The Scarlet Letterman: A Bard Academy Novel -- Cara Lockwood

Cara Lockwood clearly has fabulous taste in television -- in The Scarlet Letterman, there were two references to Veronica Mars and two to The O.C. (There was also a reference to Laguna Beach, but I forgave it as the mention was somewhat mocking.)

Miranda Tate is back for her second semester at Bard Academy. She's dating dreamy Ryan Kent, though she is also secretly still mooning over Heathcliff -- who, unbeknownst to everyone BUT Miranda, is still at large.

For those of you who haven't read the first book, yes, I'm talking about THAT Heathcliff. The Wuthering Heights guy. Also, all of the teachers at Bard Academy are the ghosts of dead authors.

Anyway, the semester started well. But, Bard Academy being Bard Academy, soon Miranda is accused of plagiarism, rumors are flying about her and the entire starting lineup of the basketball team, there's a Hooded Sweatshirt Stalker on the loose (He wears a hooded sweatshirt, he doesn't stalk people who wear... oh, you know what I mean.), and there might be a monster in the woods.

Thoughts:

• WHY DOES MIRANDA LIKE RYAN?? HE'S SO DUMB! I find it shocking that I, an avowed Heathcliff-hater, like him so much more than stupid Ryan Kent.  It isn't that Ryan wants to believe the best of everyone, as Miranda so often explains -- it's that he's AN IDIOT.

  I should probably mention that again. I like this Heathcliff. He's got all of the smoldering passion and romance without being a total assface.

• My favorite bit from the Big Fight Scene:

While I run to help Heathcliff, Samir shouts, and I whirl to see that above me on the balcony Lady Macbeth has come to life, and is chasing Samir and Hana around with her outstretched, blood-drenched hands. They run, dodging her attacks. They try to slow her down by throwing Bard Academy hymn books at her.

• More authors in this one -- R. L. Stevenson teaches biology, William Blake teaches theology, and Hunter S. Thompson takes a break from his bus driving duties to teach Driver's Ed.
• Buffy fans will appreciate this: 

"There we go, end of the world again," Samir says. "How come it's always the end of the world as we know it? Why doesn't anyone want world domination? What kind of bad guys are these?"

Pure entertainment.