Romance

This month I decided to read a romance book. I decided to read a romance paperback series book, because, to my recollection, I have never read any series books before.

So I went right for the jugular with a Harlequin Blaze book. This series if one of the most explicit of the paperback series (as evidence by the lack of clothes on the cover). It is true what they teach you in those reader's advisory classes.

I read Baby, It's Cold Outside, by Cathy Yardley (see, it had a holiday theme and everything), in which hot shot Colin returns to his small hometown and has a fling with local golden girl Emily. Will the one night stand turn into something more? Of course it does. That's the whole point of romance novels, isn't it?

It was a quick read, an okay diversion from the holiday madness of mid-December. Would recommend to those looking for something more explicit.

Mysteries

For November I read a Mystery. I do cross over into this genre once in awhile, so I picked an author/series I hadn't read before. I listened to "A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. It was a pretty good story that did keep me interested. I'm not so great at figuring it all out, and I was kept guessing on this one. I can see why the series is so popular and the customers have plenty to chose from since the series is up to "T", which is due out this week.

I wasn't so thrilled with the reader of this tape. She seemed to me to be trying too hard to play the unemotional, hard-boiled PI. It was a little too much for my taste.

Endless Universe

Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang by Paul J. Steinhardt and Neil Turok
Instead of a "big bang" where time and space sprang into existence 14 billion years ago, the authors postulate a cyclical universe that has always existed and will continue to exist. The authors theorize there have been countless big bangs -- calling this M theory. This theory says the universe contains objects called "branes" (short for membranes). Two branes engage in an endless cycle of "collision, rebound, stretching and collision again."
I understand virtually nothing of the rationale behind this new theory except that it is intriguing to me that this theory apparently answers the multitude of questions/problems that arise when considering the Big Bang model. Even Stephen Hawking calls it "a challenging alternative to the accepted picture of the Big Bang and the future of the universe."

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Jean Honeychurch hates her nickname “Jinx,” – though she does believe it is well deserved – remember the tornado that hit the day she was born. She moves to Manhattan to stay with relatives in order to get away from a “situation” that had developed back home in Iowa. At least she had been looking forward to seeing her cousin Tory. But the Tory she meets is far different than the fun-loving girl she remembers and it is very obvious that Tory does not want Jinx there.

Tory is playing a dangerous game with magic and seems to think that Jinx knows all about it and is in competition with her. Jinx tries to behave as if that is silly, but is it? Add the boy that they both have a crush on in the mix, and the competition really becomes fierce.

This is a suspenseful story that leaves you guessing until the end. Young adults will enjoy it.

Beyond the Earth

If you want to learn about the world beyond terra firma, these are the two books to read: An Ocean of Air by Gabrielle Walker and Death by Black Hole by Neil de Grasse Tyson. Both are well-written and geared to the lay person readers. I now understand -- in the most simplistic of terms (smile) -- the skies beyond terrestial earth -- from earth's atmosphere to the farthest reaches of the universe.
Did you know?
Because of the broiling activity taking place in the sun, it takes 1,000,000 years for a photon to travel from the center of the sun and finally leave the sun. If that same photon were able to travel without interference, that journey would take 2-3 seconds.
All the water in the oceans can be accounted for by the water added by comets (those icy snowballs from the outer solar system) hitting the earth for the past 4.5 billion. That puts into perspective how long a billion years really is.

More Science Fiction & Vampires, part 2

This month I read Laurell K. Hamilton's Killing Dance. This is book 6 in the Anita Blake, Vampire Slayer series. I may be cheating in calling it Science Fiction, but some library systems (including mine until they changed the catagloging) do file this title in Science Fiction. It would be the alternate reality/fantasy aspect of SciFi - not the traditional outer space type.

I have been enjoying this series for a couple of months now. Like the Charlaine Harris series I talked about in my Vampires, part 1 post, this series has vampires (as well as shapeshifters, fairies, trolls and let's not forget zombies) interacting in the world with us normal (non preternatural) folk. But that's were the similarities end. The Harris series has a light, fun tone to it. This series is dark and gruesome (very graphically so). Now there is violence in the Harris series - there has to be - you can't kill vampires without staking or beheading or some other really permanent way. It's just that the Anita Blake series takes it to another level. Where Sookie is a cocktail waitress, Anita is a necromancer (she raises zombies for a living). And she's the licensed official state vampire executioner. And one of her best "friends" is a monster hit man (the challenge of killing humans was gone, so he pretty much specializes in killing things that go bump in the night). This takes her involvement in the preternatural world to another level.

I would recommend these books to people who like vampires and even those who like serial killer/thriller type books. People who like monster books might like them as well. There is a developing sexual theme that is increasing as the series plays out. Anita is torn between the master vampire of the city and the leader of the werewolf pack. It looks like this will continue to develop in future books.

Science Fiction

For October, I tackled Science Fiction, definitely not my first choice of genres. I chose to read a "classic" hoping that the lasting appeal of the story would be reflected in the writing, etc. I listened to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

It was not bad. Some of the reviews of this book call it hysterically funny. I found it amusing and often ironic, but it didn't make me fall over laughing. I enjoyed the exploits of Earthman Arthur Dent as first his house, and the the whole Earth, are destroyed in the name of more efficient transport routes. The characters are fun and I loved the idea of the travel guide.

I went into the book saying that I wasn't going to go on to the rest of the series. But I may, one day, when I have nothing else to read.

There's enough scifi/techie stuff in here to appeal to the traditional reader, but the humor and fun make it also appealing to the rest of us.

The Twilight Saga

I read the much buzzed about YA Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. I was transported to the little town of Forks, Washington where a teenage love triangle has just sprung into bloom. This is not a typical love triangle, however, (nor is it entirely teen-aged!) consisting of a human girl named Bella, a vampire, Edward, and the werewolf, Jacob. They’re pretty indulgent books, with entire paragraphs dedicated to Edward’s hard marble-like skin and deep, endless ocher colored eyes, (not to mention Jacob’s inhumanly warm, russet colored skin) but I was fascinated by the story, to be honest!
One of the more interesting plot lines is the existence of the ancient coven of vampires in Italy known as the Volturi. They are a collection of especially talented vamps that make sure their entire race stays under the human radar. One vampire myth is also squashed with the revelation that the sun does not burn them. They avoid it because if they ARE caught in the sunlight, it would attract lots of unwanted attention from humans for their skin sparkles like thousands of diamonds, and casts tiny little rainbows everywhere.
There are three books so far. Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, with the next book, Breaking Dawn, tentatively set to be released Fall of ’08. Meyer leaves lots of burning questions unanswered, including The Big One. How will Bella give up her humanity and forsake her parents to become immortal for Edward?

African American Fiction

This month I chose to read some African American fiction titles.

1. I just finished listening to Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. I don't think I can say that I enjoyed it, the story is not a pleasant one, but I certainly felt the power of it. Set in 1941, eleven-year-old Pecola, viewed as ugly by everyone in town, wishes for blue eyes. The abusive situations as well as her self hatred/hatred of her racial identity are all very disturbing issues. And they are issues that we don't want to have to deal with. The layout of the book was a little problematic for me. The story was told in several different voices and it wasn't always clear to me who was narrating and when chapters had ended. I think listening to the story may have compounded this problem because I could not see the switches take place. This version was superbly narrated by Lynne Thigpen. I also contained an afterword written by Morrision in which she, among other things, discusses her dissatisfaction (30 years after writing the novel) with the way she structured it. As I said above, I did not particularly enjoy The Bluest Eye, but I think that it was a necessary read for me by one of the most important and celebrated authors of this era.


2. I also read Dirty Game by Shannon Holmes, one of the most recognized urban fiction authors. I will start by saying that I wanted to read B-more Careful, Holmes' first novel which is set in Baltimore, but all of the copies were unavailable. So I picked up this one off the new books shelf. This is the story of Destiny Greene, daughter of two street cons. Destiny is raised by her father Ken-Ken after her mother is shot and killed while still pregnant with the child. Ken-Ken vows to go straight and raise his daughter right. Which he does, for the most part, until he is paralyzed and Destiny takes to the streets to support them. The story is fast paced and easy to follow. I read it in only a few sittings. The biggest problem is that Holmes didn't seem to know how to end it. And even though all the right people get their just desserts, I didn't feel like the loose ends were quite wrapped up the way I wanted.

FBI Thrillers

I just finished reading the latest Savich and Sherlock FBI thriller, Double Take by Catherine Coulter. This, as usual added new agents to the mix, but was basically a sequel to Point Blank (2005). It wraps up the story of Sheriff Dixon Noble's missing wife, Christy. I found it a little bit contrived (just how many identical looking women are really out there), but it basically kept my interest until the end (just to see exactly how it was going to end). I like this series of books for a couple of reasons. I like that Savich and Sherlock often drive the action, but are not always the central characters. And there's just enough romance to be believable for the most part and not totally shoved down your throat. People following the series should be satisfied. I'd also recommend the series to those who enjoy Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan books.

The Gresham Chronicles

It's ironic that lisa chose to read some inspirational fiction this past month, as that was my choice as well! Great minds think alike, eh?

I read Lawana Blackwell's trilogy The Gresham Chronicles: The Widow of Larkspur Inn, The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter, and the Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark. These books could also be classified as historical fiction, as they are set in the late 1800's. In the first book, you are introduced to Julia Hollis. A young widow from London, who by financial hardships, was forced to move herself and her three children to the quaint little village of Gresham. It chronicles her quest to build a new life for herself, and in the process, find new love.

The second book tells the tale of the town vicar's daughter, Elizabeth Phelps, and her own quest for love, which she finds in the arms of one she (and her father) fought so hard to forget. The third book leaves you with Lydia Clark, who thought she was content with being a school mistress AND spinsterhood, but finds she wants more when her desire for true love is awakened by a man whose affections lie with a different woman.

Pretty much all of these characters, along with a slew of less prominent ones, exist in the background of all the books in the series with interesting sub plots that constantly shift from one loveable character to the next. The writing was descriptive, but not overly flowery. The stories stick to the doctrine of faith that if you put your trust in God, He will show you the best path in life to walk (which isn't always the one we think it should be). Blackwell is not preachy, but she gets her message across. It seems to me that there is something in these stories for a wide range of age groups. Possibly YA and up. My favorite character was probably the owner of Gresham's general store, Mr. Trumble, who spews malapropisms constantly. I'm glad I gave this genre a chance, I really enjoyed the series!

Rash by Peter Hautman

Rash by Pete Hautman
In the late 21st century, American society that has decided it would "rather be safe than free" and life is very restricted. Any physical activity is regulated – Bo runs track, but only with full body armor and a helmet. Emotional issues are also regulated – it is a crime to deliberately hurt someone’s feelings. Bo is pushed too far by a bullying classmate and lashes out. Of course, Bo is the one caught and he is sentenced to jail in the frozen tundra.
The prison warden likes Bo’s running skills and chooses him to be a member of the prison football team – a game played like Bo had never seen before. It is a brutal game with no protective equipment at all.
In the meantime, Bork (an avatar created by Bo in a class assignment) tracks him down and somehow is able to help.
Rash is reminiscent of Holes by Louis Sachar, but without the depth of character and plot development. There are many unanswered questions about plot and character development that leave the reader wondering about the reasoning behind certain happenings. You never quite understand how Bork is able to do what he does – and I think that could have made an interesting sidebar in the plot.

Inspirational Fiction

Okay, okay, I'm back. I have been reading, really I have. I just haven't blogged about it. All the books I read this month fall into the library's Inspiration Fiction genre. I have never really ventured into this genre. I did listen to the whole Left Behind series over the years. I thought I should, it was so big a number of years ago. But other than that, not much else.

So for this project, I wanted this month to try a broad range of titles. The world of inspirational fiction is changing, growing to demonstrate people living an inspirational life within the more gritty experience of the real world today. The titles I have read this month definitely represent this trend.

In The Shunning by Beverly Lewis, a young Amish girl struggles with the restrictions of her life while preparing for her marriage to the bishop. Interesting look at a part of society that I don't know too much about. The story was, however, a little forced and contrived for my taste. A little too obvious in parts and way too much reliance on miraculous coincidence.

At Home in Mitford, the first in Jan Karon's Mitford Series, introduces the reader's to Father Tim, the village rector, overwhelmed by the daily life and demands of the parishioners he loves so much. It is a quiet and quaint story of the goings on in a small town. An interesting glimpse for a city girl, like me.

The Negotiator by Dee Henderson is the first in the O'Malley Series. This series was first recommended to me a number of years ago by my mom. The O'Malley's are a group of 7 high achieving siblings. They were all orphans in the same orphanage who adopted each other, choosing a new surname in the process. Each book in the series centers on one sibling and their coming to faith in the midst of a very turbulent world. In this book, Kate, a hostage negotiator, finds her faith in the midst of a horrible airplane crash and the crushing health news of a loved one.

Thr3e by Ted Dekker was a typical thriller. It actually kept me guessing for the majority of the book. The ending, which I won't reveal, violated some of the tenants of psychiatric medicine as I understand it (but then maybe I just don't know). The main character is a seminary student, however, the faith in this book was more so an examination of the constant struggle between good and evil. This book is definitely a crossover between inspirational and mainstream thrillers.

I think that there's one more book on my list to read, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I'll comment on it later if I can work it in.

I'm In

I received your invitation to join your blog. Interestingly, it is now listed as one of my blogs along side my first blog "Random Thoughts" -- I didn't know that would happen. And, so far, the two of us are listed as team members -- neat. I also noticed all the "labels" you set up -- I'm glad I saw them, it will be a reminder for me when I start some serious blogging.

Wild about Harry!

I finished listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yesterday afternoon - after threatening my kids to leave me alone so that mommy can listen to her very important book! I will not give away any of the details, but found that everything was wrapped up nicely into a very satisfying ending to the series.

James Patterson, part 2

Just finished listening to James Patterson's The Quickie on CD (co-authored by Michael Ledwidge). James Patterson falls into 3 categories: Alex Cross books (love them), Women's Murder Club books (like them a lot), and those other books (can take them or leave them). Oh, just realized there's a 4th category: Maximum Ride (not bad, if you can get past the flying kids angle).

Anyway, The Quickie falls into the "those other books" category. Many of them are co-authored (as this is). They often have these head scratching plot twists that seem to come out of left field. They tend to be quick reads, lots of action, good for the beach type of books. And unfortunately, since the books are so plot/action driven, there's very little investment in the characters - to the point of who cares what happens to them. This one pretty much fits this bill.

Lauren has caught her husband cheating on her and decides to have a revenge one night stand with a co-worker to even the score. And from there things fall apart quickly and completely. I can't say much more because I don't like to give away the details.

I listened to the book, very quickly (Harry Potter is coming tomorrow, you know), and it kept me interested. But I can't say that I really cared about Lauren or her plight. Is she good or bad? What about everyone else? Who knows, who cares. The final twists were not anticipated. Kind of in a what else can happen sort of way. But the fact that they were there was not a surprise (especially after last year's Beach Road).

I'd give the book to Patterson fans, most of whom know about the categories and will read it as such. It's not the best book, but it's not the worst one either.

Westerns

Okay, first off, I don't read westerns. And when I have in the past, for other reader's advisory assignments, I haven't had much luck picking titles. The first one I read was just plain odd - feral children who had fallen off a buckboard and were raised by wolves or something like that. The second time I thought I'd try a series western (Longarm, I think), that was nothing more that a Romance set in time and place. It was so bad I couldn't even finish it.

So this time I was determined to do it right. I went right to the master. I picked up a Louis L'Amour. I listened to L'Amour's The Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon. It was the story of Mike Bastian, raised by his adoptive father to be the ultimate outlaw, and to eventually take over his empire. But Mike isn't sure he wants to be an outlaw, especially after he meets the beautiful Drusilla.

The story started with an interesting introduction by L'Amour himself on the make up of outlaw groups in the old west. Then the story began, narrated by Robert Stack. I was a little distracted at first by his voice, flashbacks to all those Unsolved Mysteries shows I've seen (okay that dates me a little).

This was the western I've been looking for. Lots of atmosphere and cowboying. There is a reason all my customers ask for L'Amour books. He does write a good story. Now, while I did enjoy the book, I'm not saying that I'll start routinely reading westerns. I would, however, definitely not hesitate to hand him out to anyone looking for a western read.

James Patterson, part 1

I just finished listening to 6th Target by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. This is the sixth in the Women's Murger Club series. If you like Patterson, especially the Alex Cross series, and/or the previous 5 in this series, you should enjoy this as well. It is typically of Patterson's books, with its short, fast reading chapters. I listened to the story and Carolyn McCormick does a nice job with the narration, as she has with the previous 3 titles.

This book contained involved solving 3 separate crimes, which I don't remember the other books doing. It lent a realism to the work, since I'm sure police officers are involved in multiple cases at a time.

There didn't seem to be as much interaction between the members of the club in this book and I missed the banter of the group as they tried to solve the crimes. Each woman seemed to be indepently occupied, although in a related way, in this book.

Otherwise, it was an enjoyable thriller.

Vampires, part 1

I should start this off by saying that I really love vampire books. It started in high school (or maybe the first year of college) when a coworker at the Towson Library recommended Anne Rice's Interview of the Vampire to me. That got me hooked and I read everything she wrote (even the ones that weren't so great).

Well, it's been awhile since she ended that series and by accident late last year I stumbled on Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire" series. Sookie is a telepathic waitress in a bar in rural Louisiana. She likes vampires because she can't read their minds (they are dead after all and therefore don't have brain waves to read). Oh, I forgot to mention that ever since the Japanese created a synthetic blood alternative, the vampires, no longer needing to hunt humans to survive have come out in the open to interact in society. The weres, shapeshifters, witches, and fairies (as in godmothers) have not yet revealed themselves to society as a whole, but all play key roles in Sookie's life.

This series is cataloged as Mystery. There is an common story line that connects the books in the series (7 titles so far), but each individual story contains a murder or series of murders that Sookie and her telepathic ability helps to solve. These books have a very light feel to them, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of gore (for it usually takes a stake or a beheading to kill a vampire). There is often a climactic battle of some sort with all sorts of supernatural carnage. But they still have an overall humorous, easy tone to them.

Chick Lit

Do you believe in fairy tails? Do you believe in the happy ending? Well Meg Cabot sure does. She is the queen of the princess story and has branched out to be the queen of adult chick lit stories as well. I just finished her latest book, Queen of Babble in the Big City. It is the sequel to last year's Queen of Babble, picking up right where it left off, with Lizzie moving in with summer fling Luke (investment banker turned med student, and a real dethroned French prince) in his mother's 5th Avenue apartment. Lizzie, has weddings on the mind as she tried to reel Luke into a committment, works part time as the receptionist for a divorce and prenup lay firm, and attempts to enter her chosen field of bridal gown design and restoration. This is the perfect type of book to take to the beach, mindless and fun. Okay, I read it at the pool, watching my daughter take swimming lessons, but same idea. I've recommended Meg Cabot to several customers looking for this type of quick and easy read. And if they like it, the ending is an obvious set up for a future third book in the series.

Young Adult Staff Summer Reading

I read 4 YA books for this summer project and wrote up little summaries of each title (okay, sometimes I am an overachiever). Here they are:

1. James Patterson – Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports – This is the third of the Maximum Ride series. Max continues to try to protect her flock of recombinant DNA bird kids from evil scientists and a variety of wolf people, find out information about their backgrounds, and oh yeah, in her spare time, literally save the world. The book is a very fast read, or listen, as many Patterson books are. It does answer many questions posed in the previous two books as it was supposedly the final book in the trilogy. However, it also leaves enough open for more books to follow.
   
2. Gene Luen Yang – American Born Chinese – This book, winner of the 2007 Michael L. Printz award, is a graphic novel depicting three seemingly unrelated stories. They are then woven into one ending which powerfully conveys the theme of cultural identity and ultimately personal acceptance.
   
3. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines – Aging child prodigy, Colin Singleton is good at languages and being dumped by all of the girls he has dated. All of which are named Katherine. After being by Katherine XIX immediately following graduation, he sets off with his best friend on a road trip. There he begins to develop his theorem of the predictability of relationships, which he hopes will define him as a genius and cause him to matter in the world. There is a lot of math in this book, even more fully explained in an appendix (which I will admit I skipped). It is an interesting twist on what could have just been another guy gets dumped story.
   
4. Rachel Cohen and David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist – Set amidst the chaotic backdrop of the NYC punk music scene, this book details one long evening in which two high school seniors, who meet by accident, find that they may be what each other has been looking for all along. The story is told in alternating voices, which makes for some interesting viewpoints as we see the action through each person’s eyes. A very well done story, however potential readers should be cautioned in that there is a lot of strong language and sexual content (hetero and homosexual) throughout.
   

Welcome to our reading world

I thought that I'd set up this blog as a Reader's Advisory project. I am going to post what I am reading (or listening to) with a brief description. I will also try to include whether I would recommend the book and to whom. After I get it started, I'll invite the rest of the staf to comment and to post their own titles to the blog. In past branches, staff has tried to share books read during meetings, however, we never seem to have the time. I thought that this project could help us accomplish the same thing. We'll see.