2010

Book of Shadows

2010, Books in Bed, Fiction, Mystery /

TW said Book of Shadows was good (even if it did have the lamest sex scenes ever…) but when I picked it up to read, she said it wasn’t my kind of book. I have no idea why she thought it wasn’t my kind of book. I like lame sex scenes – and mysteries – and creepy paranormal stories. I really have no idea what her problem was. This isn’t a great book but it’s not a bad book either. Creepy, lame sex scenes, easy to stick with and a pretty good book to read when you’re sick and there’s no way you can focus on anything deep or serious. I might even reserve another of Sokoloff’s books from the library.

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A Novel Bookstore

2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery /

I couldn’t resist picking up A Novel Bookstore from the shelf last week and with the dozens of books on my library cart, I felt really compelled to read this one sooner rather than later. Is there a book lover alive who hasn’t thought about owning a bookstore – the perfect bookstore – and what that perfect bookstore would sell? Exactly.

This book was originally written in French and I was a little worried about that. Not all translations really work, ya know. It’s also billed as a mystery, a love story, and a fairy tale which seemed a little overarching. And then the first few chapters left me a little lost and confused – and cold. But, that framework was important. Once we got past that, and into how The Novel Bookstore came to life – it was fascinating.

Picture a bookstore that ignores the latest releases – and the literary awards. Picture a bookstore that sells only novels – only great novels recommended by a committee of great writers. A secret committee of great writers. Is it any wonder bad things began to happen? How dare they?!

Wonderful book. Really.

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Scumble

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction /

When I realized Scumble didn’t quite pick up where Savvy left off, I was a little disappointed. I wanted to learn more about Mibs and not about another Savvy family. Once I adjusted to the idea that this was a different sort of story with different sorts of kids – I loved it. I was sad about Grandma’s jars… and happy that Rocket finally figured everything all out. I hope we see SJ at some point in another book, I’d like to know how that whole mess turned out. And, I’m very very interested in Gypsy – though all of these books have needed a problem to solve and I cannot see Gypsy having a problem to solve. I think she fit her Savvy right into herself so what story is there to tell…?

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Recycler

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

I loved Cycler and was really looking forward to Recycler… Now that most of my challenges are pretty much finished (I’m glaring at you children’s libraries all over the northern suburbs) I’ve got time to read stuff I’ve really been looking forward to. So – Recycler.

What were Jill & Jack going to do, once their secret was revealed oh so publicly at Prom? That’s what we find out in Recycler… and I’m not sure I really approve, particularly regarding what happened with Ramie. I get it – and I think I get where the story is going (there IS going to be another one, right?) but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I’d hoped. Tie it all up nicely in the next one, please.

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Cracked Up to Be

2 Comments / 2010, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Young Adult /

I cannot believe how long it took for Cracked Up to Be to appear on my holds list. I reserved it ages ago – some darn teen checked it out and kept it for a very long time, didn’t she? Hmph. Teens should be more responsible than that… but not obsessively so. Which is kind of what this little book is about. The perfect girl who is so perfect that she’s having panic attacks… and then “something” happens and she gives up being perfect, gives up her friends, tries to push everyone away (and punish herself) because that horrible “something” that happened was her fault…

Excellent book. Depressing in that perfect girls, bad stuff happens to good kids sort of way. I wonder what RJ would think of this? She’s probably think Parker was nuts… sigh.

(Two more books to go in my Cybils Shortlist Challenge… I’m getting worried because as long as it took for me to get this one, it’s taking even longer to get these other two… people. Bring your books back to the darn library! People are waiting to read them!)

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Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos

2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Mystery, Women /

Hahahahaha!

When you first walk into our new library, there are some shelves just to the left of the door. I usually walk right past them without looking because… they’re on the left and I don’t shelf surf on my left, for some reason. Also, they’re not really near other books so it seems counterproductive to stop there for some reason. I don’t know… it’s probably just a matter of getting used to the new library or something. 

But one day, I stopped to look and one of the sections was devoted to mysteries and front and center was a mystery with “Flamingos” in the title. Wrought-Iron Flamingos, to be precise. I couldn’t resist and into the bag went Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos. It sat on the shelf for a long time before TW picked it up to read. She was amused by it and right about the time I was ready to read it – it disappeared. I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE and I thought it had gone back to the library and had just been left unshelved, or was shelved but not checked in. About the time I was ready to file a “we don’t have this anymore, could you please look on the shelves” request, TW found it hiding in her dresser. Huh.

So, I got to read it after all. And as I started reading, I told TW that this author should write a book about Cockatiels… well hah, she did write a book about cockatiels and both TW and her mom read it a few months ago! TW had not remembered the main character as being the same one in the Flamingo book (which goes a long way toward you understanding how TW reads books, doesn’t it? And also goes a long way toward understanding how TW cannot recognize someone she sees every year at BlogHer Con and talks to almost daily on the internet, doesn’t it?)

Anyway – I loved this book. I loved that Meg was embarrassed at having made the flamingos but embraced the idea after she realized just how many people WANTED them. People love Flamingo yard art, even if they pretend otherwise. I obviously love that Meg is a blacksmith and that she has crazy relatives. It was a fun book and I’m guessing all of her bird related Meg Langslow mysteries are just as fun.

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Mirabilis

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Queer, Women /

After spending several days complaining about the lack of books to choose from, I decided to work on getting my library reserve list back up to speed. I started with my Amazon wish list – it’s not really a wish list, it’s a holding place for books we’re interested in reading but can’t add to the library reserve list because our list is already really long. Then, I looked over the books I’ve read this year and looked for sequels or prequels that I’d like to read and reserved those. Then I looked at the Amazon “best of 2010” lists because I was really hoping to add some quality adult books – or maybe just adult books – or maybe just quality books. I don’t know – something that’s not too chick lit-y and something that’s not to YA-y. Then, I decided to look for some good lesbian literature and that’s where my frustration really began.

I sorted the Amazon lists by bestsellers, lesbian fiction, hardcover (because I was getting too many small publishers/self puplishers in the list and my library won’t have any of those) – only to find… my library has none of the 2010 lesbian fiction hardcover bestsellers… or worse yet, the bestsellers are all old… or lesbian detective mysteries. I like Jane Lawless but please, enough is enough. I wanted something else… something better.

It was late. I gave up for the night and decided I’d approach it from the women’s/lesbian bookstore direction and assumed I’d have more luck. I went to bed, without a book, and complained to TW about the problem. She said, “that book I just read is a library book – and it’s lesbian fiction.” Huh. Who knew?

Mirabilis is lesbian fiction, though it doesn’t really flaunt it and that’s the problem – there are a lot of great lesbian novels out there but for some reason publishers, authors, booksellers don’t want to label a book as lesbian fiction. (I wonder why… hahahaha)

Mirabilis is a story of a 14th century wet nurse who saves a town during a time of famine by feeding them all via her breasts, (well not all of them, she doesn’t allow the truly evil to nurse.) She’s able to do this because a rich pregnant widow is feeding her real, good food to make sure her milk is good enough for the soon to be born heir. A relationship develops between the wet nurse and the rich widow… gasp, a lesbian relationship!

Funny what you stumble upon when you don’t expect it.

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The Girl Who Played Go

2010, Books in Bed, Fiction /

My library cart is kind of boring right now. I was so caught up in trying to finish my challenges that I didn’t keep up with requesting books and I found myself with a cart full of paranormal romance and non-fiction that I didn’t check out. And, a grown woman can only read so much Nancy Drew before her head starts to spin so… I grabbed the only thing that looked interesting, The Girl Who Played Go.

Before I started reading, I had to figure out how to play Go. I could picture the game but I wasn’t sure I knew the rules. TW looked it up for me on her iPhone then I got my iPhone and installed a Go app and played a game. I’m really bad at it… which won’t surprise Michelle since she beats me handily at a similar game on the iPad…

Then, I started to read. At first I thought the young man in the story was the girl who played go’s brother. It took me a minute to realize the chapters alternate between the story of a Manchurian girl and the story of a Japanese soldier  – and then once they meet, their stories are more intertwined.

The book was good. It was a quick read. The ending was harsh. Very, very harsh. I didn’t expect that, though I should have since war is harsh and soldiers are often cruel.

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