The Hedge Knight by George R R Martin

What it doesn't say in the title or description (which read something like "a prequel to the Song of Fire and Ice series), is that this is a comic book. NOT an "Archie and the Gang" comic book, but an adult comic book. I had never read an adult comic before, and although the experience was mildly annoying and not what I expected, I'm glad I spent an afternoon in the car, waiting for volleyball practice to be over reading this instead of another magazine that would point out how unthoroughly my house is dressed for autumn. I wasn't looking for a comic, but who needs guilt either?
Verdict? It's a comic, but...
Not for the kids.

A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin ( Book #3 )

Still caught up in the lengthy, delicious, violent saga of the Lannisters and Starks, Baratheons and Tyrells. This series is crazy addictive and seriously deranged. I'm having a blast.
Still, not for the kiddies.
There is a reason it is a series on HBO. And, if you could have an HBO of books in the library this series would be there too.
Brave it if you dare to get completely sucked in and spit out craving the next book, but look elsewhere for fantasy for young adults.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

Way back when, when Judy Blume was renowned for her writing aimed at kids and early teens, she was edgy in a "still kid friendly" way, she attacked previously un-noveled themes like getting your period and bullying. Then, she came out with a novel about teen sex, and then an adult novel about adult sex, and all of the sudden Judy Blume was not so easily put in the juvenile section of the library.
In Summer Sisters, she continues in the adult novel arena, with a novel about girls who grow up together, spending summers on Martha's Vineyard, and the sex, crazed devotion, betrayals, upheavals etc. of your typical old money, ex-hippie, divorced, chemically imbalanced family of the Vineyard. It is an easy read, beach book.
What was most amazing to me about this book, because although I read it through the end- it is junk food, was the "Readers Guide" section at the end of the book. Since when did Judy Blume become Thoreau instead of Collins? Do we really need guidance, book club groupies and readers alike, to understand the complexities of this book? Really?
So, sisters of summer and year-long, if you want a slice of cheesecake, this book is worth a pull from the shelf. But not for your kids. UGH. They can do better! And Book Clubs....please tell me you aren't this desperate.

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller

The author and I are the same age, which interests me, as I can compare her young life with mine. And, while, this is more a biography of the author's mother, it made me contemplate how our history through our own eyes is a different history than through our parent's scope. How much do I understand of my own mother's history?
There is no question that the background of Alexandra Fuller's life was exotic by our standards, and her mother's just so. Africa. "Nicola Fuller of Central Africa" is how her mother introduces herself.
I was learning the rules of flashlight tag, the magic of Halloween (you really knock on strangers doors and they give you candy?) and how to identify jewel weed- the natural antidote for poison ivy- by pushing a leaf of the plant under the creek it grows near and watching the leaf become a weaving silver infinity of moonlight. I was trying to stay up past my bedtime in the summer, and perfect my hula-hooping.
Alexandra Fuller, daughter of Nicola Fuller of Central Africa, was living through the Rhodesian Civil War, learning how to kill puff adders and riding around in the back of a bomb-proofed Landrover dressed as an insecticide drum. Three siblings were lost before the age of two, and with it went an awful lot of Nicola Fuller of Central Africa's sanity. Understandable enough as a mother. Confusing as a child.
So, how can this book be humorous? Hopeful? Well, it just is. I laughed out loud and feel like Alexandra is an old friend.
This is a book you can share with your teens. Older teens, certainly, and younger teens as well. I feel so triumphant when a worthy book can be handed over to the kids. It will enlarge their imaginations in ways that romances about vampires never can.
And, I would truly enjoy joining the Fuller family for cocktails under the Tree of Forgetfulness.

Iron King, Iron Daughter, Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

I dove into this series late this summer. My beautiful gothic library has now created a "teen reads" section. Ripe for plucking out books and taking them in first...
This is a new series, not a trilogy, as the next installment is due out next year. Tailored for the teen adventure/romance/sci-fi crowd, Kagawa delivers, albeit with an essentially annoying heroine. Clueless, self absorbed whiner was my initial assesment. Didn't change much in books one through three, although she does indeed mature in some ways. How many teen readers will just identify with her, instead of identify the flaws?
Also, it is a romance (as stated above)... but romance is? She falls in love with a guy who treats her terribly, is moody and violent. But, as it turns out, it is just a facade, for her deeply loves her and forsakes his heritage in order to be with her. GAG.
Really? This is what we need to feed our girls? Even if he's a total, complete jerk, deep down he's really Prince Charming.
Really.
And, they make some sort of devotion declaration that bonds them blahblahblah, so now they are "married" and it's okey dokey to have sex.
If you are truly waiting to have sex until you're married, that is a pastor, justice of the piece, family, "I do", "I do" and public, legal recognition that you are now hitched. Publish the banns, or don't give me some "we're as good as" trash.
So...although it is readable, and full of swashbuckling adventure, sword play, moments of triumph and failure, and on the surface "teen appropriate", I have to say the reality of the books was trite and disappointing and continues to send messages to girls that we've been trying to combat for generations. Not to mention the message to boys who might venture into the realm of girl-centric teen reads. If your teen does read this book, do her, or him a favor and have a sit down discussion about the themes of the book, open their eyes to see past the surface.

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Oh, my.
First off, since this is a blog about the appropriateness of books for teens and young readers, DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR CHILD'S CHRISTMAS LIST.
Or, any other list. Do not let them take it out from the library, or buy it at a garage sale. This is NOT a book for children.
Yet...
Despite the modern (read ; profane) language and the excruciatingly detailed devouring of flesh (both literal and sexual) the prose is darkly lyrical, hypnotising in it's juxtaposition of passion and ennui. This is not a skimming tale, but puts you in the trenches with our hero? Jake Marlowe.
Werewulf.
Somehow you're rooting for him, even though he's the evil. And, no, there isn't much redeeming about him except his own thoughts and self disgust. Much like the popular Twilight series, there is a lovestory in this book, but not muddled up with a cross species spectacle. It is a fairly tidy book, lengthwise (there were some rather untidy bits within) but quite readable, and not a "horror tale" to give you nightmares. I'm not a horror fan. Recommended for the adult (read- over 25...35?) reader.

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

This is a novel, not a history lesson, but, still... when you kind of know how it ends, kind of heartbreaking to hear how it might have begun. The Paris Wife is the story of the first marriage of Ernest Hemingway to Hadley Richardson told from Hadley's point of view- mostly. There are some short bits written in Ernest's voice. Because it is fiction, you wish the author would make it a different, happy ending. The couple would defy the odds of his flaws and stay a happy, healthy couple. Nope. And, watching the implosion of a marriage is too close, too raw. Sets you on edge and makes you want to slap someone. (Mainly Ernest, but maybe others, too.)
I don't think this is a book for children. The facts are enough, and they'll hear them, too, when they have to read "The Sun Also Rises" or "Old Man and the Sea" for English class. Ernest Hemingway was a hard drinking, hypermasculine womanizer who eventually shot himself.
But, Paula Mclain dares to imagine beyond the facts and see him through the eyes of a woman who loved him, and whom he loved. Not that it saved him from himself. She also doesn't cast the "other woman" in typical fashion either... but anyone would hear the warning bells! Full of names we know that seemed less real before I read The Paris Wife; Stein, Fitzgerald, Pound. They all come to life on the page.
It is a riveting story, and just like watching a train wreck you just keep on reading despite yourself.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Trilogies! Doesn't anyone write a stand alone popular novel anymore? Okay, you can sense I'm a little bitter. I do like trilogies, I do. But I started this novel, thinking it was a 600 page novel with a beginning, middle and end. Around page 550, I began worrying that the wrap-up was going to be a bit abrupt...just to be left totally hanging.
Sigh.
A Discovery of Witches is a romance- unadulterated, unapologetic romance and in the extremely trendy vein of Vampire lit. It is about a romance between a witch and a vamp. It is fun and except for a few pages in about the middle, essentially a clean enough romance for the teen set. Unfortunate that there had to be some descriptive hot-and-heavy in the middle, it means it falls short of a recommendation from me. Exclusion due to the "Eye of the Needle" rule. Remember The Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett? I read that book back as an impressionable teen, and it was a dead-on spy novel, except for a few really randy pages in the middle that left too little to my imagination.
Thus, I cannot recommend it for the teen reader and lover of romance despite it's otherwise appealing tale. I bristle a bit at the idea of "romance" in the novel, as it doesn't apply to real romance, not a bit. Women somehow love the idea, in concept, of a strong man, willing to protect us, shield us, love us vulnerably and unconditionally. In reality, I'm not much for the possessive or bossy type. So, as a novel for a woman happily married to a man who is neither jealous, nor possessive- and gets reminded of who he married when he gets bossy- it is a fine piece of junk food. For a teen girl, who is still getting an idea of what is healthful romance...maybe not.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I suppose since it has been such a long while since I made my way to this blog, I should begin at the end.
The last book I finished.
Love in the Time of Cholera. It was a bestseller some time back and I have had friends that were weighed down by the prose before ever becoming attached to Fermina Daza, Juvenal Urbino and Florintino Azria. For, that is how they are mostly identified, by first and last names throughout the roughly 60 years the book covers in their lives, and death. But, I have always had a slight bent towards lyrical, even heavy prose- as the moments of lightness really soar. It is a love story, a love triangle even, set in the turn of the 20th century in the Caribbean. I think it would be suitable for the older teen reader, but the love, although set in the period, isn't truly Victorian. The Brontes it is not. There is some more twisted representations of sexuality, and love- and ripe with infidelity. But, at the heart it is a story of devotion and obsession that lasts a lifetime. Honestly, I think it would be a tough thing for most teens, even the romantics, to invest...but perhaps it would surprise me. I'm just not sure it's an appropriate investment.

Time to jumpstart!

Well, it has been too long since I updated here, and it might be a colossal undertaking, as I may not have been blogging about books, but I have continued to read them! So, be patient, the list is long....

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Elisabeth Bailey was a young, active adventurous woman who took a trip to a small European village and came home to a changed life. She contracted an illness on the trip that has left her body incapable of the most simple things we take for granted; standing, moving about, even sitting in a chair are overly exhausting- even life-threatening.
Almost overnight she became an invalid, trapped in a bed, exhausted and most alone. For 20 years she has been thus, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but at all times struggling.
This story is of a year, one of the worst ones, lying in bed with a caretaker to help her, and friends to come by every once in a while. One friend came by after a walk in the nearby woods and picked up a snail from the ground. She potted a few wild violets and set the snail in the pot.
At first Elisabeth is a bit annoyed by this, but soon the interest the snail provides is invaluable. The companionship and the activity of the snail become identifiers in each day, and the snail provides a life line of sorts. She studies the snail and keenly observes its moments, bonding and becoming devoted to the little brown snail from the woods.
The book is short, and beautiful. Really an hour or two of your time to read, but very much worth those minutes. We do take so much for granted, as did Elisabeth Bailey before her return from her last trip to Europe. But, life is delicate, and interesting, and valuable. These pages are a gentle reminder of the treasure with which we are gifted.

The Inner Circle by Brad Metzler

I believe Mr. Metzler is a White House staffer in some way- I think this is what I heard on NPR. This is good, because he should keep his day job. Not that this book is awful- it's not. In fact, it is somewhat readable. The problem is it feels jumpy and amateurish. A DaVinci Code wannabe, or National Treasure's copycat roomate.
And, just a few days after closing the back cover on the book, I've already forgotton much of what it was about. So, I guess this is not a strong rec.
Not sure I would hand this over to my teens, either, because why encourage them to soak in more mediocre literature? Or, another conspiracy several hundred years in the making. I can't get them to participate in a conspiracy called "making their beds". Maybe George Washington could have...

The Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain

Make no mistake, this is a volume. And, it is but the first of, I believe, three. But, go forth undaunted, for there are gems in these here caves.
This is an autobiography unlike any other. Yes, there have been biographies of Mark Twain before, but this one was created by himself (thus the "auto" portion") with the particular stipulation that it was not to be published until 100 years after his death.
Well, we've made it.
And the structure of the autobiography is, well, loose. Twain writes that he has tried many times to write about his life, but if he starts at the beginning, he loses steam or interest too quickly. So, when he writes, he just writes about whatever in his life interests him at the time. Therefore, the book jumps about quite abit. And, it is not in the least confusing that way. I think that is the way most of us live our lives, we dwell mostly in the present, with periodic side trips to the past. Sometimes, I've no idea who is is speaking of- despite naming the person, and this is what Twain wanted. This is why he specified 100 years posthumous publication. But, it is funny, and bitingly witty, and you can't help but like this man (and be glad you weren't around 100 years ago to cross him).
For kids? Certainly not inappropriate, but maybe they haven't been on earth quite long enough to appreciate the subtle humor and the wit of Twain on himself. Then again, perhaps they have....

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

How did I ever escape from high school without having read this book? It seems to be another regular on the "required reading lists". And, although I really enjoyed this book, I can understand why kids get discouraged by "Literature". I blame it on language 150 years old. Because it's not the story elements themselves! It has lost love, bad guys that become good guys? romance, fighting, plot twists and turns, surprise "who's your daddy?" moments...and Miss Havisham- the creepiest of characters...this book is exciting. It drags a bit here and there, as compared to our constant excitement great expectations. But this is what it is to develop a plot and story. I would recommend reading this book outside of the "required reading" framework. I think pressure makes it less enjoyable. And don't give up on the first half of the book, as the second half moves faster.
This is on the "lists" because it should be....I just wish there were more selections on the same "lists" written in this century. Perhaps my expectations are too great.

Breakfast of Champions or, Goodbye Blue Monday by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

To be fair, since I chose to read this book because of someone's "best ever novels" list, could it really live up to the hype of "best ever"? And, I had heard of Vonnegut. Like you hear of Faulkner, or Joyce. So, when you come across a list that says this is one of the best novels ever written, you think to yourself "Hmmm, I haven't ever read Vonnegut. Could this be a huge gap in my literary ramblings which I should fill?"
So, to the library to pick up a copy of Breakfast of Champions, published in 1973.
This is a strange book.
I kept wondering when I would see the light of the "best ever" shining through the pages. Perhaps as the days and months go by, the light will indeed come on, and I shall bask in the new knowledge I have found courtesy of Kilgore Trout and Dwayne Hoover. For now, I remain in the darkness as to its brilliance.
The aforementioned Trout and Hoover could be considered the main characters. The book jumps about, and eventually puts them in the same smarmy lounge in the midwest, two insane men who have yet to meet. They meet briefly, and then after reading a whackadoo book by Trout, Hoover beats up a bunch of people and goes to the asylum. That's pretty much it. Messages in this book:
1)We are killing the planet (This might have been revolutionary in 1973. After all, we were still driving around steel boats that poured out black fumes and recycling was seeing if the old adage "it's like riding a bike" was true. The buzz words "global warming" and "green" were decades away)
2)People are hopelessly insane. Those who aren't just don't know it yet.

Messages about this book:
1) I do not agree that it is one of the best novels ever written.
2) I do not recommend spending the time it takes to find out that we are ruining the planet and are insane.
3) Mr. Vonnegut had a sense of humor that can be, well, pornographically inclined. For this and the previous two reasons, I do not recommend this for even children who wish to find out we are ruining our planet and are insane.

Unbroken- Lauren Hillenbrand

The author's book "Seabiscuit" was a sensation and a successful film. This is her most recent contribution, and a quite worthy one. It is the story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner, turned WW II flyer, then castaway, then Japanese POW, then hero, drunkard, and back to hero and inspirer. This is a book that should be read. It frames history in such a tangible way. Interestingly, as I was reading about the Japanese "Rape of Nanking" a horrific, inhuman, disgusting chapter in human history, the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. I was torn between disgust for the Japanese of the 1940's and heartache for the Japanese of today.
Zamperini's story is of such value and resilience. A lesson for us all, young and old, in determination, self, and strength. Highly recommended. Highly.

February reads-too racy for review!

I jotted down a few reads recommended on NPR during a Valentine's Day spot. I requested the books from the library and they came in in late February. One well researched book was extremely educational, another was awfully pornographic. I thought I shouldn't review them here. But, keep in mind that these books were reviewed on NPR, and they were available to take out at the library. And completely inappropriate for young adults. Certainly WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION for kids.
Beware.

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

YEAH! Got another Keeper.
I picked out an ancient copy of this book at the library. I had heard the title before, most recently in association with a movie starring Steve Martin, but the original book interested me a lot more. The book was written by two of the title "Dozen" in 1948 about their family and growing up in the turn of the century in such a mischievous and brilliant mob. Much of the story focuses on the Patriarch of the family, Frank Gilbreth, a self- made man who really pioneered motion study for efficiency. He is quite a character too! This book is fun, and silly ,and wonderful. The stories are cute and worth repeating aloud. I told a bunch of the tales yesterday in the car on our adventure to Dayton, and all my kids are now interested in reading this book. I think, even my 10 year old (10 today!) who has a bit of trouble getting interested in a book will enjoy this one. I plan to start reading it aloud with him, he will appreciate the humor. And, I am stuck on a mystery I discovered while reading the book. Will go on the Internet today to see what I can find out about the mysterious 12th child.....

Good one.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Everyone remembers the movie Titanic, right? There was this huge frenzy, "best movie ever", "must see" yadayadayada. Well, I didn't really want to see it. I knew the story of the Titanic, and it didn't end well. Just thinking about the panic of all those people about to become Popsicles, trying to save their children and loved ones- not my cup of tea. Yet... Huz and I found ourselves and our three year old at my parents house in 1998. A grand opportunity for a child-free date night. What to do? We somewhat reluctantly bowed to media pressure and bought tickets to the 7 hour torturefest that was Titanic. Somehow, we just couldn't leave, but I couldn't really watch either.
Well, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen was my Titanic in book form. "The best book of 2010" number one on NY Times bestseller lists, hitting a Kindle in the subway near you. And, I read it. Some days, being annoyed with myself for continuing to read. I never really liked any of the characters, and the fact that they didn't like themselves much either was no solution. I decided that the characters were not particularly unusual, or deranged or anything, but that the author sees them all in as unhealthy a light as possible. This is NOT a book for children. And, although I now feel guilty about having three children, and barn cats, and living near a field, and even about my own existence in causing the extinction of all species more worthy than the human one, I don't highly recommend this book for anyone. Unless you're in a mood to feel guilty about your existence too.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Ugh. I kind of disgusted myself by reading this in two days. I put it down time and again, but then picked it up somewhat in desperation, not willing to stop altogether, and not willing to drag it out.
Here's how I think this book came to pass:
Dan Brown writes megagazillion best seller The DaVinci Code. Editor and Publisher start leaning on him to write another "Best Selling Book of ALL TIME".
Mr. Brown is stumped. Hmmm. What to do, what to do. On his next trip cross the Atlantic, the in-flight movie is "National Treasure". Brown thinks "Nic Cage is cool. I like D.C. I'm totally into symbols and hidden stuff. I'll write 'National Treasure' the book! "
So, he needs a bad guy, a bunch of symbols to chase around the capitol, and his old friend, Professor Langdon. Work in an attractive, smart woman character, and you have The DaVinci Code meets "National Treasure" and you make another gazillion dollars.
Only, this book is no DaVinci Code. This book is loosely written, not believable, too convenient and frankly disappointing. One thing after another rubbed against all logic and annoyed me considerably.
Example : Old guy gets his hand cut off by a lunatic, then waterboard tortured with some oxygenated gel stuff over and over, tells some secrets, then somehow gets shaved clean (somehow doing quite well, handless with no medical intervention) then, eventually gets rescued, and instead of shipping him off to the hospital to fix up the old stump, he wants to show his friend around a few special places in Washington. Sure, I've had my hand chopped off, tortured for a few days, watched some folks die, found out my son's a complete wackjob, now, he's dead too, but let's go see some cool symbols in the greater Washington area we missed cavorting through earlier in the book.
Like I said "Ugh."

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

"Ancient walls that sing the distant hours"

Every so often you get a book for which you have no expectation. I ordered this book into my library queue on the suggestion of some list or another, just because. When it came, I thought; "Romance?" because of the castle on the cover. Romance and castles are a cinch- right? Oh, and there is romance. Pretty much the twarted kind. And, it's a whodunit, and a bit gothic, and a slice of Grimm's, and a dash of mother-daughter angst and reparation. Controlling fathers, controlling daughters, insanity, love, war, lies, secrets, bald truths. Beautiful days, creepy rooms, bad history. At times I wondered if I was reading a scary novel. I don't do scary. But, then, I never was scared, so...I guess not. What it is is full of wonderful twists, grand prose and wonderful abandon. I can't wait for my Eldest to read it. I think Middlest will like it too.
AS far as flags? I can recall no foul language, romance in place of sex and the violence is of individual sort and accidental kind. I do think it will take a more mature mind to enjoy the novel, so for older kids.
Loved it.

Backwards in High Heels, the Impossible Art of Being Female by Tania Kindersley and Sarah Vine

I love the feel of this book, the art in it's pages and the spirit of the premise. I thought, perhaps, this would be a book I could hand over to my teen girls- a primer. NOPE. This is for the female who is already an experienced adult. Kapisch?
That being said, many chapters I felt could've been penned by my sister, Elizabeth. She has a similar voice in her writing, familiar, wry, down-to-earth. So, Elizabeth were she British. Some chapters were thought provoking, and some just plain fun. It covers all sorts of topics from love to money. And the book is a joy to hold in your hands and read. Savor, if you will.
A chick-lit nonfiction book, a book for the sisterhood. And, I think, a keeper. Except I'll probably give it to Elizabeth to enjoy....

Birdology, by Sy Montgomery

I think, books can be many things. They can be a wonderful escape into a different world, they can be deadly boring text you must attempt to focus upon, they can be a record, painful, frightening, sweet. But, my favorite books are ones that make me think. I mean really think. And muse and wonder and excite. Sy Montgomery has managed to really hook me with Birdology. If you have spent much time with me in the past week, I have probably brought
up birds; language, homing instincts, yarak, dinosaurs- I have read each section, then thought about it for days. One of my blogs( A Velociraptor of my own) on the other blog I keep, Cowfeathersfarm, was a result of some of these meditations.I wouldn't doubt there are more in the works. Because when a moment of brainstillness comes, there are birds now. I have watched Snowball- a yellow crested Cockatoo, dance on youtube. His dance to "Another one bites the dust" is magnificent. I have thought about my friend, Tim, in Oklahoma that is a falconer, and I wish I had pumped him for more information when we lived in OK. I have always been fascinated by the huge murders of Crows, or Starlings, or Red-Winged Blackbirds as they turn the sky and ground black and loud, turning in a uniform cloud. But now I'm thinking more about that, not just accepting, but marvelling. Birdology is making me see the world differently. That is a book worth reading.

P.S. I should mention that the author uses the phrase "bird s___" a few times in the book. Also, during the last pages there is some politically active beliefs. Right or wrong, they are there. Climate change, factory farming, meat eating...the scourges of humanity. I think it stole a bit from the magic of the book, but don't let it discourage you!

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

This copy also had three other short stories by Mr. Capote. I have, of course, seen the iconic movie with Audrey Hepburn. I had found the movie a bit odd and was kept a bit confused. I think I understood much better, the complicatedly shallow Holly Golightly in the book. Although I'm still a bit in the dark about how to earn money from gentleman by going to the powder room....
Capote's characters are interesting and not mainstream. But, his writing, even though it may be about prostitutes and orphans, is poetic and not written for shock value. I really did enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany's even though I was a bit annoyed by and didn't particularly like Holly. I think the book is a good choice for the high school age teen- and great for a discussion to follow!