Books in Bed

Some Kind of Fairy Tale

2013, Books in Bed, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I wasn’t sure I was going to like Some Kind of Fairy Tale, even though TW said I would like it. I find myself bored, some times, by fairy stories, so when this one started off a little slowly I was afraid I wasn’t going to enjoy it much (think back to that one I read a couple of months ago, set in Austin? Yea, like that.) But nope, about 50 pages in, I was hooked and didn’t really want to put it down.

I particularly liked the introduction of Mrs. Larwood, toward the end. And, the ending was just the right ending, too.

If some guy comes asking for some cherry blossoms from your tree — say no.

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Down Bohicket Road

1 Comment / 2013, Art, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Women /

It always makes me smile when I see a book like Down Bohicket Road sitting on the shelf in the library. I can’t resist checking those out. Even though they make me homesick. Even though they make me question why I am adamantly opposed to moving back to Charleston when we leave here.

How about we compromise — someone buy me a Karen Whyte painting. Preferably one of Freda in a church hat…. but really, I’m not all that picky. Anything from Bohicket Road would do.

Sigh.

I particularly liked this book because not only were there paintings, there were stories. And the artist was honest about the racism she grew up with — and carried with her when she moved to Johns Island.

And, just for fun… you can “drive” down Bohicket Road, if you like…. it’s not the same as being there but…

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Maisie Dobbs

1 Comment / 2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

I impulse picked Maisie Dobbs from a shelf at the library, not really knowing what I was getting myself into, (or really, TW into — since I picked it up with the assumption that TW would read it and I’d never manage to, because she reads really fast and I’m way behind on my TBR list.) I just liked the cover.

Turns out this is one of those series that slipped by me, unnoticed — that I totally should have noticed.

I love Maisie Dobbs. Love everything about her. Can’t wait to read all of the books in the series.

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Beautiful Creatures — The Movie

1 Comment / Books in Bed, Movies & Television /

I forced TW to watch Beautiful Creatures last night (playing catch up with my Book to Movie challenge) and… it wasn’t as bad as I was afraid it would be.

I had two big YOU DIDN’T moments…. the housekeeper and the librarian are NOT the same darn people. I didn’t like them being the same darn people. HMPH and… the end. Oh boy. The end. Really?

I try to be understanding of the problems involved with taking a very long book and turning it into a not super long movie (though I think this one was more than 2 hours) — which is why I’m not complaining about the missing “Aunts” and the fact that we didn’t see Ethan’s dad at all. Or Linc’s band. Or the birthday party.

I get it, you have to cut some of the things and you have to figure out ways to tell the story after cutting out those things.

But really? Those two things were kind of big, in my opinion….

Darn it.

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The Curiosities

1 Comment / 2013, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, short stories, Young Adult /

I’m not a big fan of short stories — they tend to be too long, too short, do a bad job with back story or are too darn interesting and I’m left wishing I knew more. Overall, generally more frustrating than not.

So when I saw The Curiosities was a book of short stories, in the YA Fantasy/SciFi category of the Cybils shortlist — I wasn’t thrilled. I figured I’d just get it over with early and be done with it.

Turns out this is one of the best short stories compilations EVER. I particularly enjoyed the commentary between the three authors and immediately subscribed to their blog, The Merry Sisters of Fate so I can read more of their stories (I’ve already read several of their novels.)

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Reading in July

5 Comments / 2013, Books in Bed /

It was a slow, difficult month for books. I think. I’m not really sure, actually. It seems like all I did was work. And play candy crush because my brain was fried from work.

Let’s see how bad it really was…

12 books total. (See! Bad month for books. Oy)

1 was an eBook on my Kindle
3 were children’s fiction
3 YA fiction
2 were for the Cybils challenge
2 were Audio
3 were Non-fiction

Oops. I apparently didn’t read anything From My Stacks. I’ll have to do better about that this month.

I’m hoping August is better…. particularly since September will also be a bad month for books because JMP is coming!

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ROOTS: Where Food Comes From and Where It Takes Us

3 Comments / 2013, Books in Bed, cookbooks, Kindle, Non-Fiction, short stories /

The ROOTS Anthology is a BlogHer book — I am employed by BlogHer but I purchased the book myself. I was not asked to write about the book. The opinions expressed here are my own and I readily admit I’m probably a little biased.

OK a lot biased.

I know a good many of the people whose stories are featured in this anthology. I’ve spent time with them in person. I’ve read their blogs for years. I hang out with them on Chatter/Twitter and Facebook. It’s hard not to love this book because, well, these people are MY people.

It was fun to hear several of them read their stories at BlogHer Food — a little foodie community-like keynote. So fun. It was just as fun to read their stories again last week. I might even have felt tempted to make some of the recipes. (OK Fine. I might have been tempted to ask TW to make some of their recipes. Happy now?)

I loved this book. Yea, I’m biased.

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Woman

2013, Books in Bed, Don't Read This, Feminism, Women /

I’ve never seen Woman, by Richard Matheson, before. Didn’t know it existed. So, I was kind of excited by it when TW put it in the library bag. I liked I Am Legend and Hell House. (TW is a Somewhere in Time fan.)

But… I didn’t particularly like Woman.

I didn’t hate it but I definitely did not love it. It’s a mean book, I think that’s what bugged me. A cautionary tale for men that’s completely irrational because it’s about women. I don’t know. It bugged me.

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