Jul
15
So I was on my honeymoon and we went to a bookstore because that’s what we do, and I decided I wanted a writing book.
“Don’t you already have lots of writing books?” he asked.
“Yes, but I want one about rewriting. That’s what’s got me stuck right now,” I said.
So he got a novel and I got a wonderful reference book that I expect I will be using a lot over the next little while – I have a few books that I need to rewrite and edit and get ready for submission, and I’ll have another one come November 30, thanks to NaNoWriMo.
Ray takes you through the process of rewriting, right down to restructuring your novel – something I know my books need desperately. The method should work for most novels, though I’m going to have to modify it a little here and there since my books are mostly YA novels (e.g., Ray talks about a 300-page novel, while mine are about 100 pages or so).
But I think it’ll be well worth the work.
Posted in Non-Fiction, Writing five stars
Jul
14
I saw the ads for this movie and decided I wanted to read the book first. This is a good practice, in my opinion: having read My Sister’s Keeper (Jodi Picoult, who I do not enjoy and will not read again after the atrocity that was Handle With Care), I know that I don’t want to watch the movie; having read The Lovely Bones, I know that I do want to see the movie.
This book is unusual. It’s not a mystery; we know whodunnit from the start. It’s not really a coming of age story; the narrator is dead. So I’ve put it as ChickLit Suspense. Feel free to tell me I’m wrong; I’m open to suggestions for genre here.
For me, the suspense was in wanting to see what happened next with Susie’s family and friends… and in really hoping desperately that the murderer got what he deserved.
I think this book is beautifully written, and it is a lovely story about the aftermath of violent death – how those left behind manage, how they deal with their emotions, and how they change over the days, weeks, months, years that follow.
Posted in ChickLit, Fiction, Suspense five stars
Jul
12
Anyone who has watched the middle seasons of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer should know who Amber Benson is – she played Tara, Willow’s girlfriend, the death of whom launched Evil Willow. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler for anyone, but really the series has been over for rather a long time, so if you haven’t seen it yet it’s not my fault.)
I am always pleased to learn that an actor I have watched has become a novelist; Benson’s work is delightful. I read Death’s Daughter last year and snatched up Cat’s Claw as soon as I learned of its existence. Perhaps one of the best things about reading authors who are very much alive is that they do tend to keep coming out with new books to read – so you don’t get to the end!
Calliope Reaper-Jones is Death’s daughter. As in, her father runs Death, Inc. I would say that you don’t have to read Death’s Daughter before reading Cat’s Claw, but it would probably help – and why not start with the book that introduced her?
Both books are rife with humour. Benson’s prose is light and engaging, and the stories are entertaining and suspenseful. There is a mystery to be solved of some kind (thought this is not really a mystery novel), and Callie has to figure it all out – with the help of various gods, goddesses, and other supernatural creatures.
Posted in Fantasy, Fiction five stars
Jun
04
I picked this one up at the library because it looked very interesting. I often peruse the psychology section just to see what they’ve got, and depression is one of my interests, so…
Dr Whiffen is an excellent author. The stories she shares in this book are compelling, though of course they are composites of many of her clients. I learned a lot about myself as I read this book, both about how I relate to the world and how the world may contribute to my own struggles with depression.
Whiffen writes in a manner that is easily understood by the layperson, and that means that what she’s talking about is accessible – something that is tremendously important when writing a book for people who probably picked it up because they wanted to understand themselves better and may need its advice as they look for a therapist.
The only thing I had a problem with is that the book doesn’t really delve into differing neurologies at all. Instead, Whiffen focuses primarily on neurotypical women – that is, women whose only problem is depression. There is no exploration of how ADHD or a learning disorder or other disability may impact a woman’s relationships and the possibility of her developing a mood disorder. I think I may well write her about this, and ask if she has studied it or knows of anyone who has, since it is (of course) something that has great relevance to my life.
Posted in Non-Fiction, Psychology five stars
May
30
I really enjoy finding new authors, and will be looking for more by Shelley Hrdlitschka in the future. Her YA books tackle all kinds of interesting questions, and she is sensitive to the needs of her readers, as well.
In Sun Signs, we meet several teens who are enrolled in correspondence courses for their high school. Each has a different reason for studying by correspondence, and those reasons become clear as you read the book, so I won’t spoil that discovery for you.
The story is told through the e-mails of the young adults and their science teacher. We don’t even know everyone’s real names at the beginning.
The premise is simple: One of the students has a science project to complete, and she convinces her teacher to allow her to study astrology. She asks for other correspondence students who are a specific sign to participate and gets three participants. Her data is looking promising until she learns that someone’s been lying to her.
It’s a sweet little book about relationships: the ones we have with other people and the one we have with ourselves. It’s also about how we deal with difficult situations and how we perceive ourselves as a result of those situations.
Posted in ChickLit, Fiction, Young Adult five stars
May
28
Here is a book that I found incredibly interesting and compelling. It’s about three teenage girls living in a closed religious community called Unity. And by “closed religious community” I mean that there is a Prophet and plural wives (hence the title). The religion is called The Movement, and it is all fictional, but you know it’s based on some semblance of truth.
Each chapter of Sister Wife is told from a different character’s point of view. There is Celeste, who is 15 and about to be assigned a husband, something she isn’t really sure she wants or is ready for; Taviana, who is 17 and has only been living in Unity for about a year, having been rescued from a life of prostitution by one of the men; and Celeste’s younger sister, Nanette, who is 13 and desperately wants to be married and achieve her salvation.
Celeste has trouble “practicing purity” and eventually gives in to the temptation of spending time alone with a boy her own age. That seems to cause all manner of trouble, from Taviana being sent away from Unity to Celeste being assigned to her boyfriend’s father as his next wife after the boy leaves Unity. Nanette is heartbroken, as her older sister is married to the man she wanted to marry.
This book reminds us that there are women in these sorts of situations who are truly happy and really do not feel oppressed. Whether or not they’ve been brainwashed is another question, but if there is no abuse going on (and there is definitely some happening in this community), is it really the task of outsiders to hold them in judgment? (Aside from the fact that polygamy is against the law in most of North America, I mean.)
All three girls do eventually find their happiness. I will leave it to you to read the book and find out what that means for each.
Posted in ChickLit, Fiction, Young Adult five stars
May
26
I had never heard of Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Sequence until it was mentioned on a blog that I read. I forget which blog, but I know it was an author blog, and I know that I’ve never read any of the blogger’s books but I love her blog. (Helpful, aren’t I?)
Over Sea, Under Stone was written in the 1960s (well, it was published then, at least), and is in a familiar style. Fans of Enid Blyton’s works (particularly Five Children and It) will probably like this book – I know I sure did! It was refreshing to read something that reminds me so much of my childhood – not because I grew up in England, but because the writing style reminds me of many of the books I read as a child.
I borrowed all of the books in the series at the same time, and the librarian was very excited to hear that I hadn’t read them before. She put them all in order for me and everything!
Okay, enough with the reminiscing. Let’s get on with the story!
Over Sea, Under Stone is the first in a series of five books. We meet the three Drew children (none of them named Nancy), who are spending the summer in Trewissick, on holiday with their parents. They quickly become embroiled in a wonderful quest that has some rather dangerous folk involved. Their Great-Uncle Merry (affectionately known as “Gumerry”) helps them as much as he can, but it is up to the children to make the final fantastic discovery and save the day.
It’s another take on the Arthur story, and I can’t wait to read the rest of it!
Posted in Children's, Fantasy, Fiction five stars
May
23
This was yet another find in the clearance section of McNally Robinson, and another two-day read for me. The characters drew me in, and the story kept me turning the pages.
Norma Fox Mazer has been a staple of my reading life for well over half of it. I own a number of her books and have read many others. The Missing Girl is the last book she wrote, unless there are some posthumous publications in the works. (I actually had no idea that she had died last year until I went looking today for her web site to add it to the list in the sidebar.)
There are five sisters, all with names that seem ridiculous but turn out to be appropriate, in one way or another. The oldest is 17, the youngest is 11. The family struggles to make ends meet, as the father is out of work and the mother is a lunch lady at a school. And then there is the man who has taken an unhealthy interest in the girls, watching them from a distance. His obsession grows, and when at last he takes action…
I couldn’t put it down, is what I mean to say. I don’t want to give anything away, so you’ll have to read it. It’s a short book, an easy read, and definitely full of suspense. My only quibble with the book is that only three of the sisters act as narrators; the other two are more backdrops to the story the other three are telling. But that’s a small thing, and somehow it works.
Oh, I put this in the ‘disability’ category because one of the sisters has some kind of developmental disorder/delay. It’s never named, but it is obvious in the way she tells her part of things and the way she is described by the other narrators. I thought she was drawn fairly realistically and in a basically matter-of-fact manner: this is how she is, no excuses, no attempts to make her more or less appealing because of or in spite of her disability, none of that. I appreciate the straightforwardness of that.
Posted in Disability, Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult five stars
May
20
This is probably a very good “first” book, if you are unfamiliar with Charles de Lint’s work and want to see if he’s an author you’d enjoy. He’s one of my faves, but I’ve also been reading his stuff since… oh, the early 1990s, so I may be biased. *wink*
This is a Young Adult fantasy novel. As with all of de Lint’s work (that I’ve read), it’s urban fantasy of the type I adore: regular people living the regular, everyday world encounter the fantastic and discover that faerie is real.
Imogene is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks (Tyson), new to her school in Newford when she meets Maxine, an outcast from early on due to her smarts and… shall we say “conservative” wardrobe. Imogene, anything but conservative (she spent the first ten years of her life on a hippie commune in Ontario), befriends Maxine, and the two girls have a good influence on each other.
Then they meet a ghost, who is friends with some fairies. And then things get a bit scary, and a bit weird, and Imogene and Maxine will never be the same.
One of my favourite parts of this book is when Imogene’s mother finds out about faerie and is able to see Imogene’s childhood “imaginary friend” (because they are actually real, you know) and deals with it okay… and then when Imogene’s brother, Jared, comes in and is also able to see Pelly (short for Pell-Mell), he totally takes it all in stride – as though seeing Pelly makes perfect sense, is perfectly logical, and is an everyday occurrence.
So yeah, definitely read this one. Read it if you love Charles de Lint. Read it if you’ve never read Charles de Lint. Read it if you didn’t like something else he’s written – maybe this will change your mind. (Oh, also, not all of his stuff is YA, but most of it does occur in the same world – that is, characters who are featured in some books will be mentioned or be minor characters in others.)
Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult five stars
May
14
Please don’t tell me you’re surprised that I read this book. I’m a long-time fan of Hallowell, and what with my own wedding coming up in just over a month (ack!), I thought it might be a good idea to read a book about having a good marriage when one or both partners are distracted a lot of the time.
The book isn’t specifically about ADHD, though there is one chapter about it. That shouldn’t stop you from reading it, though, because it’s about making relationships work, no matter what. It’s about how to maintain intimacy with your partner in a world that is increasingly full of distractions.
Ned Hallowell is an ADHD expert who has ADHD himself, and his wife, Sue, is a Clinical Social Worker who specializes in working with couples who deal with ADHD. So not only have they lived it themselves, they’ve dealt with it in private practice. And what they say makes sense.
We haven’t tried the 30-day reconnection plan yet; if we do, I’ll post a review of it, too.
Posted in Marriage, Non-Fiction five stars
So I was on my honeymoon and we went to a bookstore because that’s what we do, and I decided I wanted a writing book.
