2008

The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, From the Stacks Challenge, Women /

I do believe we purchased The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan a few years (four years ago? five? goodness time flies) when we were in Denver… let’s see, that would have been February of 2004? Maybe I don’t know. Anyway, it’s an autographed copy and the author lives in Denver so I’m guessing we bought it at The Tattered Cover.

Thanks to my “From the Stacks” challenge, I finally found the time to read it and I’m glad. Too bad it took me so darn long to get to it. The book… surprisingly good. I’m tempted to describe it as Latin American chick lit but it’s more than that, or better than that, or something.

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The House of Dark Delights

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Indeed! The things one can find in one’s public library when one isn’t even looking for them. Shocking really. Or maybe we actually looked for this and one of you recommended it? Blogged it? Twittered it? Speak up, don’t blush. It’s perfectly fine if you recommend books that are a wee bit MORE than erotica. I don’t mind, really.

The House of Dark Delights was definitely more than “erotica”. It was pretty close to porn. Though I suppose one woman’s erotica is another woman’s porn, so don’t take my word for it. Go check it out at your local library.

I will say that I would have enjoyed this more if the stories had followed a time line – either backwards or forwards, either would have been fine. I wasn’t there for the sex, I was there for the characters. I got some background, in fits and starts and bits and pieces and that was fine. I’d have been happier if I’d gotten more.

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Hard Love

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Queer, Young Adult /

More YA! Is this one on the Printz list? Is that why I read it? Or is it some leftover reserve from a GLBT YA group of books I reserved? I’m not sure but I read it and it was pretty amusing. I’m not a huge ‘zine fan but I understand the drive people feel to create them and to read them. Not being a ‘zine person or a teen, I’m not qualified to say Hard Love was an accurate representation of the ‘zine scene but it feels like it.

The book itself, pretty interesting. Nerdy but cute boy from dysfunctional broken gets hooked on ‘zines, writing and reading them, and falls for a lesbian ‘zine writer. She sort of falls for him too but, guess what – she’s still a lesbian! Awesome. Heart break all around but also some growing up and some resolutions to the dysfunction (at least on his part) begin to happen.

Not a fun book, by any means, but not one of those really really depressing YA situation novels either.

(oh! It was a Printz Award Honor Book, cool.)

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King Dork

3 Comments / 2008, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

We’ve been listening to King Dork in the car for ages. It’s taken much longer than I had originally expected because it’s far too mature to really listen to with small children in the car – so that cut out most of the time I’d originally allotted for King Dork – the drive to/from Charleston. Ah well, it’s finished – finally. The epilogue and the glossary almost killed us, though listening to the glossary was a lot more amusing than if we’d read it. Also, specific to the audio – the music at the end was terrific but hearing “devil head” read out loud to indicate the instances of “devil head” icon appearances within the text was not much of a pleasure. That part just didn’t work for me. (If you read the book in print and didn’t listen to the songs, check out Frank Portman’s website for mp3s.

Now, about the book. I put it on my A to Z list and was sure I would have read it early in the year. I didn’t. And then I saw sassymonkey’s review and I put it off even more. So, I was prepared to be unimpressed and now that I’ve finished, I’m not sure I am impressed. I am, however, amused. Very very amused. The number of times TW and I laughed out loud cannot be counted on two hands. Laugh out loud funny in a lot of places but a little (ok a lot) slow in others.

I think I have to drop this into my “favorites” just for the Catcher in the Rye commentary. Now, I need to go reserve Brighton Rock at my library because I do not think I have ever read it. (Have you?)

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The Dead Cat Bounce

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction, Mystery, Women /

Ha. The Dead Cat Bounce is the first book in the “Home Repair is Homicide Mystery Series”. This is another of those fluffy series’ that TW reads a ton of but I never manage to read any of – because she reads a lot faster than I do. I’m attempting to read at least ONE of each of the weird series’ she picks up from the library, particularly if she happens to pick up the first one – first. Which she did with this one.

Totally amusing. I’m guessing the ones that come later will be even more amusing, with more home repair issues tossed in for fun. I probably won’t ever read any of them but at least I can think about reading them and smile a little.

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Skellig

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

When I opened the beat up cover of Skellig pretty much the first thing I saw was the list of awards the books has won. I wish those lists were in the back of the book, not the front. I think the list turns off kids because they’ve been forced to read an awful lot of really bad books that have won (or been short listed) for all of those awards.

It would be a shame if a kid put Skellig aside without getting passed the list of awards. It’s also a shame that Skellig didn’t actually win the Printz award. I haven’t read Monster yet but I can’t imagine it is better than a book with homeschooling vs public education and a man/owl/angel. It’s also a very quick read, which I think is a plus for young adult books.

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Bleeding Out

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, From the Stacks Challenge, Mystery, Queer /

TW picked up Bleeding Out during a quick trip we made to Wild Iris, in search of a couple of laptop stickers for Michelle and Prince J for Christmas. We didn’t really find the stickers we wanted but we did find books. As usual. Heh.

TW picked up Bleeding Out and never put it down. That doesn’t always mean it’s a great book but she has probably said “that was really good” a dozen times since she finished it. And after a really slow start, I would have to agree. It was a really good lesbian cop novel.

I’m not sure I like having a character named “Lawless” and Frank felt a little too Kate Delafield for me at times – but overall, I was happy with it and I liked the characters. Let’s see if we can find the next one in the series and let’s see if it is just as good.

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The Winter Knights

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Shiver. It’s pretty cold here in Florida right about now but not nearly as cold as it was in Sanctaphrax in The Edge Chronicles 8: The Winter Knights. Good thing that old Hall Master passed on his knowledge in time for the young knights to warm things up.

I liked this one better than some of the others ahead of it. I wonder what #9 will bring. Hopefully Quint and Maris are still young and primary characters.

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From the Stacks Challenge – 2008

4 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, From the Stacks Challenge /

Alrighty, I wandered around the bookshelves and selected a few from each color (well only one from the white books ’cause those I don’t really like the white books, for some reason.) I’m not reading these in any particular order but am listing them by color so I can find them on my shelves when the time comes to read them, heh.

Red
The Lady, The Chef & The Courtesan – 1/14/8
Bleeding Out – 1/5/8

Orange
Things Fall Apart – 9/1/8
Flame Trees of Thika – 7/27/8
Daughter of the Queen of Sheba – 2/19/8
Queer – 8/4/8
The Magic Shop – 8/23/8
Chloe & Olivia – 11/27/8

Green
Hood – 8/27/8
Queenmaker – 9/7/8

Blue
Here There Be Dragons – 9/19/8
Dancing with Elvis – 8/6/8
Cinnamon Gardens (though upon closer look, maybe this is white and should be moved?) – 10/11/8
Quatrocento (oops, I’ve already read this!)

Purple
Murder Most Crafty – 8/21/8
Beware the Kiss – 10/18/8
Rosemary & Juliet – 9/5/8
Wicked Witch & Curse – 11/12/8

Black
Nasty Bits – 8/10/8
Coffee Trader – 9/21/8
Women in Their Beds – 10/2/8

Silver
First Among Sequels – 8/19/8

Brown
On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon – 11/15/8

White
The Complete Claudine – 8/28/8

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