"The Virgin Queen's Daughter" by Ella March Chase was a very good fictionalized account of Queen Elizabeth's daughter, Elinor de Lacy. Elinor's nurse, Eppie, was called to the young Princess's bedside and delivered her of a daughter she then whisked away and gave to her mistress to raise as her own. Elinor grows up having no idea who she really is, until she defiantly goes against her mother's wishes and joins Elizabeth's court. Once she gets there she realizes how dangerous court is, and when Eppie seeks her out to tell her the truth of her birth it's more dangerous still. It was good but not amazing and it was historically accurate enough to suit me.
Over the last two weeks I've been rereading some old favorites. I usually want to reread in December and January, and while sometimes I can stop myself this year I just went with it. I reread two of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books, "Little Town on the Prairie" and "These Happy Golden Years". Then I reread Roger Lea MacBride's Rose years: "Little House on Rocky Ridge", "Little Farm in the Ozarks", "In the Land of the Big Red Apple", "On the Other Side of the Hill", "Little Town in the Ozarks", "New Dawn on Rocky Ridge", "On the Banks of the Bayou", and "Bachelor Girl". I wish the publishers would have continued with the Martha and Charlotte years. I enjoyed Rose and Caroline so much. Oh well.
And finally, a fantastic, highly recommended novel by Jon Clinch, author of "Finn", called "Kings of the Earth". It was like a mix of my favorite episode of the "X-Files", "Home", and one of my favorite Faulkner novels, "As I Lay Dying". It told the story of the Proctor brothers, growing up poor and backward and seemingly out of touch with modern era on their dairy farm. When the oldest dies in his sleep the youngest is accused of murdering him, and a whole host of ugly secrets comes out. It was beautifully written and very good. Now I feel like watching "Home" again :)
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Secret of Chanel No. 5; Thirsty; Fat Vampire; The Help; True Meaning of Smekday; Before I Fall; American Vampire Vol. 1
I have read a lot of great nonfiction and fiction titles over the last week.
First up was "The Secret of Chanel. No. 5" by Tilar J. Mazzio. This was an interesting biography not really about Coco Chanel but the perfume she created, the number one bestselling perfume for the last 90 years. It was a bit redundant at times, but it was short and a quick read.
"Thirsty" by M.T. Anderson was a witty, dry humor filled YA book about a boy named Chris who is turning into a vampire. He is approached by an odd stranger named Chet, who says he can help change Chris back to human if Chris will help him destroy the vampire god. Chris agrees, but it turns out Chet was just using him. The story was well written and while I normally don't like open endings (I think the authors are being lazy--just tell me what happened, for crying out loud!) in this case it fit.
"Fat Vampire" by Adam Rex was a bit of a disappointment. My two coworkers who also read it had the same complaints I did. It started off great: it was funny and cute, about a teen named Doug who has recently been made a vampire and he's trying to figure out how to cope with it and not kill anybody. He and his buddy Jay are accidentally captured sneaking into the San Diego Zoo while at the Comic Con convention, and a cheesy cable TV show called "Vampire Hunters" is soon on their trail, trying to capture them. Somewhere along the way it stopped being funny and just drug to a sad, predictable ending.
"The Help" by Kahtyrn Stockett was one of those books I could not put down, and spent the whole day reading. It was worth it. Told in three different distinct voices, the story is set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. A recent college graduate nicknamed Skeeter is determined to interview a group of maids and write their story, in their words, about what it's like to be African American (only they didn't call it that back then, it was "colored") in that part of the South and wait on white people. It was moving and beautiful without being sticky sweet and sentimental. It reminded me of Michael Cunningham's "The Hours".
"The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex was much better than "Fat Vampire". In the not so distant future, a young girl named Gratuity Tucci watches her mother get abducted by aliens. The next day the aliens, named Boov, take over Earth and start moving all humans to Florida. Gratuity starts out, driving her mom's car, with her cat Pig, and along the way meets a Boov named J. Lo who helps her out. When an evil race of aliens named Gorg land on Earth, determined to take it away from the Boov, it is up to Gratuity and J. Lo (and Pig, who plays a pivotal role) to save Earth, or Smekland, as it's been renamed. It was really cute and kind of clever.
"Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver was absolutely shiningly brilliant. It was powerful and moving and touching and makes me catch my breath just to talk about it. Samantha Kingston is an ordinary high school senior: she's popular, and has great friends, and a gorgeous boyfriend. After she dies, she wakes up the next morning and lives her last day over again. At first she doesn't understand what's going on, but gradually it becomes clear: she is being given the chance to right the wrongs, the little mistakes she made that she didn't realize would have such powerful consequences. It was amazing. Too bad it's classified as YA because I think a lot of adults should read it, too.
And finally, a fun graphic novel to round out the bunch (thanks to Allen for lending me his copy!). Scott Snyder and Stephen King teamed up for "American Vampire, Vol. 1". It tells the intertwining stories of Pearl Jones, an aspiring actress in the 1920s, and Skinner Sweet, a no good outlaw in the 1880s, along the likes of Billy the Kid. What do they have in common? They're both vampires, and they're not the kind of vampires to follow the ancient European rules. The artwork was stunning, the storyline was fantastic, the characters are great (Skinner Sweet's grin is so twisted and evil--I love it) and I can't wait for Volume 2.
First up was "The Secret of Chanel. No. 5" by Tilar J. Mazzio. This was an interesting biography not really about Coco Chanel but the perfume she created, the number one bestselling perfume for the last 90 years. It was a bit redundant at times, but it was short and a quick read.
"Thirsty" by M.T. Anderson was a witty, dry humor filled YA book about a boy named Chris who is turning into a vampire. He is approached by an odd stranger named Chet, who says he can help change Chris back to human if Chris will help him destroy the vampire god. Chris agrees, but it turns out Chet was just using him. The story was well written and while I normally don't like open endings (I think the authors are being lazy--just tell me what happened, for crying out loud!) in this case it fit.
"Fat Vampire" by Adam Rex was a bit of a disappointment. My two coworkers who also read it had the same complaints I did. It started off great: it was funny and cute, about a teen named Doug who has recently been made a vampire and he's trying to figure out how to cope with it and not kill anybody. He and his buddy Jay are accidentally captured sneaking into the San Diego Zoo while at the Comic Con convention, and a cheesy cable TV show called "Vampire Hunters" is soon on their trail, trying to capture them. Somewhere along the way it stopped being funny and just drug to a sad, predictable ending.
"The Help" by Kahtyrn Stockett was one of those books I could not put down, and spent the whole day reading. It was worth it. Told in three different distinct voices, the story is set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. A recent college graduate nicknamed Skeeter is determined to interview a group of maids and write their story, in their words, about what it's like to be African American (only they didn't call it that back then, it was "colored") in that part of the South and wait on white people. It was moving and beautiful without being sticky sweet and sentimental. It reminded me of Michael Cunningham's "The Hours".
"The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex was much better than "Fat Vampire". In the not so distant future, a young girl named Gratuity Tucci watches her mother get abducted by aliens. The next day the aliens, named Boov, take over Earth and start moving all humans to Florida. Gratuity starts out, driving her mom's car, with her cat Pig, and along the way meets a Boov named J. Lo who helps her out. When an evil race of aliens named Gorg land on Earth, determined to take it away from the Boov, it is up to Gratuity and J. Lo (and Pig, who plays a pivotal role) to save Earth, or Smekland, as it's been renamed. It was really cute and kind of clever.
"Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver was absolutely shiningly brilliant. It was powerful and moving and touching and makes me catch my breath just to talk about it. Samantha Kingston is an ordinary high school senior: she's popular, and has great friends, and a gorgeous boyfriend. After she dies, she wakes up the next morning and lives her last day over again. At first she doesn't understand what's going on, but gradually it becomes clear: she is being given the chance to right the wrongs, the little mistakes she made that she didn't realize would have such powerful consequences. It was amazing. Too bad it's classified as YA because I think a lot of adults should read it, too.
And finally, a fun graphic novel to round out the bunch (thanks to Allen for lending me his copy!). Scott Snyder and Stephen King teamed up for "American Vampire, Vol. 1". It tells the intertwining stories of Pearl Jones, an aspiring actress in the 1920s, and Skinner Sweet, a no good outlaw in the 1880s, along the likes of Billy the Kid. What do they have in common? They're both vampires, and they're not the kind of vampires to follow the ancient European rules. The artwork was stunning, the storyline was fantastic, the characters are great (Skinner Sweet's grin is so twisted and evil--I love it) and I can't wait for Volume 2.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
War for Late Night; Born to Run; Stolen Away; The Phone Book; Don't Vote it Just Encourages the Bastards
Back in the early 90s Bill Carter wrote a book about how NBC screwed up by giving the "Tonight Show" to Jay Leno rather than the obvious heir apparent, David Letterman, called "The Late Shift". I read that book many years ago and loved it, being a big Letterman fan, I felt he got screwed. So did Conan O'Brien, and Carter's back with "The War for Late Night", about how NBC screwed up AGAIN.
A little backstory here: the first late night program I watched was Johnny Carson's final episode of the "Tonight Show" when I was 14. My dad was a big Carson fan, and told me I should stay up and watch history being made, so I did. I remember asking my dad why he was retiring. I liked Carson, he seemed witty and funny and a genuinely nice guy, the kind of guy I wouldn't mind staying up until 11:35 to watch. Dad said he'd been doing it for 30 years and was tired. I could understand that.
My sister and I were probably the only two people in the world who refused to miss "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" when it debuted. We *loved* Conan. We recorded every show (I'm sure my sis still has those VHS tapes somewhere...). I thought everyone loved Conan, and it kind of surprised me when I was discussing this book with my dad last week and he said how glad he was Leno was back because he never found Conan funny. That surprised me, since I always thought my dad had a fairly decent sense of humor. Oh, well, I guess Leno really is a generational thing. I never liked him and when NBC gave Letterman the shaft I followed him to CBS. I haven't watched late night in a dozen years, since I got a real job and was expected to show up early in the mornings :)
The point of all this rambling? Well, Carter does a beautiful job showing how the evil villain in this whole late night mess (and it *is* a mess) is NBC and their greed. They snatched the "Tonight Show" away from Leno before he was ready to give it up just because they thought they were going to lose Conan to a rival network and they realized just how brilliant and funny Conan was and didn't want to lose him. Boy they made a mess out of the whole deal. I feel bad for Conan, but if I'm ever up until 11 o' clock at night (which I very, very rarely am) I'll tune into Letterman.
Climbing off my soapbox now..."Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall was a fascinating look into long distance runners and what motivates them as well as if it's better for you to run barefoot. I like running, although I'm not terribly good at it (my aforementioned sister has convinced me to run in the OC half-marathon this next May. We'll see how that turns out!). These people who run 100 miles in one stretch have such an enviable passion for it. It was a great read.
"Stolen Away" by Max Allan Collins is a fictionalized account of the Lindbergh kidnapping, one of my true crime favorites, up there with Lizzie Borden. I try to read everything I can get my hands on about both subjects. Collins puts forth a very plausible account of how the kidnapping could have gone down, with Al Capone masterminding the whole thing from behind bars in an attempt to get out of prison. I never thought Hauptmann, who was electrocuted for the crime, was guilty, so I liked Collin's premise. It makes me want to reread Scaduto's brilliant "Scapegoat", which is sitting on my bookshelf, beckoning me :)
Ammon Shea wrote the dry and witty history of the phone book in "The Phone Book: the book everyone uses but no one reads". It was one of those books that, when you're done reading it, you go "I could have written that!". I liked it, though, it was short and quick but reminded me that I'm not the only weirdo out there who looks at things like phone books as a trip down memory lane.
And finally, humorist P.J. O'Rourke's look at what's wrong with American politics "Don't Vote it Just Encourages the Bastards". It was funny, but not as funny as I was expecting, based on his previous works I'd read. I enjoyed it, though, and he makes a lot of great points.
A little backstory here: the first late night program I watched was Johnny Carson's final episode of the "Tonight Show" when I was 14. My dad was a big Carson fan, and told me I should stay up and watch history being made, so I did. I remember asking my dad why he was retiring. I liked Carson, he seemed witty and funny and a genuinely nice guy, the kind of guy I wouldn't mind staying up until 11:35 to watch. Dad said he'd been doing it for 30 years and was tired. I could understand that.
My sister and I were probably the only two people in the world who refused to miss "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" when it debuted. We *loved* Conan. We recorded every show (I'm sure my sis still has those VHS tapes somewhere...). I thought everyone loved Conan, and it kind of surprised me when I was discussing this book with my dad last week and he said how glad he was Leno was back because he never found Conan funny. That surprised me, since I always thought my dad had a fairly decent sense of humor. Oh, well, I guess Leno really is a generational thing. I never liked him and when NBC gave Letterman the shaft I followed him to CBS. I haven't watched late night in a dozen years, since I got a real job and was expected to show up early in the mornings :)
The point of all this rambling? Well, Carter does a beautiful job showing how the evil villain in this whole late night mess (and it *is* a mess) is NBC and their greed. They snatched the "Tonight Show" away from Leno before he was ready to give it up just because they thought they were going to lose Conan to a rival network and they realized just how brilliant and funny Conan was and didn't want to lose him. Boy they made a mess out of the whole deal. I feel bad for Conan, but if I'm ever up until 11 o' clock at night (which I very, very rarely am) I'll tune into Letterman.
Climbing off my soapbox now..."Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall was a fascinating look into long distance runners and what motivates them as well as if it's better for you to run barefoot. I like running, although I'm not terribly good at it (my aforementioned sister has convinced me to run in the OC half-marathon this next May. We'll see how that turns out!). These people who run 100 miles in one stretch have such an enviable passion for it. It was a great read.
"Stolen Away" by Max Allan Collins is a fictionalized account of the Lindbergh kidnapping, one of my true crime favorites, up there with Lizzie Borden. I try to read everything I can get my hands on about both subjects. Collins puts forth a very plausible account of how the kidnapping could have gone down, with Al Capone masterminding the whole thing from behind bars in an attempt to get out of prison. I never thought Hauptmann, who was electrocuted for the crime, was guilty, so I liked Collin's premise. It makes me want to reread Scaduto's brilliant "Scapegoat", which is sitting on my bookshelf, beckoning me :)
Ammon Shea wrote the dry and witty history of the phone book in "The Phone Book: the book everyone uses but no one reads". It was one of those books that, when you're done reading it, you go "I could have written that!". I liked it, though, it was short and quick but reminded me that I'm not the only weirdo out there who looks at things like phone books as a trip down memory lane.
And finally, humorist P.J. O'Rourke's look at what's wrong with American politics "Don't Vote it Just Encourages the Bastards". It was funny, but not as funny as I was expecting, based on his previous works I'd read. I enjoyed it, though, and he makes a lot of great points.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Frank the Voice; Walking Dead Vols. 5 and 6; Love, Lust, and Faking It; Full Dark, No Stars
So after the lovely pictorial on Frank's movies, I read the awesome new bio by James Kaplan "Frank the Voice". It was very in depth and detailed and beautifully written, and I enjoyed it, but he chose to end, after 700 pages, after he won his Oscar for "From Here to Eternity". It just seemed like an odd stopping place.
Robert Kirkman's graphic novel continues, and I burned through the "Walking Dead Vols. 5 and 6" in an afternoon. It felt a little like we were going in circles and repeating previous storylines, especially how they ended up in their new supposedly safe community, but I did like the introduction in the beginning of Vol 6 of a religious nut. Just what an apocalyptic series needs!
I was looking forward to "Love, Lust, and Faking It" by Jenny McCarthy because I've enjoyed all of her books on autism but I've never read any of her more humorous books. I was disappointed. I didn't think it was funny and she contradicted her stories a lot, which is a sticking point with me.
And finally, Stephen King's latest collection of four novellas in the vein of "Different Seasons" and "Four Past Midnight", "Full Dark, No Stars". Aw, what can I say? This is SK of yore: gross and graphic and perfect in every way. I enjoyed all four of the stories immensely, although the third and shortest, "Fair Extension", had a bit of a "Thinner" vibe to it that I wasn't digging too much. But "Good Marriage", about a woman with a seemingly normal and unexceptional life, finds out her husband is hiding a terrible secret, was brilliant. "Big Driver", about a woman who is raped after being stranded on the side of the road, had of course the expected revenge angle but it also had an interesting identity twist I wasn't expecting. "1922", about a Nebraska farmer desperate to keep his wife from selling her 100 acre inheritance, had some graphically disturbing scenes that literally turned my stomach. I loved it :)
Robert Kirkman's graphic novel continues, and I burned through the "Walking Dead Vols. 5 and 6" in an afternoon. It felt a little like we were going in circles and repeating previous storylines, especially how they ended up in their new supposedly safe community, but I did like the introduction in the beginning of Vol 6 of a religious nut. Just what an apocalyptic series needs!
I was looking forward to "Love, Lust, and Faking It" by Jenny McCarthy because I've enjoyed all of her books on autism but I've never read any of her more humorous books. I was disappointed. I didn't think it was funny and she contradicted her stories a lot, which is a sticking point with me.
And finally, Stephen King's latest collection of four novellas in the vein of "Different Seasons" and "Four Past Midnight", "Full Dark, No Stars". Aw, what can I say? This is SK of yore: gross and graphic and perfect in every way. I enjoyed all four of the stories immensely, although the third and shortest, "Fair Extension", had a bit of a "Thinner" vibe to it that I wasn't digging too much. But "Good Marriage", about a woman with a seemingly normal and unexceptional life, finds out her husband is hiding a terrible secret, was brilliant. "Big Driver", about a woman who is raped after being stranded on the side of the road, had of course the expected revenge angle but it also had an interesting identity twist I wasn't expecting. "1922", about a Nebraska farmer desperate to keep his wife from selling her 100 acre inheritance, had some graphically disturbing scenes that literally turned my stomach. I loved it :)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Secret Eleanor; Why Shoot a Butler; Sinatra: Hollywood His Way; Hellboy: Seed of Destruction; Hellboy: Wake the Devil
"Secret Eleanor" by Cecelia Holland was a lukewarm fiction title based very, very loosely on Eleanor of Aquataine. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the woman was so incredibly fascinating, why make stuff up about her out of wholecloth? Honestly. In this book Holland imagines that Eleanor gets pregnant by Henry II before their marriage (and before he's Henry II tee hee) and her sister has to step in and pretend to be her in public so that her divorce from the French King Louie won't be threatened. It was pretty dull.
"Why Shoot a Butler?" is a mystery by Georgette Heyer, set in the 1920s England. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie, only with Heyer's fun twist on words and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A butler is murdered on the side of the road with a young female in the car with him, protesting her innocence. The ending was somewhat predictable, but it was happy, and it made me happy.
"Sinatra: Hollywood His Way" by Timothy Knight was a beautiful pictorial work on the movie career of the great man himself. While Sinatra is rightly remembered as a fantastic musician, he was also an amazing actor. Yes, I am biased :)
Two volumes of "Hellboy" for our upcoming Graphic Novel Book Club meeting: "Seed of Destruction" and "Wake the Devil", by Mike Mignola. One of my coworkers in the club absolutely loves these books and can't stop raving about them, but I'm not 100% sure I'm getting them. They're interesting, just not like how he raves. Maybe I'm missing something he's seeing. At any rate the drawings are pretty good and Hellboy is quite scary looking but he's a good guy, so that's always a fun twist. I have one more volume to read before our meeting so maybe I'll figure out some of the appeal.
"Why Shoot a Butler?" is a mystery by Georgette Heyer, set in the 1920s England. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie, only with Heyer's fun twist on words and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A butler is murdered on the side of the road with a young female in the car with him, protesting her innocence. The ending was somewhat predictable, but it was happy, and it made me happy.
"Sinatra: Hollywood His Way" by Timothy Knight was a beautiful pictorial work on the movie career of the great man himself. While Sinatra is rightly remembered as a fantastic musician, he was also an amazing actor. Yes, I am biased :)
Two volumes of "Hellboy" for our upcoming Graphic Novel Book Club meeting: "Seed of Destruction" and "Wake the Devil", by Mike Mignola. One of my coworkers in the club absolutely loves these books and can't stop raving about them, but I'm not 100% sure I'm getting them. They're interesting, just not like how he raves. Maybe I'm missing something he's seeing. At any rate the drawings are pretty good and Hellboy is quite scary looking but he's a good guy, so that's always a fun twist. I have one more volume to read before our meeting so maybe I'll figure out some of the appeal.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pretty Plus; Walking Dead book 4; Tattoos and Tequila; Shit My Dad Says; Pretty in Plaid; Lady of Quality; The Passage
Lots to update, but I have a wicked good excuse: I just got back from Wisconsin where I went to a GB Packers/Minnesota Vikings game. I GOT TO SEE BRETT FAVRE PLAY AT LAMBEAU FIELD. True, he was in the wrong colors, but still, it was amazing. Incredible. Unbelievable. Anyway, moving on to books!
"Pretty Plus" by Babe Hope was really helpful guide on how to look good and choose clothes that flatter you even if you don't wear a size 1, which I certainly don't. While she specifically wrote it for plus size gals, which I'm also not, I thought her tips and hints were helpful for all shapes and sizes, and the next time I do some serious clothes shopping I hope I remember how to pick out items that flatter. It was a great guide, and her tone was wonderful, not the least bit "go, big girl!" or anything lame like that.
Robert Kirkman continues "The Walking Dead" series in book 4. The prison's safety is compromised after the Governor and his crew arrive to exact revenge for what Michonne did to him (shouldn't have left him alive, girl). Lori gives birth to a little girl they name Judy, and when the governor's crew comes Lori and Judy are both killed while trying to escape, leaving Carl and Rick alone with no where to go. Just when you think things couldn't get any sadder, they do. I'm really looking forward to the AMC's premiere of the show next Sunday. It looks great!
"Tattoos and Tequila" by Vince Neil chronicles his life as part of the hard parting heavy metal band Motely Crue. It was a quick and forgettable read, actually, kind of boring. He doesn't have Tucker Max's storytelling gift, that's for sure!
"Shit My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern is a hilarious collection of wise gems that come effortlessly out of his dad's mouth. Halpern started a Twitter feed to collect his dad's advice, and it went viral because it's freaking hilarious. A lot of it was actually quite sage and spot on. I hope there's a sequel. Justin's dad--keep on talking, please!!
More laughs with Jen Lancaster's "Pretty in Plaid", in which she talks about her early years, high school and college, and what she wore and what it all meant to her. As usual, Jen is witty, charming, and irrepressible. Great read.
I have a few guilty pleasures in life, and Georgette Heyer is one of them. She's like a silly, trashy version of Jane Austen (who I just cannot read. So boring). Heyer is funny and her books have wonderful dialogue full of historical slang and charming roguish characters. "Lady of Quality" was no different. I loved the happy ending.
And finally, Justin Cronin's "The Passage" has had great word of mouth buzz and is huge right now. I liked it but there were parts I didn't like. The plot had a lot of holes and I found it hard to suspend disbelief in some areas. The ending was bleak and miserable, not at all what I wanted after slugging through 700 pages. But the characters were great, very realistic and memorable, and it was a page turner. I guess I was just disappointed there wasn't a happier ending. Or at least more closure. Perhaps I'll read some more Georgette Heyer :)
"Pretty Plus" by Babe Hope was really helpful guide on how to look good and choose clothes that flatter you even if you don't wear a size 1, which I certainly don't. While she specifically wrote it for plus size gals, which I'm also not, I thought her tips and hints were helpful for all shapes and sizes, and the next time I do some serious clothes shopping I hope I remember how to pick out items that flatter. It was a great guide, and her tone was wonderful, not the least bit "go, big girl!" or anything lame like that.
Robert Kirkman continues "The Walking Dead" series in book 4. The prison's safety is compromised after the Governor and his crew arrive to exact revenge for what Michonne did to him (shouldn't have left him alive, girl). Lori gives birth to a little girl they name Judy, and when the governor's crew comes Lori and Judy are both killed while trying to escape, leaving Carl and Rick alone with no where to go. Just when you think things couldn't get any sadder, they do. I'm really looking forward to the AMC's premiere of the show next Sunday. It looks great!
"Tattoos and Tequila" by Vince Neil chronicles his life as part of the hard parting heavy metal band Motely Crue. It was a quick and forgettable read, actually, kind of boring. He doesn't have Tucker Max's storytelling gift, that's for sure!
"Shit My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern is a hilarious collection of wise gems that come effortlessly out of his dad's mouth. Halpern started a Twitter feed to collect his dad's advice, and it went viral because it's freaking hilarious. A lot of it was actually quite sage and spot on. I hope there's a sequel. Justin's dad--keep on talking, please!!
More laughs with Jen Lancaster's "Pretty in Plaid", in which she talks about her early years, high school and college, and what she wore and what it all meant to her. As usual, Jen is witty, charming, and irrepressible. Great read.
I have a few guilty pleasures in life, and Georgette Heyer is one of them. She's like a silly, trashy version of Jane Austen (who I just cannot read. So boring). Heyer is funny and her books have wonderful dialogue full of historical slang and charming roguish characters. "Lady of Quality" was no different. I loved the happy ending.
And finally, Justin Cronin's "The Passage" has had great word of mouth buzz and is huge right now. I liked it but there were parts I didn't like. The plot had a lot of holes and I found it hard to suspend disbelief in some areas. The ending was bleak and miserable, not at all what I wanted after slugging through 700 pages. But the characters were great, very realistic and memorable, and it was a page turner. I guess I was just disappointed there wasn't a happier ending. Or at least more closure. Perhaps I'll read some more Georgette Heyer :)
Friday, October 8, 2010
Spider Bones, Angelina, Badasses, Assholes Finish First, Spirit Bound
New Tempe Brennan novel by Kathy Reichs! "Spider Bones" finds Tempe traveling to Hawaii to help determine why a man who supposedly died a hero in Vietnam has just turned up dead in Montreal. As usual, lots of great twisty plots going on and in the end they all tied together. Being in Hawaii means shark attacks and gang fights and of course her on again/off again partner Andrew Ryan pays a visit. Nice. I was proud of myself for being able to keep track of everything that was going on (no easy feat) and actually guessed part of the ending correctly! Yay me!
Andrew Morton's unauthorized biography of Angelina Jolie, "Angelina", was quite good. Very well researched and very dishy, as is typical of Morton's books. I doubt Angelina would enjoy it as much, since Morton portrays her as a victim of her mother's scheming and petty revenge against her dad, Jon Voight, and claims that she broke up with second husband Billy Bob Thornton for really no good reason (as far as I'm concerned, death is the only reason to leave BBT. And even then it would be with kicking and screaming reluctance on my part).
More football! "Badasses" by Peter Richmond was his story of the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s, those cheating little scamps that everyone loved to hate but boy did they know how to play football the old fashioned beat-the-hell-out-of-everyone way. His enthusiasm for his beloved Raiders was infecting and I enjoyed the book, although I would have enjoyed it more with a little less liberal use of the word "badass". Everything was "badass" this and "badass" that. Okay, I get it, I get it. Move on :)
Tucker Max is a jerk. And he admits it. And that's why I love to read his stuff. "Assholes Finish First" is his brilliant followup to "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell". I honestly didn't think he could top that, but he sure did. The Tucker Max Fest story, in which he and several other guys, are driving a rented RV drunk through the streets of Harlem--priceless. He's apparently writing another book which will detail the year he lived in Cancun while attending Duke Law School. I can't wait!
And finally, book five of the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead "Spirit Bound". This series was slow to start but has picked up considerably since book three and I'm enjoying them very much. Rose has graduated to become a full fledged guardian, and she and Lissa discover a way to turn the Strigoi (the bad vampires) back from the undead using Lissa's special spirit. They are able to do so with Rose's formal lover, Dimitri, much to the amazement of the Moroi community. While the court is still in an uproar about that as well as a controversial age lowering requirement ruling for the dhampir, Queen Tatiana is found dead with Rose's stake through her heart. Oh my goodness I can't wait for the next one!
Andrew Morton's unauthorized biography of Angelina Jolie, "Angelina", was quite good. Very well researched and very dishy, as is typical of Morton's books. I doubt Angelina would enjoy it as much, since Morton portrays her as a victim of her mother's scheming and petty revenge against her dad, Jon Voight, and claims that she broke up with second husband Billy Bob Thornton for really no good reason (as far as I'm concerned, death is the only reason to leave BBT. And even then it would be with kicking and screaming reluctance on my part).
More football! "Badasses" by Peter Richmond was his story of the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s, those cheating little scamps that everyone loved to hate but boy did they know how to play football the old fashioned beat-the-hell-out-of-everyone way. His enthusiasm for his beloved Raiders was infecting and I enjoyed the book, although I would have enjoyed it more with a little less liberal use of the word "badass". Everything was "badass" this and "badass" that. Okay, I get it, I get it. Move on :)
Tucker Max is a jerk. And he admits it. And that's why I love to read his stuff. "Assholes Finish First" is his brilliant followup to "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell". I honestly didn't think he could top that, but he sure did. The Tucker Max Fest story, in which he and several other guys, are driving a rented RV drunk through the streets of Harlem--priceless. He's apparently writing another book which will detail the year he lived in Cancun while attending Duke Law School. I can't wait!
And finally, book five of the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead "Spirit Bound". This series was slow to start but has picked up considerably since book three and I'm enjoying them very much. Rose has graduated to become a full fledged guardian, and she and Lissa discover a way to turn the Strigoi (the bad vampires) back from the undead using Lissa's special spirit. They are able to do so with Rose's formal lover, Dimitri, much to the amazement of the Moroi community. While the court is still in an uproar about that as well as a controversial age lowering requirement ruling for the dhampir, Queen Tatiana is found dead with Rose's stake through her heart. Oh my goodness I can't wait for the next one!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Push; Bigger than the Game
I haven't yet seen "Precious", the movie based on Sapphire's novel "Push", but I want to after reading the book. It was a tough, tough read: even though I know it's fiction the sad fact is that it is reality for a lot of people and Sapphire tells it so straightforwardly and so well, without any pity, that it rings true. Sixteen year old Precious is pregnant for the second time by her own father, and is kicked out of school. A guidance counselor arranges for her to go to an alternative school, and we find out Precious is very nearly illiterate. Her mother abuses her as well and doesn't want her to waste her time trying to get an education, it's much better to just go on welfare. Precious is determined to learn to read and write, though. Where she finds the strength to go on is beyond me, but damn, does it ever put my own life into perspective. I am reminded of Dave Pelzer, who I often think of whenever I think my own life sucks.
"Bigger than the Game" is Michael Weinreb's look at how the decade of excess, the 1980s, helped shaped today's modern athlete, starting with high school kids being recruited by colleges and given money and promises of more. What affect does all that sudden wealth have on a young athlete? It's usually not good, and he wove in the war on drugs that started up around the same time. It was an interesting read and really highlights how greed ruins otherwise smart, good people.
On a totally unrelated note: happy birthday to Stephen King!
"Bigger than the Game" is Michael Weinreb's look at how the decade of excess, the 1980s, helped shaped today's modern athlete, starting with high school kids being recruited by colleges and given money and promises of more. What affect does all that sudden wealth have on a young athlete? It's usually not good, and he wove in the war on drugs that started up around the same time. It was an interesting read and really highlights how greed ruins otherwise smart, good people.
On a totally unrelated note: happy birthday to Stephen King!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Hilliker Curse; Fables: the Great Fables Crossover; Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall; Ones Who Hit the Hardest; Dexter is Delicious; Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen
First up: James Ellroy's "Hilliker Curse", his autobiography of why and how his relationships with women are so screwed up. We all know Ellroy is one very messed up individual (have I mentioned how much I loved his "My Dark Places"?) and this really confirms it. He blames himself for his mother's murder when he was just 10 years old, he's never gotten over it, and it's permanently messed up any interactions he has with the opposite sex. Fascinating but very, very sad.
"Fables: the Great Fables Crossover" by Bill Willingham was very funny. Jack of Fables (different series I haven't gotten to yet--but I will) and our well known Fable friends are out to stop Peter Thorn from rewriting history and wiping their universe out of existence.
"Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall" by Bill Willingham is a take on "Arabian Nights". Snow White is being held captive by an Arab sultan who plans to execute her in the morning. She entertains him with stories of many of the Fables's beginnings, and he delays her execution to hear her tales. It was great to get the back story on some of my favorite Fables characters!
The return of football means the return of football books! "The Ones Who Hit the Hardest" by Chad Millman and Shawn Coyne tells the story of the pride the town of Pittsburgh had (and continues to have) for their Steelers. The 1970s were a terrible time to be a blue collar worker in America, even moreso in Pittsburgh. It was a great story but the pace kept getting slowed down by the insertion of tidbits about the steelworkers union. It would have been better to leave that out.
"Dexter is Delicious" is Jeffrey Lindsay's latest Dexter (can't wait for the premier of the show next Sunday!!). I love the dark, snarky humor in Lindsay's books. Dex is now a daddy, to little Lily Anne, and his brother Brian makes a surprise return (obviously the books and TV show don't match up). Since Dexter has now sworn off the dark ways Brian steps in to instruct Cody and Astor, which doesn't please Dex one bit. He and Deb are after a tribe of cannibals and he is kidnapped by them and nearly eaten not once but twice. In the end, of course, Dexter returns to his deliciously wicked ways. For sister Deb, of course.
A wonderful biography of Queen Mary, Anna Whitelock's "Mary: Princess, Bastard, Queen" sets out to set the record straight and clear up some of the awful misconceptions about Mary's reign. She is of course overshadowed in history by her brilliant younger half-sister, Queen Elizabeth I, and rightly so, but Mary was brave and courageous in her own right and her own contributions should not be overlooked. Whitelock does conveniently try to gloss over the worst of Mary's actions, like the terrible burning deaths of people who dared question the Catholic faith, but all in all she does a beautiful job of showing how Mary Tudor really was her mother's daughter.
"Fables: the Great Fables Crossover" by Bill Willingham was very funny. Jack of Fables (different series I haven't gotten to yet--but I will) and our well known Fable friends are out to stop Peter Thorn from rewriting history and wiping their universe out of existence.
"Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall" by Bill Willingham is a take on "Arabian Nights". Snow White is being held captive by an Arab sultan who plans to execute her in the morning. She entertains him with stories of many of the Fables's beginnings, and he delays her execution to hear her tales. It was great to get the back story on some of my favorite Fables characters!
The return of football means the return of football books! "The Ones Who Hit the Hardest" by Chad Millman and Shawn Coyne tells the story of the pride the town of Pittsburgh had (and continues to have) for their Steelers. The 1970s were a terrible time to be a blue collar worker in America, even moreso in Pittsburgh. It was a great story but the pace kept getting slowed down by the insertion of tidbits about the steelworkers union. It would have been better to leave that out.
"Dexter is Delicious" is Jeffrey Lindsay's latest Dexter (can't wait for the premier of the show next Sunday!!). I love the dark, snarky humor in Lindsay's books. Dex is now a daddy, to little Lily Anne, and his brother Brian makes a surprise return (obviously the books and TV show don't match up). Since Dexter has now sworn off the dark ways Brian steps in to instruct Cody and Astor, which doesn't please Dex one bit. He and Deb are after a tribe of cannibals and he is kidnapped by them and nearly eaten not once but twice. In the end, of course, Dexter returns to his deliciously wicked ways. For sister Deb, of course.
A wonderful biography of Queen Mary, Anna Whitelock's "Mary: Princess, Bastard, Queen" sets out to set the record straight and clear up some of the awful misconceptions about Mary's reign. She is of course overshadowed in history by her brilliant younger half-sister, Queen Elizabeth I, and rightly so, but Mary was brave and courageous in her own right and her own contributions should not be overlooked. Whitelock does conveniently try to gloss over the worst of Mary's actions, like the terrible burning deaths of people who dared question the Catholic faith, but all in all she does a beautiful job of showing how Mary Tudor really was her mother's daughter.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Batman: Haunted Knight; Batman: Long Halloween; Fables Vol. 10; Twilight at the World of Tomorrow
A couple of Batman graphic novels by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. "The Haunted Knight" showed me a very tortured side of Batman that I didn't know existed, and "The Long Halloween" continued that. While they were both good and I liked them, I still liked "The Killing Joke" better.
I missed Vol. 10 of Bill Willingham's "Fables" series when I was finishing them up a few months ago, so I went back and got it. I love Valiant Prince Ambrose (otherwise known as Flycatcher) and his story. So good.
"Twilight at the World of Tomorrow" by James Mauro was about the 1939 New York World's Fair, which took place on the eve of World War II breaking out. It was a bit uneven and inconsistent, and parts of it felt dragged out and padded while other parts felt rushed. Too bad, because it's certainly an interesting subject.
I missed Vol. 10 of Bill Willingham's "Fables" series when I was finishing them up a few months ago, so I went back and got it. I love Valiant Prince Ambrose (otherwise known as Flycatcher) and his story. So good.
"Twilight at the World of Tomorrow" by James Mauro was about the 1939 New York World's Fair, which took place on the eve of World War II breaking out. It was a bit uneven and inconsistent, and parts of it felt dragged out and padded while other parts felt rushed. Too bad, because it's certainly an interesting subject.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Murder Room; My Fair Lazy; Holidays on Ice; Batman: the Killing Joke
"The Murder Room" by Michael Capuzzo was so slow to start I almost gave up on it after about 70 pages of slogging through it, but I'm glad I finished it because it got much better. Once a month in Philadelphia a group of men, the best in their fields of forensic sciences and crime fighting, meet to discuss cold cases, and end up solving quite a few of them. True crime gold.
"My Fair Lazy" by Jen Lancaster details her decision to stop being such a lazy ass who sits around watching crappy reality television and get some more culture in her life. In typical Jen Lancaster fashion she goes way overboard with it but at least she chronicles her adventure in a humorous way. I have to applaud her point that life is short and we waste so many opportunities to do more with our lives. I feel guilty now for my own laziness :)
David Sedaris' "Holidays on Ice" was very disappointing. It's a collection of short essays about Christmas that are supposed to be funny. None of them were very amusing and I found one to be borderline offensive, about child slavery, sex abuse, and murder. And you know it takes a lot to offend me, if I can read Tucker Max without blinking!
"Batman: the Killing Joke" by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland was a beautifully illustrated graphic novel accounting how the Joker became insane. It was short but it was good, I liked it a lot.
"My Fair Lazy" by Jen Lancaster details her decision to stop being such a lazy ass who sits around watching crappy reality television and get some more culture in her life. In typical Jen Lancaster fashion she goes way overboard with it but at least she chronicles her adventure in a humorous way. I have to applaud her point that life is short and we waste so many opportunities to do more with our lives. I feel guilty now for my own laziness :)
David Sedaris' "Holidays on Ice" was very disappointing. It's a collection of short essays about Christmas that are supposed to be funny. None of them were very amusing and I found one to be borderline offensive, about child slavery, sex abuse, and murder. And you know it takes a lot to offend me, if I can read Tucker Max without blinking!
"Batman: the Killing Joke" by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland was a beautifully illustrated graphic novel accounting how the Joker became insane. It was short but it was good, I liked it a lot.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Captive Queen; Red Queen; Hollywood; Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake; I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell; Dead and Gone
Finally, a few new ones that didn't suck! "Captive Queen" by the amazing Alison Weir was a fictionalized account of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Weir does her usual brilliant job of making the story come to life and she really couldn't have picked a more fascinating woman than Eleanor.
"The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory was the sequel to "The White Queen" and told the story of Elizabeth Woodville's counterpart, Margaret Beaufort, mother to King Henry VII and grandmother to Henry VIII. I always imagined Margaret was a bitch on wheels, and Gregory does nothing to disprove this notion. *Everyone* thought Margaret was a bitch. She really was the woman everyone loved to hate, so convinced in her righteousness of purpose of putting her son, with his incredibly weak ties, on the throne over people with better claims (like Henry's future wife and Elizabeth Woodville's daughter, Elizabeth).
"Hollywood" by Larry McMurtry was his third in the trilogy of memoirs, the other two being "Books" and "Literary Life". I didn't care for the first two, finding them too short and I had no idea who any of the people he was talking about where. "Hollywood" was better. It was still awfully short, but it was funny and at least I know who everyone was.
"Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender was better than I expected, since it's been getting such great word of mouth buzz I figured it would disappoint, but I liked it. It had an intangible quality that I can't quite explain and a bit of a sci-fi sort of feel to it that I wasn't expecting. It reminded me of "The Time Traveler's Wife" in that sense. Rose discovers on her ninth birthday that she can taste people's emotions in the food they cook, and her brother Joseph disappears without warning. She ends up learning how to cope with her strangeness and function in normal society, Joseph does not.
"I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" by Tucker Max was a reread. I caught part of the movie on TV the other night (it was atrocious, don't bother) and wanted to revel in his debauchery again, since I lead such a tame and quiet life. Hilarious.
And finally, "Dead and Gone" by Charlaine Harris, the Sookie Stackhouse book before "Dead in the Family" that I somehow missed when I was getting caught up on Sookie. It was pretty good and I enjoyed the way Sookie was able to realize she might actually need some help fighting off all the bad stuff that comes into her life. Just quit your beer slinging job and move in with your gorgeous husband, Eric, girl! Yeah, I know, I know--if she did that there wouldn't be a story anymore. FINE :)
"The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory was the sequel to "The White Queen" and told the story of Elizabeth Woodville's counterpart, Margaret Beaufort, mother to King Henry VII and grandmother to Henry VIII. I always imagined Margaret was a bitch on wheels, and Gregory does nothing to disprove this notion. *Everyone* thought Margaret was a bitch. She really was the woman everyone loved to hate, so convinced in her righteousness of purpose of putting her son, with his incredibly weak ties, on the throne over people with better claims (like Henry's future wife and Elizabeth Woodville's daughter, Elizabeth).
"Hollywood" by Larry McMurtry was his third in the trilogy of memoirs, the other two being "Books" and "Literary Life". I didn't care for the first two, finding them too short and I had no idea who any of the people he was talking about where. "Hollywood" was better. It was still awfully short, but it was funny and at least I know who everyone was.
"Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender was better than I expected, since it's been getting such great word of mouth buzz I figured it would disappoint, but I liked it. It had an intangible quality that I can't quite explain and a bit of a sci-fi sort of feel to it that I wasn't expecting. It reminded me of "The Time Traveler's Wife" in that sense. Rose discovers on her ninth birthday that she can taste people's emotions in the food they cook, and her brother Joseph disappears without warning. She ends up learning how to cope with her strangeness and function in normal society, Joseph does not.
"I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" by Tucker Max was a reread. I caught part of the movie on TV the other night (it was atrocious, don't bother) and wanted to revel in his debauchery again, since I lead such a tame and quiet life. Hilarious.
And finally, "Dead and Gone" by Charlaine Harris, the Sookie Stackhouse book before "Dead in the Family" that I somehow missed when I was getting caught up on Sookie. It was pretty good and I enjoyed the way Sookie was able to realize she might actually need some help fighting off all the bad stuff that comes into her life. Just quit your beer slinging job and move in with your gorgeous husband, Eric, girl! Yeah, I know, I know--if she did that there wouldn't be a story anymore. FINE :)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Jigsaw
Another reread from Ed McBain. I sort of remembered the ending to this one but not really, so it worked out well. I'm reading a couple of brand new books right now, so no more rereads for awhile.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Lady, Lady, I Did It!
A reread from the fabulous 87th Precinct series by the late, great, dearly missed Ed McBain. I was trying to read a couple of new books I checked out, including the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series that's so popular right now, but damned if I just couldn't get into it at all. It bored me straight to tears about 100 pages in and I gave up. Life's too short to try to read things that aren't appealing to me. So I turned to the old standbys and pulled this one off the shelf. I actually remembered the ending, which is so rare for me, with rereads like this one, but it was a great story and I enjoyed it again. I just hope my next round of checkouts is better than the previous ones, otherwise I may just have to keep rereading McBain. Not that I would mind that one bit!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
In which I apologize and catch up
Okay, we're going to gloss over the fact that I've been remiss and just catch up. In the last month I've read:
"Swan Thieves" by Elizabeth Kostova, of "The Historian" fame. I liked "The Historian" a lot, but this one I didn't care for. I didn't *not* like it, I just feel indifferent about it.
"Frankenstein: Lost Souls" by Dean Koontz I enjoyed a lot. It seems to be the beginning of a new series, and I'm excited about that.
"Fables, Vols. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12" by Bill Willingham. I missed Vol. 10 somehow, but the story has gotten really great. The Fables have gone to war and in Vol. 11 defeated the evil Emperor. There have been some casualties, like Prince Charming and Boy Blue, but I'm eager to find out what happens next. My only complaint is some of the artists have truly sucked.
"Sizzling Sixteen" by Janet Evanovich. Lately the Stephanie Plum series have been kind of mediocre, but this one I really liked, despite the lack of Morelli and Ranger hotness. This one had a lot of Vinnie (he's been kidnapped by the mob and Stephanie and Lulu and Connie have to devise a plan to rescue him) and I like Vinnie.
So then I reread "Seven Up" and "Two for the Dough", which were both fun. I hadn't read the second one in quite a while. I'd like to reread them all, but I have a huge stack of books I need to get to. Someday I'm going to take all that vacation time I have hoarded up and just overindulge on books :)
"Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" by Alison Arngrim, who played the evil Nellie Olsen on TV's "Little House on the Prairie", which was probably one of my all time favorite shows when I was growing up. I loved this memoir. Alison was hilarious and her look at the show and the actors she worked with was great. I'd love if she wrote fiction, I think it would be as quirky and fun as Christopher Moore.
I reread Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind", my all time favorite comfort read. That was the first grown up book I ever read, when I was nine years old. Every time I reread it (and it's been, sadly, many years) it's like visiting an old friend and spending a lazy Sunday afternoon on the veranda, sipping sweet tea and reminiscing. I needed that.
"Aqua Net Diaries" by Jennifer Niven was her look back at her very ordinary teenage years in a small Indiana high school. There wasn't anything crazy or wild about her and her friends, and that's what I liked about it: it's normalcy. Since I didn't go to high school I have none of these fond memories and I enjoyed hers.
"Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris is her latest Sookie Stackhouse book. I missed the one right before this, unfortunately, so I was a bit confused in the beginning, but I caught up quickly enough and enjoyed all the Eric hotness :)
And lastly, "Beastly" by Alex Finn, a YA updated version of "Beauty and the Beast". Since I've never seen the Disney film or really any other version of the story I can't attest to its faithfulness, but I enjoyed this version a lot. Even though the ending was predictable, the characters were so likable I was rooting for them and it made me glad when it all worked out.
Whew. Okay, I won't let that happen again, I promise.
"Swan Thieves" by Elizabeth Kostova, of "The Historian" fame. I liked "The Historian" a lot, but this one I didn't care for. I didn't *not* like it, I just feel indifferent about it.
"Frankenstein: Lost Souls" by Dean Koontz I enjoyed a lot. It seems to be the beginning of a new series, and I'm excited about that.
"Fables, Vols. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12" by Bill Willingham. I missed Vol. 10 somehow, but the story has gotten really great. The Fables have gone to war and in Vol. 11 defeated the evil Emperor. There have been some casualties, like Prince Charming and Boy Blue, but I'm eager to find out what happens next. My only complaint is some of the artists have truly sucked.
"Sizzling Sixteen" by Janet Evanovich. Lately the Stephanie Plum series have been kind of mediocre, but this one I really liked, despite the lack of Morelli and Ranger hotness. This one had a lot of Vinnie (he's been kidnapped by the mob and Stephanie and Lulu and Connie have to devise a plan to rescue him) and I like Vinnie.
So then I reread "Seven Up" and "Two for the Dough", which were both fun. I hadn't read the second one in quite a while. I'd like to reread them all, but I have a huge stack of books I need to get to. Someday I'm going to take all that vacation time I have hoarded up and just overindulge on books :)
"Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" by Alison Arngrim, who played the evil Nellie Olsen on TV's "Little House on the Prairie", which was probably one of my all time favorite shows when I was growing up. I loved this memoir. Alison was hilarious and her look at the show and the actors she worked with was great. I'd love if she wrote fiction, I think it would be as quirky and fun as Christopher Moore.
I reread Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind", my all time favorite comfort read. That was the first grown up book I ever read, when I was nine years old. Every time I reread it (and it's been, sadly, many years) it's like visiting an old friend and spending a lazy Sunday afternoon on the veranda, sipping sweet tea and reminiscing. I needed that.
"Aqua Net Diaries" by Jennifer Niven was her look back at her very ordinary teenage years in a small Indiana high school. There wasn't anything crazy or wild about her and her friends, and that's what I liked about it: it's normalcy. Since I didn't go to high school I have none of these fond memories and I enjoyed hers.
"Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris is her latest Sookie Stackhouse book. I missed the one right before this, unfortunately, so I was a bit confused in the beginning, but I caught up quickly enough and enjoyed all the Eric hotness :)
And lastly, "Beastly" by Alex Finn, a YA updated version of "Beauty and the Beast". Since I've never seen the Disney film or really any other version of the story I can't attest to its faithfulness, but I enjoyed this version a lot. Even though the ending was predictable, the characters were so likable I was rooting for them and it made me glad when it all worked out.
Whew. Okay, I won't let that happen again, I promise.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Fables Volumes 1-3; The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner; Mouse Guard Winter 1152; Blockade Billy; Van Alen Legacy; Stones Into Schools; Furious Love
I know it looks like a lot, but with the exception of the last three, they were all pretty short.
"Fables Vols. 1-3" by Bill Willingham was great fun, probably the best graphic novels I've read yet. Snarky and full of black humor as the classic characters from childhood stories are thrust into the modern world to live among us regular folk and try to pass themselves off as normal.
Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" novella "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" was, quite honestly, a waste of time. Without Bella and Edward and Jacob, Meyer's writing isn't really that interesting. It's the characters I care about more than her prose or plot, and the characters in this one just didn't hold my interest. At least it was super short, so I didn't waste too much time on it.
"Mouse Guard Winter 1152" by David Petersen was better than the first one I read a last month. There's more meat to the plot and I found myself actually caring about the little woodland critters and what happened to them. "Fables" is still better, though :)
Stephen King's novella, "Blockade Billy", was actually pretty good because it was about baseball but it wasn't so long that it bored me, and it had an interesting twist in the end that, although I saw it coming, King executed masterfully.
"The Van Alen Legacy" by Melissa de la Cruz was the latest in her Blue Bloods series. More action and intrigue kept my interest better than the previous volumes, but of course I'm so lost with the convoluted storyline from having not really paid attention previously that I did find myself going "huh?" a couple of times. It really didn't matter, though, it was still enjoyable.
Greg Mortenson, author of the brilliant "Three Cups of Tea", returns with "Stones Into Schools", about how his nonprofit, The Central Asia Institute, has helped build schools for girls in Afghanistan. Brilliant and inspiring, I sincerely wish there were more people in the world like Mortenson. We should clone him and fill the world with his amazing selflessness and compassion. Now here's a man that should win a Nobel Peace Prize. He deserves it.
And finally, Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger's absolutely brilliant and amazing look at Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's marriage in "Furious Love". Wow, what a powerful love story. Taylor gave them access to her private letters from Burton, which they quoted from liberally in the book. Beautiful and heartbreaking how their love was so passionate, so all consuming, that it literally destroyed them both. Now I'm in the mood to rewatch "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".
"Fables Vols. 1-3" by Bill Willingham was great fun, probably the best graphic novels I've read yet. Snarky and full of black humor as the classic characters from childhood stories are thrust into the modern world to live among us regular folk and try to pass themselves off as normal.
Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" novella "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" was, quite honestly, a waste of time. Without Bella and Edward and Jacob, Meyer's writing isn't really that interesting. It's the characters I care about more than her prose or plot, and the characters in this one just didn't hold my interest. At least it was super short, so I didn't waste too much time on it.
"Mouse Guard Winter 1152" by David Petersen was better than the first one I read a last month. There's more meat to the plot and I found myself actually caring about the little woodland critters and what happened to them. "Fables" is still better, though :)
Stephen King's novella, "Blockade Billy", was actually pretty good because it was about baseball but it wasn't so long that it bored me, and it had an interesting twist in the end that, although I saw it coming, King executed masterfully.
"The Van Alen Legacy" by Melissa de la Cruz was the latest in her Blue Bloods series. More action and intrigue kept my interest better than the previous volumes, but of course I'm so lost with the convoluted storyline from having not really paid attention previously that I did find myself going "huh?" a couple of times. It really didn't matter, though, it was still enjoyable.
Greg Mortenson, author of the brilliant "Three Cups of Tea", returns with "Stones Into Schools", about how his nonprofit, The Central Asia Institute, has helped build schools for girls in Afghanistan. Brilliant and inspiring, I sincerely wish there were more people in the world like Mortenson. We should clone him and fill the world with his amazing selflessness and compassion. Now here's a man that should win a Nobel Peace Prize. He deserves it.
And finally, Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger's absolutely brilliant and amazing look at Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's marriage in "Furious Love". Wow, what a powerful love story. Taylor gave them access to her private letters from Burton, which they quoted from liberally in the book. Beautiful and heartbreaking how their love was so passionate, so all consuming, that it literally destroyed them both. Now I'm in the mood to rewatch "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Bitter is the New Black; Such a Pretty Fat; Destination Morgue: L.A. Tales; The Sound and the Fury: William Faulkner and the Lost Cause; Anything Goes; Roses
Oh lordy am I behind. I've sort of been losing a lot of myself lately, I feel like life is coming apart at the seams and I'm scrambling to hold onto the strings. I actually contemplated giving up on this, but I think I might regret it someday if I do, so along I'll plod. Here goes.
Two by Jen Lancaster, which were really funny and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her books. First was "Bitter is the New Black", about how she and her fiance both lost their high-paying, high-powered jobs and in their poverty discovered the important things in life. It sounds sentimental and sappy, but it really wasn't. "Such a Pretty Fat" was her account of how she set about losing weight and getting into shape. It wasn't quite as funny, because it's a topic that hits entirely close to home for me, but I have to give her major credit for talking so openly about such an intensely painful subject.
"Destination Morgue: L.A. Tales" by James Ellroy was sheer masterpiece. I saw him a few months ago at the L.A. Times of Festival of Books and he is such a dynamic speaker. I've read a few of his books (highly recommend "My Dark Places") and I've wanted to read more. "Destination Morgue" was an intriguing mix of nonfiction and fiction, starting off with a few short stories of unsolved L.A. murders and how they've affected him, and the last half of the book was a collection of short fiction staring an L.A. detective and his lady love. He skillfully wove real life characters into the fiction and his abrasive style and hardcore slang make Ellroy second to none.
"The Sound and the Fury: Faulkner and the Lost Cause" by John T. Matthews was a short little critical interpretation of Faulkner's masterpiece. If I'm not reading Faulkner then I want to read more about him and his brilliance, and this one was very good, highly readable and he had some interesting insights as to the Compson household. Nothing I haven't read before, obviously, since I've read so much about "The Sound and the Fury", but interesting nonetheless.
"Anything Goes: A Biography of the Roaring Twenties" by Lucy Moore was a fun little read about the decade that defined excess and opulence before it all came crashing down. History seems to always repeat itself, even if we do our best to remember it. Her stories about what was going on in the '20s, everything from Jack Dempsey to Charles Lindbergh, drew parallels to what was going on over the last decade before we lost it all.
And finally, "Roses" by Leila Meacham. I've heard really great things about this book: a sweeping, grand epic about love and revenge set in the lush background of my favorite locale: Texas. It was good, but it fell short of my expectations. I was thinking more like "Giant" by Edna Ferber (I should have known better) but it was pale and weak in comparison.
Two by Jen Lancaster, which were really funny and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her books. First was "Bitter is the New Black", about how she and her fiance both lost their high-paying, high-powered jobs and in their poverty discovered the important things in life. It sounds sentimental and sappy, but it really wasn't. "Such a Pretty Fat" was her account of how she set about losing weight and getting into shape. It wasn't quite as funny, because it's a topic that hits entirely close to home for me, but I have to give her major credit for talking so openly about such an intensely painful subject.
"Destination Morgue: L.A. Tales" by James Ellroy was sheer masterpiece. I saw him a few months ago at the L.A. Times of Festival of Books and he is such a dynamic speaker. I've read a few of his books (highly recommend "My Dark Places") and I've wanted to read more. "Destination Morgue" was an intriguing mix of nonfiction and fiction, starting off with a few short stories of unsolved L.A. murders and how they've affected him, and the last half of the book was a collection of short fiction staring an L.A. detective and his lady love. He skillfully wove real life characters into the fiction and his abrasive style and hardcore slang make Ellroy second to none.
"The Sound and the Fury: Faulkner and the Lost Cause" by John T. Matthews was a short little critical interpretation of Faulkner's masterpiece. If I'm not reading Faulkner then I want to read more about him and his brilliance, and this one was very good, highly readable and he had some interesting insights as to the Compson household. Nothing I haven't read before, obviously, since I've read so much about "The Sound and the Fury", but interesting nonetheless.
"Anything Goes: A Biography of the Roaring Twenties" by Lucy Moore was a fun little read about the decade that defined excess and opulence before it all came crashing down. History seems to always repeat itself, even if we do our best to remember it. Her stories about what was going on in the '20s, everything from Jack Dempsey to Charles Lindbergh, drew parallels to what was going on over the last decade before we lost it all.
And finally, "Roses" by Leila Meacham. I've heard really great things about this book: a sweeping, grand epic about love and revenge set in the lush background of my favorite locale: Texas. It was good, but it fell short of my expectations. I was thinking more like "Giant" by Edna Ferber (I should have known better) but it was pale and weak in comparison.
Friday, May 21, 2010
The King's Rose; Bite Me; The Way I See It; The Bedwetter; Paul and Me
Okay, first up "The King's Rose" by Alisa M. Libby, a tepid YA novel about the life of Henry VIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good or interesting. Sort of forgettable, like little Catherine herself.
"Bite Me" by Christopher Moore was pretty funny: vampires in San Francisco. The characters were funny and well written, and I enjoyed the way he switched voices and perspectives throughout the novel. I was very glad he didn't voice the whole thing in Abby's voice, because that would have made me quit reading the book early on. A little of her slang goes a long way.
Melissa Anderson, otherwise known as Melissa Sue Anderson, who played too-good-to-be-true older sister Mary on TV's "Little House on the Prairie", penned a memoir of her life on the show in "The Way I See It". It wasn't a bad book, just kind of dull and very, very vanilla. The worst trouble Melissa and her teenage friends got into was not pulling over for a cop after running a stop sign. Well, I guess it's good that not every child actor in Hollywood did drugs and slept around, but it sure doesn't make for an interesting story when they didn't!
"The Bedwetter" is Sarah Silverman's autobiography. I've never seen her show, a coworker recommended it to me. It was fairly funny and she seemed very real and self-aware and able to laugh at herself, which are all nice qualities in people. It was entertaining enough to hold my interest.
And lastly, A. E. Hotchner chronicles his lifelong friendship with Paul Newman in "Paul and Me". It was a worthy tribute to a great man, very touching. I teared up more than once, but Hotchner was never sappy or sentimental. He obviously cared very much about Paul and valued their friendship and business collaboration on "Newman's Own", and that came through in a beautiful way.
"Bite Me" by Christopher Moore was pretty funny: vampires in San Francisco. The characters were funny and well written, and I enjoyed the way he switched voices and perspectives throughout the novel. I was very glad he didn't voice the whole thing in Abby's voice, because that would have made me quit reading the book early on. A little of her slang goes a long way.
Melissa Anderson, otherwise known as Melissa Sue Anderson, who played too-good-to-be-true older sister Mary on TV's "Little House on the Prairie", penned a memoir of her life on the show in "The Way I See It". It wasn't a bad book, just kind of dull and very, very vanilla. The worst trouble Melissa and her teenage friends got into was not pulling over for a cop after running a stop sign. Well, I guess it's good that not every child actor in Hollywood did drugs and slept around, but it sure doesn't make for an interesting story when they didn't!
"The Bedwetter" is Sarah Silverman's autobiography. I've never seen her show, a coworker recommended it to me. It was fairly funny and she seemed very real and self-aware and able to laugh at herself, which are all nice qualities in people. It was entertaining enough to hold my interest.
And lastly, A. E. Hotchner chronicles his lifelong friendship with Paul Newman in "Paul and Me". It was a worthy tribute to a great man, very touching. I teared up more than once, but Hotchner was never sappy or sentimental. He obviously cared very much about Paul and valued their friendship and business collaboration on "Newman's Own", and that came through in a beautiful way.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: the Graphic Novel
Graphic adaptation by Tony Lee and Cliff Richards. I thought Lee did a good job of paring the story down while still keeping the fun tongue in cheek elements, but Richards' artwork seemed fuzzy and slapdash. I would have preferred something a bit sharper and of course, color would have been excellent.
Spoken from the Heart; Darkness; Mouse Guard Fall 1152; the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
I'm falling behind again. What can I say? Things happen.
Moving on. "Spoken from the Heart" by former first lady Laura Bush was a very enjoyable autobiography, although I did find her mother bear defending her cubs type of tone when talking about her husband a bit tiresome. I totally understand why she feels the need to defend him, and I think their love for each other is amazing and special, but I also think that most people open minded enough to read her book are not going to be that insanely critical of former president Bush. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but at any rate, I found her to be a warm and personable author and I enjoyed hearing about her perspective on her years in the White House. The time after 9/11 was especially terrifying. I can't imagine how awful it must have been to have been living through that kind of high alert.
"Darkness" was a collection of not very good short stories edited by Ellen Datlow. I'm just not a big short stories person, and none of them were really all that memorable, except for the one by Stephen King, which I of course had read before.
"Mouse Guard Fall 1152" is a graphic novel by David Peterson. I wasn't terribly impressed by this one. The artwork was nice, but the story was so thin and juvenile compared to the other graphic novels I've been reading lately. It only took me 20 minutes to get through it. I know I read fast, but c'mon. I gotta have a little more substance than that. And the little mice as the heroes just didn't cut it with me. Although it was funny to see them battle a snake and some lobsters.
Rebecca Skloot's "Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" was amazing. Henrietta died in 1951 from cervical cancer. Before she died, doctors biopsied and saved a piece of the tumor growing in her, and it began to grow and divided, and her cells haven't stopped growing and dividing since, the first cells scientists were ever able to keep alive for so long. Her cells have been used all over the world to find cures for diseases and study how cells form, grow, change, react to certain toxins and outside influences, etc. It's impossible to calculate just how much advancement has been made in the field of medicine based on Henrietta's cells. Absolutely, utterly fascinating, and not the least bit over my head with the medical jargon, which is usually hard to comprehend.
Moving on. "Spoken from the Heart" by former first lady Laura Bush was a very enjoyable autobiography, although I did find her mother bear defending her cubs type of tone when talking about her husband a bit tiresome. I totally understand why she feels the need to defend him, and I think their love for each other is amazing and special, but I also think that most people open minded enough to read her book are not going to be that insanely critical of former president Bush. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but at any rate, I found her to be a warm and personable author and I enjoyed hearing about her perspective on her years in the White House. The time after 9/11 was especially terrifying. I can't imagine how awful it must have been to have been living through that kind of high alert.
"Darkness" was a collection of not very good short stories edited by Ellen Datlow. I'm just not a big short stories person, and none of them were really all that memorable, except for the one by Stephen King, which I of course had read before.
"Mouse Guard Fall 1152" is a graphic novel by David Peterson. I wasn't terribly impressed by this one. The artwork was nice, but the story was so thin and juvenile compared to the other graphic novels I've been reading lately. It only took me 20 minutes to get through it. I know I read fast, but c'mon. I gotta have a little more substance than that. And the little mice as the heroes just didn't cut it with me. Although it was funny to see them battle a snake and some lobsters.
Rebecca Skloot's "Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" was amazing. Henrietta died in 1951 from cervical cancer. Before she died, doctors biopsied and saved a piece of the tumor growing in her, and it began to grow and divided, and her cells haven't stopped growing and dividing since, the first cells scientists were ever able to keep alive for so long. Her cells have been used all over the world to find cures for diseases and study how cells form, grow, change, react to certain toxins and outside influences, etc. It's impossible to calculate just how much advancement has been made in the field of medicine based on Henrietta's cells. Absolutely, utterly fascinating, and not the least bit over my head with the medical jargon, which is usually hard to comprehend.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Dawn of the Dreadfuls; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; The Sandman Vols. 1 and 2; The Sound and the Fury
Okay, I'm two weeks behind because I suck, what can I say.
"Dawn of the Dreadfuls" by Steve Hockensmith is a prequel to "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Seth Grahame-Smith (which I promptly reread after reading Dreadfuls). Hockensmith told how the Bennet sisters became zombie hunters. He didn't follow what Grahame-Smith had set up in PP&Z, like the girls going to the Orient to get their training, but it was still entertaining. And then I reread PP&Z and caught a lot of the jokes I had missed the first time around.
Then I read volumes one and two of the "Sandman" graphic novels by Neil Gaimen. I didn't care too much for the first one, "Prelude and Nocturnes". It was kind of slow and seemed disjointed. The second one, "The Doll's House", was a bit better. The story seems to be picking up a bit. We'll see how the rest of the series goes. The artwork was nice, it reminded me of the old "Tales from the Crypt" comics I used to read as a kid.
And then I reread William Faulkner's brilliant, shining "The Sound and the Fury". Every time I reread it I love it more. I was tempted to try to go the Faulkner conference in Mississippi this July, but unfortunately I have a work obligation that I can't get out of. Disappointing. I'd love to see Faulkner's typewriter :)
"Dawn of the Dreadfuls" by Steve Hockensmith is a prequel to "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Seth Grahame-Smith (which I promptly reread after reading Dreadfuls). Hockensmith told how the Bennet sisters became zombie hunters. He didn't follow what Grahame-Smith had set up in PP&Z, like the girls going to the Orient to get their training, but it was still entertaining. And then I reread PP&Z and caught a lot of the jokes I had missed the first time around.
Then I read volumes one and two of the "Sandman" graphic novels by Neil Gaimen. I didn't care too much for the first one, "Prelude and Nocturnes". It was kind of slow and seemed disjointed. The second one, "The Doll's House", was a bit better. The story seems to be picking up a bit. We'll see how the rest of the series goes. The artwork was nice, it reminded me of the old "Tales from the Crypt" comics I used to read as a kid.
And then I reread William Faulkner's brilliant, shining "The Sound and the Fury". Every time I reread it I love it more. I was tempted to try to go the Faulkner conference in Mississippi this July, but unfortunately I have a work obligation that I can't get out of. Disappointing. I'd love to see Faulkner's typewriter :)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wake; The Baby-Sitters Club: the Summer Before
"Wake" by Lisa McMann was a rather thin YA novel about a girl who gets sucked into other people's dreams. There wasn't a whole lot of explanation going on as to how this actually happened or why, but I found myself not really caring all that much. It's a good concept, I think, just not written well.
And I have a guilty confession to make: I grew up reading the "Baby-Sitters Club" books. And "Sweet Valley High". At any rate, I gave away all my BSC books a decade ago (donated them to my local library! Yay me!), and I felt nostalgic for them after reading this new prequel by Ann M. Martin. She tells the story of the summer before Kristy came up with her great idea. Sometimes when you reread books you loved as a kid you wonder why in the hell you read that crap and liked it, but not the BSC. It was still a good story with good characters. I think I'm really just longing for simpler times in my life right now, before I became an adult and everything got all complicated :)
And I have a guilty confession to make: I grew up reading the "Baby-Sitters Club" books. And "Sweet Valley High". At any rate, I gave away all my BSC books a decade ago (donated them to my local library! Yay me!), and I felt nostalgic for them after reading this new prequel by Ann M. Martin. She tells the story of the summer before Kristy came up with her great idea. Sometimes when you reread books you loved as a kid you wonder why in the hell you read that crap and liked it, but not the BSC. It was still a good story with good characters. I think I'm really just longing for simpler times in my life right now, before I became an adult and everything got all complicated :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Lexicographer's Dilemma; Superfreakonomics; 703
Whole bunch of good nonfiction lately--I've really enjoyed all of them. First up is Jack Lynch's study of the English language and how it came to be the language we know today, "The Lexicographer's Dilemma". It was interesting to see how "proper" English evolved over the years and how our dictionaries were compiled.
"Superfreakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner is their follow up to their wildly popular (and amazingly good) "Freakonomics". It challenges the way we think about things, like why it's actually safer to drive drunk than to walk drunk, and how safety studies show that regular old seatbelts are safer and better at protecting children than car seats. Great reads, both of them.
And "703" by Nancy Makin. At her heaviest, Nancy weighed 703 pounds. How she got that way, and how she lost over 500 pounds, is a great story in her words. I really liked her--she seems like a great person, and I'm so happy she's gotten her life back after being so miserable for so many years. As someone who has battled with my weight my entire life (thank god never to the extremes as poor Nancy) I can certainly empathize. I think she's dead on by saying that people who struggle with weight issues are failing to fix what's really the problem: on the inside, their own lingering doubts regarding their self-worth. Obese people are severely damaged inside, and that needs to be corrected before we can expect any diet and exercise regime to work. Listen to her! She knows what she's talking about.
"Superfreakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner is their follow up to their wildly popular (and amazingly good) "Freakonomics". It challenges the way we think about things, like why it's actually safer to drive drunk than to walk drunk, and how safety studies show that regular old seatbelts are safer and better at protecting children than car seats. Great reads, both of them.
And "703" by Nancy Makin. At her heaviest, Nancy weighed 703 pounds. How she got that way, and how she lost over 500 pounds, is a great story in her words. I really liked her--she seems like a great person, and I'm so happy she's gotten her life back after being so miserable for so many years. As someone who has battled with my weight my entire life (thank god never to the extremes as poor Nancy) I can certainly empathize. I think she's dead on by saying that people who struggle with weight issues are failing to fix what's really the problem: on the inside, their own lingering doubts regarding their self-worth. Obese people are severely damaged inside, and that needs to be corrected before we can expect any diet and exercise regime to work. Listen to her! She knows what she's talking about.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Hellraisers
The life and times of four fine actors: Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed, by Robert Sellers. Great fun, these guys really enjoyed life and lived it to the fullest. Some of the stories were so incredibly outrageous, but good fun. Richard Harris found a picture of himself with a Rolls Royce, and having no recollection of ever owning such a car, called his two ex-wives, neither of which could remember him owning such a vehicle, either. He called his accountant, who confirmed he'd purchased the car 20 years previously and had been storing it in a garage to the tune of some $92,000. Can you even imagine? They went on legendary benders, lasting days. I'm ridiculously jealous.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
This Book is Overdue
Marilyn Johnson is a journalist who loves libraries and librarians, and she wrote a wonderful book in praise of the great men and women who make up my profession called "This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All". It would be a perfect introduction to the lay reader as to what exactly it is that librarians do all day (and no, we don't read, we're not volunteers, and yes, I have a master's degree). I would have thoroughly enjoyed it even if it wasn't all about other people just like me :)
Friday, April 2, 2010
Undead Much?
Stacy Jay's very disappointing YA zombie novel was an absolute mess. It seemed like she really didn't have a clear idea of the plot, she was just making it up as she went along. Her characters were unconvincing and silly, even for a light hearted YA read. And the thing that absolutely *killed* it for me--when she describes a character as throwing something into the backseat of his Corvette. Oh my god. CORVETTES DO NOT HAVE BACKSEATS. Seriously, who doesn't know this? Even if Jay didn't, shouldn't her editor have fact checked this?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Eclipse; Breaking Dawn; The Kids Are All Right; Hell Gate
I reread two of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series over the weekend because I was sick in bed, "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn". I enjoyed both more than I did last time I reread them, so that was something.
"The Kids Are All Right" by the Welch siblings: Diana, Liz, Amanda, and Dan. They took turns telling their story of what happened to the four of them after their parents died and they were split up among friends to be raised. This is going to sound mean, but it wasn't nearly as sad as I thought it would be. I've read much worse, like Dave Eggers "Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius". Not that it wasn't awful for them to lose their parents within a few years of each other, but their mother set up a trust fund that paid for their private schools, and they all pretty much survived all right.
"Hell Gate" by Linda Fairstein is her latest Alex Cooper mystery. Alex and her partners, Mike and Mercer, are hunting down human traffickers, people who bring in women from other countries to be sold into the sex trade. At one point it looked like the entire City Hall was in on it: the mayor, the D.A., half the city council. It was okay. Alex and Mike's bantering got on my nerves, and Alex's blase treatment of her boyfriend just rubbed me the wrong way.
"The Kids Are All Right" by the Welch siblings: Diana, Liz, Amanda, and Dan. They took turns telling their story of what happened to the four of them after their parents died and they were split up among friends to be raised. This is going to sound mean, but it wasn't nearly as sad as I thought it would be. I've read much worse, like Dave Eggers "Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius". Not that it wasn't awful for them to lose their parents within a few years of each other, but their mother set up a trust fund that paid for their private schools, and they all pretty much survived all right.
"Hell Gate" by Linda Fairstein is her latest Alex Cooper mystery. Alex and her partners, Mike and Mercer, are hunting down human traffickers, people who bring in women from other countries to be sold into the sex trade. At one point it looked like the entire City Hall was in on it: the mayor, the D.A., half the city council. It was okay. Alex and Mike's bantering got on my nerves, and Alex's blase treatment of her boyfriend just rubbed me the wrong way.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Tudors
G. J. Meyer's all-encompassing biography of the most notorious rulers of Britain was utterly brilliant. Witty and sharp and interesting, I truly enjoyed it. Unlike most historians, who are pretty good about not interpreting or casting judgment on their subjects, Meyer was quick to call out King Henry's hypocrisies. I thought he was a bit harsh on Queen Elizabeth, but his cutting remarks about Henry were so great I forgave him. Here's my favorite, from pg. 301: "The king meanwhile soldiered on with the thankless and unending task of showing his people the way to salvation, to all appearances unaware that he could have spent his time more productively by trying to herd cats." When was the last time I laughed out loud while reading nonfiction? I hope he writes more in the future!
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Walking Dead Book 3
Continuing the story of the survivors of the zombie apocalypse, Robert Kirkman's third installment finds the group safely ensconced in a prison. When they witness a helicopter crash, a group of them go to see if there are any survivors they can help. Turns out there's another group nearby, led by a sadistic man, who kidnaps the rescue party and tortures and maims them before they are able to escape. Back at the prison, they determine they must fortify their position so they can be ready for the inevitable attack coming from the other group. Well, surviving an apocalypse tends to either bring out the best or the worst in people, and it was nice to see this dichotomy. It was also a nice change from the second book in the series, which seemed to focus more on the relationships forming between the last remaining members of society. It was good to get back on track and realize what's important--surviving and taking out as many zombies as you can.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Asleep
After reading Oliver Sack's "Awakenings" a few weeks ago, I was curious about other books on the sleeping sickness epidemic, and discovered this new one by Molly Caldwell Crosby. It wasn't quite as depressing as Sack's book, mostly because she wrote less about individual patients and more about the phenomenon as a whole. She also told of people who survived the sickness relatively unscathed. It just seems so sad that so many had to suffer, and that scientists and doctors still really don't have a clue as to what causes it or how to treat it if it comes back.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
Chelsea Handler's previous two books, "My Horizontal Life" and "Are You There, Vodka, it's Me, Chelsea", were both pretty hilarious. This one not so much. First off, it was way too short, barely over two hundred pages, and there were pictures and lots of white space and the font was really big. As I was reading one story I could have sworn she told of something similar in a previous book. I guess she's running out of funny things to entertain us about, which is unfortunate. Like the old Janet Evanovich books, I count on Chelsea to make me laugh. Also, she spent a good portion of the book making fun of her boyfriend (they recently split up, after the book went to press). It just didn't sit right with me, her making him out to be a fool. Making fun of her dad is one thing, but I didn't like it in regards to Ted.
Monday, March 8, 2010
V for Vendetta; Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right
Alan Moore and David Lloyd team up for the graphic novel "V for Vendetta", which was pretty good. I liked "Watchmen" better, and I think it was because of the artwork. I wasn't crazy about the way Lloyd illustrated it. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't as nice as other graphic novels I've read, and I think, obviously, half the point of reading a graphic novel is for the illustrations. The plot was pretty decent, if somewhat unbelievable and paranoid, but Moore did a good job of making us understand the main characters motivation.
"Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right" by Jennifer Burns was a well done biography of Rand that examined not only her personal life but her long term affects on American culture and politics. It's obvious that even though Rand has been dead for nearly 30 years, she still inspires, fascinates, and infuriates. Reading all these biographies of Rand make me wish I had more time right now to reread "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead". It's been years! Much too long.
"Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right" by Jennifer Burns was a well done biography of Rand that examined not only her personal life but her long term affects on American culture and politics. It's obvious that even though Rand has been dead for nearly 30 years, she still inspires, fascinates, and infuriates. Reading all these biographies of Rand make me wish I had more time right now to reread "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead". It's been years! Much too long.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
So Seth Grahame-Smith, author of the hilarious mash-up "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is back with a fictionalized account of the life of one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln. I really enjoyed this book up until the last three pages: I thought it was clever and funny and that if Abe Lincoln were around today to read it he might get a kick out of it (although I did catch an error--he killed off a character who was then back twenty pages later. Hello, editor? WTH?). The ending totally killed it for me. Just like that, dead. I read the last bit and wanted to toss the book across the room, preferably through something, like my sliding glass doors. I restrained myself, because it's a library book. It's unfortunate, because it really was a very interesting spin on Lincoln's life and what motivated him to get so deeply involved in the abolitionist movement. It even seemed remotely plausible, unlike Jane Austen's heroines killing zombies.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
To Hell on a Fast Horse; The Man Who Loved Books Too Much; Horns
"To Hell on a Fast Horse" by Mark L. Gardner examined the strangely intertwined lives of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. It was interesting to find out what happened to Garrett after he supposedly murdered the Kid (I still don't want to believe it, although I must admit it does seem to be more and more likely). No real new information on Billy the Kid, but I think I've probably read everything there is out there about him.
"The Man Who Loved Books too Much" by Allison Hoover Bartlett was a great, quick read. I enjoyed this nonfiction title more than I've enjoyed any others I can think of in recent memories. She looked at the life of notorious rare book thief, John Gilkey, as well as the world of rare books. Very interesting, and I can certainly relate to the whole "loving books too much" bit.
"Horns" by Joe Hill honestly blew me away. I read his first book, "Heart Shaped Box", and wasn't terribly impressed by it. It was good, but not great, and I didn't get why all the critics were falling all over themselves, praising it (other than the fact that he's Stephen King's son). This one, though, this one was wow. Great story about the worst human tendencies that makes us question whether or not we can ever really trust what we know about another human being. I literally could not put it down yesterday, and when I finished it last night, even though I had another new book I was eager to dive into, I just couldn't bring myself to read any more. It spoiled me for another book (at least for the evening).
"The Man Who Loved Books too Much" by Allison Hoover Bartlett was a great, quick read. I enjoyed this nonfiction title more than I've enjoyed any others I can think of in recent memories. She looked at the life of notorious rare book thief, John Gilkey, as well as the world of rare books. Very interesting, and I can certainly relate to the whole "loving books too much" bit.
"Horns" by Joe Hill honestly blew me away. I read his first book, "Heart Shaped Box", and wasn't terribly impressed by it. It was good, but not great, and I didn't get why all the critics were falling all over themselves, praising it (other than the fact that he's Stephen King's son). This one, though, this one was wow. Great story about the worst human tendencies that makes us question whether or not we can ever really trust what we know about another human being. I literally could not put it down yesterday, and when I finished it last night, even though I had another new book I was eager to dive into, I just couldn't bring myself to read any more. It spoiled me for another book (at least for the evening).
Monday, February 22, 2010
Watchmen
Alan Moore's graphic novel that is often hailed as the one that started it all. It was quite good and really changed my mind about what exactly a graphic novel could be. I'm used to bloody gory violent quick little stories that while admittedly are very fun to read don't have any sort of real message to them. "Watchmen" was different. There was a lot of plot to keep track of and a lot of really well written and interesting characters.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Jack the Ripper's Secret Confession
I've read a lot of books--about true crime, and about Jack the Ripper. This book is hands down the worst piece of trash I have ever read. I don't know why I bothered to finish it, except that I think I was hoping it would improve, that the authors, David Monaghan and Nigel Cawthorne, would eventually provide some sort of substantial proof that the man who penned the anonymous "My Secret Life" was also Jack the Ripper. There is no such proof, because the author, Walter, wasn't Jack the Ripper. He was a sick, twisted man who raped and mistreated women, but he never bragged about being violent and murdering anyone, and in an autobiography as lengthy as this one (eleven volumes, I think) why wouldn't he? He certainly has no shame about telling us about the other horrible things he's done. I really am stunned the authors even got a publisher to accept this garbage. For instance, one of their "proofs" that Walter was Jack was that he mentions grapes in his autobiography, and one of the Ripper's victims was last seen with a man who was eating grapes. Oh my god, this is called a *coincidence*, not evidence. Good grief. Flimsy would be an exaggeration.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Awakenings; Confidential: Shocking True Story; Three to Get Deadly; Four to Score
I was very eager to read Oliver Sack's "Awakenings", about a mysterious sleeping sickness that became an epidemic after the first world war. He supposedly had great success with a drug called L-Dopa that, I thought, cured these people. Sadly, this was not the case. Not only does he have no idea what causes this illness, but in many of his patient's cases, the L-Dopa was even worse than being in a perpetual vegetative state (at least in my opinion). It was horribly depressing without even the hope of a cure or at least an understanding of how to prevent it in the future.
"Confidential: Shocking True Story" by Henry E. Scott was mindless fluff of the worst kind, and I enjoyed it. He looked at the pre-runner to magazines such as "Star" and "People" and TV shows like "TMZ", "Confidential" magazine, which in the 1950s, ended the big studios hold over the media, at least for a few years. Confidential printed all the scandals that Hollywood tried to cover up, until they were eventually successfully sued and had to change format and lost readership.
I reread two Janet Evanovich books over the weekend because I needed the laughs. Normally around this time of year she puts out a between the numbers Stephanie Plum book, but this year she didn't. Oh, well, I'd rather reread my old favorites.
"Confidential: Shocking True Story" by Henry E. Scott was mindless fluff of the worst kind, and I enjoyed it. He looked at the pre-runner to magazines such as "Star" and "People" and TV shows like "TMZ", "Confidential" magazine, which in the 1950s, ended the big studios hold over the media, at least for a few years. Confidential printed all the scandals that Hollywood tried to cover up, until they were eventually successfully sued and had to change format and lost readership.
I reread two Janet Evanovich books over the weekend because I needed the laughs. Normally around this time of year she puts out a between the numbers Stephanie Plum book, but this year she didn't. Oh, well, I'd rather reread my old favorites.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Your Flying Car Awaits
As a kid, Paul Milo was fascinated with predictions experts made regarding the future. He collected them in this book and the result is rather amusing. I honestly think I enjoyed reading more about the people in the past who actually got their predictions right. It's always interesting to see how differently things turned out then everyone thought they would. In some ways we're better off and in others we're not, and experts still keep making wild and crazy guesses at what the future holds.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Queen's Governess
Karen Harper has written a couple of books on the Tudors. I read "The Last Boleyn" and it was pretty good. "The Queen's Governess" looked at Kat Ashley, who was in charge of Queen Elizabeth from the time she was a small child, like a second mother to her, really. I liked Harper's portrayal of Kat as something other than a besotted ninny. After all, she practically single handedly raised one of the most intelligent women in the world and was a close companion to her as well as a guardian. She survived and stayed in favor with King Henry VIII through five wives (not something too many others can claim), so she must have had some wicked sharp diplomacy skills. All in all it was a good read.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Her Fearful Symmetry
I really liked the "Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, and I was looking forward to her follow up. I didn't really care that much for it, though. There was a lot of build up in the book itself that didn't really pan out, in regards to a big secret that was actually kind of predictable and not that big a deal (at least in my mind). The plot was definitely unique and the writing was lovely, but I didn't really like the characters and after I was done I just kind of went meh. It was okay, nothing more.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Solace of the Road
Siobhan Dowd's YA novel about a girl abandoned by her mother, Holly is taken in by some nice foster parents. Holly has a lot of deep seated issues, however, and she is convinced her mother is waiting for her in Ireland. She steals her foster mother's blonde wig and hits the highway, becoming "Solace". It was a sad book, but had a good ending and I enjoyed it.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cleopatra's Daughter
If there's one subject I love reading about almost as much as the Tudors, it's Queen Cleopatra. Michelle Moran writes of what happened to her daughter, Cleopatra Selene, after Cleopatra and Marc Antony kill themselves in Egypt and Octavian takes their children to Rome as prisoners. It was very well told and entertaining, and seemed fairly accurate, historically (alas, I do not know enough about the time period to say for sure). I feel a Cleopatra kick coming on!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Open
Andre Agassi's bio was getting such great buzz I decided to sign up on the waiting list and get it. Several weeks later, and it was worth the wait. I like tennis, but I don't really follow it and I don't understand all the terminology, but that didn't detract from the story at all. It wasn't nearly as scandalous as some recent bios I've enjoyed (Mackenzie Phillips' "High on Arrival" comes to mind) but it was entertaining and fun. The only thing I wish he'd handled a bit better was discussing his ill-fated relationship and subsequent marriage to Brooke Shields. He wasn't flat out mean or nasty, I just didn't like his characterization of it. Other than that, it was terrifically inspiring.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Lady in the Tower
I love Alison Weir's histories and biographies. She's such a great historian and researcher and her books are always very enjoyable. This one was no different. It examined in great detail the events surrounding the fall of Queen Anne Boleyn. The only thing I can't agree with Weir on is Henry VIII (oh, and Richard III). She is adamant that we can't judge him by today's standards, and I know she has a point, but seriously, the guy was scum. I dislike him more for what he did to Catherine of Aragon, but poor Anne didn't fare any better. Still, Weir really did her homework and while there really wasn't anything new for me in this (but I read so much about the Tudors that it's very nearly impossible to give me anything new) I still enjoyed it.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Capote in Kansas
I love Truman Capote and I love (Nelle) Harper Lee. I love the idea of a book examining their relationship, especially during the time when they were in Kansas together researching "In Cold Blood". Kim Powers doesn't really do that in his book, however. It was kind of disappointing. Capote and Lee seemed flat and boring and I'm not sure he ever really got his point across. The blurb said it was a "ghost story" and it would examine the "truth" behind Lee and Capote's rift. It didn't, and the ghosts were unconvincing.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tokyo Vice
Jake Adelstein moved to Japan and, on a whim, decided to become a reporter, despite his lack of Japanese writing skills. He spent years on the beat, where he made friends with cops and other reporters as well as members of the yakuza, the Japanese form of the mafia. He ends up putting his own life as well as the lives of family and friends in danger when he exposes some of the worst human trafficking practices of the yakuza. For anyone interested in the cultural differences between America and Japan and how this affects journalism and crime, this is a definite must-read. It was very entertaining and heart breakingly disturbing.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Generation A
Douglas Coupland is a strange bird. I've read everything he's written, and some of it I like, some of it I don't really care for, but I've never hated anything he's written. It's always interesting, I'll say that for him. "Generation A" fell into the not crazy about it category. A group of young adults in the not so distant future are stung by bees in five different locations throughout the world, after bees have become extinct due to the new wonder drug everyone is taking to make them feel disconnected from the world. I know there's a bigger message here, etc., metaphors for the state of society today and whatnot, but I just want a good story, so I don't pay attention to things like that. I'd rather reread "Microserfs", his first novel.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Ayn Rand and the World She Made
Almost as fascinating as the brilliant author's fiction, this book by Anne C. Heller took an in-depth look at Ayn Rand, her followers, her falling out with her self-proclaimed intellectual heir, Nathaniel Branden, and her long marriage to Frank O'Connor. It was a true page turner, which is hard to accomplish in a nonfiction book. I really loved it, and I'm dying now to read and re-read more of Rand's books.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Informers
I saw the movie a few months ago, only because Billy Bob Thornton was in it, and even his presence couldn't make the movie more palatable. However, the book by Bret Easton Ellis was really quite good. I like his writing style, how bleak and stark everything is. He was able to capture the ugliness that was early 1980s L.A. without the repetition that plagued one of his other books, "Less Than Zero". The book is really about anything, other than relaying a certain feeling about a time and a place, which he does quite well.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Breathless and Playboy and the Making of the Good Life in Modern America
"Breathless" by Dean Koontz was kind of forgettable and weird. The storyline and characters just seemed old, recycled stuff from better books.
"Playboy and the Making of the Good Life in Modern America" by Elizabeth Fraterrigo was very interesting. It examined the rise of Hugh Hefner's magazine and the affect it had on post-World War II America and feminism, how it was good for women as well as men, why it declined during the 1970s, in the heart of the sexual revolution, and why now today some of its biggest fans are young women.
"Playboy and the Making of the Good Life in Modern America" by Elizabeth Fraterrigo was very interesting. It examined the rise of Hugh Hefner's magazine and the affect it had on post-World War II America and feminism, how it was good for women as well as men, why it declined during the 1970s, in the heart of the sexual revolution, and why now today some of its biggest fans are young women.
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