Review: Golden by Cameron Dokey

Golden
by Cameron Dokey
Fairy Tale
179 pages
published: 2006
4 of 5 stars

This is a another retelling of Rapunzel that had necessary elements for the fairy tale according to me: girl in tower, throw down your hair, ride off with the prince. :) It has a completely different feel than Zel however. This story is bright and hopeful and good.

I am happy to have read a version where the mother wasn't evil, Rapunzel didn't go insane, and 'happily ever after' didn't come at such a price.

What I loved:

• The beautiful, lyrical language again. (What a treat to read two fin a row!)
  
• The plot twists. There were more people in this version, the 'bad guys' where from unexpected sources, there were 2 'princes.' The ending was unexpected. And I loved the spice of the little Cyrano de Bergerac that was thrown in.
• I enjoyed the characters. I liked Repunzel's spunk and Harry's stubborn, teasing attitude. I liked the prince's sweetness and the daughter's hopeful crankiness. I liked the tinker's dedication and restraint.

I liked it so much, I could have wished for more complexity/length, though I know it's YA and usually don't regret the lesser (if there is lesser) complexity/length. Perhaps in this case, I could see how this book could have a double written for 'adults' with more time spent on relationships and romance, the danger and journey, the difficulty in the tower. But this regret is small and short-lived.

I'll be happy to give this on to my daughter in the next few years and will likely read it again soon.

Review: Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

Zel
by Donna Jo Napoli
Fairy Tale
227 pages
published: 1998
4 of 5 starts

I was entirely unfamiliar with "whole" story of Repunzel before this book. My memory of it this fairy tale went something like: girl in tower, throw down your hair, ride off with the prince. I was stunned and enthralled with this book.

What I loved:

• The beautiful, lyrical language. Though the meaning of the words was often dark or scary or even horrifying, the beauty of the writing itself often softened the blow. And when the story wasn't blatantly dark, the language made me forget it was ever dark and I started floating away to LaLa Land. (There would be a crash later!)
• The setting was lovely, quaint, medieval, and all that good stuff.
• The intricacy of the plot.
• The view into all the characters. The chapter would alternate among the Mother, Zel, and the prince.
• The insight into a truly insane woman. Sometimes I could almost get her point, almost sympathize with her. It was disturbing. In a good way. (Or maybe I'm just morbid.)
  
• Watching Zel go crazy from solitary confinement. Very interesting. And it felt very real.
  
• The happy ending.

Now, this book was not one that will be read over and over. It won't ever be one of my favorites. It wasn't a clutch-it-to-my-chest-and-savor-it book. It was dark, creepy, violent, and frankly, insane. It involved soul selling, manipulations, betrayal, madness, filthiness, and even sex. I wouldn't recommend it lightly or let my daughter read it for quite a long time.

But it was a fascinating character study and an intriguing retelling.

Books in 2010

1. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
3. Beauty by Robin McKinley
4. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
5. Golden by Cameron Dokey 
6. Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
7. Spelling B and the Runaway Spell by Lexi Connor
8. The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
9. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
10. Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford
11. Belle by Cameron Dokey
12. Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
13. Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier
14. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
15. The Squad: Perfect Cover by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
16. Rose Daughter by Robin McKinkley
17. East by Edith Pattou 
18. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
19. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
20. Just One Wish by Janette Rallison
21. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
22. Hush by Donna Jo Napoli
23. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
24. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
25. Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey
26. Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli
27. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander 
28. Fablehaven: The Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
29. Mythological Beasts: A Classical Bestiary by Lynn Curlee
30. A Place for Delta by Melissa Walker
31. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
32. Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
33. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 
34. Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison
35. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
36. Fablehaven: The Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull
37. The Fairy's Return by Gail Carson Levine
38. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Dunce
39. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
40. The Ugly Duckling by Brenda Hiatt
41. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
42. Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke
43. These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
44. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
45. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles
46. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
47. Ondine: the Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna
48. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
49. Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
50. The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen 
51. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
52. The Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
53. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 
54. The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
55. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
56. Dakota's Revenge by Janette Rallison
57. A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson
58. How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison
59. If I Have a Wicket Stepmother, Where's My Prince? by Melissa Kantor
60. The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson
61. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley 
62. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley 
63. Jane by April Lindner
64. Matched by Allie Condie 
65. Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby
66. A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

Book Chairs

While I was searching for images onlines, I came across these "Book Chairs." They have made me smile all day so I thought I'd share.

While they are both fascinating, and I have to squash the desire to own them, they look too uncomfortable to by my sort of book chair. I rather like to lounge.

Review: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

North and South
By Elizabeth Gaskell
classic
450 pages
published: 1854
5 of 5 stars

And here I confess some of my terrible ignorance of many things "classic" when I say that I had never heard of Elizabeth Gaskell before my book club proffered this to read, and I was worried that it would be about the civil war. (I do not dislike books on the civil war as long as they are about the war, and not politics. I don't like politics.) But Oh Happy Day! it is about England and the industrial revolution and has a wonderful Jane Austen taste. Yummy!

Margaret is South here and Mr. Thornton North as industry clashes with the "sophisticated" gentlemen and ladies. Old money versus new money. Hard work versus no work. My prejudices are coming out - dang! But all you out there that like your cheap clothes, grocery stores, electricity, and your general standard of living needs to thank the industrial revolution. Was it pretty? Absolutely not. Ugly. Sad. But needful. And that is the start of why this book is so good.

Many thought the beginning was slow. I was even told that around page 200 it started moving. I must respectfully disagree. I loved it from the beginning. I loved Margaret and her quandaries. I loved the setting. I loved the background of her life and relationships. By the time I got to page 200, I couldn't put the book down.

Margaret and Mr. Thornton reminded me of Elizabeth and Darcy, only more stubborn and prejudiced. It was highly entertaining! She was quietly saucy and he was gently over-bearing. How is that even possible? Loved it! It was great watching Margaret's opinions change and Mr. Thornton flirting with humility.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters and how they contributed to the main characters' development. Margaret's parents were a constant stress that Margaret held up under, and Mr. Thornton had a vaguely disturbing relationship with his mother. Fascinating. I loved Mr. Bell and his wit. I loved Betsy and her father and their earthy practicality.

I enjoyed the window into that chapter of history as well. I have studied the American industrial revolution, but not the British version. And call me morbid, but it was refreshing how much death was a part of the story. It was touching, raw, and real.

I am amazed and want very much to read more by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Review: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

The Eye of the World
by Robert Jordan
Epic Fantasy
814 pages
published: 1990
Wheel of Time series #1
4 of 5 stars

This is the first novel of an epic fantasy. It does have the standard beginning of the unsuspecting nobodies being thrust into danger and adventure, but it liked it, like I almost always like it. Beginnings like that have intrigue, adventure, confusion, mystery, and the beginnings of relationships.

From that point there is much running, hiding, fighting, tracking, learning, and separating. Several of the characters end up have to fend for themselves. By the time everyone comes together again, the goals have changed and more adventure awaits.

Could I have been more vague? Probably not. But I don't know how to summarize such a complex "beginning" and I'm not going to try. Instead?

What I loved:

• The characters. Characters and relationships are my favorite part of any story, and characters and relationships develop best under stress. Like the stress of being chased by trollocs, trapped in a city of death, or even just traveling endless miles together and being forced to rely on one another. I loved the three boys, though Rand and Perrin are more loved than Mat. Mat is funny but annoying. I love Nynaeve eventually. At first she is a tad bossy. :) I love Lan. I mentioned before my weakness for capable men. I love Tam and was sorry that he didn't have more of a part in this book.
  
• The world. I love the sense of timeless history. I love the wealth of stories the gleemen carry around and the effortless details of monuments, ruins, cities, and even weapons that is included. There is a richness there that I wish our own world had more of.
• The adventure. The mystery. The romance. This is why I love fantasy - it has everything! And epic fantasy, well that makes for epic love.
• Intensity. There were times I put the book away to give myself a break.
  

Even though I complained to my husband about this and that, there really wasn't anything to complain about except the difficulty I had with the prologue.

I love it. I'm already off and reading the next ones. I have so many questions!

Stop Answering My Questions!

My husband is very sneaky. He doesn't look like he is. You wouldn't think it if you met him. But he is ever so patient and he plots.

My husband is also a reader like me. He doesn't naturally gravitate towards a wide range of genres as I do, but he reads as voraciously. It is in fact, one of the very first things that drew me to him. He owned a book I wanted. But that is another story.

My husband reads fantasy first and foremost. We pooled our collections when we married and there are still series's from his collection that I haven't read. One in particular was the Wheel of Time series. Why wouldn't I read it? I don't honestly know. Maybe because it was so big and daunting. Maybe because it is popular. Maybe just because he wanted me to. (I can be ridiculously perverse.) I do know that I had tried 3 times before and while I have never had a problem breaking into a fantasy series before (I read fantasy first and foremost also) I just could not crack the introduction of The Eye of the World.

This did not bother me. Not even with the lure of a local author (whom I love and have read most of his work) taking over the completion of the series would I budge on this issue. (I said perverse and I meant it.)

Back to the sneaky husband. We were on a car trip returning from my parents' home in northern California and I needed to drive. It was late and dark and I required something to listen to in order to stay awake. (I did not want to resort to caffeine because it would keep my nursing baby awake!) I had listened previously on this trip to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, probably my favorite HP, and wanted to resume. Unfortunately, Dear Husband claimed that he couldn't return to my place because of...yaddah yaddah...phone malfunction. I would have to listen to the whole book over - and I was to the point to all the messy time travel!! (Was he lying? I don't know.)

"But here!" he said, "I have The Eye of the World."

"Grumble grumble....No!"

Three minutes later, "Okay fine."

And I was trying to understand the introduction for the fourth time. And the fourth time was a charm. Probably because it was being shoved down my throat and I wasn't allowed to stumble over names or phrases I didn't understand. Probably because when it is professionally read out loud, the story shines through and no micro-reading takes place.

By the time we stopped for the night I was all the way to the trolloc attack (which is very scary in the middle of the black desert!) and was hooked.

Sneaky husband.

Over the next week as I finished the first gargantuan book I made several more token complaints.

"These books are so big and there are so many, it will be forever before anything actually happens and any of my questions are answered!"

"No," he says, "They're big because SO MANY things happen.

"I don't like this Egwene person very much and she obviously gonna end up with Rand and I don't like it. I don't want to read any more!"

"No," he says, "You'll be happy with how it goes.

"A lot of these people are brats. Why am I reading about brats? And Moiraine has a serious Allanon complex!"

"One of the best things about this series," he says, "Is how much character development there is."

"Is there ever gonna be any romance? I can see two of these people should get together but I think they are both too stubborn!"

"One of the reasons I've wanted you to read them," he says, "Is because of all the romance. You'll especially like book 3."

And later, while on a date with Dear Husband, we were discussing the books and I was asking rhetorical questions. Occasionally he answered my questions thus revealing plot points and in frustration I banged the table with my first and said, much too loudly for a restaurant, "Why are you answering my questions! I'm not asking questions for you to answer them!!" I was loud enough to get the attention of the waiter guy (alright, I might have yelled a little) who bothered me the rest of the night, asked me questions, and was severely disappointed that my questions weren't 'personal.' Ack!

This has been an emotional ride.

I am now half way through book 3. Would I consider stopping now? He** No! But I also haven't hit the promised romance yet! :P

*Please tell me if any of you understand my Allanon allusion....

My Holy Grail...from a Used Bookstore Perspective

Aren't they beautiful!! Old and worn AND shiny and classic. Ahhhh. I want them all!

Welcome to Cal's Books in Redding, CA. I shopped here whenever I could a get ride when I was in high school. Things have changed a little since then. The place was bought from its hippie owner (No disrespect intended. I totally liked the guy.) and the hazy back room of 'herbs' and such has disappeared. Now it appears to be some sort of alternative religious section. And the Fantasy section has doubled. And they now play catchy jazz music - like suddenly-find-yourself-bopping-along-while-scanning-book-titles catchy. Fabulous. Otherwise, everything is still the same.

(The Fantasy/SciFi section. Well, 1/3 of it.)

These two pictures don't quite capture this complete section of the store. I tried. And this section is only 1/3 of the store. This place is the BOMB! You can find everything here - from old national geographics (like I needed for a school project), YA (drool), political, romance (a massive section), maps, music, cookbooks, classics, to really old stuff. I used to bring in bags of books for credit to buy new ones. Maybe next trip we will plan well enough to bring out the stuff we don't want for trade.

Scott and I had a blast. We only wished we had a hours instead of minutes!!

How I Know...

...these are my children:

• They cleaned the house for a promised trip to the library.
  

• When we asked Kyra if she knew where Daddy's spine was, she said, "Of course!" and drew a line from his armpit to his hip. ?? On the side, like a book.
• Xander will get ready for bedtime in record time (while off his meds) for a single page from Septimus Heap.
• Jadyn decided she wanted her allowance paid in books.
• Kyra has been as excited as I've ever seen her about the Kindergarten take home books, and she can't read yet!
• When I told Xander how I have a whole library filled with adventure stories like Septimus Heap, he replied, "I know, Mom." In that insufferable voice.
• Jadyn told Santa to surprise her. Santa brought books. Jadyn said it was just what she wanted.
• Aspen has been reading Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton out loud to everyone for days.
  

Tagged...Why Not?

For you Brandy:

Five Things I Don't Leave the House Without

1. Life

2. Keys

3. Shoes

4. Baby

5. Diapers

Five Cartoons I Watched When I Was Younger

1. Ghostbusters
2. Ewoks
3. Care Bears
4. Muppet Babies
5. Rainbow Bright

Five Things That Terrify Me

1. Worms

2. Car accidents

3. The Government

4. Pregnancy

5. Child predators

Five Things I Hate/Dislike That Everyone Else Seems to Like

1. Mayonnaise

2. Cherries

3. Dogs (especially punt dogs)

4. Being startled

5. Dresses/skirts

Five Things I Want to do Before I Die

1. Write a novel

2. Get published
3. Travel

4. Be an amazing Grandma

5. Go on a mission with my husband