As someone who raised herself reading anything she could get her hands on and became a librarian of all things, I have a lot of books. Of course. And now I have to get rid of them.
I do tell people bluntly that books are just piles of rotting paper attracting bugs to your house, but I'm not an absolutist about their continued existence. Actually, I am quite pro the book as a physical object as I find they are still the best way to share. I work in a medical library, and we maintain a book exchange for patients, family and staff to donate books and magazines and swap them back and forth. This is widely used--oh, you think everyone has a Kindle or likes watching "Ellen?" YOU ARE WRONG. Plus hospitals are places where you get stuck somewhere with nothing to keep yourself busy, lots of other stressed out folks, and a variety of weird. Hospitals, prisons and the city bus are where you will find readers--all places where you have time on your hands, little control over the situation, and where the ability to mentally disappear is so, so helpful.
So for my summer project, I am working on reading through some/most/all of my books and recycling by getting them into other people's hands. This past year or so I have started dropping them off at our book carts, sometimes with little messages about what (positive) things I thought about them. But I would also like to send them to anyone still reading here, friends, hams, and strangers alike. Just leave a message in the comments or drop me a line at atomiclibrarian @ yahoo. Anything I can't send I'll note in my comments about it. Anything I write a review or commentary on after this date is up for grabs.
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Sign Up For World Book Night!
Folks, it's time to sign up to be a giver for World Book Night on April 23, 2013. I was a 2012 giver and it was tons of fun.
My first choice is Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, which I think I will hand out around the State Capitol area. I will maybe also put together and include an handout about the recent legislation passed by nutjobs in the Arizona State Legislature that limit women's access to abortion, birth control and create the circumstances that lead to the experiences of Offred and the other women being stripped of their rights and forced into sexual slavery and servitude.
I also find the book Glaciers intriguing. My third choice is Devil In A Blue Dress. Other books on the list that I have on my ever-growing TBR list are The Tender Bar, Population: 485, Salvage The Bones, City of Thieves, Fahrenheit 451, and My Antonia.
My first choice is Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, which I think I will hand out around the State Capitol area. I will maybe also put together and include an handout about the recent legislation passed by nutjobs in the Arizona State Legislature that limit women's access to abortion, birth control and create the circumstances that lead to the experiences of Offred and the other women being stripped of their rights and forced into sexual slavery and servitude.
I also find the book Glaciers intriguing. My third choice is Devil In A Blue Dress. Other books on the list that I have on my ever-growing TBR list are The Tender Bar, Population: 485, Salvage The Bones, City of Thieves, Fahrenheit 451, and My Antonia.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Links
Why are there fewer cycling women in NYC? Danger and fashion.
Looking for an intelligent tv program to glom onto? Canada's Intelligence has been called its version of The Wire. I've seen all the episodes on Netflix streaming--it is a great show ended too soon.
How To Talk To Little Girls. Basically, please try not to make the first words out of your mouth a compliment about how cute or pretty she is. Ask some questions. Maybe pick up a book with her.
I can't stand Marketplace Money. Whenever I listen to it, I feel like throwing something. In this piece, Tess Vigeland displays her ignorance by admitting she actually took Zillow's estimates of home prices seriously even before it recently reworked its algorithm. Having lived in a place where Zillow was wildly inaccurate, I have to wonder what rock she lives under. I don't find Zillow at all accurate.
At least they sound a little shocked at the people they dug up for a story about people who bought too much house, stripped the equity and defaulted, but now think they should get another mortgage.
Why Did Wild Nail Polish Go Mainstream?
"And that's why you should learn to pick your battles" is just masterful comedy writing.
For the holiday, How To Make A Pimm's Cup. Okay, it's inappropriate to make a quintessential British drink on the 4th of July, but it is delicious.
And once you are all tipsy, play a paperback game.
Looking for an intelligent tv program to glom onto? Canada's Intelligence has been called its version of The Wire. I've seen all the episodes on Netflix streaming--it is a great show ended too soon.
How To Talk To Little Girls. Basically, please try not to make the first words out of your mouth a compliment about how cute or pretty she is. Ask some questions. Maybe pick up a book with her.
I can't stand Marketplace Money. Whenever I listen to it, I feel like throwing something. In this piece, Tess Vigeland displays her ignorance by admitting she actually took Zillow's estimates of home prices seriously even before it recently reworked its algorithm. Having lived in a place where Zillow was wildly inaccurate, I have to wonder what rock she lives under. I don't find Zillow at all accurate.
At least they sound a little shocked at the people they dug up for a story about people who bought too much house, stripped the equity and defaulted, but now think they should get another mortgage.
Why Did Wild Nail Polish Go Mainstream?
"And that's why you should learn to pick your battles" is just masterful comedy writing.
For the holiday, How To Make A Pimm's Cup. Okay, it's inappropriate to make a quintessential British drink on the 4th of July, but it is delicious.
And once you are all tipsy, play a paperback game.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
What Do You Do With A Teenaged Girl?
Better hope she starts a band. The Riot Grrl movement was 20 years ago. This article catches up on some of the big names of the time, and discusses what's become academic interest in the intersection of feminism, music and social protest.
What I do remember about Riot Grrl was that along with tweaking people with the kinderwhore look, the music and scene was focused on feminism, taking women seriously, and talking about things like date rape and sexual harassment and gender inequity. Which leads me to this piece by Julie Klausner, her valentine to maturity and question of why women like to behave like nonthreatening children. She thinks it's so we don't threaten the manboys, which is a viable theory. I think that adulthood and a willingness to embrace it depends on a lit of personal issues, but damn it if I don't get awed when I see women being portrayed as serious adults.
Speaking of women who walk the line between being girly and being adult, check out this excerpt of Mindy Kaling's book. It looks really good.
What I do remember about Riot Grrl was that along with tweaking people with the kinderwhore look, the music and scene was focused on feminism, taking women seriously, and talking about things like date rape and sexual harassment and gender inequity. Which leads me to this piece by Julie Klausner, her valentine to maturity and question of why women like to behave like nonthreatening children. She thinks it's so we don't threaten the manboys, which is a viable theory. I think that adulthood and a willingness to embrace it depends on a lit of personal issues, but damn it if I don't get awed when I see women being portrayed as serious adults.
Speaking of women who walk the line between being girly and being adult, check out this excerpt of Mindy Kaling's book. It looks really good.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Busy, Busy
Holy crap, I just realized that I've had something going on every night since Friday.
So Dusie and I went to the Gainey Ranch Resort and Spa for this really great event. We had each paid $125 for this Arizona SpaGirls event--what happens is that that money goes to a good cause, and you get a party with free swag and refreshments and beauty treatments, and then you also get a spa treatment WITH gratuity included. It is really a holy cow good deal. Dusie likes to go to spas; I am more indifferent, but I love my sister and know this is the sort of sisterly thing she likes to do. Plus I got Moroccan oil hair treatments, and a small size Hope In A Jar (Philosophy is a local company) and a full-size cleansing milk and exfoliating powder. Dude! Swag! I love swag!
We are going to the spa on Friday. I am going to lay by the mineral pool after my massage and hopefully not get burnt. And In preparation I will shave my legs like a real lady and get my eyebrows done so I don't look so unkempt. It's a really pretty property.
Saturday was Scooter 202 at Vespa Chandler. Scooters are way cheap, yo. And scooter people are really nice. So there was a presentation on group riding by the place that can teach you to ride. and then we got walk-throughs on maintenance and helmet fitting and it was very educational. I sat on 2 Vespas but did not purchase one. ($650 down! Under $200 per month! But I am sensible and would save up and not finance.) Then I hung out with the baby, who I had not seen in 3! WHOLE! WEEKS! She has more hair and has mastered a cheerful "No!" that she uses but does not abuse.
Sunday was pretty quiet. Cain woke me up at 2:30 am though, and I couldn't fall back to sleep so I did my laundry and returned the car and SUFFERED the rest of the day. Dusie, my mom and I met up and went to Tempe Marketplace, and then my mom and I went to see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt play together at the Mesa Arts Center. Yup, that's that show I was tempted by but didn't want to shell out for. She is such a nice mom. We realized that the last show my mom has apparently been to was a hellish Phish show in Massachusetts when Dusie was 15 or 16. I think she liked this a little more, but she doesn't like music really. The patter between them was pretty scripted, but Lyle Lovett's wit is so dry, a martini wishes it were Lyle Lovett.
Monday was The Lazy Arse's Book Club and it was really good. We meet again in 2 weeks to finish the book. There will be a review, because you should all read it.
Tonight I did not go to the other book club, because I got into work late and so had to work late and go to Target, and I'm tired, dang it. And I did not reread The Great Gatsby but I will go next month. But honestly, who hasn't read that book by age 21? And if you haven't, should you really consider yourself a well-educated adult?
Tra la la la la!
So Dusie and I went to the Gainey Ranch Resort and Spa for this really great event. We had each paid $125 for this Arizona SpaGirls event--what happens is that that money goes to a good cause, and you get a party with free swag and refreshments and beauty treatments, and then you also get a spa treatment WITH gratuity included. It is really a holy cow good deal. Dusie likes to go to spas; I am more indifferent, but I love my sister and know this is the sort of sisterly thing she likes to do. Plus I got Moroccan oil hair treatments, and a small size Hope In A Jar (Philosophy is a local company) and a full-size cleansing milk and exfoliating powder. Dude! Swag! I love swag!
We are going to the spa on Friday. I am going to lay by the mineral pool after my massage and hopefully not get burnt. And In preparation I will shave my legs like a real lady and get my eyebrows done so I don't look so unkempt. It's a really pretty property.
Saturday was Scooter 202 at Vespa Chandler. Scooters are way cheap, yo. And scooter people are really nice. So there was a presentation on group riding by the place that can teach you to ride. and then we got walk-throughs on maintenance and helmet fitting and it was very educational. I sat on 2 Vespas but did not purchase one. ($650 down! Under $200 per month! But I am sensible and would save up and not finance.) Then I hung out with the baby, who I had not seen in 3! WHOLE! WEEKS! She has more hair and has mastered a cheerful "No!" that she uses but does not abuse.
Sunday was pretty quiet. Cain woke me up at 2:30 am though, and I couldn't fall back to sleep so I did my laundry and returned the car and SUFFERED the rest of the day. Dusie, my mom and I met up and went to Tempe Marketplace, and then my mom and I went to see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt play together at the Mesa Arts Center. Yup, that's that show I was tempted by but didn't want to shell out for. She is such a nice mom. We realized that the last show my mom has apparently been to was a hellish Phish show in Massachusetts when Dusie was 15 or 16. I think she liked this a little more, but she doesn't like music really. The patter between them was pretty scripted, but Lyle Lovett's wit is so dry, a martini wishes it were Lyle Lovett.
Monday was The Lazy Arse's Book Club and it was really good. We meet again in 2 weeks to finish the book. There will be a review, because you should all read it.
Tonight I did not go to the other book club, because I got into work late and so had to work late and go to Target, and I'm tired, dang it. And I did not reread The Great Gatsby but I will go next month. But honestly, who hasn't read that book by age 21? And if you haven't, should you really consider yourself a well-educated adult?
Tra la la la la!
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Summer Reading
The Hipster Book Club's guide to books across the US might have some regionally set stories that you've missed.
And if you haven't started to amass your summer reading The LA Times guide to summer reading has some great choices.
Once again in pursuit of good reads, conversation and potential friendships, I have gone back to the GenX book club at the Scottsdale Public Library, but also joined The Lazy Arses' Book Club. I want a t-shirt for that one.
And if you haven't started to amass your summer reading The LA Times guide to summer reading has some great choices.
Once again in pursuit of good reads, conversation and potential friendships, I have gone back to the GenX book club at the Scottsdale Public Library, but also joined The Lazy Arses' Book Club. I want a t-shirt for that one.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The To Read Pile
I actually have 2 piles, books I own and books I renew from the library every three weeks. Here's the books I own:
The Great Man, Jeremy Thrane and The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen. I've actually read The Great Man, it was a desire for a reread that lead to the others.
Boneshaker--Cherie Priest. I liked her Four and Twenty Blackbirds, which was modern American fantasy, and this is the start to her steampunk writings which have also been well-reviewed.
Rat Girl--Kristen Hersh. Highly recommended by Cookbook, also of interest for the mental illness and 80's indie music angles.
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--Jamie Ford. Taken from my mom, who liked it. It's the kind of book club book I reflexively shy away from.
Shape Up With The Slow Fat Triathlete--Jayne William. Inspiration.
The Iron Duke--Meljean Brooks. Romance plus steampunk/fantasy, the reviewers at Dear Author were all about this book last year.
His At Night--Sherry Thomas. Well reviewed romance from an author I like. I just don't know if I need her style of over the top emotion at the moment.
Await Your Reply--Dan Chaon. Recommended by The Girl Detective.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks--E. Lockhart, Another reread, but one of the best YA books and one of the best books about feminism I've ever read.
One Day--David Nicholls. Recommended by Genevieve.
I'd Know You Anywhere--Laura Lippman. From my mom again. Yes, I might need to read some creepy serial killer screwing with one's mind fiction, and Lippman is an excellent writer.
The Imperfectionists--Tom Rachman. I actually gave this to Jesse X for Christmas, but he gave it to me when my mom got him a Kindle.
A Discovery of Witches--Deborah Harkness. It's hot, well reviewed and I might need something like Harry Potter for grownups.
Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat--Michelle May, M.D. Mindfulness will help you eat less, identify your emotions and loser weight. But to master mindfulness...
So what's on your pile?
The Great Man, Jeremy Thrane and The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen. I've actually read The Great Man, it was a desire for a reread that lead to the others.
Boneshaker--Cherie Priest. I liked her Four and Twenty Blackbirds, which was modern American fantasy, and this is the start to her steampunk writings which have also been well-reviewed.
Rat Girl--Kristen Hersh. Highly recommended by Cookbook, also of interest for the mental illness and 80's indie music angles.
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--Jamie Ford. Taken from my mom, who liked it. It's the kind of book club book I reflexively shy away from.
Shape Up With The Slow Fat Triathlete--Jayne William. Inspiration.
The Iron Duke--Meljean Brooks. Romance plus steampunk/fantasy, the reviewers at Dear Author were all about this book last year.
His At Night--Sherry Thomas. Well reviewed romance from an author I like. I just don't know if I need her style of over the top emotion at the moment.
Await Your Reply--Dan Chaon. Recommended by The Girl Detective.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks--E. Lockhart, Another reread, but one of the best YA books and one of the best books about feminism I've ever read.
One Day--David Nicholls. Recommended by Genevieve.
I'd Know You Anywhere--Laura Lippman. From my mom again. Yes, I might need to read some creepy serial killer screwing with one's mind fiction, and Lippman is an excellent writer.
The Imperfectionists--Tom Rachman. I actually gave this to Jesse X for Christmas, but he gave it to me when my mom got him a Kindle.
A Discovery of Witches--Deborah Harkness. It's hot, well reviewed and I might need something like Harry Potter for grownups.
Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat--Michelle May, M.D. Mindfulness will help you eat less, identify your emotions and loser weight. But to master mindfulness...
So what's on your pile?
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Books In Bars: Roosevelt Tavern
Because I like to go out and drink sometimes, but have no one to go with, I give you a new series: Books In Bars! Because some bars are not great for the reading.
I am not sure why I keep going back to the Roosevelt Tavern to read. True, I almost always grab the comfy armchair in the front room by the window. However, the place is entirely lit with tealights. No, really. So when I go I am reading by the light coming through the windows, and since the Roosevelt opens at 5pm that means in winter there's little light. Plus, they don't do mixed drinks--the menu is beer, wine, and three soft drinks.
Okay, I know why I go back there. The menu.
Unfortunately, they don't have a website, only a Twitter account. But they have great food--a tomato soup and grilled cheese combo that leaves you stuffed. A big handmade pretzel.* The "Holy Moses", a roast beef and cheese sandwich on toast served with griddled onions. $3 pasta dish every Thursday night.
The people watching is good too.
So, despite the fact that this bar fills non of my needs, I keep returning. Am I a sucker? Maybe. But dinner for less than $10 on a Thursday night is nothing to sneeze at. Neither is a happy hour that runs until 7pm.
*I am on Satan's Own Psychiatric Medicine (TM), which causes intense carb cravings. And my cravings have taken the particular form of soft pretzels. I LOVE THEM. I am in search of the perfect one, and the Roosevelt's come close. It just needs to be a touch more buttery.
I am not sure why I keep going back to the Roosevelt Tavern to read. True, I almost always grab the comfy armchair in the front room by the window. However, the place is entirely lit with tealights. No, really. So when I go I am reading by the light coming through the windows, and since the Roosevelt opens at 5pm that means in winter there's little light. Plus, they don't do mixed drinks--the menu is beer, wine, and three soft drinks.
Okay, I know why I go back there. The menu.
Unfortunately, they don't have a website, only a Twitter account. But they have great food--a tomato soup and grilled cheese combo that leaves you stuffed. A big handmade pretzel.* The "Holy Moses", a roast beef and cheese sandwich on toast served with griddled onions. $3 pasta dish every Thursday night.
The people watching is good too.
So, despite the fact that this bar fills non of my needs, I keep returning. Am I a sucker? Maybe. But dinner for less than $10 on a Thursday night is nothing to sneeze at. Neither is a happy hour that runs until 7pm.
*I am on Satan's Own Psychiatric Medicine (TM), which causes intense carb cravings. And my cravings have taken the particular form of soft pretzels. I LOVE THEM. I am in search of the perfect one, and the Roosevelt's come close. It just needs to be a touch more buttery.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
I just took this out of the library today and read the first two chapters while waiting for prescription. It's hilarious. Look for a review once I finish it.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Well, It's Free!
So, I feel sort of embarassed mentioning this, but does anyone want a free subscription to O? It's the free gift for reupping my own subscription.
Look, I first got hooked on it back went I went to therapy 6 years ago. It's not that bad. It's really affirming, which is why therapists have it on their coffee tables. And it has good book reviews. And Suze Orman still writes for it. It's like a little kick in the pants in-between appointments.
Look, I first got hooked on it back went I went to therapy 6 years ago. It's not that bad. It's really affirming, which is why therapists have it on their coffee tables. And it has good book reviews. And Suze Orman still writes for it. It's like a little kick in the pants in-between appointments.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Recommendation: Jo Walton on Tor.com
Head's up: Jo Walton, author of the amazing Small Changes trilogy, is writing for Tor.com. Check out her hilarious take on The Suck Fairy, who hits books you love, but haven't reread.
Is the Suck Fairy a neutral force, or do you think she likes her job and chuckles when you, say, realize how many exclamation points Walter Farley used in The Black Stallion? I think she takes joy in her work.
You should also take some time to read Walton's beautifully scary trilogy, which proposes an alternate England where the British settled with Hitler after Dunkirk and is facing its own rise of anti-Semitism and fascism in the 40's. Great books. Just don't read them back-to-back with Cory Doctrow's Little Brother, which discusses how to fight the loss of individual rights and liberties in the age of terrorism--it's a little too close to home.
Is the Suck Fairy a neutral force, or do you think she likes her job and chuckles when you, say, realize how many exclamation points Walter Farley used in The Black Stallion? I think she takes joy in her work.
You should also take some time to read Walton's beautifully scary trilogy, which proposes an alternate England where the British settled with Hitler after Dunkirk and is facing its own rise of anti-Semitism and fascism in the 40's. Great books. Just don't read them back-to-back with Cory Doctrow's Little Brother, which discusses how to fight the loss of individual rights and liberties in the age of terrorism--it's a little too close to home.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Brain Game
My new favorite site to play with: Save The Words! It's a quick little vocabulary lesson. I haven't signed up to "adopt" any words though. I have enough problems with proper grammar and sticking to a coherent, readable writing style. But you should all start adopting though.
Monday, July 19, 2010
More Ideas For Reading Fun
If you have been reading the Steig Larsson books, or are just tired of hearing about them, The Girl Who Fixed The Umlaut will make you laugh. However, the Swedish film version of the first novel is excellent.
New York magazine asked authors about their favorite books in the genre they write in. There's some good ideas for your reading list there.
Speaking as someone who had a book related career and a huge stash before I moved (and still a goodish stash when I moved) I disagree with this piece. I was finally able to get rid of books when I realized I probably wouldn't have the time to read my backlog any time in the next 30-35 years. Who wants to carry around books for that long, when plenty more, new and great are being published?
And especially if libraries are < a href=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703279704575335193054884632.html> allowed to digitize their volumes and loan out electronic copies rather than physical ones. By law you are allowed to make copies of an original item in order to preserve it. This is a little audacious, not too extreme and I am quite intrigued to see how this turns out over the next 10 years or so.
Foreign players are the NBA's locker room nerds. Based on the dismal state of reading in America in general, this doesn't surprise me. But know where people like to read? Public transit.
New York magazine asked authors about their favorite books in the genre they write in. There's some good ideas for your reading list there.
Speaking as someone who had a book related career and a huge stash before I moved (and still a goodish stash when I moved) I disagree with this piece. I was finally able to get rid of books when I realized I probably wouldn't have the time to read my backlog any time in the next 30-35 years. Who wants to carry around books for that long, when plenty more, new and great are being published?
And especially if libraries are < a href=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703279704575335193054884632.html> allowed to digitize their volumes and loan out electronic copies rather than physical ones. By law you are allowed to make copies of an original item in order to preserve it. This is a little audacious, not too extreme and I am quite intrigued to see how this turns out over the next 10 years or so.
Foreign players are the NBA's locker room nerds. Based on the dismal state of reading in America in general, this doesn't surprise me. But know where people like to read? Public transit.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Summer Reading Is Hot Stuff
So here is what I want in life: a guy who actually reads, preferably one who looks good doing it.
Did I ever mention that I was recently reading a profile on OKCupid in which a fellow said his favorite book was Gone With The Wind? And that he claimed he liked it for the heroism and romance?
I nearly wrote him in a fever. Not that kind of fever. A spitting fever to accuse him of ovary trolling. Because anyone who's actually read that book realizes that it's a tragedy.
You have a novel set in a horribly divisive period of American history, with a valid and enduring conflict about states' rights, cloaked in the moral question of is it really okay to prop up your inefficient economy by enslaving others? You have the burning of the South, death on all sides, and a defeat that while necessary helped warp a culture even further.
The protagonist is a woman who completely out of step with her culture and time, constantly trying to force herself into a cultural mold that isn't close to her nature. She's a lousy mother, tougher than nails, a big flirt and terrible at hiding her true nature. Finally with the post-war chaos she manages to carve out a niche for herself that allows her to use some of her natural gifts. She has a relationship with a challenging, encouraging rogue who is a perfect match, but ruins it longing for a total passive aggressive dipshit who makes her feel bad about herself for most of her life.
Yeah, it's a great book, but romance? Heroism?
Eh, if you're looking for suggestions, take a look at Talbot's (yes, the clothing store) list of suggested summer reading compiled from consumers.
Did I ever mention that I was recently reading a profile on OKCupid in which a fellow said his favorite book was Gone With The Wind? And that he claimed he liked it for the heroism and romance?
I nearly wrote him in a fever. Not that kind of fever. A spitting fever to accuse him of ovary trolling. Because anyone who's actually read that book realizes that it's a tragedy.
You have a novel set in a horribly divisive period of American history, with a valid and enduring conflict about states' rights, cloaked in the moral question of is it really okay to prop up your inefficient economy by enslaving others? You have the burning of the South, death on all sides, and a defeat that while necessary helped warp a culture even further.
The protagonist is a woman who completely out of step with her culture and time, constantly trying to force herself into a cultural mold that isn't close to her nature. She's a lousy mother, tougher than nails, a big flirt and terrible at hiding her true nature. Finally with the post-war chaos she manages to carve out a niche for herself that allows her to use some of her natural gifts. She has a relationship with a challenging, encouraging rogue who is a perfect match, but ruins it longing for a total passive aggressive dipshit who makes her feel bad about herself for most of her life.
Yeah, it's a great book, but romance? Heroism?
Eh, if you're looking for suggestions, take a look at Talbot's (yes, the clothing store) list of suggested summer reading compiled from consumers.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
More Sad News
Diana Wynne Jones, an awesome British fantasy writer who had a big influence on Gaiman, Rowling and the like, is dying. She was one of my favorite authors as a kid. Don't let your girls watch the movie version of Howl's Moving Castle as it is crap--make them read the book instead. Much better feminist message and role models in the book. And The Chrestomanci stories written in the 70's were the ones I had access to, and they are wonderful for the 8-11 year old reader.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
I Like To Torture Myself. You Know It.
So I'm reading The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, and it's driving me nuts. I'm on page 250 of a 550+ page book, and so far it's all just chessboard setting. Nothing exciting is happening at all. I am seriously considering not finishing it.
It's like reading Mansfield Park for Pete's sake. 400 pages of annoyance for 50 pages of payoff. And Steig Larsson was not a good writer--there's too much tell and no show, and he's horribly over detailed. Plus, he's introduced so many freaking characters with backstory who then disappear that it's too much and you as the reader can't work out what is important and who is going to play a role.
However it has been useful to get a glimpse of another culture. Swedes! They're Just Like Us! Let me list the ways:
They like cheap cute furniture available at Ikea.
They drink lots of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
Their newspapers are in trouble and caught in a downward spiral of being crappy.
Swedes are fascinated by the idea of bisexual mass murders and other salacious details. And also uncomfortable with the whole bisexual thing. (Because Larsson mentions it tons, like it's a big, important detail.)
Outsourcing! They have that!
Biker gangs! They have them too!
A housing market that drives up prices in the inner core and leads to urban sprawl. Maybe that's what Blomqvist was going to look in the 4th book.
Misogyny. Well, that's universal.
It's funny how a bad book can bog down your whole life. I want to finish it, but it's so slow, yet I feel that I can't turn my attention to other stuff until I come to a detente with this book.
It's like reading Mansfield Park for Pete's sake. 400 pages of annoyance for 50 pages of payoff. And Steig Larsson was not a good writer--there's too much tell and no show, and he's horribly over detailed. Plus, he's introduced so many freaking characters with backstory who then disappear that it's too much and you as the reader can't work out what is important and who is going to play a role.
However it has been useful to get a glimpse of another culture. Swedes! They're Just Like Us! Let me list the ways:
They like cheap cute furniture available at Ikea.
They drink lots of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
Their newspapers are in trouble and caught in a downward spiral of being crappy.
Swedes are fascinated by the idea of bisexual mass murders and other salacious details. And also uncomfortable with the whole bisexual thing. (Because Larsson mentions it tons, like it's a big, important detail.)
Outsourcing! They have that!
Biker gangs! They have them too!
A housing market that drives up prices in the inner core and leads to urban sprawl. Maybe that's what Blomqvist was going to look in the 4th book.
Misogyny. Well, that's universal.
It's funny how a bad book can bog down your whole life. I want to finish it, but it's so slow, yet I feel that I can't turn my attention to other stuff until I come to a detente with this book.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Spellmans Strike Again-Lisa Lutz
Hooray, the Spellmans are back! And contrary to their author's original intention, the fourth book in the series may not be the final one. While I'll read anything Lutz puts out, I must say I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the Spellmans just yet, although the book ends with them in an odd state of peace all around.
So Isabel is back in the family business, and things are going pretty well. She's stepping into her role as the eventual boss after her parents' retirement. Strangely, her parents are pressuring their children for more family activities yet barring them from the house on Wednesdays. The economy is terrible, and that's hitting the business hard, leading to some strange clients. Boyfriend #12, the Irish bartender, isn't into surveillance or her job. Inspector Henry Stone wants to be her friend. He must have spent too much time around her sister Rae, as he has adopted Rae's special tactics for forcing people into friendship. And Rae herself has committed her first felony as part of her "Free Schmidt!" campaign, as she's left off working for Spellman Investigations and gotten into prisoner advocacy work with Maggie Mason. And Olivia Spellman is once again setting up Izzy on dates, this time blackmailing her with the threat of revealing all of the incidents that comprise Prom Night 1994.
It's a busy plot. Lutz manages to weave multiple Spellman plotlines in and out of the work Isabel is doing--a screenwriter who claims his screenplay was stolen, the mysterious disappearance and replacement of the perfect butler, and Isabel's own vendetta against fellow Pi Rick Hartley. One of the best things about the series is the growth and change in the characters. Izzy has grown from someone who pretends to be an adult into a mature person. She's more mentally stable than she's ever been. Read the previous books for details. Yet she's still funny, passionate and tough. Like the rest of the series, it's a visit with a family that is insane but loving in its own boundary-violating way.
So Isabel is back in the family business, and things are going pretty well. She's stepping into her role as the eventual boss after her parents' retirement. Strangely, her parents are pressuring their children for more family activities yet barring them from the house on Wednesdays. The economy is terrible, and that's hitting the business hard, leading to some strange clients. Boyfriend #12, the Irish bartender, isn't into surveillance or her job. Inspector Henry Stone wants to be her friend. He must have spent too much time around her sister Rae, as he has adopted Rae's special tactics for forcing people into friendship. And Rae herself has committed her first felony as part of her "Free Schmidt!" campaign, as she's left off working for Spellman Investigations and gotten into prisoner advocacy work with Maggie Mason. And Olivia Spellman is once again setting up Izzy on dates, this time blackmailing her with the threat of revealing all of the incidents that comprise Prom Night 1994.
It's a busy plot. Lutz manages to weave multiple Spellman plotlines in and out of the work Isabel is doing--a screenwriter who claims his screenplay was stolen, the mysterious disappearance and replacement of the perfect butler, and Isabel's own vendetta against fellow Pi Rick Hartley. One of the best things about the series is the growth and change in the characters. Izzy has grown from someone who pretends to be an adult into a mature person. She's more mentally stable than she's ever been. Read the previous books for details. Yet she's still funny, passionate and tough. Like the rest of the series, it's a visit with a family that is insane but loving in its own boundary-violating way.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
In Case You Crave The Classy
52 Stories offers a new short story every week from leading writers. This is a good example of innovative marketing for a style of fiction and writers who might not get attention, and doing it in a way that makes reading easier. Got a smart phone? Ipad? Carry your netbook or laptop? This sort of access is for you.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
What I'm Reading
Cookbook asked what I am reading lately. Here's a list of my library books:
Emma by Jane Austen. I took this out for book club. Note that I didn't say I'd read it--I coasted on previous readings during the discussion.
The American Painter Emma Dial--Samantha Peale
Spinsters, The Exes, and The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories--Pagan Kennedy. I've read her fiction before and liked it, and felt like giving her a boost since there's few libraries in the area with her books.
Living Well With Bad Credit--Chris Balish and Geoff Williams. It's about what it sounds like.
We Have Always Lived At The Castle--Shirley Jackson. Sometimes you need a creepfest.
I'm So Happy For You--Lucinda Rosenfeld.
The Girl Who Played With Fire--Steig Larsson. I liked the first book in the series but don't want to get too attached as the author only finished 3 of 10 planned books in the series before his death.
I have more coming in the mail (I fell for a Borders 30% off coupon) and more book club selections to purchase/borrow.
Emma by Jane Austen. I took this out for book club. Note that I didn't say I'd read it--I coasted on previous readings during the discussion.
The American Painter Emma Dial--Samantha Peale
Spinsters, The Exes, and The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories--Pagan Kennedy. I've read her fiction before and liked it, and felt like giving her a boost since there's few libraries in the area with her books.
Living Well With Bad Credit--Chris Balish and Geoff Williams. It's about what it sounds like.
We Have Always Lived At The Castle--Shirley Jackson. Sometimes you need a creepfest.
I'm So Happy For You--Lucinda Rosenfeld.
The Girl Who Played With Fire--Steig Larsson. I liked the first book in the series but don't want to get too attached as the author only finished 3 of 10 planned books in the series before his death.
I have more coming in the mail (I fell for a Borders 30% off coupon) and more book club selections to purchase/borrow.
Friday, January 15, 2010
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