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?

Another Monthly Plug

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This time it’s for the Bookworms Carnival (the 11th edition; it’s been going on for almost a year!), this time, hosted by Scott at Scooter Chronicles. It’s urban fantasty, and there are a lot of great books. More for my TBR list.

Next month is Next month’s carnival will be hosted by Nymeth, and the theme is fairy tales. (Watch her site for details, coming soon.) The deadline for submissions is June 13th, and you can email Nymeth at untuneric at gmail dot com.

(As Yzma would say, “Which one? Which one?” Love Eartha Kitt in that.)

The Crystal Cave

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I first read the Mary Stewart Merlin trilogy (of which this is the first book) during my Arthurian phases back when I was in college (actually, it was right after Hubby and I got married; he came to the marriage with these, of which I had never heard of, but would have discovered eventually, I suppose). I remember being captivated, enthralled, entranced, charmed and totally engrossed by them. I haven’t picked them up in 15 years (now you know how long we’ve been married…) and I was wondering whether or not they stood the test of time.

I’m glad to say, they have. Or at least, this one has (since I haven’t read the other two, yet). Stewart takes the legend — from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain — which, from what her Author’s Note stays, is terrible history, but a really good story. But, she goes above and beyond the standard Arthur fare, to give us Merlin’s story. And that is precisely what I loved about it. The book begins when Merlin is six years old, bastard son of a Welsh princess (Niniane in this book). He doesn’t know whom his father is; his mother isn’t telling anyone. He lives an uncomfortable, if quiet, existence in his grandfather’s house. He discovers, when he’s about 11, a cave and a master, Galapas, and his gift for the Sight — for prophecy, for visions, for Seeing. From there, when his servant accidentally kills the king — and the future king is no friend of Merlin’s — escapes to Brittany and into the hands of Ambrosius and Uther, to learn, to grow, and to help Ambrosius become King of Britain. And then the standard Arthur legend picks up (with a lovely side trip with Merlin raising Stonehenge; I remembered liking that part from the first time, and I still do): Uther desires Ygraine, Merlin helps him, and thus Arthur is conceived.

The thing I really liked (both times) is the humanization of Merlin. He’s too often made mystical, super-human; a wizard, a Druid, a Mage. Here, he’s just a guy with a gift for a god to use as he will and someone with a lot of smarts. He’s a normal person, with wants and desires and hopes and fears (though he doesn’t fear death, because he’s seen his own death), and while he’s not really ambitious, he’s at least willing to support others’ ambitious. He cares for people — his servants, his friends — and he’s genuinely concerned about them, even when it seems he’s not.

The other thing is how very modern Merlin feels himself to be. It’s 500 AD, and yet Merlin’s way ahead of his time. (Which isn’t hard, considering how barbaric it was!) A lot of what is attributed to “magic”, Stewart explains with logic, chance, and good engineering. It’s quite refreshing.

Now, on to read the other two.

Doubles

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Double tagged — by Julie and Mrs. S — for a double meme, both of which I’ve done before, but what the heck.

6 more incredibly random things about me (that I haven’t already listed somewhere):

1. I can balance a spoon on the end of my nose. I think it’s easy, but either I’m a terrible teacher or it’s harder than I think it is.

2. I recycle, wear Birkenstocks, bike (not as often as I should), do yoga, don’t watch (much) TV, garden, and home-can, and yet I don’t think of myself as counter-culture.

3. I’ve been a member of the same church my whole life. (No, we’re not polygamists. Yes, I dance. Those are the answers to the two most common questions.)

4. Our honeymoon was in San Francisco, and yet we did not fly there. Instead, we chose to drive across Nevada (in a red mustang convertible). It about killed the marriage right there.

5. I had two miscarriages between C and A, and that’s why they’re nearly 4 years apart. (Maybe that’s overshare??)

6. Though I joke about it, I’m actually looking forward to planning four weddings. I even want to do the cakes.

The 123 Meme
I don’t think this meme ever died; it’s been making the rounds for over a year now… The rules (to refresh your memory): Go to page 123 of the nearest book, find the fifth sentence, and post the next three sentences. Then post a comment on the blog of the person two steps up the chain (so if I tag you, you would leave a link to your post on Julie’s blog).

From The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart:

“The bay was very quiet, almost as if the frost of the past weeks had held it icebound, then, a place line under the darkness, you could see the gap between the far headlands where the wide sea whitened. To the right — the south — the black forest climbed to a ridge, while toe the north, where the land was gentler, the big trees gave shelter. A perfect harbour, you would have thought, until you saw how shallow it was, how at low tide the shapes of rock and boulder stuck black out of the water, shiny in the starlight with weed.”

Now to tag (choosing mostly randomly): Abby, Shelf Elf, Becky, Corinne, Heather (at Errant Thoughts). And anyone else who wants to have fun with these…

The Battle of the Labyrinth

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Ohmanohmanohmanohman.

I wasn’t planning on reading this so soon, but I managed to “have” a reason to go to the bookstore on Tuesday, and picked it up for M who was DYING to read it. She (of course) devoured it after school, even forgetting dinner and even taking it to the church mother-daughter activity (I understood, though I think everyone else was a bit frustrated that she sat in the corner, reading…). When she finished it, she plunked it down on the table next to me and said, “I’m mad at Rick Riordan.” “Why?” I asked. She kind of sighed and said, “I just wish he’d write faster.”

Amen to that.

This one — if you haven’t read the previous three, then you’re just missing out — begins the summer after Titan’s Curse. It’s supposed to be a “normal” summer for Percy (ha!), but everything gets off on the wrong foot. He sets fire to the school he’s trying to get in to, meets up with an acquaintance from Titan’s Curse (wasn’t expecting that, but I’m glad), and (good news!) Annabeth is back, and leading a quest into the labyrinth, in order to save Camp Half-Blood. (The rest of the plot you’ll just have to find out by reading the book. Though I will tell you that my favorite chapter titles are “The Underworld Sends Me a Prank Call” and “We Play the Game Show of Death”.)

While it’s not as funny as Titan’s Curse, it does have its moments. And, like all the books, it’s incredibly action-filled. While there’s a lot of walking and talking and trying to figure out girls (poor Percy!), Riordan manages to include just enough action to make it fun. It’s not suspenseful in the way some books are, but Riordan does have a gift for writing action sequences that actually manage to actually convey action vividly, something I appreciate. That, and (I know I’ve said this before, but it’s the one thing that awes me every time) he really knows his Greek myths, and is incredibly creative in his uses of them. I love all the mythical characters, monsters and situations that Percy and his friends find himself in. And no matter how like Harry Potter it is (and while we were talking to Hubby — who hasn’t read any of the books — about it last night, I realized that it is very like the Harry Potter books), it has a fresh, exciting, gripping feel to it.

I wish Riordan could write faster, too… I’m anxious to know how the series ends!

Reading Mechanics

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Found this at Dewey’s … and while I don’t have my reading material categorized by place, I do read different things in different places. I thought it might be fun to share. 🙂

The breakfast table read: I’ve been a newspaper reader ever since I started delivering papers in 8th grade and we got to keep any extras. (I would also read it while I was delivering… I’m sure my customers didn’t really appreciate that…) We had an afternoon paper while growing up, so it wasn’t a breakfast table read then, but it became one after I got married and we moved to D.C. and we started taking the Washington Post. Since then, in practically every town we lived in (not in Mississippi, though), we’ve taken a morning paper. I read it in this order, always: comics, arts/entertainment section, weather, glance at local headlines, glance at sports headlines (in football season, scour for any University of Michigan news, in tennis season, follow the slam headlines), front page, opinion page, look through rest of news section. Don’t know why I read it in that order, or why it’s the same every morning, but it is.

The to-go read: I wish I could say I took a book when I went. Sometimes I do, like when I take C to piano lessons, or if I’m by myself at M’s diving class. But, usually when I go, I’ve got K and A with me, 2 and 4 years respectively, and they take most of my attention. When I do go, I take along my main read.

The bathroom read: I don’t read here. Unless I’m in someone else’s house (like my parents) who keep material in the bathroom. Usually, it’s Reader’s Digest.

The read-aloud: I read picture books to K (and A sometimes, though that’s generally Hubby’s job), and a book — the fourth Sister’s Grimm right now — out loud to C at night. I love doing that, and thankfully, I’ve got two more girls who will want me to read aloud to them!

The main read: This is 1) whatever is on my nightstand from the library or 2) for a challenge. I have a huge TBR list I keep on line, and I try to work from that. I read a little bit of everything (though probably more Middle Grade and YA than adult)… and I like it that way. I read at night, mostly, instead of watching TV (unless we’ve got something I really want to watch from Netflix), and in the middle of the day while K and A are taking “quiet (read: movie)” time. I sometimes get to read other times during the day, but that’s rare.

The work read: Since my full-time job is staying home, I don’t really have “real (read: paying) job”, but I do write for Estella’s Revenge, sometimes for The Edge of the Forest, and Hubby and I have been asked to be the editors of the book review section for Dialogue magazine (though the first issue we’ll work on won’t come out until next spring….). I read the ARCs that I get sent, either through authors/publishers/agents contacting me, whatever Andi can send my way, or whatever I can drum up (mostly through Bloomsbury, since I have a contact there, and I don’t really have the time — see “real job” — to do the legwork to get other contacts. Though I’ll have to start putting more time/effort into that for the editor job…)

The travel read: Generally, when we travel, I’m either on mom duty or we’re visiting family, so there’s not much time to read. But, if I do, I don’t want to read anything deep or terribly mind-stretching (though last year, at the family reunion, I read A Canticle for Leibowitz. Not exactly an ideal vacation read…). A good time for chick lit, travel books, or light YA/middle-grade. I always end up taking more books than I end up reading, interestingly enough.

The audiobook: I don’t listen to audio books as much as I read print (I’ve toyed with the idea of always having one in the car, but for around-town stuff, it just doesn’t work. The kids are just too loud in the car!), but I love them for long drives. Hubby usually does the driving, and I’m managing/ playing with /entertaining/keeping from screaming in the back (which is ironic, since I get car sick!), but I can keep half an ear out for the story line. And, believe me, it helps with the boring landscape across middle America, and it makes the drive go faster. Lots.

So…. what about you?

A Bookish Mystery

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The doorbell rang this afternoon and I heard the familiar thump of a package being inserted inbetween the storm door and the regular door. I didn’t think much of it; I’ve ordered quite a few things off of Book Mooch and Amazon lately, and have a couple ARCs on their way. I was surprised, though, when I picked up the (fairly large and quite heavy) package and saw a return address — from Grimmell, Iowa — that I didn’t immediately recognize. It really surprised me, then, when I opened the package and saw 5 picture books, 1 ARC (for a book I think I’ve heard of) and one 1 paperback. None of which I’ve ordered.

There was no note.

I spent an hour or so, going through my emails (because, dang it, the address sounds familiar!) and Book Mooch history, trying to figure out who sent me these books so I could send thanks their way. But, it came down in the end that I have no idea who sent me these books. No clue who has my address (perhaps I should be more wary about giving it out??).

But whomever you are — TEOTF (does that stand for something obvious and I’m just being too dense to get it?) — thank you very much!!

The Off Season

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Remember last month when I said that you must go read Dairy Queen? Well, go read it, not just because it’s a good book, but because then you can read the sequel, which is an even better book.

This one picks up right after Dairy Queen ends. D.J.’s made the football team as a linebacker. She and Brian have sort-of got a thing going. She’s having a good year. But, like all good things (it wouldn’t be a good novel if it was just full of happy things without any conflict), it comes to an end. First, D.J.’s best friend leaves (mostly because she came out of the closet, got a girlfriend, and her mother kicked her out). Then, D.J. injures her shoulder, and has to decide between football and the possible scholarship-ticket basketball. And she realizes that her family’s slowly going broke. And while she really likes Brian, he never wants her to hang out with his friends. Or at his house. Or in public.

And that’s just the small stuff.

Again, it’s D.J.’s voice that carries the novel. I love D.J. She’s an amazing girl. Strong, caring, good, honest, wonderful… but not perfect. She’s got enough doubts and insecurities to keep her real and accessible. Yet, she’s one of those girls that I’d like my girls to be. While I thought the plot line was a bit predictable, it avoided falling into stereotypes (mostly). I like the realizations that D.J. comes to, in the course of the book, and how she find an inner ethic — integrity if you will — to fall back on and carry her through when everything gets tough. She could have taken the easy road, but she didn’t. And she’s so much better for it.

I like this quote, from the very end: “But the thing is, Dad’s not too fond of easy lives. Probably jealous, for one thing. But he’s also seen how a tough life can make you stronger.”

What are you still here for? Go. Find. Read. Enjoy.

The Orchid Thief

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I began this book, by Susan Orlean, thinking it was about a weird guy in Florida named John Laroche, and his arrest and trial for stealing orchids out of Fakahatchee preserve in south Florida. What it ended up being was a long, and sometimes interesting, look at obsessions, particularly orchid obsessions and what drives the people who are obsessed by them.

What I learned: orchid people are weird. I don’t understand what people see in them in the first place, and I don’t feel any more enlightened. It’s an either you love them or you hate them type of thing. I thought the history of orchid collecting was fascinating, especially about the orchid hunters, the people rich collectors in England would send out to actually get the orchids (since they most likely died in England, and they didn’t know how to clone them yet). They lived fascinating, dangerous, mostly undocumented lives. Then there was the role that the state of Florida played. I’ve never been, but the way Orlean described it, it’s a weird and unusual and vaguely terrifying place. I liked the parts about Florida and the wildness of it best.

The writing was good, but I had to read this one in short doses, because as weird as the people are and as good as the writing is, it just couldn’t grip me and hold my interest for long periods of time. I guess I just don’t go in for obsessions much. And a whole book on a plant I’m not really interested in was a bit much.

Though I did finish it, so that must mean something. Right?

The Redheaded Princess

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I suppose, after being Tudored out, it would seem a bit odd that I would even bother to pick up a book about Elizabeth I. But, there were two reasons I did. One, it’s by Ann Rinaldi, whom I really like. And two, I actually like Elizabeth’s story. It’s her dad that drives me nuts.

Anyway, as far as Elizabeth books go, I think that this one’s okay. It pretty much skims across Elizabeth’s life from the time Henry VIII dies to the time she becomes queen. But, other than that, it’s lacking. I think Rinaldi tried to do too much, cover too much time. Only 208 pages for 16 years just doesn’t really work. I missed details, descriptions, conversations that could have been written about. Granted, then it would have probably become an adult novel. But, maybe even Elizabeth’s teenage years deserved that. She was never really a “teenager” after all.

Then there was Elizabeth herself. She was always saying how she thought of herself as a queen, carried herself as a queen, but I never got much of a sense of whom Elizabeth really was, or what she really wanted. She spent her time reacting to events rather than acting on her own. Perhaps that’s the way it was, but it doesn’t make for terribly engrossing reading. And her relationships with other people — even the ones she was supposed to be close to like Cat Ashley and Roger Ascham and Robin Dudley — lacked intimacy and connection. If I hadn’t been told over and over again that Elizabeth was in love with Robin, I never would have figured that out. Not a sign of a really good work of fiction.

As an introduction to Elizabeth’s life, this works just fine. But, I’ll wager, that it’ll leave readers longing to know more, and search out other books about Elizabeth. Maybe that’s what Rinaldi had in mind all along.

‘Tis May

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Which means it’s time for one of my monthly plug posts…

(As a reminder, the next Bookworms Carnival will be hosted by Scooter Chronicles. The theme is contemporary/urban fantasy ((for suggested reading, click here) and the deadline for submission is May 9. To submit a post, email: srf at soundchaser dot org.)

The May issue of Estella’s Revenge is up!

Like always, there’s some good stuff there… don’t mis Iliana’s how-to for making a travel journal (makes me want to do one!) as well as Stuart’s essay on a Sense of Place.

As for my stuff… I wrote an ode to one of my favorite genres: travel books (complete with 15 suggestions, some of which are now on my TBR list!). There’s also two reviews: The Patron Saint of Butterflies, which you should pick up and read and Exodus, which has a fascinating dystopian concept.

Enjoy!