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#Readathon Mini-Challenge – Re-reads

2012, Books in Bed, Dewey's Readathon, Favorites /

I normally do a re-read during the #readathon but since I’m planning on a re-read next month, I held off.

I do have some favorite re-reads…

The Woman in White – I love this book. I’ve re-read it more times than I can tell you.

Fluke – My favorite Christopher Moore book, and I’ll be re-reading it next month while I’m in Hawaii.

The Red Tent – I used to re-read this quite a lot but haven’t done it in a couple of years, I should go back to it again – maybe this summer?

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#Readathon Book 4 – Heaven is Here

1 Comment / 2012, Books in Bed, Dewey's Readathon, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

310 pages.

I’ve been looking forward to reading Nie Nie’s book, Heaven is Here – but I did not expect to be moved quite so strongly. I’ve read every blog post she’s written since 2009 and a good many before that. her story isn’t new to me. But there you have it… moving, inspirational, funny, sweet, and heartbreaking.  Great book for the readathon. Great book in general.

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#Readathon — Book 2, Done! Forbidden Fruit

1 Comment / 2012, Art, Books in Bed, Dewey's Readathon, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Women /

Another 209 pages down, which is a little misleading. Forbidden Fruit: A History of Women and Books in Art is a very large coffee table type book. It’s beautiful and interesting and I would own it if I were a rich woman. I also need to remember to find a copy of The Tale of the Genji, which I still have never read.

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First #Readathon Book DONE! — Spell Bound

2012, Books in Bed, Dewey's Readathon, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

One book down, 327 pages. And TW called when I had two pages left to read. Talk about bad timing, heh.

Spell Bound was excellent. I wasn’t sure how everything was going to be fixed at the end of the last book. In fact, I didn’t think it could be  fixed. But, Hawkins did it beautifully. All wrapped up in a nice little bow. Even the ending was perfect. Exactly right. How often does that happen?  Almost never.

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Wonderstruck

1 Comment / 2012, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cybil Challenge, Favorites /

I’ve been putting off reading Wonderstruck because it’s a really, really big book for a middle grade graphic novel. I was waiting until I was in the right mood for reading what I imagined might be a book that wasn’t easy to follow – black and white pictures, and lots of ‘em. Even though Elly read it ages ago and said it was good… I put it off.

Then a couple of days ago, I realized it was not JUST a graphic novel, but a graphic novel and a written novel. Well shoot, I could have handled that weeks ago.

So I picked it up last night and LOVED it. Brilliantly done – two different people, from two different eras. One child’s story told in words, another child’s story told in images – until those stories merged. Brilliant. Why haven’t I read Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret? I must read it – soon.

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Swordspoint

2012, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Queer /

Ages ago, we read a book that I only barely remember – a gender bending story about swordsplay called The Privilege of the Sword. It was good, even though I can only barely remember what it was about. Then, a couple of weeks ago I saw that book on the library shelves. It made me wonder if the author had written any other books… she has and I read Swordspoint this week.

Not a gender bender but gay swordsman and gay Lords and it was good. Very good. The problem is – I’ve read the darn things out of order now. It looks like The Privilege of the Sword came much later… Alec is young in this story and old in Privilege of the Sword. Darn it. I hate reading books out of order and now I need to read the second book in the series and quite possibly re-read The Privilege of the Sword after that.

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Aloha from Hell

2012, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I really really like Sandman Slim. He just never gets old, he’s so evil in a good guy sort of way. Being a nephilim will do that to you, I guess.  In Aloha from Hell we get more kissi and more Alice, which is cool. We also get a good long look at Mustang Sally (I think she needs her own series. I bet it would be better than Sandman Slim’s.)  We also get a wee bit of Jack the Ripper – and I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

I’m looking forward to the next book (later this year, I believe) – how is Sandman Slim, I mean errr…. His new name…. going to get out of… the place he’s in…. (See how I avoided spoilers there?)

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Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

1 Comment / 2012, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

Well, I did it again. Reserved a book that I obviously didn’t know much about – because I’d seen it mentioned a few times and then seen it mentioned a few more times and then finally saw it mentioned in a way that convinced me that I should read it now. Which, it turns out, was funny in a way that I don’t really want to explain. Let’s just say… people are idiots sometimes. Now where was I…? Oh yea…

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

I thought it was chick lit (see above.)

I thought it was written by a woman (not that it matters.)

It’s neither chick lit nor was it written by a woman.

It was, however, excellent. Really very good. Can’t put it down good, though I did have to put it down on Wednesday night because I started it too late in the evening to read straight through (and man, do I hate it when that happens. You get a book that’s a perfect read straight through book but you start it at 9pm on a work day? That just stinks, doesn’t it?)

I really want to know what happened to Keiko before we meet her again in NYC. I also am interested in Ethel.  I need a sequel. Or a companion book. Or something. These are super interesting characters and I kind of love them. I want to know more.

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Ghetto Cowboy

2012, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction /

This has been an awesome year for middle grade lit on audio. First, there was A Monster Calls, which I will never ever forget. Now, I’ve got Ghetto Cowboy and I’m almost glad Michelle has decided to move to Philadelphia because how cool is Philly with their Urban Cowboys and their horses? Because while this was fiction, Philly really does have urban cowboys and they really do  help keep poor black kids off of the streets by getting them involved with horses.   Learn a bit about Philadelphia’s urban riding program and then read/listen to Ghetto Cowboy. You won’t regret it – until the story ends and you want more.

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