Joanna Scott's Follow Me
Man, was this book a piece of drekkerai. I'm not even sure why I kept reading it, except that I thought it was going to get interesting at some point. I mean, it's a woman telling her grandmother's life story from the time she got pregnant as a teenager and ran away from her family and the baby--but all that happens is that she keeps running away from things and getting rescued. There's no tension at all and the characters are really flat and dull. I think the end was supposed to be a big twist but it was just all really dumb. C-. D.. Whatever. Some bad grade.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
2009 book 113
Maria V. Snyder's Poison Study
How I heart YA fantasy, especially when it's by a fellow Penn State alum! In this book (the first of a trilogy), a young woman, about to be executed for murder, is instead recruited to serve as the ruler's food tester, and is inevitably thrust into intrigue and whatnot. Also, there's magic and a little romance. The characters are all really likable, and I can't wait to read the next two. A.
How I heart YA fantasy, especially when it's by a fellow Penn State alum! In this book (the first of a trilogy), a young woman, about to be executed for murder, is instead recruited to serve as the ruler's food tester, and is inevitably thrust into intrigue and whatnot. Also, there's magic and a little romance. The characters are all really likable, and I can't wait to read the next two. A.
partially read
Iain Pear's Stone's Fall
I'm trying really hard to get into this novel--it has a fairly interesting premise, where a widow hires a young reporter to ferret out her husband's secrets (namely a secret child) after his death. But all that's happened in the first 113 pages is the reporter meandering around trying to unravel the mysteries of finance. SO BORING. Also, the title isn't literary or metaphorical at all--the dead guy is named Stone and he fell out a window. Terrible.
I'm trying really hard to get into this novel--it has a fairly interesting premise, where a widow hires a young reporter to ferret out her husband's secrets (namely a secret child) after his death. But all that's happened in the first 113 pages is the reporter meandering around trying to unravel the mysteries of finance. SO BORING. Also, the title isn't literary or metaphorical at all--the dead guy is named Stone and he fell out a window. Terrible.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
2009 book 112
Colm Toibin's Brooklyn
I hate that the book jacket gave away a bunch of things that happened like 200 pages into the book, so I'll be more vague than they were. Anyway, it's the 1950s and a passive young Irish girl who can't find a job in her hometown is packed off to America by her beloved mother and sister. Reading about her adjustment to a whole new country (and a whole new world of dating) was surprisingly riveting, even though the story had almost a dream-like quality to it (which is certainly not a bad thing, just it's not always as attention-grabbing). I'd never read anything by Toibin before and clearly I've been missing out. A.
I hate that the book jacket gave away a bunch of things that happened like 200 pages into the book, so I'll be more vague than they were. Anyway, it's the 1950s and a passive young Irish girl who can't find a job in her hometown is packed off to America by her beloved mother and sister. Reading about her adjustment to a whole new country (and a whole new world of dating) was surprisingly riveting, even though the story had almost a dream-like quality to it (which is certainly not a bad thing, just it's not always as attention-grabbing). I'd never read anything by Toibin before and clearly I've been missing out. A.
2009 book 111
Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn
I will say this for the final Twilight book--Meyer really threw a lot of unexpected stuff into it and I liked most of it on this re-read. I think one of the things that depresses me about the earlier books is Bella always talking about how she's not "worthy" of Edward's (creepy, obsessive) love--it just seems like an unhealthy attitude for lots of pre-teens to read. At least in this book she's kind of a bad-ass, and his equal.
I will say this for the final Twilight book--Meyer really threw a lot of unexpected stuff into it and I liked most of it on this re-read. I think one of the things that depresses me about the earlier books is Bella always talking about how she's not "worthy" of Edward's (creepy, obsessive) love--it just seems like an unhealthy attitude for lots of pre-teens to read. At least in this book she's kind of a bad-ass, and his equal.
2009 book 111
Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse
Man, is Edward a d-bag in the first chunk of this book. I like this one mainly for the werewolves.
Man, is Edward a d-bag in the first chunk of this book. I like this one mainly for the werewolves.
2009 book 110
Stephenie Meyer's New Moon
I like the second Twilight book a lot, mainly b/c Edward is hardly in it at all. I find him more and more annoying every time I read this, so overbearing and patronizing and boring. Team Jacob!
(I have been on a teen vampire kick lately, apparently--still re-watching Buffy! Got through a big chunk of season 3 this afternoon.)
I like the second Twilight book a lot, mainly b/c Edward is hardly in it at all. I find him more and more annoying every time I read this, so overbearing and patronizing and boring. Team Jacob!
(I have been on a teen vampire kick lately, apparently--still re-watching Buffy! Got through a big chunk of season 3 this afternoon.)
Monday, May 25, 2009
2009 book 109
Stephenie Meyer's Twilight
Today was a mildly annoying day, plus it was too hot and humid to read anything that required real thought, which meant it was time to reread Twilight! Whenever I read these books, I have a hard time balancing my enjoyment of the cheesiness with being vaguely creeped out by the Edward-Bella relationship. This re-read made me disappointed in the movie all over again--it could have been hilarious and cheesy, but it's just terrible in every way instead. Oh well.
Today was a mildly annoying day, plus it was too hot and humid to read anything that required real thought, which meant it was time to reread Twilight! Whenever I read these books, I have a hard time balancing my enjoyment of the cheesiness with being vaguely creeped out by the Edward-Bella relationship. This re-read made me disappointed in the movie all over again--it could have been hilarious and cheesy, but it's just terrible in every way instead. Oh well.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
2009 book 108
Michelle Richmond's No One You Know
Twenty years after her sister was murdered and a close friend/teacher turned her sad conversations into a best-selling true crime book, a woman's chance encounter has her investigating the death all over again. Though this isn't a mystery really, more of a novel that has a mystery inside it. I guess tragic and mysterious family dramas are Richmond's specialty; her previous book had similar themes. (There's a weird meta-mention of that novel in this one that I found a little off-putting.) Anyway, this was entertaining enough to read in one sitting, though not particularly spectacular in any way (a little too much math-related dialogue for my taste). B+.
Twenty years after her sister was murdered and a close friend/teacher turned her sad conversations into a best-selling true crime book, a woman's chance encounter has her investigating the death all over again. Though this isn't a mystery really, more of a novel that has a mystery inside it. I guess tragic and mysterious family dramas are Richmond's specialty; her previous book had similar themes. (There's a weird meta-mention of that novel in this one that I found a little off-putting.) Anyway, this was entertaining enough to read in one sitting, though not particularly spectacular in any way (a little too much math-related dialogue for my taste). B+.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
2009 book 107
John Hart's The Last Child
Hart is a local author, I think--or at least the story is set in rural NC. Anyway, a girl disappears, and a year later, her twin brother is still relentlessly pursuing leads, supported by the kindly head detective on the case. Things heat up when another local girl goes missing. I really liked the boy character but the cop was fairly cliche-ridden. The resolution was mostly really good and the story was interesting enough to keep me reading, but parts of it were more than a bit predictable. I dunno, B?
Hart is a local author, I think--or at least the story is set in rural NC. Anyway, a girl disappears, and a year later, her twin brother is still relentlessly pursuing leads, supported by the kindly head detective on the case. Things heat up when another local girl goes missing. I really liked the boy character but the cop was fairly cliche-ridden. The resolution was mostly really good and the story was interesting enough to keep me reading, but parts of it were more than a bit predictable. I dunno, B?
Friday, May 22, 2009
fun new comics
For someone who works in a comic book store, I really don't post enough stuff about comic books! So here's info on a few new things that are awesome.
The first issue of Unwritten is out (and only a dollar)--it's a strong start to a series I'm definitely looking forward to, with lots of magic and stories-about-stories and literary references (I think Sandman fans will like this a lot--it's also described as "Vertigo does Harry Potter" which I suppose is accurate enough).
Another comic chock full of literary references is League of Extraordinary Gentleman, the new series of which just started. It still stars Mina Murray (from Dracula) but this time adds Virginia Woolf's Orlando into the mix (along with a bunch of British characters who sing rewritten song lyrics to songs I would know if I were British). Anyway, Alan Moore's stuff is always worth reading and LOEG is easily my favorite of his series.
For a bit of a change of pace, there's Incognito, about a supervillain in witness protection. I totally love this series--and I rarely read anything involving superpowers. The narrative is great, though, and I'm really into it.
Finally, I just started reading Pluto, an adaptation of an Astro Boy story. Now, I have a weird aversion to all of Tezuka's stuff (it tends to be grisly, and Apollo's Song turned me off forever), but this is really an entirely different take. The art is great, and you really can't go wrong with a murder mystery involving robots. The third volume just came out and I bet it's awesome!
The first issue of Unwritten is out (and only a dollar)--it's a strong start to a series I'm definitely looking forward to, with lots of magic and stories-about-stories and literary references (I think Sandman fans will like this a lot--it's also described as "Vertigo does Harry Potter" which I suppose is accurate enough).
Another comic chock full of literary references is League of Extraordinary Gentleman, the new series of which just started. It still stars Mina Murray (from Dracula) but this time adds Virginia Woolf's Orlando into the mix (along with a bunch of British characters who sing rewritten song lyrics to songs I would know if I were British). Anyway, Alan Moore's stuff is always worth reading and LOEG is easily my favorite of his series.
For a bit of a change of pace, there's Incognito, about a supervillain in witness protection. I totally love this series--and I rarely read anything involving superpowers. The narrative is great, though, and I'm really into it.
Finally, I just started reading Pluto, an adaptation of an Astro Boy story. Now, I have a weird aversion to all of Tezuka's stuff (it tends to be grisly, and Apollo's Song turned me off forever), but this is really an entirely different take. The art is great, and you really can't go wrong with a murder mystery involving robots. The third volume just came out and I bet it's awesome!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
2009 book 106
Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
You really can't go wrong with an 11-year-old girl chemist/sleuth trying to solve a murder that happens in her eccentric family's garden. Hilarious characters, revenge schemes between sisters, philatelists, long-suffering policemen, all in 1950s England--it adds up to an extremely entertaining mystery. Bradley is apparently working on a sequel and I hope it comes out soon! A.
You really can't go wrong with an 11-year-old girl chemist/sleuth trying to solve a murder that happens in her eccentric family's garden. Hilarious characters, revenge schemes between sisters, philatelists, long-suffering policemen, all in 1950s England--it adds up to an extremely entertaining mystery. Bradley is apparently working on a sequel and I hope it comes out soon! A.
fun and exciting things i've shared
Link round-up time!
The NY Times did a profile of Charlaine Harris. I'm hoping she wraps up the Sookie Stackhouse series soon, b/c she was clearly spinning her wheels with the last two books (read: they were terrible).
The Boston Police will warn you when the zombies come.
Interesting legal case: the creators of Emily the Strange are suing the writer and artist the original Emily art is clearly based on (suing to remove any claims they may have on the Emily character). My largely uneducated take: while the author/artist of Rosamond clearly deserve some sort of credit for the original design, the Emily empire has gone far beyond that and has nothing to do with their art. Or something. Still, the Emily people are kind of being jerkwads about it.
I was psyched that the popwatch blog was into Being Erica. I loved this show (not just 'cause it was all so Jewish) and can't wait to see season 2.
The NY Times did a profile of Charlaine Harris. I'm hoping she wraps up the Sookie Stackhouse series soon, b/c she was clearly spinning her wheels with the last two books (read: they were terrible).
The Boston Police will warn you when the zombies come.
Interesting legal case: the creators of Emily the Strange are suing the writer and artist the original Emily art is clearly based on (suing to remove any claims they may have on the Emily character). My largely uneducated take: while the author/artist of Rosamond clearly deserve some sort of credit for the original design, the Emily empire has gone far beyond that and has nothing to do with their art. Or something. Still, the Emily people are kind of being jerkwads about it.
I was psyched that the popwatch blog was into Being Erica. I loved this show (not just 'cause it was all so Jewish) and can't wait to see season 2.
2009 book 105
Sara Shepard's The Visibles
How to describe this book to make it sound as awesome as it is? There's a dysfunctional family--a severely depressed father, a mother who's gone, a fairly weird brother, and the protagonist, a teenage girl obsessed with DNA and feeling out of place in school and life. Plus a wacky great-aunt in Western PA. But, you know, awesome! I really enjoyed these characters and their family relationships. The end maybe wrapped up a little quickly but I have no complaints. A. Shepard is apparently the author of a popular YA catty girl series (Pretty Little Liars) and I may try those out, since I really liked her narrative voice.
How to describe this book to make it sound as awesome as it is? There's a dysfunctional family--a severely depressed father, a mother who's gone, a fairly weird brother, and the protagonist, a teenage girl obsessed with DNA and feeling out of place in school and life. Plus a wacky great-aunt in Western PA. But, you know, awesome! I really enjoyed these characters and their family relationships. The end maybe wrapped up a little quickly but I have no complaints. A. Shepard is apparently the author of a popular YA catty girl series (Pretty Little Liars) and I may try those out, since I really liked her narrative voice.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
partially read
Glen David Gold's Sunnyside
I remembered really liking Gold's first book, which came out about a hundred years ago, so was excited he finally published a second one. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. It's a slow starter and definitely there were some characters/plots I found interesting, but I got bogged down in a lengthy section involving Charlie Chaplin and totally lost interest. I have a rule that if I get 100 pages into a book and don't care enough to finish, I can totally give up and move on to another one. And I just couldn't face 400 more pages of this.
I remembered really liking Gold's first book, which came out about a hundred years ago, so was excited he finally published a second one. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. It's a slow starter and definitely there were some characters/plots I found interesting, but I got bogged down in a lengthy section involving Charlie Chaplin and totally lost interest. I have a rule that if I get 100 pages into a book and don't care enough to finish, I can totally give up and move on to another one. And I just couldn't face 400 more pages of this.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
craig ferguson makes life a little more awesome.
Sometimes I stay up late just to see if his opening will include lip-syncing and puppets. Last night it finally did!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
2009 book 104
Lynn Freed's The Servants' Quarters
This book started off strongly, but about halfway through devolved into sheer annoyingness. I'm too annoyed to even attempt a plot synopsis. C.
This book started off strongly, but about halfway through devolved into sheer annoyingness. I'm too annoyed to even attempt a plot synopsis. C.
Friday, May 15, 2009
2009 book 103
Linda Olsson's Sonata for Miriam
This was a dreamy, somewhat philosophical novel about a man who, after his daughter dies, decides to investigate what happened to his parents in Poland during the Holocaust and then to see the mother of his daughter for the first time in years. Pretty much everything happens the way I thought it would, but it was interesting enough. B.
This was a dreamy, somewhat philosophical novel about a man who, after his daughter dies, decides to investigate what happened to his parents in Poland during the Holocaust and then to see the mother of his daughter for the first time in years. Pretty much everything happens the way I thought it would, but it was interesting enough. B.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
2009 book 102
Charlaine Harris' Dead and Gone
The ninth Sookie Stackhouse book didn't really impress me--the series has been losing steam for a while now, focusing more on politics b/w various groups of supernaturals and not really on the protagonist. It all feels kind of like fan-fiction--lots of romantic drama, not a lot of actual plot. Plus there are way too many secondary and tertiary characters, and the ancillary mystery wasn't interesting or imbued with any kind of narrative tension. In a word, meh. I'll still watch the tv show though. C.
The ninth Sookie Stackhouse book didn't really impress me--the series has been losing steam for a while now, focusing more on politics b/w various groups of supernaturals and not really on the protagonist. It all feels kind of like fan-fiction--lots of romantic drama, not a lot of actual plot. Plus there are way too many secondary and tertiary characters, and the ancillary mystery wasn't interesting or imbued with any kind of narrative tension. In a word, meh. I'll still watch the tv show though. C.
2009 book 101
Gillian Flynn's Dark Places
Flynn's first novel, Sharp Objects, was one of my favorites of 2006. Her second is in the same mold, centering on a young woman whose family was slaughtered when she was a little kid, and her brother went to prison for the deed. Stuck for money, she gets involved with a group of true crime aficionados who swear her brother is innocent and who pay her to talk to people from her past. The novel switches back and forth between present day and the day of the murders, to great effect, and the end is definitely satisfying. I realize this description must read kind of boring, but the book was really totally awesome and I highly recommend it. A. (I'm categorizing it as a mystery since it pretty much is one, but in the literary/psychological/Kate Atkinson style.)
Flynn's first novel, Sharp Objects, was one of my favorites of 2006. Her second is in the same mold, centering on a young woman whose family was slaughtered when she was a little kid, and her brother went to prison for the deed. Stuck for money, she gets involved with a group of true crime aficionados who swear her brother is innocent and who pay her to talk to people from her past. The novel switches back and forth between present day and the day of the murders, to great effect, and the end is definitely satisfying. I realize this description must read kind of boring, but the book was really totally awesome and I highly recommend it. A. (I'm categorizing it as a mystery since it pretty much is one, but in the literary/psychological/Kate Atkinson style.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
