2010

The Demon’s Lexicon

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Queer, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Now I’m not sure I want it to be a trilogy, isn’t that weird? I have been looking forward to reading The Demon’s Lexicon since long before it made it to the Cybil’s shortlist and now that I finally made time to read it… I’m not sure what I think. I like that it’s darker than most books about magic.  I like that there was a happy unhappy ending. I almost always wish that stories with characters I’m interested in would come back for round two but this time… I just don’t feel it.  I’d like to just leave Nick and Steven where they ended right here. Maybe if book two was just about Mae and Jaime and left Nick and Alan where the landed…. But from what I can tell, all four characters return to Book two.

Go read it and tell me if you agree, please. Maybe it’s just me?

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

The Demon’s Lexicon Read More »

Skin Hunger

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

The second book in the A Resurrection of Magic series is a Cybils shortlister. TW and I had been looking at it for awhile in the library, without realizing it was on the shortlist. Thankfully, I reserved the first book to start with because the second would have been crazy to read without having this background story. And what a background story it is.

Skin Hunger tells two different stories, one of Somiss and Franklin and Sadima as they were trying to rediscover magic – and one of Hahp, Gerard and eight other boys trying to become wizards — and Somiss and Franklin are the wizards who run the school. Evil place it is, obviously since it’s run by Somiss who is… horrible. I kept waiting for there to be something good, something redeeming about him. There wasn’t. Maybe in the next book we’ll learn more… I hope. Because otherwise, I just hate the guy. It will be awhile before I find out – TW just picked up Sacred Scars, and it’s much longer than this one. Maybe I’ll get to it next week.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Skin Hunger Read More »

Two Nancy Drews

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Mystery, Nancy Drew Challenge /

Yesterday was… a day… so I figured the easiest books to read would be some Nancy Drews for my challenge list. And I was right. The Clue in the Jewel Box and The Secret in the Old Attic are history. Well duh, of course they’re history – I’m reading my old books. I should probably stick to Nancy Drews for the rest of the week due to the crazy schedule I’m keeping but I’m going to give a YA fantasy a try today. If that doesn’t work, I’ll head back to Nancy.

One question – wasn’t Helen scheduled to get married in the first few books? Suddenly she’s back and there’s no mention of a fiancé. Or a husband. Or maybe it wasn’t Helen – it was someone else??? It’s bugging me, I need to go back and figure it out.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Two Nancy Drews Read More »

Blood Song

2010, Books in Bed, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Women /

I don’t read nearly as many vampire novels as TW and RJ – I tend to find them a little bit repetitive and I’m really really not into vampire romance. I think Twilight did me in for that genre. But, a vampire detective/mystery – that’s another story. Which is why I went ahead and read Blood Song. (And also because it’s due back to the library pretty soon and having my library closed for more than a month is just a little bit freaking me out. Heaven forbid I waste a library book…)

It was troubling to read this book because it felt like this was  a sequel. A whole lot of backstory was missing and it was referred to in a way that made me SURE I’d missed book one. But when I look, there is no other book before Blood Song, just the sequel – Siren Song. So now I’m extra confused. I liked the book. I liked the characters. Celia Graves is my kind of female detective character. But what the heck happened before Blood Song? Something is missing and that’s annoying.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Blood Song Read More »

Red Pyramid

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I finally got to read Red Pyramid. I didn’t reserve it at the library because Liz owned it in hardback and promised me that I could read it when she finished. Before I had a chance, she loaned it to a teacher (at the end of last school year) and the teacher did not finish it before school was over. So, I had to wait until school started and Liz brought it back. That was a long, long wait.

And it was good but I didn’t like it as much as the Percy Jackson books. TW says that’s because I’d just recently finished the last book in that series, so the characters were all fresh in my mind. That might be true. Or maybe I just don’t like the Egyptian Gods all that much? Or the Godlings either. I think it’s Carter. I just don’t particularly like him very much. And I don’t particularly like Carter and Sadie together. Or maybe I don’t like characters who eat flamingos. I don’t know. We’ll see when I read the next book… spring of 2011. I can wait.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Red Pyramid Read More »

Candor

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

Candor is not a book I’d have ever just picked up off of the shelf, which is why I’m especially thankful for the Cybils folks. This was a very very good book. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could feed your kids just a few subliminal messages to help them remember to do their chores, or encourage them to do their homework? Well in Candor, Florida – everyone gets a nice dose of brainwashing and Candor is the perfect community.

One kid, the son of the founder of the community, knows about the subliminal messages – and smuggles kids out (for a price) before they’re so far gone that they would never think of leaving. But then… something happens… and everything changes.

The ending wasn’t happy – but it was the right ending.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Candor Read More »

Diamond Ruby

2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women, Young Adult /

Awhile back, when I was tired of reading really depressing books and looking for something a bit more uplifting TW suggested Diamond Ruby. When I asked if anyone died or was raped or was emotionally abused, she said, “Well there was this one part … and then another thing…” and so I skipped it. I just wasn’t in the mood.

Well now it’s almost time for Diamond Ruby to go back to the library so I figured I’d give it a shot. And the first 75 pages or so are the most depressing pages ever. OK I’m exaggerating but people die of Spanish Influenza (a pretty horrible death at any time but in the early 1900s… oy) and then there’s a munition factory explosion and then there’s the train wreck and then there’s a 13 year old girl trying to feed her very young nieces and doing whatever it takes (almost) to do that.

DEPRESSING.

Even when Ruby’s luck changed a wee bit, there was a non-stop struggle. Sprinkled with visits by Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey. There’s also a whole lot of non-famous supporting characters and the evil Czar of baseball. And the mob. And… yea, bad things just keep on happening but Ruby survives it all and keeps her family (and her friends) alive.

This was a pretty damn good baseball story. Girls can too throw a baseball.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Diamond Ruby Read More »

Bravo Valentine

2010, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Fiction, Women /

You’d think I’d have read Brava Valentine a long time ago – all of those ads for Adriana Trigiani that were on BlogHer should have reminded me to reserve the darn thing, right? Well no. I was so busy clicking on the ad every time I saw it that I must have just thought I had reserved it. If I hadn’t seen it just sitting on the shelf during our last trip the library, I might not have read this for ages. Or at least until her next book came out and I was reminded that I’d missed one.

Anyway. This one picks up where Very Valentine left off. And I liked it but I was really getting tired of Valentine’s self  deprecating remarks.  I love the Angelini family (especially the new relatives in Buenos Ares) but Valentine might actually be my least favorite member of the family  – which is saying something since I don’t really love Alfred.  I liked Valentine more in the last book – in this one, while I liked the story and finding out what happened next… the first 100 pages or so almost killed me. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to cut it the hell out.

If there’s another book, she’s not going to do that – right???

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Bravo Valentine Read More »

Clementine

2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Women, Young Adult /

Have I mentioned I really love Cherie Priest? People, are you paying attention. YOU MUST READ HER BOOKS. Clementine was a fabulous piece of steampunk – loosely related to Boneshaker (very loosely) – and it was fantastic. Belle Boyd rocked as a strong female lead. Croggin Hainey and his “fellas” (because let’s not use the word “boys”, ok?) rocked just as hard. I want a dirigible! I also want Dreadnaught – like right NOW.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Clementine Read More »

Gonzalez and Daughter Trucking Company

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Fiction, From the Stacks Challenge, Women /

This is another book for my From the Stacks Challenge. And again, I have no idea where we picked this up. Possibly at the old FOLS in Gainesville? Or maybe from the Little City book sale here? Who knows. It’s been on the shelf forever and it’s yellow – that’s all that really matters.

About the book itself, I really liked it. It started slowly and I was worried. A Latina woman in a Mexican jail – I didn’t quite “get it” for the first chapter or two. Once I settled into it, I really enjoyed it. Nice story telling. I loved the women prisoners (and the warden and Nora the guard.) I’d like to know what happened to some of those who were released there at the end – not so much Libertdad, (the main character) – but the others. Her friends. We need a sequel to Gonzalez and Daughter Trucking Company – but I don’t want it to be about Daughter and Gonzalez…

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Gonzalez and Daughter Trucking Company Read More »