My dogs . . .

have their own “doggie myspace” – Sergio and Izzy.
Come give them pats.

I forgot . . .

Sea of Monsters

Recent Reads

I haven’t been keeping up so I am going to just list my recent reads and brief impressions:

Heaven Looks A Lot Like the Mall – In keeping with the summer theme of people who hate themselves just a little bit (see: Hannah Baker,  Tyler, and even Naomi) Tessa finds herself facing some not so great memories of her life after an unfortunate dodgeball accident leaves her dead? or in a coma?  or something. . .   Tessa is not as sympathetic as Tyler or Hannah, for that matter but she does have some growing to do, some self forgiveness to practice, and she deserves a second chance.

Ironside – This is the only urban fairy tale [series] that I like.  Mostly I like the themes of identities in different worlds, the miscommunications with people we love, betrayal and sacrifice, and the blurring of good and evil, in which it is not what we accept, or what it seems.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Vol. 1  – I admit it, I am a fan.  But you know how a movie can sometime ruin a book, or a book can ruin a movie because the characters are not what you picture in your head?  I had that problem with this collection.  Particularly with Spike.

And I suppose I should say something about the boy wizard.  I haven’t read the book, I probably won’t.  Harry was such a joyless brat in Book 5 that I came to not care whether he lived or died.  :::gasp::: I know I am a cold hearted evil grinch, but I just don’t.  But I am glad to hear this is one of the best she has done.  And as for the rest that is as far as I’ll go.  Oh but I did read the last chapter and the epilogue, and I have an opinion about that but I’ll keep my grinchiness to myself.

Twisted

This was the kind of book that I had to put down because my stomach was Twisted. You could see the train coming, but you just couldn’t get off the tracks. And yet minutes after I put it down I had to read it again, keep going until the end. There is something sad about good people who don’t know they’re good, caught in bad circumstances. Reminded me of Hannah Baker. I liked Tyler, he is a good guy who has enough of an edge to keep him real. He isn’t the loser he thinks he is. And sooner or later in life he’ll figure that out.

Tyler is not a popular kid (I love how his sister describes popularity, it is spot on in my experience, read it and find out), but over the summer his reputation has changed (ooooohhhhh……he’s dangerous), and now he has muscles, he is even a little hot and now Bethany seems like she is interested.  But Tyler doesn’t really know the “rules” and he isn’t really prepared, and like I said, he is a nice guy – he isn’t really dangerous.  And here comes the train wreck.

It is interesting that Tyler reminds me of Hannah Baker because they are both looking to take the same way out. . . .

Plain Janes

Warning: What follows in a gross generalization, but like all generalizations I think there is a kernel of truth. 

There are certain things I don’t cop to in certain company. 1) In a room full of English teachers (at least those who don’t already know) I try not to mention my dislike of The Catcher in the Rye, if those teachers are women I also omit my dislike for Jane Austen. 2) In a room full of school librarians I only whisper that I didn’t find Chris Crutcher’s latest brilliant, and that they all seem to have the EXACT SAME  voice, and 3) I am hesitant to mention in the kidlitosphere, particularly YA, that I am not a huge fan of Cecil Castellucci.  OK -don’t get me wrong I don’t hate her stuff, she just isn’t on my must read list.  I wasn’t sent over the moon by Boy Proof like many people were.  I enjoyed it, but it didn’t make my top ten.  And I still haven’t gotten around to Queen of Cool. Fabulous cover, though.

BUT . . . I did read The Plain Janes.  I don’t normally read graphic novels or comic books (except Fables, which I adore and Blankets which is in my top ten most favorite – est books), but I liked the concept of The Plain Janes – a girl gang doing guerrilla art in suburban neighborhoods.  Now that I think of it I really like the concept.  I had a quibble about the over reaction of the adults but then I thought about the crazy lady supporting the touching ban in some school (no hugs, no high fives – please) and maybe it isn’t unrealistic, over reactive; more actual crazy adult in the modern age.  So overall – I really liked this book.

John Green

Interview with John Green -you know, Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

How much of our personality is about our memories?  How many of the things we do, or believe in, are about what others expect of us, or the corners we have painted ourselves into  due to our vehement pronouncements, pride, or inability to admit we are wrong?  If we lose four years of memories do we reinvent ourselves?  Or will we find our way back to the person we once were?

In Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Naomi faces herself, without the past four years of memories to help define her.  A trip down the school steps has left her without four years of memories.  She no longer is consumed by yearbook activities, she might want to talk to her mother, she cannot understand what she saw in her boyfriend, Ace, and is intrigued by the new boy James.  She has a part in the school play, new friends, and a question about what kind of person she really is.

There is more to the story because James is hiding from his past, willing it not to become his future.  But it is not easy to keep that from happening.  Just like one day Naomi’s memories will return  . . . . maybe.

At first I thought I was ho hum about this book, but then I realized I consumed it.  Barely put it down for the day to day things you must do to survive, like eat.  And since the next book I read didn’t do that for me I reconsidered.

I like the questions Naomi asks herself.  The questions the story made me consider.  It was a well written, interesting read.

Breathe my Name

I don’t often read for plot.  I enjoy a good story but if the voice of the characters doesn’t catch me, or doesn’t sound authentic I don’t usually keep reading.  And Breathe My Name is a pretty good example of why that is.  Frances has a secret,  a secret name and a secret past and it is all about to catch up with her. Sounds pretty good right?  It was – I enjoyed the story, the journey she takes.  Except.  Except at times the dialogue rang false, even her internal dialogue and it would jar me into thinking “Now what is wrong with that line?”  Occasionally when I read ARCs mistakes will do that and I forgive that of course, but this was more than that.  Because it happened a lot, it was the voice the character used, and something about it didn’t ring true.  IT was like the difference between how people talk, and reading dialogue.  Nelson’s dialogue was just a bit off to me.  BUT . . . I still finished the story.  I was interested enough to keep reading – which, you know, says something about the strength of the plot so I am thinking it will be a great read for some people, and others maybe not so much.
OK Plot:  Something terrible happened to Frances when she was a little girl, and her mother was responsible.  Now her mother is out of the psychiatric facility where she has been since she was found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity, and she wants to see Frances.  But her overprotective parents won’t let her, so she runs away with her boyfriend (the first one) to find her mother, and I guess closure, but there is so much more that she finds.

13 Reasons Why

Hannah Baker has committed suicide.  Now two weeks later Clay finds a box on his doorstep with 7 cassette tapes (remember those?).  On those tapes is Hannah’s voice, an explanation of sorts, a long suicide letter.  The little things that led to the end of Hannah’s life.  In the beginning those incidents seem small, but there cumulative effect, leading up to a bigger events.  But really what is obvious as you learn Hannah’s story as Clay listens to the tapes and visits places marked on her map, is that no one really knew her, and perhaps that was Hannah as much as the people around her.  And she in turn didn’t give the right people a chance.   Or maybe she did.
Asher writes in two voices, interwoven throughout the story.  Clay’s voice as he listens to the tapes, goes through the roller coaster of emotions, and Hannah’s which has a roller coaster of emotion all of it’s own.  It is a tough thing to pull off, but he does. In truth I had a hard time getting a handle on Hannah, but that is what everyone else had to – no one really knew her.
This was a hard book to put down, I wanted to know the outcome, or should I say the reasons for the outcome.  Someone else said in review this book (sorry, not sure which blog) that she got the feeling this was all stuff Hannah could have lived through, the adult perspective.  Oh my yes do I have to agree with that.
Another book with similar themes, well not really but somewhat like this was Aimee by Mary Beth Miller.

Urban Fairies

I don’t know why I keep insisting on reading urban fairy stories.  Damn you Holly Black.  I blame you for me enjoying Valiant so much that I keep thinking I might enjoy other urban fairy stories.  I mean the fact that I slogged through The Blue Girl (which I know other people loved) should have clued me into the fact that this really isn’t my genre.  But no . . . . I keep trying.  And the latest was Betwixt, set in Portland which was the one thing I kind of liked.  I don’t usually blog about books that I don’t like or that don’t spin my needle but I’ve been thinking about this genre thing.  I mean, its not that I hated Betwixt, it was ok, but mostly I wasn’t overwhelmed.  And I realized I felt the same way about The Blue Girl.  I think it is about this particular sub-genre.  So I will read Ironside – because it is Holly Black but no more Urban Fairies!

One thing about the actual book – Betwixt- do you find it interesting when there is a character you think you are supposed to like but you don’t?  I felt that way about Morgan, the mean girl.  It was like on some level you should feel empathy for her, or at least understand her, but I didn’t.  I always find that interesting, the question: is the author unsuccessful, or was that the intent?  And how important is it?