world. Not easily convinced, Ellis eventually comes to believe Hannah and knows they must warn others. But Hannah is reluctant; she wants to find a person she knows who could help interpret the visions.

Ellis is a well meaning person. The coming doomsday (and it is coming soon) has reinforced her belief in the vulnerability of people. Even though she is always worried about her own well being, her first thoughts are to protect others. Her own intentions only cause her life to become more stressful. Her mom seems to hate her. She is socially awkward at school and church. There are times when Ellis seems to loose a grip on reality. But she is a sympathetic character that I wanted to be wrong and right at the same time. As someone who has anxiety, I could feel her struggle, and I think others will, too.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.