2008

Wednesday Wars

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Reading Lists, Young Adult /

I have been in bed almost all day. Sort of an accidental participation on Bring a Book to Bed Day due to some combination of exhaustion and a cold or something. I slept a good bit but I also read quite a lot.

I finished Wednesday Wars, which I discovered when I was looking at the list of YA finalists for Cybil Awards.

I laughed my way through it. I laughed a lot more than TW did when she read it. Possibly because of the “rats” or possibly because of the Shakespeare. Or maybe it was all of the death threats a 7th grader can get.

Great book.

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Peony in Love

2 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

Way back in January when I created my From the Stacks challenge my mom sent me email (or maybe we talked on the phone?) and started questioning the books on my list. In doing so, she asked whether I had read this or read that and my response was either “No, should I” or “Duh, you don’t read my blog, do you?”

Peony in Love was one of the books she asked about. No, I hadn’t read it. Hell, I didn’t even know Lisa See had a new book. Once I found out, I reserved it. TW read it a couple of weeks ago, I finished it last night.

It was good. Not as good as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan but still very very good.

Lovesick girls. Women poets. Ghosts.

That ghost thing, particularly the hungry ghost thing, was an excellent idea for the lovesick girls/women poets story line that this book follows. Brilliant.

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Daughter of the Queen of Sheba

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, From the Stacks Challenge, Non-Fiction, Women /

Daughter of the Queen of Sheba is an orange Penguin book on my “From the Stacks” challenge, and probably the last book from that challenge that I’ll read for awhile. I realized last night that I’m going about my challenges all wrong and that I should hang onto the books from that one ’til summer when library visits will probably be few and far between. So, anyway, about the book.

Non-fiction, memoir from Jackie Lydon. Interesting in that watching a never-ending train wreck sort of way. Also depressing in that mental health care in this country STUNK in the 70s and 80s and isn’t a whole lot better now sort of way.

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Robot Dreams

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels /

I picked up Robot Dreams from the library because I saw it was a finalist for a Cybil in the graphic novel category – and Liz likes graphic novels.

I read it this morning and it’s cute but also sad! It’s like the young adult “problem” novel but graphic and for little kids. Sniff, sniff. Lost friends. Sniff, sniff.

Liz just read it and she kept saying “awe” and “awe” and “aweeeee”. She thought the art was good and it was a little sad but it had a happy ending. She liked the robot getting a new home and turning into a radio.

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Mister Pip

2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

Mister Pip is another book from the Booker short list from last year and it was fantastic. Thank goodness. I was afraid, after attempting Darkmans, that I was in for a lot of frustration as I move through the list.

I’m not really a huge Dickens fan but this book made me appreciate Great Expectations just a bit more. And also storytellers. And actors. Read this one.

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I have the right to destroy myself

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction /

No this isn’t a direct quote from the birthday girl, or any other teen in the house. I have the right to destroy myself is the title of the book I chose to read after attempting Darkmans. Ha. I went from one really weird book to another.

Thank goodness “I have the right…” was much shorter, much easier to read, and much more interesting. Also, the “message board member” in me is tempted to put “trigger” in the subject line, not because I’m going to write anything really triggering here but because the book could totally trigger self-harmers.

But it is interesting. Is there one “thing” – persona, spirit, angel from hell – who wanders around helping those who have decided to kill themselves? Some common “thing” guiding us, like a guardian angel, because we do have the right to make that choice and when we decide, we should have help.

It’s interesting, isn’t it?

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Darkmans

3 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, Don't Read This, Fiction /

It was bound to happen, I should not be surprised. I should have known it was going to happen when my library did not have Darkmans even though it made the Booker short list. I should have known it was going to be like this when the thing came really quickly – all the way from Alabama via ILL. I should have known.

Darkmans. Sucks.

I tried, I swear I did. I get that it’s supposed to be weird and quirky and Gravity’s Rainbow-like (which in case you don’t remember, I never finished either because GR sucked the life out of me after 100 pages.) It’s far easier to read than Gravity’s Rainbow and for that reason alone, I attempted to stick with it. But as I started Part 2 I started thinking about just how old I am (Michelle will be 18 tomorrow, which makes me much older than dirt) and just how many books are on the shelf that I’m aching to read and the fact that I dislike every single character in the book – except maybe the lurchers (aka dogs).

So. I closed Darkmans. Gave it a little sigh. Put it back in the library bag. Today I’ll send it back home to Alabama. (I’d like to meet someone from Alabama who likes this book… I can’t see it.)

I have one more book two more books to read from last year’s Booker short list… and one is the book that won the prize. I’ll probably hate it, but at least I’ll know why it beat out Darkmans. (shudder)

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Fan Boy and Goth Girl

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

I ran upstairs and stole the audio version of The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl from Prince J’s room since he wasn’t here to listen to it (though his cd player was coming on every afternoon and playing disc 2 over and over and over again.)

I’m so glad I trudged the stairs and braved the messy room to get it. Fantastic YA. Really great story. Great characters. About 10xs better than King Dork, (and there are an awful lot of similarities between the two stories.)

Please tell me there will be a sequel.

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Stuck in Neutral

2 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

Stuck in Neutral is a YA book from the Printz Awards list from 2001 and I loved it – until the end, but let’s not talk about the end.

I would love to see an entire series about Shawn – he’d be a bit of an anti-hero. All of the things he sees, doesn’t quite understand and wonders about. All of his insights. There are some amazing opportunities for a writer to help teens sort out situations, questions, ideas.

But then there’s that whole ending thing. Is Shawn still available for a series? I don’t know and I don’t like it.

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