Diana Wynne Jones' The Lives of Christopher Chant
I always think the second Chrestomanci book is stronger than the first--there's just a lot more going on, with all the world-hopping and various people and their machinations and an awesome girl-goddess. And Christopher is more likable than Eric, or at least less wishy-washy. But let's be honest, I read these books for the girls like Millie.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Sunday, August 11, 2013
2013 book 215
Diana Wynne Jones' Charmed Life
I've been so cranky about books lately--nothing seems appealing. The only cure is to fall into a series you already love! It'd been a while since I revisited the Chrestomanci series and this really hit the spot. Of course, the only thing I really remembered was the end, so I kept waiting for all the reveals to just HAPPEN already. It doesn't matter though; this whole series is charming.
I've been so cranky about books lately--nothing seems appealing. The only cure is to fall into a series you already love! It'd been a while since I revisited the Chrestomanci series and this really hit the spot. Of course, the only thing I really remembered was the end, so I kept waiting for all the reveals to just HAPPEN already. It doesn't matter though; this whole series is charming.
2013 book 214
Natalie Brown's The Lovebird
I only finished this book because I'm so tired of leaving books unfinished (nothing seems appealing these days). It's about a limp noodle of a young girl who falls for her Latin professor, and he then introduces her to the world of animal activism. (I will say that Brown totally nails the college student activism scene, full of well-meaning, but idiotic, students.) Then she ends up having to go on the run; at one point she makes a quip about being a white girl who will be saved by magical Native Americans. BUT, that is exactly what happens, and it's like, what, come on. The epilogue also feels totally tacked on. I didn't realize this was women's fiction, but that's what the second half turned out to be. Not really my thing. B/B-.
I only finished this book because I'm so tired of leaving books unfinished (nothing seems appealing these days). It's about a limp noodle of a young girl who falls for her Latin professor, and he then introduces her to the world of animal activism. (I will say that Brown totally nails the college student activism scene, full of well-meaning, but idiotic, students.) Then she ends up having to go on the run; at one point she makes a quip about being a white girl who will be saved by magical Native Americans. BUT, that is exactly what happens, and it's like, what, come on. The epilogue also feels totally tacked on. I didn't realize this was women's fiction, but that's what the second half turned out to be. Not really my thing. B/B-.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
2013 book 213
Jaime Lee Moyer's Delia's Shadow
So there's kind of a lot going on here: it's a few years after the San Francisco earthquake, and our first main character is a young woman (Delia) who can see ghosts, and is being haunted by a woman who was murdered (Shadow). Our other main character is Delia's best friend's fiance's partner--they're detectives trying to find a serial killer! These two storylines quickly intersect, obviously. I will say that some plotlines are fairly predictable, and some of the dialogue is awkward/overly exposition-y, but the characters and setting are charming, and the mystery part is suitably creepy. Things get a little bit overwrought by the end, but it was a pretty fun read. B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
So there's kind of a lot going on here: it's a few years after the San Francisco earthquake, and our first main character is a young woman (Delia) who can see ghosts, and is being haunted by a woman who was murdered (Shadow). Our other main character is Delia's best friend's fiance's partner--they're detectives trying to find a serial killer! These two storylines quickly intersect, obviously. I will say that some plotlines are fairly predictable, and some of the dialogue is awkward/overly exposition-y, but the characters and setting are charming, and the mystery part is suitably creepy. Things get a little bit overwrought by the end, but it was a pretty fun read. B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
2013 book 212
Rhys Bowen's Heirs and Graces
Yay, finally a new book in the Royal Spyness series! In this one, Victoria's great-granddaughter Georgie finds herself being enlisted by a dowager duchess to teach the new heir--who's grown up as an average Australian--some social graces. But then! The current Duke is murdered! With the heir's Australian hunting knife! I thought I had totally predicted the killer but was way off, much to my surprise and delight. I really enjoy this series--Georgie is an interesting heroine, I like the historical setting and reading about the foibles of upper-crust British society, and the tone is always nice and light (even when there's murder involved). I wish there were more series like this one. A-.
Yay, finally a new book in the Royal Spyness series! In this one, Victoria's great-granddaughter Georgie finds herself being enlisted by a dowager duchess to teach the new heir--who's grown up as an average Australian--some social graces. But then! The current Duke is murdered! With the heir's Australian hunting knife! I thought I had totally predicted the killer but was way off, much to my surprise and delight. I really enjoy this series--Georgie is an interesting heroine, I like the historical setting and reading about the foibles of upper-crust British society, and the tone is always nice and light (even when there's murder involved). I wish there were more series like this one. A-.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
2013 book 211
Meg Rosoff's Picture Me Gone
I've really enjoyed Rosoff's books, particularly her most recent one, There Is No Dog; she's one of those writers who inhabits a completely different world with every one. This one is smaller in scale than her last, but is much more affecting--it's about a strangely observant 12-year-old London girl who travels to America with her father to visit his long-time best friend . . . only the friend has left home and is currently missing. So they have to roadtrip around to try and find him. Secrets and lies are uncovered, but it's the narrative voice that really makes this great. Mila is amazing, and I loved her relationship with her parents. It's always really nice to see a loving, non-dysfunctional family in fiction (even if everyone else's marriages seem to be falling apart). Really an enjoyable and very moving read. A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on October 3rd.
I've really enjoyed Rosoff's books, particularly her most recent one, There Is No Dog; she's one of those writers who inhabits a completely different world with every one. This one is smaller in scale than her last, but is much more affecting--it's about a strangely observant 12-year-old London girl who travels to America with her father to visit his long-time best friend . . . only the friend has left home and is currently missing. So they have to roadtrip around to try and find him. Secrets and lies are uncovered, but it's the narrative voice that really makes this great. Mila is amazing, and I loved her relationship with her parents. It's always really nice to see a loving, non-dysfunctional family in fiction (even if everyone else's marriages seem to be falling apart). Really an enjoyable and very moving read. A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on October 3rd.
Monday, August 05, 2013
2013 book 210
Pamela Dean's Tam Lin
This is one of those books people have been recommending to me for YEARS, but man, it is BORING. Seriously, so boring. The fairy tale stuff doesn't get started until like the last ten percent of the book, and before that is just a bunch of 70s college students dealing with a love octagon; most of the dudes are creepy Classics majors (the school has a weird Classics cult) (also they are obviously all fairies/dealing with fairy drama) who keep pretentiously quoting poetry at each other. There's also a very extended scene involving a play they're putting on that I found completely unbearable, because it just goes on FOREVER. Symbolism can be shorter. I really wish the editors of the Fairy Tale Series this is a part of had taken a much firmer hand with this one. The main character, Janet, is likable and proactive enough, but I don't really care about her college classes and essays or her dining hall preferences. And that's ALL the book is. There's also a ghost and some nice roommates, but the fairy tale elements are way underplayed here. If I wanted to read a book about obnoxiously intellectual college students, I'd have done that; I wanted a fairy tale. B-.
This is one of those books people have been recommending to me for YEARS, but man, it is BORING. Seriously, so boring. The fairy tale stuff doesn't get started until like the last ten percent of the book, and before that is just a bunch of 70s college students dealing with a love octagon; most of the dudes are creepy Classics majors (the school has a weird Classics cult) (also they are obviously all fairies/dealing with fairy drama) who keep pretentiously quoting poetry at each other. There's also a very extended scene involving a play they're putting on that I found completely unbearable, because it just goes on FOREVER. Symbolism can be shorter. I really wish the editors of the Fairy Tale Series this is a part of had taken a much firmer hand with this one. The main character, Janet, is likable and proactive enough, but I don't really care about her college classes and essays or her dining hall preferences. And that's ALL the book is. There's also a ghost and some nice roommates, but the fairy tale elements are way underplayed here. If I wanted to read a book about obnoxiously intellectual college students, I'd have done that; I wanted a fairy tale. B-.
Saturday, August 03, 2013
2013 book 209
Hanya Yanigihara's The People in the Trees
Comparisons to Ann Patchett's State of Wonder are apt for this book--not only in terms of subject matter and themes, but for the strength of the writing. This doesn't at all read like a first novel. It's about a Novel Prize-winning scientist, who once discovered a small Micronesian tribe that eats a specific turtle to become immortal--but also leads to dementia. Now disgraced and imprisoned for child abuse, he's writing his memoirs, which are being edited and annotated by a colleague he mentored. It's one of those books where the main character is completely unlikable in every way (not only is he extremely racist and sexist, you can actually see the moment where he decides sexually abusing children is a-ok), but it's told so well that the book is great anyway. There's also a whole interesting thing with the multiple levels of unreliable narrators, and the discussions of 1950s academia are pretty fascinating too. Now, this book was very hard to read at times--besides the sexual abuse, there's a very lengthy description of terrible things done to lab animals--but it was also EXCELLENT. I honestly can't believe this is a first novel--it's a remarkable accomplishment. A/A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on August 13th.
Comparisons to Ann Patchett's State of Wonder are apt for this book--not only in terms of subject matter and themes, but for the strength of the writing. This doesn't at all read like a first novel. It's about a Novel Prize-winning scientist, who once discovered a small Micronesian tribe that eats a specific turtle to become immortal--but also leads to dementia. Now disgraced and imprisoned for child abuse, he's writing his memoirs, which are being edited and annotated by a colleague he mentored. It's one of those books where the main character is completely unlikable in every way (not only is he extremely racist and sexist, you can actually see the moment where he decides sexually abusing children is a-ok), but it's told so well that the book is great anyway. There's also a whole interesting thing with the multiple levels of unreliable narrators, and the discussions of 1950s academia are pretty fascinating too. Now, this book was very hard to read at times--besides the sexual abuse, there's a very lengthy description of terrible things done to lab animals--but it was also EXCELLENT. I honestly can't believe this is a first novel--it's a remarkable accomplishment. A/A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on August 13th.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
2013 book 208
Natasha Farrant's After Iris
This is one of those YA books that just makes you straight up WEEP, about 13-year-old Bluebell, whose twin, Iris, was killed in an accident almost three years earlier--and her family has basically been falling apart ever since. There are also a bunch of pet rats, a bearded Bosnian au pair, first crushes, school drama, and more. Things resolve a little too neatly for my personal taste, but that feels about right for a middle-grade book, and it's still fairly satisfying. B/B+.
This is one of those YA books that just makes you straight up WEEP, about 13-year-old Bluebell, whose twin, Iris, was killed in an accident almost three years earlier--and her family has basically been falling apart ever since. There are also a bunch of pet rats, a bearded Bosnian au pair, first crushes, school drama, and more. Things resolve a little too neatly for my personal taste, but that feels about right for a middle-grade book, and it's still fairly satisfying. B/B+.
2013 book 207
Hannah Kent's Burial Rites
Based on the true story of the last woman executed in Iceland, this novel centers on an accused murderess in 1829, who's sent to live with a local official and his family while she awaits her execution. She tells her story to a young local priest (and to the sympathetic matriarch who's housing her). Really well-done atmosphere, though some of the characters weren't as well developed as I might have liked, and I'm still not sure what to think about murderer Agnes. But I will say that, for all the complaints I've had about historical based-on-a-true-story novels, this one actually passes muster. It's a bit slow, but totally nails feeling of the long winter in the frozen North. B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
Based on the true story of the last woman executed in Iceland, this novel centers on an accused murderess in 1829, who's sent to live with a local official and his family while she awaits her execution. She tells her story to a young local priest (and to the sympathetic matriarch who's housing her). Really well-done atmosphere, though some of the characters weren't as well developed as I might have liked, and I'm still not sure what to think about murderer Agnes. But I will say that, for all the complaints I've had about historical based-on-a-true-story novels, this one actually passes muster. It's a bit slow, but totally nails feeling of the long winter in the frozen North. B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
2013 book 206
Phoebe North's Starglass
Normally sci-fi books about spaceships are REALLY not my jam, but when it's a sci-fi book about a JEWISH spaceship, I am SO THERE. Sixteen year old Terra lives on a spaceship founded generations ago by a bunch of secular American Jews (though obviously after 500+ years, the religion has changed somewhat), and now they're about to finally arrive at their destination planet! The usual plotlines happen--a brewing rebellion, corrupt leadership, various love interests (I actually have no complaints about the way the love interests are here--very rare for a YA book), interesting social/LGBT issues, etc. The only problem is that, as with all YA books, the protagonist is a teenager, and teenagers are stupid. Terra is particularly easily manipulated by basically everyone else in the book. Not that that's a bad thing--it actually works with the story/worldbuilding, and things end up in an interesting place (this is the first of a two-book series). I liked this much more than I was expecting to--because spaceships, whatever--and look forward to seeing what happens next. B/B+.
Normally sci-fi books about spaceships are REALLY not my jam, but when it's a sci-fi book about a JEWISH spaceship, I am SO THERE. Sixteen year old Terra lives on a spaceship founded generations ago by a bunch of secular American Jews (though obviously after 500+ years, the religion has changed somewhat), and now they're about to finally arrive at their destination planet! The usual plotlines happen--a brewing rebellion, corrupt leadership, various love interests (I actually have no complaints about the way the love interests are here--very rare for a YA book), interesting social/LGBT issues, etc. The only problem is that, as with all YA books, the protagonist is a teenager, and teenagers are stupid. Terra is particularly easily manipulated by basically everyone else in the book. Not that that's a bad thing--it actually works with the story/worldbuilding, and things end up in an interesting place (this is the first of a two-book series). I liked this much more than I was expecting to--because spaceships, whatever--and look forward to seeing what happens next. B/B+.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
2013 book 205
Sarah Beth Durst's Conjured
I have really enjoyed Durst's last few books, but this one didn't work for me quite as well. It has a great premise--a girl with magical abilities is in paranormal witness protection, but doesn't know who she is, and every time she has a vision, she loses huge chunks of her (newly formed) memories. There's also a whole romance thing with a boy who's a library page that takes up most of the rest of the book, and which I was pretty uninterested in. I mean, they literally do magic by kissing; it is . . . not my thing. My main problem here, though, is that the characters feel really underdeveloped--they're basically cardboard cutouts, even the ones who /have/ their memories and know who they are. The world-building is strong, and the girl's background turns out to be kind of fascinating--I just wish this had had one more pass through an editor or something, because it just fell a little flat. B/B-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
I have really enjoyed Durst's last few books, but this one didn't work for me quite as well. It has a great premise--a girl with magical abilities is in paranormal witness protection, but doesn't know who she is, and every time she has a vision, she loses huge chunks of her (newly formed) memories. There's also a whole romance thing with a boy who's a library page that takes up most of the rest of the book, and which I was pretty uninterested in. I mean, they literally do magic by kissing; it is . . . not my thing. My main problem here, though, is that the characters feel really underdeveloped--they're basically cardboard cutouts, even the ones who /have/ their memories and know who they are. The world-building is strong, and the girl's background turns out to be kind of fascinating--I just wish this had had one more pass through an editor or something, because it just fell a little flat. B/B-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
2013 book 204
Jean Webster's Daddy-Long-Legs
This is one of my all-time favorite books--I read it many, many times in childhood and beyond--so I was super excited that it was FYA's July book (even though it's not really a YA book! It's a classic girls' college book!). Jerusha is one of the funniest, sweetest, most exuberant characters ever, and the epistolary format really works here. She's also occasionally wickedly sarcastic; I love all her little digs at women not being able to vote. PLUS, I found a Kindle edition that has the adorable illustrations! This is truly a classic book and it sucks that Webster died in childbirth before she could write many more. Stupid early 1900s.
This is one of my all-time favorite books--I read it many, many times in childhood and beyond--so I was super excited that it was FYA's July book (even though it's not really a YA book! It's a classic girls' college book!). Jerusha is one of the funniest, sweetest, most exuberant characters ever, and the epistolary format really works here. She's also occasionally wickedly sarcastic; I love all her little digs at women not being able to vote. PLUS, I found a Kindle edition that has the adorable illustrations! This is truly a classic book and it sucks that Webster died in childbirth before she could write many more. Stupid early 1900s.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
2013 book 203
Lily Brett's Lola Bensky
In the opening scene of this marvelous novel, Lola Bensky, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors who now live in Australia, has come to London to be a rock journalist and is having a remarkably absorbing conversation with Jimi Hendrix. From there, we see her interact with Mick Jagger, Cher, and various other notables of the day, full of self-deprecating wit and good humor (not to mention plans for really weird diets). Then we go forward and see her in her 30s and 50s (and I would totally read the detective series she's writing in her 50s) before going back to the 60s for Monterey Pop. Basically, it's several of my major interests (Judaism, music, vulnerable but cool woman protagonists) combined into one book of awesome! And I'm pretty sure it's semi-autobiographical, based on Googling the author, which is kind of a surprise--the writing feels really young and fresh. I could have done without the list of dead rock stars that Lola had encountered (it's not really new information that like half the rock stars in the 60s died of drug overdoses), but it all came together in the end. I really, really liked this. A/A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
In the opening scene of this marvelous novel, Lola Bensky, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors who now live in Australia, has come to London to be a rock journalist and is having a remarkably absorbing conversation with Jimi Hendrix. From there, we see her interact with Mick Jagger, Cher, and various other notables of the day, full of self-deprecating wit and good humor (not to mention plans for really weird diets). Then we go forward and see her in her 30s and 50s (and I would totally read the detective series she's writing in her 50s) before going back to the 60s for Monterey Pop. Basically, it's several of my major interests (Judaism, music, vulnerable but cool woman protagonists) combined into one book of awesome! And I'm pretty sure it's semi-autobiographical, based on Googling the author, which is kind of a surprise--the writing feels really young and fresh. I could have done without the list of dead rock stars that Lola had encountered (it's not really new information that like half the rock stars in the 60s died of drug overdoses), but it all came together in the end. I really, really liked this. A/A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in September.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
2013 book 202
Jayne Anne Phillips' Quiet Dell
Phillips' latest--after Lark and Termite--is based on the true story of a family murdered by a con man in 1931. It starts off strong--the first quarter lets us get to know the family and a former lodger/family friend--but then things go off the rails a little when a journalist comes to write about the case and has some immediate love connection with the local banker. The whole thing was really bizarre and unnecessary, I thought. And it just gets really dull from there, with weirdly fake-old-fashioned-style dialogue and people traipsing around and nothing happening! Like, I did not care about the weird relationship between the journalist and the banker, and that's what the whole last 3/4 of the book is about. Plus, parts are from the POV of the youngest child's ghost, and . . . no. Even the section on the murderer's trial manages to be boring. I gave up reading it twice but figured I didn't have time to finish another book, so kept plugging away angrily at this one, wishing it was like 200 pages shorter. Side note: this book also has the most genteel description of anal sex that has ever been written. I'm not basing that on any kind of expertise on writings about anal sex, but on the extremely hilariously polite way it is described here. It was kind of amazing. Nothing could possibly ever top that. Still not enough to make me like this book, though. I feel like I've had this problem with books based on real events before--like authors get so caught up in trying to keep things authentic that the story suffers. I don't know, C?
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in October.
Phillips' latest--after Lark and Termite--is based on the true story of a family murdered by a con man in 1931. It starts off strong--the first quarter lets us get to know the family and a former lodger/family friend--but then things go off the rails a little when a journalist comes to write about the case and has some immediate love connection with the local banker. The whole thing was really bizarre and unnecessary, I thought. And it just gets really dull from there, with weirdly fake-old-fashioned-style dialogue and people traipsing around and nothing happening! Like, I did not care about the weird relationship between the journalist and the banker, and that's what the whole last 3/4 of the book is about. Plus, parts are from the POV of the youngest child's ghost, and . . . no. Even the section on the murderer's trial manages to be boring. I gave up reading it twice but figured I didn't have time to finish another book, so kept plugging away angrily at this one, wishing it was like 200 pages shorter. Side note: this book also has the most genteel description of anal sex that has ever been written. I'm not basing that on any kind of expertise on writings about anal sex, but on the extremely hilariously polite way it is described here. It was kind of amazing. Nothing could possibly ever top that. Still not enough to make me like this book, though. I feel like I've had this problem with books based on real events before--like authors get so caught up in trying to keep things authentic that the story suffers. I don't know, C?
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in October.
2013 book 201
Donna Andrews' We'll Always Have Parrots
In the 5th Meg Langslow book, Meg finds herself at a con for a popular Xena-like tv show (her boyfriend is one of the actors), and of course there is a MURDER. (Sorry, at a certain point I find it hard to suspend disbelief that one person would encounter so many murders.) Actually, though, this is a fairly strong volume of the series, with lots of Andrews' trademark humor, and even has a pretty good explanation of fanfiction and slash--which, considering this came out in 2004, is kind of impressive. It's pretty easy to figure out what happened, but all the craziness of a tv show con plus a bunch of loose parrots and monkeys keeps things entertaining. B+.
In the 5th Meg Langslow book, Meg finds herself at a con for a popular Xena-like tv show (her boyfriend is one of the actors), and of course there is a MURDER. (Sorry, at a certain point I find it hard to suspend disbelief that one person would encounter so many murders.) Actually, though, this is a fairly strong volume of the series, with lots of Andrews' trademark humor, and even has a pretty good explanation of fanfiction and slash--which, considering this came out in 2004, is kind of impressive. It's pretty easy to figure out what happened, but all the craziness of a tv show con plus a bunch of loose parrots and monkeys keeps things entertaining. B+.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
2013 book 200
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Apparently Harry Potter is my comfort reading for when I'm not feeling 100 percent, and nothing else would do! I actually have thought of something new to say about this book after umpteenth readings. When Rowling was revealed as the author of the Cuckoo's Calling, all sorts of reviewers talked about the book's depiction of fame in relation to the murdered supermodel Lula. But the HP books are also very much about celebrity, and how people's perceptions of HP shift based on it (maybe more so in the later books, but it's very present in book 1--especially since Harry has no memory of what he's famous for). And Rowling wasn't famous at all when she wrote this book--so maybe it's just something she's interested in? Of course, she can obviously relate to it much more now.
Apparently Harry Potter is my comfort reading for when I'm not feeling 100 percent, and nothing else would do! I actually have thought of something new to say about this book after umpteenth readings. When Rowling was revealed as the author of the Cuckoo's Calling, all sorts of reviewers talked about the book's depiction of fame in relation to the murdered supermodel Lula. But the HP books are also very much about celebrity, and how people's perceptions of HP shift based on it (maybe more so in the later books, but it's very present in book 1--especially since Harry has no memory of what he's famous for). And Rowling wasn't famous at all when she wrote this book--so maybe it's just something she's interested in? Of course, she can obviously relate to it much more now.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
2013 book 199
Kristen-Paige Madonia's Fingerprints of You
Judy Blume recommended this in her interview with Rookie, and if Judy Blume recommends a YA book, you'd better f-ing read it! This one's about teenager Lemon, named after a color her teenage mother was painting with the month she was born, and what happens when she herself becomes a pregnant teenager, and decides to take a road trip to try and find her heretofore unknown father. Which sounds kind of heavy, but actually this book was pretty cute, helped along by the presence of Lemon's best friend, along for the trip, and the magic of San Francisco. And the inevitable cute boy--who is more likable than most, and who isn't really featured too heavily. Most of all, this is really kind of about a mother-daughter relationship, and how a daughter realizes that her mom is an actual person. I had a few minor quibbles, but things wrapped up in a way I found to be pretty satisfying. B+. (And A+ for the awesome tattoo-inspired cover!)
Judy Blume recommended this in her interview with Rookie, and if Judy Blume recommends a YA book, you'd better f-ing read it! This one's about teenager Lemon, named after a color her teenage mother was painting with the month she was born, and what happens when she herself becomes a pregnant teenager, and decides to take a road trip to try and find her heretofore unknown father. Which sounds kind of heavy, but actually this book was pretty cute, helped along by the presence of Lemon's best friend, along for the trip, and the magic of San Francisco. And the inevitable cute boy--who is more likable than most, and who isn't really featured too heavily. Most of all, this is really kind of about a mother-daughter relationship, and how a daughter realizes that her mom is an actual person. I had a few minor quibbles, but things wrapped up in a way I found to be pretty satisfying. B+. (And A+ for the awesome tattoo-inspired cover!)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
2013 book 198
E.L. Konigsburg's The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
Here's another Konigsburg book I've never read--mainly b/c it came out in 2004, when YA wasn't really on my radar. I kind of love that there are all these delightful and charming books I have yet to discover--especially because some days it feels like there aren't any charming books left in the world. This one starts with twelve-year-old Margaret Rose being rescued from summer camp (and a cabin of mean girls) by her great-uncle. I kind of wish I'd known about her "I'd prefer not to" method of activity avoidance when I went to camp, because man, I'd have preferred not to have to play tetherball. Or camp outside in the mud. (I had very nice girls in my cabin, though.) Anyway. Margaret returns home, but things there are . . . not quite right. Can she--with the help of some others--save the day? Not to make this sound simplistic. It's not as clear-cut as that--Konigsburg tells a more complicated tale (and I can think of few other YA authors who'd have outsider art as a major plot point) with an ending that is actually fairly bittersweet. A good antidote to yesterday's book (and an episode of Luther), nonetheless. A/A-.
Here's another Konigsburg book I've never read--mainly b/c it came out in 2004, when YA wasn't really on my radar. I kind of love that there are all these delightful and charming books I have yet to discover--especially because some days it feels like there aren't any charming books left in the world. This one starts with twelve-year-old Margaret Rose being rescued from summer camp (and a cabin of mean girls) by her great-uncle. I kind of wish I'd known about her "I'd prefer not to" method of activity avoidance when I went to camp, because man, I'd have preferred not to have to play tetherball. Or camp outside in the mud. (I had very nice girls in my cabin, though.) Anyway. Margaret returns home, but things there are . . . not quite right. Can she--with the help of some others--save the day? Not to make this sound simplistic. It's not as clear-cut as that--Konigsburg tells a more complicated tale (and I can think of few other YA authors who'd have outsider art as a major plot point) with an ending that is actually fairly bittersweet. A good antidote to yesterday's book (and an episode of Luther), nonetheless. A/A-.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
2013 book 197
Jenni Fagan's The Panopticon
So, this book is about teenager Anais, who's grown up in a series of foster homes, and who's now being escorted to a juvenile facility after an attack on a policewoman. I'm being completely honest when I say that, for a large portion of this book, I wasn't sure if I was reading a very-near-future dystopia or a depressing book about a drugged-out British girl (like Trainspotting or something). I think I finally decided it was the latter, despite Anais' assertions that she's part of an experiment, because most of the story involves her experiences in the home and with the other teenagers there. Also note that, although there are a lot of teenagers, this is NOT a YA book. It is dark as hell. It's one of those books that I recognize is good (it won a bunch of awards in England), and I think there are a lot of people who will really like it, but I personally found so upsetting that I almost wish I hadn't read it. B.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on July 23.
So, this book is about teenager Anais, who's grown up in a series of foster homes, and who's now being escorted to a juvenile facility after an attack on a policewoman. I'm being completely honest when I say that, for a large portion of this book, I wasn't sure if I was reading a very-near-future dystopia or a depressing book about a drugged-out British girl (like Trainspotting or something). I think I finally decided it was the latter, despite Anais' assertions that she's part of an experiment, because most of the story involves her experiences in the home and with the other teenagers there. Also note that, although there are a lot of teenagers, this is NOT a YA book. It is dark as hell. It's one of those books that I recognize is good (it won a bunch of awards in England), and I think there are a lot of people who will really like it, but I personally found so upsetting that I almost wish I hadn't read it. B.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on July 23.
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