Llew's Reviews

This book was pretty good, a phrase here which means not as sharply witty as some of the others but with more substance of story to make up for it.

Plus, it’s orange. You know how I love orange.

The author of this book is a regular poster on a message board which I frequent. Several months ago we had a discussion about “The Historian” which she was not a fan of. After reading her book, I now see why. Who wants a cryptic unhygenic vampire when you can have a chiseled dashing vamp of your dreams?

Not that Ben has to worry about me or anything. Heaven knows I look awful in a turtleneck.

“You can say a lot of bad things about Alabama, but you can’t say that Alabamans as a people are unduly afraid of deep fryers.”

This is almost a male version of the Basic Eight. Not plot wise (so I’m not giving anything away), but in the witty pretentious-but-we-know-so-it’s-not-as-damning clever high school tone. Although it did have plot elements that I kept hoping for in “Prep”. There were your usual sterotypes, but presented in a more humorous way than most. For example on portraying the feminist: “But Takumi doesn’t know how to iron, either. And when I asked Alaska, she started yelling, “You’re not going to impose the patriarchal paradigm on me!”

And, embarassingly enough, there was one scene which caused me to literally fall out of my chair onto the floor laughing. And that scene is the exact reason that even though I think it’s one of the best teen novels ever – that I won’t be recommending it to a lot of customers.

Oh, shutup. It was good.

Really, it was.

You didn’t think I could go back to work without having read Harry Potter and the Mulatto, did you? I have standards!

Also, I realized that the only reason I cared about Professor Snape’s actions in this book is because Alan Rickman* plays him in the movies. But otherwise, guess how little I would care?

*Ok, so I was sadder about Sirius Black/Gary Oldham. Thanks to Carrie for the correction.

I was given this little gem of a ya book by Miss Laurel, and read it on my plane trip back from New York. I have discovered that I CAN read on planes as long as it’s something esy and quick to get into. Otherwise, I get bogged down and start noticing my motion sickness. Like the time I tried to read Slaughterhouse 5 on the plane. Now that was a nightmare.

This little book is about a girl whose father has been brutally murdered in the very large house they live in. After her father’s death, her mother moves her two daughters to another wing of the house while letting the rest of the mansion go untouched until it falls into slight disrepair. The main character wants to be a ballerina, but the family can no longer afford lessons. Yet, she still practices.

It is a young adult novel so there is the requisite punchy younger sibling who is always toeing the lines, and quirky next door neighbor who longs to have a life like they do. All in all it’s a cute story even if a tad predictable.

Isn’t it horrible to go on a trip and accidentally leave behind the book you were reading? Isn’t it all that more fantastic when you discover that the person you’re staying with has that book on their shelves? This is why it is important to visit well read friends with wonderfully stocked shelves.

This was the first work of Le Guin’s that I’ve ever read, and I quite liked it. Also, the cover work rules.

Remember when Laurie Halse Anderson wrote phenomenal literature that when you finished it you felt changed and thought, “Everyone should have to read this book!”

Yeah, well, not anymore.

In the interest of becoming a more well-rounded bookshop girl, I am eating more ice cream. I’m also having to catch up on my Young Adult selections. The subtitle to Ida B is “and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World.”

It is a cute, especially for girls who have semi-recently graduated from Junie B Jones books. However, I’d rather have a book that saved me a brownie than the world. I’m selfish like that these days.

Well, I figured I ought to read one of this years Booksense Book Of The Year winners before the national booksellers convention in less than a month. Heaven knows that I’ll have to do hand exercises before I can even lift Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, much less read it.

Chasing Vermeer is illustrated by Brett Helquist who I once briefly stalked until I discovered he lived in Brooklyn. As I’ve said about Ben Marcus, I would follow him to the ends of the earth, but I put my foot down at Brooklyn. Ew.

But I digress.

I’m smitten with Brett Helquist’s illustrations – especially when they’re of a raven curly haired girl in glasses. XO, Helquist, XO.

The book is now available in paperback, but if you buy it you simply MUST get the hardback. When you remove the lovely illustrated dust jacket, you find the two Vermeer paintings central to the plot of the novel are the cover art. (One on the front, and one on the back. No title or anything else marring the show.)

Although “Chasing Vermeer” isn’t the type of young adult novel that I most love, I can definitely see why it’s become so championed. It’s about two children who are new friends to each other who, through a series of puzzling “coincidences” piece together the mystery of a recently stolen priceless Vermeer painting. It’s well written and fun.

However, I must confess: puzzles bore me. Well, except for the one about people STILL wearing white jeans. That puzzle terrifies me to the very marrow of my bones.