Fiction

A Town Like Alice

3 Comments / 2008, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

Remember years ago when I was looking for book ideas for Michelle belle? I don’t think it was on this blog, or the blog formerly known as Daily Dose etc…, but maybe on the original home school blog? Anyway, I had a regular reader and commenter then, from Belgium I think, and she recommended “A Town Like Alice” for Michelle to read. Michelle never got around to it but I remembered it when I was creating my A to Z list but it was not an easy book to get.

I got it, on audio, late in December and as we started to listen to it TW said “And why are we listening to this?” It started sort of slowly and the narrator sounded very Moonstone like. Almost like “Betteridge” but not quite. We both thought we were in for a very long, very slow listen… we were wrong.

It did take us a very long time to finish it but that is related to the very small amount of time we’ve spent in the car together over the last month. Or in the car together, without kids. The kids don’t really enjoy listening to bits and pieces of books and I can’t blame them. I wouldn’t like listening either if I had missed chapter upon chapter.

Anyway. A Town Like Alice. Awesome. So awesome that it’s hard to believe it was written by Nevil Shute. I am not an On the Beach fan. Love this book. Love the characters. Love the story line. Love every single thing about it – except the fact that it’s over.

Now, could someone help me figure out how to find that person who recommended the book? I’d really like to thank her and I don’t seem to be able to track down her comments – they were probably lost in some blog move or another. Or they’re buried in some transferred comment format that isn’t searchable. Whatever. I can’t find her. Help! And then go reserve this book from your library – preferably on audio.

A Town Like Alice Read More »

Libraries today, tsk tsk

1 Comment / 2008, Feminism, Fiction, Queer, Women /

We ran over to the library one day last week to pick up an ILL that was waiting and while I stood in line at the desk, TW popped over to the “New Arrivals” shelves. She popped right back over when it was my turn in line and dropped a book on the desk for check out.

Lois Lenz: Lesbian Secretary

Ha. Our library may not have any of the Willig books and we might have to ILL stuff like The Edge Chronicles but they sure do have lesbian pulp fiction.

And it was amusing in the way all lesbian pulp fiction is amusing. When poor Lois realizes the girls in her boarding house aren’t communists or white slavers and they’re “just Lesbian Career Girls”… well, that’s the sort of thing everyone should read a few times in their lives.

Libraries today, tsk tsk Read More »

Edge Chronicles: Clash of the Sky Galleons

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

#9 in The Edge Chronicle series, Clash of the Sky Galleons has the same problem that all of the other books in the series have. You’d think that if you read all of the books in numerical order that you’d be reading a chronicle of events, in order. But no, not with these. There are huge gaps between where you left off and where you pick up again and then another book will go back and fill in a huge gap that was left much earlier in the series. I could live with that without being grouchy if the prologue reminded you of what had happened so you knew you were you jumping back in, but the prologues never do that. It’s frustrating.

Otherwise, good book. Lots of blood and guts and a lot of the good guys die, which I like and a nice final paragraph (well final before the epilogue.)

I thought I was reading #10 and thus possibly the last book in the series, but this is #9 so maybe there’s one more… and that will be the final? I sort of hope so because I’m not sure how much longer I can keep reading these with all of the jumping around.

Edge Chronicles: Clash of the Sky Galleons Read More »

The Relucatant Fundamentalist

2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

2007 was apparently a great year for the Mann Booker prize. I finished the second book from the short list last night, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which I was rather reluctant about reading until I started it. Then, I was reluctant to put it down.

I am often tired of books about Pakistan before I even start them, it seems like there are so many of them and they often sound the same. Same story, same characters – over and over and over again. Not this one. Even the 9/11 theme felt fresh and new and different.

The Relucatant Fundamentalist Read More »

On Chesil Beach

2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I’m only a year behind on reading the 2007 Mann Booker short list books but I’ll get them read before the 2008 short list comes out, and if they’re as good as On Chesil Beach it will be an easy thing to do.

I generally dislike Ian McEwan. I didn’t love Atonement and I couldn’t get through the first chapter of Saturday. I only vaguely remember The Innocent so I probably didn’t love that one either. I dislike Ian McEwan so much that I chose On Chesil Beach as the first book from the short list just to get it over. I figured nothing else on the list would be drudgery to read. Ha.

On Chesil Beach… fantastic. Fan-Freaking-Tastic. I’d be happy to own this one… and read it again.

On Chesil Beach Read More »

The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, From the Stacks Challenge, Women /

I do believe we purchased The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan a few years (four years ago? five? goodness time flies) when we were in Denver… let’s see, that would have been February of 2004? Maybe I don’t know. Anyway, it’s an autographed copy and the author lives in Denver so I’m guessing we bought it at The Tattered Cover.

Thanks to my “From the Stacks” challenge, I finally found the time to read it and I’m glad. Too bad it took me so darn long to get to it. The book… surprisingly good. I’m tempted to describe it as Latin American chick lit but it’s more than that, or better than that, or something.

The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan Read More »

The House of Dark Delights

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Indeed! The things one can find in one’s public library when one isn’t even looking for them. Shocking really. Or maybe we actually looked for this and one of you recommended it? Blogged it? Twittered it? Speak up, don’t blush. It’s perfectly fine if you recommend books that are a wee bit MORE than erotica. I don’t mind, really.

The House of Dark Delights was definitely more than “erotica”. It was pretty close to porn. Though I suppose one woman’s erotica is another woman’s porn, so don’t take my word for it. Go check it out at your local library.

I will say that I would have enjoyed this more if the stories had followed a time line – either backwards or forwards, either would have been fine. I wasn’t there for the sex, I was there for the characters. I got some background, in fits and starts and bits and pieces and that was fine. I’d have been happier if I’d gotten more.

The House of Dark Delights Read More »

Hard Love

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Queer, Young Adult /

More YA! Is this one on the Printz list? Is that why I read it? Or is it some leftover reserve from a GLBT YA group of books I reserved? I’m not sure but I read it and it was pretty amusing. I’m not a huge ‘zine fan but I understand the drive people feel to create them and to read them. Not being a ‘zine person or a teen, I’m not qualified to say Hard Love was an accurate representation of the ‘zine scene but it feels like it.

The book itself, pretty interesting. Nerdy but cute boy from dysfunctional broken gets hooked on ‘zines, writing and reading them, and falls for a lesbian ‘zine writer. She sort of falls for him too but, guess what – she’s still a lesbian! Awesome. Heart break all around but also some growing up and some resolutions to the dysfunction (at least on his part) begin to happen.

Not a fun book, by any means, but not one of those really really depressing YA situation novels either.

(oh! It was a Printz Award Honor Book, cool.)

Hard Love Read More »

King Dork

3 Comments / 2008, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

We’ve been listening to King Dork in the car for ages. It’s taken much longer than I had originally expected because it’s far too mature to really listen to with small children in the car – so that cut out most of the time I’d originally allotted for King Dork – the drive to/from Charleston. Ah well, it’s finished – finally. The epilogue and the glossary almost killed us, though listening to the glossary was a lot more amusing than if we’d read it. Also, specific to the audio – the music at the end was terrific but hearing “devil head” read out loud to indicate the instances of “devil head” icon appearances within the text was not much of a pleasure. That part just didn’t work for me. (If you read the book in print and didn’t listen to the songs, check out Frank Portman’s website for mp3s.

Now, about the book. I put it on my A to Z list and was sure I would have read it early in the year. I didn’t. And then I saw sassymonkey’s review and I put it off even more. So, I was prepared to be unimpressed and now that I’ve finished, I’m not sure I am impressed. I am, however, amused. Very very amused. The number of times TW and I laughed out loud cannot be counted on two hands. Laugh out loud funny in a lot of places but a little (ok a lot) slow in others.

I think I have to drop this into my “favorites” just for the Catcher in the Rye commentary. Now, I need to go reserve Brighton Rock at my library because I do not think I have ever read it. (Have you?)

King Dork Read More »