Confessions of a Book Habitué

It's a Little Book by Lane Smith

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

5 stars!

This board book companion to It's a Book is utterly adorable. There's just no other way to say it.

I love all the different questions about the book.

"Is it for quacking?"

LOL

It's a book, silly.

:)

The Dark Deeps by Arthur Slade

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

(Hunchback Assignments book 2)
4 stars
YF

Modo is back-- and this time it's shades of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a smidgen of The Invisible Man.

Seriously, how much more awesome does this get?!

Totally enjoyed this sequel.

**But, just in case you were wondering, love triangles are even more stupid when they invovle 15-year-olds. Just sayin'.

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

(Book 1)
4 stars
YF

The start of a fabulous new steampunk series!

Modo (yes, as in Quasi) is a shapeshifter-- raised by a mysterious man known only as Mr. Socrates to be a top agent.

Yes, that's right, the hunchback is a shapeshifting secret agent. In a steampunk alternate past.

It totally rocks.

Throw in echoes of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, among other literary themes, and you've got quite the story.

I did feel like it was just a little slow starting out, but overall, good stuff. :)

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

5 stars
R-2

Wow.

Okay, so if I'm being totally honest I have to say that I picked this up because a) it's not terribly long and b) I'm trying to clean off my shelves a bit and didn't expect to love it.

I guess it's good it's slim, because it is sooooo staying on that shelf.

What an interesting WWII story. Or post-war... whatever. Depends on how you look at it.

This book is chilling and utterly compelling, fascinating and terribly tragic.

And I loved it.

Totally fully whole-heartedly recommended.

The Malice Domestic Convention

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

The Agatha Award nominees!

2011

Best Novel:
The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews (Minotaur)
The Diva Haunts the House by Krista Davis (Berkley)
Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet (Minotaur)
Three-Day Town by Margaret Maron (Grand Central Publishing)
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (Minotaur)

Best First Novel:
Dire Threads by Janet Bolin (Berkley)
Choke by Kaye George (Mainly Murder Press)
Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (Crown)
Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab (Berkley)
Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend (Berkley)

Best Non-fiction:
Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure by Leslie Budewitz (Linden)
Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks by John Curran (Harper)
On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda (Princeton University Press)
Wilkie Collins, Vera Caspary and the Evolution of the Casebook Novel by A. B. Emrys (McFarland)
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris (Ace)

Best Short Story:
"Disarming" by Dana Cameron, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - June 2011
"Dead Eye Gravy" by Krista Davis, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press)
"Palace by the Lake" by Daryl Wood Gerber, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press)
"Truth and Consequences" by Barb Goffman, Mystery Times Ten (Buddhapuss Ink)
"The Itinerary" by Roberta Isleib, MWA Presents the Rich and the Dead (Grand Central Publishing)

Best Children's/Young Adult:
Shelter by Harlan Coben (Putnam)
The Black Heart Crypt by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press)
The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey (EgmontUSA)
The Code Busters Club, Case #1: The Secret of the Skeleton Key by Penny Warner (EgmontUSA)

Best Historical Novel:
Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen (Berkley)
Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy (Signet)
Mercury's Rise by Ann Parker (Poisoned Pen Press)
Troubled Bones by Jeri Westerson (Minotaur)
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (Harper)

Sad to say I've not read any of this bunch. How about you??

My TBR list just grew.....

Crops and Robbers by Paige Shelton

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

5 stars
R- 2? maybe\
local author!

You know, I was worried about the sustainability of this series, but I didn't need to be. Each installment has been just as fun.

And I really really liked this one.

Even with the love triangle-y bits.

Maybe even because of them.

(But don't tell anyone I said so.)

I CANNOT wait for the next one after where this leaves you hanging!

Sheep on a Ship by Nancy E Shaw

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I'll be honest, I don't love these books as much as I want to.

Why, you ask?

Well, have you ever tried to read one aloud??

Talk about tongue-twister.

I do think this book is crazy cute though. And the kids like it.

Am I the only one that has such a hard time reading it??

The Innocent by Taylor Stevens

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

4.5 stars
R- 3
Sequel to The Informationist
violence, language

(Not actually as violent as The Informationist, though, I thought.)

I liked this one even more than the first.

The writing has improved (though there are still a few things that really an editor should have picked up on, but whatever) and this plot interestingly explores a situation so similar to the author's own past.

And you have to love the moment when a character realizes that the seven dead bodies he's looking at were killed by the woman he's been trying to pick a fight with.

Priceless.

The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, book 2

4 stars

Another enjoyable snippet about Miss Lumley and her interesting pupils.

This time they're in London and all bets are off!

Again, an excellent balance of overarching plot lines and the plot of this installment. Impressive, really.

Recommended, but definitely read the first on first.

Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

4 stars
R-1

These books are a guilty pleasure for me. The writing isn't amazing, the scrapbooking sometimes feels silly (and I'm a scrapbooker!) and the editing is possibly getting worse with each installment...

But oh I enjoy them.

I love the characters and I love the setting.

And in this one I didn't quite see it coming. :D

Really just a fun cotton-candy read-- just fluff. :)

The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

5 stars
R- 0
Book Club
Reader's choice

Okay, so I wanted to smack the sister upside her head, but I did really enjoy this book.

Narrated by an undiagnosed high-functioning girl with asperger's, it's absolutely endearing.

And also totally reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen's books. It might take a few chapters to see that comparison, but it's there.

The Gallery of Regrettable Foods by James Lileks

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

4 stars
R- 3

This book is not for the faint of... well, stomach.

If you're pregnant, don't read it. Seriously.

You also possibly should not read it if you're old enough to have made and enjoyed any of the recipes in it.

This book, which highlights terrifying cuisine from post WWII America, is my new diet plan.

Feeling like eating... well, anything? Read a couple chapters and poof! Not hungry!

And it's as funny as it is disturbing.

Though the section about Aunt Jenny and the shortening was WAY TOO LONG. Holy cow.

Recommended if you need a good laugh.... :)

Kudos to Chik-Fil-A

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

For giving books as the kids' meal "toy".

MeiMei carts those little things around like you wouldn't believe.

The Jolly Barnyard and Saggy Baggy Elephant.... The Little Red Hen.... they're being loved to death around here.

So, thank you for that Chik-Fil-A.... I hate the sizes of your kids' meals, which are not enough to feed anyone over the age of 2, but you've got the toy part down.

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

4 stars
Great Reads
Book Club

Another Great Reads for Girls book that Boo hasn't read yet, lol. With my husband's work schedule it's been pretty tricky getting to the meetings.

On the surface, I should totally love this book.

And I liked it, I really did, but I just didn't quite love it.

I have a really hard time with Cornelia Funke. I don't know exactly what it is, but I do.

Anyway, cute story, lots of fun... dragged a little for me I guess. I didn't find it compelling. It took me like 4 days to read. Which is beyond all weird when you consider I can usually read 2 books like this in a night, no problem.

Recommended still, though. Especially for girls in the 8-12 range... especially if they're tomboys. :)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

5 stars
reread

I love this book. I had forgotten just how much I love this book.

This was a Great Reads for Girls pick, but we couldn't go that month and so Boo still hasn't read it. Which is a shame, 'cause it's just so darn good.

And you know what? I love the movie too.

Not because it at all resembles the book. Because it really really doesn't. But it's cute. (Though if you haven't seen the alternate ending in the deleted scenes, you totally need to. They really should have used it.)

I had forgotten, though, just how much more DEPTH the book has! And how closely it follows the original Cinderella tale.

Overall, always recommended. :)

I'm Ready for my Movie Contract by Darby Conley

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

5 stars
comics

I LOVE Get Fuzzy. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

And of course this collection was no exception.

Very very HIGHLY recommended.

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

3 stars
R- 3.5
reader's choice

Not actually as creepy as I thought it was going to be.

Follows a couple after they get caught in an avalanche and find themselves alone and unable to leave the small town, no matter how hard they try.

Ultimately kind of dragged for me. Could have been shorter.

And really kind of saw the ending coming, but whatever.

The Reader's Choice List

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Hey, maybe I should post the list since I've already reviewed a couple of the books, huh?
Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun
Before Ever After
Blind Your Ponies
The Cloud Roads
The Dangerous Edge of Things
Doc
Dragon Bound
The Dry Grass of August
A Fierce Radiance
Friendship Bread: A Novel
The Informationist
Instruments of Darkness
The Kitchen Daughter
The Language of Flowers
Learning to Swim
Lost in Shangri-la
My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir
No Biking in the House Without a Helmet
The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels
The Silent Land
South of Superior
The Trinity Six
Turn of Mind
Under Fishbone Clouds
Under Wraps
Vaclav and Lena

So far I've read 5 of them. :)

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Lift-the-flap board book

This is a favorite at our house right now.

MeiMei (Baby J, who's really not a baby anymore) loves to yell out PUPPY! on the last page and everyone loves lifting the flaps to see what the zoo has sent.

Boo loves the reasons for sending each pet back. Especially the camel. He's too grumpy.

Overall- Excellent.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

4 stars
ya
book club

Not sure I can say I enjoyed this book, but it certainly was compelling.

AND HOLY FREAKING CREEPY, BATMAN.

On oh so many levels.

Which got totally stuck in my head.

Let's just say reading it at night is possibly not recommended.

Interesting and disturbing, not sure I want to read the sequel, though the book did end on an ultimately hopeful note.

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

4 stars
R- 3
Violence, language
reader's choice

Let me start by saying I'm really glad I didn't read all the comparisons to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before reading this. Because I don't think they're super accurate or fair.

Which is good, because I really didn't like TGwtDT.

The writing is not amazing, maybe. I spent much of the book trying to decide if English was not the author's first language because of some awkward phrasing.

When you read about the author, though, and find out that she was raised in a cult with no education past like 6th grade and was forbidden to read it's all a lot more forgivable.

While this thriller is really violent, I was intrigued by the characters and the story. Very curious to read the sequel.

Overall, good read, though perhaps not for the squeamish.

Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun by Lois Winston

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

3 stars
R- 2 maybe
reader's choice

Okay, we all know that I LOVE cozy mysteries.

I just didn't love this one.

At some point I couldn't suspend disbelief enough at the number of awful things to befall this woman in a two-week span.

And I totally saw the ending coming from hundreds of pages away.

Overall just fell kind of flat for me.

(Points for the crazy creepy way to kill someone. BONUS POINTS for the Shakespeare-spouting parrot.)

2011 In Review

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Total Books for 2011: 158

Books actually read: 154
DNFs: 4

Best months: January (25) and December (24)
Worst months: May (1), April (5), June (6)
Biggest copout month: November (7 books... or 4 books and three read twice. Whatever, it was NaNo.)

Ebooks: 1 (I don't do ebooks)

Library: 102
Nancy Drews: 23 (finishing the challenge from 2010)
Reader's Choice: 25 (wow, really? lame)
Book Club: 10 (out of 11, that's not too bad)
Virtual Book Tour books: 9
Tribute Book Tour books: 4... or 5?
Random "for review" books: 13
Great Reads for Girls books: 2 (read by Boo, 1)
Local Author books: 4 (wow, again, LAME)
Beehive Nominees: 4 (not including picture books)

(Really none of this is including picture books.)

I reached my goal of 150 books. That's all that matters, right? lol

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

5 stars!!!
(local author!)

This is a new favorite for me!!

LOVED this adorable tale.

Princesses, Princes, conspiracies and a castle that's practically a character in its own right?! What more could you want?

If you haven't read this, go do so. Right now. Then make everyone you know read it.

:)

CONGRATULATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Britt) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

to Mo Willems

And Gerald and Piggie

I Broke My Trunk is a Geisel Honor Book!!

One of our favorites!!!!!!!