I'll try to update this post as I find out more information:
January 13th: 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows (3 Willows (Hardback)) Popular author Ann Brashares brings readers another tale about girls who must learn the true value of friendship.
January 13th: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw The latest installment in the Wimpy Kid series. Previous books in the series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules
January 20th: Princess of the Midnight Ball I can't wait to read this one! Jessica Day George did a wonderful job with Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight, I can't wait to read this re-telling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
January 27th: Happenstance Found (The Books of Umber) After re-telling so many fairy tales, I can't wait to read his latest book.
January 27th: Scat The biology teacher is supposedly gone taking care of a family emergency but two students suspect foul play. It will be most interesting to see how Carl Hiaasen's latest book compares to his first two.
February 1st: Tia The Tulip Fairy (Rainbow Magic) Pippa The Poppy Fairy (Rainbow Magic) Louise The Lily Fairy (Rainbow Magic) Charlotte The Sunflower Fairy (Rainbow Magic) February is an exciting month for all the Daisy Meadows fans. The Petal Fairy Books finally come out in the U.S.! The mini-series is as follows: Tia the Tulip Fairy, Pippa the Poppy Fairy, Louise the Lily Fairy, Charlotte the Sunflower Fairy, Olivia the Orchid Fairy, Danielle the Daisy Fairy, Ella the Rose Fairy.
February 10th: Wild Orchid: A Retelling of "The Ballad of Mulan" (Once Upon a Time) The Once Upon a Time series continues with the Ballad of Mulan. I'm worried that the legend of Mulan will somehow be ruined in the re-telling of it. However, I am pleased that Cameron Dokey is doing the re-telling as I think she is the best author involved in the Once Upon a Time series.
February 10th: The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series) The fourth in the Pellinor series. Previous books in the series: The Naming, The Riddle, and The Crow.
February 10th: Seekers #2: Great Bear Lake The second in the Seekers series. The first one is called The Quest Begins.
February 10th: Percy Jackson: The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) I think this is one of the most exciting Spring releases as it includes some short stories never before seen by Rick Riordan.
February 19th: Snow White and Rose Red I think this also is one of the most exciting Spring releases. Finally this book is coming back into print! Yes!
February 24th: Starclimber The third book in the Airborn series. I am a bit skeptical as it is an adventure in space and that doesn't seem to quite fit the original time period of the first book. Previous books in the series: Airborn and Skybreaker
March 2nd: A reissue of many of Shannon Hale's books. Hooray! Although I don't believe this new cover art is as good as the original art, it is much better than the photographic pictures used on the paperbacks you see in stores today. The Goose Girl Enna Burning Princess Academy The Book of a Thousand Days
March 3rd: The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief. The third of the 39 Clues books written by an author skilled in writing Star Wars stories. The first two books are The Maze of Bones and One False Note.
March 3rd: The Amaranth Enchantment First time author Julie Berry has all the great elements of a princess story in this book--balls, revenge, romance, and evil spells.
March 5th: The new Puffin Classics come out! I don't know if any of you have had the pleasure of holding these books in your hands but they are so portable and the covers are so vibrant and lovely! The Jungle Book (Puffin Classics) Peter Pan (Puffin Classics) Heidi (Puffin Classics) A Tale of Two Cities (Puffin Classics)
March 5th: Firebirds Soaring: An Anthology of Original Speculative Fiction YAY! I've been waiting for this glorious collection of short stories for many months now! Hooray!
March 10th: Alligator Bayou Donna Jo Napoli's latest!
March 10th: Best Friends And Drama Queens (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls) The third Allie Finkle. The first two are Moving Day and The New Girl.
March 17th: Emma Vol. 8 Although the plot is somewhat unbelievable, Kaoru Mori's Emma is a delightful heroine, thoughtful, grave,and brave. Will Emma ever find happiness? Let's hope so!
April 1st: The Glass Maker's Daughter This sounds like a really intriguing novel all about magical glass making in a city very like Venice.
April 15th: Thirteenth Child (Frontier Magic Book) A new series from the author of the wonderful Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
April 28th: The Princess and the Bear I had heard that Mette Ivie Harrison was intrigued with the character of the dog in the first book, The Princess and te Hound. I'm so glad she is continuing on with the story line!
April 30th: Wishes on the Moon More genies from Michael Tunnel! The first two books in the series: The Wishing Moon and Moon Without Magic.
May 1st: The Sisters Grimm: Book Seven: The Everafter War (Bk. 7) It sounds like this may be the last in the series. Although I've only read through book three, I imagine the seventh book will be just as good as the first. Yes, Sabrina can be a bit annoying, but I find the author's different, snarky take on the various fairy tale creatures to be interesting and sometimes refreshing.
May 1st: Bethany The Ballet Fairy (Dance Fairies) This date ushers in the U.S. release of The Dance Fairies by Daisy Meadows. The books are as follows: Bethany the Ballet Fairy, Jade the Disco Fairy, Rebecca the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fairy, Tasha the Tap Dance Fairy, Jessica the Jazz Fairy, Serena the Salsa Fairy, Isabelle the Ice Dance Fairy
May 4th: The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After: Being the Private Correspondence Between Two Prominent Families Regarding a Scandal Touching the Highest Levels of Government and the Security of the Realm The fourth book in the Sorcery and Cecelia series. While enjoyable enough, I found the second book to be the least enjoyable book by Patricia Wrede that I have read so far. I must admit that I haven't yet read the third. The first three books are as follows: Sorcery and Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician.
May 5th: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Book 5: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) This book is one of my top five anticipated books of 2009. I can't wait to find out what happens to Percy and all his friends! Previous books in the series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse and The Battle of the Labyrinth.
May 12th: Seekers #3: Smoke Mountain The third Seekers book. Previous books in the series: The Quest Begins and Great Bear Lake.
May 12th: Winter Wood: Book 3 in the Touchstone Trilogy. After reading the Various, I cannot help but be interested in what book author Steve Augarde will write next.
May 12th: Dragon Spear Yet another book I am really looking forward to! When Dragon Flight came out I was skeptical that Jessica Day George could write a sequel that was as good as her first (Dragon Slippers). However, I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderful Dragon Flight was! I eagerly await her third in the "Dragon" series!
May 14th: The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline: An Enola Holmes Mystery Hooray, another Enola Holmes mystery! I'm sure this one will be just as good as her previous four (The Case of the Missing Marquess, The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets, and The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan)!
May 28th: The Reluctant Heiress The lovely month of May continues with another book from the exquisite author, Eva Ibbotson. OK, yes, this one sounds entirely too gushy and highly unrealistic but the writing is just so wonderful!
Sometime in May?: 12. I'm not sure what this is about. Perhaps it is a sequel to the much talked about Hunger Games?
June 2nd: The Diamond Secret (Once Upon a Time) This is supposedly a retelling of Anastasia. I don't even know where to start regarding my apprehension about this book. First of all, I am curious as to why the Once Upon a Time series has decided to depart from fairy tales to feature a historical person, second, why did they not continue the lovely cover art courtesy of Kinuko Craft? One thing is for sure, it will be interesting how the author and publishers choose to retell poor Anastasia's story!
June 2nd: The 39 Clues: The Card Pack 2 The next card pack for the 39 Clues series.
June 11th: Dracula (Puffin Classics) Oh reissued Puffin classics, how I love you!
June 23rd: Septimus Heap: The Magykal Papers Possibly the final Septimus Heap? I honestly am not entirely sure what I'm going to do with myself once this series is over. It's just so fun to read and the books look very nice on a bookshelf (not that I'm shallow or anything...)
June 25th: The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen The second book set in the intriguing other world of New York City. I like the concept of these books but felt that her short story CATNYP from The Faery Reel was better than her novel. However, I think Delia Sherman has some of the more original ideas when it comes to reworking fantasy creatures/settings.
July 1st: Trixie The Halloween Fairy (Rainbow Magic) Another Daisy Meadows special.
August 4th: Treason's Shore: Book Four of Inda The fourth book in the Inda series.
August 6th (possibly): The Red Badge of Courage (Puffin Classics Relaunch) Another Puffin Classic
August 25th: (Missing) The second in the Missing series.
August 25th: Violet Wings The newest Victoria Hanley novel.
September 8th: Winter's Child: A Retelling of "The Snow Queen" (Once Upon a Time) A retelling of the Snow Queen and the next in the Once Upon a Time series.
October 14th: The Underland Chronicles Book Five: Gregor and the Code of Claw Gregor's last book finally comes out on CD. Oh Gregor, how I wish you weren't over!
2009 PAPERBACKS
1) January 1st: Elijah Of Buxton
2) February 3rd: Moving Day (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls)
3) February 10th: Seekers #1: The Quest Begins
4) April 3rd (perhaps): The Dragonfly Pool
5) May 1st: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
6) May 4th: Mississippi Jack: Being an Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber,Midshipman, Fine Lady, and Lily of the West
7) May 4th: Sir Lancelot the Great
8) May 18th: The Wednesday Wars
9) May 26th: House of Many Ways
10) July 7th: King's Shield: Book Three of Inda
11) October 15th: Thirteen Reasons Why
2009 BOOKS FOR ADULTS
April 28th: The Language of Bees Possibly the next in the exquisite Mary Russell series. I highly recommend this series for the wonderful language, evocative setting, and well-developed characters.
June 9th: The Actor and the Housewife: A Novel Shannon Hale's next adult novel about a woman who meets her favorite actor.
July 22nd: Shades of Grey: A Novel This new Jasper Fforde book sounds very intriguing. He has created a world where seeing color is a privilege (yes, it initially reminded me of the Giver); the more colors you see, the better your social position. Described as "[p]art social satire, part romance, [and] part revolutionary thriller," this book is sure to be original.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
November Reads
Hey I found my notebook with the November list in it!
1) Ruby the Red Fairy by Daisy Meadows
2) Pony-Crazed Princess #1: Princess Ellie to the Rescue by Diana Kimpton and Lizzie Finlay
3) Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
4) Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
5) Enola Holmes and the Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer
6) The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
7) The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
8) Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (not sure where this fits chronologically)
9) Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (ditto)
1) Ruby the Red Fairy by Daisy Meadows
2) Pony-Crazed Princess #1: Princess Ellie to the Rescue by Diana Kimpton and Lizzie Finlay
3) Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
4) Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
5) Enola Holmes and the Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer
6) The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
7) The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
8) Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (not sure where this fits chronologically)
9) Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (ditto)
Friday, January 2, 2009
2008 Books in Review
Favorite January Read: The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
Favorite February Read: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
Favorite March Read: The Works of Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Favorite April Read: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Favorite May Read: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Favorite June Read: Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Favorite July Read: Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Favorite August Read: The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Favorite September Read: Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Favorite October Read: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
Favorite November Read: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Favorite December Read: Paper Towns by John Green
Total # of Books Read: 137
Total # New Books (for me) Read: 108
Total # of Re-reads: 29
Top 6 Books (not including re-reads):
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (tongue-in-cheek fantasy)
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson (historical fiction)
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (fiction, coming-of-age)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt (fiction, coming-of-age)
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher (fiction, coming-of-age)
Paper Towns by John Green (fiction, coming-of-age)
Do you think I like coming-of-age stories?
Favorite February Read: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
Favorite March Read: The Works of Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Favorite April Read: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Favorite May Read: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Favorite June Read: Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Favorite July Read: Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Favorite August Read: The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Favorite September Read: Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Favorite October Read: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
Favorite November Read: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Favorite December Read: Paper Towns by John Green
Total # of Books Read: 137
Total # New Books (for me) Read: 108
Total # of Re-reads: 29
Top 6 Books (not including re-reads):
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (tongue-in-cheek fantasy)
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson (historical fiction)
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (fiction, coming-of-age)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt (fiction, coming-of-age)
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher (fiction, coming-of-age)
Paper Towns by John Green (fiction, coming-of-age)
Do you think I like coming-of-age stories?
December Reads
1) Paper Towns by John Green
2) Emma vol. 3 by Kaouri Mori
3) Emma vol. 4 by Kaouri Mori
4) Emma vol. 5 by Kaouri Mori
5) The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
6) Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie
7) Impossible by Nancy Werlin
8) Belle by Cameron Dokey
9) The Clocks by Agatha Christie
10) Roman Mysteries #1: Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence
2) Emma vol. 3 by Kaouri Mori
3) Emma vol. 4 by Kaouri Mori
4) Emma vol. 5 by Kaouri Mori
5) The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
6) Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie
7) Impossible by Nancy Werlin
8) Belle by Cameron Dokey
9) The Clocks by Agatha Christie
10) Roman Mysteries #1: Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie
Recommended for ages 13+ due to complicated plot structure
4/5 stars
3/5 on the Happiness Meter
Genre: Mystery
Although I can understand why people do not like Agatha Christie novels (I was once one of them), they really are wonderful books. True, you must invest some time in them (unless you are very good at remembering details/names) but they are worth it. Hickory, Dickory Dock is no exception to this as Hercule Poirot is asked to solve a mystery in a boarding house. Poirot knows something is wrong when his usually efficient and unemotional secretary makes a few spelling mistakes. Upon inquiring on her state of health/mind, Poirot discovers that his secretary, Miss Lemon, is concerned for her sister. The sister works as a sort of house mother for a contrary woman who runs a boarding house. The sister had recently called Miss Lemon and expressed concerns over some recent thefts that happened at her place of work. None of the objects seems to be related and Miss Lemon's sister is utterly puzzled. Poirot agrees to look into the matter and very soon he finds himself in the middle of a murder.
The Suspects:
-From the West Indies, Elizabeth Johnston is determined to study hard and succeed in life. She is the victim of a malicious prank.
-Sally Finch seems to be a perfect student, after all, she is a Fulbright scholar but is she as perfect as she appears?
-Patricia Lane is utterly devoted to the moody Nigel. She would do anything to protect him.
-Valerie Hobhouse is sure to have a few enemies due to her frequent acerbic comments.
-Len Bateson is a medical student with a fiery temper.
-Colin McNabb is a student of psychology and can't resist anyone exhibiting a complex.
-Nigel Chapman is a moody history student who loves getting on people's nerves.
-Celia Austin loves Colin McNabb but she knows she hasn't a chance with him.
-Jean Tomlinson works at a hospital and has access to various types of poison.
4/5 stars
3/5 on the Happiness Meter
Genre: Mystery
Although I can understand why people do not like Agatha Christie novels (I was once one of them), they really are wonderful books. True, you must invest some time in them (unless you are very good at remembering details/names) but they are worth it. Hickory, Dickory Dock is no exception to this as Hercule Poirot is asked to solve a mystery in a boarding house. Poirot knows something is wrong when his usually efficient and unemotional secretary makes a few spelling mistakes. Upon inquiring on her state of health/mind, Poirot discovers that his secretary, Miss Lemon, is concerned for her sister. The sister works as a sort of house mother for a contrary woman who runs a boarding house. The sister had recently called Miss Lemon and expressed concerns over some recent thefts that happened at her place of work. None of the objects seems to be related and Miss Lemon's sister is utterly puzzled. Poirot agrees to look into the matter and very soon he finds himself in the middle of a murder.
The Suspects:
-From the West Indies, Elizabeth Johnston is determined to study hard and succeed in life. She is the victim of a malicious prank.
-Sally Finch seems to be a perfect student, after all, she is a Fulbright scholar but is she as perfect as she appears?
-Patricia Lane is utterly devoted to the moody Nigel. She would do anything to protect him.
-Valerie Hobhouse is sure to have a few enemies due to her frequent acerbic comments.
-Len Bateson is a medical student with a fiery temper.
-Colin McNabb is a student of psychology and can't resist anyone exhibiting a complex.
-Nigel Chapman is a moody history student who loves getting on people's nerves.
-Celia Austin loves Colin McNabb but she knows she hasn't a chance with him.
-Jean Tomlinson works at a hospital and has access to various types of poison.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Recommended to 15+ due to high school issues, underage drinking, and discussion about sex
2/5 stars
2/5 on the Happiness Meter
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Boarding School Novel
This book tells the tale of Frankie Landau-Banks, a girl who is tired of being viewed as young and innocent by everyone. And so, without really trying (at least not at first), she reinvents her image. Over the summer of her freshman year and her sophomore year she becomes beautiful, gone are the images of an awkward, gawky girl, replaced by that of a confident woman who knows what she wants...and she wants senior Matthew Livingston. What luck that she finally draws his attention! But when Matthew refuses to take her seriously she takes things into her own hands. She's heard of the mysterious Order of the Basset Hounds, after all, her father was one of them. When Frankie realizes that Matthew is the leader of the Bassets, she quickly figures out how to infiltrate the club without the boys even knowing.
What to say about this book....I suppose it can best be said in an Adbook post I wrote:
...I find the tone of the narrator condescending and irritating. It is as if the author is playing at making sociological assessments and, in my opinion, failing dismally. While the narrator does not outrightly say, "Domestic arts are a waste of time and only 'boy' pursuits matter," her tone says it for her. For example, when Frankie is talking to her roommate Trish about going out to the woods to drink beer with the ever so amazing Matthew (who, frankly, is really a jerk). Just to recap, Frankie feels bad that Trish is not invited and Trish says that that is not really her
scene anyway. She tells Frankie that, while she was at home, she had stopped going to her older brothers' booze parties in favor of watching movies with her parents and making crumbles. Frankie's reaction:
"Frankie found her friend's attitude infuriating. By opting out of what the boys were doing in favor of a typically feminine pursuit, Trish had closed a door...[s]ure, she was still invited. She could open the door again. But another summer spent making crumbles in the kitchen, and the boys would stop asking her to come out. Instead they'd expect warm dessert to be waiting for them on their return" (68)
First of all, I do realize that this is Frankie's opinion and not that of the narrator. Nevertheless, it is rather maddening. Does she really think that A) boys still subscribe to such old-fashioned ideas? That they would really expect their younger sister to be meeting them at the door a la stereotypical 50s housewife with a smile on her face and a crumble in her hands? Really? I don't think I've ever met a boy that would express such expectations. B) The way in which this paragraph is written is...well...infuriating. Frankie clearly thinks that drinking beer is superior to crumble making simply because whatever the boys are doing has to be better than anything girlsare doing. I suppose I should make allowances as Frankie is a fictional character, only a
sophomore in high school, and clearly hasn't been to a party that has lots of alcohol.
The second example is much to long to quote in full but can be found in its entirety on pgs. 84-86. The narrator describes three type of women: those who do not try to understand stereotypical male pursuits, those who participate half-heartedly because they are the girlfriends of these boys and want to seem supportive, and finally those girls who participate whole-heartedly and therefore earn the respect of males. What to say... First of all, I think this is an extreme oversimplification of male/female relationships. There are men who clearly respect females when they don't participate in making cherry-bombs or whatever the author has identified as overwhelmingly male. Second of all, I wish I could exactly pinpoint what about the
author's language makes her descriptions of fiber arts/baking seem so derogatory. Sadly, I cannot and simply must state that I walk away from said descriptions feeling like the author has disparaged that whole group of hobbies.
Apart from this sort of language/depiction of social interactions I
have a few other bones to pick with this book.
-"Like Senior Banks, they [the boys belonging to the Bassets] thought of themselves as Bassets more than they thought of themselves, for example, as tennis players, TV watchers, Caucasians, Protestants, East-Coasters, decent skiers, heterosexuals, and attractive young
men..." (151). Really? Are you telling me that all...what is it? 11 members?...of the Bassets are truly this shallow? I do not claim to be an expert regarding the sociology of teenage boys but I have a hard time believing that out of all of the Bassets, not one boy would value his religion or his sexual orientation over being a Basset.
My ultimate problem with this book is that Frankie does the exact same thing that makes Matthew so very unattractive: she judges people and subcultures without trying to understand them. Matthew refuses to involve himself in Frankie's world. She realizes this is a problem and
yet doesn't mind. Frankie has the same character flaw as she dismisses the geek world and Trish's feminine world. She doesn't even attempt to understand the stereotypical female outlook and still condemns it. Also, I don't feel that Frankie really changes by the end of the novel, or at least changes in a positive way. For example, she still wishes she could be Matthew's girlfriend despite how rotten he's been to her and she doesn't ever make an effort to know Trish better
(although I suppose it can be argued that Trish does not make an effort either). It's rather a nebulous, sad ending.
2/5 stars
2/5 on the Happiness Meter
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Boarding School Novel
This book tells the tale of Frankie Landau-Banks, a girl who is tired of being viewed as young and innocent by everyone. And so, without really trying (at least not at first), she reinvents her image. Over the summer of her freshman year and her sophomore year she becomes beautiful, gone are the images of an awkward, gawky girl, replaced by that of a confident woman who knows what she wants...and she wants senior Matthew Livingston. What luck that she finally draws his attention! But when Matthew refuses to take her seriously she takes things into her own hands. She's heard of the mysterious Order of the Basset Hounds, after all, her father was one of them. When Frankie realizes that Matthew is the leader of the Bassets, she quickly figures out how to infiltrate the club without the boys even knowing.
What to say about this book....I suppose it can best be said in an Adbook post I wrote:
...I find the tone of the narrator condescending and irritating. It is as if the author is playing at making sociological assessments and, in my opinion, failing dismally. While the narrator does not outrightly say, "Domestic arts are a waste of time and only 'boy' pursuits matter," her tone says it for her. For example, when Frankie is talking to her roommate Trish about going out to the woods to drink beer with the ever so amazing Matthew (who, frankly, is really a jerk). Just to recap, Frankie feels bad that Trish is not invited and Trish says that that is not really her
scene anyway. She tells Frankie that, while she was at home, she had stopped going to her older brothers' booze parties in favor of watching movies with her parents and making crumbles. Frankie's reaction:
"Frankie found her friend's attitude infuriating. By opting out of what the boys were doing in favor of a typically feminine pursuit, Trish had closed a door...[s]ure, she was still invited. She could open the door again. But another summer spent making crumbles in the kitchen, and the boys would stop asking her to come out. Instead they'd expect warm dessert to be waiting for them on their return" (68)
First of all, I do realize that this is Frankie's opinion and not that of the narrator. Nevertheless, it is rather maddening. Does she really think that A) boys still subscribe to such old-fashioned ideas? That they would really expect their younger sister to be meeting them at the door a la stereotypical 50s housewife with a smile on her face and a crumble in her hands? Really? I don't think I've ever met a boy that would express such expectations. B) The way in which this paragraph is written is...well...infuriating. Frankie clearly thinks that drinking beer is superior to crumble making simply because whatever the boys are doing has to be better than anything girlsare doing. I suppose I should make allowances as Frankie is a fictional character, only a
sophomore in high school, and clearly hasn't been to a party that has lots of alcohol.
The second example is much to long to quote in full but can be found in its entirety on pgs. 84-86. The narrator describes three type of women: those who do not try to understand stereotypical male pursuits, those who participate half-heartedly because they are the girlfriends of these boys and want to seem supportive, and finally those girls who participate whole-heartedly and therefore earn the respect of males. What to say... First of all, I think this is an extreme oversimplification of male/female relationships. There are men who clearly respect females when they don't participate in making cherry-bombs or whatever the author has identified as overwhelmingly male. Second of all, I wish I could exactly pinpoint what about the
author's language makes her descriptions of fiber arts/baking seem so derogatory. Sadly, I cannot and simply must state that I walk away from said descriptions feeling like the author has disparaged that whole group of hobbies.
Apart from this sort of language/depiction of social interactions I
have a few other bones to pick with this book.
-"Like Senior Banks, they [the boys belonging to the Bassets] thought of themselves as Bassets more than they thought of themselves, for example, as tennis players, TV watchers, Caucasians, Protestants, East-Coasters, decent skiers, heterosexuals, and attractive young
men..." (151). Really? Are you telling me that all...what is it? 11 members?...of the Bassets are truly this shallow? I do not claim to be an expert regarding the sociology of teenage boys but I have a hard time believing that out of all of the Bassets, not one boy would value his religion or his sexual orientation over being a Basset.
My ultimate problem with this book is that Frankie does the exact same thing that makes Matthew so very unattractive: she judges people and subcultures without trying to understand them. Matthew refuses to involve himself in Frankie's world. She realizes this is a problem and
yet doesn't mind. Frankie has the same character flaw as she dismisses the geek world and Trish's feminine world. She doesn't even attempt to understand the stereotypical female outlook and still condemns it. Also, I don't feel that Frankie really changes by the end of the novel, or at least changes in a positive way. For example, she still wishes she could be Matthew's girlfriend despite how rotten he's been to her and she doesn't ever make an effort to know Trish better
(although I suppose it can be argued that Trish does not make an effort either). It's rather a nebulous, sad ending.
Emma series by Kaouri Mori
Recommended to 11-12 + for social situations and general content that might go over the heads of younger readers
4/5 stars
3/5 on the Happiness Meter
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
The Emma graphic novels are a pleasure to read due to their rich backdrops and the abundance of swirly skirts. Kaouri Mori's books tell the tale of reserved, duty-bound Emma, a housemaid/companion for an elderly lady. Emma begins to have feelings for the lady's former pupil, a rich, well-to-do young gentleman. Of course, she knows that they can never be together because of her inferior social status but she quietly harbors her feelings for him all the same as she goes about her daily duties. Things quickly become complicated when the young man starts having feelings for her. Add in some disapproving parents, death, an upset fiance (and family), and a visiting prince and you're in for a good read (several reads really as the eighth book in the series is coming out soon).
4/5 stars
3/5 on the Happiness Meter
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
The Emma graphic novels are a pleasure to read due to their rich backdrops and the abundance of swirly skirts. Kaouri Mori's books tell the tale of reserved, duty-bound Emma, a housemaid/companion for an elderly lady. Emma begins to have feelings for the lady's former pupil, a rich, well-to-do young gentleman. Of course, she knows that they can never be together because of her inferior social status but she quietly harbors her feelings for him all the same as she goes about her daily duties. Things quickly become complicated when the young man starts having feelings for her. Add in some disapproving parents, death, an upset fiance (and family), and a visiting prince and you're in for a good read (several reads really as the eighth book in the series is coming out soon).
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