Favorites

The House of the Scorpion

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

I didn’t think I was going to enjoy The House of the Scorpion very much. We listened to it on audio and that first chapter was a little dry and the voice of the reader wasn’t very compelling. But, I got hooked and really enjoyed it.

What’s also interesting is Liz started listening to it on disk 8, in the car on the way to Lakewood on Friday and when we got in the car this morning to come home she asked if we could turn it back on. I’m sorry she missed the first 7 disks, but maybe she’ll listen to them in her room this week and catch the beginning of the story of Matt, the clone of the drug lord… it really was an interesting story.

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Wonder Woman!

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Comics & Graphic Novels, Favorites, Feminism /

I have wanted to read Jodi Picoult’s Wonder Woman for ages but kept forgetting to reserve it at the library. Something reminded me awhile back, I did it, and I finally made time to read it.

Loved it.

I wasn’t a huge Wonder Woman fan as a kid, I liked her but I really preferred the villains or a bit of Fantastic Four. Jodi Picoult might have just made me a Wonder Woman fan for life. What did her mother say??????? And who wrote the comic after Jodi’s? I need to find out – right now!

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The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Women /

The first book in what I hope will be a very long series, The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden was fantastic. It should not have taken me a week to read it. I wanted to read it all the way through, from the moment I picked it up. Maybe before I picked it up because TW loved it and I’ve read a lot of blog posts about other people loving it. I loved it.

But then again, I would.

I have a fondness for fairy tales and an even bigger fondness for creation stories.

Now I’m off to reserve the next book and hope it arrives before we move.

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The Miracle at Speedy Motors

2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

The really good thing about listening to most of The #1 Ladies Detective Agency on audio is that on the rare occasion that we read one in print, we can still hear the book on audio voice. The Miracle at Speedy Motors was like that. But, I kept getting distracted – wondering about the movie version. I am worried about that.

Anyway, the book – it was good. I laughed and I was sad and I laughed some more.

Now excuse me please, I’m off to research African fruit cake.

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Duma Key

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I finally finished Duma Key, it feels like it took forever but really it was only a week with a lot of days that included almost NO reading time.

Stephen King writes a long ass novel. I’m glad it was good. I really hate long books that end up being not worth reading.

Loved the characters and the idea – the painting, fantastic. It did feel odd to read a King novel set in Florida, that was pretty odd. It also felt like Joe Hill could have written this… is it possible King read his son’s book and thought, I can do something like that….?

Now, I need to call my father to discuss the book since he’s the one who told me there was a new King novel in the first place.

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Home School

2 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

No, this post isn’t about Michelle, it’s about the book Home School which is about kids who are home schooled but then again not really about them at all. It’s the sequel to The Graduate. Yes, The Graduate – you remember, Mrs Robinson? Or if you’re like me you just barely remember Mrs Robinson and so you had very low expectations for enjoying this book.

Guess what. I loved it. Funnyyyyyy. The home schoolers from Vermont, hahahahaha. And Mrs Robinson, tsk tsk tsk.

Loved this book and I do wish I remembered more about The Graduate.

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Cry Wolf

2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Queer, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Women /

Don’t bother clicking over to the amazon page for Cry Wolf, unless you’re planning on buying it. There’s nothing there that would lead you to want to check this thing out. Thank goodness for people like Liz who blog about really obscure lesbian utopias (or dystopias, as the case may be.)

She posts stuff like this all of the time:

– classroom scene, with Curie’s speech about Blue
– Mutants!
– Global climate change
– the bitter, lonely inner thoughts of Curie
– Sexual tension of Curie (and everyone, but especially and her best pupil Sophie)
– The festival with the cult dancers and the orgy in the river. Don’t miss the sexy hermaphrodite sex scenes. Here there be “fringe”. Tentacles?
– Telepathy!
– Curie begins to tell a mythical version of the past to Sophie.
– Curie’s mother was one of the women of Greenham Common

And when she posts stuff like this about obscure novels I immediately head to my library’s interlibrary loan page and try to have the masterpiece sent to me. Thank goodness Cry Wolf arrived.

Awesome. And I won’t say anything more because Liz has it all covered. Loved it and loved the Scheherazade stories of the women.

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