olmue | Books

I love my library! I love that they get new books that I want to read, very soon after publication. Here are the last three books I've read:

1. Starclimber, by Kenneth Oppel. I finished it minutes ago. I loved this series! I love the action adventure, and I love how Oppel makes us feel for Matt, the underdog who deserves so much better. How does he do this? I think he lets us see what Matt is really like, and then shows us how other people totally overlook that. And he doesn't hold back on letting bad things happen to Matt, so that the reader feels a sock in the stomach as much as Matt.

2. Flipped, by Wendelin van Draanen. Okay, this is partially cheating to list this, since it's a reread and since I went out and bought it after my initial read so I could enjoy it whenever I wanted. But what an excellent dual POV! I love how you think you know what really happened--only to get the other character's point of view next and realize how very wrong you were. It is a perfectly constructed book.

3. Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork. I read it yesterday and am still thinking about it. It's about a 17-year-old old high-functioning Asperger's kid who has to work in his dad's law firm for the summer. The "real world," as opposed to the special school he's always gone to (and wants to keep going to). I meant to read it just for entertainment purposes, but couldn't help being wowed by the way Stork lays down all the motivations and stakes so deftly and cleanly so that when it comes for Marcelo to make his choice--bam. It carries weight and sends all the dominoes falling.

What about you? What are the last three books you read, and what did you take away from them?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, Starclimber. I didn't even know it was coming--off to put it on hold!

Yes! It's been out in Canada for a while, but was only released this month down here. Yay!

Ooh, there's another Kenneth Oppel book out? He is *such* a terrific writer. I think it's time to re-read the first two books so I'll be ready for this new one.

Last three books. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, which I worried was going to be over-hyped but which I LOVED. I'm reading Rebel Angels now. So well written. Lots of great historical detail, integrated smoothly. One gripe: the narrator does not sound even remotely English.
...

Okay, back from checking my Goodreads page.

I also read the ARC of Seven Sorcerers by Caro King, which my UK publisher sent. I liked it a lot, with a few reservations about an awkwardly structured ending and some characterization issues. Inventive, clearly written, and fun. I'd say "like Gaiman" except that I'm not a Gaiman fan and liked it better than his stuff.

And the ARC of another one of my UK publisher's books, The Mummy Snatcher of Memphis, which was, sadly, mediocre and forgettable.

You know, whenever my husband has to travel he ends up buying books at the airport. He tries. Really. But um...often they just fail. The ones he has the hardest time with are YA fantasy published in the UK--ones that aren't published over here, I mean. Once he even got out a red pen because it bothered him so much! (I think I would have just taken a nap, but we're different, see... It's scary when he crits my stuff. Scary, but good.) Anyhow, I think there must be some fields in which American and British taste intersect (probably a pretty large area), but there is also a section where we don't.

There definitely is a difference. Weirdly enough, I think the US fantasy tends to be a little more...literary. Better written. And my sense of it is that the UK editors do a lot less editing than the US ones do, which I suppose is reflected in the quality of the writing.

Yep. That describes it really well.

DH is on his way home from a trip right now. Hee. He says the first airport book he bought got left in the hotel on purpose. Too stupid for words. I have some hopes for the remaining ones, but we'll see.

Wish I could go on a trip where I just "had" to buy books for the plane! I wonder if "needing something to read while waiting in the school pickup line" counts?

It should!

Apropos of this conversation, Recently I was at the Heathrow airport bookstore, picking out books for the kids. A guy was standing next to me choosing book for his son, those awful Robert Muchamore books that are so popular over there. He went to check out and was told that he could get four books for the price of three, so he came back. I watched him for a second, then pointed out MT and said "How about this one?" He said his son is 13 and I told him he might like it. So he got it! I didn't tell him I'd written the book, but I felt sneaky and had a good laugh.

Haha! I actually thrust your book upon a mother looking for something for her 13-year-old as well once...

THE SEASON (by McClean), which I just finished today. I loved it! Fun, barbed (in places), and a great romance. From a writer's standpoint, I thought she did the typical misunderstandings in relationships pretty well -- and I watched how she kept the tension up.

KNIFE (by Anderson), which I'm almost finished with (enough to mention here). I liked it, though it's definitely more middle grade in feel. However, there's a sweet romance, and it's a sweet book, altogether. It did have that 'teacherly' feel that many mgs do (to me, at least), but the lesson was strong, imo.

SPROUT (by Peck) is the third latest. Certainly, as a writer, I noticed how much I cared for all the characters -- how much I wished I could do something for their misery (which there was a lot of).

Yes, Knife is definitely midgrade--but a kind of midgrade I can get into and reread. I haven't seen The Season yet--is it out, or only in ARC?

It's out :) My copy actually came from Amazon (they didn't have the ARC) -- and I'm so glad I got a hardcover!

I'm looking forward to The Season! I was sorely disappointed last year by Bewitching Season but still have hope for the YA historicals.

I enjoyed Bewitching Season. I'll keep an eye out for The Season, too.

I think you'll really like this one -- it's just FUN!

Wild Swans (by Jung Chang) Wow! I just finished it for my book group today. It's a story about three generations of women in China and is heartwrenching and fascinating all at once. I learned so much about the Chinese culture and history (Non-fiction).

Far From You (by Lisa Schroeder) Loved this very touching and realistic YA (have loved both of her books -- I can think of several kids that are struggling with life and death issues that I need to give this to). Very emotional and insightful and real -- about dealing with the death of a loved one.

Prom (By Laurie Halse Anderson) Okay. Not really my thing, but definitely upper YA. A story about a girl uninterested in Prom who gets sucked into helping save her senior prom and then finds that she really does care. I suppose the thing I took from this is that sometimes things are different than we expect them to be.

I liked You Heart Me, I Haunt You--first book in verse I've ever read. And I've only read Speak by LHA, but that one was pretty strong!

I didn't read Speak. This is the only one of hers I've read...maybe I'll try Speak. I really liked You Heart Me, I Haunt You also -- it's a cool format that works well for her stuff.

I liked SPEAK...the only other of hers I've read is CATALYST, which I hated. I glanced through WINTERGIRLS when I got the ARC; it was more in the vein of SPEAK, I think.

I'll have to try it. And Season too. :)

I just grabbed MARCELO off my own library shelf to take home! Glad to hear the great review!

Enjoy!

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