I Heart John Green!

It started with the book "Looking for Alaska". People have compared it to "Catcher in the Rye" and I kind of agree, except I didn't hate it. So that's new. It was a boy coming of age story that was just enough angsty/witty/over the top/fabulous that I loved loved loved it.

And besides, John Green is hot in that geeky, skinny, witty way. (Which we all know is my favorite way.) Here is a picture of said hot guy:

"Hello, John. Will you anagram my name, please?" (This is only funny if you've read the next book.)

"An Abundance of Katherines" is the story of child prodigy, Colin, who at age eighteen is convinced that life is over for him because he's never had a Eureka moment. And he knows that child prodigies never go on to be geniuses. He also has dated and been dumped by nineteen girls named Katherine. (Catherines and Kathryns need not apply.) He and his best friend go off on a road trip the summer after their senior year to cheer Colin up after K-19 (or Katherine XIX) dumps him. It is while staying in a pink mansion in Gutshot, TN, Colin begins work on a theorem that may explain why it's all gone wrong with all of the Katherines. There are footnotes and mathematical equations on nearly every page. There is obsessive anagraming and ridiculous random facts inserted everywhere. I love this character! (Mostly because he reminds me of people I've hung out with over the years.) If by some chance, you don't adore Colin, you will most certainly love his best friend and fellow traveller, Hassan. They make me happy.

Go forth and read!!

"Spider Monkey"

Twilight.

I would say we all went with low expectations. So-Nobody was disappointed and we all found things to enjoy. And make fun of. Fun was definitely had by all, but that seems to happen whenever all these ladies are gathered together.

Fellow broads and broads in training waiting for the movie to begin.

Post movie, being as Twilight geeky as we could muster. Notice the smattering of fab book club t-shirts. You can't see the poster very well in this one though. Hm...

That's better.

"What are all those ladies standing in the bushes?"

Oh, don't mind us. We do this sort of thing at every movie.

Twilight

FIELD TRIP
11/22/08

WHOOP WHOOP!

A Wind in the Door

The summer after I completed the  third grade, we spent a week at a resort in Vermont where my Dad had a business trip.  A co-worker of his discovered that I enjoyed reading and started listing all her most favorite books that she had read as a child.  At the time, I was more interested in going back to play in the pool some more, but one suggestion stuck with me.  "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle.  It was years later that I finally picked it up, but I was in the mood to reread it last year.  It's a different book to me now than it was then, and a part of me wonders that I got anything out of it when I was younger.

This is book two.  I am reading through the rest of the series because that's what I do.  But, also because they are different than anything else that I read as a child.  I wonder how kids today would perceive them...  Anybody know any kids reading this series?

Ink Exchange

This is the sequel to "Wicked Lovely". 

This book still involves the original characters, but the focus is shifted to people who were peripheral in the first book.  Instead of so many piercings, this time we heard all about tattoos.  Which is fine.  But not my thing.  Although, the main character made one comment about ink that I found very interesting.  She had been a victim of assault and was almost obsessed with getting a tattoo because it was something that she could do to make her body her own and nobody else's.  I had never considered that angle before.

This book felt a little like a second album from a new popular band.  Said band takes years to amass and perfect the songs for their fabulous first album.  Then they make it big, the album sells, and they are pressured to put out a second album quickly.  And it kinda sucks.  Fans are disappointed, but hold out high hopes for the third album when the band will have had time to regroup and get back to their roots.  Ms. Marr are you hearing me? 

Most of us read it and enjoyed it, but found this one was a lot easier to put down.  

Wicked Lovely

A young woman who has the ability to see fairies finds herself sought after by one of their Kings.  This was the first book in a long time that sucked me in.  I read it in one day, which used to happen all the time, but lately hasn't.  It was nice to realize that I can still do that.  I read on another blog (sorry, I can't remember which one)  that "Wicked Lovely" is kind of like "Twilight" for Goth girls.  I would agree with that.  For instance, the main love interest is a guy with multiple piercings.  Marr describes these piercings (which seem never ending) in detail.  Frankly, that doesn't really do it for me, so I sort of winced through physical descriptions of him.  That being said, I enjoyed the story and the day long escape from reality it provided.

We also did this as a book group book, and while everyone had complaints, it seemed to be enjoyed overall.

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman is a little wacky.  Which is why I like him so much.  This is the story of a young boy whose family is murdered, but he manages to escape to a graveyard and is raised by the ghosts who live there.  Gaiman's stories take delightful twists and turns which keep the reader guessing until the end.  

The Dark is Rising Sequence

Ok. So I loved, loved, LOVED these books when I read them as a preteen. I thought they were cooler than jellies and those horrible pot bellied stuffed animals and scratch and sniff stickers. Well, maybe not cooler than the stickers. I still think those are pretty cool. But I digress.

I am fairly certain that I never read the first book out of the five, which I unfortunately purpetrated on you innocent book group broads. I figured, "How bad could it be if the other four are so awesome?" Alas. "Over Sea, Under Stone" was an inexplicable snooze fest. I am not really sure how that could be as the premise is an interesting one. I can only assume that Susan Cooper has a genius for taking what should be a heart-in-your-throat-thriller and turning it into something that you would discuss blandly over tea and scones. She pull that off in other places in the 5 book set, but never so much so as in the first book.

I slogged dutifully through all 5 because, by god, how could my younger self have been so deluded? I am happy to report that the books get better. I actually thought that the 4th book, "The Grey King" was a real humdinger. But you need to get there by reading the others, and I am guessing that not a one of you feel motivated to do that. Disappointingly, the final book isn't bad, but it isn't as fun as the 4th. There were times when I was close to the end where I was looking longingly at my trashy vampire book that was next in line. Never a good sign.

I am going to have to assume that there is something magical in these books that appeals to a folklore/myth/magic leaning kid that has been lost in the transition into adulthood. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this series, but I have to be true to my self and admit that it could have been done better. For instance, "The Narnia Chronicles" lose none of their magic when read by adults. In fact, I would posit that their meaning and depth deepen with every new reading. These books simply are not on that level.