2008

My Dreams Out in the Street

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction /

The back cover, by the author of House of Sand and Fog, says “Kim Addonizio writes like Lucinda Williams sings….” My Dreams Out in the Street really does feel like that, once you get into it. Took me three days to get through the first chapter (they’re really long chapters) and another day to get through the second chapter… but then I was hooked. Williams’ music is a lot like that for me.

A happy unhappy ending, which is what you’d expect from a novel about people just trying to survive life.

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Monster

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

Another book from my Printz Award challenge, Monster, was not my favorite book from 2000 but I understand how and why it won the award. It’s a good thing I’m not the one sitting on those award committees.

I was a little afraid I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Monster at all because it was written in the form of a screenplay, because the kid up for murder is into film making, and I really dislike reading screenplays. But the story was compelling enough and I cared about the kid enough to muddle through all of the screenplay-ese. The book reminded me a lot of Upstate, a book TW and I listened to on audio a few months ago. Another young black teen in jail and going to trial for murder, you know the type society tends to label as “monsters”…

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Deep Storm

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction /

Deep Storm was pretty darn good, even though that whole drilling rig thing near Iceland had me confused. (Confused because it wasn’t too long ago that we read Crawfish Mountain about drilling off of TX/LA – I kept waiting for the southern drawl and it didn’t come.)

Anyway, it’s one of those dramatic books where good guys (ex military) have to stop the bad guys (current military) from misusing science and technology and power. Interesting. Black holes. Under the ocean. In the MOHO. Very interesting.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Food Synergy

2008, Books in Bed, cookbooks, Non-Fiction /

My friend Elaine Magee sent me a preview copy of her new book Food Synergy: Unleash Hundreds of Powerful Healing Food Combinations to Fight Disease and Live Well and I almost forgot about it! I just happened to glance up at the bookshelf one day last week and saw it and realized I didn’t take it to Charleston to read over the holidays like I’d planned. So, I read it yesterday.

First, it reads just like Elaine talks which is something I always find amusing about her books. Since I know her and have talked to her often, I can hear her voice as I’m reading.

Next, because I’ve been listening to Elaine talk about Food Synergy for years, I felt like I was taking a refresher course rather than learning anything really new.

As always with Elaine’s books, I loved the menus and the handy charts and the recipes. As soon as I finished, I handed the book to TW and told her she could plan next week’s menus using Elaine’s Food Synergy tables, menus and recipes.

The book isn’t available until March 4, but you can pre-order a copy on Amazon – right now it’s listed at $13.57. Well worth it if you’re interested in using a healthy diet to BE healthier.

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