June Jacket Flap-a-Thon

Ah, June. When my reading totals start going up. When the fluff comes out. And, I'm cheating a little, and choosing four. It was a difficult month to get down to even these four, too. Either I'm getting less picky, or the copy is getting better.... Oh, and I mostly read middle grade books this month, and most of the copy choices are YA books. Interesting.

Enchanted Glass (Greenwillow Books): "Aidan Cain has had the worst week of his life. His gran died, he was sent to a foster home, and now malicious beings are stalking him. There is one person Gran told Aidan to go to if he ever got into trouble—a powerful sorcerer who lives at Melstone House. But when Aidan arrives on the doorstep, he finds that the sorcerer's grandson, Andrew, has inherited the house. The good news is that Aidan can tell immediately that Andrew's brimming with magic, too—and so is everyone else at Melstone. The bad news is that Andrew doesn't remember anything his grandfather taught him. Chaos is swiftly rising, and he has no idea how to control it. A sinister neighbor is stealing power from the land, magic is leaking between realms . . . and it's only a matter of time before the Stalkers find Aidan. If Aidan and Andrew can harness their own magics, they may be able to help each other. But can they do it before the entire countryside comes apart at the seams?"
Fun, clever, doesn't give hardly anything away, and yet it makes you want to know: can they harness the magic?

Ash (Little, Brown): "In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief."
I liked this one solely because it avoided mentioning the Cinderella story at all. It would have been SO easy for the copywriter to throw in a line about a "retelling of Cinderella with a twist" and they didn't. Kudos to them.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Bantam Books): "In 1915, long since retired from his observations of criminal humanity, Sherlock Holmes is engaged in a reclusive study of honeybee behavior on the Sussex Downs. Never did he think to meet an intellect to match his own- until his acquaintance with Miss Mary Russell, a very modern fifteen-year-old whose mental acuity is equaled only by her audacity, tenacity, and penchant for trousers and cloth caps. Under Holmes' s tutelage, Russell hones her talent for deduction, disguises, and danger: in the chilling case of a landowner' s mysterious fever and in a kidnapping in the wilds of Wales. But her ultimate challenge is yet to come. Soon the two sleuths are on the trail of a murderer whose machinations scatter meaningless clues... but whose objective is quite unequivocal: to end Russell and Holmes' s partnership- and their lives. "

It's very rare that I like the copy of an adult book. But this one is intriguing, capturing the essence of the book, without giving away too much. It also name-drops and yet doesn't play up either: it's Sherlock Holmes, that's a fact, get over it. Quite good.
Skunk Girl (Farrar, Straus and Giroux): "If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she’s sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children – her scoring might go something like this:

+2 points for getting excellent grades
–3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister
+4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High
–1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal teenagers
+2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage
–10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she’s not a freak at all, even though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back

In this wryly funny debut novel, the smart, sassy, and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family, and love, and learns that it’s possible to embrace two very different cultures – even if things can get a little bit, well, hairy."
I didn't particularly like the book in the end, but one of the reasons I picked it up was because this flap copy was so entertaining.

Other books read this month:
Harriet the Spy
Eat, Pray, Love
Wintergirls
Blubber
The School of Essential Ingredients
Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Princess of Glass
Greenwitch
The Grey King
Silver on the Tree
Manga Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Where the Red Fern Grows
Much Ado About Nothing
Two Moon Princess
A Song for Summer
Finally
Cosmic (DNF)
Finnikin of the Rock
The Frog Scientist

Running Total: 94 books
Adult fiction: 21
YA: 32
MG: 23
Non-fiction: 9
Graphic Novel: 10
Didn't Finish: 6

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

Or, On the Segregation of the Queen
by Laurie R. King
ages: adult
First sentence: "I was fifteen when I first met Sherlock Holmes, fifteen years old with my nose in a book as I walked the Sussex Downs, and nearly stepped on him."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I would have never, ever picked up this book if it weren't for a suggestion by Kelly at The Written World to do a buddy read. We tossed a few ideas back and forth, and she suggested this one. I had no idea what it was, I'd never heard of the author or the book... but it sounded interesting, so I said yes.

And was most pleasantly surprised.

Mary Russell was 15 years old when she met the by-then infamous Sherlock Holmes. It didn't take very long for the two of them to become inseparable, and over the years, she ultimately became his apprentice. They tackled a few minor cases together, and as exercises, he lobbed cases (both from the newspaper and a few he was working on) at her. It wasn't until the kidnapping of the American senator's daughter, Jessica Simpson, that Mary was able to become a full-fledged partner. And it was a good thing, because soon afterward Holmes and Russell -- as they called each other -- were to face their most brilliant, most formidable foe yet.

I answered a few questions Kelly asked about the book; head over to her blog to see her answers to the questions I asked her.

When I recommended this book you weren't entirely sure of it, and then when you finished it you seemed surprised that you liked it. Why didn't you think that this book was going to work for you?

Mostly because I don't particularly like mysteries. I don't know why, because when I finish one -- hopefully, it's good -- I realize that I usually have a grand adventure while reading it. They just aren't at the top of my list of things to read, and I usually have low expectations. Perhaps that's why I'm generally surprised when I like them!

What was it about the book that made you enjoy it?

I think a lot of it was the way she portrayed Sherlock Holmes. I've read some of the stories, but I'm a fan of the Jeremy Brett/BBC Sherlock Holmes series from the mid-80s. I don't know if King was, too, but I kept picturing Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, and all the quirks and idiosyncrasies he brought to the character. It was also a pretty decent plot, though it took a while for it to get going for me.

Did you find the book believable based on the time period it was set during and what you know about Sherlock Holmes?

Yeah... I guess. I'm not really that versed on early 20th-century England, or even Sherlock Holmes, so I'm not quite sure how to answer that. The introduction of cars and phones in Holmes' world worked for me.

Did you like Mary Russell? Was she a believable character?

I did like Mary Russell. I thought she was smart and resourceful, with a wicked sense of humor -- loved the prank she pulled where she dressed up as the Indian dignitary for the term -- and great intuition. I suppose the hesitancy of Holmes to completely trust her was applicable for the time period, but if I had one criticism is was that I wanted more from Mary. Especially near the end.

What did you think about the case and how it related to the plot?

Hm. I'm not sure what you're trying to ask... if it's how did I think the case related to the growing friendship (love?) between Holmes and Russell, then I thought it worked very well. I would have liked to seen more of them cooperating, bantering back and forth, using their minds and deductive reasoning to solve cases. But, if you're asking what I thought of the main case as a whole, I thought it was interesting, but not especially super-well plotted as far as mysteries go. Then again, I'm not the world's best judge of that! I found it interesting, if a bit meandering.

Easy question: Will you be reading the rest of the books in the series?

Maybe. Not right away; I don't feel an urge to rush out and get the next book. This one stood alone quite well. But, maybe if I ever get in a mystery mood again, I'll seek out the next one in the series.

The Frog Scientist

by Pamela S. Turner
Photographs by Andy Comins
ages: 9+
First sentence: "THe sun is just peeking over golden Wyoming hills as Dr. Tyrone Hayes wakes his team."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I'm really kind of at a loss as to what to say about this book. Really, the only thing is: I think it's very cool. I think it's cool because it's about an African-American research scientist. How many books are there out there about minority scientists? (Then again, I'm not sure I've read many books about scientists; maybe there are tons.) I think it's cool because the photography is fabulous, even if it is mostly just frogs. Then again, I think it's cool because it takes frogs seriously, and actually makes the study of them sound fascinating and appealing.

I think it's cool because it connects the study of frogs to the environment and gives the science behind it all relevance. I think it's cool because it is quietly environmentalist, without being preachy. I think it's cool because while being a scientist isn't really cool or hip or sexy, it is interesting.

But most of all, I think it's cool because it's accessible to kids. Simple text, without a lot of science speak, but it never talked down to the readers. Here's hoping that someone, somewhere reads this book and wants to become a frog scientist.

Now, that would be cool.

Sunday Salon: A Few Things that Fascinate Me

Sherry at Semicolon did this last week, and while, like her, I am not an author, I am a bit of a list-maker, and for some reason this exercise -- to come up with a list of things that fascinate me, inspire me, and I can never seem to get enough of reading about -- caught my fancy. Sherry did 52, which impresses me to no end, but I found it was a stretch for me even to come up with 25. Maybe I'm not all that fascinated in things? Or maybe just a few things really take up my time? At any rate, here's my list:

1. Food, subcategory nonfiction -- Books about the growing of food, the making of food, the selling of food.
2. Food, subcategory memoirs -- especially those in the food service industry
3. Food, subcategory fiction -- books like Garden Spells, where it's very evocative with the food. Magical realism helps.
4. Food, subcategory cooking -- I love to cook, and while I'm not as experimental as I could be, I do love to make and eat a well-made meal.
   
5. Travel. Memoirs of people who have traveled, experienced most any place throughout the world. But I specifically love...
6. France -- the language, the food, the culture, living in France and...
7. The UK -- love the English stories, love the Irish stories, love the Welsh stories (even though I can't pronounce the words!), love the Scottish stories. Love the history, the culture, and the accents.
8. Memoirs -- I like hearing other people's personal stories, not just travel stories. I especially like them when they're interesting and well-written.
9. Strong girl characters. What makes these girls strong, and how they tackle what the world gives them.
   
10. Beauty and body image. It may be tough for me to read about, but I feel a need to know, especially with raising four girls.
    
11. Friendship -- both same- and opposite-sex. How do people become friends, how do they stay friends, what's involved.
12. Family dynamics -- issues of parenting, yes, but also sibling dynamics. How and why do they (or do they not) get along.
    
13. The King Arthur legend and mythology. I'm not quite sure what the draw is, but I love this story.
    
14. England's Renaissance (an offshoot of #7) -- from the Tudors through Elizabethian times -- the culture, the time period, Shakespeare
    
15. Folklore -- not just King Arthur (though his legend in particular), but all the stories that are handed down in any particular place. I especially like Asian folk tales.
    
16. Oral Histories -- it's kind of like #8... the personal stories of the past, the things that didn't quite make the history books, but give us a flavor for the world. (Like These is My Words.)
17. Fairy tales -- original adaptations of traditional tales, mostly, but I'm curious any retelling of any fairy tale
18. Religions -- not so much Christianity, since I consider myself one, but rather other religions. I'm curious about them, their beliefs, and their philosophies of life. And this goes for "made up" religions, as well.
    
19. Humor -- what makes me laugh, does it live up to the "hype", and especially when there's a balance between the inane and the brilliant.
20. Women's roles in society -- how they've changed over the centuries, what makes a "strong" woman, issues of feminism.
21. Good storytelling -- when an author -- doesn't matter if it's fantasy, or realistic, YA/MG or adult -- gives us a good tale, with characters that are worth spending time with.
22. Jacket Flap Copy -- in my dream world, I would love to have a job writing jacket flap copy (and on the side, I'd be a pastry chef). What makes good copy, what draws one in to the book.
23. Photography. What makes a good photograph? And the act of capturing history or beauty fascinates me.
    
24. Architecture -- I'm not a student of it, but looking at beautifully made buildings, from old houses to new skyscrapers, fascinates me.
25. Dance -- I suppose this is an offshoot of #10, but I love to watch people dance, to see the way dancing interprets the music (which I also love). I also love to move my body, though I rarely do so in public anymore (though perhaps I should?).

So, those are mine. What are some of yours?

Library Loot 2010-23

So, the question is: when you go on vacation, do you stock up on books to take with? Or do you not check out books, for fear they'll come due while you're gone? It looks like we did a bit of both....

Picture Books:
No, David!, by David Shannon
Song of Middle C, by Alison McGhee/Illus. by Scott Menchin
Sylvie, by Jennifer Sattler
Cowboy Ned & Andy, by David Ezra Stein
Super Sam!, by Lori Ries/Illus. by Sue Rama

Easy Readers:
Mouse Tales , by Arnold Lobel
There Is a Bird On Your Head!, by Mo Willems
I Will Surprise My Friend!, by Mo Willems
Elect Me!, by Fran Manushkin/Illus by James Demski, Jr.
Practice Makes Perfect, Rosemary Wells
The Secret Birthday, Rosemary Wells

Middle Grade Fiction:
Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer Holm

YA Fiction:
Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher
A Step From Heaven, by An Na

Non-Fiction:
Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society, by H. Paul Jeffers
The Everything Freemasons Book: Unlock the Secrets of This Ancient And Mysterious Society, by John K. Young and Barb Karg
Builders: A Story and Study of Freemasonry, by Joseph Fort Newton

The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or A Striped Armchair. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

Finnikin of the Rock

by Melina Marchtta
ages: 15+
First sentence: "A long time ago, in the spring before the five days of the unspeakable, Finnikin of the Rock dreamed he was to sacrifice a pound of flesh to save the royal house of Lumatere."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

This is a dark book. I'm not going to beat around the bush: there are dark, harsh, brutal moments in this book. They're not graphic -- thankfully -- but they are there, and they are effective in their purpose.

Ten years ago, the unspeakable happened in Lumatere: assassins came, invaded the castle and brutally murdered the king, queen and most of their children. The country was sent into chaos and more than half the citizens fled into exile. An impostor seized the thrown, and the country was left under a curse: no one can enter, no one can leave, until the rightful heir returns. Finnikin of the Rock, son of the captain of the King's Guard, is on the outside, and has spent the intervening time learning from the King's First Man, and visiting the exile camps, working on a way to gather his people in a new land; he has no hope for ever returning to Lumatere.

Then, he meets Evanjalin, a novice in one of the goddess's orders -- in many ways, this book has the same magical feel as Mists of Avalon; very female-centric, very earthy in its magic -- who gives Finnikin some hope that they can actually return to Lumatere. The journey that they take to get to the doors involves danger, betrayal, pain, and hope as they find and gather together what's left of the Lumaterian elite, and decide exactly how to break the curse and dispose of the impostor that keeps the country in darkness.

The book starts out incredibly slow; in fact, I had several people tell me when they saw the book that they just couldn't "get into it". And I can see that; it's quite plodding to begin with. But, it's also one of those books that if you give time, if you invest yourself in it, you will be richly rewarded. The romance isn't swooning, but it's solid and beautiful. The payoff at the end, the hope for the country which, as a reader, you've become invested in, is palpable. Sure there are some missteps: I wasn't quite sure what Marchetta meant to do with the slave boy, Froi; he just seemed to lurk around in the background, never fully part of the story. And, the story could have been tightened; there was a lot of background that didn't quite feel truly necessary, not to mention the vast number of characters to keep track of.

But, after a while, the clunkiness became less important, and I was swept away with the mythology, the connection Marchetta built with the characters. Evanjalin is a strong female character, not kick-butt, but strong-willed, smart, and a presence of character that is quite awesome. Finnikin is her match in most every way; he's a bit slow to come around, but he cares about his country and is fierce in his loyalty. It's rewarding to see their relationship pan out.

Then again, it's rewarding to see this story, as painful as it is, come to its fruition.

KidlitCon 2010!

I didn't get to bed until midnight last night, for a variety of reasons -- Hubby's out of town, K took a late-late nap which messed everything up, I was watching a Bollywood movie -- or else it would have occurred to me earlier to write up a post about KidlitCon 2010!

*smacks head*

It's announced! Yay! (If you can't tell from the button, it's October 22-23rd in Minneapolis. I've never been to Minneapolis, only through the airport, and that alone is enough to excite me.)

And, I'm telling you people: I've only been to one, but given the choice between going to anorher KidlitCon and my 20th High School reunion, I'm strongly leaning toward the former rather than the latter. It's a great experience: meeting fabulous people, talking about interesting things, experiencing a shared love and interest in children's and young adult literature.

I promise you, if you can find a way to get to Minneapolis (after all your BEA and ALAing), it'll be more than worth your time and effort and money.

Don't forget to follow them: the KidlitCon blog, and on Facebook and Twitter. Hope to see as many of you as I can there!

Skunk Girl

by Sheba Karim
ages: 13+
First sentence: "I'm a giant in the sky flying over crimson-roofed houses, dressed in a wool turtleneck and jeans."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Nina Kahn wants to be something other than what she is: a Pakistani girl in a smallish town in New York during the 1990s, at odds with her culture and with the American society she wants to be a part of. She's the daughter of immigrants, and even though she's grown up in America, she still feels like she's at the fringes of her high school. It's partially because her parents are fairly strict Muslims: Nina's not allowed to date, or go to sleepovers, or even wear shorts, or even -- perhaps most especially -- shave. It doesn't help that Nina finds the whole traditional Pakistani (or even Muslim) thing a bit off-putting; she doesn't really speak Urdu that well, her best friends are white, and she likes the new guy at school, Asher, who's half-Jewish and half-Italian.

The question is: where does she really belong?

It's an interesting question, one that's been explored in many venues, especially with children of recent immigrants. I'm not sure I've seen it with a Muslim family before, but there's much that I'm sure could be substituted for East Asian or even Hispanic families: the desire of the parents to keep the language, the culture, and -- in this case -- the religion from their former country intact. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes it's not. There's an element of racism: of trying and not quite succeeding in fitting in, of not quite being accepted fully by mainstream American society. It's an interesting portrait; the religious element made it stand out from other first-generation American stories, and Nina was a very likable character.

However, I really wanted something -- anything -- to happen. It was very much a slice-of-life portrait: here's Nina in school, here's Nina obsessing over Asher, here's Nina's friends doing teenager things like having sex or getting smashed at parties while she watches TV at home with her parents, here's Nina not quite fitting in with her parents' Pakistani friends, here's Nina learning to accept herself. But there was no real conflict, no real hook to hang the book on, nothing to make me really feel Nina's discomfort and her inner conflict between what her parents want and what she wants.

There's also a time disconnect: setting the book in the early 1990s distances it from something that's still a very real issue for minority teens today. It felt modern enough, and perhaps setting the book 17 years in the past gives it a slightly more timeless feel (or maybe the author really just wanted to write, "Hey, you know that email thing? I think it's going to be big!" in her book?), but it seemed awkward to me: it could have been just as easily set in current times, and perhaps would have made it more effective.

Which is too bad, because it could have been a really interesting story.

Cosmic

by Frank Cottrell Boyce
ages: 11+
First sentence: "Mom, Dad -- if you're listening -- you know I said I was going to the South Lakeland Outdoor Activity Center with the school?"

I had high hopes for this one. I really did. It was on my radar a couple of years ago when it was nominated for a Cybils, but no one could find a copy, so it went unread. And so, when someone (Betsy at Fuse #8? I know Sherry at Semicolon reviewed it...) reviewed it and liked it, I stuck it on my list.

Now, remember: this may just be me. In fact, it probably is. I have a bad habit of not being able to read books from any other perspective than my own. And I can really see an eleven or twelve-year-old boy absolutely loving this one. But, me? I couldn't get more than a third of the way through the book before my suspension of disbelief completely failed.

See, our main character, Liam, is a 13-year-old boy who can pass as an adult. Well, at the very least people seem to think he's an adult: he's tall, he's mature (physically, at least) for his age. And so, when an opportunity for the "ride of a lifetime" comes up, he gets one of his friends, Florida, to pretend she's his daughter, and off they went.

And, that's as far as I got. I really have no interest in seeing what happened once they got there. The book was slightly amusing, though all the Worlds of Warcraft references were driving me nuts. (If I were a gamer, I might care more.) But, honestly, I didn't care enough about the humor to keep me interested in the story.

Darn.

Sunday Salon: In Praise of Bookish Men

I spend so much time gushing about my daughters on here, and not enough time gushing about my husband, wonderful as he is. I should do that more.

So, I thought, for Father's Day, that I'd tackle my Hubby, the reader. He tells me he's not as "well-read" as I am, but, truly: he is. He came to the marriage with boxes and boxes of books (regular as well as comic books), and there are many books -- Watership Down, the Mary Stewart Merlin Trilogy, as well as A Prayer for Owen Meany among others -- that I wouldn't have even bothered to look at, let alone read if it weren't for him. Sure, his reading tastes these days tend toward the scholarly (though his post on Nicholas Carr's The Shallows was linked to over at NPR), but that's just because his profession demands it. (And we have an unspoken agreement: I don't read philosophy, he doesn't read Jane Austen, and we're all happy.) And, even now, we'll see him around the house with his nose in a book (or reading online). It's part of who he is, and what our family is.

But what I really love about him is that he loves to read to our girls. Specifically, the Harry Potter books, but ever since Megan was about four, he's taken over the duty of reading chapter books to the girls. (For a while there, I read chapter books to C while he read to A; I don't remember why that worked, but it did. He's back on the job, now.) I'm glad that he finds satisfaction in that ritual, that he doesn't mind rereading the Harry Potter series through over and over (going through the third time, now, not counting his own reading of it), and that he cares about books and reading enough to help me instill the same love in our daughters.

And while I'm mentioning the men in my life, I need to mention my dad. He's a reader, too. It's not something I remember growing up, but as I've gotten older, it's something I've noticed about my dad: he reads. Quite a bit, too. In fact, every time I see him, he's gushing about something new he's read or is listening to on audio book on his commute. I know he lurks around my blog, getting suggestions, because every once in a while he'll drop me an email telling me how much he loved a book I'd recommended (most recently it was The Graveyard Book) and asking me for other suggestions (I don't know if he follows them, but he asks, and I appreciate that). I love being able to share this with my father.

Happy Father's Day!

Library Loot 2010-22

Yeah... restraint? What's that? (Though I immediately returned two books I checked out because I didn't "need" them.) I have to get the books. They're sooo pretty.

Picture Books:
Butterflies for Kiri, by Cathryn Falwell
Grown-Ups Get to Do All the Driving, by William Steig
Nine O'Clock Lullaby, by Marilyn Singer/Illus. by Frane Lessac
Just How Long Can A Long String Be?!, by Keith Baker
Wave, by Suzy Lee

Easy Readers:
Pigs Make Me Sneeze! , by Mo Willems
I Love My New Toy! , by Mo Willems
Sam's Pet, by Charnan Simon/Illus by Gary Bialke
Play with "e" and "d", by Jane Belk Moncure

Middle Grade Fiction:
Romeo and Juliet--Together (And Alive!) at Last, by Avi
The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Schlitz
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood

YA Fiction:
Carter's Big Break, by Brent Crawford
In Mike We Trust, by P.E. Ryan

Graphic Novels:
Jane Eyre: The Graphic Novel, by Charlotte Bronte/Adapted by Amy Corzine/and drawn by a whole bunch of other people.

Adult Fiction:
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel, by Aimee Bender

The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or A Striped Armchair. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

Finally

by Wendy Mass
ages: 10+
First sentence: "I'm a big wisher."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Rory has a problem (and it's not her name, though she gets "isn't it a boy's name?" all that time): she wants to be grown up. She's been wishing for this for a long time -- at least since she was six years old, and started writing down everything she'd get to do (finally!), when she turned 12.

The day before her birthday, she meets an eccentric old lady who tells her that she won't get what she wants until she sees what she needs. Rory doesn't pay it any attention... until things start going horribly wrong.

Things go so wrong, in fact, that I was beginning to wonder what else bad could happen. It seems like there's a catch with everything on Rory's list: from getting a cell phone (lost the first one; ends up with the same number as a pizza restaurant), to shaving her legs (the most hilarious, pathetic, horrid one), to getting her ears pierced (it would never happen, or so I tell C, who was a bit freaked out by that one), it all goes horribly, horribly wrong. Of course there's a happily ever after (of sorts), especially after Rory learns what the woman meant, which isn't really until the very, very end. There's no real big fireworks, not really any big life-changing moments. Just a series of events that lead Rory to realize that growing up isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

It's a Wendy Mass book, and so (almost by default), of course I liked it. But... it wasn't as good as the last couple of her books I've read. It's a sequel of sorts to 11 Birthdays -- it took me forever to realize who Leo and Amanda were! -- but without all the fancy magic loops and such. It's more subtle (are the incidents "real" or are they a set up? It could go either way...) and much more realistic than the first book. And, as a result,the book wasn't quite really, really good. More like just plain good.

It doesn't help that I wanted to throttle Rory's parents from nearly page one. (It wasn't just me: I overheard C saying that she just wanted to strangle the parents.) They give overprotective a bad name. Hovering, helicoptering, annoying... you name it. No wonder Rory wants to grow up so badly; her parents haven't given her any room to maneuver at all! (*sigh* I guess you don't want a lecture on my parenting opinions right now.) It made the juxtaposition between what Rory wants to do and her accidents all that more heart-breaking. I just wanted one thing, one little thing, to go right for the poor girl.

Which, I suppose, it does, in the end. It was a fun little book, but nothing grand. Which is a little disappointing, but not too terribly much. It is Wendy Mass, after all.

Two Moon Princess

by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
ages: 12+
First sentence: "The arrow knows the way. Just let it free."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Princess Andrea is the fourth daughter in the kingdom of Xaren-Ra, a position she doesn't exactly relish. She doesn't feel like a lady, she doesn't particularly get along with a couple of her older sisters. She would rather be off riding her horse or training to be a squire. Her mother has different ideas for her, and so Andrea runs away. She finds an arch, a doorway, that her uncle Tio Romero, has mentioned off-hand, and decides to see where it leads.

And discovers 20th century California.

It's a bit of a leap, there, to go from a princess fantasy book, to an immigrant immersion experience, but for some reason, it works. Andrea's experience with college life -- what they speak in Xaren-Ra is similar to Spanish, and she picks up English fairly well, and so they're passing her off as a semester-exchange student -- is intriguing. There's a twist to the immigrant experience: Andrea is discovering things like phones and electricity on top of other, more cultural, differences. But, she finds a way to bloom, even falling in love with a fellow student, John.

Then she and John fall through the arch, back into Xaren-Ra, and inadvertently start a war. Which means, it's up to Andrea -- who has an idea about how to avoid too much bloodshed -- to fix the whole mess. Which involves a whole slew of things, including saving the life of Don Julian, the enemy king.

If there is one complaint about this book, it's that it tries to do too much. Is it a fantasy? Yes, and it works fairly well as a historical-type fantasy; the premise is unique, but even though the ending feels a bit forced, it's generally fairly good. Is it an immigrant story? Yes, and while it doesn't work as well as that, it's still an interesting aspect to the overall story. Is it a romance? Yes, and this is the part that ultimately fails; it's not that it's unbelievable -- though it is to a certain extent -- it's that there is really no chemistry between Andrea and either of the men she falls for. Add it all together and it's just one too many elements to the story. It's not that it's a bad story, or even badly written: it's neither of those things. There are some parts that flow well, and it's a good first effort by the author. It's just that it needed a bit more focus, something to pull it a bit tighter together, perhaps do a bit less with the plot and the characters to make it a truly good book.

But, all that said, it really wasn't bad at all. And that's a good thing.

Much Ado About Nothing

by William Shakespeare
ages: adult
First sentence: "I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

What does one say about this Shakespeare play? Good question.

How about...

It's got some of the best bantering passages ever written in the dialogue between Beatrice and Benedick. One of my favorites, near the end:

Benedick: And I pray the now tell me, for which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?
Beatrice: For them all together, which maintain'd so politic a state of evil that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?
Benedick: Suffer love! a good epithite! I do suffer love indeed, for I love thee against my will.
Beatrice: In spite of your heart, I think. Alas, poor heart, if you spite it for my sake, I will spitie it for yours, for I will never love that which my friend hates.
Benedick: Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.

It's a silly play, but not nearly as silly as some of Shakespeare's other plays. Hubby's always said Shakespeare had about 45 minutes of good material, and then had to write a play around that.

It's pretty accessible as a play -- and for reading a play, it wasn't half-bad either -- I watched a BBC version (I know: I adore the Branagh version, too, but I watched that separate from reading it), and by the end, both M and C were curious about what was going on.

The men in the play are infuriating. Absolutely infuriating. I was yelling at the book/movie at one point. I mean really: Hero's own father didn't believe that she was set up??

Don Juan is a thankless character. (Especially when Keanu plays him.) I don't understand his motivations, and what he does is really low-brow rather than vindictive. A pox on him.

That said, it's a fun play, an enjoyable play, and one definitely worth reading/seeing. Especially in the summertime.

A Song for Summer

by Eva Ibbotson
ages: adult
First sentence: "In a way they were born to be aunts."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

There is so much to absolutely love about this book. It's a World War II story, yes, but it's so much more than that. It's lyrical. It's evocative. It's earthy and soaring at the same time. It's a simple, yet poignant, love story.

It's practically perfect in nearly every way.

Ellen is the product of some very intimidating women. Charlotte (Ellen's mother), Phyllis and Annie are strong women, suffragettes, unafraid, and they expect grand things from their clever little girl. Except, Ellen grows up adoring her grandfather's housekeeper, the Austrian Henny, and ends up more interested in cooking and cleaning than philosophy and being clever. She eventually bags going to University altogether, and instead graduates from the Lucy Hatton School of Cookery and heads off to Austria to become the matron at a boarding school there.

This is the story of her summer.

It's a magical summer: not magical in the sense of magic, or even magical realism; no, it's just magical in the sense that everything falls into place. Ellen works wonders on the children -- each unique in their own way -- and the staff -- again, unique -- in her small, subtle, and infinitely wonderful ways. She weaves her way into their lives and makes everything... better. It's also a love story, for she meets Marek, the groundsman with a secret. And as the secret unfolds, we are taken on a musical journey that literally soars. Sure, it's all make-believe, but Ibbotson's writing is so tactile, you can almost hear the concerts, listening to the music float off the page.

While the war is in the background in part one, it does play more of a role in part two. Thankfully, it's not as long as part one, even though it covers more time. It's almost anti-climatic, though part one ends in such a cliffhanger that it feels necessary to finish the tale. And even though the second part is not as strong or as lyrical as part one, it does make the book come full circle, and ends it in a very lovely place.

And, really, you can't get much better than that.

Sunday Salon: Books and Movies

So, driving around town a week or so ago, I saw this sign:


And my first reaction was "ARGH!! REALLY??" But then I got to thinking about it... we, for the most part, like our kids (and I hold this to myself, generally speaking) to read the book before they see the movie. That's how we got C to actually read the Harry Potter series; she saw Goblet of Fire and said (honestly), "Why do I need to read the book now?" So we made her read Order of the Phoenix first before she could see the movie. (She's now determined to make it through the next two before November so she can see Deathly Hallows in the Theater.) But, I've been wondering: is that rule worth it? Is is really that important that one read the book before they see the movie? (Or -- brace yourself -- even read the book at all?)

See, books and movies are different beasts, and I'm wondering if it's silly to get so attached to the book and then disappointed in the movie. Sometimes -- not always, but sometimes -- the movie can do things better than the book. But, either way, is it really important that we experience the book first?

What do you think? Book, movie, both: and which should come first?

Library Loot 2010-21

It was an odd week for books. I didn't get any, mostly because no holds came in and I'm trying to exercise restraint (what's that?) and not check out more books until I actually get through some of the ones that are sitting on my shelf. (I had to turn two back in today because I didn't get to read them before they were due and I couldn't renew them because there were holds. Obviously, I've checked out too many.) So, with that said, here is what we brought home:

Picture Books:
King Bidgood's In The Bathtub, by Audrey Wood/Illus. by Don Wood
Piggies, by Audrey Wood/Illus by Don Wood
Weird Parents, by Audrey Wood
The Wing Shop, by Elvira Woodruff/Illus by Stephen Gammell
Over The Moon, by Rachel Vail/Illus. by Scott Nash

Easy Readers:
A Friend for Sam, by Mary Labbatt/Illus by Marison Sarrazin
Sam Gets Lost , by Mary Labatt/Illus. by Marisol Sarrazin
Sam Goes to School , by Mary Labatt/Illus by Marison Sarrazin
A Trip to the Doctor , by Deborah Lock
First Day at Gymnastics, by Anita Ganeri
Dance, Annie, by Dawn Friedman/Illus by Nicole in den Bosch

Non-Fiction:
The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn't--and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger, by Daniel Gardner
DNA: The Secret of Life, by James D. Watson
Introduction to Psychology (Collins College Outlines), by Joseph G. Johnson

The roundup is either at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader or A Striped Armchair. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I'll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it's SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I'm going to keep doing it.

2010 Challenge #1: Once Upon a Time IV

So, I managed to finish a challenge this year. It's about bloody time, too! And so, for the Once Upon a Time Challenge I read:

1. Fantasy: A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
Timekeeper's Moon, by Joni Sensel
Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman

2. Folklore: I am Morgan le Fay, Nancy Springer

3. Mythology: Radiant Darkness, Emily Whitman

4. Fairy Tale: Princess of Glass, Jessica Day George
The Wide-Awake Princess, E. D. Baker

5. Midsummer Night's Dream, via Manga Shakespeare

My favorites: A Conspiracy of Kings and Neverwhere. Both excellent. And as always, it was an amazingly fun challenge.

The School of Essential Ingredients

by Erica Bauermeister
ages: adult
First sentence: "Lillian loved best the moment before she turned on the lights."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

The food book -- whether it be a novel or a memoir (or whatever other category that food books falls into -- can be a truly wonderful experience. If you get a writer that is evocative enough, descriptive enough, then you can be transported away to another place, another time, and delight in the feast for the senses. It's the best kind of escapism, and when you combine the essence of food with a mystical magical power, there is the possibility of truly getting carried away.

Which is why, I think, I had high hopes for this one. The cover is gorgeous, the title inviting. The story, simple enough to let the food shine. Lillian, is a master chef who never works with recipes, preferring, instead, to find her own combinations, unique to the day, the person, the mood she wants to evoke. She runs a cooking school, teaching these essential principles: smell, savor, enjoy. Each chapter is a profile of a different student in the session, which is both a plus and a minus. Plus, because we get to know each person individually, their histories, their reactions to the different food. Minus, because it detracts from an overarching story. It was more like a series of connected short stories, and because of that, I felt unfulfilled when the story was over. It was kind of like The Jane Austen Book Club, in that way; except, I think that book handled the balance between the individual stories and an overarching plot better. I did come to like some of of the characters -- the new mother Claire, or the Italian Antonia, or the geeky Ian -- but it seemed that once their story was done, Bauermeister didn't quite know what to do with them, and pushed them out of the picture.

But, all that would have been forgiven if the food had been worth it. And sometimes it was. Sometimes, like in the spaghetti chapter, I could almost smell the food, longing to taste it and savor the experience. Other times, like the white cake chapter, I felt like the person's story overwhelmed the food, and I came away wanting more. More savoring, more magic, more experience. More food. There can never be enough food.

But then, sometimes even the best food can leave one unsatisfied.

Princess of Glass

by Jessica Day George
ages: 11+
First sentence: "'Perfect,', the Corley said, lips stretched wide in a smile."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.

Ah, fairy tale adaptations. Round whatever. In one corner: Cinderella. In the other corner: Jessica Day George's newest. And how does the new book hold up against the original? Surprisingly, quite well.

It helps, I think, that this is a sequel, of sorts, to Princess of the Midnight Ball. Our main character is Princess Poppy, one of the sisters forced to dance through the night for the evil King Under Stone. In the aftermath of that, the various countries relations are falling apart, and Poppy's father and King Rupert of Briton devise an exchange program. Poppy is sent to Breton, but not to stay in the castle. Instead Rupert invites Prince Christian of Danelaw to stay in the castle. And, then becomes obsessed about getting him married off, preferably to a Breton.

Poppy is a delightful character: not your typical princess (it's best when they're not, you know): she prefers to play cards and talk rather than dance, for obvious reasons. It makes going to balls uncomfortable, so she doesn't have much opportunity to meet people. But meet Christian she does, and they fall into a nice, happy, casual relationship.

Enter Ellen. She was once nobility, but then her father got in over his head with gambling debts, her mother died, and then her father sold off everything and died himself. Left alone, she was force into being a maid in the house Poppy's staying at. Which she was absolutely horrible at. Then The Corley contacted her, told her she was Ellen's godmother, and offered to make her wishes come true. This is where the story takes some interesting twists; instead of wicked stepsisters, the readers dislike the Cinderella figure, especially as Ellen goes to the balls, upstaging both Poppy and her cousin Marianne. The only problem, I think, is that as Ellen goes in, under enchantment, to steal and get Christian to marry her, there isn't much reason to not let her. Sure, Poppy and Christian are friends, but there's not enough of an attachment to make the reader terribly worried.

On the other hand, one of the more interesting parts is watching Poppy -- with the aid of some family friends -- unravel The Corley's enchantment, while finally coming to terms with the after-affects of her own. She's singularly determined to make it work, and while the ending is a bit rushed, it does work.

Which is to say, this is one fairy tale adaptation that does its job quite well.

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls
ages: 10+
First sentence: "When I left my office that beautiful spring day, I had no idea what was in store for me."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

First things first: I didn't cry at the end this time. That's really the only thing I remember from the first time I came across this book. It was fourth grade (or maybe fifth), and I remember everyone (including the teacher) bawling at the end.

But, you know: it was sad, but not really a tear-jerker. Maybe it would have been if I'd read it out loud.

Some other things that struck me:

• It has a mood much like the movie of the Snowman. It's an older man, reflecting on his past, remembering something good -- or eventful, a time that was better. Neither has a truly happy ending; it's more bitter sweet, but then again, what childhood isn't?
• It's really quite religious. Billy is convinced that God helped him get his dogs, and on other occasions he speaks of miracles and Divine guidance. Interesting. Not something I remembered.
• You can't help but love the dogs. I'm not necessarily the world's biggest dog lover (they're okay), but I was taken with Old Dan and Little Ann. Almost made me want to get a dog. Almost.
• The amount of freedom and determination Billy had was amazing. Granted it's a different time, but I'm sure my girls would love that amount of freedom to wander. On the other hand, poor Billy's mom. She must have done some worrying and a lot of trusting.

There you have it: I've tackled one of the great classics. This time, it stood up to the test of time, and the reread. It wasn't depressing, and it's incredibly well-written: descriptive and evocative. Very, very good.

10 Questions for: Janette Rallison

I've only recently discovered the happiness that is Janette Rallison's books, and only because her editor, aka Tim the Bow Tied one, has up and sent them to me out of the blue (most recently, My Double Life), each time with a lovely little letter. I'm telling myself that I need to go read the ones I haven't read, and I will. As soon as I get a spare moment... In the meantime, enjoy the interview.

MF: I've heard this story, but I’m not sure how widely it's known: how did you come up with the idea for My Double Life? JR: My editor asked me to send him a dozen plot ideas so he could choose the storyline of my next book. The reason Putnam does this is that they don’t want their authors to inadvertently write the same kind of book.

I sent Tim (AKA The Bow Tied One) many well thought out and complete plot ideas. I also sent him a one line premise that I honestly don’t even remember writing: A girl who doubles for someone famous. That was the one he chose. So then I had to go about figuring out who this girl was and why she would want to double for someone famous.

MF: Your book has been accused by some people of being another book that "[seems to encapsulate a formula of romance novel plus high-concept commercial hook plus glamorama cover art." What do you think makes your book stand out from the others?
JR: This book is definitely teen girl wish fulfillment. Who wouldn’t want to experience the celebrity life of fame, fortune, and a hot rock star boyfriend? But this book is also more than just that. If Alexia had only wanted to be Kari’s double so she could be rich and famous, it would have been a very shallow book. She wants the job because it will allow her to do the one thing she’s always wanted, and that is to find and meet her father. When you come right down to it, this book is really about family and how the choices we make affect others. Alexia isn’t searching for fame and money, she’s trying to figure out who she is.

MF: Very true. And because of that, I found that I adored Alexia throughout the book; she was just such a grounded, yet interesting, character. Do you have a favorite scene or character in the book? JR: I love a lot of scenes in this book. When you have two people who look alike in a story, it’s almost a mandate that you’ve got to have a funny scene where they’re in the same place with people who can’t know there are two of them. But my favorite scene is the one where Alexia finally meets her father. I nearly cried when I wrote it.

MF: How long did this book take from conception to publication?
JR: It took a year for me to write the manuscript and go through three drafts of revisions. Then it was about a year more until it came out in stores. It’s always a long process, but that’s for the best—it gives you more time to catch your mistakes. I’m working on the sequel to My Fair Godmother right now and the publisher is rushing to get it out next winter so it’s only going through one set of revisions—which scares me to death. I know I won’t catch all the problems.

MF: What kind of research did you do for this book (assuming, of course, that you're not a rock star's body double)? JR: I’m always amazed at the amount of research it takes to write contemporary novels. For this one I was constantly calling West Virginia (where the novel starts off and finishes) to find out details like: What floor is the housekeeping office located in the Waterfront Park Hotel? And do people in West Virginia have sprinklers in their lawns? But the hardest things to find out were the stuff about celebrities’ schedules, employees, and fees. You can’t call up Hollywood people to ask those kinds of questions. Hollywood is like the homecoming queen of cities and she avoids meeting your gaze in the hallway and ignores you when you say, “Hi.” I had to comb through a lot of reality and entertainment shows to find out the information I needed. Also, Taylor Swift had her schedule on her website. I lifted her schedule and used it for my character.

MF: So, since the book revolves around rock stars, have you put together any kind of playlist? Or picked a theme song for the book? JR: I don’t usually do playlists although there is always a song or two that remind me of the story for some reason. For this one I have two: Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me—partially because I envisioned Kari as a cross between Taylor Swift and Jessica Simpson—but also because during the music video Taylor puts on a brown wig and it completely changes her looks. I had wondered if just changing Alexia’s hair from brown to blond would be a dramatic enough change—but after watching that music video I stopped worrying. I couldn’t tell she played both the nice girl and the mean cheerleader. I’m sure Taylor did that just to make me feel better about my book. Thanks Taylor!

The second song is Missing Me Crazy by Jonnie and Brookie. It’s a little known, but great song. As soon as I heard it, I knew I wanted it for my book trailer because the words are so perfect. The lyrics say: "You’d be missing me crazy if you only knew my name." That’s Alexia’s problem. Her rock idol boyfriend doesn’t even know her real name. Can it be true love if your boyfriend thinks you’re someone else—someone rich and famous?

MF: You're a mom of five kids, correct? How do you juggle writing with being a mom? How to you find time to write? JR: Now that my kids are all in school, it’s a lot easier, but it used to be that I would only write during nap time. I would only get a page or two written every day—but those pages add up and I could get a book published every year.

MF: Who, or what, inspires your writing?
JR: My kids inspire my writing. When I was writing the sequel to My Fair Godmother, every day my daughter came home from school she asked what I’d written on the story. Then she would go read it off the computer and tell me to write faster. I’ve also had moms tell me that their daughters will only read my books, and not too long ago at a signing a girl told me that it was my books that taught her to love reading. You can’t get a better compliment than that.

MF: Are there five books that you think everyone should read?
JR: No, there are ten—all of my books. Oh, you meant besides mine? Some of my all time favorites are: The Princess Bride; The Phantom Tollbooth; Pride and Prejudice; The Amulet of Samarkand; and Hunger Games.

MF: If you don’t mind me asking, what can we expect next from you?
JR: I’ve got a plethora of books I’m working on. (Which is why my house is a mess, weeds are taking over the backyard, and it’s been so long since I got my Westie’s hair cut that she looks like the abominable snow dog.) I’m finishing up the revisions for My Unfair Godmother, then I have to do revisions on a dragon book I’ll be doing under a pen name (Don’t worry, I’ll let everybody know about it when it comes out.) Then I have to finish a paranormal romance that I’m 200 pages into, and I have to write another book for Putnam. (I will not be sending one sentence premises this time!) And I have to get all that done this year. (Sigh, the poor house, yard and dog.)

MF: Thanks, Janette, for your time!

48 Hour Book Challenge: Wrap Up

And... I'm done!

Starting time: 7:35 a.m. Friday
Ending time: 7:35 a.m. Sunday
Books read: 6, plus one graphic novel of a play, plus finishing one I had started before, and starting one that I'll finish later.
Time spent reading: 19
Time spent blogging/on social media: 3 hours 45 minutes
Total time: 22 hours, 45 minutes (I should have read for 15 more minutes!)

How does it stack up to last year? Read less time -- but then I discovered that it really does make a difference to have Hubby and M around; while they were gone, I only read 2 hours and blogged for a half hour. My time didn't really start ticking up yesterday until they got back. But I read more books -- I chose shorter ones, and didn't read any adult books for the challenge this time.

I also realized that starting the challenge after having a bad night's sleep (K went into the emergency room on Thursday night for stitches; she's doing just fine, but I didn't get to bed until late) makes a big difference in how I managed the rest of the challenge. My brain got fried, and I'm not sure that's happened in the past.

That said, it was fun, as always. Thanks, Pam!

Ash

by Malinda Lo
ages: 13+
First sentence: "Aisling's mother died at midsummer."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy picked up at KidlitCon 09

Aisling lives in a world where there are fairies, but the belief in them -- that they are dangerous, that they even exist -- is waning. There's still tales, healing women called greenwitches, and people who generally believe in both. But, the belief is fading.

Aisling also has lost both her parents, and, because of her father's death, is forced to be a servant in her step-mother's home. (Yes, this should sound familiar.) She has been moved away from her own home, to the south of the country, near the king's City. Whenever she can -- which isn't often -- she sneaks away to walk in the woods. Which is where she meets the fairy Sidhean, developing an interesting, if somewhat uncomfortable -- she mostly just wants him to take her away from her miserable life, but he says it's not time -- friendship with him.

Then she meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress. It takes time, it creeps upon Ash slowly, but she eventually finds a reason to live. And a will to love. Except that, to get there, she indentures herself to Sidhean (he plays the role of fairy godmother). And the trick is, figuring out what she really wants.

There is much good going on in this retelling of Cinderella. It's similar enough to the fairy tale that you can recognize it for what it is. But Lo has created a world that is unique on it's own, from the weaving in of original fairy tales and folk wisdom, to the twists on the love story. In a sense, it does try to do too much: is it a story about the repercussions getting involved with the fairy, or is it a story about a girl realizing that she can, and does, love another woman? It's really both, and while it worked for me last night, it does seem to undermine each of the story lines. The ending in particular, while it was satisfying and the "right" ending, the getting there seemed a bit rushed.

It is a good book, well-written and well-paced: a excellent first novel, even with the drawbacks.

Manga Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

by William Shakespeare/drawn by Kate Brown
ages: adult
First sentence: "Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace."
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I decided to take a little break from fantasy novels and read this... fantasy play. Actually, C was looking through and pointed out that it's essentially the worlds first chick flick. Very true. Romance, silliness, and everyone gets the guy in the end.

My opinion hasn't changed in the three years since I read it last. It's all a bunch of silliness. Oberon's a bit of a jerk (in fact, most of the men are). It's still better seen, rather than read, but reading it in Manga form was fun. The drawings were interesting -- a cross between ancient Greece and modern (they were wearing togas AND ties). It was a little disconcerting: it'd have been nice if Brown had decided which to choose. But on the other hand, it worked with the silliness of the play; it was almost if they couldn't decide what on earth to do with themselves. But, it wasn't too distracting. I did wish it were in color, though. But that's just me.

Not as good as seeing the play, but it works. I'm finding I like Manga Shakespeare. It's a good way to access the plays.

Silver on the Tree

by Susan Cooper
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Will said, turning a page, 'He liked woad.'"
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

This is one of those high fantasy novels, replete with adventure and magic and time travel. It's got every single person (practically) that we've met over the course of the sequence, playing various roles towards a ultimate end. It's got a Tolkienesque feel -- what with swords glowing blue and a Grey Havens bit at the end, not to mention a Quest to end all quests and a Battle to end all battles (though Cooper's not as bloody as Tolkien). It's a perfect ending to the series.

But -- and maybe this is time and exhaustion talking here -- it's really not as good as some of the other books in the sequence. There were some bits that I liked, sure: particularly Will and Bran's quest into the Lost Land to get the crystal sword of the Pendragon (if you had any questions about how this fits into the Arthurian legend, Cooper answers them). That was a nice section, replete with high magic, and where Will was mostly operating on his own wits rather than relying on the power of the Old Ones. But, I felt like there was almost too much. Most of the characters were underdeveloped; it seemed that Cooper was relying on what we had learned of the characters rather than giving us anything new about them. It was also disconcerting when some of the minor characters up and changed on us; not drastically, but enough to make me scratch my head. This was more plot-driven, and yet the plot seemed disjointed. It was episodic, and yes it was leading up to a great whole, but the ending seemed rushed and unfulfilling. If you blinked, you would miss it; it was an excuse to get to the denouement, which Cooper seemed much more interested in.

That said, it's a good series, a grand bit of myth and folklore and magic. If you haven't read it, you should.

The Grey King

by Susan Cooper
ages: 10+
First sentence: "'Are you awake, Will?'"
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Things that struck me while reading this book:

1. That this really is, so far, the tightest -- and best (don't shoot me; it's better, in many ways, than The Dark is Rising) -- of the series. It definitely deserves the Newbery sticker it sports.

2. I like how, so far, each book has a season: Over Sea, Under Stone is summer; The Dark is Rising is winter (which explains its moodiness); Greenwitch is spring; this one is autumn. It has a very autumnal feel to it. That mood is not as strong as the winter one, but it's still very palpable, and still very there.

3. I like that Merriman is not really there. Yes, he does make an appearance, but it's Will -- and the Welsh boy, Bran -- that really do all the work of the plot. It's nice, for once, to see Will in his own element, exercising his own powers, without the guidance (or interference of Merriman).

4. The Arthurian legends are implied in the previous books -- if you know they're there, you'll see it -- but it's explicit by this one, especially by the end. I liked that.

5. It bothers me that the cover has on it figures that don't show up until the last chapter, and even then, don't really do much of anything. Though, since there's really no description as to what the Grey King looks like, and a picture of a mountain would be too boring, I guess this is what the designers are left with.

6. I like how Cooper uses prophecy: she writes one out, and it's there guiding the book, influencing the book, but it's not heavy-handed. You usually don't notice she's jumped you through a hoop of the prophecy until after the fact. That's some good writing there.

It's a good book; I like it as much, if not more, than The Dark is Rising, and I'm kicking myself for not realizing it sooner. It would also make a good stand alone: Cooper includes the most necessary information from the previous books (but it doesn't weigh the book down), and while it's always nice to read the whole series, this one would work well all by itself.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Halfway

Just a quick check-in at the halfway point.

The stats:
Finished: 3 books (plus one that I had started before, but am not counting, and I'm 1/2 through The Grey King)
Read: about 10 hours
Blogged/Social Networking (I'm lumping them, since the bulk of my time is officially blogging): 1 1/2 hours

Total time (this is accurate): 11 hours 35 minutes.

I'm hoping to get at least 9 and a half hours today. Hopefully, I'll get more, but since Hubby's out of town this morning, I may not. Crossing fingers, though.

Greenwitch

by Susan Cooper
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Only one newspaper carried the story in detail, under the headline: Treasures Stolen from Museum."
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I found as I read this one last night, that I remembered it more than any of the others (save Dark is Rising). I think, upon reflection (such as it is right now), that it's because Jane is the most crucial to the plot. She doesn't do the most -- that's fairly equally distributed among the boys -- but she is essential to the arc of the story in a way she wasn't in Over Sea, Under Stone. And I liked that.

The Drew kids are back in Trewissick, mostly because the Grail (which they had found only the summer before) has been stolen. They know it's the Dark that did it, because Merriman (or Great-uncle Merry; though Cooper stops calling him that about halfway through the book) is suddenly around again to solicit their help. Except this time, Will Stanton is along for the ride. There's your usual twists and turns and adventures, but they all seemed a bit subdued (or was it me, reading this late at night?) compared to the previous two books. Barney gets captured by the Dark (again), Simon's a bit bristly, Will is still his Old self (which puts both Barney and Simon off, the why of which I never quite figured out), Merriman still lurks and guides, and Jane -- seemingly insignificant Jane -- saves the day.

It's partially up to Jane because the title character, the Greenwitch, is a local Cornish tradition that only women can participate in. And because of a wish Jane made, a nice unselfish wish (I could get into women's roles here, and how it's stereotypical for the girl to be unselfish, but I won't; mostly because I'm not quite awake), she's the one the Greenwich turns to, once the magic sets in.

It wasn't as dull as I found Over Sea, Under Stone to be, mostly because it's a lot thinner, and the plot moves more quickly. And, for some reason, because Will is mostly a side character here. I actually found I liked this book. And now, on to the next one.