AtoZ Update

I know that it has been some time since I have updated my book blog and I am here to explain what has been going on. There have been some changes afoot! My NBFF Lara let me know that she needed to modify the reading challenge that we had set for ourselves this year (52 books alphabetical by title, then again by author). That was a blow, but it was also completely understandable! Both of us are single moms, both of us are moving to new homes, both of us have full-time jobs and we want a life too! So when she stated that she was just going to read 26 books this year, that seemed sane to me. Problem is - I am far from sane!

Between the months of March and May, I also went through some changes. My house was contaminated, I needed to find a place to live for me and my daughter and I needed to maintain my life. All hard things to do - but did them I did. So - what gave? What gave was books - but not in the sense that you think. Since April 8th, I have actually read 18 books!! Now - only one of these books would I consider to be literature (Water for Elephants)...the others were pure pulp fiction. Books that follow a specific pattern, character style, outcome, etc. Books that I could escape into and finish in as little as one to two days. They were genre specific (fantasy, romance, vampire) and often they were part of a series. Will I bore you all with reviews on each one of these books - nope, I won't. Will I list all of them? Maybe.

We all have ways of escaping what is going on around us. Trite books have and always will be that for me. The covers can be embarassing, the stories simple, the characters standard - but I love them because there is always a happy ending. Sometimes when you are in turmoil, a happy ending is the best medicine. SO - I will complete my challenge of 52 books this year...but I may not hit every letter in the alphabet and I may not write a review for all of them and they may not all be prize-winning literature. But - slowly, I am moving back to my base and there will be something for you all to read and to enjoy (hopefully)! The thing about books is that they mean something different to each and every one of us - I am so glad to have them when I need an escape and so glad to have them when I want to learn something new. I am just so very, very grateful for books.

B - Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie (432 pages)

I have not read a straight-up romance novel in 20 years or more. They were all pretty formulaic, bodice-ripping things with vapid heroines being saved and wooed by ridiculously non-real men. Great for a few hours of escape but nothing much more than that, nothing I could recall even hours after I had finished them. They were true "pulp fiction". Last week on Pop Culture Happy Hour (a wonderful podcast) Linda Holmes suggested that we (the audience) check out some smart romance novels and this book was one that she recommended. She was so enthusiastic - it was hard not to get caught up. I purchased it Saturday morning and finished it Sunday night. It was good!


Now, you might call this chick lit, but it isn't...the main character in this book was somehow smarter (Minerva is an actuary for goodness sake) and was less reliant on the love thing needing to happen. She was practical and hilarious and her group of friends were engaging. Her friends and their conversations reminded me of some of the raucous chats that my girlfriends and I share. And the guy (Calvin - aka Cal) was great as well. Not some impossibly perfect man that is meant to come in and save Min from the doldrums of her own existence. They become true friends before they jump into bed. The cat and mouse play was cute and satisfying. When they did get to bed - watch out!! Ms. Crusie knows how to write a sex scene!! 


If this is a genre that you have poo-poo'd in the past. Check this offering out. It was an immensely engaging read and I am still thinking about the characters now, five days after completing it. I try not to be a book snob - but romances fell into the "low-brow" category for me...Jennifer Crusie and Linda Holmes helped to change my mind. I will absolutely be reading more of Ms. Crusie's work.

F (Author) - Crescendo - Becca Fitzgerald (Hush, Hush #2) (427 pages)

Cool things happen when you read a book a week. I was contacted by a representative of Sea Lion Books, a new publishing house. They recently acquired the rights to Hush, Hush and they will be turning that book into a graphic novel! I think this is a story that will lend itself well to the graphic touch. Patrick from the company wanted to thank me for the review I had written and wanted to let me know about upcoming Sea Lion titles! See kids - Reading IS Fundamental!


Now on to Crescendo...Nora and Patch and the gang are back in this second installment of the Hush, Hush series. Nora makes some discoveries about her past, her father's death, a potential sibling and some big bad's from other worlds that want to get rid of her. Patch is less evident in this book as they have a semi-break up in this one. Nora and her bestie meet new people and create some new adventures. 


I still read this book at a pretty fast clip, but I will say that it decrescendo'd more than it crescendo'd for me. Some of the story was flat and formulaic. I cannot tell if that was because Fitzgerald pushed pretty quickly to get this second book out or if the story was just less interesting. In my defense, second books in series usually don't pass muster with me and then there is redemption in book three...seriously hoping that is the case with this series. I have some time before number three drops - but I am looking forward to seeing how the saga wraps up. This was a nice read - just not as engrossing as the first. Still worth checking out.

H - Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick (391 pages)

This book represents three of my favorite things...supernatural events, young adults and its a series! I was introduced to this book by a friend of mine, Dawn. She follows what I read and she suggested this book. The suggestion and the loaning of the book came right on time as it was Friday evening and I had not yet cracked open my book for the week! Sometimes that happens. So, on Friday night, when I cracked this one open - I found myself forcing the book close at about 2a and about half of the book devoured.


This book tracks the life of high school sophomore Nora Grey and her best friend Vee. Nora's father has been murdered and her mom has to work out of town to make enough money to continue to pay for their house, expenses, etc. In a bit of a nod to Twilight (though I am not sure that the author wants that comparison) Nora gets a new Biology partner that she can't stand but with whom she ends up falling in love. In many ways this is a standard YA love romance, but in other ways it feels a little bit more than that.  


Patch (the boy) and Nora's story is simple at the surface...but he is a fallen angel with some issues to work out on Earth and she is the daughter of a murdered man who longs for answers to what truly happened. In true YA fashion - there is a lot of kissing, but it never moves past that since they are teenagers. There are fights, misunderstandings, and even some tragedies...is this Pulitzer Prize winning fare - but it is engaging and that always gets a vote from me. Try this one out if you are in the mood for something off of the beaten path!

X - X in Flight - Karen Rivers (250 pages)

As you may recall, this year's book project is to read a book for each letter of the alphabet (title and again for author). So what can happen, unfortunately, is that you get default books here and there simply because they meet your criteria. This book falls somewhat into that category. I found the story hot and cold. 


The title X is Xenos a bi-racial, First Nations (what equivalent to the Native Americans) boy with pimples, angst and the surprising ability to fly. This book actually follows three teens X, Ruby (a classmate) and Cat (X's girlfriend). The author chooses to move the story along by flipping the perspective in each chapter. X's chapters are told in letter form (first person). He is writing to Ruby - a girl he rarely interacts with but believes that they may be good for one another. Ruby's chapters are told in second person (a la Bright Lights, Big City - Jay McInerney). I will admit that these were the hardest chapters to get into because it was a foreign way to read. Finally Cat's chapters were told in the standard third person.


These teens basically go on about what is going wrong in their lives, believing that this is all that there will ever be to their lives. Angsty for sure - but at times highly entertaining and engaging and poignant. The novel sort of plods along for a majority of the pages - but just when I was about to give up the last 50 pages sucked me in and held me captive. Like the teens that they are - poor decisions are made, actions regretted and lessons are taught and learned. 


In this debut novel - Rivers displays an interesting writing style. I was not sure that I got it at first, but slowly it was worth the price of admission. This is the first in a trilogy (lucky for me Y and Z follow) centering on a character with supernatural abilities and a few people in their lives. I will check out the others in the series but will space them out. This book left me thinking - as isn't that the sign of something to come?

M - My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands - Chelsea Handler (213 pages)

I am not a fan of Chelsea Handler, have never seen her show and when I have caught glimpses of her shtick I often find her irritating. So color me surprised at deriving some actual laugh out loud enjoyment from this memoir. 


Chelsea's drug-addled attempts to hook-up with many and varied men from her early to mid twenties provided a lovely escape from the mundane. Oftentimes Chelsea found herself in absolutely cringe-worthy situations which made me both want to read on and simultaneously close the book! My favorite story came from the telling of her short fling with a Vegas stripper. You must read it to find out more.


This book is not at all for the feint of heart. Chelsea is crude, explicit and without remorse. I might call this a guilty pleasure as it was often unnerving to be seen reading this book in public - but the humor infused in this quick read got me through those trying moments pretty easily. If reading about dalliances with little-people and encounters with even odder cruise ship performers are not your cup of tea, you will want to skip this book. But if you are interested in seeing how someone could hit bottom and make their way back to the top, this glimpse into a life is well worth your time. 

C - Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Line of Girlie-Girl Culture - Peggy Orenstein (288 pages)

This is not a memoir, not a novel but pure non-fiction discussing the "pinking" of little girls in today's society. Being the mother of a 10-year-old girl, I was intrigued when I heard Orenstein and Diane Rehm discussing it on NPR. There was a time when children's television shows were not created just to sell toys to children. When I was a kid it was very hard to find a Sesame Street t-shirt, much less a stuffed toy - today you cannot throw a rock without hitting some merchandise targeted towards our kids.


Today pink = green (money) in the world of marketing. Princesses and everyday items tinted pink are pervading the psyche of the young girl. Orenstein queries what is actually wrong with the Cinderella image. Nothing at all if your goal is to be valued solely for your looks and to be rescued from a bad or poor existence by a handsome and wealthy guy. There can be no higher value in a princess than materialism. She also notes that princesses are not exactly the girl-bonding sort (check out any merchandise that features all of the princesses together - they are often back to back, none actually looking at another). There is very little room on a throne. This is not exactly the best way to win friends and influence people! Self-realization has been replaced by self-marketing. 


Sometimes I felt the book was a bit heavy-handed, I mean - I want my daughter to chose pink if she likes it - but I also want her to be able to wear soccer shorts and Converse tennis shoes if that strikes her fancy (and it often does). Orenstein brings up many great points, especially points related to the marketing of things to young girls. It was enough information to keep me a little more vigilant about the movies, books, and TV that my daughter consumes - but it also allows me to have conversations with her about what it is she is watching and the impact it may have on her. 


If you are the mother of a young girl - this is an extremely informative and eye-opening read. Check it out. 
  

L - The Lover's Dictionary: A Novel - David Levithan (211 pages)

This small little novel tracks the course of a modern romance told through dictionary entries. This made me happy this week for a couple of reasons...last week's book was HUGE and as evidenced by my Word of the Day project, I love definitions of words. 

The nameless narrator of this novel takes us on a non-linear journey of his relationship. We visit their first date, find that they met online, we see them move in together, argue, love, cheat. Though the book is called a novel - it does follow the course of the couple, I found it often read a bit like poetry. There were times that the narrator expanded used the same definition for several words, just expanding them a bit to get a little more of the story. I thought it was a brilliant way of keeping the reader engaged. 

This book could have easily been read in one sitting, but I chose to break it up in bits so as to savor it a little longer. Author Levithan is the co-author of one of my favorite reads from last year's project Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and he keeps me in his pocket this year. With poignantly written entries like this:

Encroach (v.)

 The first three nights we spent together, I couldn't sleep. I wasn't used to your breathing, your feet on my legs, your weight in the bed. In truth, I still sleep better when I'm alone. But I allow that sleep isn't always the most important thing.

We have all had that moment when one become two...pick up this fun little book - it will be worth the time. 

H (Author) - A Distory of Witches - Deborah Harkness (592 pages)

This discovery of witches had me enchanted and engrossed all week long. This is the longest book that I have ever chosen to complete in a week - but it was well worth it. Deborah Harkness is a history professor and wine blogger by day - but she penned this incredible debut novel at night. This novel weaves a tale of witches, vampires, daemons and humans along with history, science and alchemy. That is a lot to introduce in a debut novel and even more to cover in a review. Harkness' skill at character development is one of the best that I have seen in some time. She juggles the cast of characters incredibly well and I never felt that the story was rushed or a character was marginalized. 


The story follows Diana Bishop, a professor of alchemical history, who also happens to be a witch. Diana has turned away from her natural witch tendencies and does not use magic (nor does she really know how) in her day to day life. Her parents (very powerful witches) died when she was 7-years-old which added to her desire to turn away from magic. While studying at Oxford she comes across a rare alchemical manuscript (Ashmole 782) that reaches out to her magic! Freaked out she returns the manuscript not knowing that she opened herself up as a target for various and sundry creatures to seek her out.


Matthew Clairmont is a renowned scientist who also happens to be a vampire. He has been searching for Ashmole 782 for many years and when he finds that Diana has discovered it - he seeks her out. What starts as a hunt for the book, turns into protection and eventually love. The adventures that ensue span time and space. They explore relationships with witches, vampires and daemons which are often tense at best. It becomes clearer as the book moves on that all of the creatures may have more in common than was previously thought.


This book combines many of my favorite genres into one...romance-supernatural-adventure-mystery and history. It is like the best mixtape EVER in novel formation! So far this has been one of the best books that I have read in awhile. Harkness has stated this is the first in a trilogy and I am anxiously, anxiously awaiting 2012 when the second book is set to be released. Check this book out to see what I'm talking about!

F - for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf - Ntozake Shange (64 pages)

Back in the early 90s I was in college and I took an African-American Studies class. My first shock, I was the only black person in the class. The second shock was that by being the only black person in the class I somehow became the expert on all things African-American. This was an annoying predicament, but one that I worked through. One of the best parts of this class was getting to see a performance of this play (choreopoem) as performed by a Native American theatre troupe. This week was a rough one for me and I needed a quick read that I could easily get into. I have had this book on my shelf for more than 20 years, but I have never read it straight through. Last night I picked it up and read it in one sitting. 


This is a collection of poems that have been put together to form a novel. The colored girls are not necessarily women of color - they are the characters who are never known by name, instead they are known by a color. They are labeled 'lady in red', 'lady in blue', etc. The stories that they share are sometimes harrowing, sometimes uplifting, all extremely thought provoking. Subjects include love, abandonment, rape, and domestic violence - subjects that are generally a downer. But to see these women work to overcome their circumstances you are uplifted.


The end of the book brings all of the women together and the 'lady in red' begins a mantra that evokes the power of womanhood. She says, "I found God in myself/and I loved her/and I loved her fiercely". We can all take a lesson from this mantra. This was a tough read, but well worth the time and effort. 

D - Decoded - Jay-Z (288 pages)

I have long been a fan of Jay-Z and of hip-hop and when I had heard that Sean Carter (Jay-Z) had written a book that interprets his lyrics, defining and defending the language and the life behind the songs I was very excited. I am one of those that had often spent my time defending the music that I loved to people that said it was just bombastic noise with filthy language. Jay-Z is known for his quick-witted and sometimes abrasive rhymes and in this book, that is kind of like a memoir, he goes deeper and more in-depth.


I have many (nearly all) of Jay-Z's CDs on my iPod or in CD format and I found that the best way for me to enjoy this book was to listen and read along with the song and then read Jay-Z's interpretations. I was pleasantly surprised when I got the meaning as he meant it, but I was equally surprised when I was totally off! His use of double and triple entendres in one stanza is genius at best. 


The cover art on this book is a Andy Warhol piece and the art and photos within the book were just as lush and visually stunning. The detail that he put into this book is so like everything else that he does. He speaks almost like a professor teaching a class, sliding in anecdotes from his life here and there. He avoids talking about his wife, Beyoncé and I appreciate that he and she are very focused on keeping their private life private. 


I would recommend this book for both hip-hop fans and its detractors. The knowledge that Jay-Z passes on (along with humor and sadness) is very profound and eye-opening. I gained more insight into one of my favorite artists and into hip-hop itself. 

G - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (590 pages)

I had low expectations for this book. Back in 2009 I had attempted to read it and I was so underwhelmed after 100 pages that I put it down and moved along to something else. Last week when I was searching for a book to read, I felt like I should give Lisbeth and Blomkvist a second chance. 


I know that most everyone has read this book and or the entire trilogy, so they are likely familiar with the story of disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist and ward of the state Lisbeth Salander. But if you haven't read the book, here is the dime store re-cap. Blomkvist, a noted financial journalist, prints a story that it turns out he cannot prove. He gets taken to court and loses a libel case and gets sentenced to jail. Meanwhile the Vanger clan has a mystery of their own that no one has been able to solve. Henrik Vanger offers Blomkvist a job to solve the mystery while offering Blomkvist the opportunity to lay low and to stay of the out of the public eye. 


The mystery goes farther and farther down the rabbit hole and Blomkvist requests the assistance of the slightly scary, anti-social Lisbeth Salander to ferret out facts regarding the Vanger family (a pretty mean and scary cast of characters to say the least). The story turns up some very nasty information. I was shocked by some of what I had read. I have also learned that the original Swedish title of this book is "Men Who Hate Women" - there were some passages and even chapters of this book that lived up to that original title in a very nerve-wracking way.


The story is at times engrossing and infuriating. It was a very heavy book with only moments of lightness, but it was a great read. The characters were all really well-developed and I didn't guess "whodunit" until I was pretty deep into the book, but I still figured it out before it was revealed. I also loved that the book didn't end with the conclusion of the mystery - there was some unfinished business that needed to be completed. I like that loose ends were tied up. 


I have not seen the Swedish version of the film and I am not particularly looking forward to the American version either (although Daniel Craig is an appealing draw) but this story is certainly compelling enough to make me consider seeing one or both films. I will check out the second book in the series but it will be sometime before I get to it. I will pick it up when I need to read a book by an author whose last name starts with "L".

E - Eerie Little Bedtime Stories - Madame M (132 pages)

This creepy little book of poems is a wonderful book for children ages 6 and up. I met the author in 2002 and at a book fair and she signed this and another book for my then 2-year-old daughter. "Alexandra, Get Creepy Baby - Love Madame M".  I thought that was a wonderful note and her books are just as good. My daughter has read them over and over since she was 6. She has a good sense of what makes a good book - so I picked up this slight tome and gobbled it up. 


Madame M covers topics such as art and spiders and mummies (oh my)! Engaging and fun - this is a great read for young and old. 


Here is an example of what you will find in this book:

Scary Larry

Scary Larry's a scarecrow

The best there ever was

No one else can hang around

Watching corn grow as he does

He's done it for many, many years

Just guarding his precious crop

From the big, black, dirty crows

Like a traffic cop

One time he even won 

The Best Scarecrow Grand Prize

So the crows, being jealous

Pecked out both his eyes

But that did not discourage him

Or even make him blue

He replaced them with two shiny buttons

And now he's good as new

This was one of my favorite poems in the book. If you have young children (especially boys) seek out this book - it is just creepy and gross enough to hold a young boy's interest and just fun enough for a young girl!

R - Red Riding Hood - Sarah Blakely-Cartwright (329 pages)

I really wanted to love this book, but I walk away with just a bit of like and a lot of confusion. It took me a little time to get into this book, I think the main reason was because it read like a screenplay - with lots of stage directions without explicitly pointing out that "Valerie walks to stage left"...it was very distracting. Once I got past that annoyance, the story picked up.

This is a re-imagining of the classic Red Riding Hood tale with a slightly modern and gothic twist to the tale. The book is still set in some undetermined time in the past, but the "wolf" in question appears to be a werewolf (as is the trend these days). The story centers around Valerie (Red) and the village of Daggorhorn, a village that is tormented monthly by the wolf. As long as the village offers the wolf a sacrifice (usually a goat or some such thing) a tenuous agreement stands. Something happens to break this bond and as often happens, things get bad.

I chose this book because it is going to be a major motion picture in March of this year. The trailer was compelling and when I saw that there was a book I checked it out so that I could read it before I saw it. I believe that this may be a rare instance where the movie may be better than the book, I am really hoping that is the case anyway.

My ultimate frustration with the book came at the end, when I was finally completely engaged in the story - it ended abruptly giving us a website address to learn the ending. When you try to open the website - you get a page that says check back soon for the final chapter! How totally and completely frustrating! 

I am very disappointed with this book - it could have been great, but it wound up being just all right.

A: Anna and The French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins (372 pages)

So here is the first book of my project for 2011 - Books A-Z. It is a book that begins with A - I cannot promise that the books that follow will show up in alphabetical order, but I can assure you that the last book will start with a Z. Everything else will happen when it happens! I like it!


Who would have thought that such a great book would have such a silly title? Not me! But after hearing about this book from a few friends and then hearing it discussed on NPR, I was compelled to push pass my title prejudices and pick up this gem. I am more than pleased with my decision.


Anna is the teen-aged protagonist who is sent away to boarding school in France by her rather pretentious and silly father who is up and coming best-selling author of "douche-y" books. Please forgive me if you are a Nicholas Sparks fan - but the description that Anna gives of her dad fits Sparks and his genre of books to a tee. That illicits a big old BLECH from me!


This book is both serious and fun and it was a book I wanted to re-read as soon as I was finished with the last word. Following Anna in her struggle with independence, abandonment issues, language barriers and love was the perfect way for me to ring in the New Year! The students at SOAP (School of America in Paris) provided the perfect distraction from making resolutions and watching countdown shows. These characters made me want to break out of my comfort zone, try something new - go somewhere unknown, live a little! Who knows what else I may learn the rest of the year! Maybe I'll take the trip of a lifetime, as long as I have a book or two tucked in my bag - I'll be good to go.


Check this book out - there are no werewolves or vampires (not that there is anything wrong with vamps and weres), it is just a solidly written debut novel that sings from the pages. 

Reading from A to Z

For 2011 I will continue to have books prominently featured in my life as I read Books A-Z (that's a book title for each letter of the alphabet). So, that will be fewer books than I read last year, but a bit tougher because I will have to work a little harder to find books that meet the criteria. If I continually choose books I like (fantasy, YA, etc.), I may quickly have 8 T's and not much of anything else. So I will have to choose wisely. 


Though I would love to get all crazy-Deejah OCD with this project - I may not be reading in alphabetical order. I will start with an A book and close the project with a Z book - but the middle, well - it's up for grabs. 


So - since there are 26 letters of the alphabet, I will have to complete a book every 2 weeks and just like those months with extra paychecks - I will have an extra book to complete. I loved reading a book a week in 2010 and I feel a little like a slacker picking only 26 books this year for this project, but I know me and I am a bit of an over-achiever so don't be shocked if you see multiple books for the same letter this year! SO - let's get going!