Fiction

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

2012, Books in Bed, Comics & Graphic Novels, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction /

TW and I argued over who put this one in the library bag. I’m sure I did – she’s sure she did, even though she did not bother to read it and was going to return it to the library without reading it (or without giving me a chance to read it. I rescued it from the return bin and I’m darn glad I did.  The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt was the perfect late night read last night, after finishing John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.

The scrapbook images were fun. The scrapbook text was a lot like a diary, which made it an actual book to read. I liked it. I even liked the happily ever after ending for the Vassar feminist of the 40s.

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The Fault in Our Stars

2012, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

I hate kid cancer books. Kind of like the kids in The Fault in Our Stars hate cancer books, ok maybe not like they do – since I’m not a kid with cancer, but still – hate them. I just hate them.

The only redeeming value in this one (and it’s a big redeeming value) is that John Green wrote it. That pretty much says all you need to know. And all I’m going to say since I don’t want to give any spoilers or anything remotely spoiler-ish.

The kids are great. Their parents are nicely written. The stupid author, who is so NOT John Green, is well done. I loved the wish genies. IN the heart of Jesus – brilliant. And yes, I even cried a bit at the end – even though I was SURE I wouldn’t.

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The Taker

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

The Taker is excellent, I’m glad I read it and didn’t just return it to the library because it wasn’t on my original TBR list. It’s not  about vampires, but about people who become immortal through alchemy.  I’ll admit the first couple of chapters had me rolling my eyes about a vampire book that doesn’t have vampires, but it’s better than that. Really interesting and I’m excited about the second book in the trilogy, coming in June. When I finished the book last night, I was left wondering a lot of things – about Adair and Lanore and Luke.

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Bad Girls Don’t Die

2012, Books in Bed, Fiction, Young Adult /

Bad Girls Don’t Die was pretty creepy. All of those dolls. * Shudder *

And fire. There was fire. And fire has been freaking me out lately.

I’m not sure I really understood the need for the Carter storyline but I didn’t hate it, really. I found the missing father more troubling. The reaction to his accident by the girls and their mother – weird. And I don’t think it was related to the evil doll, either.

Creepy. Weird. But a quick, fun read.

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Addie on the Inside

2012, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Queer, Young Adult /

I almost didn’t read Addie on the Inside because I didn’t love The Misfits enough to really want to read any more of Howe’s books in the series. But, then again, Addie is a good strong female character so… I figured what the heck. And, I think it’s No Name Calling Week, or will be next week? Right, next week, Timely.

And now I’m glad I read it.

Told in verse – nicely done verse – it’s a super fast read and a bit of a page turner, too.

All of the normal stuff. Middle school sucks. Bullies suck. And sometimes bullies are bullies because they’re trying to survive their own kind of hell. Being queer in middle school sucks. Trying to start a Day of Silence program in middle school sucks. Dealing with annoying teachers in middle school sucks. Dealing with race issues sucks. Heck, everything about middle school pretty much sucks. Addie knows all of this but that doesn’t really make it any easier to deal with the middle school suckage (or suckers, for that matter.)

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The Virgin Cure

2011, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

Thank you @sassymonkey for sending me The Virgin Cure since it isn’t available in the US for months and months. After waiting YEARS for this book, it was totally sucking to have to wait any longer – not that it wasn’t worth waiting for, I’d just prefer we not have to wait YEARS for Ami McKay’s next book.

I loved Moth. I loved Dr. Sadie. I loved Mr. Dink. I even loved the characters we maybe weren’t supposed to love. Mrs. Wentworth was super creepy and I could have nightmares about a woman like that. Poor Mae. Poor Alice.  Poor Pear Tree, (OK maybe that’s going a little far – but seriously, great characters and setting. If I felt badly for a doggone Pear Tree, that’s got to tell you something about the book, right?)

I’d love to hear more about Moth – her days with the traveling show. I’d like to hear more about her taking in of girls and encouraging them to do great things. That was awesome. Go Moth! Heck, I’d even like to know what happened to Mae. And Cadet. And Rose. (We know what happens to Poor Alice.)  I even wonder what happened with Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth – after Moth told Mr. Wentworth what she told him… was that enough to set some evil things to happening at home? I sure hope Nestor is ok…

Oops. I am rambling, aren’t I?

Good books cause me to do that.

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Darth Paper Strikes Back

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

I loved Origami Yoda so it’s not much of a surprise that I loved Darth Paper Strikes Back, is it?  I always worry a little bit about a second book in a series, after loving the first book so much but there’s nothing to worry about this one. I really, really loved the “bonus game included” bit. Brilliant. Clever. Oh so awesome. Even Harvey comes through in the end. I liked that.

Looking for a good ‘tween gift at the last minute? Buy both books and some awesome origami  paper.

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Dreams of Joy

2011, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women /

I was looking forward to Dreams of Joy, the sequel to Shanghai Girls, because the ending of Shanghai Girls really left us hanging.

Unfortunately, it was a little to slow for me. And I just wanted to shake JOY every step of the way. Well maybe not there at the end but for the first 150 pages or so, at least.

I still liked Pearl. I even liked what little bit of May we got to see. And, I did like Z.G.. And Daun. And Cook.

It was Joy. Joy. Joy. Joy.

I understand that she was upset and confused and had a bit of brainwashing going on about China. But to have rushed into that – and to have been that blind to what was really happening… she was too smart for that. Or I thought she was. Apparently not?

If there had been a way to get Pearl to China, that didn’t involve Joy being an idiot – then I’d have liked this book a lot more, I think.

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The Wager

2011, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

I like fairy tales. This means that I was pretty sure I would enjoy The Wager. And I did – after I got about halfway through the book. Before that – not so much. I could not seem to get attached to Don Giovanni. I didn’t really care whether he won – or the devil won. (Though I was pretty sure the devil wasn’t going to win…)  If it hadn’t been a Cybils book, I’d have probably put it down before Don Giovanni met Cani.

Now that I’ve finished it, I can say that I’m glad I stuck with it. I do wish it hadn’t been quite so slow in the beginning, though.

(Two more cybils left! I’m going to do it!!!!)

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Ship Breaker

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

People who write in library books should be shot. DEAD. Seriously.

Some idiot wrote in the copy of Ship Breaker I picked up from the library. They didn’t just make a couple of notes or underline a few passages – they marked up the entire book. Going so far as to write down the name of the character speaking in the margins. Who does that? Who even NEEDS to do that? The writing made it incredibly difficult to focus on the story – my eye kept getting drawn to the recap written in the margin. Or the extra stupid rephrased question. Or the name of the character.

Anyway, enough of that.

Ship Breaker was… not bad, all things considered (see above).

I feel like I’ve read a similar story – or met similar characters but I can’t quite put my finger on the story or the characters I’m thinking of. It will come to me – probably in a dream (or the next time I come across a marked up library book.)  

I found myself more interested in the supporting characters than I was in Nailer. Or even Nita.  For instance, I’m fascinated by Tool and would love to see his story in another book.  I want to know more about Pima and her mother. Even Lucky Strike. And Robertson? Reynolds? (What is her name?) The woman on the Dauntless, the one who was the patron of Knot – what’s HER story?

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