2007

New Moon

1 Comment / 2007, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

OK so I said I was reading What the Dead Know and here I am blogging New Moon instead. I wasn’t in the mood for missing girls, vampires and werewolves seemed like a much better idea. Besides, New Moon was another book I started but didn’t finish around the time of our trip to London and I was disappointed that I didn’t manage to get through more than the first 50 pages or so before I had to return it.

So, I read the rest of it in about 3 hours. It was just as good as Twilight – in some ways it was better. I really loved Jacob and I loved Emily, I’d like to know more about Emily and how she adjusted to living with the werewolves. And while I thought running off to Italy there at the end was a little much, I appreciate why the story went that way. I’m anxious to learn more about Bella’s “immunity”. When’s the next book due out? Oh, August 2007, cool! I can wait that long. Anyone getting a preview copy????

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The Expected One

2007, Books in Bed, Favorites, Women /

I started reading The Expected One while we were in London but had to take it back to the library when we got home because it was over-due. I picked it up from the library a couple of weeks ago and finally made time for it yesterday. I made time for it by ignoring the chores on my “to do list”. I didn’t want to put it down!

I love “Mary” stories, and this was one of the better ones.

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Sweet Potato Queens

2007, Books in Bed, Favorites, Queer, Women /

A whole lifetime ago my friend Janet was ga-ga over the Sweet Potato Queens. Being the most excellent friend that I am (quit laughing), I picked them up and read them in a show of support and encouragement. I wasn’t nearly as thrilled by them as Janet was. They were no “Ya-Yas” and they weren’t even “Red Hat” quality. But, I could see how Janet would be so taken with them and I encouraged her fixation as best I could.

Yesterday, I was wandering through the library stacks while TW searched for new knitting books and I stumbled upon The Sweet Potato Queens First Big-Ass Novel. Feeling nostalgic, I checked it out. Since it is such a new book it is due back to the library in two weeks, so I went ahead and started it last night. And I have been reading it all morning. Not because I’m trying to avoid cleaning the bedroom or the yardwork on me “to do list” but because I was enjoying the book so much.

If you read the other Sweet Potato Queen books and weren’t overly thrilled with them, I think you’ll like this one better. If you’re a Ya Ya fan or a Red Hat fan, you’ll probably enjoy this one a good bit. The gay boy Sweet Potato Queen is a nice touch, by the way. I’m not usually a fan of “token gay characters” but this one works.

I hope there’s a second big-ass novel in the works.

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Not Buying It

2 Comments / 2007, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction /

Well. Not Buying It didn’t make me feel nearly as guilty as Garbage Land did. That’s good, I have enough guilt in my life and enough clutter frustrations. I’m also just enough of a tightwad to go into full miser mode when I read a really guilt inducing book about clutter or spending or the economy or the way we’re screwing up the planet with our consumerist lifestyles.

The most interesting segments of this book were reflections about the gifts the author and her husband were given (or needed to give). The rest was a bit “ho-hum”.

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Kicked, Bitten, Scratched

1 Comment / 2007, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction /

I have never wanted to be an animal trainer or a zookeeper. I did go through the requisite veterinarian phase though. Reading Kicked, Bitten, Scratched made me very glad I never had any animal trainer/zookeeper aspirations. The workload is frightening, not to mention the animal injuries!

Moorpark College is home to the animal trainer program (and our little community college is home to a sister program for zookeepers). The book was interesting and I really enjoyed it. I was appalled that they didn’t have a fire evacuation plan but then TW said that SFCC didn’t have a hurricane evacuation plan for a long, long time. That’s just, well, appalling!

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Elegant Gathering of White Snows

2007, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Queer, Women /

Someone on a message board at my place of business recommended Kris Radish’s books and she suggested I start with Elegant Gathering of White Snows. Gee, I wonder how she knew this would be the perfect book for me?

It’s sort of like The Red Tent in that female energy sort of way. Fantastic female characters and of course they’ve experienced pretty much every single issue/problem a woman can face. Just go read it, and enjoy it.

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Water for Elephants

5 Comments / 2007, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites /

Wow. Just wow. I expected Water for Elephants to be good but not this good. The circus lore was excellent (I’ve heard a good bit of circus lore in my life, my ex’s grandfather was with Ringling for a good long while) and the characters wonderfully written. The animal scenes were handled nicely – sometimes writers give animals too much personality, or too many “human” traits, not these animals!

I love, love, love this book. What else has Sara Gruen written? Are her other books this good?

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The Other Side of the Bridge

2007, Books in Bed, Fiction /

The Other Side of the Bridge started a little slowly but ended up being a pretty darn good book. An awful lot happened at the end and I wish the author would have expanded those last few chapters a bit more. I also wish there had been more story regarding the fringe community that Pete belonged to. I know the story really wasn’t about the “Indians and the white man” but it would have been nice to flesh Pete and his life out just a little bit more.

Good book. I was surprised to find I liked it.

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