My Reading Frenzy

Revisiting Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie

Not too long ago I succumbed to the lure of a great Kindle deal on Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty. While I own all the books in the series, I am separated from them by a great distance. I kept reading in starts and fits on the Metro, which was a mistake as the emotional impact of the story calls for sustained reading. I did not make this mistake with books 2-5 checking them out of the library to avoid waiting to be reunited with my copies.

A few comments:

1.  Though the first book was published in 2001, the cultural references feel nostalgic rather than tired. 

2.  I was just as engaged by the romance between Jessica and Marcus this time as I was when the outcome was a surprise. 

3.  McCafferty has created teens I believe (and I taught HS for 15 years).

4.  Having spent 10 years living near where the books are set, I enjoyed visiting McCafferty's thinly disguised Pineville. 

5.  Watching Jessica mature is almost as satisfying as the romance. She is a woman with whom I want to be friends. (Maybe Megan McCafferty will be my friend instead. - Holden Caulfield says it best: "What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.")

6.  Perfect Fifths is my favorite. The majority of the book takes place in the airport, based almost entirely on banter between Jessica and Marcus that sparks and snaps. Their exchanges speak to the genius of an author who can drive suspense with little action all the while slowly building up to the ending the two were destined for. 

I am looking very forward to the second installment of Jessica Darling's It List.  McCafferty  is taking us back to Jessica in middle school, to see her as she becomes the thought-full, notso we love as a teen and young adult.  

This is my life...

Me: Love!

Friend: Is it another character from a book?

Me: NO! maybe... Ok, yes, but this time it is different.

Friend: Because this time he is going to come out of the book and love you back?

Me: No, because this time he is just a sweet boy I wish were my nephew (not to replace the fabulous nephew I already have, but in addition).

Friend: (sigh) Who is it?

Me: Nate Foster from Tim Federle's Better Nate Than Ever and 5,6,7, Nate.  And he is fabulous.  He runs away from home to audition for a Broadway play.  He is brave and resourceful.  He wonders if he might have feelings for other boys, but also knows he is just not really even ready to consider it seriously because he is pursuing a career and is only 13.  Federle has just done a great job presenting Nate as a great kid who is just trying to do what he loves. Nate is sweet and talented and reminds me of a few kids I directed when I was doing the HS musical.  I LOVE these books!

Me Again: The books are perfect for a middle school library where books with the question: "Am I gay or not?" are needed but at the level for kids 12-13.  As a librarian I really appreciate the way Federle has woven the excitement of the theatre in with the wondering and questioning.  Standing ovation!

A bit late to the Marissa Meyer party

I can admit it...I saw the book on the shelves...with that cover, that tantalizing cover.  You know the one, with the cyborg foot in the red shoe.  I wanted to buy it; just the cover screamed "You will love me! You will not be able to stop reading!"  But I resisted, for nearly two years.  Why did I resist?  Because I was NOT going to be sucked in by yet another series...another chance for an author to toy with me while I wait to discover the fate of characters (yes, fictional characters) I care about.  But I cracked.  With all the hype around Cress, the third book, in what will be a quartet, I simply could not take the pressure. 

Cress was released yesterday.  I finished reading Scarlet, the second in the series, moments
ago.  Even knowing the author is coming to DC next week, when I will buy the book at the signing, I am still tempted to run out to buy it NOW so I can find out what happens next. 

I have a serious problem, not because I have to wait a week for the book, but because I am addicted to books, and there are no help groups for this kind of addiction.  Instead we get together with friends and wine and call it a "book club," but really it's a group of enablers who say, "There's no such thing as 'too many books'."  or "Books are good for you."  or "I read that one, it was great!" And it's a never-ending spiral into book piles taller than even normal sized people, and the maximum number of holds at the library, and stories to fill your heart and mind with joy and sorrow and all that it means to be human. 

So yes, these books are fabulous.  Humans, after World War IV, are in conflict with the Lunars, a race living on the moon.  A race with incredible, manipulative mind powers.  In a world where it is possible to save someone's life with cyborg technology.  A world in which it is possible to save a princess until the time is right for her to emerge. 

So, I will read Cress next week, and wait patiently for 2015 and the release of Winter, the fourth book, but I won't like it and this time I am really breaking up with series books!

New Adult - Real genre or not necessary

I just finished a novel that seems to be firmly in the newly coined genre "new adult."  At this moment I am feeling too lazy to look up its actual definition, but from what I have read and can remember, this genre is for the high school graduate and maybe even college graduate who is not yet ready to leave behind YA themes of finding oneself and making a place in the world, but is not yet ready for the world of "adult fiction" a genre title I cannot help but equate to "adult films" when they are NOT REALLY THE SAME AT ALL. 

Anywho, the book I have just finished is Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando.  The chapters alternate between two girls who have just found out they will be college roommates.  I can see how this is different from YA: the issues are different, the approach to sex is much less ridden with angst, there is an element of "fresh start" to the whole story.  That being said, I am not sure this needs to be a whole different genre, which implies a separate shelf at the place where you get your books.  I think high school age students who are looking forward to college could benefit from stories about this limbo time and beyond, just as adults, who are flocking to YA more and more anyway, will read these for the same reason: they are engaging stories no matter the age of the reader.  So I have arrived at no conclusion.  How do you feel about "new adult" as a separate genre?

The book itself is nicely done.  While I have grown a bit weary of the alternating chapters concept, this one works well because the writers are different.  Too often the difference in voice is difficult to detect.  This particular time in my life was difficult.  I sometimes deal poorly with change, and I loved high school.  This novel spends almost no time dwelling on the horrors or joys of high school, but focuses almost entirely on "What do I do in the time I have left in my old life?" and "What is my new life going to be like?"  Whatever the genre is called I like it!  I like it a lot!   

I have received a recommendation to read another book by Sara Zarr called The Lucy Variations.  While I am looking forward to the book based on my recent reading and the recommendation, the best part is the cool story I have to tell:  When I read the "Acknowledgements" in Roomies, I noticed a familiar name.  This is not someone I know well, but I have in fact spoken to her in person on more than one occasion and exchanged e-mail (prior to the one I am about to discuss).  After seeing her name, and figuring it probably is indeed her as she was an editor at the book's publishing house, I wrote to confirm.  And YES she is in fact the person acknowledged, and she is also acknowledged in The Lucy Variations.  FULL DISCLOSURE:  I am a book nerd, I love to meet authors, but we are not likely to be friends.  However, I am pretty thrilled to actually know someone who was acknowledged by real, published authors in actual, published works. 

UP NEXT: ttfn by Lauren Myracle to which I have been looking forward since I finished ttyl.

Holiday Time Reading

I was able to do quite a bit of reading during my Christmas break along with relaxing and spending time with family and friends.

Not too long ago I read Graceling by Kristin Cashore.   I followed up with Fire the companion novel.  On one hand I was irritated not to get the continuing story of Katsa and Po, but it did not take many pages before I was caught up in the story of Fire and Brigan.  Their story takes place in the same world as that of Katsa and Po, but many years before.  There is also a significant cross-over character who will be important in the third book, Bitterblue, which is at the top of my TBR pile. 

I do like the books I read at holiday time to be generally cheerful.  I chose well with The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.  It is a love story in which the romantic lead is a man with Aspberger's.  As more and more children and adults are diagnosed we will see more and more literature of this type.  The object of his affection is Rosie, a woman who on paper, or according to Don's questionnaire, is completely wrong for him.  There are few surprises in this love story, but the tale is so sweet and so indicative of the Aspberger's experience that it is informative as well as heart-warming. 

 

Next up was The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg.  This is the first of her books I have read, though I have seen Fried Green Tomatoes, the movie version of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.  This novel moves back and forth from present day (approximately) to right before World War II.  I enjoyed both segments, which of course intersected, but the WWII were great historical fiction.  Just like in Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith, which I read last year, this is the story of women pilots, a whole family of them.  I find this topic really interesting and appreciate the incorporation of historical accuracy with the story of women who might really have been there.  

 

For New Year's Eve I read Persepolis by Marjane Patrapi, which made me want to know more about the Iranian people.  All I know pertains to the time after the establishment of the Islamic republic.  I know almost nothing about the rich and ancient culture of Persia.  I also had time to visit my favorite used bookstore in Norfolk, The Book Exchange, where I picked up Lauren Myracle's ttyl and L8r, g8r but not ttfn.  I did not find ttyl as shocking as I expected given the buzz I have heard about the series.  I just found it to be a realistic depiction of teen life.  I look forward to the next two books.   I also started This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, whose work I always enjoy. 

I like sweet love stories and I cannot lie

I have managed to read quite a bit recently, but have not managed to blog much. But here I am to get in a post before Christmas hits, though honestly I should probably still be outdoors enjoying this freakishly warm weather. 

1.  Attachments by Rainbow Rowell  Rowell is the queen of the slow burn.  She pulled it off beautifully in Eleanor and Park as well as Fangirl, both YA romances.  Attachments is a romance featuring adult characters.  (I dislike using the phrase "adult romance" because it makes me think of "those" kind of adult romances.)  It does not pack quite the romantic power of the YA stories, but it was Rowell's first and I think she just needed to settle into her romance groove.  Beth and Jennifer are friends who work together and use work e-mail to chat through the day.  (The books takes place in 1999 and 2000.)  Lincoln's job is to monitor employee e-mail that is flagged for inappropriate content.  This leads to Lincoln falling for Beth because of her witty banter.  Her cute freckles do not hurt once he sees her.  It is a sweet story that is not saccharine and though the set-up could be creepy, but with Rowell's way it is not. 

 

2.  Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenni Colgan  This story on the other hand is far too sweet, but I love it anyway.  For crying out loud, the story centers on Issy opening a cupcake cafe. It does not matter to me that the ending is predictable, and even some of the more major plot points.  I read mainly for enjoyment and I do not take umbrage at a story that does not surprise me.  I like Colgan's style and enjoy the storytelling, and I like a happy ending.  

3.  Less a straight love story is Adriana Trigiani's The Supreme Macaroni Company, which picks up just after the end of Brava, Valentine.  Valentine and Gianluca's romance has progressed to engagement and marriage.  This story is really about how two independent people come together in a marriage.  It is not all birds singing and romance, but instead Trigiani focuses on how each person must give a little in order to be married successfully.  I always like Trigiani's stories and look forward to more. 

4.  I took a bit of a break from YA with the titles above, but I have not neglected it entirely.  I have had The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle for a few weeks.  I have not read any of Myracle's Internet Girls series (ttyl, ttfn, and l8r,g8r), but I have read Shine.  There is no doubt this is a romance.  Wren and Charlie meet just as high school is ending, the set up for a summer romance.  However, what they find with each other is more intense and probably long-lasting than a summer fling.  The issues with which Wren (overbearing parents) and Charlie (foster home) deal keep the story from being purely romance, but the two fall hard for each other in the way only teens can.  Sadly, adults tend to be a bit more jaded about love and romance.  The story has some pretty graphic sex scenes, but I would not label these as gratuitous. They serve to illustrate the intensity of the relationship as well as present the reality that teens are sexual beings no matter what some churches, schools, and parents would like to believe. 

4.  Just to avoid having to write an entirely new post for one book, I am going to include From Norvelt to Nowhere by Jack Gantos in this post.  While it does contain an element of romance I would place it more in the comedy genre than anywhere else.  I loved Dead End in Norvelt to which I listened (narrated by the author).  In that novel, Ms. Volker takes center stage when she composes the fasinating obituaries for all the women who are murdered.  In this one, Ms. Volker and Jack travel from Pennsylvania to Florida with more than a few stops in between.  Note: These are the only two books by Gantos I have read.  I found this story to be empty.  I did not care much what happened to anyone, which really made me sad.  The tale was just so far-fetched I had trouble suspending my disbelief, which led to apathy.  

Now that I have a break from work I am planning a full scale attack on my TBR pile, hopefully followed by lots of posting!

 

 

 

Two Boys Kissing

is not really what you think it will be about.  Though it is about two boys kissing, but in true David Levithan style it is really addressing so much more.  The two boys in question are Harry and Craig who used to date.  Now they are kissing in order to break the world's record in a particularly attention getting way.  They will kiss over a weekend on the front lawn of their high school.  Harry's parents know he is gay and completely support this endeavor.  Craig's parents are less aware and less supportive than he and we would like.  We also follow the story of Avery, a transgendered boy, and Ryan who meet the night before the kiss begins at a gay prom and a long term couple, Peter and Neil.  Cooper also figures into the story as he is discovered on gay pick-up sites by his disgusted father.  Hovering over all these stories are the ghosts of gay men who have gone before, those who have died of AIDS and who are part of the generation that refused to hide despite some horrific repercussions.  They linger to watch as the world changes for the better for young men like those in the story. 

This is not a long novel, but it is lovely and sad, but hopeful that though we have come a long way, there is still work to be done.  So while the two kissing boys are at the center of the story, Levithan has really written a book about being gay.  He writes about how being gay is still what you are rather than one part of what you are, but he also writes of the day when this will no longer be the case. 

I think that Levithan does not back away from what has surely been controversial reaction and I am glad.  Someone needs to write books about the gay, teen experience for all the reasons we know YA literature is important: so kids do not feel alone in whatever they are experiencing, and so they know their stories are being told and read. 

Big Bloggin' Slacker

Some people might give me the benefit of the doubt over my long posting absence.  Those of you who just leapt right to judging me....well you are in the right.  I have been lazy and not blogging about what I read.  This of course, as I have lamented before, completely goes against the reason I started a blog in the first place, which was to record the books I read because they do not all stick in my mind the way I would like.

In my defense:

1.  I do write a journal every day to record my adventures as the Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress, so I am doing a lot of writing. 

2.  I also spend a lot of time exploring Washington, DC so my time for blogging is more limited.

Neither of these excuses is strong, but at least they are honest.  So without further ado, here are some of the books I have read since last blogging, with mini-reviews. 

1.  The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness:  I liked this one most especially because it was another re-imagining of a dystopic world, but one totally different from anything before and gladly after.  Next up in my reading pile is the second in the series: The Ask and the Answer.  On one hand I am afraid to read because book 1 ended with our hero and heroine in a very precarious situation, but on the other hand....I MUST find out what happens to them.

2.  The Disenchantments by Nina LeCour: This novel was fabulous because its characters are all artists of one sort or another.  There are lots of sports novels that I think are meant to draw in sporty kids who someone believes do not like to read.  But I love a story about musicians and artists.  This is definitely a high school book, but one I would recommend to any high schooler who likes to read and is perhaps a bit apprehensive about life post-high school.

3 & 4.  Jepp Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh and The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd:  I did not finish either of these books because the first did not really catch my interest and the second because its first 50 pages were filled with ridiculous cliches of plot and metaphor. 

5.  Allegiant by Veronica Roth: WOW!  What an ending!  Roth has done it, she has ended a trilogy in what I felt was a totally satisfying way.  I know there is chatter around the blogs that she broke readers' hearts, but I say, all's fair in dystopic YA fiction.  This is a series I will read again to capture the emotional impact of all three books without a year or more of time between.

6.  The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater:  I have said it before and I will say it again. Maggie Stiefvater and I should be friends.  I will not go so far as to say "we are just alike" and "I totally get her," because those two things are ridiculous, but I think she has an outlook with which I agree and I think I could bring a lot to the friendship.  The books was amazing.  It does not suffer from second book syndrome.  Stuff happened, important stuff happened, the story progressed, there was no treading of water so that the third book can be tumultuous and earth-shattering.  I listened to The Raven Boys before reading this to refresh me on the details, and I am glad I did.  Now I wait for the third installment.  Sigh.

7.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore:  Yes, I am a bit late to this party, but I have wanted to read this trilogy for a while, and just never did.  This is of course good because I can read all three quickly without waiting for the next book to be released.  I realize this is good for book sales in many ways, but it is frustrating to me as a reader who does not often re-read books.  It is difficult for me to remember details from earlier books, but I also dislike when the other front-loads a book with reminders from the previous stories.  Yes, I am very picky!

8.  March by John Lewis:  There is a lot of weight on the shoulders of Congressman John Lewis who is the only surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington.  He has handled some of his legacy by writing a graphic novel about his experiences.  While the book is aimed at middle grade readers, I think it is still a great way to look at the Civil Rights movement from the first person perspective.  I look forward to the continuation of the story. 

There may be others I have read, but I cannot remember any right now.  I am part way through Foodist by Darya Pino Rose and The Secret Lives of Codebreakers by Sinclair McKay. 

Two Thumbs Down for Banned Books, or Why I Love Rainbow Rowell

Last week I had the good fortune to see Rainbow Rowell at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC.  In addition to being fabulous she was funny, and honest, and delight.  If I had not already loved her books I would have been smitten just by listening to her talk about them.  Interestingly she was scheduled for the Teen area, but I think I could count up the number of actual teens present on one hand.  I reviewed Eleanor and Park a while back and think I could definitely read it again soon!  I was very happy when her next book, Fangirl came out so quickly.  

Rowell began her talk with a bit of background about Eleanor and Park that she had not necessarily intended for a teen audience.  She does have an adult romance called Attachments, which I now own and will read.  I may have to wait a bit in order to equalize the time between releases, as her next novel, another for adults is not being released until the spring.  She also discussed how the book was a bit autobiographical and gave her a great outlet for some things she had not quite grappled with as a teen. 

She went on to read from Fangirl.  At one point she touched on reasons why she hates/loves romance movies: because they leave out all the good falling in love stuff.  Eureka! I said in my head, yes, that is exactly what I loved about Eleanor and Park, the slow build.  There was little doubt they would have a romance, but how would it all fall into place? When?  Fangirl is full of the same tantalizing, mosey toward love.  It reminded me of Stephanie Perkins's novels Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door.  I even tried to read the book a bit slowly to savor all the little details of the romance. 

The book opens with Cather walking into her freshman dorm room for the first time.  She is scared, jumpy, and completely unprepared for the social aspects of college, see she has anticipated rooming safely with her twin sister, who declined the privilege in favor of meeting new people and asserting her one-ness.  Cather is also an intense fan-fiction writer of stories that take place in the universe of Simon Snow, wildly popular boy wizard.  (One of the most charming parts of the book is Rowell's inclusion of snippets from both the original books as well as Caht's fanfic.)  Cath longs to be a writer, but feels she is only competent in a world invented by someone else.  This causes a bit of a problem with her creative writing professor, but Cath persists in what she loves.  Cath's story is rounded out with family issues as well as boy phobia/longing.  Levi and Nick figure into her romantic life that is inhibited by her own fears. 

Now, for the banned books part of my title.  It seems that Rainbow Rowell was recently invited to speak at a public library in Minnesota, then uninvited because of issues with the language in Eleanor and Park.  Here is a link to a good overview of the whole situation.  When someone at the reading asked about the situation, Rowell was visibly upset.  Not in a "I don't want to talk about it" way, but in a "these people may not have read the book and the definitely did not understand it."  I guess it is good that book banning gets lots of attention so we do not forget it still happens in this "free" country, but it is so sad when kids are deprived of excellent books that will help them to feel connected to a community of other readers and the characters.  More sad when it is people who claim to care about them, but not enough to read about difficult topics in order to open up communication about things like bullying and abuse that we need to talk about if we want them to go away. 

So, bottom line READ THESE BOOKS and tell all your friends about how wonderful they are. 

Holly Black is AWESOME and so is the National Book Festival

So, it has been a woefully long time since I posted a review, or anything at all for that matter, but the good news is I have been reading and have something to talk about.  I reviewed Doll Bones by Holly Black in my previous post.  Since then I have also read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and bought her graphic novel series The Good Neighbors: Kin, Kith, and Kind.  I am pretty excited to read them.  I picked up a couple of other graphic novels when I went to Politics and Prose to see Rainbow Rowell last Wednesday - more about that in another post. 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a vampire book...I know, I know haven't we all had enough vampire books, but this one is different I promise.  First of all, the heroine is not a ridiculous, swoony girl who can't bear to be without her vampire (I think we all know to whom I am alluding here.)  Tana is remarkably strong-willed in the face of some pretty harrowing stuff.  There is no way around it, this book is not afraid to talk about what vampires do, which is suck the blood out of people and sometimes kill them. 

Tana wakes up after a party to find that only she, a friend who has been bitten, and a vampire have survived a huge and horrific vampire attack.  It is only through guts and some probably unwise behavior that Tana gets the survivors away.  Not knowing their fate, she heads for the nearest coldtown where Aidan (the bitten friend), and Gavriel (the vampire) probably need to be and where she herself may need to be if she has been infected by a slight encounter.  I really do not want to give much away, but this is certainly a vampire novel to redeem YA vampire novels and to realign with the greats of vampire fiction: Dracula and Interview with the Vampire.  I for one would not mind more of Tana and Gavriel.  (My insider info. tells me Holly Black is not done with this world.)  WHAT INSIDER INFO. YOU SAY???

Well, in my previous post I revealed that I would be introducing Holly Black at the National Book Festival. 

This is Holly Black speaking to the crowd after my introduction.  She was funny, and gracious to all those who asked questions and came up to her afterwards for pictures and to ask questions.  She even signed my book before going on.  Now you might be saying that I could have just snuck up by the side of the stage and snapped this shot.....but

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is indisputable...this is me WITH Holly Black after her talk.  After this I wandered around the Book Festival in a bit of a daze until I got my act together to go see Patrick Ness give his talk.  His was actually in an interview format with a Washington Post reporter, but he did take questions afterwards.

 

 

 

He is super adorable, and has a husband....I did not know this.  My crush is however unabated.  His newest book More Than This is one at the top of my TBR pile.  I loved A Monster Calls and have been looking forward to reading others for a while now.   I was walking by the fiction tent when I happened across Brad Meltzer and stopped, became entranced by his stories about the Archives, Washington DC, and being invited to the White  House.  As you can see I was quite far away, but had a perfect line right to him.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that I had to head to the Library of Congress for my presentation that went quite well despite the windyness.  My final author of the day was Paulo Bacigalupi author of Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities.  In the Q & A he specifically address the idea of sequels which he does not like to do.  But he also said, he does not think he is done with the world he created in those two novels.  The book he spoke about was Zombie Baseball Beatdown, which I bought on the off chance I got to introduce him, but I doubt I will read it now because does not sound like my thing.  I think I'll send it to my favorite nephew who may really enjoy it.                  

I truly appreciated the opportunity to hear all these wonderful authors.  But all that pales in comparison with the experience I had today. I began by being present for the "Book that Changed Me" awards for which I had been a judge in the final round.  The three kids who were the top winners almost brought me to tears with their sweet and wonderful readings.  The essays were not really sad, but to know that these kids were so deeply affected by books is why librarians, teachers, and parents work so hard to get kids to read.  Part of the ceremony was also the "Letters about Literature" national winner who happens to live in DC.  She wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder and connected her works to the life of her father who had grown up in Eritrea and then back to her own life during which she has not had to struggle to find food, water, or education.  That one made me cry because is was a sweet homage to her father and Little House on the Prairie. 

 

 

I then worked our booth through the afternoon talking to many librarians and teachers from around the nation who are eager to use or already use primary sources with their students.  Near the end of the day, Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress stopped by, and this happened.   What a day and what a weekend!

Off the Pace

I think I am off my book-a-day pace.  My last post was Monday the 12th and it is now Tuesday the 20th.  In that time I have read only four books.  In all honesty, one of the books, The Uncommon Reader I read the evening of the 12th.  (It's a quick read.)  In it, the uncommon reader is Queen Elizabeth II who has come to reading a bit late in life, 2007 if we go by the book's publication date.  It is an interesting look at how she becomes immersed in books, realizing how much can be learned about life, the world, and humanity from reading.  It is a sweet little story worth the hour or so it takes to read.  Another good Queen Elizabeth II is Mrs. Queen Takes the Train. 

Next I moved on to another Diana Wynne Jones, Earwig and the Witch.  This one is definitely an elementary read, but it was a cute story about an orphan who outsmarts a witch.  A good "girl power" story.  Yey, again a very short book. 

Next, I picked up Infinityglass by Myra McEntire at the bookstore last Wednesday and began reading immediately.  This threw me off my pace a bit because it was not as quick a read as the rest in the pile I had created for myself.  I had not planned to buy it, since I did not care for the second book in the series Timepiece.  (This was yet another title that proved my theory about second books in trilogies.) But I caved because the third in a trilogy is usually much better than the second, though rarely as good as the first.  This proved true in this case as well.  This third book focused on a secondary character from the first two books as well as someone completely new.   The old favorites popped up eventually, but their stories were not central to this one.  McEntire has created a complicated world with all sorts of details to remember about each character's powers and his or her limitations.  I can be a bit unwieldy without re-reading the earlier book, which I have not.  Someday, if I ever have time (ha) I might read the trilogy again to refresh the whole arc of the story.  I will be interested to see what McEntire does next. 

Finally, just moments ago I finished No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman.  Earlier in the summer I read Schooled, which may have been the first in my book-a-day challenge.  I have been intrigued by Korman since I heard him speak at my state's library conference last November.  His stories often take place in middle school, kids seem to enjoy them.  I find them to be a bit unrealistic, but the exaggerations certainly fit the tales and are not beyond believability.  In this one, Wallace Wallace's (Yep, same first and last name, not a typo.) detention for writing a negative book review of the teacher's favorite novel sets of a series of events related to the school play based on the book and Wallace's somewhat disappointing middle school football career.  A weird mix, but one  that works for this story about how important being part of something is for kids. 

That's it, in 8 days, 4 books.  Sad, I know.  But in my defense I spent one whole day moving most of my stuff to Washington, DC and two others packing, and I went to the gym four of last week's five week days. 

Next up: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall.

Making progress

So, I finished The Ogre Downstairs and A Study in Sherlock.  This one is a collection of short stories written by various mystery writers that all connect to Sherlock Holmes in some way.  I enjoyed the stories, but generally do not like to read short stories.  As a genre I love short stories, I loved teaching them.  Some of the best short story writers, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Chopin featured in my teaching for years, but for my own personal reading, I prefer something more sustained.

Next I moved to Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith.  I have not yet read anything by him that I did not like and some of them I have loved.  This one was a charming story of four people in a railway car from Edinburgh to London.  They share stories with each other that are intimate, yet not necessarily revealing of everything.  It is a lovely meditation on love, but also the ways that humans can connect if we just allow ourselves to trust in humanity and compassion. 

 

Just now I finished Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher.  I had only read one book by Chris Crutcher when I heard him speak at the VA librarian conference in 2011.  Afterwards I aquired a number of his books, but this is the first I have read.  Now I am hooked.  He has worked for years as a child protection specialist which makes me sad.  It makes me think that the stories he tells about what some kids go through are probably truer than I would like to know about, but his stories are real and told in clear, strong language so that we as readers know he is not sensationalizing or trying to embellish.  I have placed a few more of his books into my boxes to take to DC.  I do not want too much time to pass before I read another of his books.

 

Up next: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.   

6 down....infinity to go

After challenging myself on August 4th to read a book a day until I finish the pile of kids books I have selected along with some books of short stories I need to finish, I have read six and a half books, and anticipate finishing the 1/2 today.  This means I am a bit ahead of the pace!  Yay me!

I have read:

I'll Pass for Your Comrade by Anita Silvey, which I mentioned in the original book challenge post.  I really liked this, but it left me wanted to know more about each woman Silvey mentions.  Right now I have no time for further research, but someday.... 

Next was Everything on a Waffle, by Polly Horvath, a Newbery Honor Book from 2002.  This one takes place in a quaint town in British Columbia with some stock characters like the gruff uncle, the quirky diner lady, and a sort-of orphan.  But when the plot veers away from the expected, the characters do as well, which is I suppose why this was considered for a Newbery. 

After that I read the companion books Just as Long as We're Together and Here's to You Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume.  I enjoyed both and they moved well covering just brief periods in the lives of 7th graders Stephanie, Rachel, and Alice.  These were not as delightful as Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing, nor as controversial as Are You There God it's Me Margaret, but were nonetheless good showings by Blume. 

The final book I have read so far in its entirety is Romeo Blue by Phoebe Stone, the sequel to The Romeo and Juliet Code, a book I LOVED!  Ironically I stated in my review that I would prefer their not to be a sequel, but there is and I read it and love it too!  Just goes to show how much I know.  I love Stone's phrasing, it is almost poetic, and since I dislike verse novels, I am surprised I like her style.  Because the book takes place during World War II, it is not primarily a happy story, but the way the characters go on with life, managing to find joy amid the awfulness is a real portrayal of life at this time.  It is historical fiction, without feeling like historical fiction.  I love historical fiction, but my students avoid it, but this is a book that might trick them. 

The book I am half done with is Diana Wynne Jones's The Ogre Downstairs.  It is really about step-families and not surprisingly, a magical chemical set.  So far I am enjoying it.  I find Jones's books fabulously inventive.  Other people may follow in her footsteps, but she is fresh and unique every time.  Not sure what I will move to after this one, it will depend on my mood later this afternoon when I finish. 

Ready for a change

It all started with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and frankly I still think they are the best.  (Though to really give credit where it is due, Lois Lowry's The Giver is probably the true source of the genre.)  What I mean of course is alternative reality dystopia stories.  Before this there were vampires and there is still a big section of the bookstore in the YA section labeled "Paranormal Romance."  Dystopia does not have its own section, but it could:

James Dashner: Maze Runner series

Veronica Roth: Insurgent trilogy (final book due out in October)

Ally Condie: Matched trilogy

Marie Lu: Legend trilogy (final book due out in November)  I just finished reading the second book, Prodigy, which is what prompted these musings.

Catherine Fischer: Incarceron duo

Closely related:

Leigh Bardugo: Shadow and Bone trilogy  (second book was just released)

Rae Carson: Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy (final book due out in August)

and maybe even

Laini Taylor: Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (no release date that I know of for the final book)

I enjoy this type of novel.  Another pre-cursor of which is 1984 by George Orwell, but I have had enough.  Once the trilogies I have started end, I will not be picking up a new series.  As much as each of these is unique, or I would not have read past the first 50 pages, they do start to blend together after a while. 

1.  Strong female and male characters, making the books appealing to all readers.

2.  Struggle against a corrupt or at the very least, deeply flawed government.

3.  Death of one or more significant characters resulting in big emotional impact.

4.  Romance thwarted by the circumstances and the need to place the greater good above personal happiness. 

5.  Hero's search for his or her true place and role in the brave new world he or she helped to bring about. 

I am not sure where I will go from here...hopefully into a wider variety of reading types to stimulate my brain.

Baby, You're Gorgeous

I have just finished Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick.  This is the first of anything I have read by him and what  I believe is his first YA novel.  Though this is one of the smartest and sassiest YA I have ever read. 

After Becky's mother dies she finds a phone number that will change her life.  Super-designer Tom Kelly will give her three dresses that will make her the most beautiful woman in the world.  She has 24 hours to accept and become Rebecca or go back to East Trawley, Missouri and live out her rather uninspiring life as Becky.  So of course she says "yes."  What follows is of course a novel about discovering ones-self, as all YA is.  (I have written about this before, but frustratingly cannot find the post, dang it.)  But so much more it is a novel about the power of beauty, the trick of beauty, and the love of self and others for what they are, not what they seem to be.  (There are many layers to this last one.)  It was a novel that truly surprised me and would be fodder for great discussions in a high school book club (Yes, this is solidly a high school choice.) 

Summer Reading: Brain Candy or Lit-ra-chure

I seek out two different types of books in the summer. 

1.  Light reading that some would call "beach reading."  These are the books that are entertaining, often with a charming setting and a happy ending.  To that end I have already devoured Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams, Where Have all the Boys Gone?, and Amanda's Wedding, all by Jenny Colgan, a recent discovery of mine.  Additionally I have read Mr. Darcy's Dream by Elizabeth Aston, bittersweet by Sarah Ockler, and The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes, though honestly I read that one before the school year officially ended, but mentally I was there already.  I can honestly say I enjoyed each of these books and have an extensive line up of this sort of reading ready for July and August.  I set my expectations low, but thus far have been happy to have been told a good story by competent to excellent writers.  

2.  Literature,  the types of books that require all my concentration.  This summer I WILL read both Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, both of which have been on my shelf for an embarrassingly long time.  I also have a few by Salman Rushdie, both Midnight's Children that I am really looking forward to and The Satanic Verses.  Not too long ago I read Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, which I loved.  I have the sequel Winter of the World on deck for July as well as Pillars of the Earth.  These books are so chock full of characters and plot machinations that they need my full attention.  I also place non-fiction in this category.  I have trouble reading non-fiction sometimes as it does not always have the quick pace of a novel, but I pick subjects in which I am interested to keep me going.  I am currently two-thirds of the way through Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss.  The writing is excellent, exceeded only by the depth of research on the scary topic of processed foods. 

Fitting into neither the former category nor the latter are Legend by Marie Lu and The River of No Return by Bee Ridgeway.  These are not just entertaining, but also fodder for thought, but do not require quite the same level of intense reading as do Booker Prize winners Mantel and Rushdie.  Lu's book has a sequel to which I am looking forward, along with a bevy of other YA items I have been piling up in anticipation of summer.  I find that sometimes YA fits into the brain candy category and sometimes it does not.  I almost always like what I read in YA, but sometimes find the plots to be too predictable. 

 

Anyway, I wish a full shelf of summer reading for you all!

Recent Romance

Anyone who has read much of this blog knows that I read a wide variety of genres.  My favorites are fantasy and sci-fi though even these wax and wane.  I spent years reading nothing but King Arthur related fantasy as I have mentioned before.  I also really like historical fiction, if it is well researched.  In this genre I had a heavy Queen Elizabeth I phase.  I like mysteries as well; they really give the brain a good workout.  I cannot say I care much for thrillers or westerns.  Not a big reader of horror either.  But above and beyond any of these I am a sucker for romance.  I have never to my knowledge purchased a book from the romance section of the book store.  The genre know familiarly as "bodice rippers," was the favorite of my grandmother, but I do like a well-told love story.  I started when young with Jane Eyre (a truly romantic love story) and Wuthering Heights (which I can now see is really just the love story of two seriously damaged people and not particularly romantic at all).  I also like fiction that just has a healthy dose of romance, like the Anne of Green Gables series (my favorite of all time).  Sparks flew between Anne and Gilbert from the beginning. 

Today I finished reading This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.  Summer is about to start and I needed something light and romantic.  I got just what I needed.  Ellie, who lives in a small Maine town receives an e-mail obviously not intended for her.  She write back to let the sender know she will not be able to take care of his pet as she is not the person he meant to write.  He writes back and they begin a lively e-mail exchange without knowing each other's names.  While this is improbable it is not impossible.  Unlike Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight this novel is not filled with things that just would not happen.  Instead, I find that the first e-mail, when a text about Wilbur would have been easier and more likely, is really the only part of the whole story I just could not accept. 

So much of teen romance today is angst filled.  It is nice to read a story with a bit of angst, it wouldn't be YA without it, but without the overwhelming focus on why life is so difficult that too many teen love stories have.  This novel reminded me of Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, both of which are fabulously done love stories.   Both really capture that beginning of a romance sweetness that is not easy ot put on paper.  Maureen Johnson also did this well in 13 Little Blue Envelopes.  And The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman. 

Originally I intended to write about a few books I have read recently, but instead this turned into a "Why I love romance" post.  Oh well, time well spent. 

YA at its Finest

I recently read three really excellent YA titles:  A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff (which is admittedly a bit closer to middle grade than YA.), Enchanted by Alethea Kontis and Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zach Stentz.  I really enjoyed them all for different reasons.

A Tangle of Knots involves people coming together because of old and new attachments.  The story is really beautifully done as we meet individuals who turn out to have connections to others in the story.  They all cross each others paths and either become permanent parts of each others lives or help to foster other long term relationships after a chance encounter.  It is really well done, lining everyone up and untangling by the end.  It illustrates how closely related we all really are in this big family of humanity. 

Enchanted has some similar tangles in it.  Sunday is the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter making her particularly interesting in a family of unique people.  This story is a brilliant mash-up of many fairy tales including "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and others.  A tiny piece of each figures into the bigger story of Sunday and her immediate and extended family.  It is beautifully written  and ends with the possibility for a sequel that I personally would love to read. 

The main character in Colin Fischer loves a good mystery.  He likes the ordered thinking required to figure something out.  He takes notes on what he observes around him in a notebook.  He often ends a note with the word "Investigate."  Much of what Colin does is influenced by his Aspberger's Syndrome.  Unfortunately, this also causes problems for him as he begins high school on his own.  The story moves quickly and really only captures the first few weeks of Colin's time in high school but seems to accurately portray someone with Asperger's.  I would be interested to hear from a student like Colin to see how well done his characterization is.  

Clockwork Princess

I LOVED Cassandra Clare's latest in The Infernal Devices series, Clockwork Princess.  I do not remember liking the other two, Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince as much.  I really loved her other series Mortal Instruments  until I got to the 4th in the trilogy (Yep, that's what I meant, 4th in the trilogy.) City of Fallen Angels which I did not like at all.  As much as I loved this latest installment, I hope it will not be continued in a 4th book.  I'd like to see Clare write the story of the characters in between the generations presented in the two series. 

The reason I have loved these books is because Clare has done a wonderful job of world building.  In the shadows of the world, live the Nephilim or Shadowhunters, placed here on Earth to protect us all from Darkworlders.  Living in this different world separates the Shadowhunters from mortals (generally), but brings them in contact with warlocks, werewolves, vampires, and demons.  This is a completely original world that did not remind me of anything else.  I give high praise to a book that does that. 

I just read on Clare's website that there will be a 3rd series, but it will take place in the world of today rather than bridging the gap between the first two series....oh well, maybe someday. 

In Clockwork Princess I really could not pick a favorite character.  I like Will for his chilly exterior that covers deep and passionate feelings of love, friendship, and duty.  I love Tessa because she is a bold woman who has suffered greatly making her compassionate and strong.  Sophie, while a servant at the Institute, is humorous, and kind, and fiesty.  Then there is Jem, the heart of the story and the Institute.  I just really like them all.

Clare has a great way with the love stories, making each different, but there is still little mystery how they will all turn out.  The family tree on the inside of the dust jacket was a give-away, but I really appreciated knowing how all the names I know from the Mortal Instruments series link to the people in the Victorian series.   You see how intricately she has woven her stories.  Brilliant!  Despite the age of the characters, these just do not feel like YA novels.  They are simply tales of adventure, heroism in the face of evil, and love for any reader. 

Eleanor and Park

I really, really liked this love story.  Though I admit that at first I was not sure it was really a YA novel.  First of all it takes place in 1986 (which practically makes it historical fiction) and is filled with references, musically mainly, that no young adult is going to understand.  After finishing, I accept that those references do not really inhibit understanding.  What really matters is the relationship between Eleanor and Park.  Eleanor has lived a difficult life.  Her mother is married to a dirtbag.  They live in a hovel.  She shares a tiny bedroom with three brothers and a sister.  There is no door on the bathroom.  All of this has given Eleanor what one might call a crusty demeanor.  Her first day on the school bus after having recently returned to live with her family, she meets Park who saves her by offering her a seat on the bus.  Their romances moves slooooowly after this.  So slowly as to be frustrating to a reader, but completely realistically given the circumstances. 

Park's home situation is heaven compared to Eleanor's.  Park's biggest issue is in being bi-racial; half Korean, half caucasian.  In Omaha in 1986 this is more difficult for him that it would be today.  He feels detached from both cultures and not sure where he belongs.  He also has an ex-military father who wishes his son were more of a "man." Though when it is important, such as the time Park needs to defend Eleanor from unkindess, he steps up in a way no one would label as "unmanly."

The story is told alternately by Eleanor and Park which is a sometimes annoying storytelling method as it has become somewhat too prevelent for my tastes.  It is also makes the reader want to scream at the two as we know that at moments Eleanor and Park are feeling and thinking similarly but because they hesitate to share misunderstandings ensue.  However, when so many adults are not adept at communicating with each other these teens actually do pretty well. 

Despite some of my misgivings at the beginning I would not hesitate to recommend this to teen readers.  I also think readers of my age group who were teens in 1986 would enjoy the story and find the references nostalgic.

Same premise, different story

I recently read/listened to two books with a similar premise: the royal family has been killed and treasonous interlopers have taken over the kingdom, only --------- can save the kingdom.  The first of these novels is The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.  The second is Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta.  The first I enjoyed enough to continue to the second book, The Runaway King, the second I did not.  

The False Prince stars Sage, an orphan/street kid who is taken away by a man who needs to find a boy of the right age to impersonate Jaron, the missing prince in order to save the kingdom from chaos at the hands of power hungry regents.  Sage, Roden, and Tobias will spend time training to become Jaron.  Whoever best does so will return to Carthya to become king.  The other two will in all likelihood be killed.  

Ten years ago, the kingdom of Lumatere was attacked from within and the royal family wiped out.  A sorceress's curse has prevented the restoration of Lumatere.  The story begins as Finnikin, the son of the former captain of the guard, along with Sir Topher, the former king's first man, and Evanjalin, a religious novice seek to break the curse by finding Balthazar the heir to the throne.

For me, The False Prince was a much more exciting story with a fast pace.  Because of this I was interested to read the second book (and probably the 3rd) to find out how the kingdom fares with its new king.  I will not be reading Froi of the Exiles to find out about Lumatere.  Marchetta has a very heavy hand with the "power of the mysterious goddess" blabbity blab.  I call this the Red Tent effect.  I read The Red Tent when it was all the rage.  I hated it.  Let me be clear, I am all for the acceptance/belief/realization of the blow to women's power that came in with the rise of patriarchal Christianity.  However, I do not need nor want a novel to shove female mysticism and strength down my throat.  I feel Finnikin of the Rock did this in excess; it simply felt preachy.  I have asked one of my male students to read it because my adult perspective is often put off by elements of a book that kids either do not see or see differently.  

Both of these novels reminded me a bit of The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.  Both were inferior.  I would choose the Queen's Thief series by Turner over either of the two above. 

This makes me feel better about Maureen Johnson's latest

In her blog, Maureen Johnson reveals just enough to explain why The Madness Underneath feels so unfinished. 

Holly Black is not...

in on the writing conspiracy with Maureen Johnson, Libba Bray, and Robin Wasserman, if her Curse Workers series is any indication.  I have now listened to the first two books in the series White Cat and Red Glove and am half-way finished with Black Heart.  I am enjoying them a great deal, but they do not align with the particulars of my theory.  One of the things I like best about them is the reader.  The three books are read by Jesse Eisenberg of The Social Network fame.  In fact, he recorded the first book just before the movie was released.  Despite his new-found success he has continued to read the other two books in the series, for which I am grateful.  He has a very nice voice and does an excellent job of emoting without going over the top.  Between the car and the gym I listen to many books and am planning a post about the topic, so keep a look out for it. 

One of the elements I like best about the series is how the fantasy is simply a part of the world as the characters know it.  I feel it takes a skilled writer to give out special powers as if they are an accepted part of our world.  The story is set here and now and some people are just born with abilities.  There are 7 different types of workers: luck, emotion, physical, dream, death, transformation, and memory.  Some types are more rare than others.  The main character comes from a family of workers, but he is not one, much to his embarrassment though working is illegal and association with organized crime.  But make no mistake about it, Cassell is not a worker, but he is certainly a criminal.   Cassell is the youngest of three boys.  His brother Philip is a physical worker, his brother Baron a memory worker, his mother is an emotion worker, and his grandfather is a death worker.  All together they are skilled grifters, often mixed up in some pretty ugly stuff.  Through it all, Cassell is trying to finish high school and forget the girl he loved....and killed three years ago.  I will be sad to reach the end of the third book, but I am anxious to see what happens to the family.  

 

 

Not too long ago, Maureen Johnson tweeted that pre-ordering the second book in her Shades of London series, The Madness Underneath would result in a signed book plate for the book as well as other mysterious prizes.  I went ahead because the "mysterious prizes" intrigued me and because I do like to support independent book shops when possible.  We have a pretty good one in Norfolk, Prince Books, but I am not always able to get there regularly and as much as my heart wants to buy from independents, my wallet does not always agree.  Anyway, I finished the book yesterday, and while I liked it, it suffered seriously from second book in the series-itis.  The story began slowly, which does not bother me much, but does often make things difficult for actual teen readers who can be impatient.  However, I was two-thirds of the way through the book and realized nothing really BIG had happened.  In fact outside of two pretty mundane murders this story is mostly about Rory and how she is settling into her new powers.  Again, this is not really a problem for me, but I read this book expecting a fright level equivalent to that in The Name of the Star, which creeped the bejeepers out of me.  Had I known what to expect I would not have been so disappointed, but I did not even have to turn all the lights on in the house for this one.  Oh well, despite not being what I expected the book was an excellent lead-up to what I hope will be a creep filled third installment. 

On a side note, I really appreciate Johnson's ability to write a mature, high-level text without gratuitous cursing or sex.  It makes her books perfect for my middle school readers who long to be challenge, but who are not emotionally mature enough for the other stuff yet.  Woohoo Maureen Johnson!

YA Romance

I bought Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler almost two years ago, just after I heard it was being banned because it "promotes or sensationalizes sexual promiscuity." I love a good banned book and was hoping for a shockingly frank discussion of teen sexuality.  Those people who tried to ban this book are idiots.  Only someone who only read the title would think this book encourages promiscuous behavior.

The two teen girls in the novel are suffering because Frankie's brother Matt, who was Anna's boyfriend died of an undetected hole between the chambers of his heart.  A year after his death, his parents decide to take Frankie and Anna to the family's long time vacation spot to promote healing.  It is at this point Frankie suggests a game in which the two girls will meet 20 boys.  They do not even get half-way there and one girl remains a virgin and the other sleeps with one boy, just one, not twenty.  A boy who incidentally she feels quite strongly about even after knowing him for a relatively brief time.  At no point does the story glorify sexual escapades.  It is in fact a sweet story about loss, friendship, family, and love.  I am sorry now to have waited so long to read it.   I intend to read Ockler's other recent publications, Fixing Delilah and Bittersweet.   

Now, a book that I would not be surprised to hear about being banned is Sarah Mlynowski's ten things we did (and probably shouldn't have).  I would not agree with such a ban, but this is certainly a book with a fair amount of teen sex.  Mlynowski writes frankly about teen issues, which include decisions about sexual partners.  This book is the story of sixteen-year-old Anna whose father and step-mother move to Cleveland leaving her in Connecticut to finish her junior year.  On one hand this is what Anna wants, but on the other hand she wishes her father (who is a loving and attentive father just trying to make his daughter happy) would just command her to come with him.  She moves in with her best friend Vi who has some actual parent problems with a mom who is away with the touring company of Mary Poppins.  Yes, this means the girls are on their own, perpetuating a big cover-up so that April's father does not discover the truth.  I do not want to ruin it, but one of the 10 things they do is buy a hot tub. 

April is likeable and still reeling from her parents' unpleasant divorce two years earlier.   She has lived with her father while her younger brother moved to Paris with their mother and her new husband.  It is a challenging situation and April feels most comfortable around the friends and boyfriend who got her through that difficult time.   Living on her own with some distance from her family is probably the best thing for April, but book banners of the world will disapprove of the not unusal teen behaviors show in the novel. 

Fantsy, fantasy, bring on the fantasy

I have always liked fantasy and science fiction.  So even now, I look forward to new fantasy by favorite authors.  I am reading my way through Diana Wynn Jones work slowly so I can savor them all.  Recently I read two books I enjoyed a great deal, The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde and The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne Valente. 

I have read almost all of Fforde's Thursday Next series and his Nursery Crimes series, so I would have been able tell this YA book was by him even if his name were not printed on the cover.  He has such a distinctive tone and voice.  The main character Jennifer Strange is a foundling who runs Kazam Mystical Arts Management, an employment agency for magicians, not the birthday party type.  Sadly though over the years, magic has been fading from the world.  Not too far into the story Jennifer finds out that she is in fact the last dragonslayer who now needs to manage the death of the last dragon.  Jennifer's exceptional management skills, and orphan street smarts make this task a bit easier for her.  Fforde manages to make this a clever story about the strength of the individual as well as some rather adult political machinations.  I look forward to more in the series. 

The next fantasy I read, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, also took place in a rich and detailed world.  Before read the story, I read commentary that said this sequel was darker than the first book, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.  This was said as a negative , but I believe this is exactly as it should be.  September is a year older and longing to return to Fairyland for another adventure.  When this finally happens, she returns to a very different place than the one she left.  This time September's story is about accepting the consequences of ones actions and doing something to make it right.  This is certainly dark, this is the darkness of adulthood.  September has turned 13, which in our world is rarely considered adulthood, but Jewish tradition marks the passing into adulthood for boys and girls at 13 and 12, respectively.  September's life in her world certainly is fraught with  as it seems they are immersed in the deprivations of World War II with rationing and the absence of her soldier father.  I do not think the story has made an inappropriate leap.  Valente's world building is once again strong as September goes beneath Fairyland.  She must awaken the rightful prince to take his place and recapture her own shadow who has become a queen.  Because the Hollow Queen is September herself the novel is also about the darkness within us all and our acceptance and control of that darkness.  I am hoping there will be a third book in this series.