Where Do I Get My Books?

Trish, over at Hey, Lady! Whatcha Readin'? posted this and I thought it was an interesting thought. (She found the idea at Presenting Lenore and Boston Bibliophile.)

The idea is to look at where you got the last 20 books you reviewed, so here goes:

1. Handbags and Homicide by Dorothy Howell-- Library
2. Seen Art? by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith-- Library
3. Winds of Hope by Anita Stansfield-- Library
4. Shelter From the Storm by Anita Stansfield-- Library
5. Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder-- Library
6. The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker-- Library
7. The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark-- Received for Virtual Book Tour
8. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by e l konigsburg-- Library
9. The Wolves Keeper Legend by Sylvia Weber-- Received for Virtual Book Tour
10. The Outlander by Gil Adamson-- Library
11. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones-- Library
12. Author Review-- Ibsen-- I own them
13. A Band of Roses by Pat McDermott-- E-book received for VBT
14. Series Review-- Laura Childs' Scrapboooking Mysteries-- Library
15. The Inimitable Jeeves by PG Wodehouse-- Library (for book club)
16. Chemical Cowboys by Lisa Sweetingham-- Received for VBT
17. Visions on America by Jean Koning-- Received for VBT
18. Katka by Stephen Meier-- Received for VBT
19. Secrets, Lies and My Sister Kate by Belinda Hollyer-- Library
20. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda-- Library (I actually bought a copy, but it was for my dad for Father's Day!)

*Note-- this is NOT counting any Summer Reading Saturday posts, even if they included book reviews.

SO the breakdown-- 13 from the library; 1 owned (well, several works, technically, by Ibsen); and 6 received from either authors or publishers (all for Virtual Blog Tours).

I don't read a lot that I own. Why? Because if I own it, it doesn't have a due date!! Heaven knows we own a lot that I haven't read though!

If I weren't receiving books for review, would it impact my blog? I'm not sure that it would. Don't get me wrong, I love doing the Virtual Book Tours. But it's not why I blog.

Now, if you took away my library card.... well, I might be in trouble then. :D

Awards

I've gotten a couple of awards lately!
Let's Be Friends from Laura at I'm Booking It!






And Honest Scrap from Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile!


Now, I am an absolute party pooper, but I just don't know who to pass what on to these days!

But, in the spirit of Honest Scrap, I will post 10 random tidbits about myself and I will try to make them non-bookish things you might not already know--

1. 1) I love penguins.
2. 2) I studied Humanities but never finished my degree (there's always later, right?)
3. For some reason this post absolutely hates me.
4. I've been teaching myself html in bits and pieces for more than 7 years... but what I can actually do with it is pretty limited.
5. Deer walk right past my door on a semi-regular basis.
6. I absolutely LOVE the shows Numb3rs, NCIS, MASH and Star Trek (TNG!)
7. I also really love the show Chopped on the Food Network
8. My favorite color is Orange, though I only realized it a couple years ago.
9. I have an obsession with the spices Curry, Cardamom and Cumin
10. I have a book club that I sort of started and sort of run by default. :D

That was a lot harder than I thought it would be.... I'm really not all that interesting. ;)

Handbags and Homicide by Dorothy Howell

4 Stars
R- 3

You know me, I'm a sucker for a light, fluffy mystery series, and that's what this debut novel promises.

Haley Randolph has it all. Sort of. Except there are those pesky credit card bills and that annoying miscalculation in her checkbook.

So she takes a job at Holt's-- a dive of a department store. But then things start to unravel. She's put on administrative leave at the law firm she works for... and at Holt's she finds the boss dead in women's lingerie. The department, not the clothing. (How do these rumors get started?)

Haley's a fun narrator, though it kills me to think there are real people like her. Retail therapy does not begin to describe it. But I know there are people like that. Add in her crazy stories and fun voice and you're in for an interesting ride.

There is some language, mostly in how she refers to certain female colleagues that she can't stand.

All in all, it's just good silly fun. A good choice for summer.

And it's my first Reader's Choice book this round! (Though, really, if they can't expand the voting options to give a full range of feelings, they should simplify it to a simple "yes I liked it" or "no I didn't"!)

Wednesday Morsel-- Revisited

Wow it's been a long time since I did a Wednesday Morsel. Hmm.

I had a new thought. Actually, I saw it on Facebook. But since I'm too lazy to go to Facebook to look up the actual details, I'm going to make it up.

Grab the nearest book. Open to page 56. Find the 5th sentence.

"In the end, the good guys would win the shootout, and the hero would ride off into the sunset on a beautiful and faithful horse named Boy."
--Journal According to John by Sheryl A. Keen (review coming soon... like Monday.)

So, that was a major deja vu moment. Maybe I remembered the details from Facebook without having to go look it up....

Play along! Add your own pg 56/5th sentence either here in the comments or on your own blog!!

Seen Art? by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

5 Stars
Picture Book

This book is FABULOUS!! I really need to buy it.

Here's how it starts:

It all started when I told my friend Art I would meet him on the corner of
Fifth and Fifty-third.
I didn't see him. So I asked a lady walking up the avenue, "Have you
seen Art?"
"MoMA?" asked the lady.
"Uh... no, he's just a friend."

You see where this is going, right?

What follows is a whirlwind tour of the Museum of Modern Art. At the end of the cute story, the paintings are all shown again with details about them.

Now, I don't know about you, but I could get lost in an art museum for days. And I'd be perfectly happy.

When we were in Maryland last year, we took Boo to DC and did the Smithsonian stuff on the Mall-- including one or two of the art museums. I would have been happy to spend the whole day in them, but Boo got bored. (Too young, I suppose. She loved the Natural History and Air and Space museums.)

Anyway, this book is a great way to introduce kids to art and the idea of the art museum.

Preferences-- A Totally Stolen Post

So, I saw this around the blogging world and decided to steal it.

Total and utter theft, I admit it.

Booking Through Thursday asks the following questions--

Which do you prefer?

Reading something frivolous? Or something serious?
Um... yes. Right now I'm reading something frivolous

Paperbacks? Or hardcovers?
It depends. Paperbacks are often a little easier to deal with.

Fiction? Or Nonfiction?
Fiction, though I read nonfiction now and again.

Poetry? Or Prose?
Usually prose. It's been a while since I read a book of poetry.

Biographies? Or Autobiographies?
Honestly, I rarely read either. Unless they're funny, maybe.... Hmm... Yeah, I just have no answer for this one.

History? Or Historical Fiction?
Yes.

Series? Or Stand-alones?
Yes.

Classics? Or best-sellers?
Ummm. Yes.

Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose?
Usually straight-forward. With lots of dialogue.

Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness?
Usually plots

Long books? Or Short?
Depends on how much time I have. :D

Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated?
Usually non.

Borrowed? Or Owned?
Yes. I *heart* my library.

New? Or Used?
Either way so long as it's in good shape. I buy a lot of used books. I love used book stores.

How about you?

Summer Reading Saturday-- Past Half Way

Which is good, since it's almost the end of July.

I've got to get back in the habit with Mister. I think he needs some Diego books. He's become obsessed with Diego. (And it's expanding his vocabulary! He says "Go Diego Go" though only I understand it, and he says "clap clap clap" and "click" and occasionally "sea star". Pretty impressive.)

I am at best indifferent to Diego. He does not annoy me nearly as much as his blasted cousin, Dora the Explorer. But seriously, Comcast, you can't put more that ONE episode On Demand at a time!??! I'm dying here.

If you've never watched Diego, let me tell you something-- Darwin would have had serious issues with these animals they're rescuing.

I mean, come on, you've got the fish that doesn't know what it is or where it lives. Survival of the fittest, man. You're on your own, Lucy the Mystery Fish.

You're average toddler is smarter than these animals.

And this is why I haven't given in and gotten any Diego books yet. Mommy doesn't have to be involved with watching the TV show, but Mommy would have to READ the blasted books.

Whatever happened to books on tape?

*Boo has 18 squares marked and Mister has 16!! Yea!!*

Winds of Hope and Shelter from the Storm by Anita Stansfield

Winds of Hope
2 stars

In a stunning reversal of the first two books now everything that possibly can go right for the characters will go right.

• kick the drug habit
• find the gospel
• the runaway daughter comes back
• fall in love
• marry
• have more kids
• career shoots to the top again
• etc
• etc
• etc

Throw in lengthy rambling paragraphs about how incredibly blessed we all are, and that's basically the whole book.
I know, this all sounds really snarky, but seriously? I was bored. Yeah, there were a few struggles... and Stansfield threw in a couple of random arguments for the sake of tension... but really.
Now, I know that a lot of people love her stuff, and find her books uplifting and inspirational, and that's fine. Really it is. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Including me. :D

Shelter from the Storm
1 star
I figured this fourth book could go one of two ways. I mean, really, I don't get why she didn't stop after the third, because it practically ended with "and they all lived happily ever after".
So, it could either be a cute book about the daily life of a cute Mormon family, which would work for me. Throw in some humor, make it kind of Robert Farrell Smith-ish and there you go.
Or, we could rehash old issues and see if their new faith and happiness can withstand MORE trials, because clearly these people weren't subjected to enough in the first 2 books.
Can you guess which path the book took?
Yeah, the second one.

• Oldest daughter miscarries
• and can't find a job
• and can't seem to get pregnant again
• estranged parent comes back to make peace
• and promptly dies
• mystery illness
• psycho ward member
• who's bent on destroying Jayson
• and so Jayson is released from his calling
• causing him to spiral into out of control depression
• made worse when psycho flips out about him playing the piano at church
• but is miraculously solved by a counselor in a single session
• oh, and they have to speak in church

To make things worse-- the mystery illness is never solved, the issue with the psycho is never resolved, we never do actually meet her son that she's "protecting" from Jayson, the daughter still can't get pregnant AND the book ends BEFORE they speak on Sunday.
And here I was feeling happy about the book being shorter than the first three. Sigh.
Seriously, though, if you like Anita Stansfield, you'll probably like these. Don't let my bad attitude ruin them for you. :D
Oh, and HAPPY PIONEER DAY!!!!!
(A celebration of the Mormon pioneers first entering the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.)
Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked.......

Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

5 stars
R- 1-2

I love Maria V. Snyder. I really do. Poison Study had me hooked and everything I've read has been wonderful.

Storm Glass is no exception. I liked Opal as a narrator more than I thought I would and it was really interesting to see Yelena (the 1st person narrator of the Study books) through someone else's eyes. (I loved her interaction with her brother!!)

It's been five years and yet Opal is still struggling with the perceptions and repurcussions of her kidnapping and her sister's death. She sees herself as a "one-trick wonder" and just doesn't feel all that useful. Nevermind that even that one trick is unique and powerful.

Kade is a frustrated Stormdancer grieving the loss of his own sister, Kaya. The wounds are fresh and he's determined to keep everyone away. He's also determined to find out who's causing all the trouble his clan is having.

Ulrick is a glass-maker... or tries to be. His work doesn't please his demanding mother, but Opal sees potential. His glass sings to her similar to her own.

Add in some bad guys, a Master Magician, a possible coup and trouble with Ixia and you've got quite a storm brewing. (Pun intended.)

Confession-- I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. I love love love the Study books but just wasn't sure I cared about Opal enough to follow her story. And I was worried that if I didn't love it, it would detract from how much I like the Study books. Boy was I wrong. I lost any apathy towards Opal in the first couple of pages and found myself unable to put it down!

I do recommend starting with the Study books, though. I don't think Storm Glass would make sense without having read them. Start with Poison Study, since it comes first and all. :D I think I may need to reread them... and maybe Storm Glass too, before Sea Glass comes out in September!!

Raine Gear

Introducing Raine Gear, from author Lisa Shearin!

These shirts crack me up!

My favorites-- "Sarcasm may not help, but it won't hurt"
"I'm not a pirate, I'm a seafaring businessman"
and the fabulous
"Whoever said ignorance is bliss must have died a horrible death with a really surprised look on his face"

The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

5 stars
JF

So not what I was expecting-- but oh so fabulous.

I honestly only picked this up because the cover is gorgeous. I mean, look at it. How pretty is that? (You might have to click the link to see it bigger. That's bad grammar, though, isn't it?)

I was expecting a kind of light, fairy tale-ish read. (Clearly I didn't pay that much attention... it says "revolution" right on the cover.)

Instead I got a rich, beautiful tale of a girl thrown into the world of the French court while still having to live as a poor lacemaker. As the revolution draws closer and Isabella sees more and more of life, what will she choose? Can she remain faithful to the young princess and the beautiful queen?

I loved the story. I loved Isabella's journey. And really, I think Marie-Therese and Marie Antoinette were far more innocent than anyone in France wanted to believe.

Yes, they lived in almost freakish finery, but they knew nothing else. The belief in the divine right of kings was so ingrained.... what else could they have done?

This book makes you think. It was a lot deeper than I expected a JF to be. It's a quick read, though.

I would recommend this for kids (especially girls) in the 8-13 range learning about the French Revolution, or just generally interested in history. I think it would be a great Mother/Daughter read also. Lots of discussion opportunities. Makes me wish Boo was old enough for it. Ah well, we'll have to read it again then!

Guest Post from Elle Newmark!

Like Britt, I LOVE books. Adore them. Go through them like a drunk with a six-pack. And that’s why I now can’t live without my Kindle.

First I objected to ordering books online. Give up the ambiance of a bookstore? Lose up the comforting sight of shelves jam-packed with literary adventures? Pah! Get thee to a nuthouse.

But then one day it was raining and I was still in my jammies and I wanted to buy a book. I heard the siren song of Amazon and never looked back. It’s not only convenient it’s cheaper. And here’s the thing: They have not banned me from the bookstore. It’s not an either/or. And, like it or not, it’s here to stay.


Then came the Kindle, and I balked for the same reasons Britt did. I’m a writer. I stare at a computer screen all day. And the Kindle has such a tiny screen. What about the nice heft of a real book in my hands? What about the Pavlovian response I have to the smell of ink on paper? No Kindle for me, thank you very much.

But then one day I had to go to India for a month-long research trip for my new novel, and I was faced with needing to carry enough books to last me. Full of shame and apprehension, I bought a Kindle and loaded up about 20 books for India.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the screen does not glare like a computer screen. It’s some kind of freaky new technology that makes it as easy on the eyes as paper. And you can change the font size! One night I was reading a really good book in bed and falling asleep, but I didn’t want to put it down. I kept making the font bigger until I was only getting like six words on a page. I finally put it down and went to sleep, and I didn’t give myself a concussion by dropping a big old hardcover on my head when I passed out.

And the books are cheap. My novel, The Book of Unholy Mischief is $26 in the bookstore and $17 on Amazon. On Kindle it’s $9.99. So if you buy enough books, the thing eventually pays for itself.

This is not an ad for Kindle and I don’t work for Amazon. I am an author and my first purchase on Kindle was my own novel, The Book of Unholy Mischief. You can read more about it on my website, http://www.ellenewmark.com/, and that was another thing I objected to at first. Put up a website?

But then one day I got this book deal from Simon & Schuster…


Thanks so much to Elle Newmark for stopping by to share her thoughts!!

The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

5 Stars
R- 2

How gorgeous is that cover?? I mean really. It's beautiful. I thought the book sounded interesting when I got the email about the Virtual Book Tour, but when I saw the cover I was officially hooked.


The UK cover is nice, too, but I don't think it has the richness that the US cover has. The font is fabulous, though.
I really enjoyed this book. I know some readers are bothered by the anachronisms(ie the presence of potatoes in a Venetian kitchen in 1498), but I thought they worked for the characters, especially after reading the author's note about them.

I thought Luciano, a street rat plucked out of the dirt by a master chef, was an engaging and entertaining narrator and I enjoyed his voice. And I thought the master chef himself made a nice balanced character.

I do think it's interesting, though, that the trend with these kind of books (ie find the lost manuscript that discredits Rome) seems to be that to discredit Rome you have to discredit all of Christianity. Now, granted, in 1498 there weren't a lot of other Christian choices, but still. The Last Templar was the same way. Not sure if The DaVinci Code fits that mold exactly, but I do think it started the trend. :D

The premise didn't bother me as a Christian, but I'm not Catholic. Would it (either the trend or this book specifically) bother me more if I were? I'm not sure. Maybe.

Either way, I thought it was well-written. I love the opening paragraph:
"My name is Luciano-- just Luciano. I'm Venetian by birth, old now and chained to my memories, compelled to return, link by link, seeking clarity."
Such a lovely metaphor.

I loved this too:
"Marching into the dining room in their fabulous hats, they looked like an assemblage of fantastic poisonous mushrooms."
Fitting, really, given how corrupt the council was. :D

All in all, a great book full of intrigue and food-- what more could you want?

Check back tomorrow when Elle Newmark shares her thoughts on the Kindle, which we've been talking about here a lot lately!
(And maybe if we're lucky she'll pop by and leave a comment telling us about what she's working on now.... I hear she's been doing research in India....)

July Possibilities-- Looks Like It's...

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale!

I put it on hold.

I'm number 484.

You all are purposefully choosing books that will take forever to get to me, aren't you?

:D

Summer Reading Saturday--Mommy is NOT Good at This Part 2

So we've had a reversal.



(Actually first let me say that reading while camping was an excellent diversion. Mister was ornery and more than once the answer ended up being popping him in his carseat and reading to him.)



Suddenly, we're doing much better at reading to Boo and much worse at reading to Mister. Really it's because of these fairy books. Though the problem is Daddy has decided he'd rather do just about anything but read one of them again. And Boo seems okay with that since he does such weird voices. (I'm pretty sure the girls in the book are not meant to sound like 13-year-old boys with bad headcolds.)



And I just can't read more than one at a time. By the end of one, I'm done. Luckily they take long enough that one pretty much finishes off a reading session.



All in all, we may be in trouble to finish either one before the end of August.....

Teen Books: A Meme

I got this from I'm Booking It and thought it was a fun list.



The following list of books teens love, books teens should read, and books adults who serve teens should know about was compiled IN ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENTIFIC MANNER and should be taken with a very large grain of salt.
Instructions:
Put an “X” next to the books you’ve read

Put a “+” next to the books you LOVE

Put a “#” next to the books you plan on reading

Tally your “X”s at the bottom

Share with your friends!



1. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy / Douglas Adams #

2. Kit’s Wilderness / David Almond

3. Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian / Sherman Alexie #

4. Speak / Laurie Halse Anderson #

5. Feed / M.T. Anderson

6. Flowers in the Attic / V.C. Andrews

7. 13 Reasons Why / Jay Asher #

8. Am I Blue? / Marion Dane Bauer (editor)

9. Audrey Wait! / Robin Benway

10. Weetzie Bat / Francesca Lia Block

11. Tangerine / Edward Bloor

12. Forever / Judy Blume

13. What I Saw and How I Lied / Judy Blundell #

14. Tyrell / Coe Booth

15. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Ann Brashares #

16. A Great and Terrible Beauty / Libba Bray

17. The Princess Diaries / Meg Cabot X (sort of... started it but didn't like it. Loved the movie.)

18. The Stranger / Albert Camus

19. Ender’s Game / Orson Scott Card #

20. Postcards from No Man’s Land / Aidan Chambers

21. Perks of Being a Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky X

22. And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie X +

23. Gingerbread / Rachel Cohn

24. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist / Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

25. Artemis Fowl (series) / Eoin Colfer #

26. The Hunger Games / Suzanne Collins #

27. The Midwife’s Apprentice / Karen Cushman X

28. The Truth About Forever / Sarah Dessen

29. Little Brother / Cory Doctorow

30. A Northern Light / Jennifer Donnelly

31. Tears of a Tiger / Sharon Draper

32. The House of the Scorpion / Nancy Farmer #

33. Breathing Underwater / Alex Flinn

34. Stardust / Neil Gaiman #

35. Annie on My Mind / Nancy Garden

36. What Happened to Cass McBride / Gail Giles #

37. Fat Kid Rules the World / K.L. Going

38. Lord of the Flies / William Golding #

39. Looking for Alaska / John Green

40. Bronx Masquerade / Nikki Grimes

41. Out of the Dust / Karen Hesse #

42. Hoot / Carl Hiaasen #

43. The Outsiders / S.E. Hinton X+

44. Crank / Ellen Hopkins

45. The First Part Last / Angela Johnson

46. Blood and Chocolate / Annette Curtis Klause

47. Arrow’s Flight / Mercedes Lackey

48. Hattie Big Sky / Kirby Larson X

49. To Kill a Mockingbird / Harper Lee X+

50. Boy Meets Boy / David Levithan

51. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks / E. Lockhart #

52. The Giver / Lois Lowry X+

53. Number the Stars / Lois Lowry X+

54. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie / David Lubar

55. Inexcusable / Chris Lynch

56. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things / Carolyn Mackler #

57. Dragonsong / Anne McCaffrey X

58. White Darkness / Geraldine McCaughrean

59. Sold / Patricia McCormick

60. Jellicoe Road / Melina Marchetta #

61. Wicked Lovely / Melissa Marr #

62. Twilight / Stephenie Meyer

63. Dairy Queen / Catherine Murdock #

64. Fallen Angels / Walter Dean Myers

65. Monster / Walter Dean Myers

66. Step From Heaven / An Na

67. Mama Day / Gloria Naylor

68. The Keys to the Kingdom (series) / Garth Nix

69. Sabriel / Garth Nix #

70. Airborn / Kenneth Oppel

71. Eragon / Christopher Paolini #

72. Hatchet / Gary Paulsen X

73. Life As We Knew It / Susan Beth Pfeffer

74. The Golden Compass / Phillip Pullman

75. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging / Louise Rennison

76. The Lightning Thief / Rick Riordan X

77. Always Running: La Vida Loca / Luis Rodriguez

78. How I Live Now / Meg Rosoff

79. Harry Potter (series) / J.K. Rowling X +

80. Holes / Louis Sachar X

81. Catcher in the Rye / J. D. Salinger #

82. Push / Sapphire

83. Persepolis / Marjane Satrapi

84. Unwind / Neil Shusterman

85. Coldest Winter Ever / Sister Souljah

86. Stargirl / Jerry Spinelli

87. Chanda’s Secrets / Allan Stratton

88. Tale of One Bad Rat / Brian Talbot

89. Rats Saw God / Rob Thomas

90. Lord of the Rings / J.R.R. Tolkien X

91. Stuck in Neutral / Terry Trueman

92. Gossip Girl / Cecily Von Ziegesar

93. Uglies / Scott Westerfeld #

94. Every Time a Rainbow Dies / Rita Williams-Garcia

95. Pedro and Me / Judd Winick

96. Hard Love / Ellen Wittlinger

97. American Born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang

98. Elsewhere / Gabrielle Zevin #

99. I am the Messenger / Markus Zusak

100. The Book Thief / Markus Zusak #



15... that's really sad.

Though in my defense, I've never heard of a lot of them.

BBAW

Announcing-- Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

Hosted by Amy of My Friend Amy!

(The following is from the website.)

"WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!

WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.

WHEN September 14-18, 2009

WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)

WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!"

You can even go nominate your favorite book blogs! Sounds like it'll be a blast!!

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by e. l. konigsburg

5 Stars
JF
Newbery Medal Winner

(Apparently I have been spelling "Newbery" wrong all this time. I feel a bit sheepish.)

How can you not love two kids who run away to live in a museum? I mean, if you're set on running away, that seems like a fabulous place to run to.

Claudia and Jamie run away from home and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a week, where they find a mystery, adventure, and a little bit about themselves.

A really cute story. The characters are fun and the voice is fabulous. But then, it's e. l. konigsburg, so what else would you expect?

And apparently there are movies.... I did not know this. That could be fun. I may have to investigate that.

Anyway, definitely worth owning. I think all of hers are, though. And she's written so many. :D

What's your favorite e. l. konigsburg work?

Author Interview-- Pat McDermott

A huge welcome to Pat McDermott, author of A Band of Roses!

BH- Can you give us some background on the 1014 Battle of Clontarf and King Brian?

Pat McDermott- Born into the obscure Dalcassian clan in 941 A.D., Brian Boru was the youngest son of Cennétig (Kennedy), the King of Thomond, an area that today includes sections of Counties Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary. Violent intertribal bickering claimed the life of Brian’s older brother, and Brian assumed the kingship of Thomond in 978. As his power spread, he became king of the southern half of Ireland. By 1002 he was High King. Brian achieved economic and educational reform and united most of the lesser tribes against their common enemy: the Norse invaders who terrorized Ireland. Things were going well until the disgruntled Irish King of Leinster rebelled against Brian’s authority and allied himself with the leader of the Dublin Norsemen. They called for reinforcements from other Viking colonies, and the resulting intrigue culminated in the bloody Battle of Clontarf, fought on Good Friday, April 23, 1014. Brian’s armies emerged victorious, though Brian and his son and grandson lost their lives in the struggle.
　
BH- Now in the world you've created, Brian survived, how does that change world affairs?

Pat- The survival of Brian and his heirs allowed the establishment of a royal dynasty that ensured peace and prosperity for Ireland. The powerful Boru clan thwarted various invasions over the years, and Ireland flourished as an independent kingdom. Thanks to the firm but loving hand with which Brian’s descendants continue to rule, she still does.
　
BH- What made you choose that alternate reality as a setting?

Pat- As the American granddaughter of Irish immigrants, I’ll never know what it is to be truly Irish. My childhood vision of Ireland was one of magical legends and ancient kings, banshees and leprechauns, rebellions and heroes. My O’Brien aunts told me about Brian Boru and assured me that we were his descendants. As I read more about my alleged royal ancestor, I noted that more than one of his biographers surmised that Ireland would be a very different place today if he had survived Clontarf. That sentiment merged with my imaginary of Ireland to create A Band of Roses.
　
BH- Why the Japan connection? (I love all things Japan and thought it was an awesome idea, it just seems like such a random place to send an Irish princess!)

Pat- Japan is another island country teeming with ancient legends. It struck me as an exotic counterpart to Ireland, one with strong traditions and Samurai warriors. Even in isolation, Talty could still have access to the warrior training she sought and the gardens she loved.
　
BH- I hadn't thought of it that way. That's a great comparison. Tell us more about the Peregrine Project-- where did you get the idea to incorporate that sci-fi element?

Pat- From the tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs to Lost in Space, I’ve always enjoyed stories that allow me to discover other worlds. The Peregrine Project is the accidental creation of an eccentric genius and the means by which Talty and her friends visit a strange land or two. Having them visit the Ireland of our world in 1014 A.D. seemed like a great idea.
　
BH- It was really interesting to have Talty in 1014! You describe a lot of sparring matches-- do you spar yourself? If so, which weapons are you most comfortable with?

Pat-Sparring is an fanciful sport for me. I love reading about and creating characters who are competent in martial arts, and I’ve done lots of research to add realism to my stories, but I don’t actively participate. I have tried archery, but Talty is much better with a bow and arrow than I am.
　
BH- I've always wanted to try archery. Talty is very focused on joining the Fianna-- tell us a little more about the Fianna.

Pat- The Fianna were the followers of legendary Irish warrior Finn MacCool, who may or may not have existed in the third century A.D. Numbering in the thousands, these elite fighting men and women left their clans and fairy worlds to serve the High King for a predetermined length of time. They protected the coast, thwarted invasions, and upheld the King’s law until their enemies defeated them at the Battle of Gabhra in 284. In A Band of Roses, no one defeated the Fianna. They have endured over the centuries and still protect Ireland.
　
BH- I've heard you're working on a new book, is Fiery Roses a sequel? (I hope so!!) Can you tell us a little about it?

Pat- Fiery Roses is indeed a sequel. While visiting County Mayo a few years ago, I learned about the discovery of offshore gas fields and the residents’ objections to how the gas would get to shore. Sad to say, the disputes continue even now, though in Fiery Roses, the Boru clan help sort things out. The book is due for release by the end of the year. The blurb reads ". . . the discovery of gas off the coast of Ireland ensnares Irish Crown Princess Talty Boru and her devoted champion, Neil Boru, in a web of blackmail and murder. Intent on convincing County Mayo’s residents to allow a pipeline to cross their pristine boglands, an arsonist is setting homes and land ablaze. One of his fires sends Talty and Neil to an ancient world at the mercy of a waking volcano. While they struggle to outwit a tyrant with a shocking secret, King Brian locks horns with a ruthless tycoon who will stop at nothing to become a high roller in the oil and gas game. The resulting conflict proves fatal for the Boru clan, whose members once again close ranks to thwart the latest threat to the kingdom they are sworn to protect."

BH- Ooooh, I'm so excited!!

Thanks so much to Pat McDermott for the interview!!

I Need Your Help

Anyone have good book or movie suggestions for a teen birthday?

Must be clean! I refuse to give my little sister something risque! :D

She's not a big reader, but really liked the Twilight books and likes to read celeb. autobiography stuff.

I think she'd like Ruby Among Us but I need all the help I can get!!

My Google Reader-- A Love/Hate Relationship

Confession-- I only started using my Google Reader right before Bloggiesta.

Sad, I know. I just hadn't really paid attention to it before. After all, the blogs I follow come up on my Blogger dashboard, so who needs it, right?

Turns out, I do. I use it all the time now.

But you know, I think it's making me a lazy reader.

It's too easy to just skim through everything. And comments seem like so much more work now!

Take yesterday, for example. I had around 22 new items. I skimmed a lot of them. Went through them all, category by category. (I love that you can categorize them!)

Did I click through to the blogs? Nope. Maybe on one.

And therein lies the problem. If I don't click through a) they don't know I'm reading it and b) I don't leave comments.

Shame on me.

As a blogger, I know that I like to look at stats and I love to have comments, and yet here I am, not giving any love to my fellow bloggers! Shame shame shame.

Just another case of technology making us lazy, I suppose.

How about you? Do you use your Google Reader? Are you on it right now? Did you click through? Go ahead, click through, I dare you. :D

July Possibilities

Okay so it's between..... {insert title here} and {insert title here}

Oh wait. I don't have any!

Leave me an idea for a good summer read and I'll post the poll in a couple of days!!

On the subject of the June Possibility-- I'm STILL waiting for the hold to come in. I'm number 6. Sigh.

The Wolves Keeper Legend by Sylvia Weber-- Full Review

3 Stars
R-0

A really good story/concept, but just not as polished as it should be.

I had a hard time following the story, especially the dialogue. Part of this was definitely a linguistic issue-- an English-speaking (first language) editor really should have polished it up. Or maybe it's just because I'm American. Maybe the British wouldn't find anything strange at all.

Part of it, though... I think the story just needed more development before being finished and published. A lot of it (especially the dialogue) felt like it was written by a very very young writer. For example, there are exclamation points everywhere! (Like that one, hehehe.) Sylvia Weber did write the original story at age 12, which is fabulous, but it probably needed more polishing now that she's a more mature writer.

I liked Seanns and Maise, but I didn't feel like there was as much depth to them as I'd like.

And I'm still really confused on a few things-- the "papyrus pearls" concept totally went over my head. Could just be me, but I didn't get it. And the feathers Seanns was supposed to give his parents-- did he? We never hear about those again.

The descriptive prose is beautiful, though. Really lyrical.
For example--

"In those unique moments, everything stopped. Even the agitated ocean seemed immobilized in ravishment. The whole universe was dominated by an expectant silence; a mixture of fear of the unknown, magic and respect."

"And these rocky slopes, declivitous and abrupt, were hanging dangerously over the stormy ocean's waves. The sea's colour permanently oscillated between opal green and grey-blue; a gigantic wild animal, threatening to devour everything and everybody."

Lovely.

The world-building gets better as the book goes on, too. The journey they go on is great.

And, just in case anyone was wondering, "invigilate" is indeed a word. I'd never heard it before. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I had to look up a word in a book? (Actually, I can tell you how long it's been. It's been since late summer/early fall of 2005 when I read Connie Willis' Bellwether.) And so is "declivitous", even if spellcheck doesn't believe it is.

I would definitely say this is for teenagers-- YA. Though I wouldn't call it a paranormal, even if there is a werewolf (sort of).

This is, as you know, a Virtual Book Tour book. You can also learn more at The Wolves' Keeper Legend.

The Wolves Keeper Legend by Sylvia Weber

Confession-- I have not yet finished this book! ACK!

But this is a Virtual Book Tours Book, so I'll post a "first look" today and a full review next week.

Sealgair runs with wolves, Awena is trapped in her own mind, and it may be up to Seanns to fix things.

So far, honestly, I'm having kind of a hard time with this one. The italicized text is really distracting (every single name, place name, or word in the little glossary is italicized all the way through). And while it's great to have the definitions for all of these very Celtic/Welsh names, what I need is a pronunciation guide!

This is listed as "children's fiction" but I'm not sure what age group it's aimed at. I think you'd lose readers under 13 or 14... especially since we don't meet the young Seanns until at least 50 or so pages in.

I do really really like Seanns, though. I don't find him 100% believable, but I like him.

And let's be honest, four days of camping with my monkeys may have addled my brain. So it could just be me having trouble following the story because I'm out of it. :D

Either way, I'm interested to see what Seanns does next on his quest for the "papyrus pearl".

The Outlander by Gil Adamson

2 stars
R-3.5-4 (not a lot, but rather graphic)

I tried to care. I really did.

"The widow" is 19-year-old Mary Boulton. Born to a life of privilege, but married into a rougher life, Mary loses her baby, then shoots her husband.

She should be a sympathetic character, but the narration was so detached that I really didn't care what happened to her until about the last 20 pages. Her name is used rarely, which is the main reason it feels so detached. She's just "the widow".

I thought it was a good concept and could have been really interesting, but fell flat. Her encounter with the Ridgerunner is so graphic it's distracting. The brothers-in-law are annoying. And I STILL don't really know if she was abused, which would actually give her a reason to shoot her husband.

I did like the ending. But it didn't fit with the rest of the book. (Which may be why I liked it.)

All in all, I'd say don't waste your time.

This is the one remaining fiction from the last round of Reader's Choice! On to the next!

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

5 stars
JF/YF

This was such a fun story! Not what I was expecting, but really really enjoyable.

What was I expecting? Something a little more.... anime. After all, that's what the movie is. (Which I haven't seen yet, but it's around here somewhere.)

Diana Wynne Jones never disappoints, I've decided. She may confuse, but she doesn't disappoint.

I was slightly confused by parts of this book, but that may come more from finishing it at about 2 a.m..... Who knows.

Sophie is the eldest of three sisters, and so naturally everyone knows she can never amount to much. The eldest never does, you know. (Hmm... should I take that personally?)

But when her sisters switch places and a witch turns her into an old woman, it appears Sophie will have no choice but to seek her fortune.

Which leads us to Howl, or Pendragon, or Howell, or Jenkins.... whatever you want to call him. The heartless wizard who lives in a moving castle and, as everyone knows, goes about stealing women's souls and eating their hearts. Or something to that effect.

Add in a fire demon with an attitude and a sweet if sometimes daft apprentice and you have a wonderful story.

AND if that wasn't wonderful enough, there are TWO companion books/sequels!! Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways. Which I now need to get my hands on. :D

(Also fabulous are the Chronicles of Crestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones.)

Celebrate Your Favorite Under-Appreciated Classic Author

I love Henrik Ibsen. I think I own every play the man wrote and I've read pretty much all of them too. LOVE them.

It all started in 10th grade-- AP European History (which was a great class, by the way). We could read A Doll's House for extra credit or something. I was hooked.

I think A Doll's House is still my favorite. There's just something about it. I can't even put my finger on what exactly. I just love it.

So, who do you celebrate? And it can't be Shakespeare or Austen... or Dickens. They aren't under-appreciated.
How were you introduced to their works?

Let's give the under-appreciated classics a little love... :D

A Band of Roses by Pat McDermott

5 Stars
R- 3

I almost turned this one down when the email came round. Because it was an ebook. Of which I am not a huge fan. But it sounded really interesting. I have to admit, though, the size of the pdf file was intimidating. (667 pages. I'm not kidding. That's a lot of staring at the computer.)

Can I tell you how glad I am that I took it on anyway?!! I loved it.

Part alternative-contemporary-history, part action-adventure, part almost historical romance, part sci-fi.... (yeah, I think I'm making up genres). You wouldn't think all that would work, but it does. It really does.

Here, watch the trailer.


(Can you see that? If not, you can see it on youtube.)

Anyway.

Parts of A Band of Roses reminded me of Connie Willis' Doomsday Book, which is very complimentary. I LOVE Connie Willis.

All of the styles swirl around and work well together even though you would think they shouldn't. Somehow they do. Maybe it's because Talty is such a great character. The Irish princess is fiery and determined, as well as strong and smart. After being married off twice, she's still her own woman.

Great read, even as a pdf. And that's saying something, 'cause I don't have a lot of patience for long pdfs.

This is a Virtual Book Tour book, and you can also learn more, as well as read excerpts, on Pat McDermott's site.

Also, check back next week for a great interview with Pat McDermott!!

Summer Reading Saturday-- The Spirit Vs. The Letter

In the past, I've been a letter of the law kinda gal. We would mark Boo's chart for every X amount of minutes that we read to her.

Maybe I'm getting complacent, but I've come to the following conclusions:

1. Summer Reading is about instilling a love of books and reading (at least at the stage my kids are at) not about minutes.
2. Paraphrasing pages can be just as good as reading word for word.
3. Boo "reading" to herself counts. It's time spent with books and that's really what it's all about.
4. As long as we've read at least one fairy book a day, I'm counting it. (This may seem like cheating, since they sometimes only take 25 minutes to read instead of a full 30, but again, Spirit over Letter.)
5. Does anyone else hate reading the Cat in the Hat books aloud?

I feel like we're keeping the integrity of the thing without Mommy having to be as stressed about it all.

Now, I know it's a holiday and I should be posting holiday books, but I honestly couldn't think of any!! Isn't that terrible? So, if you've got a good 4th of July book, let me know!!

Have a great holiday weekend!

This Is Why I Cannot Buy a Kindle

I just finished an e-book. A 667 page pdf file. I'm not even kidding.

Now, I LOVED the book. (Review coming Monday!) I did, I loved it.

But I stared at this blasted computer screen for HOURS to read it! Talk about a headache. (Actually it was a dull ache behind my eyes.)

This is why I can't get a Kindle. I mean, okay, a Kindle is at least portable-- or more so than my laptop, but the screen is SMALLER.

I don't have good eyesight. In fact I have really really bad eyesight. Like my perscription is somewhere around -11.75 in one eye and -10.5 in the other. (Trust me, that's bad.) Without my glasses I am pretty much all alone in the world.

Given all of that, I don't see how I could read anything on that small of a screen.

Plus, there's the contrast issue. Glowing screen+text gives me a headache MUCH MUCH faster than paper+text. There's just something about it. And my eyes start playing tricks on me.

It's no good, I tell you.

I mean, alright, you can carry potentially limitless numbers of books with you in one little device, but.... I'd miss the paper. I'd miss turning pages. I'd miss the smell of old books. (I love the smell of old books. Someone should bottle it.)

And I'm not sure I can ever read something that long in pdf format again. Not sure my head will let me.

How about you? Have you taken the technological plunge?

New Reader's Choice Books!!!!!!

YIPPEE!!!! I'm so excited!!

There are 22 this time around, which is about how many I read last time around, so I'm feeling good about my odds.

Lots of mysteries, which are fun and always go pretty fast...

Here they are, in no particular order (Links are to the SLCLS Reader's Choice Blog)

The Accidental Sorcerer by K. E. Mills -- I'd never heard of this, but it looks funny. Fantasy.

The Archangel Project by C. S. Graham -- Action/Thriller and Paranormal. What more could you want?

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton -- Paranormal Mystery, and I love the cover art.

City of Thieves by David Benioff -- WWII Historical Fiction, 'cause there's always at least one. And it involves "demonic Nazi chess players".

Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton --Nonfiction. Life with a coyote pup.

Dirty Secret Club by Meg Gardiner --Murder Mystery with medical overtones... or undertones... or undertakertones....

Don’t Tell a Soul by David Rosefelt -- Action/Murder Mystery. And apparently an obnoxious policeman.

Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser -- Nonfiction, Art History. I love art history.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson -- Already on my list!! Woohoo! Mystery.

The Grift by Deborah Ginsburg --Paranormal Mystery (I'm sensing a theme....)

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson -- Fiction, I promise. Romance/"women's fiction" whatever that means.

Handbags and Homicide by Dorothy Howell -- ChickLit/Mystery... I'm thinking it could be the beginning of a new fluff series.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett --Historical Fiction. Racism in the south.

Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton --Romance... and there's that "women's fiction" thing again.

The Lover's Knot by Clare O'Donohue --A Quilting Mystery apparently. Gotta have a niche.

Night Kill by Ann Littlewood --Mystery at the zoo. Another cool cover.

Sacrifice by S. J. Bolton-- more Mystery. Looks really interesting.

Shape of Mercy by Erin Hart --Historical Fiction

School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister --Fiction. Sounds a little like Comfort Food.

Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer -- Mystery (Shocker, I know)

The Stepsister Scheme by Jim Hines-- Fantasy. This looks hilarious!! Cinderella's husband has been kidnapped. The cover looks kind of anime-ish.

The Virgin Queen's Daughter by Ella Chase --Historical Fiction. I love Queen Elizabeth I books.

Okay, so I guess that was in alphabetical order. Go figure.

So 10/22 are mysteries, 2 nonfiction, 2 fantasy... 4 historical fiction, only 3 paranormals... seemed like more when I was typing them all up. And then there are a couple of general fiction or "women's fiction".

What's the difference between "women's fiction" and ChickLit? Or normal fiction for that matter...

Visions on America WINNER

And the winner is.... (drumroll)

NMFGIRL~
"I think we feel as if we are so forward thinking and liberal, and yet the rest of the world often views us as so conservative and restrictive-- even puritanical."

Email me by Saturday with your mailing address!! (schriftstellarin[at]hotmail[dot]com)

Lame Addiction

Do you have books like this? They're not really that well written, the plots are so-so, etc, and yet you can't stop reading them??

Makes me wonder what's wrong with me sometimes...


Laura Childs' scrapbook mysteries are this way. I don't know what it is. Looking at them objectively, they're dumb books. (No offense) I mean, I'm a big scrapbooker, and I even find the scrapbooking lame. And yet I actively seek them out.

Seriously. What is wrong with me? I even give them 4 stars, while saying how lame they are. (Really, it's probably not fair of me to say they're lame when I'm this into them, huh?)

I think part of it is I like the characters. (Though seriously, the ex-husband really needs to stop popping back up as a love interest. Move on, honey.)

Carmela Bertrand, the main character, owns a little scrapbook store in the French Quarter of New Orleans. And she's just fun to read.

Her best friend, Ava, owns a voodoo shop and is hilarious. I love her.

And the whole New Orleans feel of the books is part of the appeal, I think.

The first in the series is Keepsake Crimes. Try it. See what you think. And then let me know if I'm crazy or not. If nothing else, everybody needs a little fluff sometimes, right? Especially during the summer.