I had jury duty today, which somehow was even more boring than I imagined (mainly b/c it consisted of sitting around waiting to hear if my name was called, which when it was, meant I had to sit around for an extra couple of hours for what turned out to be no reason whatsoever--probably I'd have minded less if I hadn't finished all three of my books shortly after 12:30. Next time I'm bringing meatier tomes).
Anyway:
Bennett Madison's Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox
The sequel to the rich and glamourous teen girl detective book I read last week was just as cute as its predecessor, yet somehow even more farfetched. I did like the whole middle-aged actresses as terrorists motif, though. B+
Nora Gallagher's Changing Light
Ah, 1950s New Mexico--a place where a Czech Jewish scientist can flee in horror from his work on the A-bomb and meet up with a feisty Georgia O'Keefe-esque painter fleeing from her own crappy marriage, and immediately fall in love. Seriously, why do fictional characters form long-lasting love-type feelings for characters they've only known for five minutes? Were they that sexually repressed or something? I guess the two characters were interesting, but I really didn't buy their sudden romance. Also, the pseudo-villains (a really annoying spy and a jealous priest) were pretty lame. B-.
Anjali Bannerjee's Maya Running
This is the sort of YA book I don't like much. Of course you all know I'm interested in themes of outsider-ness, so you'd think I'd like a book about a teen Indian girl in Canada in the 1970s, who's the only non-white kid in her class and is trying hard to fit in, balance her two worlds, etc. Unfortunately, this book had absolutely no subtlety, and when things suddenly take a turn for the mystical, I was rolling my eyes on just about every page. Way to throw anvils on heads, Ms. Bannerjee! It was like a badly written moralistic fairy tale. C.
1 comment:
bennett madison's on myspace and i sorta struck up a friendship with him. well, an acquaintanceship more like. i couldn't resist messaging a cute gay guy who shares my love of the lucksmiths, stevie nicks, and beyond the valley of the dolls. i'm embarrassed to admit though that i've yet to actually read either of his books. i keep meaning to check them out at the library, but every time i go to leroy collins they've only the lulu dark sequel and i want to read that one first.
as for maya running, how sad is it that i'd probably read that book anyway just because i'm a sucker for any indian novel and haven't disliked any that i've read thus far.
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