Forging an Art

My return to Anna Godbersen’s young adult Gilded Age soap with Splendor, the fourth and last in The Luxe series, became a pleasant evening of surprises early on with the realization that her writing, along with her characters, has matured with a polish as delicate as the opal beads on Carolina Broad’s wedding gown.  Readers unfamiliar with the first three Luxe titles (The Luxe, Rumors, and Envy) should take the time to visit these tumultuous relationships during their chronological development rather than attempt to jump in at the end of the author’s two year publishing streak.   Some of the events in the first three novels were a bit predictable; not so with the final episode of the drama. 

Turn of the century New York stages most of the action in this tale, save for a visit to Cuba where love reigns true, at least for the moment.  Posturing and partying is what this group of young adults do best, but settling into a life of responsibilities, disappointments, and acceptance is what is required.  Carolina, the housemaid turned arm candy turned destitute beggar turned heiress, finds herself again on a rollercoaster of constant fear of being discovered for who and what she really is before she can marry the man of her dreams, who requires a gentlewoman for his wife – certainly not a servant.  Claire, the sister who has been loyal and loving to Carolina throughout Carolina’s search for happiness, rescues her weary sister with a dose of simplicity and reality when her plans again go awry and all seems lost.

Elizabeth, the romantic beauty who has lost her true love in a devastating and violent turn of events, knows the pressures that Carolina, formerly employed by Elizabeth’s family, endures because of the class expectations that take precedence over emotional bonds.  Pregnant and widowed, she is encouraged to marry the kind family friend who always seems to be available to help; too available, in fact, to be unmotivated by personal gain.  The murderous shift in character is a shock, but details bring his history and purpose to light, making it a believable and exciting change.  Elizabeth’s rescue comes in the form of a longtime admirer whose timing is, quite literally, lifesaving.

Elizabeth’s younger sister, Diana, stays true to form by following Henry, her sister’s former fiancée and rival Penelope’s husband, out of the country when he joins the military, working to support herself, and determined to find Henry.  Such unheard of behavior is typical of the dark-haired, tempestuous girl, who follows her heart regardless of consequences, at least until the end.  “It’s not that I care what they say, and I know you do not.  But I don’t want to live in a place where all I can hear is the whispering about what a little tramp I am,” she offers her distraught lover when he begs her to stay with him after a long struggle to find a way to overcome obstacles to their relationship, not the least, his wife.  Diana strays from her character here, leaving an unbelievable void where one would expect to find her with Henry, happily ever after, or if not, at least with a plausible explanation.  She has never been interested in the opinions of others, and her pursuit of Henry knows no bounds; so her excuse is, one could say, not hers at all, as far as the Diana who has been drawn for us over four novels would give.

Penelope, Elizabeth’s former best friend, Henry’s wife, and resident bad girl, gets a dose of her own medicine for a change as the drama winds down, and rises, tough and worn, to survive, as she must, at the end.  Trapped in a loveless marriage, she realizes her position and responsibilities call for a different approach to life: “she began to feel that they might go on, just as they were, for a very long time.”  Echoes of the final lines of The Great Gatsby are clear, as is Penelope’s and Henry’s awareness that some things never change, although people might, and fighting one’s destiny may prove more harm than good.

Review of Marissa Doyle’s Betraying Season up at BSCreview.

Forget Cliff’s Notes and SparkNotes – breeze through the classics with Sarah Schmelling’s Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float.  This looked amusing as a title, but the book in hand is hilarious.  The treatment of the traditional school reading list torture, including Moby Dick and Little Women, is instructive, with valuable insight regarding characterization in particular, while maintaining snort-inducing humor.  Yes, snort-inducing.  The connections, which are key to the Facebook mindset, make real people out of some pretty cardboard characters, as Schmelling imagines interactions that never could or would happen between a variety of characters and authors.  Where else can you find references to Henry James, Jerry Seinfeld, and Mr. Roper – of Three’s Company fame/infamy – in one volume?  Actually, I don’t think I have ever seen Mr. Roper referenced before, except in TV Guide, and I don’t think that counts.

The Adventures of Amir Hamza.  This was required reading, and a long tale to boot, as are most epics.  It is rather repetitive, again, as some epics, with the usual battle, triumph, marriage/feast.  There is a particularly strange line/translation that I just can’t make sense of – “her eyebrows shot out the arrows of her eyelashes and deeply pierced his heart” and one phrase that I really like – “the crocodile of their swords.”  What a great image, and one I have not yet encountered.  I like the dust clouds that, while contrived, magically appear before or during a battle to offer an intermission, if you will, for discussion and consideration between armies and enemies.

How to Take Over Teh Wurld – this is an absolute scream.  Beyond snorting, in fact.  I can’t get enough of these great cat pictures, tagged with brilliantly hysterical captions in LOL-speak.  For someone like me, who responds to my son’s “ROFL” with “MAO” – not via email, but in everyday passing conversation, as if such an exchange could be considered conversation – this is like manna from the sky.  This sort of business keeps me sane, or insane, take your pick.  I need to get my hands on its predecessor, I Can Has Cheezburger? in order to make my life complete.

I made the mistake of re-reading Rebecca West’s Henry James. I really can’t stand Rebecca West, but I know I need to – and want to – know what others think of my man Henry.  As my coworker Miss Terri says, it’s best to know your enemy.  What an obnoxious, self-centered person this one was, too.

More required reading in the form of Efuru, the very concise tale of an African woman that leaves so much unsaid.  Nwapa’s no-nonsense prose is reminiscent of Hemingway and the iceberg; so much under the surface.  This book could be ten times as long as it is, but there is no reason for an expansion.  Efuru’s experience is understood, and the lack of bemoaning her plight or celebrating her triumph – if it is a triumph, and isn’t it pretty to think so – only adds to that which the reader can imagine.

Just finished Jacqueline Kolosov’s A Sweet Disorder, which was, well, sweet, but not as good as The Red Queen’s Daughter.  It was a bit slow to start but I knew that Kolosov would make the time investment worthwhile, and she did.  The focus on needlework made this romance particularly interesting to me, along with the relationship between embroidery and healing, both of which require strong observation and creative skills: “a man must study life if he is to master even a fraction of its complexity,” one of Miranda’s suitors notes, and in this case, it is attention to detail that allows her and other strong female characters to greater agency in their fates. 

Who else can accuse a character of “excessive barbering” but Scott Donaldson?  Just in love with his collection of essays, Fitzgerald and Hemingway: Works and Days.

Review of Julie Berry’s The Amaranth Enchantment at BSCreview.

by the reliably wonderful Donna Jo Napoli, reviewed here.

Latest review up at BSCReview.com.

This month focuses on Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak.

As always, I look for ways to increase my knowledge of the American Civil War as painlessly and as memorably as possible, and being a librarian helps quite a bit.  Being a librarian for teenagers is even better – these two books came to me and I was hooked.  Lots of great information told in a way even I will remember – and more info on poor Mary Todd Lincoln, who really was quite a basket case.

I’ll Pass for Your Comrade tells the true stories of several female soldiers who were either devoted wives and girlfriends or committed patriots to the cause of their side of the fight.  Women in combat are one thing, but women used to giant hoop skirts and some sense of privacy in the midst of the ferocity of this vicious war are quite another.  It is really beyond my imagination how these women – and girls – managed on a day to day basis without the niceties we take for granted.  Now, it’s true that the men were in the worst of conditions as well, but in a world where women were coddled and petted, it is astonishing that so many of them affected disguise to offer themselves for their cause.

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker is a very close and emotional look at Mary Todd Lincoln and her dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley, who survived enslavement to become a successful businesswoman.   Keckley was a proud and talented woman who believed in herself, her abilities, and her worth as a human being, in spite of the jealous and hateful opinions of others.  Mrs. Lincoln’s emotional instability is so evident in her dependence on Keckley, as well as her mood swings, which Keckley takes in stride, and ultimately, in her need for Keckley above all others when the president is murdered. 

Neither of these books should be limited to the young adult audience; anyone looking for an enjoyable way to learn about the Civil War, as well as human relationships in difficult times, could do no better than to read them.

Just posted at Bookspotcentral.

Sarah MacLean’s debut is just the thing for those girls who have been sneaking peeks at Mother’s regency romances, but aren’t quite ready for some of the more adult themes and details many of them carry.  Three friends enter the social season together, determined to maintain their independence in spite of the pressure to marry the best prospect as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, a Stephanie Laurens-esque mystery, replete with murder motivated by treason, greed, and jealousy, keeps the story, and romance, brewing.  My only issue - Alex’s lady’s maid, Eliza, has a strange accent that comes and goes.  Is it an Essex (as one might expect, considering the setting and facts of Eliza’s upbringing) accent, and if so, why does it follow only certain trends of such an accent, and not others?

I read this in one evening, bowl of popcorn and large, warm cat friend at hand, and went to sleep with pleasant, Austen-inspired dreams.  Here’s to hoping Ms. MacLean lets readers in on events that lead to the happy marriages of the other two heroines left single at the end of this title.

This is Anna Godbersen’s third novel in the Luxe series, and is just as satisfying as the first two.  Carolina, former maid to the almost-fallen house of Holland, has her ups and downs as well as a bit of romance, and another wedding completes the book but not the story.  Diana takes drastic steps to overcome her addiction to Henry, and even more desperate measures to be with him.  Elizabeth?  Well, good things come to those who wait, although Mrs. Holland might not agree on that account.  This was hard to put down – in fact, I didn’t, but rather read it straight through.  Soap opera in the time and place of Henry James - how could I resist?  Looking forward, of course, to the next episode, I mean, title, which will complete the series.

Review of The Ghosts of Kerfol at BSC posted yesterday.

With a 2010 release date, Jane Yolen’s original action-fantasy graphic novel, The Last Dragon, will be worth the wait.  The Nebula and Caldecott award-winning writer covers all ages and genres – nothing seems out of her reach.  I am particularly fond of  her children’s and young adult books (How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and Girl in a Cage, to name a couple of my favorites), and I have am pleased that she is in agreement with me on the subject of the Harry Potter series; that is, neither of us think they are well written.  It’s nice to have support from a reputable source in libraryland, especially when most librarians in my system are Rowling fans.

Superfun new titles that I have come across very lately, and would be remiss if I did not share:

Brides Behaving Badly - those of us who love My Big Redneck Wedding can appreciate this one.  It is off-the-hook hysterical, a bit nasty, and moderately offensive. 

Some people have no pride, and yet, it must be nice to be comfortable with yourself, even when you look and act like these people do.  If you can’t understand Junior‘s drawl during the post-race interview, don’t bother picking this one up, but if you have ever been to a wedding where both the bride and groom held a cigarette and a beer for formal pictures, it’s all good. 

Appetite for Detention - oh-so-cute chicks pose for those oh-so-common high school moments when you wish your mom would have let you stay home in bed with the heating pad and a bottle of Pamprin.  Back in the day, I didn’t have to worry about my mom reading my Facebook page, like poor Edgar, but she did go through my desk drawers. 

 She’ll deny it forever, but really, there are some things she could not have known if she hadn’t, so I feel for Ed.  And should Caitlin suggest Botox because her mother doesn’t look as “fresh” as Madonna?  That would be a no.  While there was no Botox available to the masses back in the 80s, I did make some mistakes in suggesting anti-aging processes to my mother, who absolutely did not appreciate it.  Just say no, Cait!  Great for teens as well as us old folks.  The next one is, too.

All the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem – I love love love this book.  Where else can you get in-your-face brutal honesty that is socially acceptable from obnoxious teenagers but not from those of us who still kick and scream over stuff that other grown ups, well, think that we should just get over?  I am not a big Darwin fan (yeah, go ahead, I’m used to that), but in the Laurie Rosenwald world, I could totally sit beside him on a plane.  A must have. 

Don’t miss Dave in his Peruvian chullo hat (he is so bad!), excellent McCullers references, warnings about foreign dinner conversation, and advice to boys on eating soup.  Way cool and very informative.  This should be used as a textbook for, um, something or other.

Review of Stephanie Spinner‘s latest at BSC.

This graphic novel from Minx, which is a fresh and fun take on high school drama set in my high school era (1987), tackles some big issues in such a small volume.  Author Alisa Kwitney and illustrator Joelle Jones make a great team, combining Kwitney’s sarcasm with Jones’ simple but expressive art.  Fifteen/sixteen year old Shira doesn’t fit in with the other students at her Jewish school, but at least she has her dad and her grandma for support, along with her grandmother’s friend Minerva.  Unfortunately, her dad starts to date his secretary (how prime time soap opera is that?) and the world stops turning.  Shira is the odd man out but finds solace in the arms of bad boy Rafael, who teaches her the finer arts of shoplifing and kissing.  I wish I had this to read when I was in high school.

These are too fun.  I might actually be able to understand math now.  I won’t hold my breath or anything, but still . . .
There are several of these adorable and helpful titles available.  The first, The Manga Guide to Statistics, just came across my desk yesterday.  It has a section in the back dedicated to the use of Excel to calculate statistics, which seems pretty practical.  Excel makes me nervous and I only use it to complete my timesheet at work, but this is readable.
Those of us who need a little help with stats can learn by graphing ramen noodle prices on a histogram, determining the probability of getting an A on a math test (okay, so I am laughing out loud at that one, because I already know the answer), calculate the Cramer’s coefficient to determine how boys and girls prefer to be asked out, and (now this could be interesting, as I have never understood how this works) learn how standard score is used to change tests results when teachers grade on a curve.  That’s just a few of the fun ways author Shin Takahashi teaches the scary stuff. I wish I would have had this book back in high school, when my pet pterodactyl cawed at my side as I wrote on the cave walls.
Others in this series include:
The Manga Guide to Calculus
The Manga Guide to Databases
The Manga Guide to Electricity
The Manga Guide to Physics-Dynamics
The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology

Mancusi‘s latest was my treadmill book last night, and for a short time afterwards.  Cute, fun, not too much work, especially considering that my other read at the moment is Lewis’s Arrowsmith, although he’s not exactly James either.  High schooler Maddy moves, reluctantly, with mother and younger sister into grandma’s after messy divorce issues, and has problems at her new high school.  She doesn’t quite fit in with the Aberzombie crowd and goes quite awhile without friends, miserable and angry, bullied and frustrated.  She finds companionship and romance online playing Fields of Fantasy as beautiful Elfin magician Allora, but realizes that reality doesn’t suck too much when she reaches out to find other students who share her interests and will stand with her against the Haters who rule the school.  My only issues with this quick, feel-good read are: this is A Cinderella Story – the Hater-SirLeo-boyfriend is named Chad Murray; and, the manga magazine referenced is actually Shojo Beat, not Sojo Beat.  I hope that this is a typo, but it occurs more than once.  Not good for the street cred.  I must say that the cover (illustrated by Elise Trinh) is way cool.

*Courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews, January 2009:

Chick Lit:
Kala, Advaita. Almost Single

Contemporary:
Banks, Leanne. Trouble in High Heels
Hughes, Charlotte. Nutcase
James, Julie. Practice Makes Perfect
Kleypas, Lisa. Smooth Talking Stranger
Ledbetter, Suzann. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Leigh, Lora. Maverick
McLane, LuAnn. Redneck Cinderella
Miller, Linda Lael. Montana Creeds: Dylan

Erotica:
Amber, Elizabeth. Dominic
Devlin, Delilah. Texas Men
Hart, Carole. The Family Jewels
Hart, Megan, et. al. Naughty Bits
Hill, Joey W. A Vampire’s Claim
McCray, Cheyenne. Total Surrender
Mercury, Diana. Pleasures of the Forbidden Valley
Reynolds, Maya. Bad Boy
Schone, Robin. Cry for Passion
Stuart, Amie. Hittin’ It
Teglia, Charlene. Animal Attraction
Zedde, Fiona, et. al. Satisfy Me Tonight

Fantasy:
Lynch, Scott. The Republic of Thieves
Valente, Catherynne M. Palimpsest

Historical:
Balogh, Mary. First Comes Marriage
Barbieri, Elaine. The Rose & the Shield
Bryan, Emily. Vexing the Viscount
Carlyle, Liz. Tempted All Night
Cornick, Nicola. Kidnapped: His Innocent Mistress
Davidson, Carolyn. Eden
Greenwood, Leigh. Someone Like You
Greiman, Lois. Seduced By Your Spell
James, Samantha. Bride of a Wicked Scotsman
Johnson, Susan. Gorgeous as Sin
Jordan, Nicole. To Romance a Charming Rogue
Kelley, Christie. Every Time We Kiss
Laurens, Stephanie. Temptation and Surrender
McCarty, Monica. Highland Outlaw
Maitland, Joanna. His Cavalry Lady
Metzger, Barbara. The Wicked Ways of a True Hero
Nash, Sophie. Love With the Perfect Scoundrel
Neville, Miranda. Never Resist Temptation
Noble, Kate. Revealed
O’Brien, Anne. Conquering Knight, Captive Lady
Page, Sharon. The Club
Raleigh, Deborah. Seducing the Viscount
Raybourn, Deanna. Silent on the Moor
Warren, Tracy Anne. Tempted By His Kiss
Welfonder, Sue-Ellen. Seducing a Scottish Bride
Welsh, Kate. Questions of Honor
Wilkinson, Lisa Marie. Fire at Midnight
Williamson, Beth. The Education of Madeline
Wolf, Pearl. Too Hot For a Spy

Historical Fiction:
Kyle, Barbara. The King’s Daughter
Lebra, Joyce. The Scent of Sake
Lovejoy, Charlotte. Madame Bliss

Inspirational:
Efken, Meredith. Play It Again, SAHM

Mainstream Fiction:
Ball, Donna. A Year on Ladybug Fam
Barrett, Jo. Don’t Let It Be True
Center, Katherine. Everyone Is Beautiful
Flock, Elizabeth. Sleepwalking in Daylight
Fowler, Earlene. Love Mercy
Kelsey, Linda. Fifty is Not a Four Letter Word
Lopez, Josefina. Hungry Woman in Paris
Mallery, Susan. Sunset Bay
Schieber, Phyllis. Willing Spirits
Steel, Danielle. One Day at a Time
Welling, Tina. Fairy Tale Blues

Mystery:
Ash, Maureen. A Plague of Poison
Ault, Sandi. Wild Sorrow
Brightwell, Emily. Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time
Childs, Laura. Oolong Dead
Dennison, Hannah. Scoop!
Emley, Dianne. The Deepest Cut
Fluke, Joanne. Cream Puff Murder
Laurie, Victoria. Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun
McCoy, Judi. Hounding the Pavement
Marberg, Peg. Fatal Flip
Pollero, Rhonda. Fat Chance

Paranormal:
Ashley, Jennifer, et. al. Immortals: The Reckoning
Benson, Tara. Death’s Daughter
Cassidy, Dakota. The Accidental Human
Davis, Lexi. The After Wife
Dayton, Gail. New Blood
Garey, Terri. You’re the One That I Haunt
Henry, Mark. Road Trip of the Living Dead
Ione, Larissa. Desire Unchained
Ivy, Alexandra. Darkness Revealed
Jones, Linda Winstead. Bride by Command
Kittredge, Caitlin. Second Skin
Lyone, Jennifer. Blood Magic
Madison, Tracy. A Taste of Magic
Stenzel, Natale. Between a Rock and a Heart Place
Thompson, Vicki Lewis. Casual Hex
Vaughn, Carrie. Kitty Raises Hell

Romantic Suspense:
Alden, Jami. Kept
Carr, Robyn. Temptation Ridge
Dodd, Christina. Danger in a Red Dress
Kauffman, Donna. Let Me In
Korzenko, Julie. Devil’s Gold
Robards, Karen. Pursuit

Suspense:
Carr, Eileen. Hold Back the Dark
Eisler, Barry. Fault Line
Gross, Andrew. Don’t Look Twice
Pinter, Jason. The Fury
Stevens, Amanda. The Whispering Room
Thompson, Carlene. You Can Run . . .

Time Travel:
Joyce, Brenda. Dark Victory
Mallory, Tess. Highland Rebel

Vampire:
Gleason, Colleen. As Shadows Fade
Showalter, Gena. The Vampire’s Bride
Singh, Nalini. Angel’s Blood

Young Adult:
Cast, P.C. Hunted

David Almond‘s latest work, a graphic novel illustrated by Dave McKean, film director and illustrator of several Neil Gaiman titles, is a short and powerful look at loss from the perspective of a young boy who finds himself the man of the family when his father dies unexpectedly.  Blue admits that he isn’t tough, and provides evidence in the character of Hopper, the local bully who gets away with his behavior because the adults use the traditional excuses and methods for dealing with “bullies” – ignoring and pitying them.  Blue imagines a savage boy living nearby, one who handles the bully the way Blue would like to himself, and the story takes a spectacular turn when The Savage comes to life, and Blue takes the first steps he needs to continue his life without his father but with the love he shares with his mother and younger sister.

Ellen Hopkins’s Identical should appeal to her entourage of teen fans because of the edgy (that might be putting it too mildly) subject matter and trademark verse format.  Dramatic is one thing, but this is really over the top.  An exploration of family dynamics and a potentially interesting protagonist are suffocated by the multitude of problems this poor girl carries.  She is a surviving twin, an incest victim, a drug and alcohol abuser, sex addict, bulimic – I’m not sure I covered it all, but I might be close.  A couple of the issues/situations would be plenty.  Some of the poetry is trite, but there are lines every few pages that speak to the author’s ability to turn a phrase, albeit inconsistently.  I just finished reading Girl, Interrupted for the high school book discussion group next week, so this was an appropriate companion piece that took me under two hours to read, which was not too much of an investment – still, it kept me from moving on to the McCullers essays I’ve been craving and picked up as soon as I put Hopkins in the ‘library return’ pile on the kitchen table.

“Your number was up the first time I met you.”

Yes, I read Stephenie Meyer‘s Twilight series, including the most recent and last in the series, Breaking Dawn.  I read them primarily because as a librarian, I felt it was important to see for myself what the hype was about.  Unlike the Harry Potter titles, I was actually able to read these to the end, but was not excited about doing so.  The writing isn’t awful, it just isn’t compelling, and neither is the story.  What is compelling, I think, for fans is the ordinariness of the heroine, Bella.  She isn’t popular or beautiful, but she isn’t a complete social misfit, either.  She seems to give hope to all the ‘regular’ girls out there who believe that nothing exciting will ever happen to them because they are ordinary.  She is rather flat, though, as the other characters are, which for me makes or breaks a story.  It’s all about the characters – the story can be as far out or ordinary as it pleases the author, but without compelling characters who live and breathe through the pages, the party’s over.  Some critics are upset by the rescue fantasy the series invokes, as well as parallels to abusive relationships, which in turn would make Bella’s continued excuses for Edward and her obsession with him a poor model for women in such situations.  None of this bothers me; in fact, I couldn’t care less about any of the characters.  The story is trite, the characterization inconsistent and often contradictory (explained perhaps by the unpredictable moods of vampires, I suppose), and the writing is empty. 
All of that aside – I am thrilled to be hosting a party here at work this afternoon to celebrate the end of the long wait for Breaking Dawn.  With so many library patrons on the waiting list for all four books in the series, it only makes sense to mark the light at the end of the tunnel.  Red velvet cupcakes and Hawaiian punch, served with trivia questions, a costume contest, and prizes that include copies of Breaking Dawn, I can get past my personal opinion of the books and enjoy the afternoon with some young Meyer fans.

It’s not Edith Wharton or Henry James, but the setting sure is.  Anna Godbersen’s teen soap set in Gilded Age (1899) Manhattan is an easy read, unlike Wharton and James, and the story isn’t original, but there is something about that cliffhanger that had me putting the sequel on hold as soon as I got in to work this morning.  I really don’t care about Elizabeth or Penelope, though – I want to see what Diana (who reads du Maurier’s Trilby behind her mother’s back – what is up with that?) and Henry are up to, and Lina, well, Lina is in quite a situation herself and we don’t know what she really thinks of it.
Four days and the sequel later – the drama continues, as there promises to be another in the series.  The story proves more predictable as it moves on, and the glittering details are only so entertaining.  There are a few too convenient plot twists that seem a bit contrived, but that is true soap opera fashion (unlike James, of course) in the same vein as Dynasty or Dallas.  The part that is hardest to accept, and perhaps I am just old and jaded and here is where it shows, is early on when Elizabeth’s new life in California is described as so different from her past.  In spite of the difference, she was happy, because she “had followed her heart, and no one ever regrets that.”  I haven’t snorted so loudly in many days, I can tell you that, after reading that line.

After much swearing and chasing of my cat off my keyboard, the Pullman reviews are up at BSC.

Lyra’s Oxford
Once Upon a Time in the North

Soon I was in my beginning of my pass into the spirit form. I didn’t know about what would happen next but hoped for the best. I was still in the in between and was watching my dad do nothing for the moment but sit there. I wondered what would happen next but I could only speculate as I turned into my spirit form. I was looking around at everything and I didn’t even feel like I would want to go around any more.

Then all of a sudden, there was a blackout. Even though my dad couldn’t see in the dark, I could when I was in my spirit form. My dad looked a little startled by the power outage but he was still sitting and only looking around as if someone outside had cut the power to make a robbery. He looked like he was the battlefield for his dark, light, and conscience sides of himself. Like the dark was saying, “Now is your chance! KILL HIM!!!” and his light was saying, “Don’t! He is your blood and flesh! Give him the chance to live and maybe be released from his curse!” And his conscience was acting as if it was in a life or death predicament. My body was just sitting there while my spirit was trying to look into my dad’s mind and try to speak with him. The outside world also seemed to reflect the predicament as well, it would rain then be clear, then there would be thunder and lightning, then it would be calm or windy.

As Dad sits there almost mind-numbed, we hear the sound of wheels outside coming towards the house. As Dad hears them starting to come in faster due to his car being out there, he tries to escape through the window and falls outside. Everyone rushes in the room while Dad is sneaking back to his car. While they look around in a panic, the sound of wheels screeching can be heard outside. Then as soon as they register the noise, he is already leaving down the street. 

(Speculation on the ending – or lack thereof – of Terry Trueman’s Stuck in Neutral, courtesy of John, my oldest)

Terry Trueman

Francesca Lia Block’s latest short story collection is very predictably strange and creepy and scary and comforting, all those usual Block-like elements and emotions that make her work so attractive and foreboding.  These “nine tales of transformation” include teenagers in traditionally dysfunctional situations who either go off the deep end or have their perspectives widened and developed – it all depends, of course, on that perspective.  This is a deceptively quick read that lingers after the last word (“changed” – of course) and may induce dreams or nightmares, or both.

Francesca Lia Block

by William Nicholson, book two in The Wind on Fire trilogy, is the large child’s latest finish. It was “good” and yes, he looks forward to finishing the series, because he “always likes to get to the end of the story.” That’s not exactly true, though, because he has read series/trilogies before and been frustrated with the end, not because he didn’t like the end but because he wanted the story to continue afterwards. Been there.

The LC has also read (with great interest and impatience for each installment) the Noble Warriors series, Nicholson’s more recent series. As a screenwriter, Nicholson is also responsible for Gladiator, First Knight, Elizabeth: the Golden Age, and several plays and television movies.

William Nicholson

. . . releases, per Booklist and Advance Magazine, 6/2008:

Amber and Blood – Margaret Weis
Blood Noir – Laurell K. Hamilton
Bloodheir – Brian Ruckley
The Books of the South – Glen Cook
Cosmos Incorporated – Maurice G. Dantec
Daemons are Forever – Simon R. Green
The Dark Ferryman – Jenna Rhodes
The Discworld Graphic Novels – Terry Pratchett
Dmitri: A Tale of Old Russia – Olive Jeanfreau Alexander
Dragon Forge – James Wyatt
Dragon Moon – Carole Wilkinson (YA)
Dragonforge – James Maxey
Dragonlight – Donita K. Paul
Escapement – Jay Lake
The Essential Batman Encyclopedia – Robert Greenberger
Ever – Gail Carson Levine (YA)
A Fire in the North – David Bilsborough
Goddess – Fiona McIntosh
Grantville Gazette IV – Eric Flint
Havemercy – Danielle Bennett
Hawkspar – Holly Lisle
The Host – Stephenie Meyer
In at the Death – Harry Turtledove
Invincible: Star Wars Legacy of the Force – Troy Denning
Kushiel’s Mercy – Jacqueline Carey
Midnight Never Come – Marie Brennan
Mind the Gap – Christopher Golden
The Mirrored Heavens – David J. Williams
Promise of the Wolves – Dorothy Hearst
The Ruby Key – Holly Lisle (YA)
Scarlet – Stephen R. Lawhead
Soon I Will Be Invincible – Austin Grossman
Spectre – Phaedra Weldon
Star Trek Deep Space Nine: These Haunted Seas – David R. George III
The Starry Rift: Tales of New Tomorrows – ed. Jonathan Strahan
The Summer Palace – Lawrence Watt-Evans
The Sword Lord – Robert Leader
The Swordmage – Richard Baker
Tales Before Narnia: the Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction – ed. Douglas A. Anderson
Thirteen – Richard K. Morgan
Valor’s Trial – Tanya Huff
The Vanities – Terence Lawlor (YA)
The Wolverine and the Flame – Rebecca Goings

*worth noting:  Vampires of Mars by Gustave le Rouge, adapted by Brian Stableford, released in January 2008.  This volume contains Le Rouge’s 1908 and 1909 masterworks Le Prisonnier de la Plante Mars and La Guerre des Vampires.

*Star Wars: the Essential Atlas has been pushed back to a 2/2009 release date.

YALSA’s 2009 Popular Paperbacks nominees include RWA members Meg Cabot, Ally Carter, Caridad Ferrer, Shannon Greenland, and Michael Spradlin.  The YALSA 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list includes RWA authors P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast, Erin Lynn, and Gena Showalter.

(RWA eNotes, v. 8, issue 12, June 2008)

is fantastic.  I realize I might and probably will have nasty comments on this one, but that’s fine.  I’m used to being hassled (and attacked) for my political and religious views.  Such is life.  My dad and I went to see him on Saturday night, courtesy of my brother, and had a great time.  Apparently he is reading Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, as mentioned in Joe Kerry’s “Unelectable” Blog.  He might not believe in global warming and is proud to display his NRA t-shirt (oh, yeah) but he has succumbed to the popularity of this teen vampire novel.  I feel like I have to read it now.  Damn.  Like I don’t have a full plate – well, I guess if I can make the time (three hours, maybe?) to knock off the latest A-List series installment, California Dreaming,  I can invest a little in Bella.  Oh, but A-List is soooo fun and mindless.  There’s no excuse for reading it, except that.