Tomatoes want to be it
Catch up time on Ro's reading list.
Busy busy. Our trip to Las Vegas gave me a lot of time to read plus the book on Cd we listened to in the car.
The Ruby in the Smoke by Phillip Pullman
The author's name might sound familiar to some of you seeing he wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy of which the first book, The Golden Compass, was made into a movie. He seems to be focused on writing teen books when I looked up his book list. This one is no exception. It is set in London during Victorian times and starring a plucky young heroine named Sally Lockhart. Its supposed to be a thriller and it reads like a pulp adventure and a teen mystery. John was not amused that it was not a fair mystery but I figure its written for teens and was billed as more of an adventure novel anyhow. This was the one we listened to on cd and the guy reading was very good, with voices and everything. If you are interested in Victorian times, fun teen action, mysteries of the Orient including opium wars, and a girl protagonist who is not all screamy damsel-ish, this is a good book. Oh and there is another three in the series of Lockhart thrillers.
Hobo by Eddy Joe Cotton
That is not the author's real name but his hobo name. This is a real life travel log of a guy who left home at sixteen and learned how to ride the rails to get around. It includes lingo of hobos, tramps, etc. It is certainly interesting in many ways. I liked the beginning with its voice as he gets going. Once he gets further along in the year he becomes more introspective and I admit I thought the voice got a little fuzzy and less sparse images like earlier. Still, it was interesting. There are also pictures throughout the book and a map that traces the rail routes he was using. Those are the kinds of details I like when travel books include them.
Last Voyage of the Valentina by Santa Montefiore
I warn the boys up front, this is a romance novel. I like to read trash and what I call fluff books, between some of my non-fiction or more serious material. This is a case of reasonably well written romance novel (the only kind I really like). The characters are human and more three-dimensional than most. The mystery of the young protagonist's mother is not very dangerous to her body but certainly has an impact on her mind. I think the hunk in this case was a bit bland, which is a change from the usual man of dark mystery, but he really fit the role written for him. And the ending was unexpected, which is really unusual for a romance novel. I don't feel this book was a waste of time but given the chance I would not bother to reread it.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
I have been told that his autobiographical essays are hilarious. So I got this from the library instead of buying one of his books. I'm glad I did. I did not dislike the essays certainly, but I found them more sad than amusing. Maybe he exaggerates for effect but I hope his family does not behave like that really. Only one had me cracking a smile and I forget what the title was now anyhow. If I was reading the romance novel for fluff between serious reads, then this is really cotton candy, gone in seconds and only too sweet. The romance novel was more of a cake with some jammy filling. A better dessert in my opinion.
These are all short paragraphs this time and I think I'll keep it that way. After all, if I can't sum up how I feel about books in a few words then its too complicated (hmm those are probably actually the best books). Oh so coming up is a non-fiction book on a teen age chess team and another Terry Pratchett. Then I head back to the library (Inkheart has been recommended and will hopefully be available). Happy page turning!
Busy busy. Our trip to Las Vegas gave me a lot of time to read plus the book on Cd we listened to in the car.
The Ruby in the Smoke by Phillip Pullman
The author's name might sound familiar to some of you seeing he wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy of which the first book, The Golden Compass, was made into a movie. He seems to be focused on writing teen books when I looked up his book list. This one is no exception. It is set in London during Victorian times and starring a plucky young heroine named Sally Lockhart. Its supposed to be a thriller and it reads like a pulp adventure and a teen mystery. John was not amused that it was not a fair mystery but I figure its written for teens and was billed as more of an adventure novel anyhow. This was the one we listened to on cd and the guy reading was very good, with voices and everything. If you are interested in Victorian times, fun teen action, mysteries of the Orient including opium wars, and a girl protagonist who is not all screamy damsel-ish, this is a good book. Oh and there is another three in the series of Lockhart thrillers.
Hobo by Eddy Joe Cotton
That is not the author's real name but his hobo name. This is a real life travel log of a guy who left home at sixteen and learned how to ride the rails to get around. It includes lingo of hobos, tramps, etc. It is certainly interesting in many ways. I liked the beginning with its voice as he gets going. Once he gets further along in the year he becomes more introspective and I admit I thought the voice got a little fuzzy and less sparse images like earlier. Still, it was interesting. There are also pictures throughout the book and a map that traces the rail routes he was using. Those are the kinds of details I like when travel books include them.
Last Voyage of the Valentina by Santa Montefiore
I warn the boys up front, this is a romance novel. I like to read trash and what I call fluff books, between some of my non-fiction or more serious material. This is a case of reasonably well written romance novel (the only kind I really like). The characters are human and more three-dimensional than most. The mystery of the young protagonist's mother is not very dangerous to her body but certainly has an impact on her mind. I think the hunk in this case was a bit bland, which is a change from the usual man of dark mystery, but he really fit the role written for him. And the ending was unexpected, which is really unusual for a romance novel. I don't feel this book was a waste of time but given the chance I would not bother to reread it.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
I have been told that his autobiographical essays are hilarious. So I got this from the library instead of buying one of his books. I'm glad I did. I did not dislike the essays certainly, but I found them more sad than amusing. Maybe he exaggerates for effect but I hope his family does not behave like that really. Only one had me cracking a smile and I forget what the title was now anyhow. If I was reading the romance novel for fluff between serious reads, then this is really cotton candy, gone in seconds and only too sweet. The romance novel was more of a cake with some jammy filling. A better dessert in my opinion.
These are all short paragraphs this time and I think I'll keep it that way. After all, if I can't sum up how I feel about books in a few words then its too complicated (hmm those are probably actually the best books). Oh so coming up is a non-fiction book on a teen age chess team and another Terry Pratchett. Then I head back to the library (Inkheart has been recommended and will hopefully be available). Happy page turning!