"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!
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