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A Cool, Classy YA Heroine, Great Action, and Romance
Posted on
18
Sep
2010 - by
TheBookFetish In:
Reading
Book 47: Clockwork Angel
Cassandra Clare
Cassie Clare is back, with a fantastic new heroine and a deeper look into the world of the Shadowhunters. Set in 1878, this first book in the Infernal Devices series brings Tessa Gray into London, searching for her brother. Just sixteen, Tessa finds herself kidnapped by members of the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization made up of mundanes (humans), and Downworlders (Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks, and Demons). There, Tessa learns she herself is a Downworlder, with the rare ability to transform into another person. Tessa learns she is to be married to the Magister, the unknown leader of the Pandemonium Club, because her transformation ability will help him further his nefarious plans.
With no sign of her brother, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters (very cool, skilled warriors who fight to rid the world of demons) at the London Institute. They agree help Tessa find her brother, in exchange for Tessa using her powers to help them. Of course, Tessa finds herself drawn to both Will and Jem, two of the Shadowhunters.
Fans of the Mortal Instruments series will find familiar names like Herondale and Lightwood, as well as familiar and favorite characters like Magnus Bane. This book spoils nothing in Mortal Instruments series.
What I like about Clare is that she creates strong female characters without compromising their femininity. Sure, Tessa was shocked to learn that women in the Shadowhunters fought alongside the men, but when the going got rough, she doesn’t wait on Will or Jem to save her. In fact, she relies on the story of Queen Boudica (who I also wrote about earlier in this blog) to help her fight. She doesn’t wrap up her happiness in finding true love. She considers herself on equal footing with both her suitors.
I don’t know yet if I am Team Will or Team Jem in this series. I’m definitely Team Tessa, as I like this character. But we’ll have to learn more about Jem and Will for me to make a decision there. And as any reader of the Mortal Instruments saga knows, Clare has some pretty dynamic plot twists that could have us all changing our minds.
Clare has written another winning book, and I can’t wait for the sequel, which comes out in September 2011.
http://cassandraclare.com/cms/home
I don’t know yet if I am Team Will or Team Jem in this series. I’m definitely Team Tessa, as I like this character. But we’ll have to learn more about Jem and Will for me to make a decision there. And as any reader of the Mortal Instruments saga knows, Clare has some pretty dynamic plot twists that could have us all changing our minds.
Clare has written another winning book, and I can’t wait for the sequel, which comes out in September 2011.
http://cassandraclare.com/cms/home
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- Tags: Cassandra Clare, fiction, YA
I Am Not Superwoman… or Am I?
Posted on
13
Sep
2010 - by
TheBookFetish In:
Reading
Book 46: I Am Not Superwoman
Further Essays on Happier Living
Michele Woodward
Back in June, I read Michele’s first book. I didn’t intend to review an author more than once in the blog this year, at least not in close succession, but sometimes life intervenes and here I am, finding myself doing exactly that.
In the interest of full disclosure, Michele sent me this autographed copy of her book, for which I am grateful. If I had hated it, I would have found a reason to not write about it. So what I’m saying here is truly what I think, but I can’t have y’all thinking I’ll say nice things just because someone gives me a book.
With that out of the way, I’ll tell you why I am a content reader. When you’re in the right headspace, I think things happen because you need them or are ready for them. This has been a huge year of change for me on a personal level (more on that another day) and one of the things that I did was start reading more from life coaches and people who appear to have it all figured out. I learned that they tend to come at you with a good dose of common sense.
In Superwoman, Woodward uses her trademark conversational yet funny style to give people- primarily women- the tools to get past the constant pressure to be perfect and instead, be happy. No, she doesn’t have a spell, or a fairy godmother, or a detailed instruction list telling us exactly how to get from feeling the pressure to be superwoman to embracing being just us, but happy.
Instead, she gives readers the tools identify what’s not working and suggestions around ways to change whatever it is that is blocking us. Sometimes the things we have to look at are a bit uncomfortable. Like figuring out what makes us feel stuck, or why we feel afraid of change, or why it’s important that we know how to manage our money. The point is, she gets readers thinking about things. Often from a new or different perspective, which has the power to change one’s whole perception of life and its possibilities.
Most importantly, she talks about her own need to ask for help sometimes, and her own uncertainties. Like when she needed help decluttering an area of her house, and brought in a professional to assist. She talks about examining the “why” that is the reason we do anything. Making sure it is the right “why’s” owning us. All this without being condescending, dismissive, or judgmental.
The essays are the perfect length to read when you just a have a few minutes, or when you need some quick motivation or inspiration. And yes, this book has Superwoman in the title and is geared toward women. But there’s plenty in it for the guys, too.
After this year, and this reading, I’ve adopted a new definition of Superwoman: It’s being me, being authentic; making deliberate choices for the right reasons, and not being afraid to go after my bliss.
You can get your own copy of I Am Not Superwoman here: http://lifeframeworks.com/
In the interest of full disclosure, Michele sent me this autographed copy of her book, for which I am grateful. If I had hated it, I would have found a reason to not write about it. So what I’m saying here is truly what I think, but I can’t have y’all thinking I’ll say nice things just because someone gives me a book.
With that out of the way, I’ll tell you why I am a content reader. When you’re in the right headspace, I think things happen because you need them or are ready for them. This has been a huge year of change for me on a personal level (more on that another day) and one of the things that I did was start reading more from life coaches and people who appear to have it all figured out. I learned that they tend to come at you with a good dose of common sense.
In Superwoman, Woodward uses her trademark conversational yet funny style to give people- primarily women- the tools to get past the constant pressure to be perfect and instead, be happy. No, she doesn’t have a spell, or a fairy godmother, or a detailed instruction list telling us exactly how to get from feeling the pressure to be superwoman to embracing being just us, but happy.
Instead, she gives readers the tools identify what’s not working and suggestions around ways to change whatever it is that is blocking us. Sometimes the things we have to look at are a bit uncomfortable. Like figuring out what makes us feel stuck, or why we feel afraid of change, or why it’s important that we know how to manage our money. The point is, she gets readers thinking about things. Often from a new or different perspective, which has the power to change one’s whole perception of life and its possibilities.
Most importantly, she talks about her own need to ask for help sometimes, and her own uncertainties. Like when she needed help decluttering an area of her house, and brought in a professional to assist. She talks about examining the “why” that is the reason we do anything. Making sure it is the right “why’s” owning us. All this without being condescending, dismissive, or judgmental.
The essays are the perfect length to read when you just a have a few minutes, or when you need some quick motivation or inspiration. And yes, this book has Superwoman in the title and is geared toward women. But there’s plenty in it for the guys, too.
After this year, and this reading, I’ve adopted a new definition of Superwoman: It’s being me, being authentic; making deliberate choices for the right reasons, and not being afraid to go after my bliss.
You can get your own copy of I Am Not Superwoman here: http://lifeframeworks.com/
- 0 Comments
- Tags: essays, Happiness, Michele Woodward
Mr. Peanut- A Commentary on Marriage
Posted on
11
Sep
2010 - by
TheBookFetish In:
Reading
Book 45: Mr. Peanut
Adam Ross
Marriage has been a theme the last couple of weeks. No, I’m not planning my own. However, my friend Michelle is planning a wedding, and conversation at our recent girls night out dinner with another friend focused largely on how hard couples must work to be happily married. I read Bad Marie, in which Marie has an affair with father of the child in her charge. Then I read Mr. Peanut which unravels the mystery surrounding the death of Alice Pepin while examining marriage in general through the relationships of other characters.
I’ve been finished with Mr. Peanut for over a week now. I needed a few days to formulate what I wanted to say. Then I spent last weekend geeking out at Dragon*Con. After that, I still needed time to think about what I want to say about Mr. Peanut. Why? This is Ross’ debut novel. He delves into uncomfortable territory- the dark parts of the mind, where a spouse might imagine being suddenly free of his/her partner. He explores the cyclical nature of marriage, the best, blissful, fully connected parts and the lowest, desolate, despairing moments when both partners must decide if they even want to go forward. And he does it all with symbolism, beautiful prose, and forcing readers to go to the darkest places of their own minds all the while spinning a page turning tale that leaves you demanding to know what happens next.
The unravelling of the marriage of David and Alice Pepin, and the mystery of whether David killed Alice or if she committed suicide, is only one part of the story. There’s also the relationship between Detective Hastroll and his wife, and the telling of Ross’ interpretation of Sam Sheppard and the murder of his wife. At the same time, there’s Pepin’s version of his own marriage in a novel he is writing.
At first glance, Ross’ view of marriage is a bleak one, more dark than light. But on closer reading, there’s so much more to it than that. There’s caring enough to be pissed off at not understanding one’s spouse. There are moments where your heart breaks a little for these characters, just trying to make their relationship work.
The art of M.C. Escher (http://www.mcescher.com/) and the films of Alfred Hitchcock (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/) symbolize the frenetic feelings and categorizations of of marriage throughout the novel. I was not familiar with Escher before this book. I recommend browsing through his work before reading the book. I’d seen a handful of the Hitchcock films, but just signed up for Netflix so that I can see more of them.
At times, reading Mr. Peanut is trying. There’s so much going on, and stories within stories and various points of view narrating throughout that it almost feels chaotic. But that’s the point, and Ross does it well. To fully absorb this book, it must be read more than once. I plan to read it again after watching a few of these Hitchcock films. But I call Mr. Peanut one of my top reads of 2010.
Two other book blogs I follow interviewed Mr. Ross. I highly recommend reading through these posts. Part 1 can be found here at The Book Lady’s Blog (http://www.thebookladysblog.com/2010/08/30/interview-mr-peanut-author-adam-ross/) and Part 2 at Brews and Books (http://brewsandbooks.com/index.php/2010/08/interview-with-mr-peanut-author-adam-ross/)
- 2 Comments
- Tags: Adam Ross, fiction, Mr. Peanut, review
Oddly Compelling
Posted on
29
Aug
2010 - by
TheBookFetish In:
Reading
Book 44: Bad Marie
Marcy Dermansky
Bad Marie could have been a cliche. The hot nanny; the bored, weak husband; the seemingly cold, ambitious wife. But Dermansky avoids death by predictability.
I read Bad Marie in one day. I can’t precisely define what it is that made the story so compelling, but I was completely sucked into the book. I also can’t say I particularly cared for Marie, the ex-con landing on her childhood friend’s doorstep begging for a job. Friend Ellen takes in Marie, tasks her with caring for young Caitlin. Caitlin adores Marie, and Marie adores Caitlin.
Whiskey swilling, chocolate loving, and thieving, Marie sets her sights on Ellen’s husband and so begins the saga that is Bad Marie. We learn that Marie’s always coveted Ellen’s life, from the time they were children and even now, after serving six years in prison as an accessory to armed robbery. Although Marie sees what she wants and takes it, this is no “Hand That Rocks The Cradle.”
Although Marie’s childhood was far from ideal, I never felt sorry for her. I don’t know if this ambivalence to Marie was deliberate on Dermansky’s part. I found myself frustrated with Marie more than once, shouting to her in my mind, “You can’t just take something because you want it. It doesn’t work that way.” But it does with Marie.
The whole story ends up being a quest for some kind of stability and love for Marie. And ultimately, I think she does begin to realize that she has to return all that she has taken. While deep down, she knows that some things are unforgivable, Marie still imagines that somehow, all those she has wronged will do just that.
At the same time, Marie’s illusions about the men she’s loved- her “true love” who died in prison, and Ellen’s husband (with a twisted, sad backstory all his own)- are shattered in front of her eyes. She finally begins to realize that she creates whatever reality she needs, yet she is consistently disappointed when the true imperfections reveal themselves.
Dermansky’s prose is purposeful and eloquent. She repeats a particular exchange between Marie and Caitlin, showing how Marie’s adoration for the little girl is perhaps the only pure thing in her life.
So I can’t say precisely why I could not put down this book. It certainly wasn’t an enchanting, happy ending. It was not sad and melancholy. Perhaps it was the realism of this glimpse into a troubled psyche. Perhaps there was some identification with Marie- thinking the grass is greener in another life, preferring to re-write events in our mind to make them fit our definition of happiness and perfection. At any rate, I found this book oddly and completely compelling.
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- Tags: Dermansky, fiction
Game On Diet, Week 4
Posted on
28
Aug
2010 - by
TheBookFetish In:
Thinking
This is it. The last day of the Game On Diet.
I admit it, by this week, I’ve had a bit of GoD fatigue. So have most of the other players. I think that is partially because real life has been a bit more hectic this week, and this was just one more thing to have to think about.
But then I think about all I’ve gained- and lost- from the last four weeks. Eight pounds, gone. Clothes fitting better. The chemicals I was so used to ingesting every day in the form of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners have been gone from my life for twenty-eight days now.
I feel better. I’m sleeping more. I’m more flexible because of working out and doing Yoga. I’m drinking even more water than before. I’m thinking about why I want to eat, not mindlessly noshing, even on healthy things, any more.
That’s the point of the game- to learn balance and to listen to your body. To be kind to yourself. So it has been completely worth it.
I’m planning to take off the full stringency of the game until after Labor Day- that doesn’t mean I’m going back to all the old habits, just adapting them for long term maintainability. Then I’ll planning to play again for another four weeks, which should then have it all fully ingrained. Because I’m in favor of anything that helps me feel better, more balanced.
Who’s up for round 2?
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- Tags: Game on Diet
