bookshelves of doom

Blogger's ennui.

2009-07-06T11:03:18-04:00

I have it.

I'll be back as soon as it passes.

The Girl with the Long Green Heart -- Lawrence Block Hard Case Crime, #14

2009-07-03T10:02:28-04:00

Joining the Hard Case Crime book club was the best $6-a-month investment I made last year. (It was also the only one I made, but I'm confident that if there'd been others, it would still be on top.) Sometimes the books are reprints with awesome new covers, sometimes they're original publications, some of them are stronger pieces of writing than others, but they've all been entertaining. They make me happy. If you enjoy the crime genre and aren't offended by the un-PC (especially in regards to how the ladies are treated), they're well worth a read.

Lately I've been exploring Lawrence Block -- I tore through the first Bernie Rhodenbarr book and one about Matthew Scudder which gave me an inkling of his range, and, just to round things out, I brought home all four Keller books for the holiday weekend -- so, since I was in the groove, I decided to jump ahead a bit and read another of Block's Hard Case titles.

The Girl with the Long Green Heartwas originally published in 1965. It's about Johnny Hayden, a retired grifter. After a miserable seven-year stint in San Quentin, he's been playing it straight -- working in a bowling alley, taking correspondence courses in hotel management and saving every penny. At the rate he's saving, in ten years, he'll have enough money to buy a local hotel. Ten years. In ten years, he'll be fifty.

So when his old associate Doug Rance shows up with a plan for a long con that'll set him up with enough cash to buy the hotel, he decides to do this one last job. It's a job that requires help on the inside. Luckily, the mark's secretary has a big reason to hate her boss... and, as it turns out, she's a natural at the grifter's game.

I really loved this one. Johnny tells his story simply and believably in a voice that has that noir accent without ever feeling like a caricature. Which is impressive. He jumps from the main story to flashback and back again so seamlessly that I kept falling into the flashbacks and forgetting that the main story even existed -- his voice made everything that vivid and real and in-the-now.

I didn't want to care about him -- long con stories so often go the same way that I generally try not to get attached -- but he was just so damn likable. His narration of the game moved along with lots of those how-to details that I love, and while, due to the conventions of the genre, I guessed at some of the twists before they came, I had no idea how Johnny would react or what the outcome would be. Surprises came fast and furious towards the end, and the ending itself left me feeling a whole lot happier than I expected it to -- it was so nice to run into a grifter without a tendency towards deep dark depression.

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Previously:

1. Grifter's Game, Lawrence Block
2. Fade to Blonde, Max Phillips
3. Top of the Heap, Erle Stanley Gardner

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(cross-posted at Guys Lit Wire)

The Last Olympian: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book Five -- Rick Riordan

2009-06-30T10:00:34-04:00

THERE ARE NO-NAMES NAMED VAGUE-ISH SPOILERS IN THE FOOTNOTES.

Ever since someone pointed out to me that the similarities between the Percy Jackson books and the Harry Potter books go beyond* the simple boy-turns-eleven-and-discovers-a-secret-family-history-that-results-in-him-going-off-to-a-special-place-every-year-and-also-he's-possibly-the-child-of-prophecy-that-may-or-may-not-save-the-world storyline, I've had a hard time not comparing the two.

So I found it interesting that, like the last Harry Potter book, The Last Olympian began with a divergence. We didn't get the usual Percy-has-some-sort-of-battle-on-the-last-day-of-school-and-then-makes-his-way-to-camp opening -- Percy gets word that the battle has begun, and that's that. And, like JKR did with the deaths that occurred at the beginning of HPVII, Rick Riordan showed that he meant business*** with the death of a half-blood** before page thirty.

This is, after all, the last Percy Jackson book -- the book in which Percy finally hears the whole prophecy, and the book in which the prophecy will finally come to pass. Or will it?

Overall, I had mixed feelings. I was happy to get more of Luke's history, to find that Rachel was more important than expected, and to see Percy's mother and stepfather in action. I was happy to see Grover come into his own, and I always have had a soft spot for Clarisse.

As the challenges Percy & Co. face are much more serious, I wasn't surprised that the tone was much darker than in the earlier installments, but I was glad to see that there was still a good amount of humor -- Apollo's curse on the Ares cabin was especially good -- and I still enjoy Percy's voice (though I don't really feel that he's matured much in five years):

I remembered the story. Orpheus wasn't supposed to look behind him when he was leading his wife back to the world, but of course he did. It was one of those typical "and-so-the-died/the-end" stories that always made us demigods feel warm and fuzzy.

So that all worked. But it wasn't until page 295 that the book really grabbed me.

Until that point, I felt like I was treading water, waiting the story out. After that point, I was fully invested, interested and eager to see where the story would go. Because something surprised me there. Up until then, nothing else in the book had. And so I finished the book, felt satisfied with the end of the series (HOWEVER.****), and I'm looking forward to the next Camp Half-Blood series.

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Previously:

1. The Lightning Thief
2. The Sea of Monsters
3. The Titan's Curse
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth

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*It's mostly just that the Harry, Ron, Hermione personalities are very similar to the Percy, Grover, Annabeth personalities. Though Grover's role in everything has changed significantly, and the Percy/Annabeth relationship is different. In the first couple of books, though, the parallels were quite strong.

**See this post for an interesting take on that death -- but do beware of spoilers. And this post for a related complaint about the audio version.

***At the same time, I felt that his choice of character was similar to Rowling's choice of Cedric Diggory -- a nice-guy secondary character whose death wouldn't wreck a fan's day, but whose death would hit the other characters -- especially our hero -- hard. It felt... calculated. Which detracted, for me -- it made me stop thinking about the characters as people and start paying attention to the man behind the curtain.

****Now, though, looking back, I find that surprise on page 296 less satisfying. Like the death early on, the identity of the spy felt so calculated -- like the character was chosen specifically so that everything could be wrapped up with a nice big ribbon (and a double funeral) at the end. It didn't sit right with me. And the more I think about it, the more dissatisfied I am.

Kerfuffles happen so quickly on the internet.

2009-06-30T07:20:56-04:00

In case you missed it, Alice Hoffman read a lukewarm review of her new book, got mad, posted the reviewer's phone number on Twitter (while encouraging people to "Tell her what u think of snarky critics") which (shocker of shocks) got people all riled up, so she deleted her Twitter account and has since apologized. Sort of.

The Thief: The Queen's Thief, #1 -- Megan Whalen Turner

2009-06-29T11:07:31-04:00

While the rain kept me from writing about The Thief as promised last Thursday, it certainly didn't keep me from re-reading it. There are few things, I think, that could've made me that miserable.

So. A bit later than promised, but... here we are.

For the uninitiated, The Thief begins:

I didn't know how long I had been in the king's prison.

After drunkenly bragging in wine shops about being the greatest thief alive, Gen was forced to put his money where his mouth was and prove it. So prove it he did -- by stealing the king's seal out from under the king's chief advisor's nose. Of course, Gen's bragging hadn't gone unnoticed by the government, so it wasn't long before he was captured and deposited in prison.

That same chief advisor -- the magus -- decides that there is a better way for Gen to serve the country than rotting in jail. And so, the two of them, along with a soldier and two young students, set out on a journey to steal an object. Gen isn't informed what their destination is, or for that matter, what he is to steal, but, when it comes to the king's prison, out is better than in.

If you haven't read the book, skip the rest, because while I'm not going to get specifically spoiler-y, your first journey with Gen should be one that you only share with him. So go away and read it. Seriously. If you've been meaning to get to it for ages and just haven't found the time -- FIND IT. You're missing out. Not just on this book, but on the next two. And don't worry -- what follows isn't a review or a critique -- it's a love letter.

While I wish I could read this again for the very first time, I do love revisiting it. I feel like I catch something new every time. I love Gen's asides, his clues to the reader about his real identity:

He wanted to know my name.

I said, "Gen." He wasn't interested in the rest.

I love that while he lies constantly to everyone he interacts with in every way possible -- words, posture, habit, personality, history, education, intellect -- he doesn't actually lie to the reader except by way of omission. I love that basically, he's running a long con. I love the moments when his temper threatens to get the better of him. I love him. I love Sophos, Pol, even the magus. I can't love Ambiades, but I do love Gen's interactions with him. I love the underlying conversation about myth: how we use it and change it, how even well-known and often-told stories are shaped by the teller, how that can tell us about the teller. I love the first meeting of Gen and Attolia. I love Gen's reaction to being watched over by the gods. I love watching the characters begin to suspect things about each other even as they begin to care about and respect each other.

I love Megan Whalen Turner for creating these characters and this world.

Like the folks at GalleyCat...

2009-06-29T10:22:59-04:00

...I never get tired of new Penguin Classics covers:

Speaking of adults reading YA...

2009-06-29T10:20:07-04:00

...I've had good results using the fantabulous Bog Child as a crossover read -- and it just won the Carnegie medal*, so I have yet another excuse to display it.

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*Making Siobhan Dowd the first person to win it posthumously.

A question for librarians & booksellers:

2009-06-29T10:16:52-04:00

Who reads YA?

In the community I serve, the majority of patrons who use the YA section are most certainly YAs. There are adults who regularly check out books from that section (for themselves), but they're in the minority -- I've found that most of my adult patrons, when confronted with that 'Y' sticker, will automatically give the book a pass.

But the community is heavily skewed towards the older set, as there are a lot of retirees. So there is that.

You?

If it had been anyone else, mockery would have ensued...

2009-06-29T09:26:43-04:00

...but it's Dolly.

While titling a children's book I am a Rainbow is a bit much even for her, she still gets a pass.

Waiting on the punchline...

2009-06-29T09:16:56-04:00

James Frey Collaborating on a Novel for Young Adults, First in a Series

Still here.

2009-06-29T07:59:17-04:00

It's just that it's been raining for 1,001 days and it's all I can do to get out of bed in the morning, let alone write about anything.

I don't know how you Washington State people do it.

What is it about celebrities, food and plagiarism?

2009-06-24T07:30:13-04:00

Following in the illustrious footsteps of Jessica Seinfeld, Elizabeth Hasselbeck has been accused of swiping passages from someone else's book and using them in her guidebook to gluten-free living.

Timothy Dalton is a TIME LORD? The Time Lords are ALIVE?

2009-06-23T08:18:50-04:00

Unless he just put the robe on to mess with us... And is that the Seal of Rassilon on his chest?

Ugh.

2009-06-23T07:37:13-04:00

Tasha Tudor's children are fighting about her estate and her burial arrangements.

Seeking recommendations of...

2009-06-23T07:12:29-04:00

...witty historical fiction romantic suspense/thriller/mysteries a la Elizabeth Peters and Deanna Raybourn.

I picked up an Amanda Quick yesterday, and while I'm finding it entertaining*, it's chock-full of ridiculously unbelievable infodump dialogue along these lines: "As we both know... blah blah blah here's some information that the author needs to convey to the reader blah blah".

So annoying. Help me out, eh?

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*Yowzer. The main characters boinked almost immediately. And then the lady thought the guy died in a fire so she pretended that she was his widow so that it would be easier for her to start her own business but of course he wasn't really dead so he went to a gossip columnist and was all, "IT'S A MIRACLE, I'M ALIVE! THE AMNESIA I GOT IN THE WILD WEST IS GONE AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MY WIFE AGAIN!" And now he's living in her attic because he's worried that a thief who is after some old alchemy artifacts will come after her!!!

I assume you understand why I've continued reading despite my issues with the writing.

First images from Wonderland.

2009-06-23T07:00:29-04:00

WAY CREEPY.

Which could work very well.

I'm feeling a bit more optimistic.

[Later: Hmmm. While I love the scenery, the make-up might be a bit too much for me.]

Part-Time Indian to stay at Antioch High School.

2009-06-23T06:57:32-04:00

I'm totally glad about the decision, but I'm a tad disappointed that this article kicks off by describing the book as "a novel sprinkled with racist language and descriptions of masturbation". Way to stir the pot, guys.
This article talks a bit about a new committee the school is creating in an attempt to prevent similar problems in the future.

See Buffy Summers kick poor mopey Edward Cullen in the face.

2009-06-23T06:35:23-04:00

Leila

Coop to escape the Black Lodge...

2009-06-22T11:02:22-04:00

...via webisode?

Riiiight.

Noooooooooooo!

2009-06-22T10:33:42-04:00

Barbie and Ken as -- you guessed it -- Bella and Edward.

Why has no one mentioned...

2009-06-22T10:29:51-04:00

...that there is a third D. J. Schwenk book coming out in October!?

SO. EXCITING!

Isn't this, like, REALLY OLD NEWS?

2009-06-22T09:54:15-04:00

The New York Times explores the possibility that the youth of today may not connect with Holden Caulfield.

Castration Celebration -- Jake Wizner

2009-06-22T09:38:09-04:00

After walking in on her dad getting (as Fabian puts it in Pulp Fiction) oral pleasure from one of his grad students, Olivia has sworn off guys. So seriously that not only has she started researching castration, she's also decided to write a musical called Castration Celebration at the arts camp she's attending at Yale this summer.

Before she even manages to stow her luggage in her dorm room, though, she meets Max. Who is a total player -- a guy who doesn't know what commitment is, a guy who lets his penis make his decisions for him. Much sparring ensues, and many sparks fly.

Castration Celebration is full of quips, double entendres (and many, many single-entendres) and witty banter. As Olivia's play is modeled after Much Ado About Nothing as well as her summer experience, it's got plenty of references to Shakespeare. (And, actually, a cameo from Shakespeare himself -- not Will Shakespeare, but Shakespeare Shapiro, from Wizner's previous book.) It's ribald and lewd and bawdy and funny. The musical numbers -- including a song about Edward Cullen, oral sex and Bella's menstrual cycle sung to the tune of Sunday, Bloody Sunday -- are flat-out hilarious.

But. The characters never come close to becoming real. While their dialogue made me laugh, I never believed in Olivia or Max or any of the others. I didn't root for them, worry about them, and, when I finished the book, I had no desire to revisit them. They weren't unlikeable. I just... didn't care about them. So, by the end of the book, the humor felt tired. Because while much of it was clever -- and it certainly made me laugh -- without an emotional core, the book amounted to a 291-page dirty joke.

I'm pretty positive that due to the drugs, profanity and all of the conversations about sex (there isn't any actual on-screen sex) this one wouldn't go over well with the folks in my previous post. But I can certainly think of a few people I went to high school with who would've found it hilarious, regardless of the lack of depth.

Challenge news.

2009-06-22T08:30:36-04:00

One of the parents who is objecting to the use of Part-Time Indian in the ninth-grade curriculum has suggested placing warning labels on books. Whenever people bring this idea up, I wonder how far they've thought it through. Would Romeo & Juliet and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Graceling and Boy Toy and the entire erotica genre all get the DANGER: SEX sticker? Would The Scarlet Letter and The World According to Garp get ADULTERY stickers? Would Lord of the Flies and Hamlet and American Psycho and The Hunger Games get slapped with one that reads VIOLENCE INSIDE? For that matter, would American Psycho get the SEX sticker, too? Jeepers. Some books would be so plastered with stickers that we wouldn't be able to see the cover art anymore. Who would decide how much 'offensive' content was enough to warrant a label? ETC. [Moments later: Actually, I may have to reconsider my previous opinion. Because a CAUTION: DOG DEATH sticker would come in way handy in some cases. Or maybe something a little more broad, like DANGER: MAY CAUSE UNCONTROLLABLE SOBBING.]
In response to the ongoing Gossip Girl controversy, a Florida newspaper editorial has also brought up the idea of book ratings. See above.
And four short stories (by David Sedaris, Laura Lippman, Stephen King and Ernest Hemingway) have been pulled from the curriculum of an elective course in a New Hampshire high school.

Lookalike?

2009-06-22T07:50:49-04:00

My co-worker pointed this one out:

(My apologies to Alea if she already covered this one!)