Fiction

The Double Comfort Safari Club

2010, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

We always listen to the Ladies #1 Detective Agency books on audio. It’s a tradition. Thankfully, my reserved copy arrived really quickly and we didn’t have to wait long. (Oddly, the day I picked up the reserve copy in audio, I saw a large print copy just sitting on the shelf – that would never have happened at my old library! I grabbed it for TW’s mom – she’s not a fan, apparently…)

We enjoyed The Double Comfort Safari Club, as expected. There wasn’t enough storyline from the apprentices, hopefully the next one will include them a wee bit more. Violet was back and wreaking havoc, of course. Grace got a new pair of shoes. And in the end everything was as it should be in Botswana.

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If Books Could Kill

2010, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery /

I snagged If Books Could Kill for RJ – I am always on the lookout for something (anything) she might read that isn’t paranormal romance because lord, I’m sick of vampires and stuff – aren’t you? I have no idea if RJ read it – it’s been in her room for at least a month and it’s due back to the library in a few days (and can’t be renewed because… it’s already been renewed.)  I hope she read it because I laughed my ass off all of the way through it and I think she’d find it incredibly amusing. Even if there are no damn vampires.  Hell, I’m laughing again now just thinking about it. Seriously.

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Gaudy Night

2010, Books in Bed, Classics, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Meme, Mystery, Women /

Again I’m thankful for Sassymonkey and the 1930’s mini challenge. I’ve read Dorothy Sayers in the past and wasn’t all that impressed – but Gaudy Night, once I dug into it – I was hooked. I think it’s that I don’t really love Peter Wimsy but I do love Harriet Vane.  The key to my Sayers pleasure may be to find books really heavy in female characters. Not that she writes men badly – she does not. I found myself wanting to read more about Padgett (I liked him much the way I liked Betteredge in The Moonstone.)

Nice job of twisting me around – I thought I knew who the villain was but towards the end I was really doubting myself. Nicely, nicely done.

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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

2010, Books in Bed, Classics, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Meme, Women /

Oh boy, does she. Seriously. I’ve wanted to read Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day for ages and just never got around to it. Thanks to the 1930’s mini challenge I moved it to the top of my TBR list and read it almost straight through. I love Miss Pettigrew. It’s a shame Watson didn’t write a whole series of Miss Pettigrew novels.

The 1930’s were so awesome. That spot between what was proper and what was fun. Wild, glamorous women (and men) and the prim and proper Mrs whatshername that Miss Pettigrew mimicked so well. The best sort of Cinderella story, that’s what this was.

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Rage: A Love Story

2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Queer, Young Adult /

I didn’t mean to read Rage: A Love Story all the way through, last night. But – I couldn’t put it down.

Peters writes at the beginning of the book that this was the story she did not want to write … I can see why. Nobody wants to face partner abuse in teen relationships and certainly not partner abuse in queer teen relationships. But… thank goodness Julie Anne Peters did it. I’m not sure I know of another author who could have pulled this story off – The Joyland entries were a smart, smart addition to the story.

I literally could not put the book down and stayed up hours after TW had gone to sleep (that really never happens, it’s usually the other way around.)

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The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festvial

2010, Books in Bed, Fiction, Queer /

TW laughed so hard while reading the First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival that several times I thought she might fall out of bed or might die of asphyxiation from laughing so hard. Her sense of humor can be a bit weird, so I really didn’t know what to expect.

It was funny – in places. But not THAT funny. At least I didn’t think it was THAT funny. Definitely worth reading and I enjoyed it. But, I felt let down because of how funny TW had indicated the book would be. Maybe she just laughed so hard to trick me?  Or maybe she has a thing for priests (and not just nuns?)

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The Message in the Hollow Oak

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Fiction, Nancy Drew Challenge /

Funny. Liz saw me reading The Message in the Hollow Oak and said, Hey! That was a good one! And, I didn’t remember it. She’s read very few Nancy Drews and I’ve read them all, most of them multiple times. This one – she liked. This one – I found boring. I’m pretty sure I found it boring as a kid, too, since I don’t even remember reading it.

Ho Hum.

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After

2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

After was the toughest YA book I’ve read in a long, long, long time. 16 year olds who get pregnant are troubling – they’re downright depressing when they throw their babies in dumpsters. Sounds pretty horrid doesn’t it? Well it was – and it wasn’t.

Devon is a good character. The characters around her, also well written. When the book was over, I didn’t hate any of them and I was glad I read the book. It’s hard. Very hard. But it was just about impossible to put it down once I’d made it through that first, horrible, chapter.

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The Missing Ink

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery /

I saw The Missing Ink on a blog (I don’t remember which one) – and Sassymonkey mentioned it that same day. I put it on my library reserve list because, it’s tattoos! And while I don’t have any, my kids do. It seemed fun.

The book was waiting for me at the library one Saturday. A Saturday that TW and killed time during Prince J’s flute lesson by going to the local independent bookstore. The Missing Ink was on the shelf. I bought it. I thought it would be a great book to take on our trip to Florida – we could both read it and leave it behind for Michelle. I don’t think either of us ended up reading it on the trip, but we did leave it behind. Instead, we both read the library copy that I’d picked up. And we both enjoyed the book quite a bit.

Brett is a great tattoo shop owner. The people who work in her shop are interesting. Las Vegas is always interesting and the perfect place for Tattoo Shop mysteries to take place, don’t you think? There’s a great character, Sylvia – older woman with maybe a wee bit of dementia. She owned a competing shop before passing it along to her son. I love Sylvia. She needs her own series of books.

Looking for a beach read – try this one. It’s light and amusing. Don’t take my word for it… Sassymonkey liked it too.

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