Favorites

Farewell, Dorothy Parker

2013, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Women /

Total impulse pick up because I like Dorothy Parker and because Michelle really, really likes Dorothy Parker. How could I not pick up a book where the ghost of Dorothy Parker arrives to help a movie critic (and everyone else she meets) get her life in order.

Turns out the book critic helps Mrs. Parker and everyone lived happily ever after, except Dorothy Parker (who was dead) but she was happy with the way it ended too.

Farewell, Dorothy Parker is fun chick lit for those who like Dorothy Parker.

Farewell, Dorothy Parker Read More »

Steampunk Gazette

2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Steampunk /

There’s a shelf at my library that lures me in every time. It’s a non-fiction, new release shelf, and if I walk past it, I will throw an unplanned read into my bag — and that’s what happened with The Steampunk Gazette.

I’ve had it on my library cart to read for ages and I just keep putting it off. I was afraid it was going to be too full of words that might ruin my steampunk fun. It wasn’t that at all.

It’s full of awesome photos and the words are kind of like a middle grade pictorial encyclopedia would be. Easy to read. Easy to skim. Interesting tidbits. Totally fun.

Stumbling across a mention of my friend Sarah Dopp for her Genderplayful didn’t hurt either.

Also, I want one of these:

I really want a wall tentacle. TW said “Grandmothers don’t have wall tentacles.” I told her she’s full of shit. I want one. (I’m going to be 50 years old this year and nothing screams 50! like a wall tentacle, if you ask me. While I normally prefer orange, I think that would clash with all of my other orange so a blue or a green would probably be better. Someone take care of that for me.)

Steampunk Gazette Read More »

Feed

2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Most months Sassymonkey posts a discussion post or blog post asking what people are reading and that’s always a good way to pad the TBR and library reserve list. Feedcame from the comments of one of those posts and I sure am glad it did.

I love this book.

I knew what was going to happen to Buffy. And at the ranch. I did not, however, see Georgia’s fate coming. I just didn’t. I should have — it was really all spelled out but, nope, didn’t see that coming.

Blogging, zombies, conspiracies — it’s awesome. I’m concerned that the second book in the series might not be as good. I’m so concerned that I’m not sure I’m going to reserve it. I don’t want to ruin such a good story with a bad sequel… has anyone read Deadline (Newsflash series)?

Feed Read More »

Beautiful Creatures

2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I finally read Beautiful Creatures, (for my Books to Movie challenge), and am wondering what the heck took me so long. I loved it. In part because of the fictional small town South Carolina setting –I’m a sucker for South Carolina — and also because the Sisters are fabulous characters. I love them.

I have one issue with the story … if you were Ethan and Marian the Librarian told you that it was your (dead) mother who gave her THAT special librarian job, wouldn’t you have had a conversation with her about that? Your mother was involved in the Caster world? Enough that she had the power to give someone a job as head librarian? Hello, someone would have had to explain to me just how that happened and what my mother was doing in that world.

I know Ethan (and Lena) had a lot on their minds but it was October — still a good bit of time til mid February. Plenty of time for a one hour discussion. I just don’t understand why that did not happen. Why Ethan didn’t even attempt to force that discussion.

That made no damn sense to me.

But it’s fiction, and I really enjoyed the book. Must reserve the next book ASAP… and either decide whether I want to drive into Indiana or somewhere that it might be playing in theaters or wait til the DVD release in May… I’ll probably wait but I’m looking forward to watching the movie…

Beautiful Creatures Read More »

Wonder

1 Comment / 2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Young Adult /

I will admit that I was prepared to be not-so-impressed with Wonder. Books that have glowing reviews cause me to put my hackles up and be overly critical.

But, it was tough to maintain that detached, critical air. Wonder was just too nice. Nice story. Nice characters. Nice family. Nice. Nice. Nice. Just typing that makes me want to NOT like Wonder but I just can’t do it.

Maybe because we listened to it on audio, and finished it up during our happy vacation to Door County — everything was awesome, including the happily ever after ending of Wonder.

Hell. Just go read it.

Wonder Read More »

Two Graphic Novels

2013, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Young Adult /

I decided to go with easy reads after struggling through Mrs. L’s Dressmaker. Too much going on at work and at home for me to sit down with anything serious. Plus, my vacation is about to start. Yay for vacation! And yay for graphic novels, even if I only loved one of them.

First, the one I didn’t love. Ichiro. Not my thing, though it should be since it was really just Japanese mythology. I just didn’t like the story. I didn’t like the portrayal of Ichi’s American grandfather. Yea, there are people like that but… no. It just set the whole thing off badly for me and the rest of the book never quite redeemed itself for me. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely did not love it.

I did, however, LOVE Giants Beware. I loved Collete. Loved Gaston and Marie and Valiant, too. Loved all of the townspeople and all of the things that happened outside of the wall. Loved, loved, loved the story. And the art.

Two Graphic Novels Read More »

Speaking From Among the Bones

2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I really enjoyed Speaking From Among the Bones — Flavia is fabulous, as usual. But, I’m a little troubled by the direction this is taking.

The house is in jeopardy, as usual.

Flavia learns more about her mother. Confusing things. Good things. Interesting things.

Flavia solves the crime.

Something happens that might save the house, but instead it just helps the family hold on a little longer.

Book ends.

At least that’s pretty much the formula we saw in the first four books. This one, a little different. All of those things happen except…. we don’t find out what happens to the thing that could save the house (but probably won’t.) Instead, we get a much, much, much bigger cliffhanger. The cliffhanger of cliffhangers.

And I don’t think I like it.

Certainly I was ready for that thing to begin to occur, but I don’t like the messing of the formula of the series. I don’t like the thing that occurred to have occurred as a cliffhanger. Unnecessary. Unwelcome. Nope, didn’t like it. But yea, I’m dying for the next book.

Speaking From Among the Bones Read More »

Nevermore

2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery /

I read Nevermore because TW said it was good. Also because while she was reading it she asked me weird questions about Davy Crockett and Edgar Allen Poe and also because we listened to the Davy Crockett song about 15 times while she was reading. I couldn’t pass it up.

And damn, I’m glad I read it.

I chuckled all of the way through it. I like Poe. I like Crockett. I like Poe and Crockett together. They should have a TV series. Maybe also fight zombies together. It would be awesome. This book was awesome. (Except the creepy parts where Poe was crushing on his cousin… I know, I know… still creepy and really especially so in this book. Thankfully it didn’t happen so often that I had to throw the book across the room.)

Nevermore Read More »

Devil Said Bang

2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

Thanks to Liz Rizzo, I was reminded that we had fallen behind on the Sandman Slim books and I ran and reserved Devil Said Bang because Sandman Slim is awesome (and Liz is right, these need to be movies.)

TW said she didn’t like this one as much as the others, so I was worried and I stayed worried for much of the beginning of the book, when Sandman Slim was stuck in hell. I like the chapters about hell but I don’t love the characters down there nearly as much as I like the characters in LA (and for awhile, I really couldn’t figure out how the hell he was going to get out of hell, so yay for making me read to find out rather than figuring it out for myself, which is what happens with a lot of books.)

And, I actually LOVED the ending. (Which so rarely happens.)

Only weird thing was that I dreamed about Sandman Slim — a mashup with BlogHerCon, and that was scary as HELL (pun sort of intended.) I don’t ever want to have that kind of dream again.

Devil Said Bang Read More »