How They Met, and other stories -- David Levithan

How They Met isn't just a book of short stories.  Well, okay, it is, but the origin story of the (er...) stories is a good one, too.  I know because David Levithan told me about it in his Author's Note:

It was my junior year of high school.  Despite the best efforts of my physics teacher, I was continually bored out of my wits.  I needed something to do besides pay attention, and passing notes to my friend Lynda only occupied about half the time.  So I decided to write a story, going through the physics book (it would look like I was being studious!) and finding as many romantic notions as possible within its pages (I would not be studious at all!).  I think I started it in November, and by February I had finished the story.  I decided to give it to my friends for Valentine's Day.  The next year, they wanted another.  And so on, for all the years after.

As he goes on to explain, not all of the stories in the book began as valentine stories, but a lot of them did -- and he includes the physics story, the one that began it all.

My favorites:

"Starbucks Boy":  One of David Levithan's many talents is that he comes up with fantastic first sentences.  This story begins, "It was my aunt who pimped me out".  How could you NOT want to keep reading?

You know, I just scanned down through the table of contents and realized that if I do my usual favorites list, pretty much every story in the book will end up here for one reason or another.  "Miss Lucy Had a Steamboat" because it hurt a whole lot; "The Alumni Interview" because it made me say, "awww" and because I could perfectly picture the study, the door, and Thom listening at the keyhole; "Andrew Chang" because it made me laugh and say, "awww"; "The Good Witch" because while the situation and narration made me laugh, I still felt for both main characters.  That's just the first bunch of them.  If I yapped about all of them, I'd be late for work*.

It's just a really well-rounded, strong collection of stories for people who love love stories.  While I usually do tend to be Miss Crankypants, I admit that a good love story can make me all mushy.  This book did it, again and again.

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*And we wouldn't want that!  Also, I want to email my high school physics teacher to let him know about the physics story -- I know he'll totally get a kick out of it.