Review-a-thon

Well! The notable books discussions for YA and Children are all over, so I'm onto reading ADULT LITERATURE! And how! Not only is the language archaic, but my, my, my Moll Flandersis a racy read! I'm reading it for Knit the Classics, and am enjoying it so far, but I must admit that it reads a bit like some lady just prattling at you, and sometimes, I tune her out and then later realize that I have no idea what happened in the previous 5 pages and need to go back. Oh well.

But, here is the last of the kiddie books I read:

Saffy's Angel

Indigo's Star

Permanent Rose






All by Hilary McKay, these are the stories of the Casson family, an eccentric bunch of kids with an artist mum (who paints and sleeps and "escapes from life" in the garden shed) and a REAL ARTIST father, who escapes from family life and obligations into his posh London studio and apartment. There are 4 kids: Caddy, Saffron (Saffy), Indigo, and Rose, all named for the colors on a paint chart... except for Saffy (Who, as we find out early in the first book, it turns out, is not really a sibling, but rather an orphaned cousin). They have crazy mad adventures and a good sense of family and togetherness, but the amount they're allowed to get away with (Rose paints large murals on all the walls, for instance) and the frank discussion on adultry, divorce, and hedges around sex (like when they try and find out who Saffy's father is) might make some parents a bit squemy, unfortunately. They do have a very British sensibility. I love love love love these books and am anxiously awaiting the release of Caddy Ever After which Amazon is slating for a June 6 release. CAN NOT WAIT!!!!

The Scarecrow and His Servant Philp Pullman

Yeah... I really didn't like this one. I mean, it was well-written, but I just didn't get into the story. If I were a kid, I would have LOVED this book, but it didn't hold the same appeal as a grown-up (not that I'm one of those either, but you know...) I will fully disclose that all the other librarians at the table loved it and thought it was a fantastic original fairy tale. I was just "meh". Basically, a scarecrow gets hit by lightening and comes to life and wants to go home again and enlists a young boy as his servant and they meet brigands, actors, soldiers, and lots of birds. A mad adventure that I just didn't get into.

Son of the Mob : Hollywood Hustle Gordan Korman

Well, you know how much I loved Son of the Mob and this is the sequel. Vince has gone all the way to California for college to escape the um, vending machine business and of course, it follows him out to the coast. Nothing more spectacular than the first, but if you liked the first one, this one's fun!!!!

Amazing Grace Megan Shull

This is just a fun, sweet, teen chick lit novel. Grace Kinkaid is a young tennis superstar who decides that she's had enough and drops out of the game and her multi-million dollar endorsements to go live with her "aunt" on a small island in Alaska, where she learns how to be a normal kid. Well done and not too deep, I really liked this one.


Also, I just went ahead and ordered Bhangra Babes (I know you were on the edge of your seat, waiting for that one!). I also got ordered Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers in the new paperback version, mainly because I realized that if my books don't match, then I can make them really not match and just get the hardcover of Startled by His Furry Shorts which comes out next week and I'm all excited. I also see that they're rereleasing all the paperbacks with the new covers. Part of my really really wants to replace the copies I have with the new ones, and then they'll all match, but even I'm not going to actually do it, because that's money that could be spent on NEW books, but hey. If I had that type of money to throw around... but I don't, so whatever.

Also, I'm really enjoying the new Nancy Drewgraphic novels. They're not good at all, but I really like them. I also checked out old school Nancy Drewbecause I've never read any and just want to see how it compares.