2009

The Monster in the Box

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Fiction, Mystery /

How is it possible that I’ve never read a Rendell book? She’s awfully prolific and it’s certainly the type of book I’d have found myself considering from the shelves.

The Monster in the Box was pretty good. I liked Inspector Wexford. I liked his wife and I liked his friends. I liked the bad guy though it was a very unsatisfying “ending” to that bad guy. Very unsatisfying. Do all of Rendell’s bad guys come to such an unsatisfying demise? I’ll have to check out another one and find out.

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Traveling with Pomegranates

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Feminism, Non-Fiction, Women /

Traveling with Pomegranates is part travel book, part mother-daughter exploration, part coming of age book (for young women and older women), part spiritual exploration. At times it seems like it’s a bit too much mix of too many things, but overall – it works.

It’s also a wee bit disconcerting to read Sue Monk Kidd (and her daughter) while listening to Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. The two books mingle and mix with mixed results.

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Lakeshore Christmas

1 Comment / 2009, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Don't Read This, Fiction /

I saw Lakeshore Christmas on a bunch of blogs and book lists so I figured… maybe it will be good? I reserved it. In large print.

TW read it and cursed me for getting it. And then she forced me to read it even though it took me six hours to get past page 2. It just wasn’t a compelling start.

What did I expect? More than I got, that is for sure.

The book did improve but not a whole lot. TW though, feels compelled to read the next one because she likes Daisy and she’s hoping there will be more Daisy storyline in the next book. I’m going to skip it.

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Ophelia Joined the Maidens Who Don’t Float Group

2009, Books in Bed, Classics, Favorites, Fiction, Reading Lists /

Ophelia Joined the Maidens Who Don’t Float Group is the funniest book I’ve read in ages.

I’ve been trying to describe it, over in the BlogHer Book Club, and I think I can sum it up best like this:

1) Take cliff notes of all of the classics and hire someone to rewrite them.

2) Hire Christopher Moore to rewrite them.

3) Chris Moore decides to use the Facebook style interface to rewrite them.

Tada – this is the book you get.

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The Late, Lamented Molly Marx

2 Comments / 2009, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction /

I couldn’t decide whether to read The Late, Lamented Molly Marx or let it go back to the library. TW said it was good, sort of. Sassymonkey had read good things about it but sent her copy back to the library unread. I saw some reviews that seemed like I would like it. I saw some others that made it sound like just another bit of fluffy chick lit. My TBR list is feeling a little too long for just another fluffy chick lit.

But.

I took a chance. I think I was still recovering from Tathea and all of the kind of tough books I’ve been reading. I felt like I wanted just one more thing that I was SURE I would enjoy. Just one more thing that I could just relax and enjoy.

Molly Marx fit the bill. I did enjoy it. Every single one of the characters except for that bitch Stephanie. I did just sit back, relax, and enjoy it. It read quickly. The chapters were exactly the right length. The mix of “memory” and “real life” was excellent. I even liked the ending.

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Zombie Jailbait

2009, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I am a Mario Acevedo fan. He’s no Chris Moore but he comes just about as close as a person can come.

I read Zombie Jailbait straight through, could not put it down. Laughed out loud and yelled NO DON’T TURN HER! because lord, teenage girls are trouble and that one in particular… Yep, big trouble.

Oh, by the way, I liked this fourth book in the series better than I liked book three.

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