(i know, i know, you want an italian recap. you’re going to have to wait a little longer as i struggle with some serious jetlag. and, to refresh your memory about why i’m talking with strangers, here’s the deal.)
a couple of weeks ago, i was back in wonderland, aka porter square books. i had time to browse and oh boy was it fun to sift through the titles and skim through the jackets with nothing more important on the agenda than picking new books for my TBR list. they didn’t have the book i originally came in to buy (DIE FOR ME by amy plum), so i picked up HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER by lish mcbride mainly because of this review, but also because i find it impossible to walk out of a bookstore with empty hands.
“you’re all set?” the man asked.
“yes, this, and could you order a book for me?”
“sure thing. what’s the title?”
“DIE FOR ME by amy plum.”
he types some stuff into the computer. “i don’t see it. you said it was called DIAPER ME?”
me, mentally pointing to the name of my blog, can’t decide whether to make a joke or repeat myself. i settle for the latter, but wonder if he’ll even be able to understand me due to my barely contained laughter.
“oh,” he says, giving into his own chuckles, “i thought it was some kind of parenting book.”
who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.
the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, vanessa noble, alyson peterson, cynthia reese, elizabeth ryann, and myself. here’s the deal. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email. we post a review on our individual blogs on the same day (3rd thursday of the month). we link to each other. done. i know, genius. click on each one of their names (above) and it’ll take you to their review. browse. enjoy.
this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is:
SCENT OF THE MISSING by susannah charleson
what it’s about from amazon: In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson clipped a photo from the newspaper: an exhausted canine handler, face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. A dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, Susannah was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team and soon discovered firsthand the long hours, nonexistent pay, and often heart-wrenching results they face.
Still she felt the call, and once she qualified to train a dog of her own, she adopted Puzzle, a strong, bright Golden Retriever puppy who exhibited unique aptitudes as a working dog but who was less interested in the role of compliant house pet. Puzzle’s willfulness and high drive, both assets in the field, challenged even Susannah, who had raised dogs for years.
Scent of the Missing is the story of Susannah and Puzzle’s adventures together and of the close relationship they forge as they search for the lost–a teen gone missing, an Alzheimer’s patient wandering in the cold, signs of the crew amid the debris of the space shuttle Columbia disaster. From the earliest air-scent lessons to her final mastery of whole-body dialog, Puzzle emerges as a fully collaborative partner in a noble enterprise that unfolds across the forests, plains, and cityscapes of the Southwest. Along the way Susannah and Puzzle learn to read the clues in the field, and in each other, to accomplish together the critical work neither could do alone and to unravel the mystery of the human/canine bond.
my opinion: okay, so some of you know this, some of you may not. *opens closet door, lets skeleton out* i’m not a big fan of animals. i said as much during the november book hungry post, and i feel the need to state it again not for attention, but because it shows you how lovely this book was since i’m here to report that I LIKED THIS BOOK. and now i find myself watching dogs with a more sensitive eye wondering what they’re thinking, smelling, feeling. i owe that to this book. charleson’s descriptions of the search and rescue dogs are fascinating and they made the dogs seem slightly human, and hey, i like humans! which means i liked these dogs!
i repeat, i liked these dogs!
the only gripe i have with this book is the pacing. it was a bit slow for my taste. i mean charleson leads a really interesting life. she’s a flight instructor as well as a volunteer search and rescuer. that’s some juicy stuff right there, but the story got a bit bogged down with the details and scents and sights of every single training session and every single search. if it had been pared down to just the training + the big missions, i think the story would have flowed a bit more smoothly.
but, as it was, overall — i liked the story. and now, instead of just instantly wrinkling my nose when my friends’ dogs come around, i may even pat them. as unconventional of a review as that is, i think that’s the sign of a successful book.
for next month, we read elizabeth’s pick: KISS OF SNOW by nalini singh.
now that i’ve embraced (and publicly so) my love of YA, i find myself often being asked for recommendations. like elizabeth, i find the pressure somewhat daunting. and since i know a lot of you won’t click on that link, i’m going to copy and paste because i agree with a lot of what she says:
“So the official book for October’s reading was my responsibility, and, you guys? I almost caved under the pressure. I do not like choosing books for other people unless I know them REALLY REALLY well. That means the only people I don’t majorly stress over when I’m asked to recommend books are my mom and my best friend. That’s it. And “don’t majorly stress over” can be translated into “I’m only mildly anxious.” And since all of you are readers, I’m sure you know how often people assume that all books are equal opportunity good, and that you, as a reader, must know which ones are the good ones and can share that secret with them so that they don’t have to waste their time or something, sorting through all the other books until they stumble across those gems. In other words: I get lots of requests to recommend stuff. And it is total torture.
In my opinion, books are like presents. Everyone likes a good present, right? The classics are usually like those educational presents that your great aunt gets you for Christmas. I mean, yeah, it’s probably good for you, and you’ll likely end up appreciating the learning experience or whatever, but they’re rarely truly fun. Science fiction is like those tech gifts that always end up on those magazine lists adamantly declaring that they’re the must-have for men, despite the fact that there’s no reason women wouldn’t like them too (and often do), whether it’s a GPS or Anne McCaffrey’s The Ship Who Searched (the lovely story about a delightful young girl who grows up to become a spaceship). And romance novels therefore have to be the generic “girl” gifts of nice smelling soaps, either bland, nice enough, and ubiquitous, like a Danielle Steele novel, or delightfully, unexpectedly rich, the fancy chocolate of “girl” gifts: J.D. Robb. I’m going to go with J.D. Robb over Nora for the fancy chocolate because I think Eve and Roarke are just as likely to appeal to guys as Godiva is. The key is picking what you know that specific person will appreciate and making sure you label all the boxes correctly. I mean, your brother is probably less likely to appreciate that Mary Engelbreit pressure cooker, and your mom likely won’t get as much use out of that book on So Gross! facts, you know?
So, back to the book club, and the daunting task of choosing something for everyone to read. Of course everyone reassured me multiple times that this is about expanding our horizons and you should never try to pick something that everyone will like, and that you should just try to choose something that you think everyone should be exposed to, and of course I promptly ignored that advice because what is this, school? This is supposed to be fun. I was all set to choose Robin D. Owens’ Heart Fate when one club member mentioned that she doesn’t enjoy reading any graphic love scenes, so I double checked, and the love scenes were a touch more graphic than I remember, so I nixed that idea. Though it’s a delightful book, for anyone who really likes a slightly different romance novel, with some unexpected depth to the story. That particular series is fun, though you don’t have to read them all to get what’s going on, but that book in particular stood out for me.
So now that you guys all have context for why I chose what I chose, and since reading is all about context, I felt compelled to share. You’re welcome.”
i can usually only remember the BIG, BOOM, I HEARTED IT books off the top of my head at a moment’s notice. it’s a shame because this is the chance to rave about the lesser know, smaller, yet just as charming books. although, that type of recommendation require a knowledge of the person you’re suggesting books to. although, on the other hand, when people ask me for my opinion, it’s a chance for me to spread YA love and i’ve got plenty of that to go around.
and you know what? it’s really fun when someone comes back to you after they’ve read what you suggested and you can gush about it. like last month, a coworker walked into my office with her tween daughter who was carrying CATCHING FIRE.
coworker: i had to bring R by and tell you that your recommendation was spot on.
(bear in mind that despite my insistence that it was appropriate for her age, coworker didn’t like the sound of HUNGER GAMES and so declined that recommendation. i followed it up with a different choice, which i can’t recall at the moment, but see, the lure of HG and CG and MJ hits everyone, even if you try to run away from it. *cough* linda *cough*)
me: *smiles* *nods*
coworker: R found the books on her own and is devouring them, so i should have listened to you. in fact, i think i’m going to start reading the series too.
me: *smiles* *nods*
so i’m going to revise my stance on recommendations. go ahead, ask away! leave a comment at the beep. (i can’t promise i’ll be as amazing as michelle hodkin, but i’ll try.)
i was at my favorite indie book store, porter square books, and i was looking to purchase steven king’s ON WRITING. since i really only ever look at the YA section, i wasn’t sure where this book would be located, so i needed help.
“could you tell me if you have steven king’s ON WRITING?” i said.
“sure. just one moment.” the female employee stopped her task and typed on the computer. “yes, we have one copy.”
we walked over to the reference section (ah ha!) and searched for it. it took some time, but it was a crowded area and there was a woman studying nearby, so i decided to wait patiently instead of making idle chit chat. (i told you my conversation skills need work, hence this experiment.)
“here it is!” she pulled it off the shelf and handed it to me, delighted. “i’m glad i was able to find it.”
“me too. thank you.”
i followed her back to the register.
“will that be all today?” she said.
“it is.”
“are you in our customer program*?”
“yes, and actually, i have a coupon.”
a male employee walked over and inspected my purchase. “oh! this is a great book. he puts in a lot of biographical information. you’ll like it.”
“i’ve heard many good things about this. i’m excited to read it.”
“with the coupon, the total will be $9.05,” the woman said.
“thanks again for helping me find this book,” i said as i finished paying.
“no problem. have a good day.”
“you too,” i said and walked off into the sunshine amazed at how quickly a book about the solitary act of writing can spawn two conversations with strangers.
you’ve recently heard me waxing pretty things about one lindsey leavitt, specifically about how i want my writing to be like hers. how do i know this?
i’ve read this:
and this:
the latter of which was released just this month and is the subject of this GUSHY post (you’ve been warned).
the first time i remember hearing about lindsey was when she posted this video about stephanie perkins’ ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS:
her sense of humor was right up my alley, so i figured i’d take a look at her books. at the time, only PRINCESS FOR HIRE was out, so that’s what i picked up. that book is a lot like LEGALLY BLONDE in the sense that you’re expecting a light chick flick, but are pleasantly surprised to discover it’s got a lot of heart, charm, and intelligence waiting for you. this book could get into harvard law school. it’s a middle grade series, which i’d recommend for any girl aged 9-13. yeah, ok, i certainly don’t fall into that age bracket, so heck, i’d recommend it for any girl, any age.
needless to say, i was won over and anxiously awaited her next offering, SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD, a YA title. it got a lot of early buzz, so i was even more impatient for it to be released.
the gist (from amazon): “According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object-an item to concentrate her emotions on. It’s supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold’s head. They’ve been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas-it’s an alphabetical order thing), but she’s never really known him.
The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father’s newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it’s working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking-er, focusing on-Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He’s cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.
In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.”
you know how i am with expectations…so i was a wee bit nervous to be so excited about a book’s release. but i’m here to tell you the wait was worth it, folks. this book is practically perfect. i don’t even know what to say about it except i laughed A LOT, i cried (a little, just at the end), i swooned, i dog-eared pages because i wanted to remember particular passages, i cheered, i winced, i sighed, i loved. the characters jumped (or should i say, rode) off the page and straight into my heart, flaws and all.
i may be 30 and payton may be half that, but i can admit i really related to her. the way she communicates (or not), her fears, her dreams, her actions in real life. she’s flawed and stubborn and confused and all around fantastic. it takes a lot of talent to make a character that well rounded. and sean?! sean! oh sean. he’s ADORABLE. and he’s a good guy! not a mean-baddy-mc-I’m-so-hot-and-unattainable-and-I-brood-a-lot-so-you-must-fall-in-love-with-me-immediately-though-i-shall-play-hard-to-get guy. payton never fears for her life, well, not in the way she would if he was a vampire or werewolf or zombie. to have the boy be steady and caring and awesome and a real boy in real life (you know what i mean, contemporary), what a refreshing change of pace that was.
the other thing i loved about this book was every single scene and action and decision and moment was true to the story. i never felt or even thought about the author. it was like i was sitting in the classroom with these kids listening to them talk to me directly. the voices and personalities were spot on. it’s an incredibly difficult thing to do — to write a story so clearly defined by your characters that the author herself becomes invisible. i’m beginning to think lindsey could have gotten into harvard law if she’d wanted to…
and you know another thing that got me? lindsey’s admitted her husband was a bit like sean in that he’s the guy that was always there, in class, in school, but she was distracted by other, shinier boys so she overlooked him. until she didn’t. but that’s a story for another time and place (so she says…it’s also one i don’t know considering i’m just a fangirl and not in her inner circle. minor details, people.) i love knowing this small detail about the leavitts because, let’s face it, i have a feeling i’m a bit like sean in that sense. i’m the girl who’s overlooked, who’s just the friend, until the day i’m not*.
ok, i’ve rambled on long enough — you see the effect her writing has on me? she gets ME to RAMBLE. that doesn’t happen often. let’s hope i’m not MUMBLING while i’m doing so. read the book, kids. you won’t regret it.
Abigail Mumford 