Blue Gentian is officially out for publication, and I’m running it free for the next 5 days to thank you all for following me through this journey. If you could please consider telling someone what you thought of it (especially consider reviewing it!) I would be the most grateful girl on the web. Thanks in advance.
So what are you waiting for? Go get your free copy!
I just heard the news that Ursula K. LeGuin died, and I am saddened beyond belief. I think, like with Elie Wiesel, that I will need a while to gather my thoughts. Right now, all I can think of is the books she wrote that I would recommend someone read, and it turns out that it’s all of them. But she meant so much more to me than her literature, and to express that I will need time.
If you can get a copy, though, the one that sticks with me hardest today is her fake Ethnography of the Kesh people in post-nuclear California: Always Coming Home. It’s a beautiful, odd, and terrifying thing that doesn’t read dystopic at all. And of course you already know of the Earthsea series and The Left Hand of Darkness.
I have been trying to figure out a way to keep myself from going insane with boredom with nothing to do all day but hold a small boy, and I’ve been reading odd fantasy books: Maggie Stiefvater’s All The Crooked Saints (I cannot tell if I like this book or not because it was a hard one to love and yet it was so BEAUTIFULLY written…); Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor (where she does everything they tell you not to do in a novel and it still ended up claiming me completely); and Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin (the best thing I’ve read since Uprooted last year, and the first thing I’ve been head over heels for since Robin McKinley’s latest). It feels good to contemplate other worlds, and I think I’ll continue.
I have been reading the books out loud to the baby when he’s awake, and I’m sure he’s thoroughly confused now since he gets only snippets of whatever passage I’m on when he happens to have his eyes open. I’ll warrant that he’s getting a pretty good vocabulary, though. And a knowledge of his people, since his big eyes and pointed chin have me half-convinced he’s a Fairy himself. Or maybe just a changeling.
It might just be a coincidence in timing (or his elfin heritage), but Fantasy books seem to have him sleeping better at night. He’s been letting us sleep a solid 4 hours at a time most evenings, and even a 6 hour stretch every once in a while. I never thought 4 hours of sleep would sound luxurious, but it does.
I have also stopped doing strange things in my sleep now that he’s sleeping longer. So far I have woken Brian up twice to ask him to take the baby when the baby had already been sleeping in his bassinet for at least an hour. And then there was the evening where I tried to convince Brian that I was feeding the baby right now, when the kid was actually in Brian’s arms and yelling at me about not being quick enough with the midnight snack. Parenthood is mostly a comedy of errors, I’m finding. But at least it’s a comedy…
Next on the reading list is probably Ellen Kushner’s Thomas the Rhymer. But maybe I’ll get out some of my old LeGuin instead. It’s been ages since I’ve read The Tombs of Atuan, or Voices – two I have read countless times in the past because they’re my favorites.
When the L. M. Montgomery institute called for blog entries for their Anne Read-Along this year, I knew I had to be involved. Anne has been a major part of life from adolescence onward, and I surely would not have found Emily, Rilla, or Valancy without her. All four girls have shaped my life in innumerable ways. Anne is the gateway drug to all of it; the crux; where most of us start.
They gave me a hard chapter. It’s short and not a lot happens. It took me a while to think about it, but when it was all done I was really proud of what I had come up with: https://www.lmmontgomery.ca/anne-green-gables-read-long-chapter-iii-marilla-cuthbert-surprised
I can’t wait to see what everyone else does for their chapter. Reading the other blog entries has already made me see things in the books that I hadn’t before. Happy reading along.
Oh man…
I’ve been trying to blog. Really I have. There are a million half-finished things on my computer just waiting for the internet. For some reason, though, I just couldn’t seem to finish anything.
I started a new job about a month ago, my responsibilities much more low-key than the old one. I didn’t realize how much stress I was under at the old until I wasn’t under it anymore. I feel like I’ve been handed my life back. And not just my life, but my pregnancy. I get to enjoy this time now, instead of being worried that I didn’t quite catch everything I should have, cycling through to-do lists as I try to sleep through baby kicks.
All this is basically to say that I’m terribly behind on this thing. And I’m so behind that I don’t even really know how behind I am. The students are talking about returning. I haven’t posted the things I’ve read last semester, let alone over the summer. All my posts on the baby are super-outdated now. Everything is a mess.
I’m going to start with the easy thing, which is the reading list this year. I don’t remember where I left off, so I’m just going to give you the books I’ve read since January 1st, and a quick blurb on what I thought of them. We’ll worry about the rest of stuff next week.
For those keeping count, I’ve passed the half-way mark until I meet this kid in person, and we’ve reached the first viability marker too. If he was born today, he has a 1/3 chance of surviving. Admittedly not great, but at least he has a chance (and so far there’s no evidence he’s not staying baked for a while). He’s still moving around like crazy, but he’s lumping up on my left for some reason, tucking himself in there hard. Not a big deal until I try and get up to pee in the middle of the night and fall over sideways in my delirious state… He’s doing well – measuring in the middle of everything like he should.
Alright, here’s the 1st half of 2017 Reading List. Beware: it’s mostly baby, self-help, and romance. What can I say? I’ve needed that comfort reading.
That’s it for right now. As always, happy reading!
Finally a blog entry, right? Work has gotten insane on me. One of our own went out on disability to get her knee replaced (surgery went well, and recovery is too – yay!), but we’re all doing a little backfilling to pitch in. Couple that with all the beginning of the year crazy and the cold Brian shared that just won’t go away, and it’s a miracle I’ve been able to write at all.
Which is to say that blog entries might be sparser (once a week and irregular?) until March. We’ll see how it goes.
It’s more than time for the winter reading list. The students came back last Monday and I’m officially late. So, here’s all the things I’ve read since the fall, and what I thought of them. I know… I did say there would be less book reviews in the new year. I’m still mostly holding to that. But I also said the Reading List was something that would stay. This one wins the award for most books ever (if that’s an actual award) with 53.
I hope you find something to like in this batch.
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLean – I’m basically in love with this woman and consider her books to be the best thing ever. I have never seen Informed Consent in a romance novel, and not only does MacLean do it, she does it so it’s SUPER hot. Basic rule for all the MacLean books that follow? READ THEM NOW.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater – Beautifully written, but I just couldn’t get into it. For some reason, I just felt like I had read this book before. It didn’t offer me anything new.
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater – Again, a very pretty book with not a lot of exciting things to offer. I decided not to continue with the series after this one.
The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean – A runaway in the wrong (or right, if you like super hot guys) carriage trope, only this one is done remarkably well.
A Scot In The Dark by Sarah MacLean – It’s like if the naked celebrity selfie problem went 17th century on us. Crazy well done. And who doesn’t love a lady who ultimately saves herself?
A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean – A marriage of convenience novel in an illicit gaming hell. He’s trying to keep her “pure.” Sign me up, please!
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean – Another in the gaming hell series, and just as good as the first.
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean – This one might actually be my favorite of all the Lord of Scoundrels series. The lady the duke supposedly killed turns up alive, and of course sparks fly.
The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery – A comfort read that I’ve memorized parts of, and don’t read often. It’s such a gem of a book, and I think I got more from it this time than I did as a teen. She’s saying important things about women and relationships in this one.
Never Judge A Lady By Her Cover by Sarah MacLean – OH so good. I love the secret that is the premise of this book, though I won’t spoil it for those who are planning to read the others. And who doesn’t like a newspaperman hero? I ALWAYS do. My FAVORITE of the Lord of Scoundrels.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – I’m probably a horrible person, but I just couldn’t get into it. I think it’s because Kvothe annoyed the CRAP out of me, and I didn’t want to spend any time with him.
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede – I don’t know why I keep returning to this book, because it really isn’t my favorite – it’s too long a timeline and too rambling to be About anything. But Wrede’s world and alt-history is SO fascinating. That’s what I go back for, I guess.
Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer – This hilarious book is all letters back and forth as the two girls confront separate problems in the country and in town that ultimately end up being related. Combines Wrede’s awesome alt-history world with regency romance and is perfection. Bonus points? It reads like it was fun to write.
What Matters in Jane Austen by John Mullan – I think this book is for people who aren’t history-buffs and totally crazy about the Regency. I learned a little bit, but not as much as someone else might have. Also, I felt kinda “meh” about it. I struggled to get through it, though ultimately was glad I did.
Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare – A couple of mystery lovers tryst in a room that both the Hero and Heroine happen to also be in, and they’re blamed. Now they have to get married, which seems like a hardship but really isn’t after all. It was definitely a solid novel, but not a favorite or anything.
That Scandalous Summer by Meredith Duran – It’s a marriage of convenience novel, where the hero needs the heroine’s money to keep a hospital he runs open. I read it all the way through, but ultimately didn’t feel it was great.
Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas – I actually hated this book. It was basically the plot of “Splash” in 18th century form, but it got a little rapey and awful in there. I wouldn’t recommend.
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase – Oh, so great. The heroine is trying to pry her brother away from the hero’s terrible influence. She’s super-smart, he’s fairly oblivious, and things are basically perfect. I would 100% recommend this novel.
Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase – Love this novel, too. It’s an already betrothed but fell for someone else totally unsuitable trope, where the hero falls for his fiancé’s dressmaker. Unique, though, because there’s genuine affection between the hero and his fiancé, just not romantic love. So great, I kept picking up her books.
Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase – Dressmakers #2, and it features a delightful heroine who sneaks into all the Ton parties to report on the latest fashions. So great. Would recommend.
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese O’Neil – Totally hilarious and disgusting (in a good way) in every way. Ever wanted to be a romance heroine? This will cure you. And leave you laughing.
The Young Blood by Erin Satie – I loved this book a bunch. It was well written, and the murder scene was horrifying while still serving the story. It lost a few points for me for deus ex machina balloon rides, but all in all I would recommend.
Lady Sophia’s Lover by Lisa Kleypas – I was out of stuff to read, and so I DID go back to the Bow Street series, despite my reservations. This one was better than the last, but still not that great.
Secrets from the Eating Lab by Tracy Mann – Such a cathartic and helpful read. I’ve read a ton of books and evidence about how diets don’t help, but Mann takes it farther and tells you how to live healthfully at any size. Finally a course of action that won’t kill me!
Romancing the Beat, Story Structure for Romance by Gwen Hayes – Very helpful as I was planning my Nano novel this year, which was a romance. And a quick read, which was also nice.
The View From the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman – Oh, I love this man so much. I got a little bogged down in the section that’s all commentary on comics and things because I don’t read that genre, but otherwise it was magical to read his thoughts on things.
Red Rose by Mary Balogh – I hated this book completely, was 100% turned off by the way she treated her disabled heroine, and didn’t finish it.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – I loved this book so much that I started my own project this year. I’ve almost totally dropped it 3 months in, but I did change several significant things that seem to be really helping me feel better about myself.
Geoducks are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott – I mean, it was the usual contemporary beach house romance, complete with wishy-washy reason for the couple to stay apart. But it was well written, at least.
The Rogue by Katharine Ashe – While I really loved the tension between the hero and heroine, I also felt like the book was missing something. Maybe because it’s #4 and they’re not as stand-alone as everyone hoped?
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt – The plot was pretty great, really, as was the hero and heroine traveling through the slums after a secret. I think I can’t give it full marks, though, because of a needless almost-rape.
His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander – Uh, no. This book annoyed the CRAP out of me because there seemed to be no reason at all for the two not to at least schtup each other, and they didn’t. And it was repetitive. I read about 75% of the way through before I gave up in disgust.
The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig – Maybe the best Christmas book I read this year. An intrigue with puddings, silly and not too smart but still drool-worthy men, and much Christmas goodness. Hot, but no sex.
Oh Horrid Night edited by Amber Newburry – This is the book I’m in! I had a fun time reading everyone else’s stuff, which was oh so creative and very creepy.
All I Want for Christmas is You by Nora Roberts – it was fine, but nothing to write home about. The kids were cute, the romance just fine. I have nothing to criticize. But, I also have nothing to praise, really.
Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams – I actually liked this book quite a lot. The fellow in the relationship was a pastor, and so I thought it might be sickly religious. Not so, though. And very solid, with plenty of hotness and a story line that seemed natural.
A Christmas Kiss by Elizabeth Mansfield – A sweet holiday romance in which the spunky and awesome heroine falls for the father of the house, who’s mad at himself because he thinks she’s engaged to his son. Sweet.
A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams – It was written well, but I felt like this missed the mark for me. They were both missionaries, and for some reason I didn’t feel like I really identified with them, though the writing and story were both solid.
Twas The Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries – A cute and steamy novel about a man and his estranged mother. The guy falls for his mother’s companion after she tricks them into reconciling. He was a little too creepy at first, but I ended up liking it.
What A Lady Needs for Christmas by Grace Burrowes – This was one of my FAVORITE Christmas novels this year. It features a Scot, a train escape, an awesome wardrobe, and a precocious daughter. I didn’t want it to end.
Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham – The heroine is an ex-con and a train engineer, and watching her story unfold was great. Especially because her brother and the hero are such funny guys. Plenty of Christmas goodness, too. Also, the ugliest sweater EVER.
Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan – A VERY cute tale that made me want to at least explore reading the rest of the series. Plenty of skiing and coziness, along with a mean mother and a teen to adore.
The Duke and Miss Christmas by Amelia Grey – I got REALLY angry with the hero in the first chapter and refused to read the rest of it. The verdict is a resounding No.
Wallbanger by Alice Clayton – Oh, I love this book so much. I was skeptical because of the title, but the hero and heroine are both so quippy, and they both have a hilarious posse of friends, and it’s hot all the way through. Yes please.
Once Upon a Highland Christmas by Lecia Cornwall – Another one of my favorites this year. The villagers are such well-written characters, and I loved the Lady and Lord, and the way gossip traveled. They both stubbornly held to marrying others beyond the point of reason, but I still think it worked. Would recommend.
The Undervalued Self by Elaine Aron – This was an interesting read, and I think it was good for me. The difference between ranking and linking situations, and how we rank when we should link sometimes, has been very helpful.
A Bad Boy for Christmas by Jessica Lemon – I was not really a fan of this one. Eventually things get kinda sweet, but the hero in the beginning is a little creepy about his need to “protect” the heroine and it never quite recovered enough for me.
How A Lady Weds a Rogue by Katharine Ashe – This book had all the good parts of an amazing novel, but it somehow didn’t grip me. I found my attention wandering even as I enjoyed it. I recommend? I gave it 4 stars on Amazon.
Seducing Mr. Knightley by Maya Rodale – downtrodden and shy advice columnist known as Dear Abigail reverses things and asks her readers for advice on how to seduce her crush. Which happens to be her boss. Nothing to do with Jane Austen (closer to Never Been Kissed, the movie), but features a newspaperman. Yum.
Grin and Beard it by Penny Reid – It’s the 2nd book in the series, but it’s OH so good and can stand alone. National Park ranger and movie star fall in love. She has an amazing career, is Latina, and also a size 14 and totally sexy. So is he, bear-trapping and all. It sounds cheesy, but it’s really not. It’s perfection.
Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid – I read the book above and HAD to read the entire series. This one is technically part of the “Knitting In The City” series, but it features their sister and is also considered Winston Brothers 0.5. A sad book since it features the death of the MC’s mother, but also a beautiful love story. And you HAVE to love that gaggle of friends.
Truth or Beard by Penny Reid – The 2nd book in the series. Two hometown haters fall in love when the girl mistakes the guy for his twin and things get hot. Full of sassiness, too. I almost said this one was my favorite so far, but I don’t think I can, really. It’s impossible to pick.
Beard Science by Penny Reid – I was worried about this one because I don’t really think of Cletus as being romantic. But he definitely is. And this book may be the funniest yet because the heroine is so great. She’s smart but sheltered, so it’s an interesting combination with Cletus’ slyness.
The year is feeling old, old, and I am looking at all the posts I need to post to wrap up the end of this year. The season of introspection is upon us. Let’s dive head in.
I would like to all remind you of a reading challenge I accepted last January. Here is the original post so you can refresh your memory: https://caseykins.com/2016/01/15/a-reading-challenge/. I read all books but one and then gave up completely. Why, you ask? The one I didn’t read is a classic I never made time for. It’s because I pondered a million classics and none of them seemed to be something I wanted to delve into. I have made time for all the classics I care about, and slogging through something I was sure would be depressing just seemed like too tall an order. I don’t know. I stopped enjoying the challenge when I thought too much about it, so I decided that reading should not ever be anything except enjoying and I gave up.
All other books, though, I have blogged and completed. You can find the reviews for them using the search box on the left, if you want.
Here is what I ended up with:
In other Christmas news, I was feeling grateful yesterday that the kitten has never tried to climb the tree. And then I came home last night to find that she had pulled several of my favorites off the branches and had strewn them around the living room. Luckily they weren’t the ones with extreme sentimental value, and only one was worse for the wear, but I’m seriously going to have to think about anti-cat measures. Chasing her away only works when I’m at home to supervise. Jennyanydots: the reason we can’t have nice things.
Christmas jam is probably in the works this weekend, too. I’m giving it out as presents this year, so that’s all I’ll say. Flavors a tasty, tasty mystery.
We are racing toward the finish line. I hope your season is looking as festive as mine is.
Hello! As promised, it is December 1st and I am back with a vengeance. Well, maybe not a vengeance. But with bells on. I have problems sustaining vengeance, and I never have problems sustaining glee. I miss blogging when I don’t do it.
Today I’m going to write about Christmas romance novels, after I tell you that I won Nanowrimo. Yay me!! That’s number 6. This year was easier than last, mostly because I planned better and didn’t freak out when I got stymied after writing the beginning. I just went on to write the middle and end in no discernible order whatsoever like I usually do. No existential crisis about it first this time. Now if I can just get some of those rough drafts finished, I’ll be feeling even better about myself. That’s a task for next year.
The verdict on subject matter? I think I’m capable of writing a romance novel. Now we just have to figure out if I can edit one. Brian has refused to be a beta-reader on the grounds that he’ll never be able to keep a straight face. Fair enough.
Speaking of Romance Novels… I have been binge-reading Christmas romance novels in the hopes that somewhere there are good ones out there. Here’s a quick list of what I’ve completed so far, and how I felt about it. In order of read-worthiness, in case you’re interested in joining me. I was pleasantly surprised, I have to say. After last year, this one could be considered a rousing success. Several things were very readable, and a few were outright good.
The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig: There’s no sex in the book, but it still manages to be exactly perfect in all ways. It starts with a Christmas pudding on which a secret message has been written, and evolves into this perfect novel of romance and intrigue that is not only Christmassy, but also sweet. Bonus points for a hero who isn’t very smart but still manages to be hot, quippy, and funny all at the same time. And for Christmas pageants and yule log rituals. This was my favorite read this season.
Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams: A contemporary that’s a little bit religious in nature. I didn’t mind it, though, because it wasn’t rampantly so and it is a Christmas novel. With a pastor as the main character. The two of them didn’t feel goody-goody, they felt like real people in a marriage of convenience, and the issues they were both dealing with were real and serious. It was also the hot and bothered kind, the first one I’ve read this season.
A Christmas Kiss by Elizabeth Mansfield: This one and the above are probably tied for enjoyment. There’s also no sex in this book, but it ended up being one of my favorite historicals this time around. The premise is that, though a confluence of misunderstandings, the duke’s family thinks that their oldest son is engaged to this girl even though he’s not. And the duke totally starts to fall in love with her, but won’t do anything about it because he thinks he’s usurping his son’s girl. The heroine is AWESOME, and the antics that go on in the house are great. There’s lots of Christmas goodness to recommend it, too. But just know that it’s a lot more sweet and funny than it is hot and bothered.
A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams: I can’t say exactly why I didn’t enjoy this book at all as much as the first Willow Park book (above), but I didn’t. I think that it just was too far outside my own experience to be relateable. The main character is a missionary who basically just wants to be in India, where she feels her new life is waiting. And eventually she falls in love with her husband and all, like we all knew would happen, but her inner journey isn’t one I identified with. Still, a solid book with lots of Christmas goodness. And I do think it might be the thing for some people. It was well written with a solid story arc.
All I Want for Christmas by Nora Roberts: It’s a novella, so it’s short. And contemporary. There wasn’t really anything I can put my finger on that was wrong with it, but there wasn’t anything extra to be excited about either. The kids are cute, the love interest sweet with the usual “brokenhearted previously” trope to keep the two (very) temporarily apart. It was totally fine. A solid novel with many nice Christmas touches. But honestly, I’ve already forgotten that I read it.
His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander: I just… I hate to be so disparaging. But this novel rubbed me in ALL the wrong ways. He’s so passive about her that it starts to feel like he doesn’t know what to do with a woman, even though he’s supposed to be this fancy experienced explorer with a girl in every port. She tells him he’s extraordinary every time he opens his mouth in those exact words. They fall in love in two seconds without ever spending any real time together. He’s supposed to come into some big inheritance, which turns out to be his father’s beat up watch and not actually a thing. The sexual tension wasn’t present. While it did have plenty of Christmas trappings, that’s it’s only saving grace. I’d skip.
I can’t even today. Every time I think that a certain political candidate could not possibly make me angrier, I somehow get more incensed. It’s at the point now where I know I have to disengage or give myself an aneurism from all the angstyness that people are STILL supporting this – I don’t even feel like there’s a word bad enough to call him – candidate. My only consolation is that it will all be over in about 4 weeks (for better or worse).
I was thinking about doing a post about all the feminist reasons to abhor this man, but I realized that all that info is out there in spades on the internet. And this isn’t a political blog, it’s a book/writing blog.
So, escapism it is!
I don’t know about you, but I prefer my politics with a heavy dose of magic and/or the supernatural. So instead of a rant, I present to you 4 Fantasy books in which the government plays an active character. But don’t worry, it’s not anything like your government today. Have at them and try and forget that America is such a mess right now.
Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell: There’s a new big box store going into the sleepy hamlet of Lychford. Local crank Judith doesn’t care a bit about jobs or modernization, but she does care about the site plan. Lychford lies on the boundary of two worlds. If the supermarket is built it will destroy all wards forever, unleashing demonic destruction on the world. Judith has to convince the town to stop construction, but she’ll need some unlikely allies to make it happen…
The book is spunky and hilarious, with a few serious moments to make it really a good book. It’s a novella, which means it’s a quick read, and it’s everything you ever wanted in a Walmart fight, with actual demons, witches dancing under the moonlight, fae in the forests, and magic markings on the doors.
Chalice by Robin McKinley: The last Master and Chalice died in a horrible fire after doing unspeakable things to the land. Now it is up to beekeeper Marisol (the new Chalice) and the old Master’s brother (a priest of fire who may not be quite human anymore) to heal the land and stabilize the country, before the Overlord can launch a coup for power that will certainly damage the land irreparably.
This book is one in which nothing happens and everything happens all at once, like McKinley does best. It’s so internal, so based on looks and gestures, or subtle power plays. But you still feel the seriousness of it as you fall in love with the land. I never put this book down without wanting to move to the middle of nowhere and keep bees with the man I’m in love with.
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Dianna Wynne Jones: Christopher’s parents are both powerful enchanters who hate each other. But Christopher himself doesn’t appear to be magical at all, unless you count the marvelous lands he visits in his dreams. His only friend is his Uncle Ralph, who sends him on missions to bring back things from those strange lands as a game. But when Christopher is told that he’s supposed to train to become the next Chrestomanci, the president of all magic in the land, his loyalties are thrown out of whack and he isn’t sure who to trust anymore. Or that he’ll even want to become the next Chrestomanci at all.
I just can’t say enough about this book. It turns all fantasy tropes on its heels and features one of those perfect Dianna Wynne Jones plots where everything is absolutely nuts, random, and up in the air, but somehow it resolves into a plot that was always perfectly right and organized by the end. You just didn’t know it. My favorite person in the book is the priestess Asheth. She always wants Christopher to bring her “exotic” books featuring Millie and her boarding school adventures. It’s technically a children’s book, but it’s definitely complex and fun for adults, too.
Voices: Memer is a daughter of the Oracle House, a place the conquerors and occupiers of the town Ansul are sure is filled with demons. Reading and writing are punishable by death, and Oracle House is the only place that books now exist in the town, locked up in a secret room. When the famous traveling minstrel, Orrec, arrives with his wife Gry to tell stories to the soldiers, Memer begins to see how important story really is. Important enough that it could give Ansul back it’s peace and freedom, could give the people enough bravery to rebel against their oppressors.
I don’t know why I’m in love with this book so much, because it’s a serious read that deals with grave topics that surround war. Memer herself is the daughter of a rape. But Memer is so beloved, and the world so vibrant, that you root for the townsfolk and their freedom wholeheartedly. It’s got a magic to it that’s hard to define, partly (I think) because it feels so real. This could be a history of somewhere you’ve never heard of, and it ends with so much hope.
So that’s my recommendation. As always, happy reading! And together maybe we can avoid imploding from election drama… Maybe.
I was hoping for some fall-like rain, but this wasn’t what I had in mind. It’s overcast and still in the 90s out, oppressive and muggy. We might get ¼ of an inch of rain at some point tonight, says the weather guy on NPR, or we may just get dry thunderstorms.
Every little bit counts?
I had thought to do a review of something I’m reading lately, but all I’m reading is a host of romance novels by Sarah Maclean. Her romance stuff is positively feminist, and I’m in love with all of it. I can’t put them down. It’s only been a few weeks and I’m almost out of her backlist already. Sigh.
And so I’ll turn to old things to recommend to you instead. It’s still early enough in the year that I can do back to school books, right? These are three of my favorites, no matter where you happen to be going:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: Cath Avery, freshman, girl obsessed with all things Simon Snow and Watford the wizard school, is dismayed when her sister doesn’t want to room with her their first year in college. They’ve always shared a room, and Cath isn’t at all equipped for new people, least of all her scary, taciturn roommate and her cute farm boy boyfriend who is always hanging around. Couple that with a professor who thinks Cath’s fanfic is plagiarism, and a mentally ill father who goes a little nutty without his girls in the house, and Cath’s Anxieties abound. But as her life as she knew it unravels, Cath realizes that she might have strength for something more.
This book is one of my favorite things ever. Cath is so sweetly neurotic that you at once feel like she embodies everything you’ve ever worried about. But she also never fails to make me feel normal, that my own anxieties are manageable. I don’t need to be forced to the dining hall and am able to kiss a boy while thinking about it, for example. It makes it feel okay to be broken and to come from a crazy but loving home. It makes it feel okay to take kissing seriously, to not follow the rhythms of the world around you like so many of us don’t.
I’ve read this book probably 3 times already since I found it a few years ago, and I’m not planning to stop any time soon.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale: Miri and the other girls in her small, poor mountain village are dismayed when an emissary from the king brings a missive to their far-away town: the priests have divined that the prince’s next bride will be from here. Instead of working in the quarry to feed their families, all girls of a certain age must go away and attend a princess academy to ready themselves. The teacher is mean, the lessons useless for Miri’s old life, and even the other girls seem to be her enemy. But eventually circumstances force them to get along, and Miri learns a secret that could ensure her village has enough to eat for all the future winters, if she can only execute the plan correctly.
This book is supposedly middle grade, I think, but it’s a really lovely tale about poverty and the importance of education, love, and diplomacy. Miri is such a sweet girl that you find yourself rooting for her the whole way. This book is the first of a series, and the themes grow up as Miri does. Each chapter is headed by a sweet song. Definitely worth checking out all of them.
Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman: Told through letters, bulletins, waste paper trash, and other scraps of paper, this book is the chronicle of one English teacher’s first year at an urban high school. It has bureaucracy, ill-behaved students, crazy administrators, and a cadre of other things that make it both sweet and exasperating.
There’s a reason it’s a classic, and even though it was written in the 1960s a lot of it still feels immediate. Teachers are still fighting the good fight to put knowledge in kid’s heads, and kids are still irreverent jerks sometimes. It’s a quick read, too. Short and sweet. I heartily recommend it.
As always, happy reading!
It’s that time again. Or nearly that time. We’re terribly late getting back to school in the state system, so there won’t be classes on this campus for another few weeks. But the university near my house has started up, and so have all the kids I know. And, of course, Hogwarts starts September 1st, so I’ll post the list a little early and call it appropriate.
The list is rather huge this time. I’m blaming it on the fact that I go through bad books much faster than good ones. And I also want to say you’re welcome for reading so much crap romance that you don’t have to wade through it yourself. Here it is:
As always, happy reading!
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Casey E. Hamilton 