Favorites

Water for Elephants

5 Comments / 2007, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites /

Wow. Just wow. I expected Water for Elephants to be good but not this good. The circus lore was excellent (I’ve heard a good bit of circus lore in my life, my ex’s grandfather was with Ringling for a good long while) and the characters wonderfully written. The animal scenes were handled nicely – sometimes writers give animals too much personality, or too many “human” traits, not these animals!

I love, love, love this book. What else has Sara Gruen written? Are her other books this good?

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The Deception of the Emerald Ring

2007, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

The third in this little series was not quite as good as the first two. Something was missing from The Deception of the Emerald Ring. Maybe it was the lack of interaction between Elise and Colin? I’m not sure what the problem was because I certainly liked Letty better than I did Amy. And I loved Miss Gwen in this one.

It was rather amusing to read this while in London.  That in itself added a little twist of interest that I didn’t have when I read the first two.

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Garbage Land

1 Comment / 2007, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

Garbage Land was the most depressing and frustrating book EVER.  I keep looking at my trash and feeling so overwhelmed that I can barely look away.  Today, I pulled a grocery list out of my pocket and was I was about to drop it in the trash, I froze. 

What led me to write a list in the first place, for 15 things that I should be able to remember?  And then to do it on a full, clean piece of paper.  And, I used the WHOLE front side rather than making a tiny neat list that would enable me to use the paper again.  Bah.  I’m a horrible person!  Or maybe not.

Maybe this whole municpal waste guilt is a tool of the patriarchy, or at least big business.  Because municipal waste is about 2% of the trash problem.  The biggest problem is with manufacturing.  So like big pharma who has convinced us we need to buy rubber wristbands and walk in walkathons to CURE this or that (probably breast cancer though) we’ve all been convinced that we can SAVE THE PLANET through recycling.  We can’t.  It simply isn’t possible. 

Anyway, Garbage Land was very good.  But very depressing.  Very sad.  Very frustrating. 

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Twilight

6 Comments / 2007, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Woo! Two vampire novels back to back! Two totally DIFFERENT vampire novels back to back. Two totally different and totally fabulous vampire novels back to back. Life just doesn’t get any better!

Twilight finally made it to the top of my TBR stack. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to get it. I wish I had just bought the darn thing instead of waiting for it to appear on my library reserve shelf. Maybe I’ll go out and buy it today so the kids can read it at their leisure. It’s another one worth having on the colorful library shelves!

And, the sequel, I cannot wait to read the sequel! It’s on the shelf right now – but there are a dozen in front of it… should I let it jump the line and read it right now? What do you think?

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You Suck: A Love Story

2007, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I love Christopher Moore.  I should just stop there and leave it at that.  There’s just nothing else that needs to be said about You Suck.  Christopher Moore wrote it and that should be enough for anyone.  You want more?  OK here’s more….

If you haven’t read Bloodsucking Fiends, then read that first.  Actually, you should read all of the books before this one because there were a ton of "in jokes" that you simply won’t get if you haven’t read a bunch of his other books.  You Suck was written for his long time readers, not for the newbies. 

I loved Abby Normal

"So I like slept til eleven, because we’re on Christmas break, only it’s called winter break now because Jesus is an OPRESSIVE ZOMBIE BASTARD AND WE DO NOT BOW DOWN TO HIS BIRTHDAY! At least not at Allen Ginsberg High School we don’t.  (Go Fighting Beatniks!)"

Heh.

Nope, You Suck was not the best Moore, ever.  But it was awesome Moore just the same.  I want to read it again.  Right now!  And then go back and read all of his other books again!  Oh no! I just realized something – we’re going to have to wait a lifetime for another book!  That’s the only problem with a new Christopher Moore book – waiting for the next one. Darn it.

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Lullaby

1 Comment / 2007, Favorites, Fiction /

I’m sooo glad I put Lullaby back on my library reserve list. I had checked it out last summer but never got around to reading it. I put it back on the reserve list because Michelle wanted to read it. She still hasn’t had a chance, but I made time for it and I’m very glad.


Much better than Fight Club or Diary. Great idea for a story. Just imagine a culling song and what you might do with it. Because you KNOW you would do something with it.

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The Thirteenth Tale

2 Comments / 2007, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery /

There are some books that just should not end. The Thirteen Tale is that kind of book.


For some reason I had it in my head that this was a young adult book. When I picked it up to actually read it and saw that it wasn’t, I was surprised. While I think Michelle would like it, this is definitely not a young adult book. Sort of Flowers in the Attic meets Poppy Z Brite meets someone else who escapes me at the moment, lol.


Really terrific book. One I’d be happy to read again someday.

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Pink Ribbons, Inc

2007, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

I am not a fan of the Pink Ribbon or any other breast cancer campaign. Pink Ribbons, Inc just reaffirmed everything I feel about these campaigns and the people behind them. And the people who buy into them… do yourselves and the people diagnosed with these illnesses a favor and read the book. Your money is better spent elsewhere. Quit buying Pink Ribbons. Quit buying Live Strong bracelets. Write to these companies and tell them to lay off with these types of marketing campaigns. Tell your politicians you see through them and expect better.

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Allegra Maud Goldman

2007, Favorites, Fiction /

I was reading Bookburger a few weeks ago and I saw Allegra Maud Goldman mentioned as a book Laura Ruby had liked as a teenager. I’ve read a lot of YA and this was not a book I recognized, so I reserved it through the ILL system. OMG awesome.


This is one of the BEST YA books I’ve read in a long time. One of the best “coming of age” type stories about girls growing up in the shadow of male privilege, pre WWII. Much of Allegra Maud Goldman still speaks to what it’s like to grow up a girl today. Which is really too bad, isn’t it?


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