January Reads.
American Smooth by Rita Dove
Magnificent collection of poems. Makes me want to get up and dance.
Otherwise Engaged by Suzanne Finnamore
After finally brow-beating her boyfriend into proposing, our heroine freaks out. While there are many hilarious one-liners, the novel is generally superficial and repetive.
It's Snowing! written & illus. by Olivier Dunrea
Text, while simple and spare, makes good use of language (lots of mouth pleasing words like "scrunches" and "trundles"). Illustrations are equally pleasing. A great curl-up book for a wintery day.
Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue
Very charming set of interlinked fairy tales told with (gasp) a lesbian slant. Who hasn't wanted to kiss the witch? Fairytale princes are all such a lot of stuffed shirts and pomade -- who would want to kiss one? Although, I suppose, the thing with traditional fairy tales is it's the prince who is doing the kissing, not the girly chick.
Doing It by Melvin Burgess
Apparently, this novel has generated a bit of flack because of its frank treatment of teenage boys -- they're all led around by their pricks! How shocking! Because, you know, teenage girls are so not sex-driven. No, teenage girls are all about "relationships" and finding the right lippy. Yeh. Anyway, loved Doing It very much. Too bad it wasn't around when I was in high school.
Olivia Kidney by Ellen Potter (illus. by Peter H. Reynolds)
Moderately enjoyable story about a girl who lives in an apartment building where strange things are afoot. Reads a bit like a lighter Dahl.
Lily Quench and the Dragon of Ashby by Natalie Jane Prior (illus. by Janine Dawson)
Lily Quench and the Black Mountains
Lily Quench and the Treasure of Mote Ely
Ahh, Lily Quench is just ripping good fun. How could you not love a plucky red-headed dragon slayer turned dragon friend who likes apple trees and whose liege lord is a librarian/king? Each book is charming and easily devoured.
Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian
Reading Bohjalian is always a kick in the gut -- the familiar place names always leave me blind-sided by an emotional reaction I don't quite understand. Yet, I love his books and I mean it as a great compliment when I say that Bohjalian writes so well that I care very much about the happiness of characters I heartily dislike.
Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Princess by Scott Beatty
While reading this guide all I could think was "wow, look at those breasts!" Shallow, I know, but I doubt she's drawn with readers like me in mind, anyway.
No Place for a Lady: Tales of Adventurous Women Travelers by Barbara Hodgson
Brief studies of adventurous European women from the mid-seventeenth century to the end of the nineteenth century. A beautiful looking book -- everything from the cover art to the weight of the pages to the illustrations and end papers are just lovely. My only real quibble is that, because the book was arranged geographically rather than by subject, the lives of these women were told in a rather piecemeal fashion that left me unsatisfied. I must know more!
The Glass Virgin by Catherine Cookson
It was only when I looked this title up in Amazon that I realized this terrible novel is not a new (posthumous) publication but a reissue. Explains a lot. Oh, I did enjoy the historical details, but most of the characters and story just pissed me off to no end and I presume that had a lot to do with the novel's age.
Why I am a Muslim: An American Odyssey by Asma Gull Hasan
I found this book to be quite eye-opening and, based upon what Hasan has written, the problem doesn't seem to be Islam so much as the politization of Islam (which seems true of other faiths, as well).