New book . . .

What the Dead Know is an excellent crime novel.  It really is a CRIME novel, not a suspense, thriller, or who-done-it.  Lippman is a great story-teller.  She gives wonderful descriptions of characters and settings.  I like the way her novels jump from the present to the past, slowly filling in the blanks.  It was just a very satisfying read.

Now I am going to read Little Bee, which I am really excited about.  I've heard lots of good things about this book-- it's been on the best-seller list, and I had to wait a couple of weeks to get it through inter-library loan.  Must be good . . .

I have to stop!

I have read 61 pages of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and I've had enough.  I get it.  It's exactly the same story as the original, but a desirable trait in the women is the defensive arts.  Every journey they make, they have to stop and avoid or kill some of the "undead."  They are also very flippant about the many deaths of friends and acquaintances at the hands of the zombies.  There doesn't seem to be any concern or mourning.  It is just weird.  Maybe, if I read farther something significant would HAPPEN involving the zombies, but I felt like I was reading Pride and Prejudice again, and although it's been a long time, I'm just not up for that right now.  Not with my reading list as long as it is.  So  . . . next on the list is What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman, a classic crime thriller.  I'm hoping I get to finish it. 

Already finished . .

I finished The Smile yesterday.  Loved it.  Just a really nice historical romance, with some true historical events.  Also, the main character's family are silk worm farmers, so found out a lot of how labor intensive that is!  Very interesting to hear all the artists names before they were famous and about how the people felt about their work.  Of course, the true story of the Mona Lisa isn't known, but Napoli comes up with a very plausible, interesting story.

Now I'm going to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I don't know if this qualifies as adult, but it was on the top 10 list of books that college students are reading.  It's been very popular in my library too.  I read Pride and Prejudice a long time ago, so I hope I can remember enough of the original to fully appreciate this book.  The cover is very catchy too, isn't it?

Can't Resist Historical Fiction

Finished Born to Rock and it was a light-hearted, enjoyable read.  Very far-fetched, but lots of fun.  It reminded me of Korman's Son of the Mob books, which have the same tone, and are easy to recommend to boys, especially.

I know, I said I was going to read an adult book -- but I found this book, The Smile, by Donna Jo Napoli, and it had the Mona Lisa on the front, and I just had to find out what it was about!  (Isn't that cover irresistible!)

A rock 'n roll book

I finished Perfect Chemistry and thought it was a really good teenage romance book.  Has everything you could want -- guy from the "wrong side of the tracks" falls for the prom queen.  Fairly predictable, but still keeps you reading.  The guy is in a gang and doesn't want to be, so that is an element that could educate some teens about a world they aren't familiar with.  A good message about being who you really are, as opposed to who people think you should be.

Now I'm reading something lighter called Born to Rock by Gordon Korman.  It's a quick read, too.  I'm getting the urge to read something "adult" so I think that will be next on the list.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Time for a Teen Romance

I finished Deadline. At first, I really didn't think I was going to like it, but then I told myself, "Get over it.  Suspend disbelief!"  Because I really couldn't believe that a senior in high school could find out he was going to die and not tell anyone about it.  So, after I suspended disbelief, I thought the book was pretty good.  Definitely a message in there.  Something about not judging people by what you THINK they are -- giving people a chance, taking time to learn about them, and care about them, and things like that.  Good book for promoting some good discussions among teens.

Now I'm reading Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles.  I've read her book Leaving Paradise and enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to this one.  It's been very popular, and hard to get at the library.  As a matter of fact, I need to hurry and finish this one becuase there's a hold on it (someone else is waiting for it.)

New Book

I finished Game and really didn't like it much.  I guess if you really enjoyed basketball, it might appeal to you, but I can't imagine even recommending this book to the basketball players at my school.  They play many games, and specific plays in each game are explained using basketball "lingo."  I love watching basketball, but reading a play-by-play isn't my idea of a good book.  I guess because the main character is an inner-city, disadvantaged black youth who is a very good basketball player, I expected that something dramatic or even tragic might happen, but I was disappointed in this also.  I've read other Walter Dean Myers books and expect more from him.

I'm starting Deadline by Chris Crutcher.  This book has been recommended by one of the teachers at my school, who said she wished she had read it when she was a teenager, and that she recommends it to many of her students.

Game - by Walter Dean Myers

I finished Evermore.  It was a light, chick romance kind of book.  Very predictable, and one of those books where the main character takes FOREVER to figure out what's going on, when it seems so obvious to the reader.  I think students will like it, it is a quick entertaining read, with a  happy ending, and of course its the first in a series!

Now I'm reading Game by Walter Dean Myers.  I'm sure it will be quick, and  I like to keep up the variety in my reading choices.  I need quick, because my reading pace has slowed dramatically since the Olympics have started.

Evermore - A New Novel

I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and I'm very glad it's over.  The book is just not a happy book -- in fact, it's completely tragic -- and it's not like it ever appeared that it might end happily.  I really enjoyed the dog training and the discussion of training for companionship vs. work.  It gave me a new appreciation for my dog --and now I'm always wondering what she's thinking about her life, and what I ask of her.  They are so smart.  Anyway, I'm ready for something different!

And so, I'm going to read Evermore, by Alyson Noel, the first book in The Immortals series.  Looks like a fantasy -- a far cry from dog training and death (I hope.)

Queen's Fool Audiobook

I usually have an audiobook going that I have downloaded onto my iPod.  The problem with this is that the only time I listen is on car trips, which I used to have a lot of, but not so much anymore.  I just finished The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory, which I think I started about 9 months ago.  I took such a long break at one point that I got confused about where I was, so I checked the book out of the library to help me get it sorted out.  I've started to try to remember to listen while I am doing housework, but  you know "The Housework Isn't Getting Done!"

I really liked the book.  It's sort of an epic tale, that I might not have stuck out if it wasn't in audiobook form.  I love historical fiction, and this takes place in the middle 1500s, with all the turmoil of wars between France and England, the shaky position of the monarchy and all the subterfuge about who gets the throne, and of course the burnings at the stake.  Seems you had to change your religious beliefs according to who the current monarch was in order to survive.  The story includes lots of infidelity among the court, which I suppose was true, and also contributed to making the successor to the throne somewhat questionable.

The main character in the story is Hannah, whose mother was burned at the stake in France because they were Jewish.  She and her father escaped to London to begin a new life as "Catholics."  Hannah, because she has the ability to "see" certain future events, ends up in service to Queen Mary.  Hannah eventually is betrothed and married, and the story is really of her life, but with much historical detail.

The reader speaks with an English accent, so every time I stopped listening, I was prone to talking with an accent!  It's part of her "Boleyn" series and I think there's 4 books in the series, this one isn't the first, but it didn't really matter.  I may put some others on my audiobook list.