TGIF -- Book Recommendations

Happy Friday!   Another week has somehow whipped by.... and today, I'm sitting at home waiting for the snow to begin so I can start planning my shoveling strategy.  Yes, fun, fun, fun.   But, I'm also planning on some quality time snugged on the couch with a book.   That way, I can have a little relaxation time before I have to go to work tomorrow.


But anyway -- the whole point is:  It's Friday!  And it's TGIF at GReads, too!  This Friday's question is:  Which book from the last 10 you've read would you recommend to a friend?


I'm actually going to recommend two today, one nonfiction and one fiction.


Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil         yes, a book about olive oil. It's more interesting than you might think --- I use a lot of olive oil when I cook, and I learned a lot.    And, it has a pretty even pace, so it reads like fiction (in other words, it's not a dry, boring book).


   And, I'm also recommending this book, which I'm about 1/4 of the way through, and really enjoying:


The Rook by Daniel O'Malley.   I started this book the other night and I'm loving it so far -- it's imaginative and full of dry humor, and I like the main character.

   Here's the summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  "The body you are wearing used to be mine." So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.

In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.

Have a wonderful Friday -- and a great weekend!!!!

Wordless Wednesday --- poppet photo

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone— and her future full of peril.

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.
And here's what I thought:  As you may be able to tell from the above summary, this is a re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story, set in a futuristic Earth.  However, this is no Disney-fied story where Rose is perfect, birds fly around her head, singing (or was that Snow White), and there is a Prince Charming.   Rather, this is more like a fairytale with a bit of horror, science and politics mixed in.  And - don't let the fact that this is technically a little science-fiction-y scare you away ---- it's not hard science fiction that's all about space travel and math.  Rather, it's about one girl's journey to not only figure out what she's going to do now that she has re-joined the living world, but also, her attempt to discover what is real about her past.

Rose isn't a perfect character, and I actually didn't really like her at times because I felt she was annoying.  However, as the story progressed, I started to understand her, and why she was the way she was ..... because she had not only spent 62 years in stasis, sleeping away all of those years, but also because her parents had deliberately kept her in a very sheltered existence.  Once her character started developing, and becoming a bit more rounded-out, I felt more comfortable with her.

I thought the author did a good job of re-working a story that many of us are familiar with, and then adding in some things that really made me think.  For example, it turns out that Rose's parents frequently put her into stasis just because they could (because they needed to travel and didn't want to deal with her, or they found her annoying, or any reason they thought of) --- when you think about it, that's pretty horrifying.  The idea of your parents imposing not only their rules on you ..... but then stealing years of your life by putting you into a stasis sleep....  and never explaining, never apologizing.    The author also gives us the Dark Times - a time period that begins and ends while Rose is in stasis, but a period which completely changes the world.  And, I felt the author made it seem pretty believable --- there is mention of genetically modified foods and seeds causing problems with not only agriculture, but with human reproduction, as well.

I don't know if I would say the book was perfect, but the pacing was so even, and the author kept me guessing at what was going to happen next --- that I found myself reading and reading.  I have seen some mixed reviews of this book on GoodReads, so if this sounds like a book you might want to pick up, maybe go over and see what other people have to say, as well.   However, I enjoyed this book and thought it was a really interesting and thought-provoking way to re-work the Sleeping Beauty story.

First lines:  I'd try to hold on to my stass dreams as long as I could.  It's a game I would play, struggling to keep track of those misty images that were always so easily lost.  I'd try to keep myself in stasis, keep my heart beating too slow to feel, refuse to wake up my lungs.  Once or twice I managed to hold on so long that Mom panicked and turned on the resuscitator.

Thoughts on the cover:   I like that there is the rose, with the thorny briar, and how the light is shining through it --- it's simple enough, but still eye-catching.

Book Blogger Confession..... for Monday the 16th

I discovered For What It's Worth while hopping around the blogosphere, and came across this Monday meme.  Co-hosted with All-Consuming Media, these two bloggers have come up with a discussion topic for the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month.   I didn't see the first one, last Monday, but I thought it might be interesting to participate in the one today.    

Answer the question: Have you ever had reading/blogging slumps? How do you work through them or work around them? 

I definitely have experienced reading slumps, and blogging slumps, as well.  Reading slumps are almost a bit easier for me to deal with, and luckily, it's not something that happens often.   I read a lot of different genres, and a fair amount of nonfiction, so I don't always get in a rut.  However, when I do, it's usually because I'm not reading anything that's striking me as really great, or resonating with me.    To beat a reading slump, I usually re-read something that I really like --- a/k/a "comfort reading."   A comfort read can be something like a Maeve Binchy story, an Anne Perry mystery, or even a book by one of my favorite authors.    A comfort read is usually a book where I remember the story and characters pretty well, and where I know the ending ..... but I still enjoy the read.    The other thing I have done to get out of a reading slump is to do a mini read-a-thon ---- I read and reviewed a bunch of Roald Dahl books a while back, and that was fun --- and completely got me out of my slump.

in manageable ... and bit-too-big size

Blogging slumps are a bit trickier for me.   Occasionally, I find myself struggling with a bit of the blues.  Actually, I like to think of it like Winston Churchill described his depression --- "The Black Dog."  Sometimes, it follows me around a bit too much and even though I try to lock it in another room, it gets out to keep following me .....   and enticing it with treats doesn't always work, either.     


 Either way, I do sometimes get in a bit of a slump where I don't think anyone is reading my posts, and maybe it's just completely stupid that I write them.....    and then I pinch myself and get going again.   I try to keep myself on a schedule, and that helps, too.  I look forward to certain days, for example, like Wednesdays, when I can go to Wordless Wednesdays and see different blogs and photographs.   Visiting other blogs is nice, too -- just reading what other people are saying and leaving a few comments is helpful.     Having a good read to blog about helps, too ---- I started blogging just to get my own thoughts out there, and if I remember that, then everything else falls into place.    After all, the Black Dog is just a dog -- -sometimes, it's a bit of a beast, but I always do tame it (or at least shrink it to the size of a strawberry, so it doesn't bother me much).   And, my slumps don't last very long most of the time, I'm happy to say.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other bloggers have to say on this subject --- maybe I'll get some good "slump-busting" ideas!

TGIF --- 2012 Must Reads

Friday again?  I don't know about you, but I'm glad it's the end of the week!   And, it's TGIF at GReads --- today's question is: Which books are at the top of your list to be read this year (old or new releases)??

I have a few books checked out from the library that I'd like to get to by the end of the month, but I have my eye on a few titles that will be coming out in the next months, as well.   Plus, I need to get cracking on my classics for the one challenge I signed up for.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has chosen --- Happy Friday, everyone!!

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

And here's what I thought:  I did not want to stop reading this book.  Every time I had to put it down to go to work, or to get some sleep, I looked forward to picking it up again.  And, when it was finished, I wished there was more.

As you can tell from the summary, Cam has spent a lot of time being sick, and when we meet her in this book, she's in pretty good condition, but it's clear that good health isn't a given for her, and her health issues have really ruled her life.   However, she never seems to feel sorry for herself, and while she's a bit sarcastic at times, I really liked her.  She seems like the kind of girl I would have wanted to be friends with when I was 16.   Obviously, her time spent being ill has shaped how she views the world, but I found her character to be really interesting, and actually, very real.

I will admit, part of what I liked about this story was where Cam, her mom and her sister go to Maine.  I have visited Maine twice, and both times, had a wonderful trip, so I guess I have a soft spot where that's concerned.  However, Promise isn't like anywhere I've been --- things happen there that don't seem possible... but it's not over the top.   What I mean is, it's not obvious miracles/magic etc. --- it's more like the setting for Practical Magic (by Alice Hoffman).  

I liked how the author wrote the other characters, as well.   I felt all of them were believable, and they work well to give insight into Cam, as well.   I also liked that the author set part of the story at Disney, where Cam and her family work --- it was like seeing a bit behind the curtain there.   In fact, when I think about it, the two main settings in Florida and in Maine are like characters unto themselves, which is pretty cool.

I refuse to give up any spoilers here.   But ---- when I finished the book, I did get a bit choked up.  I think it was a combination of what happened in the story, and also the fact that I had finished the story ---- I was enjoying reading this book so much that I just wanted more.   There was something about this book that just resonated with me, and while I know that isn't going to happen with every reader, I'd definitely say this is a book I think a lot of people will enjoy.   So, right now, in the mood I'm in --- giving this the first 5-bottle rating of 2012!

First lines:  When Campbell's father died, he left her $1,262.56 - as much as he'd been able to sock away during his twenty-year gig as a fire dancer for the "Spirit of Aloha" show at Disney's Polynesian Hotel.  Coincidentally, that was exactly how much her fat uncle Gus was asking for his 1998 Volkswagen Beetle in Vapor, the only color worth having if you wanted to have a VW Beetle.  Cam had been coveting it every since she was six, and it was worth every penny.  It blended into the mist like an invisible car, and when she drove it, she felt invisible, invincible, and alone.

Thoughts on the cover:   I thought it was an interesting way to do the cover, where the photo is inside an outline of a feather.  Eye-catching, and I thought it went well with the book.

Wordless Wednesday -- wisteria on Isola Madre, Italy