I have been wanting to read this since it won the Newbery. At the time I'd heard interviews and reviews of the book and it sounded quite interesting. I picked it up this weekend to get me through a rough patch in life. I did a great job of it. This is a type of a book that needs to be protected--no spoilers here. But, as others reviewing it have said, it begins with a toddler being raised in a graveyard by ghosts....
I will be reading Gaiman's other works in short order. I just hope summer is long enough.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Bride of Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta
I was hesitant to pick up this book after I discovered that the library classifies it a "romance." I don't really see myself as a romance reader. But, I'd read and enjoyed the first in the series and so I borrowed the 2nd from the library and bought this, the third. I don't regret it. Someone may think these are "romance" books but I think they are humor and modern gothic pieces.
Marta Acosta is a funny and engaging writer. She has a great sense of word play and keeps me laughing not only at language tricks but also at the foibles of her characters. I wouldn't go so far as to say they have great depth, but they are complex. Acosta also gives Latinas a strong voice and reality that I haven't run across in other fiction. I just wish that there was a little less sex in the book so that I could recommend it without hesitation to middle and high school girls.
I was a little disappointed in the "discussion guide for book clubs" at the end of the book. The questions seemed sort of silly. I'm glad I continued reading, the "conversation with Marta Acosta" is worth reading through the book club section.
Marta Acosta is a funny and engaging writer. She has a great sense of word play and keeps me laughing not only at language tricks but also at the foibles of her characters. I wouldn't go so far as to say they have great depth, but they are complex. Acosta also gives Latinas a strong voice and reality that I haven't run across in other fiction. I just wish that there was a little less sex in the book so that I could recommend it without hesitation to middle and high school girls.
I was a little disappointed in the "discussion guide for book clubs" at the end of the book. The questions seemed sort of silly. I'm glad I continued reading, the "conversation with Marta Acosta" is worth reading through the book club section.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson
My first Stephenson book was, what I have come to call, a reading accident. [I have reading accidents in which I pick up a book on a whim and find myself trapped into reading an author's collected works.] I picked up his book Cryptonomicon because I had seen a newer title, Anathem for sale at Costco. For a change I decided to read it order and bought Cryptonomicon in paperback.
So far it seems as if Stephenson is a somewhat challenging author. I would recommend his books to strong readers in high school or to adults. But, I definitely recommend him!
Snow Crash is science fiction including high-tech skateboarders, virtual worlds as a social phenomenon, and ethnic conflicts. As with Cryptonomicon it also makes connections to history and current events. It's a book that I will be happy to recommend to a relatively wide range of readers, including my college-aged son.
So far it seems as if Stephenson is a somewhat challenging author. I would recommend his books to strong readers in high school or to adults. But, I definitely recommend him!
Snow Crash is science fiction including high-tech skateboarders, virtual worlds as a social phenomenon, and ethnic conflicts. As with Cryptonomicon it also makes connections to history and current events. It's a book that I will be happy to recommend to a relatively wide range of readers, including my college-aged son.
Inkspell and Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
Funke's recognition as a fantasy writer is well deserved. I have greatly enjoyed the entire Inkheart trilogy. The series' exploration of the power and possibilities of the printed word especially speak to me as a reader and writer. At the present moment I am having to devote more time in my professional life to writing and publishing. Funke's side-story of the pleasures and frustrations of the author's craft speaks loudly to me. Her mirror worlds of fantasy will appeal to a wide range of readers and will secure her spot in children's and young adult literature.
All three books present a challenge to younger readers in their length alone. Yet, readers willing to take on the Harry Potter saga will be able to handle this series. I believe that the books are complex enough to engage a wide range of ages and readers. It encouraged me that the first book has already been accepted by the commercial film industry. It was the feature film on a flight I took to Ecuador this summer. I didn't really follow the film, but plan to view it at home soon.
All three books present a challenge to younger readers in their length alone. Yet, readers willing to take on the Harry Potter saga will be able to handle this series. I believe that the books are complex enough to engage a wide range of ages and readers. It encouraged me that the first book has already been accepted by the commercial film industry. It was the feature film on a flight I took to Ecuador this summer. I didn't really follow the film, but plan to view it at home soon.
Benny and Babe by Eoin Colfer
I am a fan of Colfer's work. His fantasies can appeal to almost any reader because they have an added layer of irony about the entire genre. Benny and Babe isn't a fantasy, rather realistic fiction set in contemporary Ireland. Overall I give this a very positive review--it addresses issues of male/female adolescent friendships, bullying, and general adolescent issues. Unfortunately for American readers there is also a lot of regional background knowledge assumed. It may be a good book to help students learn to read over cultural information they don't understand to get to the good "bits" of a book. It's a skill they can use in reading fiction that is written in unfamiliar registers (Swift, Shakespeare, Wharton, etc.). But, it probably isn't going to become a classic book or one included in the "canon" so I'd only recommend using it with students who are Colfer aficionados. Those students will need a bit of introduction to the book and a strategy for reading over the unfamiliar bits in the first chapter, "Culchie Hurling."
Having spent a lot of time on Puget Sound I enjoyed the setting of the book, a seashore town, and the fishing adventures of Benny and Babe . Readers from desert climates may not have the feel of the setting, but the stories of adolescent adventures and attempts to make some spending money through summer vacation may carry them through the book. Those who live in or have visited resort communities will appreciate the tensions between the townies and the vacationers. The life threatening adventure near the end of the book will grab almost any reader, but especial those who live or have visited the Pacific Coast of the US.
I doubt this book will have a wide readership because of the regional idiosyncrasies, but it is one I will recommend to a few selected readers ready for its challenges.
Having spent a lot of time on Puget Sound I enjoyed the setting of the book, a seashore town, and the fishing adventures of Benny and Babe . Readers from desert climates may not have the feel of the setting, but the stories of adolescent adventures and attempts to make some spending money through summer vacation may carry them through the book. Those who live in or have visited resort communities will appreciate the tensions between the townies and the vacationers. The life threatening adventure near the end of the book will grab almost any reader, but especial those who live or have visited the Pacific Coast of the US.
I doubt this book will have a wide readership because of the regional idiosyncrasies, but it is one I will recommend to a few selected readers ready for its challenges.
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