My Reading Frenzy

The Luxe by Anna Godberson

This book has been on my radar for a while, but had not made it yet to a TBR pile, however I saw it on the shelf during my most recent trip to the library to pick up some hold items.  Soooooooo to get to the point, I checked it out and read most of it when I was stuck indoors all day Saturday for hurricane Irene.  This book was a perfect "rained in" book.  It was light with some female backstabbing, lots of fashions, and more than a smattering of romance. 

The prologue begins with the funeral of Elizabeth Holland.  The bulk of the book goes back about two weeks to take us through the events leading up to her death.  These events include more than one ball, some sex, lots of flirting, an engagement, some nefarious plotting, and a few visits to the dressmakers.  The story takes place in September and October of 1899.  Its historical elements include fashion, the lives of the New York City rich and fabulous, and a teeny, tiny bit of politics.  I wish there had been more about NYC in this time, but this is a book meant to be high interest for teenage girls, who might appreciate a wider look at the historical context of the story, but who are more likely to be bored by too much detail in that area. 

I enjoyed the story enough to have gone on-line to reserve book two in the series, Rumors.  I liked the characters well enough to be interested in what happens to them next.  Will Diana get the man of her dreams?  Will Penelope get her man?  What will be the repercussions of Elizabeth's death at such an important time for her family?  While I would appreciate more historical references, I think I can simply enjoy the next book, and perhaps the following two as the snapshots of society life they are meant to be. 

Deanna Raybourn - The Dark Enquiry

I have enjoyed Raybourn's Lady Julia nysteries, but this one, my 5th, may be my last.  There is no flaw in the mystery; I did not figure it out until just before the protagonists.  There is no flaw in the characterizations; the characters are exactly the same as they have been.  Therein lies the problem.  I am bored by Julia and Brisbane.  Brisbane revealed a few secrets about himself in this installment, but all the development of these characters is superficial.  Most interestingly this story dovetailed nicely with a non-fiction I am currently reading about the daughters of Queen Victoria.  Her eldest daughter Victoria, married Fritz of Prussia.  Prime Minister, or Chancellor at the time was Otto von Bismarck.  Bismarck plays an ancillary role in this mystery.  But I did not even learn much history in this hictorical fiction.  I wish I could give this story high praise, as I liked the other novels, but it was boring.

Independent Book Stores in New England

I was lucky enough recently to take part of my summer vacation in New England.  Really we only made significant stops in Connecticut and Vermont, but that was enough to visit a plethora of independent book stores. 

Connecticut:

We stopped in a series of six small towns in Connecticut along Long Island Sound, not all of them have bookstores, but usually there was an antique store or two to sate my browsing needs instead.

Guilford - Breakwater Books: This was the first we visited.  It was small, but that is part of the charm of independent bookstores.  They had a relatively large children's section that had been stocked by someone with significant knowledge.  Overall there was a large variety with some new publications as well as older favorites.  I bought God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam.  This is an adult novel I have had on a wishlist, but have not found in person.  Certainly I could order it on-line, but I appreciated the opportunity to support a local bookstore. 

Madison - RJ Julia Booksellers: Next we made our way to this town.  By this time though it had started to rain and many of the main street shops had closed, but not this one.  I could have moved right in to this bookstore and stayed for the rest of my life, or more realistically until closing time.  It is a two story shop with a huge selection in a variety of well-chosen and organized categories.  The booksellers were fantastically helpful and friendly.  If I could stand the snow and find a job I would move to CT to live near this bookstore where I would be a regular.  Here I bought The God of the Hive by Laurie King which I reviewed the other day and The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books we Shared by Alice Ozma. 

Vermont:

Stowe - Bear Pond Books: I did not love this store.  It was not peaceful and was inside a larger and touristy Stowe store, but it did have a section of Vermont authors where I found Snowflake Bentley a Caldecott winning picturebook from Vermont illustrator Mary Azarian. 

Burlington - Crow Bookshop:  This shop was mainly a used bookshop with some new items.  There was a quite good picture book section where I found The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Gris Grimly.   We did not spend too much time here as it was a girls shopping trip and we were on the hunt for fashion!

Shelburne - The Flying Pig Bookstore: Here were more superb YA and children's sections.  I could have spent hours browsing, but this is rarely good for my wallet and usually upsetting to the people I am with who have less interest in just sitting and looking at books for hours.  I was on a mission this trip to find Sarah Ockler's Twenty Boy Summer, since there has been some controversy over it.  Sadly they did not have it, but the wonderful bookseller recommened Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock, which I got along with The 10 PM Question by Kate De Goldi, and Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones. 

Johnson- Ebenezar Books (which does not seem to have a website).  Because this was a small shop I was able to give the whole place a good going over.  There was a nice selection, a mix of genres and interests.  I did not buy anything here because quite honestly I felt like I had already bought enough books to keep me busy for a while to add to my extensive collection of TBR titles. 

 

I also went to one library, in Waterbury, VT where they were having a book sale.  I did not purchase any books, but found a puzzle for 50¢, that upon completion turned out to have all the pieces...what a coup!

If you are an independent bookshop junkie and are traveling make a point to find a few shops to support!

 

Megan Whalen Turner - Part II

I read The King of Attolia and A Conspiracy of Kings one right after the other, after having taken a break after the second book in the series, The Queen of Attolia.  I am glad I took a break, but also thrilled I had books 3 & 4 available without having to wait.  Again, Turner trusts to the nimble-mindedness of her reader by crafting a tale of political intrigue and power plays.  I loved all four books.  I have heard rumors that she is not done with the series, but A Conspiracy of Kings ended so tightly I am not sure there are any threads to play with to write a 5th book. 

While these books are intricately plotted, the reading level and the lack of anything "inappropriate" would make these good reading for advanced children, maybe grades 4-6.  They are certainly aimed at young-young adults, grades 7-9.  I would also call these high interest for the high school level or "true" young adults. 

I am not sure what I like most about the series, the characters, who are interesting with depth and all the quirks and inconsistencies that make people fascinating and infuriating, or the plot which has completely unpredictable but believable twists and surprises.  Whichever it is, Turner has crafted a brilliant series that I could seriously read again...if I had time, ha!

The God of the Hive - Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Laurie King's 10th book, The God of the Hive, in the Mary Russell series is a continuation of book nine, The Language of Bees.  Returning are Damian and Estelle Adler, bad guy Thomas Brothers, American pilot Javitz, Inspector Lastrade of Scotland Yard, Mycroft Holmes, and of course Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes.  In this book however, the source of the trouble is revealed as Mary and Sherlock, with the help of woodsman, Robert Goodman work to save their family and themselves from insidious machinations.  It all sounds a bit melodramatic, but this series does tend toward the intense without being ridiculous.  I have yet to read 10 books in a mystery series without finding them predictable and formulaic, not so with this series.  I love Mary Russell, a resourceful sleuth, who is of course a woman unlike her Victorian counterparts. I have looked forward to these books and reading one a year is just about right. 

While the reader knows the identity of the "god of the hive" early in the book, Mary and Sherlock's search creates the tension.  Since the characters are separated through 75% of the book, the narrative follows each until they come together towards the end to pool their information and nab the perpetrator. 

King does an excellent job of making the reader care about the characters while delivering a tension filled mystery as well as a historical look at Victorian England, though primarily London. I would not jump in and read just this book, or even its predecessor.  There is too much interesting back story in the previous novels, starting with the first, The Beekeeper's Apprentice.  It is well worth it to start at the beginning and enjoy the entire story of Mary Russell. 

 

In Zanesville - Jo Ann Beard

I do not mean this in a bad way, but after intensively reading YA literature for the past two and a half years, I have determined that the story almost always (I cannot in good conscience say "always" since I have not read all YA literature.)  comes down to the struggle for identity and  finding ones place in the world.  It has been an almost depressingly long time since I was a teenager.  Luckily I have spent most of my career working with teens, observing their behaviors, so I do not feel out of touch with the youth of today as many adults do.  I also feel this allows me to read YA literature and assess its authenticity with some authority. 

Jo Ann Beard's Novel In Zanesville, is not action packed, it is not earth shattering, it does not feature anyone with supernatural powers, its characters are not extraordinary in any way....except they are normal and it is our individual normality that makes us each extraordinary.  The narrator (who has no name - is this symbolic of her nebulous identity? -maybe)  and her friend Felicia begin the story with a babysitting catastrophe involving the fire department and some interesting pets.  While their friendship has been solid up to the present (some time in the 1970s in Zanesville, OH.), it is tested by boys, popular girls, family, and each girl's need to be an individual as well as belong to a group.  Neither girl has a perfect home life, nor has either suffered grievously, but the influence of an alcoholic father or inattentive mother resonate without causing overt damage.  Instead the damage and decisions it influences are more subtle and perhaps more insidious for their subtlety. 

The story is not sad, nor is it uplifting.  We care for the narrator and hope her life will turn out more satisfying than that of the few adults who appear significantly, but we worry as we are a part of the teenage hurts she suffers (being the odd girl when a group of boys visits a sleepover party), wondering if a few bad decisions as a teen can be overcome later. 

By setting the novel in the 70s, Beard does not need to confront the role of media, the Internet, and cell phones.  In one way it is a simpler time, but one in which face to face interactions and all their awkwardness are not replaced by somewhat anonymous and protected technologic interactions.  

While I believe some of the nuances of the narrator's experiences may be lost on a teen reader, adults may be taken back to their own early teen years with an opportunity to reexamine and reflect.