My Reading Frenzy

Chick Lit?

I am not entirely sure I believe in the concept "chick lit." It seems to me that novels written by and about females can be enjoyed by anyone.  In fact isn't the greatest achievement of literature that it takes fictional characters and places them in realistic (sometimes) situations that then help us each to understand something about ourselves and humanity in general.  This is, I believe, the whole concept behind the YA Saves movement.  The idea being, teens can read about fictional characters who are experiencing the tribulations of being young adults they themselves are experiencing and thereby feel less alone.  Because even though the characters are fictional, the author, who obviously understands and empathizes, is not. 

So, the two books I have read recently that started this rant are I Think I Love You, by Allison Pearson and A Grown-up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson (whose reading and book signing I was fortune to attend last weekend).  Both books are by female authors and address particularly female experiences: teen idol worship and motherhood respectively.  However, I still would not necessarily classify them as chick lit. if such a thing does exist. 

Pearson's book spends a great deal of time in 1974 just before the "retirement" of teen idol David Cassidy.  While I know who he is, and have watched a fair few episodes of The Partidge Family, I was too young to have experienced the hype.  Petra, the main character is 13 in 1974 and fully a disciple of Cassidy.  The early part of the book spends a great deal of time describing Cassidy's appeal and Petra's obsessions in particular along with some of the other teen issues with which she was dealing (ie first boyfriends, false friends, and a strict mother).  Though Cassidy was not my crush of choice (Ricky Schroeder and Michael Jackson ca. Thriller) I understand Petra and her longings.  For me though, the second half of the book when Petra is an adult and mother was much more interesting.  The childhood memories are necessary to understanding some of Petra's insecurities as an adult, but the adult experiences are what make the book.  (Do not miss the transcript of Pearson's 2004 interview with Cassidy at the end of the book.)

Jackson's story is as fine as her previous novels (Gods in Alabama; Between, Georgia; Backseat Saints; and The Girl Who Stopped Swimming).  Three generations of Slocumb women Ginny, Liza, and Mosey fight, love, and heal with each other.  It sounds a bit hokey I guess, but as the three generations are only 15 years apart there are interesting intersections in their lives.  While Mosey is trying to avoid the fate of her grandmother and mother, Liza is recovering from a stroke brought on in part by her previous drug use, and Ginny (or Big) tries to hold everyone together while neglecting her own needs.  All wrapped up in these issues is the problem of the tiny corpse found in the backyard when the willow tree is cut down.  A "must read" for fans of Jackson, and a good place to start if you have not read her work. 

 
                                  

Peculiar Books

Yes, not a very clever title if I am writing about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs but to mix it up I also have something to say about Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley (winner of this year's Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature).  Because I read these two books in quick succession they seem to me to have similarities. 

1.  Both deal with mysterious events in the lives of the teenage, male main characters.

2.  Both ultimately come back to the teenager's search for his place in this world. 

3.  Both young men have some psychological issues that require the advice of a professional. 

I guess that is about it!

So, Miss Peregrine's... is fantasy.  When Jacob seeks some answers about his grandfather's life after suspicious death, he travels with his father to Cairnholm, an unusual island off the coast of Wales, where his grandfather spent some time during World War II.  What Jacob finds is not just some peculiar children whom his grandfather knew in his youth (mull that one over for a few moment) but also some rather nasty...creatures.  Is feels definitely like many of the icky things chasing Jacob and the children as well as his grandfather so many years ago stand as a metaphor for the icky things that plague human beings throughout time.  One convention of the book that I am not so sure about is the use of antique photos.  The author explains in an afterword that the photos are all real and part of the collections of people who make a hobby of collecting odd, old photos.  What I am not sure about is how Riggs weaves them into the story.  It felt just a bit too contrived and therefore awkward. 

Where Things Come Back is 100% realistic fiction.  I personally love sci fi and fantasy, but a good does of reality is healthy for me from time to time.  Cullen lives in Lily, Arkansas where not much happens until there is a rare woodpecker sighting and Cullen's younger brother Gabriel disappears one day.  While the two events are not related to each other, both cause upheaval in Cullen's life.  

It is the structure of this book that is so intriguing.  Told in alternating chapters we also meet Benton Sage, and through him, Cabot Searcy, whose story intersects with Cullen's in a totally unpredictable and brilliant way. 

I can completely understand why the book received the Printz honor this year.  While it grapples with religious faith, love, sex, friendship, and family it is a brilliantly structured story that really is difficult to put down.  Throughout the reader is asking, why? how? who? what? and is left at the end wondering if...  It really is a fantastic read. 

 

 

Another Wonder from Diana Wynne Jones

Sometimes I read books and am sad that I waited so long to do so....but how am I to know they will be wonderful.  Well, I should know when the other books from the same author are wonderful, so maybe I am just trying to spread out the wonders, or maybe I am just a big dummy sometimes. 

Anyway, House of Many Ways is the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, though neither Howl, nor Sophie are main characters.  Of course Calcifer and the castle are back as well, but also not the main characters.  Instead we have Charmain (who is fittingly, but mistakenly called Miss Charming by the residents of the Great Mansion), Peter, and a sweet doggy named Waif.  The residents of the Great Mansion are searching fruiously for either the King's gold or the Elfgift, preferably both.  They bring in Charmain who is currently house sitting for her Great Uncle William, the Wizard of Norland while he is away being healed by the elves, to help sort through documents in the libray that may have a clue about the whereabouts of both items.  Peter comes along to apprentice to the Wizard not knowing he is away.  Much magical tomfoolery and experimentation ensue.

This book is delightful and I will not wait so long to read Castle in the Air.

 

Rae Carson's The Girl of Fire and Thorns

I decided to finally read The Girl of Fire and Thorns (There was no good reason I had not read it already, it just had not made it to the top of any piles yet.) because it was recommended on a blog celebrating The Queen's Thief Week, in celebration of the series by Megan Whalen Turner.  This is a series I also came to late in the game, and LOVED and want to read again!  (In my defense, there are a lot of good books in the world and despite my best efforts, I cannot read them all.  And I do not want to limit myself to one genre in order to be a completist in that area. ) 

Yes, after having read The Girl of Fire and Thorns I can understand why The Thief fans would recommend it.  There is a lot of the same kind of political intrigue and machinations in both books.  The main characters, while female and male respectively are also similar.  The are not however tediously similar.  The Girl is original with lots of unexpected twists and turns.  Elisa is the current bearer, only one is chosen every century, with a Godstone in her naval.  Despite knowing some of the history of other bearers, Elisa does not know what her great work will be.  Once she marries her path becomes more clear. 

Elisa is a fully formed character with flaws, foibles, and strengths.  Despite the fantasy elements of the book, all the characters are believable and engaging.  The story moves quickly and does not feel like the first of a trilogy.  Though I am glad we will have more of Elisa in the next two books, I am satisfied with the completeness of the first. 

SLJ - Battle of the Books

Wow!  I have read only six of this year's contenders in School Library Journal's Battle of the Books, but they were good ones.  I have a few of the others on deck, but will have to go get the rest.  The first round bracket is a doozy!