Thursday, August 26, 2010

book gushing and blame


I'll start with the gushing. :) I read Foiled by Jane Yolen last night. I know a few different people who have read this, with somewhat mixed results. But I'm happy to report that I fall squarely in the "I adored this book!" camp. I stayed up past my bedtime finishing it. And then I immediately had to get on the computer to try to find out when the second book was coming out. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the answer. All I know is that I want it NOW!!! And then I had to email Chris to gush because I knew he'd understand. Heck, I was tempted to wake Gray up to talk to him about it, too, but I managed to stop myself. ;)

So what did I love so much about this book?

1. Aliera. Socially awkward, tremendously talented, incredibly authentic.

2. The art. Wow, Mr. Cavallaro...you are an amazing artist!

3. The black/white vs. color concept.

4. The ways it reminded me so much of Gray...fencing, social anxiety, role-playing...yeah, it's no wonder he loved this book, too.

5. The ending! Oh, oh, oh...what can I say...I utterly adored the turn this story took! It's not that it was totally unexpected--after all, it is Jane Yolen writing, right? And she gave subtle hints throughout the book. But still, it delighted me to no end. :D

Yep, another one for the win column.

*****
I don't actually want to combine my rambling about books with a blame post. But with so many books sitting here on the computer table waiting to be put away, I figured I'd go ahead and deal with a few more.

Sweetness and Light: The Mysterious History of the Honeybee by Hattie Ellis. (Sorry for the blurry image.) This is one that Rich and I sort of bought together, as we both love bees. In fact, I think if we were more of a honey-loving family, we'd really be tempted to try beekeeping. Anyway, if I have a correct feel for the book, it examines not just the honeybee but also human relationships with this incredible animal. Sort of a blend of biology, human history, and natural history.

When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race by Judith Stone. This is the story of Sandra Laing, born to Afrikaner parents in South Africa during apartheid. She was officially registered as "white" and was sent to a boarding school exclusively for whites. There she was persecuted for her brown skin, and was eventually kicked out of the school and reclassified as "coloured" (mixed race). Her parents fought this ruling, and the law was eventually changed and Sandra officially became "white" again. This book follows not only Sandra's story as a child and as an adult, but it also looks at the cruelty and the insanity of apartheid. I added this book to my wish list in the days before I started keeping track of where I first heard of them, but I'm fairly certain it was on NPR. POINT FOR NPR.

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. No question who gets the blame for this one! It's been on my wish list ever since I read Ana's review! The only thing that makes no sense is why it took me so long to buy it! :)  POINT FOR ANA.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. There's a bit of blame sharing to be done on this one. Despite the fact that I'm a little intimidated by this book, I've wanted to read it for a long time simply because Dewey loved it so much. It's been on my paperbackswap wish list for what seems like forever. And you know, I was finally starting to get close to the top of the list. But then Ana read and reviewed it, and I found my patience had simply run out. ;)  I simply had to buy it! POINTS FOR DEWEY AND ANA.

The Unwritten: Inside Man (vol. 2) by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. (Simply could not find the cover image that graces my copy anywhere.) So Ana, I'm really sorry--I realize this seems a tad unfair, but I'm blaming you for this one, too.  It's your fault I bought the first volume, because of your incredible review. If I had read the first one and then had to buy the second, I wouldn't shoulder you with the blame. But since I haven't actually read it yet (sorry Kelly!), the fact is that I trust you so much that I knew I had to buy this one, too. See it is your fault! POINT FOR ANA.

Okay, that makes a tiny dent in this embarrassing pile anyway. But there's plenty more blame to come. :)

Well, that makes a teeny dent in this embarrassing pile...but there's plenty more blame to come...

2 comments:

  1. I wish I'd liked Foiled. I did right up until the twist. Sigh.

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  2. You should read Sweetness and Light, because I'm curious about it and want to know if I should pick it up! :)

    Also, you could always send me the honey from your bees...

    ReplyDelete