We're big fans of Jean Ritchie in our house -- the folk songs for children both preserved by her and written by her are in frequent rotation ("Pussy gWe're big fans of Jean Ritchie in our house -- the folk songs for children both preserved by her and written by her are in frequent rotation ("Pussy got the Measles", a Jean Ritchie original, is a big favorite). Her memoir of growing up the youngest of 13 children in a 2-room farmhouse in the Kentucky hills is a fascinating peek into an American experience I have very little idea of. And she's such a good writer! Her prose is warm and lively -- it's such a good book! As funny and sweet and charming as her songs, which is saying a lot....more
Oh gosh, what fun. Jane Austen never gets into any details about what people are wearing or eating, which, if you think about it, makes sense -- but GOh gosh, what fun. Jane Austen never gets into any details about what people are wearing or eating, which, if you think about it, makes sense -- but Georgette Hayer more than makes up for that shortfall in her extremely charming regency romances. This one was a good read, though over-long, I thought -- I could have lived without the scenes that took place solely between two characters that the author obviously neither liked nor respected. Why bother? ...more
I already adored "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" and this one is even crazier than that one. Lucy is an incredibly strong writer and/but obviouI already adored "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" and this one is even crazier than that one. Lucy is an incredibly strong writer and/but obviously writing for herself first and foremost. I was amused that she begins this book with an accounting of the recent colonial history of Southeast Asia so brief and careless as to be nearly offensive before launching into a several-pages-long paean to the wonderful horse she bought and traveled with on her journey. ...more
Still haven't seen the movie, but the book is a ton of fun. I admit to wishing it was a little shorter, as I started glazing over during the fourth orStill haven't seen the movie, but the book is a ton of fun. I admit to wishing it was a little shorter, as I started glazing over during the fourth or fifth barely-survived and cleverly-solved catastrophe. But the narrative voice is likable and the pleasure of reading a book with an intensely competent protagonist never really fades. ...more
This one has been on my shelf for a few years--I read Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, Apex Hides the Hurt, and Zone One multiple times so obviously I'm This one has been on my shelf for a few years--I read Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, Apex Hides the Hurt, and Zone One multiple times so obviously I'm a huge Whitehead fan, but for some reason John Henry Days slipped through the cracks. I'm glad it did, because it gave me a new Whitehead book to read while I waited for The Underground Railroad to come out. It didn't disappoint. I usually have extremely limited tolerance for books that jump POV as much as this one does -- they more often than not feel like creative writing assignments or formal exercises more than coherent narratives, but Whitehead (of course) pulls it off perfectly. ...more
Smart world-building that serves and enriches an already powerful story. I think about the two models of magic in this book pretty frequently - it's aSmart world-building that serves and enriches an already powerful story. I think about the two models of magic in this book pretty frequently - it's a gorgeous and useful metaphor for certain kinds of thinking. I hope Naomi writes more fantasy - she's world-class. ...more
In a fictional town closely modeled after western New York State's Cooperstown, the corpse of a mysterious monster surfaces in the lake one morning, jIn a fictional town closely modeled after western New York State's Cooperstown, the corpse of a mysterious monster surfaces in the lake one morning, just as this book's protagonist is returning home in disgrace. This is a pretty diverting read but I wished there had been more monster, and I kind of resented the deus ex machina twist at the end. ...more
I gave my mom a copy of Lucy Knisley's RELISH, and in turn she pointed me to Laurie Colwin, who pioneered the food-and-recipe-driven essay style that I gave my mom a copy of Lucy Knisley's RELISH, and in turn she pointed me to Laurie Colwin, who pioneered the food-and-recipe-driven essay style that Lucy so deftly reinvented in the graphic novel format. I read most of this book on my iphone, in the dark, between the hours of 2 and 5am, awake with a 3-week-old baby. It was exactly what I needed then - comforting and funny and nostalgic, sending me on a pleasant, hazy, remembrance of my own early childhood in Boulder in the 1980s when arugula was an exotic delicacy and many of the staples of today's kitchens could only be found in crunchy-granola health food stores like the Pearl Street Market....more
As a woman in publishing in New York City, I got a weird thrill out of reading this novel about the lives of three women in publishing in New York CitAs a woman in publishing in New York City, I got a weird thrill out of reading this novel about the lives of three women in publishing in New York City...circa 1955. This book is a time-capsule - a look at professional women in a very different time, when the assumed goal of every young woman's life was marriage. The writing is also fascinating as a relic of an earlier era, but even by contemporary standards it's incredibly, compulsively readable. I loved it, but I'm not proud of myself for loving it....more
I'm reading "The Folded Clock" by Heidi Julavits and really enjoying it. She's sort of invented a new literary form: the short personal essay inspiredI'm reading "The Folded Clock" by Heidi Julavits and really enjoying it. She's sort of invented a new literary form: the short personal essay inspired by daily events. She's got a great voice as a writer, and ably pulls off what the best memoirists all seem to manage: making herself understood at the same time that she helps me understand myself better, too....more
I re-read Harriet the Spy last week and found myself noticing for the first time how deeply subversive and honest it is. Even by contemporary standardI re-read Harriet the Spy last week and found myself noticing for the first time how deeply subversive and honest it is. Even by contemporary standards it's a bracing read -- hard to imagine what reading this book must have been like when it was first published in 1964.
Something that moved me this time around was how defiantly Harriet and Janie resist the half-hearted efforts of their parents to make them behave with more conventional femininity, and how quickly their parents give up that scheme (as represented by the specter of DANCE SCHOOL). As little as their parents understand Harriet and Janie, they also seem to have no real interest in changing or controlling them. ...more
Read this weekend most of HELLBOY: THE CHAINED COFFIN AND OTHERS, and adored it. It's embarrassing how late I am to loving Hellboy. Read this weekend most of HELLBOY: THE CHAINED COFFIN AND OTHERS, and adored it. It's embarrassing how late I am to loving Hellboy. ...more
I finally read SECONDS this weekend, and I really enjoyed it. I love the cartooning style O'Malley used in this book, and I thought the coloring was vI finally read SECONDS this weekend, and I really enjoyed it. I love the cartooning style O'Malley used in this book, and I thought the coloring was very beautiful. And the concept of house spirits -- and the world-building around them -- was fresh and interesting and drove the story along at a great clip. Very curious to see what Mal has up his sleeve for his next project....more
One of the things I really liked about this book was how diverse it was.
It wasn’t just that the main character was diverse (though she is),Gina says:
One of the things I really liked about this book was how diverse it was.
It wasn’t just that the main character was diverse (though she is), but that the background characters represent a good mix of genders, ethnicities, and abilities – both at school and at home. It really felt like the author thought about every single character she put into the book and made them represent people from all around our culture – in a really seamless way.
Yay for that!
Calista says:
I read this book too! And I liked all of those things also! I also liked how much plot and substance there was in it, even though it wasn't super duper long, and it never felt crowded or too dense. It was exactly the right amount of story. I feel like that's true of THE SECRET SCIENCE ALLIANCE also, and I wish it were true of more graphic novels for kids....more
I'm reading Superman Vs Mohammad Ali and it's my new favorite comic of all time you guys and I'm only on, like, the second page. I'm reading Superman Vs Mohammad Ali and it's my new favorite comic of all time you guys and I'm only on, like, the second page. ...more
I read TOMBOY and adored it. It's a very smart and immediate portrait of adolescence - a book I wish I had had when I was 14. I read TOMBOY and adored it. It's a very smart and immediate portrait of adolescence - a book I wish I had had when I was 14. ...more
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