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Vicki Beautiful

2 Comments / 2016, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Kindle /

My friend Somer wrote a book. It’s horror, which makes sense because Somer loves to be scared and loves to scare people. I also enjoy reading horror novels so I was extra excited to buy Vicki Beautiful.

Until chapter two.

Good grief, Somer! Did you have to go there? REALLY? That was the most horribly awesome chapter, EVER.

It was so horribly awesome that I wasn’t sure I could continue. But I did — and then I couldn’t stop reading because OMG, really? REALLY???? NO WAY! OMG.

And as I got closer and closer to the end, I was more and more afraid about what was going to happen at the end.

Yep. That’s what I thought would happen.

OMG, Somer. REALLY?????

Totally awesome but shudder. It still makes me queasy just thinking about it.

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Dumplin’

2016, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

When it was time to leave Chicagoland, we were on the last disc of the audio version of Dumplin’. Grrr. So frustrating, particularly since it wasn’t available on Overdrive or Hoopla. HMPH.

But, we got lucky because the first thing I did when I picked up my Alachua County Library card was to head for the audiobooks and guess what was there waiting for us? DUMPLIN’!

Woot.

We finished it today. It was awfully cute but it kept giving me Dolly Parton earworms. (Also, I would have liked to know who won, darn it.) And, I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t expect the Willowdean in the beginning of the book to be the Willowdean in the middle of the book. And, I can’t decide if that’s good or not good.

I really don’t like it when teenagers have their acts TOO much together. It doesn’t ring true. So when the book started and Willowdean had her act together, I was skeptical. And for awhile there, I thought maybe the shift that seemed to occur was too big of a shift. But, as I thought more about it – it made more sense to me that she would have started to struggle more, or admit the struggle, with her body image as she got older, had to deal with changes in her friendships, relationships with boys, and the loss of her aunt. Makes total sense. I think.

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The Forever War

1 Comment / 2016, Books in Bed, Favorites, Queer, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Remember when I said we didn’t have any books because they’re all in boxes and because we didn’t have library cards? And also that TW bought some books at Wild Iris on Independent Bookstore Day? Well one of the books she bought was The Forever War which is amusing because I’m pretty sure we already own it. I also highly supported the purchase since Unca Joe was at Wild Iris to sign books and now we have a signed copy. Woot!

So TW immediately started reading it because she was desperate for books and because Unca Joe, obviously.

When I finished with a couple of books, it was my turn to reach for The Forever War at which point TW said, “Why are you reading that, you won’t like it.”

Yes, she actually said that.

My response was to remind her that I’ve already read it before and her response was that I still wouldn’t like it.

It’s at moments like this that I have to question why it is that we live together. I mean really? I’ve read it before. It’s Unca Joe. It’s THE gd FOREVER WAR. You’re really going to tell me I won’t like it? Whatever. (And I’m still rolling my eyes almost a week after she said this. I’m rolling my eyes so hard that I now I have a headache.)

So anyway. I re-read The Forever War and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Except, I don’t really like Science Fiction hahahaha, and this means that when there’s a lot of stuff about physics and math and shit that makes absolutely NO sense to me and can cause me to question why in the hell I’m reading this damn book… I skim ahead. Because while I can suspend disbelief and enjoy the make-believedness of Fantasy, I can’t quite do that with SciFi because of the damn math/science. Because math/science is real and yet the kind of advanced math/science/lord-help-me-physics that’s in SciFi just freaks me the hell out.

Which is probably why TW tried to tell me I wouldn’t like The Forever War.

She was wrong, obviously, because I totes did. I was really glad to have re-read it since it’s probably been 25 or 30 years since I first read it. But, she’s right — I don’t like SciFi. (lol)

PS. Joe Haldeman can really write. Seriously. If you don’t like SciFi either, you should still read this because really – the writing is stellar.

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Memories Flow in Our Veins: Forty Years of Women’s Writing from CALYX

2016, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Non-Fiction, Poetry, short stories, Women /

TW bought Memories Flow in Our Veins: Forty Years of Women’s Writing from CALYX at Wild Iris on Independent Bookstore Day. Thank goodness because, as I previously mentioned, we had no books to read. Heh.

I really enjoyed this collection. The poetry was particularly good.

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Momotaro: Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters

2016, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Y’all know I love Margaret Dilloway so you’re not surprised that I was super excited to hear she was writing a book for kids. I was also thrilled that it was the last book I actually finished before leaving Chicagoland.

Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters was excellent. I really loved Xander and Peyton. I loved the strengths that each of them brought to the challenges they faced.

I’m not sure how I felt about the very end of the book, to set up the next book. We shall see what happens next.

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Three Non-Fiction

2016, Art, Books in Bed, Favorites, Library, Non-Fiction /

Right before we went to Florida to close on our house (!!!) I saw these three books on the new arrivals shelf at our library and they looked good, so I grabbed them. I’m glad I did, I enjoyed them all. (I might have to check out Color Labs again, if one of my new libraries has it…)

Improbably Libraries was fun — I need a little free library for my front yard.

The Public Library made me want to travel around the world and visit ALL of the libraries.

Color Lab made me wish I had time to paint. Wah!

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Night Study

2016, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I didn’t know there were new books in this series so it was awesome that TW noticed Night Study just sitting on the library shelf.

This was another good one, though it got a little confusing in a few places, particularly in the beginning and at the end. I’m also really looking forward to the next book. The magic is all a muddle and I think we’re going to see more from some of the younger characters that I really like (not to mention a couple of new, young characters.)

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How to Grow Up

2016, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Non-Fiction, Queer, Women /

I’m a Michelle Tea fan. My Michelle T. is a Michelle Tea fan. The two Michelle’s have a lot of personality traits in common. So, I was excited to read How to Grow Up and equally excited for my Michelle T. to read it.

I don’t think either of us were disappointed.

Speaking for myself, I don’t exactly love all of the traits the grown up Michelle Tea has but I have a lot of respect for how she DID grow up and the fact that she owns her grown up addictions and decisions.

PS. Mutha Magazine is fabulous.

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Infandrous

2016, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

It was a bit of a mistake to read Infandrous right after reading All the Rage… all the bad things that can happen to girls can get a little overwhelming and depressing when you’re reading about it constantly.

But, I really liked Infandrous except I’m not sure it read as YA. The myths scattered throughout the book went a long way towards making this one hell of a dark and deep novel. Not to mention “Felix”… I wonder if teens reading this would have realized who Felix was without having it spelled out at the end. I wish I knew a teen who might read it so I could find out, lol.

Anyway. I really liked this one. It’s one of my favorite books of the year, so far.

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