Fiction

Adam & Eve

5 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

Thank you Sassymonkey! Thank you for choosing such a good book for me to “steal” from your Summer Reading Challenge.

I like Mark Twain but have never read The Diaries of Adam & Eve before. I loved it all and cannot believe I have never read it. What was I waiting for? Very amusing, very Twain-like, very sweet. Very good. I even enjoyed the foreword and afterword and that never happens.
This was the fourth book from my Summer Reading Challenge, now onto number five!
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Cloud Atlas

5 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Fiction /

I finished Cloud Atlas and it feels like I’ve been trying to read it for longer than I had been trying to read The Moonstone. The first story, it didn’t grab me. The second story, much better and the third better still. Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, rather ho-hum but I stuck it out and I suppose I’m glad I did.

It was different. It felt a wee bit too full of itself, in places. A bit cliche’d and a bit contrived too. But different and interesting. I almost feel like I need to read it again. Like I missed something important, somewhere in those stories. Like maybe I’ll enjoy it more on the second reading. Unfortunately, there are too many books and not nearly enough time to go back and give it another shot. Maybe in my next life?
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Witness

2006, Books in Bed, Fiction /

Witness, by Karen Hesse , was surprisingly good. And not just because I like a fast read, either! I really didn’t expect to like this book. I peeked over TW’s shoulder last week when she read it and though “bah, boring” and I almost skipped it completely, because I am so far behind… I’m very glad I did not skip it.

Story of a Vermont town and it’s problems with the KKK. The story is actually a lot of short, almost monologues, by residents of the town. Some townies active in the KKK because they believe in them, some lured in by social or financial pressure. A jewish girl. A black girl. Some townies fighting against the KKK’s attempt to take over the town.

Really surprisingly good book.

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Anne McCaffrey, I am still not a fan

1 Comment / 2006, Books in Bed, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I am surrounded by McCaffrey fans and it makes me nervous. I’ve tried to get with the program and love her the way they do but it is just no use. I don’t get it.

I do really like the Acorna series. I might even love it. I don’t often read books about female unicorn-like aliens, do you?

Dragons, on the otherhand, are a dime a dozen. I think that’s why I just can’t love McCaffrey and her Dragons of Pern. Big deal. I understand that these books were written dozens of years ago and were sort of original back then. I understand the social commentary in them. I really do understand the big deal for some of you. But for me, they’re just more dragon books and not the best dragon books I’ve ever read.

I will say that I did not hate Dragonflight like I expected to. I didn’t enjoy the first part at all, but once Lessa joined the Weyr, I did enjoy the story. The folks of Pern are not ever going to be my favorite characters and McCaffrey is never going to make it on my favorites list, with her dragon stories, but that’s ok. I have more than enough favorites, anyway.

Sorry People of Pern. I tried but I just can’t join you in your McCaffrey worship.

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Imaginary Friends

2006, Books in Bed, Fiction /

My family loves the movie, Drop Dead Fred. I think it’s probably on the top 5 list for most of us. If You Could See Me Now is a good bit like Drop Dead Fred. A kid sees a grown up friend who nobody else can see – but then weird things happen, adults start seeing him too…

The “best friend” helps folks sort out things in the way a good “best friend” should – go read it, see for yourself. And rent Drop Dead Fred, while you are at it, ok?

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Traditionally Built Women ROCK!

7 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I love the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books. I really like listening to them on audio more than reading them. I think they’re the perfect audio book. (If you haven’t tried it, check one out from your library on cd or cassette. I bet you’ll like it.)

Blue Shoes and Happiness is my favorite in the series. Feminism! Shoes! Cobras! Ostriches! Diets! Lots and lots of feminism. Heh.

When is the next installment coming out? I don’t want to wait a year (or more? gasp!) for the next one. Get to work Dr McCall Smith!

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The Moonstone

8 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Don't Read This, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery, The Moonstone /

Well ladies, and gentlemen (surely there are some men lurking), I did it. Finally. It took me 10 years and many, MANY false starts but I did it. I. Finished. The. Moonstone.

I didn’t ever think I’d be able to say that. But now that I have said it, I’m quite pleased with myself. I’m not really pleased with my mother who purchased the book for my daughter 10 years ago. I’m not really pleased with my mother who rambled about how much she loved the book when she was a teenager. I’m also not pleased with my mother who has generally recommended really fantastic books in the past. I’m also not pleased with my mother who on one other occasion recommended a book in a similar way, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, and that recommendation was so RIGHT that it led me to believe that any such recommendation would also be RIGHT.

The Moonstone. Not right.

I like Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White is a very good book. I’ve actually read it two or three times and enjoyed it everytime. I would happily recommend that book to you. The Moonstone. Not so much. In fact, except for 3 pages very near the end, I wouldn’t really recommend it at all. Except of course, there’s my mom. She loved it when she was a teen (or so she said, 10 years ago – she’s waivered a bit on that over the years – that’s the dementia though, so we expect that from her now).

Anyway, I’ve finished it. I’m proud of myself for having finished it. I’m proud of myself for being able to cross book #1 off of my summer reading challenge.

Now onto bigger and better things…. The Day My Butt Went Psycho… gotta be bigger and better than The Moonstone, right?

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Are We There Yet?

2006, Books in Bed, Fiction, Young Adult /

I misplaced Dinner with Anna Karenina so I just grabbed the first book from the pile… Are We There Yet? It’s a young adult book about two brothers (a high schooler and his older brother) who get “tricked” into taking a trip to Italy together. The brothers were close when they were young but as often happens, they aren’t close now at all. There’s lots of brother angst, usually not vocalized but internalized. And, there’s a happy ending, which was sort of nice.

Quick read, easy read. I liked it. Now, back to dinner with Anna

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More Triggers From Picoult

4 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I have been a Jodi Picoult fan for many, many years (thanks Ky, wherever you are – certainly not in the 10th Circle…). The Pact was the first book I read and The Tenth Circle, the most recent. I haven’t loved all of her books but I haven’t truly hated any of them either. Tenth Circle, right up there with The Pact.

I think the comics between chapters was a nice touch. (I didn’t search for the secret message, did you??) I like the tie in to Dante. I always like the lack of totally happy endings in her books and this one was no different. There are a ton of triggers in this, for people with their own experience with rape so beware if you trigger easily. The only thing I’d change would be the date rape drug stuff. I don’t think it was necessary at all and particularly not the almost ridiculous buyer/seller twist. The book didn’t need that in order to keep you twisting along with the characters.

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