Janes in Love...random thoughts

Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg.

It's always a bit hard to talk about a sequel, isn't it? Or that could just be me, I suppose. But Janes in Love pretty much picks up where The Plain Janes left off. We're still following the exploits of P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods), a group of somewhat misfit high school students who perpetrate "art installations" in their town.

As I sat reading this last evening, Rich interrupted and said, "That sounds like quite the amusing book." Until then, I hadn't realized how often it had me giggling. And yes, humor does play a part. But really this book is so much more than that. It's about so many things, really. Dealing with fear. Taking chances. Following your dreams. The difference that art, and creativity, and beauty can make. Falling in love. Sticking with those you love. And friendship. The ups, the downs, and real gift that friendship is.

The thing about having a good, true friend is that it's ok if you cry so hard that snot runs down your face. Because their arms are strong and their heartbeat is loud...and you can be your smallest and ugliest in front of them.

I loved this book! I'm tempted to say that I enjoyed it even more than the first, but I'm not sure that's quite true. I think it might be truer to say that I loved the first book even more than I did previously because of this one. Honestly, I think you need to read both. They really belong together.

*****
For more opinions:
--Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings (The Plain Janes)
--Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings (Janes in Love)
--Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf (The Plain Janes)
--Eva at A Striped Armchair (The Plain Janes)
--Amanda at Zen Leaf (The Plain Janes)
--Amanda at Zen Leaf (Janes in Love)
--Susan at You Can Never Have Too Many Books (The Plain Janes and Janes in Love)
--Kailana at The Written World (The Plain Janes)
--Lenore at Presenting Lenore (The Plain Janes)
--Alison at So Many Books, So Little Time (The Plain Janes)
--Alison at So Many Books, So Little Time (Janes in Love)
(If I missed your review, please feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.)

Jane Eyre...random thoughts

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

I finally finished Jane Eyre. Okay, so I finished it days ago, but I've been a bit lazy about posting about it. Frankly, I just don't know what to say. I would like to be able to tell you that my irrational fear of 19th century British lit has now been conquered, but I see no point in lying. While I did enjoy this book far more than I ever would have guessed, I don't see that any passion has been kindled in me or anything.

Okay, back to this book...yes, it was a delightful surprise. I love Jane Eyre, the character. Seriously adored her. Wished time after time that I had her poise and patience, and even more, her independence and self-assurance. She won my heart completely.

Now as for her two "love interests"...is it awful of me to say that I didn't particularly like either one of them? Tough. I didn't. Is it because I take the opportunities available for women today so much for granted that I can't quite appreciate that times were different then? Maybe. But I found Mr. Rochester to be horribly manipulative. There were actually many things about him I did like, but I have a thing about manipulation, and it just left me unable to truly trust him. Anyway, at least he truly loved Jane, which puts him a fair step ahead of St. John. Yes, St. John was a good and pious man. But I cannot stomach someone who believes they can possibly know the "only" righteous path in life for someone else. Whatever. Honestly, I'm just not much of a romance fan, so maybe that's why I had trouble with both of these men.

Truthfully, for me the best part of the book was the beginning. I loved reading about Jane's childhood. Not that her childhood was in the least bit enviable, of course. But this part of the story sucked me right in. I loved watching Jane grow up, find herself, trust herself, stand up for herself. I loved her friendship with Helen. (And despite the fact there was no missing what was coming, I bawled like a baby during one part.)

Another thing I loved about the book was the haunting atmosphere that pervaded Thornfield, even during the happier times. While not downright creepy, there was certainly a bit of a sinister feeling. And yes, the "secret" was a big part of what I enjoyed about this book, too.

And you know what, it's funny...there were a couple of too big to believe coincidences in the story. In another book, I think they would have driven me to distraction. Driven me crazy. But for whatever reason, I found them only mildly annoying here. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I suppose it can be counted a good thing. And overall, I can count many more good things about this book than I can bad. I am very glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and gave this book a go. (But no, neither Jane Austen nor Charles Dickens is next on my reading list. Sorry. Sophistication simply doesn't run in my blood.)

*****

Other opinions (all of which are undoubtedly more coherent expressed than mine):

Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
Becky at Becky's Books Reviews
Raidergirl3 at An Adventure in Reading
Melissa at Book Nut
Matt at A Guy's Moleskin Notebook
Alyce at At Home With Books
Tammy at Tammy's Book Nook
Rebecca Reid at Rebecca Reads

Please forgive me if I missed yours. And do leave a link in the comments, and I will happily add it to the list. Thanks.

The Tale of One Bad Rat...random thoughts

The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot.

There are times when I am rendered speechless by an author's ability to tell a tale so effectively. And there are times when I am rendered speechless by the sheer magnitude of the tale being told. This book hit me on both accounts. It is the story of a teenage girl. A girl who has suffered abuse at the hands of her father for years. A girl who runs away from home to escape the abuse. Helen's story, while fictional, plays itself out countless times in the real world. I sometimes felt nearly suffocated by the pain...because I knew that as I read this story there were thousands upon thousands upon thousands of flesh-and-blood Helens hurting at that very moment. Having said that, it may now seem odd to say, but this book was truly a book of hope. Of healing. Helen's abuse was shown in flashbacks during her journey forward to a new life. This journey forward wasn't an easy one for Helen, as I imagine no journey out of pain ever is.

Since I am so inadequate in my ability to share my thoughts, let me just share some words of others...

"This book is a gift to humanity." (Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On)

"There are many ways to fight child abuse and incest. The important thing is not how you do it, but that you do it, and The Tale of One Bad Rat does it." (Andrew Vachss, from the book cover)

"What Helen went through is expressed in a subtle but absolutely clear way. Most of all, it’s her emotions that are addressed. This is not a book that tries to simplify things. We get the whole thing – all the difficult and contradictory feelings..." (Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot)

"...the book is one that stays with you..." (Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf

"So, yes, there's more than one layer to appreciate..." (Valentina at Valentina's Room

"The more child abuse is discussed in society or fiction in whatever medium, the more likely it is that the victims will realise that it is something that happens all the time, that they can speak out, be believed, and get it stopped." (Bryan Talbot)

The Uncommon Reader...random thoughts

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.

I know, I know, everyone and their third cousin-twice removed has already read this book. I hate reviewing (and yes, I use that term veeeery loosely) books like that. I mean, what can I possibly say that hasn't already been said, right? But nonetheless, I must say something because this is a challenge book. So babble, I will...

This book first came to my attention on NPR. I made a mental note of it, and then as so many of my mental notes seem to do, it lost itself among the gobblety-goop which fills my brain. Luckily Dewey brought it back to my attention with her review. I mean really, how could one resist after that, right?

And still it took me a long time to actually get around to reading it. Yeah, it takes me a long time to get around to doing most things. What can I say...I don't like to rush things. ;)

But the book, Debi, what about the book?!! Yes, yes, yes...it was absolutely as delightful as Dewey and everyone else has said it was! Not that I had any doubts. But my goodness, this was such an incredibly fun little read.

In case you've just landed on Earth from a far-flung galaxy and don't know the basic premise (yes, this is why I hate these kinds of reviews...I mean do you tell what the story is about when most everyone already knows? seems horribly redundant, doesn't it? but then again, it seems lazy to skip it? this peek inside my mind is a tad scary, isn't it? and yes, I do swear that I have not been in the gin yet), the Queen of England discovers reading late in life. And it begins to consume her. She just wants to read every waking second. Sound familiar? Sound like you? Yes, but of course, you don't have the whole world (slight exaggeration) watching your every move, do you? And it is the fact that she is the Queen that leads to one amusing predicament after another.

Yes, this book is so charmingly humorous. Ever so easy to relate to, even if royal blood doesn't run through one's veins.

What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren't long enough for the reading she wanted to do.

'Pass the time?' said the Queen. 'Books are not about passing the time. They're about other lives. Other worlds. Far from wanting time to pass, Sir Kevin, on just wishes one had more of it. If one wanted to pass the time one could go to New Zealand.'

The appeal of reading, she thought, lay in its indifference: there was something undeferring about literature. Books did not care who was reading them or whether one read them or not. All readers were equal, herself included.

The Queen said: 'Yes. That is exactly what it is. A book is a device to ignite the imagination.'

*****

And now, if you'd like to read a review where something is actually said, you might want to try one of these:

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
Chris at Stuff as Dreams Are Made On
Eva at A Striped Armchair
Grad at The Curious Reader
Robin at A Fondness for Reading
Chris at Book-a-Rama
Bermudaonion at Bermudaonion's Weblog
Jenclair at A Garden Carried in the Pocket
Serena at Savvy Verse and Wit

Okay, there's like 40,000 more of these reviews out there, I just know there are. But as I'm really not supposed to be blogging right now anyway, I'm just going to have to call my search quits for now. Please, please, please feel free to leave me a link in the comments, however, if you have a review of this book that you'd like me to add to the list. Thanks.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents...random thoughts

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.

Let me say right off the top here that there is no way I will ever do this book justice. It is simply so utterly brilliant.

Okay, so I'd been on a streak of reading rather depressing things. Good stuff, but depressing stuff. I was craving something fun and light. For the last couple years, I'd been wanting to give Discworld a try, but balked because I just didn't know where to start. Nymeth kindly put up with all my questions about where to start and whatnot, and suggested that this book was the perfect choice, being a good stand-alone. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally put her advice to use. And did it meet my expectations? Well, yes and no. (In the sheer awesomeness category it surpassed them by like half a gazillion miles.) But as for fun and light... Well, fun gets a yes, yes, YES! Light, well, not so much. And by that, I don't for a single minute mean that it's heavy, tedious reading, or that it's obscure or pretentious...I just mean that it really has a lot to say. And in retrospect, I have to say I was an idiot for ever imagining that it would be a light, "fluffy" story...because Nymeth has the most remarkable gift for finding books that satisfy and delight and challenge on a number of levels. And that is exactly what this book does!

So what's it about? Well, let me quote from page 1, where that very question is addressed:

Rats!
They fought the dogs and killed the cats, and--

But there was more to it that that. As the Amazing Maurice said it was just a story about people and rats. And the difficult part of it was deciding who the people were, and who were the rats.

But Malicia Grim said it was a story about stories.

Doesn't seem to tell you much, does it? Of course, after you read it, you realize just how much it says. I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to be so obtuse here. I'm just having a hard time putting this all into words.

Okay. Let's try this again.

The Amazing Maurice is a cat. A talking cat, who is sort of the unofficial leader of an odd group of con artists. The rest of this band consists of a boy named Keith and a bunch of educated rodents. Only I'm not sure "educated" is precisely the correct word. Thinking rodents. And it's not that all cats and rodents can think and talk. No, this is not the norm. (How they came to be this way, I'll leave for you to discover when you read this book. Because you should read this book.) Anyway, this little group has perfected a scam. They head into an unsuspecting town. The rats wreak havoc. And do so in ways that no ordinary rats would even dream of doing. Seriously, how would you react if a rat went tap-dancing across your table before "widdling" in your cream? Okay, so not all the rats are fabulous dancers, but Sardines is quite proud of his talent. Anyway, so the rats put the town in an uproar, and in comes Keith, a piper, and offers to lead the rats away. For a price, of course.

Now this unlikely gang makes quite a fine living at this for a while. Until they come to the town of Bad Blintz. And it is here that the story really takes place. And this is where it turns dark. I don't want to give away any more of the actual story, but I've got all these really cool things floating around in my head that I really wish I could talk about. *sigh* So, I'll just add a couple of disconnected thoughts here, and then urge you once again to go read this yourself.

*I love the names of the rats, and the story of how they got their names. I won't tell you the story. Think you can guess if I tell you some of my favorite names? Hamnpork, Bestbefore, Nourishing, Additives, Inbrine. And my very favorite of all...Dangerous Beans (though I'm dying for someone to explain the "circumstances" of that one).

*This is the PERFECT book for Once Upon a Time. It fills nearly all the categories at once. :) Fantasy--check. Fairy tale--yep, definitely a cool retelling of the Pied Piper. Folklore--again yep, rat kings. *shudder* And you know, someone more learned on such matters might be able to find a way to stick this under myth, too.

*It's loaded with humor, sometimes subtle, always smart.

*And finally, let me leave you with this question:

What is it that defines "civilized"?

Oops, sorry, I'm not really going to leave it at that. But don't worry...I've got a good reason for continuing. See, I have a copy of this wonderful little treasure to give away. NO, not mine--this is a keeper! But a brand new copy, because I accidentally bought two. Want it? Just say so...and I'll do the random draw thingie sometime Monday.

*****

Other views:

Annie at Words by Annie
Jennifer at Jennifer's Book Blog
Lara at Lara's YA Reading Log
Nate at The Chronicles of Nate-ia
Rebecca at Just One More Page
Jenclair at A Garden Carried in the Pocket

Oh, and it won the Carnegie Award...so I'm guessing the judges loved it, too. :)

I'm sure there must be other reviews out there, so if you've got one, please feel free to leave a link in the comments, and I'll add it here. Thanks.

House of Stone...random thoughts

House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb.

What a wonderful book. Not a happy book. Easy to read, because it was very well-written. Difficult to read, because it hurt. It hurt in the way that so much of human history and human politics hurts to read about. House of Stone was written by Christina Lamb, a journalist who spent many years reporting on Zimbabwe, a woman who risked her life on many occasions because British journalists were banned from even entering the country. While I believe she was quite objective in her telling of this story, I also believe that she loves the people of this country.

The book tells the story of this southern African nation in a unique way. In alternating chapters, we hear the story of two Zimbabwean's lives. Aqui, a Shona who was born and grew up in a mud hut. Nigel, a privileged white who attended private school and spent carefree summers playing in the beautiful African landscape. We hear their stories as they grow from childhood into adulthood. Their personal stories through the times of brutal civil war, through the change from a white supremacist government to black majority rule, through the descent into tyranny by Robert Mugabe. And we eventually see their lives intersect.

I recently read a book titled Dictatorships: Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe by James R. Arnold and Roberta Wiener, so I had a background in the history and politics of this nation. But you don't need any prior knowledge, as Lamb's book brought a real richness to that background. The personal stories of Aqui and Nigel are put in the setting of fuller history of the nation.

Truly, I loved this book, and I highly recommend it. But be forewarned...your heart will break as read about Robert Mugabe's destruction of this beautiful African country. Your heart will break for the people of this country.

*****

Other opinions:

Eva of A Striped Armchair

If you've reviewed this book, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.

American Born Chinese...random thoughts

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

To be perfectly honest, this book is so incredible that I'm pretty much at a loss for words. I really don't know how to do this book justice...and I really wish I did, because if I could convince even one person who hasn't yet read this book to do so, it would make me very happy.

The book is three stories in one, told in alternating chapters. The first story is that of the Monkey King, a Chinese legend. The Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain isn't happy being a monkey, and he works very hard trying to turn himself into a god, The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven. Second, there is the story of Jin Wang, who moves from his apartment near San Francisco's Chinatown and finds himself the only Chinese-American kid at Mayflower Elementary. It's not an easy place to find oneself. And finally, there is the story of Danny, an American teenager. Each year his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, comes to visit for a few weeks, and Danny finds his life so ruined that he transfers schools. Chin-Kee is the epitome of a negative Chinese stereotype. Eventually the three stories mesh into one. And maybe I'm just slow on the uptake, but the way this happened took me by surprise...it was simply brilliant.

In fact, the whole book was simply brilliant. Deceptively simple to read. For it is truly so sophisticated. It contains so much depth. To be perfectly honest, I suspect that if I read it again, I would discover things I'd missed. And if I read it again after that, I would find even more. The book addresses many themes: identity, racism, friendship, self-acceptance, and how these things play off of one another, how they affect one another. It was humorous, and it was painful. Bottom line, it was amazing.

*****

Want to read what others thought?

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
Alison at So Many Books, So Little Time
Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
Ali at Worducopia
Kailana at The Written World
Joy at Thoughts of Joy

And if you've read and reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link in the comments, and I'll add it here. Thanks.

The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge...random thoughts

The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison.

What can I say...better late than never. I'd meant to finish this up for Carl's Sci-Fi Experience, but obviously didn't quite make it. And now that I have finished it, I'm honestly not sure what to say about it. I know, I know, what am I even doing here then, huh? It's just that I feel I should say "something" since I am using it for a couple challenges.

Prior confession still stands. I'm just not terribly familiar with the worlds of science fiction, and frankly have no clue how to discuss it. I can say that if you're looking for intellectual stimulation, this is probably not the book for you. But if you're looking for humor, satire, action, adventure, and well, just plain fun, then you might want to take a look.

This is the second in the Stainless Steel Rat series, and again follows our hero/anti-hero Jim diGriz. This time he's sent to stop a series of inter-galactic invasions that have the Special Corps stumped. And luckily, this time his new bride, Angelina, will be fighting on his side.

While maybe not quite as much as the first, I did enjoy this book. A nice, light read. And like I said before...just plain fun.

In the Land of Invisible Women...random thoughts

In The Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD.

I first heard of this book while listening to the Diane Rehm Show one day. Dr. Qanta Ahmed was Diane's guest, and her story fascinated me. She had completed her residency and further studies in medicine in New York. And though she had hoped remain in the U.S. after her training, she was unexpectedly denied renewal of her visa. Oh a whim, she accepts a position at the King Fahad National Guard Hospital in Saudi Arabia. Naively perhaps, she expects to feel at home there. She is after all a British-born Muslim doctor. But the world she lands in is unlike anything she's ever experienced. This book tells the story of her two years working in Saudi Arabia.

Let me say right off the top that I really loved this book. But I have to admit that I had problems with the writing. It was a bit too flowery for my tastes. Maybe flowery isn't the correct word, but each sentence seemed to contain eight adjectives and four adverbs all wrapped in a metaphor. Obviously that's an exaggeration, but I swear at first I just wanted to keep yelling, "Stop. You're trying too hard." That said, the book was never hard to understand in any way, and honestly I sort of found the writing more amusing than annoying.

So what did I love about this book? It transported me to a land that is so utterly different from anything I have ever experienced. I knew very little about Saudi Arabia before reading this book, and while I can't claim to truly understand the land now, I learned so much. A bit about the history, but much, much more about the culture. Or should I say cultures. For Saudi Arabia is a land of contradictions. And it was interesting to discover the Kingdom through the eyes of someone who was just discovering it firsthand for herself.

I would learn that Saudi Arabia was many things to many people: to the rich, a land of boundless wealth; to the poor, a prison of abject poverty; to the expatriate worker, a land of contrasts and inconsistencies, an ever moving labyrinth of contradiction, not wholly one nor wholly the other.

Abbayahs, Hajj, Mutawaeen. Dangerous, high-speed highways. Gender-segregation. Forbidden dating. Hymenoplasty. Arranged marriage. Polygamy. Divorce. Domestic violence and child abuse. And many, many strong women.

While in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ahmed develops feelings for a colleague. And I have to admit, at first it seemed rather annoying the way she spoke about it. Here she was an extremely well-educated doctor, acting like a preteen girl in throes of a crush. But there truly was a point to her including all of this, as it showed the realities of a society where mixing of the sexes is prohibited, where dating isn't permitted at all. She didn't even realize how she was acting until she was attending a party for a friend who was about to enter an arranged marriage. The grown women at this party were all acting like schoolgirls.

They giggled coquettishly and girlishly. The atmosphere was at once innocent and deeply saddening. The women, starved for meaningful contact with the opposite sex, fell into two camps before marriage; panicked promiscuity on threat of dishonor or even worse, and adolescent, girlish fantasies that would never lead to a real relationship. I failed to see my own fantasy weaving in my daydreams about Imad. I was no more immune to the artificial climate of Riyadh myself, no matter how Westernized I thought myself to be.

Dr. Ahmed's time in the Kingdom was coming to an end at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She doesn't sugarcoat the reactions of some to horrendous events of that day. She is dazed and confused and dismayed and saddened beyond words. The chapter she devotes to this is a very difficult one to read, and yet had she not included it, the book would not have portrayed the whole of her experiences there.

Today, Dr. Ahmed is a quadrupled boarded physician practicing in South Carolina.

*****

Other viewpoints:

Sarah at Behold, The Thing That Reads A Lot

I'd love to include your two cents if you've read this book, so please feel free to leave me a link and I'll add it here. Thanks.

*****

I plan to give this book away eventually. Unfortunately I can't do it right now...I'm afraid I talked so much about it while I was reading it, that Rich now wants to read it. :) But I do have another book to give away, if anyone is interested. 50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade by Miles Litvinoff and John Madeley, which I babble about here. (I think Annie and I have pretty much indoctrinated Rich on the whole Fair Trade issue, so he doesn't really need to read the book anymore.) It is a used book, of course. If interested, just say so and I'll draw a name in a few days (if there's more than one person interested, that is).

And speaking of giveaways, I actually remembered to draw the winners of That's Life: Finding Scrapbook Inspiration in the Everyday. Yep, I said winners, plural. It dawned on me after I wrote that post that I really don't need to keep either copy, so I drew two names instead. Wish I had a copy for everyone! Anyway, Trish and Bookworm are the winners. If you could just send your snail mail addresses to rdagmstevens at frontiernet dot net, I'll try to get the books in the mail sometime this coming week.

babbling about graphic novels

Amulet: Book One The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi.

This was one of those total impulse grabs from the library. Had never heard of it before, but it looked fun. And it was fun, but certainly won't make my top ten reads of the year or anything.

The story begins with a terrible accident in which Emily's father is killed. A couple of years later, Emily's mother moves the family (herself, Emily, and Emily's brother, Navin) to an old family home. She claims that she's just still trying to give them a fresh start. But we come to wonder if, unbeknownst even to her, there's something more going on with this move. The family arrives at the home, and on the very first night, events spiral out of control. The children find an amulet, their mother is kidnapped by a strange tentacled creature, and they all find themselves in a world completely foreign to them.

The downside: The story just doesn't have a lot of depth. But I would like to hope that maybe that will come as the series continues. (And there are hints that this may well be the case.) I realize that this is a series aimed at younger children, but I don't believe that means it needs to be overly simplistic. (I'm actually hoping that I can convince Gray to read this, so I can get him opinion.)

On the positive side: I love the art! I found the "creatures," both the good ones and the bad ones, to be utterly adorable. And I don't quite know how to explain it, but I love the coloring of this novel. I hesitate to use the word "pretty," but I honestly can't think of a better word. It is both subtle and vibrant all at the same time. Oh crap...I'm making no sense at all here. Suffice it to say that I really enjoyed looking at this book.


Rose by Jeff Smith and Charles Vess.

I've actually had this on my wish list ever since I read my first graphic novel, Alice in Sunderland. (Talbot spoke of a number of books in Alice in Sunderland that got added to my wish list.) Anyway, when Rose was finally available at the library, I of course, snatched it right up.

It's a beautiful little fantasy story. Just read it's beginning words:

When the world was very, very new, and dreams had not yet receded from the waking day...

The first dragon was a queen named Mim. And Mim was the keeper of all who dreamed.

She cared for the dreaming by encircling the world and holding her tail in her mouth...

As long as Mim held her tail in this way, balance was maintained.

And balance is most important, for the dreaming is a thing of great delicacy.

I don't want to give any of the story away, but I'm sure you can easily guess that something happens to this balance. A balance is regained, but again disrupted. And it eventually falls upon Princess Rose to right things. I love Princess Rose...she's young, a bit naive, a bit impulsive...and who wants a princess that is too perfect, right? It's a story about dreams, and growing up, and hard choices. I really, really enjoyed it.

And hey, it doesn't hurt that Charles Vess created the artwork, huh? It is stunningly beautiful.

I didn't realize until after I'd finished the book that is a prequel to BONE. From the little I know about BONE, I believe this prequel is a bit darker in nature. But I plan to find out for sure...after finishing this book, I had to immediately go and order BONE: One Volume Edition.

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley.

Oh my, what can I say? This is easily my favorite of the three. I absotively, posolutely adored this book! Delightful. Beguiling. Captivating. Enchanting. (O.K., O.K., I'll stop now before I feel the need to dig out the thesaurus.) This was a book that just made me happy. The only other recent book I've read that I can remember making me feel this way is The Goose Girl. Not that the two books are alike, they just made me feel the same. I wish I was better with words so I could explain what I mean. It's just sort of a happy innocence. A being fully transported away into a land of pure magic. Of course, that's not to say that either book is all lightness and fluff. Anyway as I said, the two books really aren't all that similar, other than the fact that a review of each would likely contain the words "fairy tale" at some point. Castle Waiting has much more depth. There are layers upon layers, stories within stories. And OMGosh, is this book funny! And bottom line, it's about how anyone can come together and become a family.

Ahhh, I seriously want to read it again already!

*****

Other viewpoints:
*Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot (Castle Waiting)
*Eva at A Striped Armchair (Castle Waiting)
*Susan at You Can Never Have Too Many Books
*Kailana at The Written World (Rose)

I'd love to add your two-cents, so if you'd reviewed any of the above, please feel free to leave me a link in the comments. Thanks.

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea...random thoughts

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti.

Again with the short and sweet here.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Okay, that's a dumb thing to say, because of course, I want to like every book I read. But still, do you know what I mean? I hoped this book would be simply wonderful, because it involves such important issues.

Because of this, I have to admit when I first began reading, I was a bit disappointed. It started out feeling so cliche. Tal Levine, a 17-year-old Israeli girl, begins writing after a suicide bomber blows up a cafe in her neighborhood. A diary sorts. She feels nearly compelled to write. As she says:

When the fear comes back, like now, we all seem to forget who we are. We all become potential victims, bodies that could end up lifeless and covered in blood just because someone chose to blow themselves up right next to us. I want to know who I am, what I'm made of. What would make my death any different from any other? If I said that to my parents or friends, they'd be really shocked and would tell me gently that I needed to rest. That must be why I've decided to write: so I don't frighten the others with what's going on inside my head...and don't let them declare me a raving lunatic.

Tal decides to reach out in the only way she can think of...by putting a letter in a bottle and throwing it into the Gaza Sea. She imagines that a Palestinian girl her own age will find the letter, and that they'll begin this amazing friendship through e-mails.

But it's not a girl who finds her letter. Gazaman, as he calls himself, seems angry and bitter and sarcastic. See what I mean about stereotypes--the sweet, peace-loving Israeli girl and the angry, hate-filled Palestinian boy.

Gazaman also writes in a journal of sorts. But a journal he can't keep. He explains his reasons:

I get angry very quickly if I think too much, but I don't want to stop thinking. My head is the only place where no Tsahal soldier, no guy from Hamas, and not even my father or my mother can get in. My head is my home, my only home, a bit small for everything I've got to put inside it, and that's why I started writing, several years ago now. I didn't have to wait for that spoiled little Tal from Jerusalem to get me started. I write and then I burn the paper, tear it up, soak it, and throw it down the toilet; I'm too frightened someone will find it. But at least it does me some good, it soothes me a bit. There are too many people I hate, too may people stopping me from living my life, and too many signs (which aren't actually there but I can see all over the place) that say: EVERYTHING IS BANNED.

And it is through Tal's and Gazaman's "diaries" that we read part of the story. The other part is read through their e-mails. As this "conversation" between them begins, I have to admit that I was still feeling a bit let-down. It felt too pat, too unoriginal. But guess what--I am so very grateful that I stuck with the book. Somewhere along the way, it seemed to grow in depth. I began to see these characters as more than caricatures. Tal experienced a life changing event and grew. And while she didn't lose her yearning for peace, she did lose some of her naivete. And as the book moves forward, we get to know much more about Gazaman and his life. He is, in reality, far from the stereotype we are first introduced to.

So, in the end, I found this a satisfying read. Not perfect, but well worth the time it took to read.

And Then There Were None...random thoughts

Short and sweet here. Loved this book when I first read it all those many, many years ago when I was in seventh grade. Loved it again this time around.

Annie and I are doing a unit on plays this quarter. We actually read the play "Ten Little Indians" first. And I decided it would be worthwhile to then read the novel, so Annie could get a feel for the differences. This was the first of Christie's novels for which Christie herself wrote the stage version. She had been disappointed in some attempts that had been made by others in turning some of her other novels into plays, feeling that they had tried to stick too closely to the original novel. I found that rather interesting, always assuming that authors would not want their novels "messed with." But of course, Christie was far smarter than I am, and she realized that what works in a book, won't necessarily work on a stage. So while the basic story is similar in both the novel and the play, there are definitely major differences as well. And she brilliantly pulled off both versions.

In the unlikely event that someone doesn't know the basic gist of the story, ten people are "lured" to an island under false pretenses. Each is then accused of committing a murder in their past, and judgment falls upon them one by one.

If pressed, I suppose I would say I enjoyed the novel a bit more. For what is probably the obvious reason...there is simply more depth in the novel. And I do admit, too, that I'm just not as practiced at reading plays.

There is one thing that makes me uncomfortable. There is definitely a pervading racism displayed. And yes, I realize that it is a reflection of the times when it was written. But somehow that fact can never quite take away the sadness it still brings.

*****

For more thoughts:

*Joy at Thoughts of Joy

And if you've got a review you'd like me to add here, just leave a link in the comments. Thanks.