Posts filed under 'Recreational Fiction'
During the presidential campaign I was obsessed. I watched every scrap of punditry, I read every newspaper article, I spent hours at night catching up on blog posts. I was a campaign junkie. So what’s an addict to do when she’s cut off cold-turkey? Watch old Sarah Palin clips on YouTube? Okay, maybe, especially the one with the turkey! Read about Obama’s transition team and quest for a puppy? Sure. But none of that quite gets at what I want. What’s a librarian to do? Find something to read.
Baring Arms by Jo Ann Power is the second mystery featuring five-term congresswoman Carly Wagner. Carly is a divorced mom who juggles caring for her pre-teen daughter and maintaining her political career (both at home in Texas and in Washington). She’s doing well enough that her party is considering have her give a keynote address at the national convention. Her political ambitions are endangered when her daughter, Jordan, finds Judge Goodwin Deeds strangled in his home. In order to protect Jordan and her career, Carly puts her insider savvy to good use. She’s determined to find out who did the deed before more damage is done. Assisting with the investigation is the mysterious Mr. Jones who may or may not have her best interests at heart.
Though the first in this series (Missing Member) had a little bit more of the behind-the-scenes political machinations I like to read about, this Beltway mystery did help ease me off the political juice. But I’m not totally there yet - I’m feeling the urge to visit the blogs again. So if you have suggestions that will satisfy my craving for politics, I’d love to hear them.
December 15th, 2008
Jane J. - Central Library
I’m short (5′3″ on a good day) and like many of the vertically challenged I’ve often wished I were taller. Perhaps that can explain why I’m drawn to books with tall women protagonists (and my strange obsession with America’s Next Top Model). The latest reads in my quest to live vicariously through the tall are Everything Nice by Ellen Shanman and Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker.
Michaela “Mike” Edwards is tall, gorgeous and could care less. She’s never been interested in the types of things other women in her office find so fascinating. She looks the way she looks and obsessing about it won’t make a bit of difference. Far more important to her is her job as an up-and-coming copy editor at her advertising firm. In fact just about her entire identity is wrapped up in that job. So when she is fired and realizes that her take-no-prisoners, blunt ways have made her persona non grata everywhere else, Mike is lost. After six months of unemployment and an eviction notice, Mike is forced to move back in with her father and take any job she can. The job she ends up with is teaching a life skills class to a group of twelve-year-old girls at a charter school. This being chick lit, there is the requisite guy that Mike has overlooked - and a very good guy he is. But what made this such a good read are Mike’s struggles. She is funny and often genuinely confused about people in general which makes it all the more interesting as she reclaims her life.
Equally awkward, if for very different reasons, is Violet Greenfield. Violet is seventeen and over six feet tall and about as unhappy about it as anyone who’s been called Jolly Green Giant for years can be. Until now. Now she’s confused. While working her job at the Palace Theater in Chapel Hill, NC, Violet meets New York modeling agent Angela Blythe. Angela is convinced Violet can be the next IT girl and presses her to come to New York for a trial run. Before you can say ‘you go girl’ Violet is swept up in the whirlwind life of a new model. But living the glamorous life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and Violet is torn between her runway life and the one she left behind. Sweet and painful in turns, Violet’s growing up is something anyone can relate to no matter how tall.
November 20th, 2008
Jane J. - Central Library
I always look forward to new books by Christopher Buckley. He’s such a gifted wordsmith and his sense of humor never fails to amuse, no matter the subject. He’s become something of an adept at taking national and international crises-du-jour such as American-Islamic relations, celebrity murder trials, the Medicare/budget shortfall, and tobacco industry lobbyists, and skewering them within an inch of their funnybone. In his latest novel, Supreme Courtship, he turns his attention to the role of the judiciary in the Washington D.C. political circus.
The current president, Donald Vanderdamp, a decent, modest, hard-working and dedicated public servant has, of course, abysmal public approval ratings–ostensibly because he tends to veto every pork barrel spending bill sent to him by Congress. The Washington intelligentsia has even christened him with the sobriquet “Don Veto.” Which may be why he’s having trouble getting any of his nominees for a Supreme Court vacancy confirmed by the Senate’s Judiciary committee. That and the fact that the current Chairman of said committee, vainglorious scoundrel that he is, covets a seat on the bench for himself, after having failed (four times) in his own bids for the presidency. The president, with a “just folks” wisdom worthy of Frank Capra, stumbles upon a television reality show with an attractive female “judge” from Texas named “Pepper” Cartwright, who dispenses justice of the made-for-TV variety. She’s smart yet plain-spoken, has a real legal background, the seventh-highest rated show on television, and a problematic marriage to the self-serving producer of her show. Which apparently makes the prospect of Senate confirmation hearings somewhat less odious.
Naturally, she gets confirmed. And, just as naturally, problems ensue. Questionable court decisions, high-profile divorces, higher-profile affairs, hit TV shows with vainglorious former-senators-turned-actors-with-rekindled-presidential-ambitions, leaks of Supreme Court memos to the media and ensuing FBI investigations, a new constitutional amendment, and a presidential election that must be ruled upon by the Supreme Court. Put it all together and it makes for some pretty entertaining reading and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.
And yet…
The dialogue is relentlessly clever, as you’d expect if you’ve read Buckley before. The action moves along at a brisk pace — too brisk when you realize how quickly the story moves through a presidential campaign and election. But, truthfully, it isn’t just the timeline of the story that causes frustration in its depictions of our political processes. It’s a little disheartening to read stories where our elected officials, men and women we like to consider above reproach (else why would we have voted for them?), seem more often than not to be beneath contempt. Not all of them, of course. But the people of sterling character, those who serve behind the scenes with honor and decency, and for the good of the country– they never seem to be the ones who actually get elected. When one of the main characters announces a new run for the Presidency, he issued a call for: “a) change, b) a return to greatness, c) a brighter future for all, not just some, Americans, and d) a pledge to change the way Washington does business.”
Now does any of that sound familiar?
I do realize that’s Buckley is just creating light entertainment here. He creates these straw men and women so that they can be taken apart, quickly and satisfactorily. But at times the farcical elements don’t come off as being quite so far-fetched. Or maybe that’s the cynic in me. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to new works from Mr. Buckley. Misgivings aside, Supreme Courtship is definitely worth a read if you appreciate the well-crafted turn of phrase in your political satire.
October 21st, 2008
Dennis - Central
and his name is Bill Compton. Such a shame that he is already in love with the coolest girl, Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic waitress extraordinaire at Merlotte’s Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. And that he is dead and all that. But what a gentleman! Such excellent manners!
I was first introduced to Bill and Sookie on HBO’s new series True Blood. Total addict that I am, I had to go back and watch all of the in-demand extras interviewing the cast and crew, producer and creator. When author Charlaine Harris appeared, I thought, hey, I know her. I’ve heard of that series! Why haven’t I been reading these books? I do not know. I’ve read all the Twilight books and the Southern Vampire series that begins with Dead until Dark is funnier, smarter and a lot sexier. So I am reading the series now.
Dead until Dark covers all of the episodes I’ve seen thus far (that’s 4) of the HBO series. Sookie is a pretty waitress at a bar in Northern Louisiana who is unable to date because her telepathy ruins all chances for romance. She lives with her liberal granny and the Vampire Rights Act is currently in Congress. The vampires have been “out of the coffin” for a couple of years, thanks to a synthetic blood drink that the Japanese have created called Tru Blood. By consuming this drink, the vamps no longer need to feast on humans, and hypothetically, everyone can co-exist in peace. Of course, there are some bumps in the road. Vampire blood (V-Juice) is the hottest drug since crystal meth and when the vamps aren’t preying on humans (trust me, they’re still preying on humans) the humans are preying on the vamps.
Good and bad are present in both the mortal and immortal realms and it’s hard to know who to trust. Even though Bill scares Sookie, she is drawn to him and lets down her guard bit by bit. Their relationship is complicated but romantic, and I am definitely rooting for them.
The television series has me totally hooked, but it is only on for one hour a week and I need more. Simultaneously reading Bill and Sookie’s story really prolongs the entertainment for me. And the best thing about reading the books - I have seven more to look forward to!
October 7th, 2008
Molly - Central
A common complaint amongst romance readers today is that there aren’t enough historicals being written and the ones that are showing up in the bookstores are too light in tone. Authors who used to write meaty, angsty romance - Loretta Chase, Lisa Kleypas, Judith Ivory - have changed course and are now writing books that read a little faster, have switched to writing contemporaries or simply aren’t writing any more. What’s a fan to do? Discover Jo Goodman.
Jo Goodman has been writing for a number of years, but has recently caught the eye of readers because of the darker tone in her newer novels. That darkness coupled with strong characterization and great dialogue has finally garnered her some buzz.
Thank goodness for the buzz. In The Price of Desire Goodman takes an old romance trope - young man wagers more then he can afford and ends up leaving his sister holding the marker - and creates a warm and deeply emotional story around it.
The young man who’s in too deep is Alistair Cole and the man he owes is Griffin Wright-Jones. When Alistair leaves a message that Olivia Cole will serve as his marker, Griffin takes him at his word and orders the woman (who he thinks is Alistair’s wife) to appear. With Olivia’s arrival, Griffin realizes his mistake. And though he is unwilling to let her go, he is determined to protect her privacy and reputation.
The set-up is classic. But the characters are not. Griffin and Olivia could have been the stereotypical alpha male and his long-suffering, though saintly counterpart. Instead they are hard-headed and contrary and frequently wrong. They are also well-matched in every way. And the realistic handling of their slow-building relationship and the charm with which it develops make this a meaty enough romance to satisfy any reader’s heart.
*Thanks to The Soup
September 23rd, 2008
Jane J. - Central Library
I’ve heard of fortune telling by reading tea leaves, palms, tarot cards, crystal balls and Ouija boards, but reading patterns in lace is new to me. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry features the Whitney women of Salem and their psychic ability to read lace. This talent is complex–not only must the reader recognize the patterns in the lace, they must also decode what the patterns mean. The main character, Towner Whitney, has been away from Salem for almost 15 years, since the death of her twin sister. She blames her sister’s death on a bad reading of the lace and has reluctantly returned because her great aunt Eva is missing.
There are so many captivating elements in this book; I hardly know where to begin. Each chapter of the book starts with a snippet from Eva’s The Lace Reader’s Guide and provides historical and cultural references to Ipswich lace. Much of the story takes place in Salem, on fictional Yellow Dog Island and in the water in between. Salem is a fascinating backdrop for a story, with Wiccans and tourists and protesting Calvinists on every corner. And finally, the Whitney family dynamic provides a tangled web of intrigue and heartache around which most of the action in the story takes place.
Many characters in this novel possess some kind of clairvoyant talent and Towner’s psychic abilities are far stronger than she (and the reader) understands. Towner’s memories of growing up in Salem and her childhood relationships haunt her. The mystery of her past along with the present day mystery surrounding the disappearances of her great aunt and a teen runaway pull the reader along in this complicated tale of women, water and what may be hiding in the lace.
September 3rd, 2008
Molly - Central
There’s nothing like a good British soap opera/social comedy. Especially in the summer. Nicholas Coleridge’s A Much Married Man is just the thing for a summer vacation.
In this very long, but very enjoyable novel which begins in
1965, Anthony Anscombe, a charming, if naive country gentleman, is from a wealthy Cotswold banking family that also owns most of the lovely village of Winchford, Oxfordshire. One night, at his parent’s annual ‘fork supper,’ he spies Amanda across the room and falls madly in love. The free spirit dares him to follow her to France (she’s going there the next day) which he does, and they share a romantic interlude during a storm which clinches the deal. They marry and have a child, Jasmine. But soon the impetuous Amanda leaves him. And so begins Anthony’s habit of marrying the wrong woman. By 1995, he has 3 ex-wives and 10 children and stepchildren. Which, despite the chaos and the amount of money he shells out, he really enjoys. As Coleridge puts it:
“There were times when Anthony wondered how it had all worked out like this; he felt he had ended up at the epicentre of an enormous adhesive spider’s web, upon which legions of ex-lovers, ex-wives, children and extended families were stuck for ever, all looking to him to feed, house and educate them.”
Anthony becomes extraordinarily rich, and loses everything; there are surprises revealed at the village cricket game, rock concerts, modeling careers, an evil stepson, international travel and more. Our hero, though a bit of a dolt where women are concerned, is thoroughly likeable. And though it could have stood a bit of editing (periodic updates on all those 10 kids could be a bit monotonous) it was a heck of a lot of fun finding out who Anthony would end up with.
For a PBS-like satire of upper-class British society, this novel is just perfect.
August 28th, 2008
Lisa - Central
I feel like I’m going to write a back-to-school report entitled
“What I Read on My Summer Vacation”. I’m just back from a trip to Isle Royale National Park and since the island has no tv, telephone, computer, or radio, there was time to read in the evening after hiking all day.
First up was Kristan Higgins’ Just One of the Guys. This one
is packaged as a romance but reads more like chick lit. Chastity “Chas” O’Neill is a broad-shouldered, almost six-foot-tall woman who has returned to her hometown in upstate New York. When her current boyfriend dumps her because she was able to carry him for half a mile on a hike, Chas feels doomed. How does a healthy woman who grew up with four brothers find a date. Much less the love of her life? That last part is both the easiest and hardest bit of the equation since the love of her life is an honorary member of the family and has made it clear he wants to remain friends. Funny and sweet at turns, this was just the thing for the ferry ride to the island (don’t ask about the ferry ride back).
On a quiet Isle evening I read John Connolly’s The Reapers - probably not the best choice for a dark night. Charlie Parker is back. And if you haven’t read Connolly yet, start with Every Dead Thing. Charlie Parker, a former NYPD detective, is similar to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher in that he uses unorthodox (often violent) means to solve people’s problems. In The Reapers, the person in trouble is Charlie’s friend Louis. Someone is stalking Louis, and when he and his partner Angel go missing, Charlie enters the fray. Connolly writes beautiful prose describing ugly and gritty events to awesome effect.
After the excellent, but somewhat grim Connolly, I needed 
something lighter to round out the trip. Sarah Dessen’s The Truth About Forever was just the ticket. This YA novel covers some fairly serious stuff with humor and charm. Macy Queen is known as the girl who watched her father die. That catastrophe has forced Macy into shutting down. When asked how she’s coping, everything is fine. Her attempts to maintain this front have changed her. A fact she only realizes when she takes a job with Wish Catering and gets pushed past her comfort zone. Dessen excels at creating relatable and likable protagonists who deal with life’s ups and downs, if not effortlessly, then at least with some grace and honesty.
So that’s my report. Now let’s hear about what you read on your summer vacation.
August 26th, 2008
Jane J. - Central Library
(Or, the real life adventures of two librarians at the 12:01 am release party for Breaking Dawn at Borders West in Madison on Saturday, August 2.)
Molly: Everyone was giddy with excitement, sugar and caffeine. The party had been going since 9:30 pm with trivia, costumes and such, but we didn’t arrive until just midnight. Swarms of teen girls were milling about (parents conspicuously absent–hiding in the coffeeshop or to return later to pick up their Edward and Bella fans) and started to line up as their assigned wristband colors were called over the PA system. I made a beeline for the cafe counter to pick up brownies and chocolate chip cookies to sustain us through what would inevitably be the long twisting line to get a copy.
Staff dressed in black and wearing fangs ushered the hundreds of girls and smatterings of boyfriends, moms and two curious librarians along to a table stacked with copies of the highly anticipated book. By the time we got to the line, all of the wristbands had been given out and we were told to line up with everyone else. Staff kept calling out wristband colors, and I felt a little sheepish about jumping in line, but whatever. In front of us was a young boy, maybe 12, in a wolf costume. A member of Team Jacob!
Katie and I pored over the Borders exclusive Twilight movie calendar while we waited in line and debated over what we hoped might happen in the book. W e already knew Edward and Bella would get married (thanks to Stephenie Meyer’s spoiler interview in Entertainment Weekly), but vampire skeptic that I am, I was still hoping that something would happen to lead Bella to her best friend, the hot-blooded werewolf Jacob. I had to be at work in a few hours, so I wasn’t going to get to read much, and I was very jealous that Katie was going to get started on the book right away.
Katie: The coffee and cookies helped, although I finally had to pack it in for the evening at 2 am after about a hundred pages. Topping out at over 700 pages, the final installment of the Twilight saga would prove to be at least an entire weekend read, if not more. But Meyer fans won’t be disappointed, as all the questions that have popped up over the last three books are answered here. Following Bella and Edward’s wedding (sorry Molly), Bella feels that her dream of being with Edward forever is within her grasp. But after an uneasy honeymoon, Edward and Bella discover a twist in their relationship that will test their love for each other more than any of their trials to date.
I won’t go into greater detail than that, but suffice it to say that the Volturi, vampiredom’s self-elected law enforcers, have good reason to come to Forks, Washington, to settle their grievances with the Cullen coven. The Volturi, who always had an unhealthy interest in Bella and her unusual abilities, discover at last just how formidable Bella is as an opponent. But is it enough to save everything that she’s fought so hard to have?
As a long-time fan of Jacob, I had hoped to see Bella with her werewolf friend. Meyer writes a substantial portion of Breaking Dawn from Jacob’s point of view, and his anguish over seeing Bella with Edward is hard to take. But like much of the series, the ability to discover what love really means turns out to be true for Jacob too, and his story ends in a way that will strike most Twilight fans as poetically just.
Meyer has long hinted that she’ll release Edward’s side of the story in the as-yet-unpublished novel Midnight Sun; with the ending of Breaking Dawn, there’s a sense that she might continue Jacob’s story beyond that of Bella and Edward. Fans of the series who fear withdrawal now that Bella and Edward’s story has come to a close won’t have to wait long to take their fangs and Twilight costumes back out of the closet: the movie version of the first book will hit theaters this December.
August 12th, 2008
Molly & Katie
I was sure I’d read all of Georgette Heyer’s books. But a recent discussion of her best books (according to readers) made me realize I was wrong. Somehow, I’d missed The Devil’s Cub. How I overlooked this sort-of sequel to one of my favorites, These Old Shades, I don’t know. At this point, I don’t care, ’cause how cool is it that I got to read a new Heyer?
The Devil’s Cub is Dominic Alastair, Marquis of Vidal and the son of the Duke of Avon. Vidal is mad, bad and dangerous to know (to borrow Lady Caroline’s description of another troubled figure). His most recent loss of temper has resulted in banishment to France. And while Vidal is willing to heed his father’s wishes, he decides to do so in his own way.
His way is to entice Sophia Challoner into running away with him. Sophia is a silly, scheming young woman who is sure that running off to France with Vidal will lead to marriage. Sophia’s sister Mary is just as sure that the the escapade will lead to Sophia’s social ruin. To save her, Mary decides to take her place in hopes of angering the Marquis enough so that he will never see Sophia again.
Vidal is angry, so angry that he kidnaps Mary as revenge. When he cools down enough (after Mary shoots him!) to see who Mary truly is, Dominic realizes there is only one course of action left. Marriage. Mary resists, Dominic persists, members of both their families enter the fray, and chaos ensues.
The Devil’s Cub is Heyer at her best. Sharp dialogue, incredible characterization, and loads of humor round out a sparkling and fast-paced romance. And getting to revisit those old Heyer feelings made me smile for hours.
August 11th, 2008
Jane J. - Central Library
Previous Posts
During the presidential campaign I was obsessed. I watched every scrap of punditry, I read every newspaper article, I spent hours at night catching up on blog posts. I was a campaign junkie. So what’s an addict to do when she’s cut off cold-turkey? Watch old Sarah Palin clips on YouTube? Okay, maybe, especially the one with the turkey! Read about Obama’s transition team and quest for a puppy? Sure. But none of that quite gets at what I want. What’s a librarian to do? Find something to read.
