Fiction

A couple more Cybils

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My Cybils Challenge is almost complete! I wish I could say that the last two books from the challenge were great ones. They weren’t. They were good, but not great.

Ten Cents a Dance was probably only interesting because of the Chicago backdrop. I found it just a wee bit boring.

I think I might enjoy the story of what happens to Ruby when she leaves Chicago more than I enjoyed the story of her in the Taxi Dancing business.

And then there’s The Explosionist, a book I’d really been looking forward to reading. Slow. Slow. Slow. It was only at the end that I began to really get into it and enjoy the plot. I expect the sequel will be better because we’ve gotten a ton of backstory out of the way. Surely there will be a sequel. We will find out what happens to Sophie and more about Nobel and his brain in a jar. Won’t we?

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The Forest of Hands and Teeth

2009, Books in Bed, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I wonder if I found The Forest of Hands and Teeth through the BlogHer Book Club Group or was it a book that TW saw reviewed and then asked me to reserve at the library. I hate it when I can’t remember. Quick search of the Book Club group doesn’t pull up results so I’m guessing it was TW. Or maybe it was you, some random book blogger out there?

Whatever. We listened to it on audio and boy was it long. Not really but it sure felt long. The author writes the way we picture RJ would write if she was writing post apocalyptic fiction about teens and The Unconsecrated (aka Zombies.) Yes Zombies.

The story was interesting. The characters never quite became interesting. I liked the Sisters the best and we didn’t learn nearly enough about them due to the Unconsecrated attack on the village.

I definitely liked the book more than TW did. She was frustrated by the teen girl who never seemed to learn anything. I think she did learn from her experiences, she learned the way teens do. Slowly and painfully and never quite making as much progress as you’d like.

Feels like a sequel might be in the works and I wouldn’t mind reading it if it appears.

*Update: Of course I had to go and look to see if there is a sequel in the works, should have done that before I wrote this… there’s a prequel due to be published in March 2010. Fascinating.

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The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

2009, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women /

Well, it’s no Ya-Ya Sisterhood but it’s not bad. At least not until you hit the last chapter. And then it was just annoying enough to make me regret reading The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder.

I hate it when authors do that. Was it really necessary? Really, Rebecca Wells, was it? I don’t think it was. Ruining a perfectly good book like that? Tsk tsk.

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult /

Flavia is my new favorite girl character! (Which leads me to the question, why isn’t this listed as a YA book?)

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie appeared on my reserve list thanks to someone on the BlogHer Book Club Group. I can’t remember who exactly mentioned it but someone did. It sounded good, so I reserved it.

I didn’t expect it to be quite this good, particularly since it’s a British book and I’m not a huge fan of the British mystery. Flavia just rocks and her sisters are pretty fascinating as well.

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The Angel’s Game

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I just came home from the library, where I paid a 70 cent fine for The Angel’s Game. It was well worth it (and I do apologize to anyone in my library system who was waiting for me to return the book. I trust you’ll understand, once you read the first page. Or that you already understand because you have read The Shadow of the Wind.)

As an aside, mom… I’d love a copy of The Angel’s Game for my birthday. I know. I’ve read it. But it’s a book that needs to be OWNED. Just looking across the room at The Shadow of the Wind and knowing I can pick it up and read a line or two is… well, it’s important. I’d do the same thing with The Angel’s Game.

And OMG, I just read the Author’s Note on Amazon… there will be four! FOUR! Must own all four. (And hmmm has anyone ever thought about turning these into movies? I know those of us who love the books would probably not love the movies but… there’s potential there, don’t you think? And I think Zafon should make a millions of dollars, without having to sell his soul, and movie sales might help that.)

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Highway to Hell

2009, Books in Bed, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Women, Young Adult /

I didn’t mean to start reading Highway to Hell. I simply lost the book I was supposed to be reading and this one was nearby. If I had realized it was the third in the series, I’d have worked harder to find the book I’d lost. I hate reading a series out of order.

Maybe that’s why it took me so long to finish it?

Nah. It took me so long because I was a) exhausted post-BlogHerCon b) sick c) working my butt off.

If I hadn’t been experiencing all three of those things at once, I’d have finished it in a day. And probably enjoyed it a good bit more than I did.

It was a fun book. It must by YA but I’m too exhausted, sick and busy to double check. If it isn’t labeled YA, it should be.

Demons. Evil geniuses. Brujas. Great girl power characters.

I have the first two books in the series now and I look forward to going back and starting at the beginning.

**updated** No wonder the characters in this book seemed so familiar… we read book 1, Prom Dates from Hell in 2007. And loved it.

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Thaw

2009, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

Another Cybil down… Thaw was good but it’s another one of those books that adults think kids should read (and love) and I don’t think kids will.

And, it’s a BOY problem book. And boy does he have problems, GBS isn’t even his biggest problem. His biggest problem is that he’s an ASS and we get to blame his ASS of a dad.

I’d like to speak with a teenager who has read this one…

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Not Flesh Nor Feathers

2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women, Young Adult /

Yay for Cherie Priest! Not Flesh Nor Feathers was excellent, as expected (since I read the first 50 pages before putting it down in favor of reading book 2 first.)

I love Eden. She’s a great character. I love her supporting characters, too. I was shocked by the ending of this one. And a wee bit sad too. But, it was a nice way to handle a situation… errr I’d say more but I don’t want to spoil it for y’all. Just read the series.

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