Because I feel this way sometimes:
“There are books by which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.” — Charles Dickens
Author: booknutgirls
Well-Seasoned Reader Challenge Roundup #9
Starting with the quote of the week… I was searching for something evocative, something that felt like spring, and I found it in The Lord of the Rings, of all places:
Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo? It’ll be spring soon. And the orchards will be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket. And they’ll be sowing the summer barley in the lower fields… and eating the first of the strawberries with cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?
We had several people finish in the last week or so: Mrs. B, Joanna, Cafe Shree, and Bybee. Thanks so much for participating!!
And on to reviews:
Cafe Shree took us to China this week with Love in a Fallen City, by Eileen Chang. She writes, “was very interested in her portrayals but became depressed with the sense of futility, the sense of being trapped by tradition. She writes of despair, of the past and the future with such beautiful words I almost forget that the plot is depressing.”
Kim went to Asia, also, visiting Korea in Still Life with Rice by Helie Lee. She writes, “Though this book doesn’t always seem to be really well written, I thought the content made up for it. I really enjoyed learning more about the history and culture of this divided nation but the truly compelling part of the book was the relationships of the family members.”
Nicole read Blessed are the Cheesemakers, by Sarah-Kate Lynch (the title makes me giggle). She describes it this way: “It only took me a week to read this cute, fun story about 2 quirky, old Irish cheese making men. Their dairy farm/cheese making sanctuary is where people who have nowhere else to go wind up. I liked reading all of their little stories, and appreciated the 3 farm cats named Jesus, Mary, and All The Saints. There is a bit of magic a la Chocolat which I thought was neato.”
And since one Sarah-Kate Lynch book was not enough this week, Tiny Librarian read By Bread Alone. Her final verdict (oh, but do go read the rest of the review, too): “The book is definitely an ode to bread, so don’t read it if you’re on the Atkins Diet! If you only have time for one foodie read, go for Blessed Are The Cheesemakers, but this one is worth a read, especially if you’re a baker and/or a bread-lover.”
Erin read The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, by Jaques Pepin (ah-ha! We made it to France!). She writes, “Interspersed among his cooking tales and the outline of his one-of-a-kind career path are his favorite recipes and French cooking techniques. These gave the book a personal touch, as if all were hand-copied—complete with whimsical sketches and doodles!—straight from Pepin’s family recipe cards.”
Speaking of French cooks, Bridget read Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell. Bridget writes that while she enjoyed it, overall, “The only thing about this book that puzzled me was how Powell and her husband managed to afford the expensive and/or exotic ingredients for Child’s recipes. Her descriptions of their jobs does not make it sound like they were raking in huge salaries, or even that they had some kind of cushion in the form of a bank account or family money they inherited. I know that even basic ingredients on special at the grocery store can often leave you making choices of what you really need as opposed to what you would like to be able to buy. And she was doing all of this in New York City, which has a variety of places to shop, but is not an inexpensive place.”
And, while we’re in France, Becky read Chocolat, by Jeanne Harris. She writes, “My thoughts? Well, I didn’t hate it. But I sure was hoping to like it more than I did. With a name like Chocolat, I expected it to be, well, delicious.”
Heather read Rosewater and Soda Bread, by Marsha Mehran, the sequel to Pomegranate Soup. She writes, “This book is like having a gourmet meal for $15. It’s light but has substance. It’s honest and pure and delicate and delicious…. The food featured in the story isn’t a metaphor within the story so much as it is a metaphor for the entire book. I didn’t read this book, I consumed it.”
That’s a good place to stop. Happy reading this week!
Permanent Rose
by Hilary McKay
ages: 10+
First sentence: “David tramped along the road to the Casson house trying not to think too far ahead.”
My brain feels much better. Thanks for asking.
This book takes place soon after Indigo’s Star — Tom has left for America, and Rose has been patiently waiting all summer for some word from him. And has gotten nothing. She waits, every day for the mail… and every day the postman passes her by. This little daily exchange spurs two events: Michael (Caddy’s beloved) pinching roses for Rose (in The Early Morning Rose Delivery Service: bringing roses to Roses) so she’s not left empty-handed; and Rose shoplifting. Oh, it begins innocently enough — rearranging displays in shops — but evolves into taking things out of stores and leaving them on the street, and eventually to bringing things all the way home. Thankfully, David (former bully of Indigo, trying to make a go at an actual friendship), has taken to coming around, and (since he is a reformed shoplifter) is able to (eventually) put Rose to rights.
And, because this is a Casson book, that’s not the entire plot. Eve is spending the summer painting murals at the hospital, because she’s too sad to paint in her shed. Caddy is avoiding Michael, because even though she loves him, she’s not sure she really really wants to marry him. And Saffy has decided that she’s going to search for her father (with Sarah’s help, of course), which leads to a Really Big Revelation (that is a tad bit soap-operaish, but forgivable) in the end. Bill, as always, is a cad, living in London with his Really Nice Girlfriend, Samantha (which begs the question: why is it that the Really Nice Girls are always attracted to cads?)
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the other two (I’m not counting Forever Rose, since I read the last one first…), but that’s not saying that it’s not fabulous or wonderful. It is. It’s just not as fabulous or wonderful as Saffy’s Angel or Indigo’s Star. Then again, if this is the series’ low point (and every series has to have one), I’ll take it. It’s still quite funny, and charming, and delightful, and lovely… it’s just darker and tends in a soap opera direction at the end that I think is a bit more disturbing for me than it probably should be. (Bill really is a cad.)
But, I’ll leave you on a happy note, with the one quote that had me rolling. Indigo and Rose have been reading Le Morte d’Arthur, and Rose is asking Caddy, who’s cleaning out guinea pig cages, about Sir Lancelot:
“He went on quests,” [Caddy] said. “They all did. Questing all the time.”
“What are quests?”
“Dares. Or big searches for stuff. Right now I’m questing for my old address book. Tell me if you see it, Rosey Pose.”
“What, in there?” asked Rose, looking in disgust at the stuff Caddy was shoveling into a bucket.
“No, of course not in here!” said Caddy, laughing. “And don’t pull faces like that! It’s only poo! You have to get used to poo! Even gorgeous Lancelot pooed!”
“No he didn’t!”
“Of course he did… Gallop through the forest… stop for a poo… bash off someone’s helm, rescue a maiden… stop for a poo… Everyone does it. Unless they’re dead.”
“Well, he’s dead!” said Rose, triumphantly producing the only fact she knew for sure about Sir Lancelot.
There you have it: pure, unadulterated Casson. Isn’t it lovely.? (Even if the book isn’t quite as lovely as I had wanted it to be.)
Geeky Quote Redeux #1
I loved this geek the first time around, and am more than happy to throw my lot in for another week filled with quotes. Hope you enjoy the ones I find. Pop by the Geek site to get links to the others who are participating.
Lets get this started with a quote from the book the movie M and I are going to see today (because it’s at the cheap theater) is based on:
“This book taught me, once and for all, how easily you can escape this world with the help of words! You can find friends between the pages of a book, wonderful friends.” — Cornelia Funk (Inkspell)
Bee Season
by Myla Goldberg
ages: adult
First sentence: “At precisely 11 a.m. every teacher in every classroom at McKinley Elementary School tells their students to stand.”
Ever have the experience where a book starts out relatively promising — not great, but good, and with potential — and so you keep reading. Then, about halfway through, you start wondering where this is all going, but because of the initial promise, you keep going. Then, a few dozen more pages later, you realize that the book is going nowhere slowly, and so you start skipping around (say, reading the end just to see if it’s good or not). But, then, you read something that is mildly confusing or interesting (how on earth did she come to make that decision? Or, why is she doing that!? Or, is she completely nuts, or am I reading this wrong?), and so you go back and begin plodding through again. But, by the time you make it to that interesting decision or situation, it’s no longer intriguing. In fact, by the time you finally close the book, you’re tearing your hair out, wishing you would have just stopped halfway through, lamenting the time that you can’t get back. In fact, the more you think about it, the worse the book is, the more annoyed you are that you’ve even attempted it. In fact, you wonder why you even try adult fiction, if this drivel is all there is. Granted, that will probably wear off in a day or so, but right now, right after finishing it, you just want to go and scrub your brain out with a good Hilary McKay book.
Ever read a book like that?
(I just did.)
(More coherent thoughts are over at the Jewish Literature Challenge Blog.)
A Couple of Quick Things
One: There’s still time to enter my inaugural Operation Clean Out Closet (hereby christened OCOC) giveway of Jessica Day George’s Princess of the Midnight Ball. The drawing’s Friday, March 6th (that’s tomorrow!)… go here for details.
Two: This month’s Estella’s Revenge is up. One of the fun things working a bit behind the scenes is seeing how, when you’re afraid that there’s going to be hardly anything in this issue, people can come through last minute, and suddenly there’s a great issue bursting at the seams with features, columns, and (of course) reviews (in the category of “books I really would LOVE to read, but can’t because they’re not out in the US”, check out Elaine’s review of The Madonna of the Almonds. Sounds heavenly.)
My stuff… I interviewed Joshua Henkin, one of the nicest and most interesting authors I’ve talked to in a while. I also have three reviews: two YA winners — The Parliament of Blood and Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One Before — and one so-so nonfiction — Somewhere in Heaven.
Go check it out! (And don’t forget to enter my giveaway!)
To Catch a Mermaid
by Suzanne Selfors
ages: 8-12
First sentence: “Boom Broom awoke to find his little sister, Mertyle, looking for spots.”
It’s Friday the 13th, the day of the school Kick the Ball Against the Wall championship, and Boom Broom just knows he’s going to win. Except it seems the universe it out to get him. It’s not enough that his mother was stolen by a freak twister a year ago. Or that his father hasn’t come out of the attic since the accident. Or that his sister, Mertyle, has been coming up with increasingly inane (but creative) sicknesses to get out of school and stay home and watch game shows. Or that the housekeeper his father hired, Halvor, is a Direct Descendant of Vikings and refuses to cook or eat anything that isn’t fish, rye bread or marmalade.
No, today, of all days, Boom has to kick an apple through the window of Mr. Johnson’s house, which leads to him being late to school, which leads to him missing the Kick the Ball Against the Wall championship, which leads to him loaning his best friend, Wing, $7 of the $10 Halvor gave Boom to buy dinner (fish, of course) so he could pay off a bet, which leads to him rummaging through the reject bucket at the docks, which leads to him bringing home the one thing that will change their lives: a merbaby.
It’s a whimsical book, with absurdities and magic flowing freely throughout. Selfors has a way with descriptions, with situations that while not laugh-out-loud funny (for me, at least) are at least amusing in their absurdity. That said, there’s a dark streak running through the book; the neighbors across the street are delightfully snotty and bossy, and all that goes wrong for Boom in the weekend works most satisfactorily toward the lovely, happy conclusion.
In short: an absolutely delightful little book.
Library Loot #9
Okay, so I caught up enough on my books at home, and I started putting holds on books again. And, of course, they all came in at once! I suppose I’ve got enough to read for the rest of the month…
For A/K:
One Day, Two Dragons, Lynne Bertrand/Illus. Janet Street
A Birthday for Cow!, Jan Thomas**
Grace for President, Kelly DiPucchio/LeUyen Pham**
Holly’s Red Boots, Fracesca Chessa**
Erika-San, Allen Say
We’re Going on a Lion Hunt, Margery Cuyler**
The Birthday Dance Party (that’s this week’s Dora book)
For C:
Excalibur, Hudson Talbott
Lancelot, Hudson Talbott
For M and/or C:
Outlaw Princess of Sherwood, Nancy Springer
For M:
Skinned, Robin Wasserman*
The Light of the Oracle, Victoria Hanley*
The Mislaid Magician: or Ten Years After, Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Chaos, Ted Dekker
For me:
Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
Permanent Rose, Hilary McKay (yay!)*
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading, Sara Nelson
The Ridiculous Race, Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy
Banker to the Poor, Muhammad Yunus
The roundup is at A Striped Armchair.
*Ones that M eventually read.
**Picture books we really liked.
Teaser Tuesday, March 3
Happy March! I don’t know if I should do this, but I’m going to, anyway, because I need help deciding. Graceling is one of those books that leave you baffled as to what to read next. So, what I’m going to do is put up teasers for the three books I’m considering picking up next. Tell me, from the teasers, which one you think would be most interesting. To be fair, I’ll pick a teaser off the same page for all three.
From The Seems: the Split Second, by John Hulme and Michael Wexler. page 25:
On the saem Mission where he had squred off against Thibadeau and fixed a nasty Glitch in Sleep, Becker had also made a friend named Jennifer Kaley. She had been scheduled to receive a Dream that night — a Dream to help her cope with a difficult time in her life — but Becker had accidentally destroyed it.
From To Catch a Mermaid, by Suzanne Selfors, page 25:
On their way back to class, Boom and Winger passed the girl in the green sweater. She was taking very small steps toward Principal Prunewallop’s office and sniffling.
From Bee Season, by Myla Goldberg, page 25:
Besides, he really wants to be able to walk around for hours naked from the waist up, even outdoors, and not think about it. “You’re not listening,” Eliza complains, tossing a sock in Aaron’s general direction but hitting him in the left nipple, an unintentional bull’s-eye.
So, which one should I read?
The roundup is as Should Be Reading.
Graceling
by Kristin Cashore
ages: 13+
First sentence: “In these dungeons the darkness was complete, but Katsa had a map in her mind.”
When Abby commented on the Library Loot post that she loved Graceling, I knew it was good. It was a Cybil’s fantasy finalist, and practically everyone who has gotten their hands on it loved it. The question was (after I pried it out of M’s hands… she kept picking it up every time I put it down, and she’s already read it twice!): does it live up to the hype.
Well. Yes. It does.
First, let me say that reading this book was a test of my self control. I started it Saturday night after I got the kids in bed, and I stayed up until after midnight reading. I was only halfway done. Sunday is normally crazy for me, and I didn’t get a chance to get back to it until evening. I can’t tell you how torturous this was. All I wanted to do was play hookey, shut myself in my room and finish the dang book. And then, today… it was calling… it was pleading… and so I finally caved, put on a movie, and read it to it’s very satisfying conclusion.
Oh, do you want to know the story?
I’ll give you the basics (trust me: the less you know, the better the book). Kasta is our heroine, and she is Graced — a magical ability that sets her apart from other people; Gracelings are recognized for their different color eyes — with the ability to kill. She’s her uncle, King Randa’s, strong-arm, performing executions, beatings, whatever he needs. On the side, she’s part of a Council, a secret movement to help citizens in the seven kingdoms. She rescues the Liendan king’s father from the dungeons of another king, which sets off a chain of events that will not only change her life, but change the fate of several kingdoms.
I loved the action — M asked me what my favorite part was, and I had to admit that I loved the fighting scenes. Cashore has a way with words that vividly portrays action, and I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. Which brings me to point number two: I loved the tension, the twists and turns. The “bad guy” is truly horrible, evil, and malicious, and even though he only shows up a couple of times, both times I was biting my nails with the tension of it all. And I loved the romance. Not since Crown Duel have I read a fantasy romance that was as intriguing and satisfying as this one is.
All of this is a very rounabout way of saying what M announced the first time she finished the book: it’s awesome and we have to own it.
The Book Nut 