Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (2005)

“But although I was not really reluctant to rush to the rescue, I couldn’t help but thinking that we were asking a bit much of Dutifully Dashing Dexter this evening, weren’t we? No sooner out of it than I had to go right back in again” (185).

The Miami Metro Police are asked to step aside when a particularly gruesome Doctor Danco leaves a completely dismembered man alive but insane and completely helpless. Doakes, hard on Dexter’s heals, is connected to Danco through his former special forces military unit does and not escape the knife, freeing Dexter to unleash his Dark Passenger.

In the course of the book, Dexter finds himself engaged to Rita, quite by accident. Instead of explaining, he simply goes along with it. His normal guy cover is now complete. But what about Cody, Rita’s quiet but strange child. There is a Darkness there and Dexter is eager to apprentice him.

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (2010)

I didn’t know what to think about first: me seeing Claude naked, Claude seeing me naked, or the whole fact we were related and naked in the same room (p 165).

Amelia, the witch, moves out and Claude, the fairy, moves in. Eric’s maker shows up unexpectedly with another son in tow. Eric’s sibling is vastly different from the blong bomb. Alexei is dead Russian aristocracy and bat sh*t crazy. A lot of folks die at the end, but Eric is finally freed.

Sookie getes a little harder every book. Now she wants someone dead. Bill is less annoying now his sibling has arrived. Jason is shaping up to be a wonderful character. I’m almost through the series in time for the new HBO season!

Library copy | Large print ed. | ISBN 978-1-4104-2650-5 | Wheeler Publishing | Adult

Top 10 Book Boyfriends (or Girlfriends) of 2011

Confessions of a Bookaholic is hosting a Ten Ten event! Today, a look back at the top ten boyfriends/girlfriends of 2011. I’m going to take this to mean characters I couldn’t help but fall in love with… and not necessarily romantic love. But I came away very connected to the character, forgetting he is not real. Because that’s great stuff people.

1. Stark McClellan (aka Stick) of Stick by Andrew Smith: I suppose it’s only logical the protagonist in my favorite book of 2011 is the one I cared for the most.
2. Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger of A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin: Petyr steals the show… and I’m not even sure he’s mentioned in Dragons! He’s a cunning, devious man and I can’t help but love him. He plays the game like a master.
3. Jon Snow of A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin: Being played by the very fine Kit Harington certainly helps, but Jon Snow’s compassionate nature, skill with the sword, and underdog status is enough. He’s a lover and a fighter and he better be back for The Winds of Winter.
4. Will of The Ranger’s Apprentice: The Emporer of Nihon-Ja by Jon Flanagan: I just adore this archer who bumbles a marriage proposal to his girl, Alyss, at the conclusion of this excellent series.
5. Horace of The Ranger’s Apprentice: The Emporer of Nihon-Ja by Jon Flanagan: The perfect counter point for Will. Just so straightforward and honest.
6. Peeta of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: This poor dude got the shaft. I know Katniss is one tough woman but Peeta is totally dedicated and he just seems to get the short end here, even though, technically, he gets the girl. Again, it helps that he is going to be played by the adorable Josh Hutcherson.
7. Douglas Swieteck of Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt: I worry about this kid’s future and he isn’t real!
8. Han Alister of The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima: Yum.
9. Travis of Bluefish by Pat Schmatz: Just a great character and my heart went with him all the while.
10. Xavier of A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheenan: Another character that proves to be a great man and he really got the shaft!

My all time favorites (and one isn’t even human!): Marcus Flutie (Megan McCafferty), Gen (Megan Whalen Turner), Bartimaeus (Jonathan Stroud), Brigan (Kristin Cashore), and Syaoran (CLAMP).

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (2007)

ORIGINAL POST: August 17, 2009

I heard about this book from my younger (college student) sister. The gods only know how she unearthed it.

Published almost two years ago, Gods Behaving Badly follows the Greek gods living in contemporary London. Stripped of most of their powers for reasons unknown, the immortal family now lives in a fetid house. But they are up to their old tricks; plotting against each other and interfering with mortals, causing much grief to the objects of their attention.

The main characters include Apollo, Aphrodite, Artemis, Eres, a plain and kind mortal woman (Alice) who is in love with a plain and kind mortal man (Neil). In a Washington Post review, Ron Charles wrote, “[Gods Beaving Badly] hovers somewhere between Pride and Prejudice and an episode of ‘Bewitched’.”

It had moments of super-silly hilarity, moments of theological insight, and moments where I found myself diappointed. Overall, I wanted a more complicated satire. It had a lot of potential, but in the end, this was just a fun beach read.

I suppose I would recommend this to older teens, looking for something outside the YA genre (because, let’s face it, it gets boring reading about the same teen/high school problems) and to adults who have read Percy Jackson  and want to read something similar but for adults.

Library copy (print) | Jonathan Cape | August 1, 2007 | 277 pages | ISBN: 978-0224081320

UPDATED: July 8, 2011

According to Thompson on Hollywood, filming will begin for a movie adaptation later this month.  Alicia Silverstone will play Alice opposite Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Olympians will be played by Sharon Stone (Aphrodite, a phone-sex operator), Oliver Platt (Apollo, a TV psychic), Edie Falco (Artemis,  a dog-walker), Nelsan Ellis (Dionysus, a night-club owner), Phylicia Rashad (Demeter), John Turturro (Hades), and Rosie Perez (Persephone).

A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (1996)

Drogo’s braid was black as midnight and heavy with scented oil, hung with tiny bells that rang softly as he moved. It swung well past his belt, below even his buttocks, the end of it brushing against the back of his thighs.

“You see how long it is?” Viserys said. “When Dothraki are defeated in combat, they cut off their braids in disgrace, so the world will know their shame. Khal Drogo has never lost a fight. He is Aegon the Dragonlord come again, and you will be his queen” (p 31).

In the mythical land of the Seven Realms, lords and ladies scheme, manuever, and betray to rule. Robert Baratheon has won the crown by overthrowing the cruel dragon king family of Targaryens, whose remaining heirs, Viserys and Daenerys, have fled the continent. In the cold north, Robert’s honorable friend Eddard Stark rules at Winterfell. To the west, the Queen’s family of ruthless Lannisters scheme from Casterly Rock. To the east, Jon Arryn, the King’s Hand, holds the Eyrie.

When word of Jon Arryn’s death reaches Winterfell, it whispers of murder, setting in motion an upheval that will bring the kingdom to war again only 15 short years after the fall of The Mad King, King Aerys II. While the Stark sigil (a wolf) flies against the Lannister’s (a lion), Daenerys forms an alliance with the Dothraki and dreams of recapturing the Iron Throne.

“The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends,” Ser Jorah told her. “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their games of thrones, so long as they are left in peace.” He gave her a shrug. “They never are” (p 196).

The reading of this book is not to be undertaken lightly. I used a full-page color map and several family trees just to keep all the characters and settings clear in my head. There is no graceful way to introduce the enormous cast of characters that populate a world roughly the size of South America. But once the reader is immersed, the reading is a delight and not just for the plot twists (I do love strategy and politics in my books!) but for the characters. They are flawed and wild and suffering in a world whose rules can change at any time, like the weather.

I admit, I picked this up because of the new HBO series. It’s held me hostage for a week but I’m glad of it. I haven’t read a book this demanding of my attention in a long while. And the HBO series is equal to the task.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen (2001)

BRYCE:
My mom didn’t understand why it was so awful that “that cute little girl” had held my hand. She thought I should be friends with her. “You like soccer. Why don’t you go out there and kick the ball around?” Because I didn’t want to be kicked around, that’s why. And although I couldn’t say it like that, I still had enough sense at age seven and a half to know that Julianna Baker was dangerous.

JULIANNA:
What did a kiss feel like anyway? Somehow I knew it wouldn’t be like the one I got from Mom or Dad at bedtime. The same species, maybe, but radically different beast. Like a wolf and a whippet. Only science would put them in the same tree. Looking back, I think it was at least partly scientific curiosity that made me chase after that kiss, but it was probably more of those blue eyes.

It has been a few years since I’ve read Flipped but Bryce Loski and Juli Baker are still alive and well in my mind. This was one of the first books I booktalked to middle school students when I became a YA Librarian in 2006. Mention of it today brings fond memories to mind: Juli’s determination to save her tree, Bryce’s inability to speak to this luminescent girl and his awakening, hens versus roosters, the humiliation of being a basket boy, and the conflict every girl feels when her crush turns out to be less of a whole than the sum of him parts.

I am delighted to report Rob Reiner’s adaptation captures the spirit of the book, remains true to the plot and even added a layer to my understanding of it. Specifically, I thought the family scenes were spectacular, not in a fireworks and special effects way. It wasn’t that type of movie.

With veracity, Reiner shows the financial stress the Baker’s are under because of David, Julianna’s mental retarded brother. Then he captures perfectly the difference between the Baker family and the Loski family. After their row, Mr. and Mrs. Baker talk to Juli, explaining their argument and apologizing. As a result, Juli tackles things head-on. When she believes she acted too quickly, she apologizes and explains.

It is clear the Loski family does not deal with their disagreements. There is no apology after Mr. Loski slaps his daughter. As a result, Bryce is often left confused and clueless as to how to resolve his own problems.

This is a fantastic, gentle book for children who are nearing or just entering their teenage years. I highly recommend it and its movie adaptation. Both have a “he said, she said” perspective that makes it a great choice for boys and girls.

Beastly by Alex Flinn (2007)

I picked this one up when I heard it was being adapted into a movie. I was surprised that production is pretty much over. Here’s a trailer:

One thought kept popping into my mind as I listened to this book, read by Chris Patton, “This has massive teen appeal.” And by that, I mean it’s generic and simplistic. Not what I expected from the author of Breathing Underwater and Breaking Point. It makes sense to adapt it for film because there’s not much need to adapt.

This contemporary update of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale has all the trappings of teenage flicks like She’s All That, Can’t Hardly Wait, A Walk to Remember, 10 Things I Hate About You, 17 Again, etc: cliché dialog, predictable character development, sappy interactions, and finally, the foregone conclusion.

Director Daniel Barnz had this to say, ”It’s a very commercial idea that I get to tell in a highly artistic fashion.”  And if his interpretation of ‘beast’ is any measuring stick, it will be told in high artistic fashion. But I agree with Entertainment Weekly when it remarked that Alex Pettyfer (the Beast) gives off “more of a (Disney pretty-boy) Gaston vibe than the Beast.” Even though he’s meant to look hideous, he comes off as looking artistically hideous. He’s supposed to be an animal, but he looks more like a computer chip, or someone who lost a bet to a tattoo artist on acid. hum…

But I’m a sucker for fairy tales. I’ll probably rent the movie. I’d definitely recommend this to an older teen reader whose reading skills are below par, though. Excellent high-low reading. The movie is slated for a March 18, 2011 release.

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (2004)

CHAPTER THE FIRST
(AND LAST)

The Golden Rule of Dragon-Training is to…

YELL AT IT!
(the louder the better)

(p 57)

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third does not look like a hero. He is scrawny and intellectual. By today’s standards, a geek. But when two very large dragons invade Meathead Island, it’s Hiccup and his secret shame (that he can speak Draganese) that saves the day. With silly situations, silly rules and names like Stoick the Vast, Dogsbreath the Duhbrain and Snotlout, this would be a fun read aloud.

Possible pairings with Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar, Chet Gecko series and The Time Warp Trio books.

There is a 3D movie coming soon, but it looks like a lot was changed (in tone and plot) from the book.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (2002)

I’m very late to the party on this one, but a coworker’s enthusiasm pushed the book to the front of my To Be Read pile. If you want a hint of the plot, watch the trailer.

or read the New York Times review by Michiko Kakutani. I happen to agree with much of what it says. Ruth never sat well with me. I attributed her obsession with Susie to a crush that never ended due to Susie’s death. When Susie enters Ruth’s body, I was jolted. Now we were entering fantasy land, though her actions, once human again, were understandable.

The allure for me was the nature in which Sebold tackled Susie’s killer (though his demise was a little hard to believe, especially after all the build up via Hal, the police and Harvey’s brazen return to the Salmon residence). Some of it was tedious reading (some of the Salmon family past was excessive), but overall, a decent read.

I’m sure to make my way to the theater to see Jackson’s vision, though I have mixed feelings about the absence of a rape/murder scene. Early reviews applaud this absence (Good. Too many filmmakers revel in horror. The Sun) and others balk (The screen version, by contrast, is so infuriatingly coy, and so desperate to preserve the modesty of its soulful victim that it amounts to an ongoing clean-up operation. The Guardian).

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie, the eldest of three girls, believes herself destined to fail in the fairy tale world she lives in, for isn’t that always the way in fairy tale stories. When Sophie insults the Witch of the Waste, she is turned into an old woman and cursed. So she sets out from home (a Hat Shop) to make her fortune and lands in Howl’s moving castle. The Wizard Howl has the reputation as the eater of young woman’s souls, thanks to Howl’s apprentice Michael. Sophie is soon at home with Michael, Calcifer the fire demon whom powers the magical castle, and Howl whom has created many different names and reputations in order to avoid the Witch of the Waste.

So goes this intricate, humorous and puzzling tale of fantasy and adventure which should both challenge and involve readers. Jones has created an engaging set of characters and found a new use for many of the appurtenances of fairy tales: seven league boots and invisible cloaks, among others. Sara Miller, “School Library Journal”

I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy Diana Wynne Jones but I was wrong. I adore this book. It poked fun, had an intricate plot line with a most satisfying ending, and great writing. I fell in love with Howl right along with Sophie.

I am going to pop Miyazaki’s anime adaptation into my DVD player and make sense of the film! This is a great fantasy read for 7th graders and up.