Heartless

2012, Books in Bed, Queer, Steampunk /

Gah! I was screaming “No, don’t invite them to Woolsey!” but Alexia did not listen. Sheesh, what was she thinking? Those poor wolves! And, I’m glad I was right about how the threat to the queen really happened, well sort of glad since it was sad it’s hard to be really glad, ya know? You probably don’t know if you haven’t read this series, or haven’t read Heartless – which you should go ahead and do.

Now … to wait for the next book and learn more about the baby… hmm, the next book might be both steampunk and adoption…

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Blameless

2012, Books in Bed, Queer, Steampunk /

I have decided… I want a clockwork ladybug and a steampunk parasol. ASAP.

I enjoyed Blameless, though maybe not quite so much as I enjoyed Soulless and Changeless. There was something just a wee bit off – and it wasn’t the lack of nose negativity (of which there was almost none – YAY!) 

The biggest question I’m left with is… would I have let Biffy die? Or not?  Tough, tough call.

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Send Telephone Books – Hurry!

6 Comments / Animal Issues, Family Funk /

A couple of days ago, the prairie dogs were banging on the cage a lot (as they do — see the previous set of videos) and it was bugging TW. She thought it would be a good idea to give them something to play with. I thought it might be a good idea to kill her.

Yea, they are cute but… it’s hard to get work done like this.

Hard for me, not them… they got a whole lot done.

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A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali

2012, Books in Bed, Fiction /

I can’t figure out why I decided to read A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali. It’s an oldish book, I don’t think there’s any new buzz around it – but somehow it appeared on our library cart and I was pretty sure I’m the one who decided to read it. For awhile, I thought Zandria had read it last year and that’s what pushed me to take the plunge. But no, it wasn’t Zan. So why? Why, why, why would I put myself through that.

Painful.

Not the writing. The horrible, horrible situation in Ruwanda. Genocide is never pretty.

I’m surprised I didn’t have nightmares – the end just about killed me.

*sniff*

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The Marriage Plot

2012, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women /

I received a free review copy of Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot AGES ago. So long ago that I can’t even remember how long ago it was. And we’ve been listening to it for months. A month ago I jokingly said we may NEVER finish listening to it and then yesterday TW said “this is the last disc” and I almost drove the car off of the road because I was so surprised. The last disc? Really? Yippeee!

So why did it take so long to finish this one? No idea. I thought it was just because it’s a really long book but now that I’ve looked at the listing on Amazon and see that it was only 416 page – I’m surprised, I thought it would be easily 600 pages and wouldn’t have blinked at 750. But just over 400? Ugh.

I liked the narrator’s voice and I found Madeleine and Mitchell’s stories interesting.  I found myself chuckling quite often and rolling my eyes from time to time, as well. I really like nothing better than a Eugenides book for his super smart, thinky sentences – pretension included. But, and this is the but that made it take months to finish, I found myself easily distracted and disconnected from the characters. One minute I was super interested in what was happening and the next I had checked out – then I’d turn off the cd and it would be weeks before I’d turn it on again.

Too much of the story revolved around the guys and what they were doing (or not doing) with Madeleine. Her own story line was all about her life as it pertained to the guys. Had she ditched Leonard (and Mitchell) after the conference where she finally decided what she wanted to do next, and gone off and done it – or gone home and really worked to make it happen, that would have been something. But no – she went home, and the story dropped her right back where she was – with no depth, no ego of her own, just a young woman in the 70s still floating along where the guys allow her to float

Still… I’d like to know what happens next to all three characters. I would hope their lives move along without each other and they never see each other again.

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The Underside of Joy

1 Comment / 2012, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction, Women /

This book is a BlogHer Bookclub book but I did not officially read it for the BHBC. Just a bit of a coincidence, really.

I can’t decide if I want to rant about The Underside of Joy or rave about The Underside of Joy. Even the ranting is rally a kind of raving – because I wouldn’t be ranting about the book itself or about the author’s writing or anything else. I want to rant about these characters – particularly about men like Joe. And while ranting, I’ll of course be nice enough to point out that Joe (and men like him) are in part, products of their parents and their childhood who in turn are products of their own childhood etc.

It’s a vicious cycle. That rant would turn into men, like Joe, who are even worse than Joe and I don’t even want to go there, do I?

Nope, I don’t.

So let me just say – great book, quick read, not quite the tearjerker I expected but emotional just the same. And – it ended well.

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I am Half-Sick of Shadows

2012, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

Oh Flavia. I am Half-Sick of Shadows caused me to say “Oh, Flavia” and “Poor, Flavia” a lot. And, this might be my favorite book since book one. No, wait – not might be, it is my favorite.

The interactions between Flavia and the cast of regulars felt better developed – probably because we’ve read enough of the background story and we understand the top layer of why these characters feel and think and act this way and now it’s time to dig a little deeper into their psyches.

Whatevs — I loved it. Loved the Father Christmas storyline. Loved the fireworks.

Can’t wait for the next book.

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