Favorites

Grand Sophy

3 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

When sassymonkey blogged about Georgette Heyer, I thought surely I’ve read some of her books and clicked over to Amazon to look. Hmm Some of them look familiar but maybe I haven’t read any?

I put a few of her books, the ones very specifically blogged by sassymonkey, onto the to be read list for TW’s mom to read and figured I could read them too. When I was in between books, with nothing I really wanted to read sitting on my shelf, I made TW sneak The Grand Sophy off of her mom’s TBR stack so I could read it.

And I loved it.

It made me laugh. It reminded me very much of “Bringing up Baby” – that crazy woman overwhelms the uptight guy sort of storyline with everything going hog wild nuts at the end. And yes, a happy ending.

Loved it.

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Some more Cybils

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult /

First, graphic novel Emiko Superstar, by the author of Skim. Loved Emiko, more than I loved Skim. I’m looking forward to Liz reading it. I think she’ll like it. Also hoping there’s an Emiko sequel.

Next, On the Farm, listed in the Cybils under poetry. Errr, well yea it is, I guess. Mostly I really liked the woodcuts and ink (TW did not like them at ALL – she said the animals were creepy.)

After that, How to Heal a Broken Wing – didn’t expect to love it. Loved it. Great story. Great drawings. But, if I had a small child I would be worried that my small child would find it perfectly acceptable to pick up a dead (or injured) pigeon and eww. no. those things are dirty!

Last, but not least, a book I loved and hated. More than Friends, a YA poetry anthology written by a man and a woman, from his perspective and hers. Really interesting and pretty stereotypical – which was what I both loved and hated about it. I can’t decide if my teen girls (or young adult girls) should read it or if I should hope they never see it.

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Some books that aren’t Cybils

2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Don't Read This, Favorites /

Let’s see… I read Yellow Elephant because the Cybil Imaginary Menagerie was so interesting. Yellow Elephant was wonderful. If my daughter ever has a child, she will have to own it. She may need to own it even if she does not have a child.

Then, RJ showed up with a book that she was SURE I would love. And I did, sort of. But not for reasons she thought I would love it. is a sarcastic or maybe humorous take on the puppies and dogs in pop art, from what just happens to be my childhood. I loved flipping through the pages of those dogs that I have known and loved but I did not love the “humor” attached, in most places.

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Fool!

2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

Have I mentioned how much I love living in Chicagoland? No, seriously. No sarcasm intended. I love it. This little library of mine, it keeps handing me brand new books, never before checked out, by authors I would have had to wait months to get if I’d tried to reserve them in Florida.

Fool was waiting for me even before Sassymonkey got her copy (but not before Carfi had his signed copy from a Moore shindig in the bay area… which reminds me, dude… why didn’t you get ME a signed copy and send it to me, huh???)

When there is a new Moore novel in the house, several things happen… TW and I “fight” over who gets to read first… and whichever gets to read first laughs her ass off all the way through it, ticking off the other who was not able to read it first.

Also, it’s really hard to get the kitchen clean when a new Moore novel is in the house. And, it’s much easier to walk away from the computer for a “lunch break” or after only 13 hours online than it is when there are no new Moore books to be had.

So, anyway, I was first to read Fool and I was cautious. Lear? I mean really, King Lear? WTF? And why? And, this was either going to be amazingly awesome or really and truly horrible. I shouldn’t have worried at all.

Hil-freaking-arious.

There’s always a ghost.

Heh.

Here’s another problem with Christopher Moore novels – when you’ve read the latest, you know you’re going to have to wait far too long for the next one. The dude needs to work faster. Quit doing signings and promotions and stuff, just get back to work.

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Rapunzel’s Revenge

3 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction /

Of all the graphic novels on the Cybils list, I was most interested in Rapunzel’s Revenge. I almost put off reading it ’til last because I was afraid it would interfere with my reading of the others. I was so sure it was going to be the BEST – and apparently I was right about that since it did win the Cybil.

Rapunzel’s Revenge is a great book. It’s wonderfully drawn. It has fantastic characters. It’s just “tense” enough for young kids to read without being too scared but “tough” enough for older kids to not be bored.

If all graphic novels were like this one, I’d be a total convert to the genre. And by the way, Liz loved it too.

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Emissary

2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Every “new year” I go back through my reading list for the previous year and try and reserve books in series that we started but haven’t been able to keep up with for one reason or another. I also click into my “favorites” category and look for books written by authors who I really enjoyed the year before.

One of the series we didn’t keep up with was the Percheron Saga by Fiona McIntosh. I think the problem was that our library in Florida only had the first book and I never made the time to ILL the next book.

Well, thank goodness for our new library system (damn I love living here!) because Emissary was excellent.

It took me awhile to remember all of the characters but within the first 50 pages, I was deep into the story again and could barely put the book down. Goddesses, demons, dwarfs, odalisques, eunuchs – what’s not to love?

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My two favorite Cybils

3 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Young Adult /

When TW was reading The Disreputable History of Frankie Ladnau-Banks she made it sound like just another coming of age story… turns out, it’s a hell of a lot more than that. It’s not even just another girl dates one boy but likes another, boarding school, coming of age story.

This little book is one of the best pieces of YA I’ve ever read. Ever. But, then again, it speaks to the feminist in me.

I see that my behavior disrupted the smooth running of your patriarchal establishment.

Heh.

I’m buying it. A couple of copies actually. Maybe one of our girls will develop just a little bit more “Frankie Landau-Banks-ness” if they read it.

After I finished DHoFLB, I picked up the middle grade, Diamond Willow written by Helen Frost (whose Printz Honor book, Keesha’s House, I loved.) I was a little worried about it because it’s prose… written in diamond shape…with bolded words that tell another mini story.

I worried for nothing.

I loved this book. Totally different from Keesha’s House.

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The Graveyard Book

3 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

The Graveyard Book is indeed worthy of the Newberry (whatever that means) – it’s excellent. An excellent story, excellently written. It is significantly better than Coraline.

But – I could not persuade any of the kids to read it.

Prince J looked at it and said “interesting, maybe I’ll read it this weekend” – but he didn’t. I wasn’t interested and only said that to appease me.

RJ took the book from TW and said she’d read it – after TW told her she MUST, it was THAT GOOD and after I told her that she had 24 hours to read it because I would want it… she read a couple of chapters, put it down and picked up Dracula instead. She even chose to re-read bits of Breaking Dawn for the 800th time rather than read more of The Graveyard Book.

This, I’m afraid, is one of those books we’ll have to force our kids to read – and they’ll like it well enough, but it won’t be until they’re 25 that they’ll really appreciate the mastery of the story or the characters or the writing. It’s a shame. It’s the best Newberry winner I’ve read in a long time.

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The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

Yay Willig! The Temptation of the Night Jasmine was fun, as expected. I really like Charlotte and of course the Dowager Duchess. I even like the Duke of Dovedal (and I don’t always really like the men Willig pairs her women with.)

Sassymonkey says Penelope is next, which I’m looking forward too. But, not if that means there wll be no book about Jane… are you listening Willig. The series must now be seven books, not the rumored six.

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Fire Study

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

When I realized there was another book published in Snyder’s series, I was soooo excited. I was also apprehensive because series have a way of letting you down. Fire Study didn’t let me down but it sure did start slowly.

But, that starting slowly thing was also helpful because it’s been so long since I ready Poison/Magic study that I needed to ease in. And then, I didn’t want to put it down… which is why I was up until midnight finishing it. (Also finishing it means I get to start the new Willig which means after that I get to read Gaiman. What a great weekend for books.)

Is Air Study next? Anyone know?

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