Singing the Dogstar Blues (1998)
Written by: Alison Goodman
Genre: YA/Science Fiction
Pages: 261 (Mass Market Paperback)

So tezmilleroz denies introducing me to this title, so that leaves tcastleb or a random find on Amazon. However I got initially heard about this sucker, I left it to rot on a wish list for a while. But the January poll for YA Futuristic Fiction got me jonesing to read as much of it as I could, so I plopped it in my cart and read it as soon as I was able.

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Seventeen-year-old Joss is a rebel, and a student of time travel at the prestigious Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. This year, for the first time, the Centre has an alien student— Mavkel, from the planet Choria. And Mavkel has chosen Joss, of all people, as his roommate and study partner. Then Mavkel gets sick. Joss quickly realizes that his will to live is draining away. The only way she can help Mavkel is by breaking the Centre's strictest rules . . . and that means going back in time to change history.

Review style: definite spoilers. It's a short book, and simple for what it is (I mean that in a good way), but I want to be able to talk about specific plot points, and I can't do that without spoiling this thing. If you want to be surprised (and trust me, if you're interested in this book, you'll WANT to be surprised), skip to the "My Rating" section at the end of the review.

( SINGING THE DOGSTAR BLUES: spoilers )

My Rating

Worth the Cash: but close to a must-have. The only reason it's not is because it does take a little while for the plot to get moving, and once it does, the book reads at warp speed instead of its previously fast pace. Still, it's a fun read with characters you can really sympathize with. I enjoyed the world-building of near-future Australia, and the time travel parts of the story misled me at first, and then once I settled into them, I found myself having lots of fun at guessing what would happen next and how it would affect CURRENT TIME and being right. It's a fun read, and one I'm really glad I sank my teeth into. I wish music had played a bigger role, especially given the fantastic title, but that's more of a personal preference than anything. At any rate, this book is highly recommended to fans of 1) time travel stories and/or 2) readers looking for science fiction in the YA genre. This was very enjoyable, and I can easily see myself picking up more from this author in the future.

Cover Commentary: at first glance, this cover reminds me very much of the striking Beggars in Spain, which might just be the reason I looked at this book to begin with. I really, really like this cover, especially with the DNA strands and the musical notation ghosted over the image. Fantastically eye-catching, which makes me happy.

Next up: Since you won't get the review for The Last Unicorn (which is what is next in the queue) until December 31st, you're going to have to make due with The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Orderly Reading and First Loves

This topic has come to me from two sources: the first was my reaction to reading Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and not being as enthralled as I expected to be, and the second comes from a negative review of Kitty and the Midnight Hour that reminded me of a few other negative reviews and my thoughts behind those reviews.

What the hell am I talking about? That's easy: readers read a lot. Readers who are fans of reading certain genres read a lot in that genre. Readers who are fans of specific tropes read a lot of those tropes. And this makes me start thinking about how the timing of when we read certain books might effect how we enjoy them. Because when we are first introduced to a genre, when we fall in love, it's all sparkles and lights. Then, as we read more in that genre, we start getting used to certain tropes, we start seeing the same things over and over from different authors, and we tend to get more critical and more picky about what we like and what we don't within that genre.

Example: I really, really, REALLY wish I'd read Oryx and Crake back when I was at SHU (my Master's program), before I'd read quite as much science fiction, let alone literary-SF. Not only did the book relate to some things I was toying with in my own work, but I think my ability to be wowed was much, erm, lower. And that sounds like an insult that I don't mean it to be: I'm just using this specific book as an example, but I've read plenty of books that are good that don't wow me, and I wonder, every time, if I'm just getting desensitized to the genre (or the trope or whatever) and that if I'd read that book earlier in my reading career, I'd like it more than I did.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour was, I kid you not, the VERY FIRST urban fantasy book I'd ever read. I loved it. Even though it pushed certain buttons that normally have me up in arms, I loved it. And for the most part, I've loved the series, though I'll be the first to admit the series has lost a little luster with the two books that were released in 2009. Part of that's because in all honesty, I think there were some obvious flaws, and part of it's because I've read so much more urban fantasy since then that I'm used to certain things and I crave something more definitive (even if it's writing style) that'll set the book apart.

I have a theory about certain books, and here's a specific example of this theory: if you haven't read a YA book about fairies, and you read both Holly Black's series and Melissa Marr's, how much you like which author greatly depends on who you read first. For the most part, my theory's been right on, that readers who've read Marr first aren't all that impressed with Black (I'll raise my own hand here), and then readers who read Black first just aren't that impressed with Marr. Does that mean one is really better than the other, or does reading one author desensitize you to the wonder of the other author, who's doing something in a similar yet different vein?

It really makes sense in light of readers who've never read vampire fiction before the Twilight series, who then start reading OTHER vampire books and compare EVERYTHING against the series they know and love and, oh yeah, read first.

It doesn't mean that what you read first, in any genre, is automatically flawed or a bad book. It might be a really good book, but that first love can take a hold of you and never let you go when it comes to the books you read afterward (and it doesn't matter when those said books are published--it just matters when you read them). Me, I'm sometimes afraid to re-read books I've fallen in love with because I'm afraid that--now that I've got many more titles under my belt--I lose those rose-colored glasses, or see more flaws the second time around, and I don't want to tarnish my memory of the book, nor the joy I had while reading.

Does this make any sense? I'm kind of all over the place, but ask yourself: do you think sometimes how you feel about certain books is based on what you have (or haven't) read before? I'm not saying it's true in EVERY case (because trust me, it's not), but it's something to think about! :)

---

You've got two more weeks to finish December's challenge, The Last Unicorn! Don't let the month (or year!) sneak by before you give this book a shot!



Book Club Selections

January: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
February: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Book Sale: there's still 89 books to choose from in the book sale, and authors include Charlaine Harris, John Twelve Hawks, David Louis Edelman, Jeanne C. Stein, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Check out all of the details here. I will say that due to the holidays, I'm not going to mail anything out until AFTER Christmas is over (post offices are INSANE right now!), but if you're interested in anything, please let me know!

Upcoming Reviews: Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Currently Reading: The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Book Meter: 4 books to go until 100! I made a list of ALL THE STUFF I've got to do this week and next, and I'm not entirely sure I'm going to make it to 100. We'll see what happens. :) How many books have you read this year so far? How many more do you THINK you'll read?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! If you celebrate this time of year, I hope it's wonderful for you. Take some time, relax, enjoy a good book or two, and if you're able, enjoy the time you have with your family and friends. Cheers!

• 19:01 My research paper is still due tomorrow even if I don't have school. It's still at the bottom of my priorities list. #

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Skin Game (2009)
Written by: Ava Gray
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 307 (Mass Market Paperback)

There's only one reason I bought and read this book: Ava Gray is the pen name for Ann Aguirre. 'Nuff said.

The premise: taken from the author's website: A beautiful fugitive—wanted dead or alive.
Kyra is a con woman and a particular kind of thief. She steals with a touch, but she only takes one thing: her target’s strongest skill. Which means she can be a fighter, an athlete, a musician, an artist—anything she wants… for a limited time. Heartbroken, she turns her gift toward avenging her father’s murder; with deadly patience, Kyra works her way into casino owner Gerard Serrano’s inner circle. After pulling off the ultimate con, she flees with his money and his pride.

A hit man who never misses the mark.
Reyes has nothing but his work. Pity for Kyra, he’s the best and mercy never sways him once he takes a job. He’s been hired to find out where Kyra hid the cash—and bring her back to face Serrano’s “justice.” Dead will do, if he can’t locate the loot. He’s never failed to complete a contract, but Kyra tempts him with her fierce heat and her outlaw heart. So Reyes has a hell of a choice: forsake his word or kill the woman he might love.

Review style: no spoilers, which surprises me, since I thought there would be. But if you're paranoid, just skip to the "My Rating" section of the review. :)

( SKIN GAME: no spoilers )

My Rating

Worth the Cash: another tricky rating, because by all rights, the book is very solid with an engaging premise and interesting characters. I liked all the details surrounding Kyra's ability, how those details made her more human than super-human, and Reyes was the type of character you could sympathize with (even though he's a hit man). But whether it was because I read this book during an EXTREMELY busy week or I was turned off by Kyra and Reyes's initial meeting, but I wasn't engaged by this book like I expected. Maybe it's because I know the author, under her real name Ann Aguirre, does a fantastic job with angst, and there was very little angst in this book until the end, and then, of course, Gray had my full attention. Perhaps I prefer my romances to be slightly more subtle or more in the background, but that's not fair to say either, because I've read books that are straight up romance that I connected with better. So maybe my reaction is more of a "I had a horribly busy week while reading this" kind of a thing. I'm certainly interested in the sequel, Skin Tight, which focuses on two secondary characters that appear in this book, as Gray does introduce larger plot elements that don't get resolved (no worries, the immediate story is DEFINITELY resolved), so I'm curious to see what she's going to do with the four-book cycle. Plus, even though I wasn't fully engaged, I like this author a lot, and have faith that the next installment will work better for me. If it doesn't, no skin (ha ha) off my back. :) At any rate, if you're a fan of Ann Aguirre, you of course have to pick this up. If you've never heard of Ann Aguirre, but you're a romance reader, know this book includes rough sex and characters who are certainly darker than your traditional hero/heroine. If you can handle that, you'll be just fine.

Cover Commentary: I hate it. It's so traditionally romance and it does absolutely nothing for me. Art aside, even the design of the cover is boring in terms of layout. It's sad, because when you go to Ava Gray's website, it's so kick-ass. This cover falls ridiculously short of that.

Next up: Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman

Oryx and Crake (2003)
Written by: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Fiction/Literary SF
Pages: 376 (Trade Paperback)

I'm not sure when I first heard about this title. Probably back when I read The Handmaid's Tale, because I'm pretty sure I didn't learn about Oryx and Crake until then. At any rate, I heard Atwood had another SFnal title in her bibliography, and some trusted reader friends of mine loved this book, so I stuck it on a wish list. Never picked it up for myself, but last Christmas, it was a gift, and when Atwood released the sequel/companion novel The Year of the Flood, I thought now would be a good time to give Oryx and Crake a chance. Also? digitalclone and I selected it as our December challenge. :)

The premise: from Amazon.com: In Oryx and Crake, a science fiction novel that is more Swift than Heinlein, more cautionary tale than "fictional science" (no flying cars here), Margaret Atwood depicts a near-future world that turns from the merely horrible to the horrific, from a fool's paradise to a bio-wasteland. Snowman (a man once known as Jimmy) sleeps in a tree and just might be the only human left on our devastated planet. He is not entirely alone, however, as he considers himself the shepherd of a group of experimental, human-like creatures called the Children of Crake. As he scavenges and tends to his insect bites, Snowman recalls in flashbacks how the world fell apart.

Review style: spoilers ahead. Considering the pace and style of the book, the spoilers aren't exactly Earth-shattering, but here's the warning anyway. SPOILERS. :) If such things bother you, please skip to the "My Rating" section of the review at the end.

( ORYX AND CRAKE: spoilers )

My Rating

Give It Away: this is an odd rating, because in LibraryThing, I gave it four stars. I'm glad I've read the book, and I'll likely pick up the companion/sequel The Year of the Flood, but I'm so ambivalent about Oryx and Crake that I don't see myself picking it up again. In fact, it's the kind of book I'll probably forget I've read, because it never impacted me the way it probably would a reader who isn't as familiar with science fiction. I think fans of Atwood will enjoy this, and readers who aren't SF-literate in terms of tropes and conventions may find this book to be a diamond in the rough. Certainly, Atwood has a different take on the apocalypse than Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and it's interesting, though it lacks the direction and resolution that McCarthy's novel had. But hey, I'm glad I read it. I just wish I'd read it sooner than I did, before I was as familiar with SF tropes as I am now. If you're an SF fan, I'd only recommend this book to you if you don't mind reading the lit-fic takes on the genre, if you don't mind the fact you're not going to find something wholly original. I read this because I'm a sucker for lit-fic SF, and after The Handmaid's Tale, I wanted to see what else Atwood would do with the genre. The Handmaid's Tale is a much stronger book, but this one was interesting at least, even though it was a little unsatisfying.

Cover Commentary: the cover featured in the review is not the one I have, but if I did have it, I certainly wouldn't mind it. I like the coloring and the design. It's eye-catching. But the cover I have is featured behind the cut, and I think I like it a little better. Something about the stark quality to the landscape fits the book better in my mind's eye, and I like the critters on the front. :)

Next up: Skin Game by Ava Gray

Wow it's been a while since my last update... In any case, yesterday I went to city for karaoke and beginner's hip hop dance class, and ended up getting my ears pierced again too. Last time I went, the 'ear piercers' at the pharmacy had gone home for the day so yesterday I was determined to catch her. Here's piccies:

( Cut for images. )

So. Byron. Done, as of 11 this morning. Two hours, half a booklet, and a frazzled brain later, I emerged from Ross Gym in a dour mood with a half hysterical outlook on life that I clamped down on when Tom randomly popped up behind me, having finished micro an hour early. God. The exam was very likely the written equivalent of Waterloo. I ran out of time, so my conclusion for the final essay was a tacked on sentence that I'm sure didn't entirely make sense. In fact, that entire section can pretty much just be forgotten, because am sure that Jones is going to make me cry when he reads it.

These two days have been nerve breaking. From the womanly troubles that bade me adieu almost two months ago, finally deciding to come out and play, to my being crippled by abnormally painful cramps, to being hopped up on pain medication and cold medication, to failing at every known part of academia, I've been grumpy, somewhat antisocial, and my humour's taken a weird bent with the wrong people, at the wrong times. Life could be better, I suppose. But, on the upside, it could also be worse. For example, I could have elephantitis and my ear lobes could be astronomical.

There are some things in life you just have to be thankful for, some of the times.

203 exam isn't until 7pm tomorrow, so I've a bit of time in the meanwhile. Have made a giant pot of polenta to get me through the days with no meats, vegetables, or any other viable grain product. I do, however, have a can of coconut juice, a lot of ramen noodles, and a quarter-crate of clementines. Student life is fabulous like this.

Generally sleep deprived.

Emily's also leaving me tomorrow - probably around noon, and oh, she's going home, and I'm not going to see her until 10 January, and this is all so very strange a concept, not seeing her daily. We're doing a gift exchange sometime tonight or tomorrow. I hope she likes it. (It's generic, but lovely.) Have yet to see Jane. Troubling, but she's strapped for time in between 6 exams and trying to coordinate a move into Wendy's and Jane's sometime this weekend. Oh well. I can just stalk her out of hibernation if worse comes to worse. (Oh. God. Hibernation. Bears. Not yet, Ivy, NOT YET.)

And now, the voting for February's challenge is over, and we have a winner!

After 23 total votes (better participation, but not OMGAWESOME) , the winner for the February book challenge is:



Kindred (1979)
Written by: Octavia E. Butler
Theme: Black Women Writing Spec Fic
ISBN: 0807083100


Octavia E. Butler is one of my favorites. The first book of hers I read was Wild Seed, and the day I finished it was the day I heard she'd passed away (like, she'd passed away THAT DAY or the day before or something like that). Since then, I've collected quite a few of her books, and I've slowly making my way through reading them. I'm more than happy to get Kindred under my belt, and if you've never read Butler before, you're in for a treat. Butler writers science fiction that's considered "soft" because it's social SF and therefore full of commentary, and trust me, this African-American writer has PLENTY to comment about. Butler is a MUST in the genre. Trust me.

Who can participate?

Anyone who's interested in the book. You don't have to have an LJ to participate in the challenge. Just read the book sometime between now and the month of February and then feel free to engage in discussion at the end of the month. Or, if you have a book blog of your own, post your review there and provide me with a link in mine. :) For your sake, I'll hold off posting my review until the end of the month so no one feels rushed to finish the book. I want people to read at their own speed and to enjoy themselves.

And as always, feel free to talk about the book challenge and encourage others to read what you are. After all, the more the merrier!

When do I participate?

Any time between NOW and February 28th. As long as you read the selection within this particular time frame, you've participated. This way, if you're a slower reader, you've got much more time. :)

How do I participate?

Get your hands on the book. You can buy it new at the store or Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com or at the Book Depository. Your local independent bookseller is good too. :)

However, if money's tight (and don't we all understand that?), you've got some options.

Buy it used: @ Amazon, @ Barnes & Noble, @ Half.com, @ AbeBooks, @ Powell's

Find a book swap: @ LibraryThing (may need to be a member to access this); Other online book communities may also have a swap/giveaway option, so check them out! Also, if you have a copy of this book you don't mind passing along, comment TO THIS POST so people can get in touch with you!

Or go to your local library. Don't be afraid to ask your local librarian about interlibrary loan. Or if you're really brave, and/or have a good relationship with the librarian, see if they'll order a copy for the library. :)

Okay, okay, okay! But what about NEXT'S month's challenge? Taking suggestions for that?

I have a VERY special challenge in mind for March, so no suggestions are needed. Curious? Well, you're just going to have to wait until JANUARY for the poll. :) Until then, read the current challenges and join in the discussions! :)

So, I may have slept in until 11am this morning (and then only because a phone call woke me up), but I'm finally starting to get my ass back in gear. So far today I have:

1) Finished a pro-bono gift certificate for the BFMS (to be used officially by them, and as a xmas present from me)

2) Scrubbed the shit out of my bathroom

3) Cleaned the living room

4) Applied to a position at Jos. A. Banks

5) Spent at least an hour trying to get through to MD Unemployment, as the website wasn't working

6) Got hold of a human at MD Unemployment, re-started unemployment insurance
(Got told that I'll go back to my old amount/week, thank god, and that every partial claim I make (aka I've earned money) extends the length of my benefits whee)

7) Did most of my xmas shopping online.



Beat that, employed people :P

I'll go ahead and preface the following purchases with this disclaimer: doing research for the January theme of YA Futuristic Fiction made me really excited, so I bought a bunch!

Goodman, Alison: Singing the Dogstar Blues (Amazon): I've just finished reading this puppy (pun intended), so expect a review soon. I'm not sure how I first heard about this book. It could've been tezmilleroz because the author is Australian, or it could've been tcastleb because of the musician aspect to the story. Whoever's responsible, once I saw the cover, I slapped it on a wishlist and forgot about it until AFTER the poll, which is sad, because I think I would've added this title to the poll instead of one of the others. Anyway, yay.

Malley, Gemma: The Declaration (Amazon): I know I can blame tezmilleroz for this one: it's gotten good reviews and it's the first of a series, so if I finish my "required" reading for December, I have a feeling I'll round off the month with this title. Definitely looking forward to it!

Pearson, Mary E.: The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Amazon): I've got the January challenge IN MY HANDS. Do you? Definitely looking forward to this book, and it's tempting to start reading it NOW instead of waiting until January, but I can do it. Also, how do you like the cover art? It's what was used for the hardcover release, and I think I like it better. Certainly, it doesn't make the book like like SF. Or YA for that matter.

Wasserman, Robin: Skinned (Amazon): another I can blame tezmilleroz for, and it's another start of a series. I didn't add this one to our January poll because I thought the story sounded too similar to The Adoration of Jenna Fox; however, I'm still looking forward to reading it. It, too, might end up helping me complete the march to 100. :)

That's it! YA Futuristic Fiction ROCKS!

How should one participate in book clubs?

Okay, so that's a clumsy title for this, but here we go. earthguardian asked me what she should do if the book she voted for in the February Book Challenge wasn't the book selected for reading. This question got me thinking about quite a few things that I wanted to share with all of you.

Ideally, if you want to participate in the book club, you would be reading every selection every month, or at the very least, you'd be giving the selection a shot, even if it's not a genre you're overly interested. After all, I am. Granted, I'm kind of the creator of this club, so I have to, but still: even if you all vote for my least favorite title in the group, I'm going to give that title a shot.

Super-ideally, if the theme of the month interests you, you're going to want to read ALL of the choices regardless of the book club selection. Even I haven't crossed that line yet, but I might come close in February. ;)

However, I know that realistically, not everyone who WANTS to participate in the book club will be able to every month, given time constraints, other priorities, or simple interest in the theme and/or selection.

But the idea of book challenges, for me, has always been to take a book selected by someone else and give it a shot, because even if it's not a title that would've caught my eye on its own, I might find myself in love with the story, the characters, the writing, anything. Or I might find the book doesn't work for me at all. But that's kind of the point of a challenge, to challenge yourself.

However, I'll be the first to admit I approach reading from the POV of a writer: writers are told to read outside of their genre, so even though I'm writing SF, I'm reading other spec fic in the adult and YA sections too (reading YA, aside from it being a kick-ass place to find engaging books, can teach a writer a lot about writing characters younger than themselves). I'm also reading non-fiction and non-spec fic on occasion. Because you can learn from good writing no matter where you find it, and inspiration can come from anywhere. I have my biases, but I'm willing to give just about anything a shot, just to see what I can learn from it.

Obviously, not all of you in the book club approach your reading the same way I do, and that's okay. But I love reading, and I love books, so even if I stopped writing my own fiction right this second, I'd still be reading everything and anything. Personally, I need variety.

So to answer that question: read the selection, and read the book you voted for too. What's it going to hurt, save for perhaps your wallet (if you aren't getting your titles from the library)?

On the flip side, I wonder if offering a selection of four books in which to vote is a bad idea. I mean, sure, you have a say in the book club selection, but if your plan is to ONLY read the book you voted for, isn't that kind of missing the point? Why shouldn't I pull an Oprah and say, "This month's theme is women writing SF, and our selection is THIS." ?

I hesitate to do something like that simply because people tend to be pickier and more critical of "required reading," which is sort of a joke, because this book club isn't exactly a requirement. You participate or you don't. But I wonder if simply selecting a book I know I want to read would have more benefits than finding four that fit a theme that may or may not interest me personally and hoping I get lucky and you vote for a good one. :)

I'd love your thoughts on this. I'm not planning to go all dictator on you any time soon, but I'd like to know how you'd feel about continuing to vote versus me selecting a book out of thin air and surprising you with it.

If you have a question you'd like to see addressed in "Maintenance Monday," just comment!

---

Book Club Selections

December: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
January: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

VOTE!: have you voted for the February Book Club selection yet? Do it now, before it's too late! Details are here.

Book Sale: there's still 89 books to choose from in the book sale, and authors include Charlaine Harris, John Twelve Hawks, David Louis Edelman, Jeanne C. Stein, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Check out all of the details here.

Upcoming Reviews: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and Skin Game by Ava Gray

Currently Reading: Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman

Book Meter: 6 books to go until 100! Honestly, I'm not sure I'm going to make it. Last week was INSANE and it took me WAY to long to read what should've been a fast read. Still, I'll get as close as I can and hope for the best. If you haven't reached 100 yet, how far away are you? Or do you have a different goal for the year?

• 20:31 Started christmas shopping and negotiating with the rents for a new car. #

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Give Up the Ghost (2009)
Written by: Megan Crewe
Genre: YA/Paranormal
Pages: 244 (Hardcover)

This is ridiculously late, and for that, I apologize. :)

If you read the book bag where this book was featured, you know I picked it up because I enjoyed Megan Crewe's guest-blogger stint over at Tor.com. I cited it as an example of how being smart, intelligent, and not an ass can bring people over to your work, even though they may not have been interested otherwise. I know I wasn't. Sure, the cover had caught my eye, but it turned me away too for reasons I'll explain at the end of the post, and the premise itself never really grabbed me. So for Crewe's features on Tor.com to win me over, that's saying something (for those of you wondering what she wrote about, it mainly focused on how our psychology effects the way we read and why we like what we do). So to "reward" the author for being such a smart, interesting blogger, I picked up her book. And read it in, like, a single day.

The premise: from BN.com: Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad—and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance . . .

Review style: expect spoilers, simply because it's a short book and the things I want to talk about are directly related to the more spoilerific aspects of the book. If you want to remain clean, just skip to the "My Rating" section of the review.

( GIVE UP THE GHOST: spoilers )


My Rating

Worth the Cash: which isn't bad for a hardcover. Crewe has a tendency to twist expectations a bit, and every time I thought something major was resolved in the book, Crewe turned that resolution n its head and let it lead into more interesting territory. It's a good story for anyone who's ever felt out of place, especially in high school, because Cass's story is about not just finding her place (and trust me when I say it's NOT about finding her place in the normative social cliques), but about Cass finding a way to interact with the real world again, instead of just the world of ghosts. I personally would like to see Cass's story continue, because while she grows and changes in this book, I feel like it's time for her to make a change in her world, and her ability to interact with ghosts is just the way to do it. This is an incredibly fast, fast read. I finished it in less than a day, and I'll be very happy to pick up Crewe's next offering, whatever it might be. As a writer, Crewe shows a lot of promise, so it'll be exciting to see what she does next.

Cover Commentary: here's the thing: it's a great cover. The coloring is awesome, and it's a cool and appropriate image to have a ghost whispering in Cass's ear (the back cover has a ghost boy leaning against the lockers, also appropriate). However, I just don't like it. It's too bright, colorful, cheerful, and PRETTY, and that just doesn't fit the book at all. Cass is SMILING on the cover, for goodness's sakes, and unless that's a devious smile because she's gotten some good dirt on someone, it just doesn't fit. That said, this is most obviously my opinion, and I feel the cover works well, but it just doesn't speak to me personally. I do like the cover model they picked for Cass, though I tend to prefer those cropped faces/heads that so many people complain about, as it allows me to imagine the protagonist as I'd like. :) Fortunately, the model fit the description of Cass quite nicely.

Next up: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

I've actually been pondering this theme for a while, and rather than going the obvious route for February and choosing Romance (and therefore annoying all you singles in the crowd), I decided to "riff" off Black History Month instead. I think that's fair. :)



The theme: Black Women Writing Spec Fic

Black History Month aside, these are books that, if I don't already own (I own 3 out of 4 of them, but I'm not telling you which ones are which!), I've been interested in for a while. The sad truth is I've just never gotten around to reading them. So here's an opportunity to get at least one of these under my belt, and introduce you to authors/books you may not have heard of yet. Sometimes it seems that unless you're writing urban fantasy, women writing spec fic feel a little scarce (sometimes, not always). Now couple that feeling of scarcity with being an author of color, and that's quite a combination! Aside from Butler, which of these authors have you seen on the shelves, let alone heard of?

Go on, take a look. :)

Octavia E. Butler: Kindred
L. Timmel Duchamp: Alanya to Alanya
Nalo Hopkinson: The Salt Roads
Carole McDonnell: Wind Follower

Remember, pick the book that interests you the most. Even if this isn't your genre of choice, the idea is to challenge yourself. Read something new. You never know, you might like it. :)

Know what you want to read? Then it's time to vote!

Poll #1496959 February Challenge
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 23

Which of the following would you most like to read for the month of February?

Please note, I will not vote unless it is to break a tie.

You've got until midnight, Wednesday December 16th to make your decision. Vote for the book that YOU want to read the most, and if you're torn, tough. You gotta pick one. :) If you've already read ALL of the books, pick the one you'd most like to re-read. If you're not participating, then maybe next month will bring something more to your liking. :)

I'll announce the official winner on December 17th, so don't pick up your copy (whether you buy or borrow) until I make it official. Unless, of course, all of these books are so appealing to you that you must have them all. In that case, have fun and start reading! :)