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timerippleSo! Some of you may recall a time of myth and legend when I talked about books on this journal. Some of you may not; it's been a while. *l* But it's much easier to sell a particular book to somebody if you've actually read it, so I've decided to pay closer attention to how I feel about what I'm reading. (As opposed to paying attention to whether I can get a paper out of it!) I'm totally in YA mode right now, because it is summer, and also it is an awesome mode to be in!
Shiver (2009) by Maggie Stiefvater (I have an ARC of the sequel, Linger, and wanted to read the first one first)
GRACE: So, back when I was a little kid, some wolves pulled me off the swingset in my back yard and started nomming on me.
ME: What was that like?
GRACE: It was very, very cold. Apparently they’re wolves during the winter and people during the summer, so wolfiness is a temperature-dependent phenomenon.
ME: Hey, cool, there’s actually a system to how this works! I am on board.
GRACE: So now I spend all my time pining for this one wolf. Watch me piiiiiiiiine!
SAM: I couldn’t just let them eat her! So I carried her in my arms to safety! Incurring the wrath of Ominously Hostile Wolf Shelby, but it was totally worth it. And now I spend all my time pining for her. Watch me piiiiiine!
ME: You carried her... in your arms. As a wolf. In the dead of winter. When you were... a wolf.
SAM: *shifty eyes*
ME: Oh fine, you can have adrenaline in your system of how this works, too.
GRACE: OMG Sam! Werewolf!
SAM: OMG Grace! Human!
ME: OMG you got your icky romance in my paranormal!
SAM & GRACE: Hello, did you not read the flap copy?
PLOT: *sort of shows up*
ME: Wow, if this book were actually about werewolf politics and stuff, instead of their doomed love, I’d be even more on board.
GRACE: Wait, I’ve been seriously nommed on by werewolves. Why am I not one?
SAM: Good question.
GRACE & SAM: *embark on a desperate attempt to save their doomed love... with science!*
I am totally delighted to expand my “You Like Twilight? Try These! P.S. the prose is nice” recommendations to include something for TeamJacob Furry Werewolf Love.
A Brief History of Montmaray (2009) by Michelle Cooper
I really enjoyed Sophie’s diary-style voice. She was such fun, I didn’t care that the plot took its sweet time and it was a little hard to figure out how exactly all these people were related. Things happened eventually, and I did work it all out in the end. In the meantime, Sophie'srambling setting of the scene, introducing herself, etc. was delightful.
SOPHIE: Living in a moldering castle on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere isn’t so bad, really. I’ve got my family, and the four remaining villagers, and I love them even if they are a bit nutty.
CRAZY UNCLE JOHN: *mumble, drool*
REBECCA the MAD HOUSEKEEPER: *mumble mumble*
COUSIN VERONICA: Sophie, have you seen those pages I wrote last night for my Brief History of I See What U Did Thar?
LITTLE HENRIETTA aka HENRY: Let us frolic and protect the gatehouse! TO THE PORTCULLIS!
SOPHIE: I just wish there were more parties and Society, is that so much to ask?
THE FOUR REMAINING VILLAGERS: Peace out!
LETTER FROM TOBY: Dear Sister, Have been kicked out of Eton at last, hurrah! Is most excellent having Rebecca’s Attractive Son Simon here in England as well. Rumor has it Aunt Charlotte intends to have you presented at court this year. Love, Your Somewhat Useless but Adorable Brother.
SOPHIE: Yay! Society shall be MINE!
SOME NAZIS: *show up with the plot*
CRAZY UNCLE JOHN: *stabz*
SOPHIE & VERONICA: *are expected to get rid of the body*
[ME: Why yes, I do have The Demon's Lexicon on the brain.]
CRAZY UNCLE JOHN: *dies*
SOPHIE: If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Ewwww, rats. I wish we could afford proper mourning clothes.
TOBY: Back for the funeral! Brought Simon.
SOPHIE: Hello there, Simon.
SIMON: Hi, Sophie. Busy arguin’ politics with Veronica here.
VERONICA: Obviously you are getting so far above yourself, Mr. The German Ambassador Found Me Absolutely Charming!
SIMON: Obviously you are in no position to actually know anything about modern politics, Miss I Will Run This Castle Single-Handedly If It Kills Me!
VERONICA: Arrogant, ambitious pig!
SIMON: Ignorant, ink-stained bookworm!
SIMON & VERONICA: *bicker*
And Simon and Veronica bicker A LOT. Sophie, being a savvy reader of Gothic and other romance, knows that bickering means either they are secretly in love or secretly long-lost siblings. Either way, the bickering is secretly a cover for a deep and loving bond.
Were this a certain type of kdrama, savvy readers would know that those two options are actually the same option.
This is not a kdrama.
SOPHIE: Hmmm. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were pretty rude to each other for a long time, after all, and that turned out okay. Oh, hello there, Toby and Simon, didn’t expect to see you two alone here in this moldering but once elegant chamber.
TOBY & SIMON: Can we help you?
SOPHIE: ...oh. OH.
SOPHIE: *philosophically* Whatever, I’m sure there are plenty of eligible young men just dying to meet me. I am a princess, you know. TO LONDON!
SOPHIE: Ooh, electricity.
I’m currently reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010) by John Green and David Levithan.I can tell which parts John Green wrote because I hate them. The rest of the book kind of reads like a checklist of busting and/or reclaiming stereotypes, but I don’t mind because it’s pretty fabulous. :) Next up will be Silver Phoenix (2009) by Cindy Pon, because the recent insightful discussions about race and the paperback cover inspired me to get the hardcover from the library, pronto.
I’ve realized that, as a children’s bookseller, I actually have quite a lot of power over what we carry in the store, and sometimes even what sells. And I want to do good things for the books I love. I was super excited sell a copy of The Demon’s Lexicon last week--it’s a hard one to get people to buy, I think because the new cover is still pretty off-putting to a lot of people, and because it’s not easy to sum up what it’s about in a tidy soundbite package. But I try.
...
In drama news, I watched the first episode of the Japanese Antique Bakery just for the heck of it. The subs are terrible, but all the long, lingering looks are hilarious. I think they deliberately cast people with the same eye size and shape (Shiina Kippei, Fujiki Naohito, and a ridiculously young Takki) just so they could stare at each other, beautifully, while sporting that particular haircut you always see in early-’00s dramas. All the gay is in the subtext so far, and you know what? There’s a LOT of subtext.
Also, Abe Hiroshi!
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cadragongirl and I are slowly progressing through Kurosagi. She has so far refused to watch any drama as it airs, but lately our schedules don’t really let us have drama night more than once or twice a week anyway, so we might as well enjoy things in real-time. I think Coffee House is next on the list, though I’ll be keeping an eye on some of the new jdramas. Why are there so many police and/or lawyer dramas this season? I know they’re popular, but this is ridiculous.
Have you been reading or watching anything awesome lately? If so, what?
Shiver (2009) by Maggie Stiefvater (I have an ARC of the sequel, Linger, and wanted to read the first one first)
GRACE: So, back when I was a little kid, some wolves pulled me off the swingset in my back yard and started nomming on me.
ME: What was that like?
GRACE: It was very, very cold. Apparently they’re wolves during the winter and people during the summer, so wolfiness is a temperature-dependent phenomenon.
ME: Hey, cool, there’s actually a system to how this works! I am on board.
GRACE: So now I spend all my time pining for this one wolf. Watch me piiiiiiiiine!
SAM: I couldn’t just let them eat her! So I carried her in my arms to safety! Incurring the wrath of Ominously Hostile Wolf Shelby, but it was totally worth it. And now I spend all my time pining for her. Watch me piiiiiine!
ME: You carried her... in your arms. As a wolf. In the dead of winter. When you were... a wolf.
SAM: *shifty eyes*
ME: Oh fine, you can have adrenaline in your system of how this works, too.
GRACE: OMG Sam! Werewolf!
SAM: OMG Grace! Human!
ME: OMG you got your icky romance in my paranormal!
SAM & GRACE: Hello, did you not read the flap copy?
PLOT: *sort of shows up*
ME: Wow, if this book were actually about werewolf politics and stuff, instead of their doomed love, I’d be even more on board.
GRACE: Wait, I’ve been seriously nommed on by werewolves. Why am I not one?
SAM: Good question.
GRACE & SAM: *embark on a desperate attempt to save their doomed love... with science!*
I am totally delighted to expand my “You Like Twilight? Try These! P.S. the prose is nice” recommendations to include something for Team
A Brief History of Montmaray (2009) by Michelle Cooper
I really enjoyed Sophie’s diary-style voice. She was such fun, I didn’t care that the plot took its sweet time and it was a little hard to figure out how exactly all these people were related. Things happened eventually, and I did work it all out in the end. In the meantime, Sophie's
SOPHIE: Living in a moldering castle on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere isn’t so bad, really. I’ve got my family, and the four remaining villagers, and I love them even if they are a bit nutty.
CRAZY UNCLE JOHN: *mumble, drool*
REBECCA the MAD HOUSEKEEPER: *mumble mumble*
COUSIN VERONICA: Sophie, have you seen those pages I wrote last night for my Brief History of I See What U Did Thar?
LITTLE HENRIETTA aka HENRY: Let us frolic and protect the gatehouse! TO THE PORTCULLIS!
SOPHIE: I just wish there were more parties and Society, is that so much to ask?
THE FOUR REMAINING VILLAGERS: Peace out!
LETTER FROM TOBY: Dear Sister, Have been kicked out of Eton at last, hurrah! Is most excellent having Rebecca’s Attractive Son Simon here in England as well. Rumor has it Aunt Charlotte intends to have you presented at court this year. Love, Your Somewhat Useless but Adorable Brother.
SOPHIE: Yay! Society shall be MINE!
SOME NAZIS: *show up with the plot*
CRAZY UNCLE JOHN: *stabz*
SOPHIE & VERONICA: *are expected to get rid of the body*
[ME: Why yes, I do have The Demon's Lexicon on the brain.]
CRAZY UNCLE JOHN: *dies*
SOPHIE: If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Ewwww, rats. I wish we could afford proper mourning clothes.
TOBY: Back for the funeral! Brought Simon.
SOPHIE: Hello there, Simon.
SIMON: Hi, Sophie. Busy arguin’ politics with Veronica here.
VERONICA: Obviously you are getting so far above yourself, Mr. The German Ambassador Found Me Absolutely Charming!
SIMON: Obviously you are in no position to actually know anything about modern politics, Miss I Will Run This Castle Single-Handedly If It Kills Me!
VERONICA: Arrogant, ambitious pig!
SIMON: Ignorant, ink-stained bookworm!
SIMON & VERONICA: *bicker*
And Simon and Veronica bicker A LOT. Sophie, being a savvy reader of Gothic and other romance, knows that bickering means either they are secretly in love or secretly long-lost siblings. Either way, the bickering is secretly a cover for a deep and loving bond.
Were this a certain type of kdrama, savvy readers would know that those two options are actually the same option.
This is not a kdrama.
SOPHIE: Hmmm. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were pretty rude to each other for a long time, after all, and that turned out okay. Oh, hello there, Toby and Simon, didn’t expect to see you two alone here in this moldering but once elegant chamber.
TOBY & SIMON: Can we help you?
SOPHIE: ...oh. OH.
SOPHIE: *philosophically* Whatever, I’m sure there are plenty of eligible young men just dying to meet me. I am a princess, you know. TO LONDON!
SOPHIE: Ooh, electricity.
I’m currently reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010) by John Green and David Levithan.
I’ve realized that, as a children’s bookseller, I actually have quite a lot of power over what we carry in the store, and sometimes even what sells. And I want to do good things for the books I love. I was super excited sell a copy of The Demon’s Lexicon last week--it’s a hard one to get people to buy, I think because the new cover is still pretty off-putting to a lot of people, and because it’s not easy to sum up what it’s about in a tidy soundbite package. But I try.
...
In drama news, I watched the first episode of the Japanese Antique Bakery just for the heck of it. The subs are terrible, but all the long, lingering looks are hilarious. I think they deliberately cast people with the same eye size and shape (Shiina Kippei, Fujiki Naohito, and a ridiculously young Takki) just so they could stare at each other, beautifully, while sporting that particular haircut you always see in early-’00s dramas. All the gay is in the subtext so far, and you know what? There’s a LOT of subtext.
Also, Abe Hiroshi!
cadragongirl and I are slowly progressing through Kurosagi. She has so far refused to watch any drama as it airs, but lately our schedules don’t really let us have drama night more than once or twice a week anyway, so we might as well enjoy things in real-time. I think Coffee House is next on the list, though I’ll be keeping an eye on some of the new jdramas. Why are there so many police and/or lawyer dramas this season? I know they’re popular, but this is ridiculous. Have you been reading or watching anything awesome lately? If so, what?
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-20 11:54 pm (UTC)And Simon and Veronica bicker A LOT. Sophie, being a savvy reader of Gothic and other romance, knows that bickering means either they are secretly in love or secretly long-lost siblings. Either way, the bickering is secretly a cover for a deep and loving bond.
Were this a certain type of kdrama, savvy readers would know that those two options are actually the same option.
This is not a kdrama.
LOL FIONA
no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 04:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 02:59 am (UTC)Let the Right One In, and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Both kind of mainstream fiction, but both really really awesome (in book and movie forms). Those Swedes are pretty fucked up! In a good way! Like the Japanese!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 04:04 am (UTC)Those Swedes are pretty fucked up! In a good way! Like the Japanese!
Um... EXCELLENT!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-22 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-22 01:33 am (UTC)SQUEEWhy, hello! It's lovely to hear from you on my humble journal, especially since I enjoy yours so very much. Thanks for dropping by! :D I work at an independent bookstore in Harvard Square, and while our children's section isn't exactly comprehensive, we do our best. :) I hope your publisher will consider sending you to Boston--I would dearly love to meet you some day!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-22 02:17 am (UTC)