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Books for April, 2005
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde. First time read.
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde. First time read. I will keep buying and reading whatever this guy has published.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke. First time read. This novel runs 782 pages, so I didn't knock it off in a day or two, as I usually do with books. It is a peculiar sensation to be engrossed in a book for a better part of a week, especially if you haven't read it before. Yes, it reminded me of Jane Austen. It reminded me, obviously, (on a much larger scale) of Pat Wrede's Mairelon the Magician series, and her Kate-and-Cecy collaborations with Caroline Stevermer (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
1crowdedhour) with its examination of an alternative history set in England during Napoleonic war, where magic really works. I wonder at Neil Gaimon's blurb: "Unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written the last seventy years." Does that mean Neil puts it above Tolkien? Or is Tolkien sort of grandfathered in as the head of the field? (Time Magazine's blurb: "...combinea the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien." That seems to cover all the bases.)
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. First time read. This was a Newbury Award book.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. First time read.
Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares. First time read.
Girls in Pants: Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares. First time read. I swiped all of these from Fiona's library basket, and I really liked them all. She seemed to me to write about girls with sympathy and humor and compassion, and an eye for the absurd. I liked Carmen, how she always knew when she was about to do the wrong thing but still couldn't stop herself from doing it. I liked how she handled Bridget being an undiagnosed bipolar without ever quite coming out and saying it. She captured the awkwardnesses of their relationships with boys and with their parents, and how they change as the girls grow up. She also captured well the ambivalence the girls have about growing up and changing, both physically and emotionally.
Well, no repeats this month. Good show, Peg. Am now reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, so that will start next month's list. I seem to be going through a YA binge right now.
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde. First time read. I will keep buying and reading whatever this guy has published.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke. First time read. This novel runs 782 pages, so I didn't knock it off in a day or two, as I usually do with books. It is a peculiar sensation to be engrossed in a book for a better part of a week, especially if you haven't read it before. Yes, it reminded me of Jane Austen. It reminded me, obviously, (on a much larger scale) of Pat Wrede's Mairelon the Magician series, and her Kate-and-Cecy collaborations with Caroline Stevermer (
1crowdedhour) with its examination of an alternative history set in England during Napoleonic war, where magic really works. I wonder at Neil Gaimon's blurb: "Unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written the last seventy years." Does that mean Neil puts it above Tolkien? Or is Tolkien sort of grandfathered in as the head of the field? (Time Magazine's blurb: "...combinea the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece of the genre that rivals Tolkien." That seems to cover all the bases.)Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. First time read. This was a Newbury Award book.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. First time read.
Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares. First time read.
Girls in Pants: Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares. First time read. I swiped all of these from Fiona's library basket, and I really liked them all. She seemed to me to write about girls with sympathy and humor and compassion, and an eye for the absurd. I liked Carmen, how she always knew when she was about to do the wrong thing but still couldn't stop herself from doing it. I liked how she handled Bridget being an undiagnosed bipolar without ever quite coming out and saying it. She captured the awkwardnesses of their relationships with boys and with their parents, and how they change as the girls grow up. She also captured well the ambivalence the girls have about growing up and changing, both physically and emotionally.
Well, no repeats this month. Good show, Peg. Am now reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, so that will start next month's list. I seem to be going through a YA binge right now.