October Book Reviews
Oct. 13th, 2004 06:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zalenaBelow are three of the five reviews I've worked on over the past month. The best are yet to come! It has been the month of the sequels.
For Kidsread
SHREDDERMAN 2: ATTACK OF THE TAGGER by Wendelin Van Draanen
The sequel to the charming Shredderman, about a computer nerd who uses technology and ingenuity to fight school bullying. Not as good as the first, but still a great read for the 6-10 crowd.
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0375823522.asp
For Teenreads
TRICKSTER'S QUEEN by Tamora Pierce
The followup to TRICKSTER'S CHOICE about Aly, the daughter of Alanna from Pierce's famous Lionness Quartet. I know a number of you are Pierce fans, and on the occasion I met the author, she was incredibly kind, and is very supportive of young authors, and devoted to strong women in fiction. However, I found this book disturbing on a number of levels, not the least of which is the fine line between terrorism and rebellion, the nuances of which were not really explored.
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0375814671.asp
RUSH HOUR 2: BAD BOYS
I have high hopes for this literary journal devoted to YA lit. While this collection was not as strong as the first, (and while the journal as a whole has a lot of maturing to do, especially in the arena of moving away from "trauma lit,") there were two stand-out non-fiction pieces in this issue. One an excerpt from a recent biography on Andy Warhol, which I will be reviewing in November. The other an insightful essay on "Jock Culture." Both of these articles are accessible to young people, but would be of interest to most adults. I look forward to what comes next from this literary journal.
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0385730330.asp
In other fiction, I have recently finished:
* Graham Greene's THE QUIET AMERICAN, which was written in 1955 and absolutely prophetic about the American role in Vietnam. If I taught political science it would be required reading.
* I also read a thought-provoking book called LAPSING by YA author Jill Paton Walsh. It's her first book for grown-ups and is extremely cynical of both Catholicism and Love. It's too volatile to recommend without a litany of caveats, but if you haven't read her PARCEL OF PATTERNS, a YA historical book about the village of Eyam during a breakout of the bubonic plague, you are in for a treat. Walsh's strength is theology, and this book is actually an excellent exploration of the difference's between Protestantism and Catholicism. Highly recommended.
* Added to the mix is Stanislaw Lem's EDEN, which is good, but pales beside the masterpiece of SOLARIS.
* And finally, for those of you who love Jane Austen Fanfic (I know you're out there, even if you don't admit to it) Pamela Aidan's AN ASSEMBLY SUCH AS THIS, the first in a three-volume novel called Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, is lovely. Aidan's seamless inclusion of dialogue and scenes from Pride and Prejudice is a genuine pleasure. Mr. Darcy's narration, on the other hand, is a little bit too gushy for my taste. I can't honestly believe that men really think this way, even 19C men who are used to dancing and cravats, but it was nice escapist fantasy. Sigh. Ten thousand a year and a weakness for witty women! Where are the Darcy's of this world when you need them? (Probably snubbing me at parties!)
If anyone wants to discuss any of these books, please give me a call. I've been needing some good book talk to offset the overly large dose of Reality I've gotten in the past month.
Happy Reading!
For Kidsread
SHREDDERMAN 2: ATTACK OF THE TAGGER by Wendelin Van Draanen
The sequel to the charming Shredderman, about a computer nerd who uses technology and ingenuity to fight school bullying. Not as good as the first, but still a great read for the 6-10 crowd.
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0375823522.asp
For Teenreads
TRICKSTER'S QUEEN by Tamora Pierce
The followup to TRICKSTER'S CHOICE about Aly, the daughter of Alanna from Pierce's famous Lionness Quartet. I know a number of you are Pierce fans, and on the occasion I met the author, she was incredibly kind, and is very supportive of young authors, and devoted to strong women in fiction. However, I found this book disturbing on a number of levels, not the least of which is the fine line between terrorism and rebellion, the nuances of which were not really explored.
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0375814671.asp
RUSH HOUR 2: BAD BOYS
I have high hopes for this literary journal devoted to YA lit. While this collection was not as strong as the first, (and while the journal as a whole has a lot of maturing to do, especially in the arena of moving away from "trauma lit,") there were two stand-out non-fiction pieces in this issue. One an excerpt from a recent biography on Andy Warhol, which I will be reviewing in November. The other an insightful essay on "Jock Culture." Both of these articles are accessible to young people, but would be of interest to most adults. I look forward to what comes next from this literary journal.
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0385730330.asp
In other fiction, I have recently finished:
* Graham Greene's THE QUIET AMERICAN, which was written in 1955 and absolutely prophetic about the American role in Vietnam. If I taught political science it would be required reading.
* I also read a thought-provoking book called LAPSING by YA author Jill Paton Walsh. It's her first book for grown-ups and is extremely cynical of both Catholicism and Love. It's too volatile to recommend without a litany of caveats, but if you haven't read her PARCEL OF PATTERNS, a YA historical book about the village of Eyam during a breakout of the bubonic plague, you are in for a treat. Walsh's strength is theology, and this book is actually an excellent exploration of the difference's between Protestantism and Catholicism. Highly recommended.
* Added to the mix is Stanislaw Lem's EDEN, which is good, but pales beside the masterpiece of SOLARIS.
* And finally, for those of you who love Jane Austen Fanfic (I know you're out there, even if you don't admit to it) Pamela Aidan's AN ASSEMBLY SUCH AS THIS, the first in a three-volume novel called Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, is lovely. Aidan's seamless inclusion of dialogue and scenes from Pride and Prejudice is a genuine pleasure. Mr. Darcy's narration, on the other hand, is a little bit too gushy for my taste. I can't honestly believe that men really think this way, even 19C men who are used to dancing and cravats, but it was nice escapist fantasy. Sigh. Ten thousand a year and a weakness for witty women! Where are the Darcy's of this world when you need them? (Probably snubbing me at parties!)
If anyone wants to discuss any of these books, please give me a call. I've been needing some good book talk to offset the overly large dose of Reality I've gotten in the past month.
Happy Reading!
