Author: booknutgirls

booknutgirls http://thebooknutdotcom.wordpress.com I read. I blog. I sell books. I chauffeur my kids. What more do you need to know?

The Dragonfly Pool

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by Eva Ibbotson
ages: 10+
First sentence: “I don’t think you ought to be crying at your age.”

This was a great sick day read (even though it took me two, since that’s the way my life ran this weekend). Light, fun, and terribly cute (with dark overtones), it was the perfect thing for my addled brain to handle. (I’m also feeling slightly uninspired as I write; my brain isn’t quite un-addled just yet.)

It’s 1939 London, and Tally is happy living with her two aunts and her father. Except the prospect of war is looming, and her father is concerned for her safety, so he sends Tally away to Delderton, a boarding school in the west of England. Tally doesn’t want to go, but once there, finds it an absolute heaven. Teachers that engage the students (rather than lecture), a loving, nurturing environment, and, of course, bosom friends. Then a letter comes inviting Delderton to a folk dance festival in the country of Bergania, and Tally basically bullies everyone into going. There, they meet the crown prince, and become involved in saving his life after the assassination of his father.

It goes on from there, but that’s basically the major plot points. I suppose some would say that she glossed over the war (it kind of just happens), but I don’t think this is a war book; rather, it’s more about friendship and duty and class and choosing one’s own path than adventure and romance (though there is adventure; romance is pretty understated). Ibbotson’s writing drew me into the book and held me there (even though I did the pickup-putdown dance quite a bit); I thoroughly enjoyed the alternate world, as well as the delightful characters, that she created.

I think I’m going to stop there. For more coherent thoughts (and why I picked the book up in the first place), read Fuse’s review. Or, just go read the book. It really is quite lovely.

Matrimony

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by Joshua Henkin
age: adult
First sentence: “Out! Out! Out!”
Review copy from the author.

This is a quiet novel. I think that’s the best way to describe it. A sweeping portrait of everyday life, focusing on the ebb and flow of the relationship of Julian and Mia from the time they met as freshmen in college through to the birth of their first baby nearly 20 years later. There’s drama — divorce, infidelity, deaths — but, the novel doesn’t focus on the drama, but rather how that drama affects everyday life.

That’s not to say that the book was boring. It wasn’t. Rather, it was often just ordinary. Julian and Mia meet, live together, go to grad school, have a falling out, get back together, move to the Big City, and have a kid. Every day things — dealing with who’s going to wash the dishes or the stress of graduate school — took the forefront. But I think that was the purpose; to find the elegant in the every day. Sometimes, though, I thought that the scenery — Ann Arbor for much of the book — took the forefront. Like Julie, I found it difficult to get past the descriptions of the cafes, streets, or everyday workings of Ann Arbor in the book. The Fab Five? (You’re really from Ann Arbor if you know who they are.) The Art Fair? The Arboretum? The Diag? Zingermans? Caribou Coffee? It’s all there. I think the only thing he didn’t mention was The Rock at the corner of Hill and Washtenaw. I don’t know why this got in the way for me; perhaps it’s because I’m from the Ann Arbor area, though it’s been nearly 20 years since I lived there. But in a sense, I felt like Henkin was trying to showcase the town, which is all fine and good, but it seemed to get in the way of the story.

In general, though, I liked the book, the quietness of the book. I liked that the characters were all generally likable, even if they weren’t always doing likable things. I liked Julian’s struggles as a writer — how it was a struggle for him to find the novel that was waiting inside him (though I have to admit I often found it a bit pretentious, I felt like telling him to just do it already). And, as the title suggests, there’s much about the give and take in a relationship — being committed to each other, supporting each other’s dreams. I liked that it wasn’t perfect, that there were times when Julian and Mia had problems and fights and couldn’t seem to get things quite right. But, on the other hand, they weren’t horribly messed up with horribly messed up families, dealing with back-biting and dischord in their lives. It was refreshingly… well… normal.

In the end, while there was nothing really to shout about, nothing really that bowled me over enough to say “Wow, this book is great,” it was a good read.

WSR Roundup Challenge #5

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You get another one of my quotes this week, from The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner:

Travel, at its best, transforms us in ways that aren’t always apparent until we’re back home. Sometimes we do leave our baggage behind, or, even better, it’s misrouted to Cleveland and is never heard from again.

Oh — the one thing that stood out this week was that no one “visited” China. 🙂

On to the reviews:

Cafeshree read Buttertea at Sunrise by Britta Das, about the author’s experiences in Bhutan. She writes, “Britta loves the beauty of the country, and the friendliness of the people, yet she is miserable with the rain, the fleas, the unreliable electricity and lack of facilities to help the locals. I enjoyed Britta’s descriptions, though sometimes felt she was a bit simplistic in her view of the people, but it’s a nice introduction.” She also read Into a Paris Quartier, by Diane Johnson, and caputred what good travel book should do with this sentence: “I enjoyed this book, a bit of history, culture and now I want to pack my bags and go explore St.-Germain.”

Kristina read La Cucina by Lily Prior, about which she writes, “Lily Prior really does a great job in this novel. Although romance is not for me, this had some elements of mystery and surprise and shock even.”

Veronica read another chick-litty/romance book, The Teahouse on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens, although she didn’t like it, commenting: “At least FIVE different story lines centered around people committing or seriously contemplating adultery. And that just seems like too much. Is no one in Belfast, Ireland happily married?”

Becky read Beneath My Mother’s Feet, by Amjed Qamar, about a girl in Pakistan who’s father is injured and she and her mother are forced to take over earning money for the family. Becky writes, “The world we see in the novel is one where women work–slave over their work even–to provide for the lazy men in their lives. It’s an unpleasant world, one where happiness isn’t even considered possible in marriage.”

And Amira‘s contributions were Foreign Correspondence, by Geraldine Brooks and Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichel. Amira describes Foreign Correspondence: “This one is a memoir of her growing up in Australia and especially her pen pals. Like all of Brooks’ writing, this book is interesting and well written, which I really think is a unique combination in a journalist.”

Geeky Covers

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This week it’s all about judging books by their covers! Pick a book–any book, really–and search out multiple book cover images for that book. They could span a decade or two (or more)…Or they could span several countries. Which cover is your favorite? Which one is your least favorite? Which one best ‘captures’ what the book is about?

I’m going with a popular classic, just because there’s so many covers out there. I give you Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen:

There’s the obvious thing to do: put a picture of the author/someone who could be the author on the cover:

Or, better yet, illustrations of people who could be characters in the book (though I don’t quite understand the room; why not go rustic and do the whole house?)


One that has nothing to do with the book at all (what, was P&P Greek?):

For something different, try using the fact that letters were really important:

Ones that scream “chick lit” rather than “stuffy classic”:

Ones that went for the “rustic feel”:

And ones for the English class, because they’re too snobbish to read something with a real picture on the cover:

Shameless movie (or almost movie) tie-ins:

I think I did this book mostly to get this cover out there (though I have yet to figure out what I really think of the idea of the book):

It’s that Time Again

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It’s February… and you’ve been waiting (with baited breath!) for the latest issue of Estella’s Revenge to come on line. (You haven’t? Shhh…. don’t tell me that!) Well, never fear: it’s up (yay, Andi!)! And (like always), it’s a good one, too.

First, my stuff: I have a two-fer: an interview with John Shors, and a review of his recent book, Beside a Burning Sea. I also reviewed Jessica Day George’s newest, Princess of the Midnight Ball as well as the Aussie book Everything Beautiful. (Becky, I didn’t write this, but I agree: that girl on the cover is NOT fat. What gives?)

But the real scoop is Heather’s interview with Lane Smith. (Can I say wow? I can? WOW. Cool.)

And while you’re there, putter around a bit, and read the rest of the issue, too. 🙂

Library Loot #5

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The roundup is over at A Striped Armchair.

I think I need to catch up on my reading before getting any more books; all of my holds came in!

For A/K:
Singing to the South, Vivian French/Jackie Morris
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly, Jane O’Connor/Robin Preiss Glasser**
Peter and the Wolf, retold by Chris Raschka**
The Umbrella Queen, Shirin Yim Bridges/Taeeun Yoo
The Princess Who Had Almost Everything, Mireille Levert/Josee Masse**
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, Laura Numeroff/Felicia Bond**
Big Sister Dora!

For C:
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Suzanne Collins
The Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Tullock, Alex Williams

For M:
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, James Patterson (apparently, you do need to read these in order…)

For me:
Chocolat, by Joanne Harris
The Trouble Begins at 8, Sid Fleischman
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (see, I AM going to read this. Soon.)*
Bee Season, Myla Goldberg
Becoming Jane Austen, Jon Spence

*Ones M read.
**Picture books we really liked.

Teaser Tuesday (oops), February 3

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I totally spaced this yesterday!

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!

    • The roundup is at Should be Reading.

    From Matrimony, by Joshua Henkin, p. 167:

    The day the building was unveiled, she’d been here with her parents for the celebration, and afterward she’d gone upstairs to see her father’s new office, where she’d looked out the window at campus, holding a glass of champagne she’d drunk too much of, feeling the ground blur beneath her. “It’s my new perch,” her father said, and she felt as if it were hers, too.

    Skeleton Creek

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    by Patrick Carman
    ages: 10+
    First sentence: “There was a moment not long ago when I thought, “This is it. I’m dead.”
    Review copy received from the author. Release date February 10, 2009.

    First: This is no mere book. It’s an experience, one that (as M said when I told her about it) is a bit before it’s time. See, it’s a book, but it’s also a movie. But, it’s easier to explain using the plot…

    Ryan and Sarah are best friends. Best friends who have been forbidden to see each other. Because they’ve been snooping around town, trying to figure out the mystery of the Dredge. They went out there, late one night, and Ryan had an accident and broke his leg. He’s holed up in his room, doing all the writing (the book part). Sarah, who can still get around, has the video camera, and emails him passwords to a website with her videos (the movie part). Between the two of them, they will get to the bottom of the mystery… (just not in this book, so you’re prepared.)

    On the one hand, this is a brilliant idea. Really. Not just for reluctant readers, but for fans of mysteries… I loved the mood of the book, and that the mood carried over to the movies. I was concerned about it being hokey, but it actually works quite well. There’s no soundrack, so it’s all a bit eerie, which works in building suspense. The mystery itself is quite intriguing, but fairly complex (about halfway through the book, I figured there would have to be a sequel, because there’s no way it was wrapping up before the end of the book, at least not satisfactorily). There’s also a bit of mystery about the mystery: is it a straight-forward ghost story? Or a murder? Or a conspiracy? Very nice.

    The technical side, at least for me, left something to be desired. Since I read while my kids watch TV, and the computer is in the same room, it often made it hard for me to hear on the videos what was being said. Especially since the videos entailed a lot of whispering and quiet or faint sounds. And then there’s the fact that my computer’s ancient, and the screen overly dark, so I couldn’t see what I was supposed to be seeing half the time. Frustrating. (But not the fault of the book or the author.) M suggested that it would be cool if it were all in one package (the Kindle perhaps?) where you could read the text and watch the videos without having to switch mediums (it is also not a book for reading in school… again, having to find a computer, and a quiet room, to watch the video “chapters”).

    Still, I am intrigued by the idea, especially as a way to keep the book publishing business alive. I don’t think print books are dead, but there’s always room for experimentation. And this is one experiment that worked fairly well.

    Indigo’s Star

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    by Hilary McKay
    ages: 10+
    First sentence: “For the first time in his life Indigo Casson had been properly ill.”

    Have I said how much I love the Casson family? I have? Oh. Well. I’m saying it again:

    I love the Casson family. Adore them. These books make me so utterly happy.

    The basic plot of this one involves Indigo and his troubles at school. He’s been bullied by the local “rabble” and, after being out for an entire term with mono, has to go back and face them at school. Once there, he discovers that there’s a new target for the rabble’s ire: Tom, who’s spent the year visiting from America. Indigo and Tom fall into a sort of friendship, which blossoms into a real friendship, which means that Tom is now a part of the Casson family.

    But, like all these books, it’s not so much about the plot as it is about the family. Caddy’s going through boyfriends, mostly because she’s trying to figure out what they all already know: that Michael is the one for her. (The boyfriends, by the way, are hilarious.) Saffy (and Sarah) are just Saffy and Sarah, presences that add a certain spark, but don’t actually do anything. Eve is still delightfully daffy, and Bill is less anal, mostly because he’s mostly absent (which surprised me, until I figured out sometime near the end that Bill and Eve got a divorce. Makes sense), but turns out to be a halfway decent fellow. But the book-stealer, right out from under Indigo’s nose, is Rose. Oh, Rose made me laugh until I cried. Her letters to her dad were priceless, as was the wall mural and her refusal to wear her glasses except for when she looks at stars. And the end… oh the end (which I won’t give away), had me in tears. 🙂

    A short example of Rose, because I can’t resist:

    Darling Daddy,

    This is Rose.

    So flames went all up the kitchen wall. Saffron called the fire brigade adn the police came too to see if it was a trick and the police woman said to Saffron Here You Are Again because of when I got lost haveing my glasses checked. But I was with Tom whose grandmother is a witch on top of the highest place in town.

    Love, Rose.

    How can you not love her?

    At least the next book in the series is ALL about Rose (or at least has her in the title!).

    Geeky Hobbies

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    We’re sharing hobbies this week:

    #1. What are you passionate about besides reading and blogging?

    Tell us why you’re passionate about it. Post photos of what you’ve made or of yourself doing whatever it is you love doing.

    #2. Get us involved. Link to tutorials, recipes, Youtube videos, websites, fan sites, etc, anything that will help us learn more about your interest or how to do your hobby. Maybe you’d like to link to another hobbyist whose work you admire or tell us about a book or magazine related to your interest.

    #3. Visit other Weekly Geeks. Link in your post to other Geeks who’ve peaked your interest in their passion. Or maybe you might find a fellow aficionado among us, link to them.

    So, what do I do when I’m not reading, blogging, driving the kids somewhere, chasing the kids, playing with the kids, or sleeping?

    Hmmm.

    I wish I could say I was truly passionate about something, but I’m not. I’ve dabbled in crafty stuff in the past — sewing, cross-stitch, decoupage, and the like — and decided that it’s all just a way for me to spend money at Hobby Lobby. (Even though I do like my knick-knacks…) I don’t really *do* anything with it. And since I’m the anti-pack rat (I throw things out regularly), I can’t stand things just collecting for collecting’s sake.

    I do enjoy cooking… I’m no gourmet, or even very good. But I do enjoy cooking meals. I call it my “unwinding time” (I try to let the girls help, because I know that they need to learn, but honestly, I like getting into a groove and going with it.) and actually enjoy the process of cooking. Especially the smells. I love my house to smell like something I’ve just recently made. Especially bread. I love the smell of fresh-baked bread… I also really like decorating cakes (not too good at baking them, though…) for my girls birthdays. I’m going to post some here, and cross my fingers that they don’t end up on Cake Wrecks…


    As for question #2… if you’re even remotely interested, find a good Wilton class and take that. It’s really the best starting place. I’d love to be able to do this kind of stuff, though (from Charm City Cakes):

    I just lack time, resources and artistic talent.

    The other thing I like taking pictures. I’m not very good at it, either, but it’s also something I enjoy doing to relieve stress. (I really like looking at other people’s photos, too. Lisa at Bluestocking has some beautiful ones, as do my Nook friends Corinne, Cami and Kelly.) Anyway. A couple that I’ve taken that I really liked:

    As for question 3, I found that there are quite a few cooks out there — Michelle, Jackie (she posted recipes!), and Gautami Tripathy — are among the ones I found. As for (aspiring) photographers, I enjoyed looking at everyone’s photos. 🙂 Lou and softdrink have the one passion I’d love to have: that of travel. Sigh. There’s always living vicariously…
    Staci