Ghost Writer — it was on some list of creepy books I saw around Halloween. I’d never read it. I reserved it. It stunk.
So slow.
I tried to get through it. I gave it a full week and was half way through and for two days I just couldn’t bring myself to pick it up so I quit and it’s back at the library where I hope it finds someone who enjoys it. That someone would not be me.
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Jenna tweeted me about Snowflakes, Sunbursts, and Stars so I had to reserve it at the library. What she doesn’t know is that I’m a horrible quiller and an almost equally bad origami and kirigami person. I love all of the papercrafts but I’m not meticulous enough for them and I get frustrated. I also have problems understanding written origami directions. TELL me which fold to make and I’m good — show me in diagrams and I’m probably going to screw it up 15 times.
This book is GORGEOUS. Every single star, sunburst and snowflake. I wanted them all and I loved the project ideas in the back. It was almost gorgeous enough to make me want to try a few projects. Thankfully a good night’s sleep was enough to knock that idea out of my head. However, I think Elly might be game to give a few a try so I’m going to try and find my papers and see if I can convince her to make me one for Christmas…
Wish me (her? us?) luck — we’re going to need it through no fault of the book, which is really really beautiful.
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I decided to go ahead and buy And All the Stars since I finished the book I took to the hospital on Sunday and was book-less. (Though I’m guessing I’d have broken down and bought it eventually because I really don’t like leaving my Cybils shortlist unfinished.) And now… I’m officially done with this year’s Cybils Shortlist challenge. Yay.
And All the Stars is an Australian book and I find Australian books to be odd, in general. There’s just something about the voice… I guess maybe it’s an Australian voice? hah. I dunno. Just odd. And when it’s SciFi or Fantasy, it’s even odder.
This one was pretty odd. Aliens and blue skin with stars vs green skin people and weird powers and just mayhem. A bunch of kids save the world, which was fun. There’s also some gender stuff in there and some strong female characters.
Overall, I liked it. Not my favorite of all of the Cybils but I certainly didn’t hate it.
I wasn’t in the mood to start a new book on Sunday morning (which turned out to be a good thing since we ended up at the ER) and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays was due back at the library soon so I figured I’d just relax with that for awhile til I was ready to start something else. Very good choice since it was the perfect thing to enjoy last night after the ER exhaustion.
The thing about Ree’s books … they always make me want to cook, which is ridiculous since I never want to cook. I also tend to say things like “mmmmm, I want to eat that right now” which leads TW to say “but you don’t like…” and I have to say “yes I do” which leads us to argue about the foods I do and don’t like.
Anyway. That’s what happened here. I want black-eyed peas salsa and alllllllll of the potato skins and allllllll of the different french toast casseroles and I want the red velvet pancakes even though TW hates that idea and I want grilled corn in eleventy different ways.
Yum.
PS. The photos in the book are also awesome. Gosh the kids are getting so big. How did that happen (which is what we said when we saw them in person earlier this year. Kids should not grow so quickly, should they?)
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I grabbed Relish to take to the hospital yesterday when we took TW’s mom to the ER — and I finished it before the doctor had even made his way in to see her. It’s a super fast read, as graphic novels often are.
I liked it, though not as much as I’d hoped — based on whatever reviews or reading list I read that caused me to reserve it last week. But, it was good — I just had super, super high expectations.
I’m not a fan of “boy” YA and when the boy YA is also sportscentric, I know it’s either going to be a total snoozer for me OR it’s going to be one of the best books ever.
Boy21 — one of the best books ever.
I was worried, particularly at the beginning, but right about the time Finley met “Boy21” I had settled in and was hooked. I read the book straight through after that. Now I’m left wondering what happened to Finley, Erin and Russ. I hope they all three had good, happy lives.
I hadn’t planned on reading The Prayer Box but TW said it was good and nothing else looked very appealing so… I read it. Great chick lit. I enjoyed it. It was just the right easy, feel good, read for a busy few days.
Now I’m tempted to reserve The Sea Glass Sisters (a prequel to The Prayer Box…)
When TW started reading The Shambling Guide to New York City I noticed the author name on the book and I thought to myself, “that name is familiar, have we read other books that she’s written?” and then I promptly forgot about it until I started reading the book.
Then, all the way through it I wondered WHY that name was so familiar but I didn’t do anything to figure it out. I just kept reading and enjoying the book. A lot.
When I finished, I looked at the back cover. Huh. The books aren’t super familiar but… podcaster. Duh.
Mur Lafferty spoke at BlogHer many years ago and she wrote the Dear Daughter post that I really really like.
Duh.
If you like zombies and vampires and other demons as well strong female characters — read this one (and look for more Shambling Guides in the future… I will be.)
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I had planned to read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl last because it’s the book I’d meant to read before it actually hit the Cybils shortlist. But, Boy21 is still on my holds list and the other one I haven’t read isn’t available at my library and I’m either going to have to buy it or be content with not reading all of the books on the shortlist…
So, I read it ALMOST last and enjoyed it.
I was afraid I’d see too many similarities with The Fault in Our Stars but it’s not that book AT ALL. Not at all. Yea, a girl dies and these are teens and that’s pretty much the only similarity. I liked Earl an awful lot and I totally groked Greg. This one might make a better movie than a book… I can really see this as a film.
Good book, not the best — but good. Very good. I wasn’t disappointed at all.
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(Just a note for myself: Finished in November and counted in November’s reading count.)
I spent a lot of time looking for a new book from the author of The Thirteenth Tale because that book was awesome. Right about the time I gave up on ever seeing a new book from her, I discovered Bellman & Black and reserved it right away. And then I forgot about it until I realized it was due back to the library and couldn’t be renewed. I hate it when that happens.
It wasn’t as good as The Thirteenth Tale but it wasn’t horrible. Rooks can be creepy, under the right circumstances — but whatever you do, don’t hit one with a damn slingshot, ‘k?