2014

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

House of Glass The Opposite of Maybe 16 Things I Thought Were True

House of Glass by Sophie Littlefield: Done! A story of a home invasion that quickly spirals out of control, House of Glass focuses on the family whose world is turned upside down and how their relationships and secrets factor into the dangerous situation they face. Shelleyrae at Book’d Out wrote a spot-on review of this book; you can see it here.

The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson. Done! My review is here.

16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler: Done! My author Q&A, review, and blog tour post can be found here.

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths The kiddo and I are finished D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths this week, and loved it! A great book to share, one that we each enjoyed. Finally, a successful book pick for the two of us!

Fresh Catch:

One library book:

Grasshopper Jungle

Two books I just had to buy before that Amazon gift card burned a hole in my pocket:

Sailor Twain: Or: The Mermaid in the Hudson We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

(PS – I’ve read Sailor Twain already, but didn’t own a copy — and now that it’s out in paperback, just couldn’t resist!)

And the next volume in one of my ongoing series… which I really, seriously need to get caught up on one of these days:

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

Sunrise (Ashfall, #3) Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8)

I’m so excited to read Sunrise by Mike Mullin, book three in the terrific trilogy that starts with Ashfall and Ashen Winter. My blog tour post will be up on March 15th — be sure to check it out!

I’m also practically bouncing off the walls waiting for the new Mercy Thompson book to arrive this week! Night Broken by Patricia Briggs will be released this Tuesday, and this will be a (as they call it in my son’s school) DEAR book for me — “drop everything and read”! Can’t wait.

And also in the works:

Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising Sequence) Next up for the kiddo and me: We’re just starting Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon continues! Coming up this week: Chapters 39 – 43. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

9Mar2014

Book Review: The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Book Review: The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

Rosie and Jonathan are “that” couple — you know, the ones whose lives are massively entertaining to their friends because they just never seem to do things the normal way. While all the rest of their friends were busy getting married, buying houses, and having kids, Rosie and Jonathan stuck to their free-spirited artistic ways, keeping things loose, not needing the standard-issue adult lives that everyone else has. Their escapades become the stuff of legends — when the circle of friends gets together for drinks, nothing makes the crowd laugh more than reminiscing over Rosie and Jonathan stories and the crazy shenanigans that ensue.

But at age 44 and after 15 years together, Rosie isn’t so sure that the free and easy life is really a choice any more — maybe it’s just a mask for an inability to grow up? Rosie was a poet and Jonathan a potter when they met, but now Rosie mixes in teaching community college ESL classes with her writing, and Jonathan has completely given up pottery-making for his newest obsession, collecting antique teacups. (Seriously, teacups.) When Jonathan is contacted by another collector and offered the opportunity to partner on a new teacup museum (seriously, a teacup museum), he’s ready to uproot their lives in Connecticut and move to San Diego in pursuit of his dream… and expects Rosie to share the excitement.

It’s not quite so clear for Rosie, though. For starters, her eccentric, cranky grandmother. Soapie is eighty-eight, falls down a lot, and seems to be losing her edge. Soapie raised Rosie since the age of three, when Rosie’s mother died in a freak accident. Rosie can’t stop worrying about Soapie — even though Soapie insists she’s fine and wishes Rosie would stop fussing. Finally, Jonathan convinces Rosie to move to San Diego, and despite years in agreement that they didn’t need to get married like everyone else, he even proposes and gets Rosie to believe things can work. But then, a last-minute teacup emergency (seriously, a teacup emergency!) means the cancellation of wedding plans, and Rosie finally snaps, sending Jonathan off to San Diego on his own, and moves back into Soapie’s large house, envisioning some quiet time to lick her wounds and act as her grandmother’s caretaker.

And Rosie really is wounded, despairing over what her life amounts to:

If a film crew followed her around, what would they see? Nothing. She might as well be dying, for all she’s accomplished. She never had a family, she never owned a house, she never even bought a brand-new car, had a disastrous love affair with an inappropriate person, or even dyed her hair some ghastly shade of red. How does this happen, that you get to be forty-four and you don’t have anything — not even an ill-advised tattoo — to show for it?

The hitch in Rosie’s short-term plan is that Soapie doesn’t really need her. There’s a charming gardener named Tony who’s already moved in and is doing a great job of keeping Soapie on her feet and looked after, and Soapie’s long-time love George is by her side every evening, drinking and dancing and being a perfect courtly (and, as Soapie puts it, “ardent”) suitor (after visiting his wife Louise, suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, each afternoon at the nursing home). Before long, this odd foursome has formed a family unit of sorts, and Rosie’s eyes are opened to new and fresh possibilities.

Oh, and minor detail? What Rosie takes for early menopause turns out to be a very unexpected pregnancy… and Jonathan most adamantly does not want to be a father. And then there’s sweet Tony, who adores pregnant women, babies, children, people in general, and pretty much everything about life. Rosie wants to give Jonathan a chance to redeem himself, to become a part of their baby’s life, and to prove his commitment to their relationship — but at what cost? Why is Rosie the one who always has to give things up? Soapie insists that Rosie needs to find her “joie de vivre” — and just maybe, the baby, the new crazy family she’s found, and even Tony can help her find that spark again, but is it the right path for her?

The Opposite of Maybe is a refreshingly charming look at adult life and adult dilemmas. Rosie is a terrific character: a woman who’s spent far too long accepting that her life is the way it should be, rather than questioning whether it’s enough. She’s smart and funny, full of passion, and when she finally gets a backbone, she’s actually quite remarkable. Tony is just a big sweetie — younger than Rosie, sexy (of course), struggling to establish a routine with his 5-year-old son in the wake of a divorce, and one lovely, loving guy. Soapie, too, is a treat, verging perhaps on the stereotype of the crazy, tough old lady with a heart of gold, but with her own secrets and a zest for life that is undiminished by the insults of old age and failing health.

It’s lovely to see the shifting definitions of family as portrayed in The Opposite of Maybe. Clearly, a blood tie is not the be-all and end-all. Jonathan may be the baby’s biological father, but he’s so clearly not daddy material. As Soapie, George, Rosie, and Tony open their home to all the friends and strays who populate their lives, they’re surrounded by chaos, fun, and connections that help to root Rosie more firmly in their Connecticut home.

The writing is clever and quirky, and I really got a kick out of the dialogue, particularly between Rosie and Tony, who make each other laugh even while driving each other crazy. (Tony has the habit of misusing words and mangling the English language, which after a while one suspects is done deliberately just to get a rise out of English-teacher Rosie).

The author portrays the indignities of being pregnant at 44 with both compassion and hilarity: In one scene, Rosie is befriended by a nice young mother and taken to see the local playground where the mommies congregate. When she tells her new friend her age, the woman replies, “Wow, that is seriously so brave of you! Forty-four! I just hope I’m still having sex when I’m that age!” Thud. Not only that, but she also kindly adds as she’s leaving, “This is like the place where everybody comes between naps. Sometimes the grandmothers come, too, ha ha! You’ll like them.”

My only quibble with The Opposite of Maybe is the character of Jonathan. He’s a hapless, well-meaning guy who can’t see beyond the end of his own nose (or his teacups) — and after a while, I simply could not see why Rosie would persist in trying to make things work with him. Even when he commits to trying to be the man Rosie needs, he’s just so clearly NOT, and Rosie is far too smart to go along for as long as she does, thinking that Jonathan can change and that the life she wants is possible with him. It’s a staple of romantic fiction that the female lead doesn’t see what’s so obvious to the reader — the dull guy who needs convincing is just NEVER Mr. Right in this kind of story, and the wrong-on-paper guy with the heart of gold usually is oh-so-right. Given that, the outcome of the love story here is all too certain from the get-go. Jonathan just isn’t the guy for Rosie, and keeping him in the role of the primary man in her life feels like an artificial means of stretching out the romantic complications and uncertainties.

Still, I found The Opposite of Maybe a completely delightful and engaging read. There are moments of real sorrow and emotion, as well as humor and joy that feel deserved and organic. Fast-paced and entertaining, I gobbled this book up in about 24 hours, and just didn’t want to put it down before the end. If you enjoy reading about flawed but lovable adults facing real-life choices, with writing that’s zippy and full of fun, don’t miss The Opposite of Maybe.

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: The Opposite of Maybe
Author: Maddie Dawson
Publisher: Broadway Books
Publication date: April 8, 2014
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Adult contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of Broadway Books via NetGalley

8Mar2014

TV Time: The Americans

Posted in Pop Culture by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Last week, I wrote a post called Stuff I Love: TV Time!, in which I talked about how good TV shows can be as enjoyable for me as a good book — and as a reader, what are the elements I need in a TV show in order to really get into it.

And now it’s time to get more specific: Every so often, I think I’ll wander away from my book-related posts and focus instead on a TV show that I’m obsessing over.

Up first: The Americans, now back for its second season on FX.

According to the FX website:

The Americans is a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. The arranged marriage of Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), who have two children – 14-year-old Paige (Holly Taylor) and 11-year-old Henry (Keidrich Sellati), who know nothing about their parents’ true identity – grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of spies and informants under their control. Their neighbor, FBI Agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) has already come dangerously close to discovering their secret, but was thwarted by Nina (Annet Mahendru), his KGB mole and paramour. Torn between his wife Sandra (Susan Misner) and his deepening feelings for Nina, Stan is completely unaware that the beautiful Russian is actually a double agent, reporting on him to the KGB. Philip has been more successful handling his mole within the FBI, Martha (Alison Wright), assistant to Stan’s boss, Special Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas). Romancing Martha under the guise of one of his cover identities, an FBI bureaucrat named Clark, Philip has secured her unquestioning loyalty…by marrying her. Meanwhile, in the Jennings’ house, Paige has become increasingly suspicious that her parents are hiding something.

Why do I love The Americans?

For starters, it’s unlike anything else on TV right now. While a period drama, it doesn’t play the 1980s for laughs. Instead, it perfectly captures the Cold War paranoia of the Reagan era, and it’s fascinating to watch the spy games play out in a low-tech world, with hand-written codes, dead drops and radio transmissions… and oh, the wigs!

Philip and Elizabeth live a double life. They’re devoted KGB agents who believe in Mother Russia — but they’re also living a happy life in the suburbs with their clueless kids, enjoying their large home, the kids’ school assemblies, racquetball and the daily paper, trips to the mall and family TV nights. As the fake marriage becomes more real, there’s more and more at stake for the family, and their safety and survival is constantly on the line.

There’s an odd morality at play in Philip and Elizabeth’s marriage. The marriage itself is an assignment, albeit one that now feels real to them. At the same time, in practically every episode, we see Philip and Elizabeth using whatever means necessary, including all sorts of sexual encounters, to get what they need from their web of informants and contacts.

Okay, and the wigs! Both routinely don disguises, but Philip’s wigs became an almost obsession for fans during the show’s first season. Would they stay on? How do they stay on? How do they stay on while he’s doing THAT? Really hilarious — and addressed nicely in the first episode of the 2nd season during a scene in which there was actual wig peril. Oh my.

The Americans has all of my must-haves for TV: Well-defined, complex characters; a plot that moves forward and establishes the players, the stakes, and the risks; a setting that’s captivating — and different from the run-of-the mill; a premise that’s unique and layered; and performances that are pitch-perfect, week after week.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out this promo for season 1:

If nothing else, try to check out the first episode of season 1, which is truly spectacular. A super-sized 90-minute episode, it hits all the right notes and perfectly establishes the tensions in the family/espionage setting. Plus, bonus points for a truly stellar soundtrack, anchored by an unforgettable usage of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk”. Trust me on this one — you’ve got to see it!

Do you watch The Americans? What do you think of season 2 so far? Share your thoughts in the comments!

7Mar2014

It Was Fine.

Posted in Bookish Thoughts by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How often does this happen to you?

You read a book. And it was fine. And you find you have pretty much nothing to say about it.

That’s me right now. I read a perfectly decent book this week. Nothing particularly irritated me. There were no nonsensical plot developments or characters acting — ummm — out of character.

But also. Nothing really jumped out at me. It held my attention, but never engaged my emotions. Something would happen, and I’d think, “Oh, I see why that happened.” I wasn’t bored… but I was never excited either.

So, yeah. It was fine.

When I love a book, I can (and do) go on and on about all the reasons why. I can pick apart all of the things that made the book special, find lots of quotes to highlight great writing, name the characters who were especially amazing or infuriating or puzzling or inspiring. Believe me, if a book is terrific, I will absolutely say so. Probably at length.

Likewise, if I really dislike a book, I’m not shy about saying so, and saying why. If anything, if all I have are negative comments, I’ll often decide not to write a review at all, since I find I’m a happier person in general when I try to stick to writing about books that make me happy. Unless I feel cheated or misled or manipulated, and then I’ll probably rant about it for a while.

But those middle of the road books? Hard.

I wish the author well, and I hope the book finds its audience. But I can’t say I thought it was amazing, and I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. On the other hand, I’m sure there are people it’ll appeal to, and I wouldn’t say not to read it either.

It was fine. I read it, I wanted to see what happened, I stuck with it to the end, and it was fine.

What do you do with your “fine” books? Do you write about them anyway? Keep it short and simple? Or just ignore and move on?

6Mar2014

Blog Tour, Author Q&A, & Review: 16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Thank you, Sourcebooks, for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour celebrating the release of 16 Things I Thought Were True!

16 Things I Thought Were True
By Janet Gurtler
Sourcebooks Fire
Release date: March 4, 2014

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan’s mom gets sick, it’s hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn’t as far away as she thought…

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan’s getting to know the real Adam, and he’s actually pretty sweet…in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?

5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She’s not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend…and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can’t imagine living without.

I’m thrilled to be participating in the blog tour for this terrific young adult novel! Author Janet Gurtler was kind enough to play along for a brief Q&A:

Did you have an “Amy” in your life as a teen?

I didn’t really have an Amy in my life as a teen, but I met an Amy when I was traveling a while ago. She was this great kid, a teen girl, who had no filter and she was so adorable and cracked me up and I knew I had to fictionalize her. Amy was really fun to write.

What can you tell us about your best friend from your teen years? How did you meet? What qualities made him/her so special?
Well, I moved in grade 7 and then again in grade 11 so I had a few different best friends. My best friend in high school was a girl named Rosalyn. We met at high school, but became close when we started working together (kind of like Amy and Morgan) We used to laugh. Oh how we could laugh. We were both kind of insecure dorky kids who wanted to be much more popular than we were. We had unrequited crushes on boys together too. I mostly loved her loyalty and the way we could gab for hours about anything. And the laughing!

Morgan spends so much of this book glued to her phone and tracking her Twitter followers. Do you think teens in earlier generations had anything equivalent? Did you?

Oh man, if I was a teen in today’s world I would have LOVED social media. I was really quite shy, though I tried hard to hide it and I think it’s much easier to be a little bolder online. I don’t really feel like I had anything like that. I was a teen in the 80’s so that was before cell phones were even around!!!

What was your inspiration for 16 Things?
Mainly I wanted to tell the story of a girl who was finding more comfort from her online world than the real world. I wanted to show how being overexposed online could send someone into hiding, and ironically one of the best places to hide….is online.

Did you always know you wanted to write? How did you get started?
I’ve loved writing since I was in the sixth grade. It’s always been my passion and the way I love to express myself. I started writing books after my son was born. I’d always wanted to do that (write a book) and I did it while he napped. And then I was hooked. He’s 13 now!

What advice would you give to girls today who are interested in writing?

Keep writing! Read a lot and write a lot. Write stories, and journals and letters and whatever else you want to write. And the reading. That’s important too, because it teaches you what resonates with you and what you might feel best about writing.

What are you working on now? What will we see next from you?

I am currently writing my sixth Sourcebooks Fire book! It’s called THE TRUTH ABOUT US. It’s more of a YA romance, about a girl and a boy she’s forbidden to be with. She comes from a family with money and is forced to work at a soup kitchen for the summer (for her bad behavior) and he is a guest at the soup kitchen. Of course, no one wants them to be together.

And just for fun: If you were going on a road trip and you were in charge of snacks, what are the must-haves?

Caramel popcorn. Diet coke. And chewing gum. And then we’re good to go!!!!

Thank you, Janet, for taking the time to answer my questions!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

My thoughts:

16 Things I Thought Were True is a funny, engaging young adult novel that throws in a wrenching twist toward the end that was a real punch in the guts for me. A book that starts out with a girl obsessing over her number of Twitter followers while cringing at the thought of the awful viral video her friend posted — of her dancing in her underwear — sounds pretty light and fluffy, doesn’t it?

As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover… or in this case, by its use of hashtags.

Morgan’s story seems straightforward: As her mother prepares for heart surgery, she finally reveals to Morgan the name of her biological father, whom Morgan believes to have abandoned her before she was even born. Meanwhile, Morgan is deeply embarrassed by her online notoriety, and faces social ostracism by the teens she works with at the amusement park over summer break. But two of her coworkers seem to see more in her than she does herself: Bubbly, quirky Amy, who talks non-stop and seems to never get embarrassed about anything, and nerdy cute Adam, a manager at work who’s the same age as Morgan… and who’s actually kinda hot once she takes a closer look.

With Amy and Adam pushing and pulling, Morgan puts into motion a plan to find her bio-dad and confront him for walking out on her all those years ago. Thus ensues an epic road trip, filled with junk food, a flat tire, whales, scary cows, and sweet old ladies who (inexplicably) are staying at the same hostel. Amy and Adam push Morgan to rethink the things she always believed, face and share some hard truths, open up a bit, and do the things she’s been afraid to do. Oh, and also? Maybe put down the phone once in a while, stop worrying about her number of followers, and dare to be the kind of person she wants to be in real life, not just with her anonymous internet friends.

Amy is probably the loveliest character I’ve encountered in fiction in quite some time. Her constantly chipper, no-filters personality seems potentially annoying at first, but you just can’t help falling in love with her bubbliness and her absolute commitment to embracing everything life throws in her path. Don’t we all wish we had a friend like Amy? She’s simply adorable. Adam ends up being quite a great guy as well, not just in terms of boyfriend-worthiness, but also as a decent person, a caring individual, and a devoted friend.

The ending seemed to come out of nowhere and totally caught me by surprise. Wow. I won’t say more about it, except that it’s powerful and unforgettable.

What I initially thought might be just a teen romp with cautionary warnings about living life online ends up being a story with a more serious message about true friendship, being honest with yourself and with others, and looking beyond the surface to find the real value of the people in your life. I truly enjoyed Morgan’s journey throughout 16 Things I Thought Were True, and look forward to reading more by this author.

____________________________________________

About the Author:

Janet Gurtler lives in Calgary Alberta, near the Canadian Rockies, with her husband and son and a chubby Chihuahua named Bruce. She does not live in an Igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot. (From the author’s website: http://www.janet-gurtler.com)

Excuse the Interruption!

Bookshelf Fantasies’ regularly scheduled features — Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday — are taking a teeny break this week thanks to a deluge of real life craziness. How dare real life intrude on my reading and blogging???

Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday will return next week. Meanwhile, please find comfort in kitties and rainbows!

4Mar2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

There’s nothing like a Wednesday for thinking about the books we want to read! My Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday post is linking up with two fabulous book memes, Wishlist Wednesday (hosted by Pen to Paper) and Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).

My most wished-for book this week is:

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
(Release date: April 1, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

In the spirit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Gabrielle Zevin’s enchanting novel is a love letter to the world of books-and booksellers-that changes our lives by giving us the stories that open our hearts and enlighten our minds.

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

Okay, this book sounds like it’s totally full of win. Because a) Gabrielle Zevin and b) bookstore. Sold! Seriously, I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by this author so far, and what could be better than a book about books, book lovers, and book sellers?

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

3Mar2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Popular Authors I’ve Never Read

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week.

Here is my list of authors whose works I’d really like to read… but for whatever reason, it hasn’t happened yet:

– Patrick Rothfuss: I’m really looking forward to reading his Kingkiller Chronicles series — but in keeping with my reading resolutions, I’m not going to start these books until I know that book #3 has a release date scheduled.

– Kristin Cashore: I have all of the Graceling Realm books on my shelf… but just haven’t gotten around to them yet.

– Agatha Christie: I always thought I should give her books a try.

– Alexander McCall Smith: I’d like to try his books — either the #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series or his 44 Scotland Street books.

– Ned Vizzini: I’ve been wanting to read It’s Kind of A Funny Story, although I think I’ve hesitated lately just because it’s so sad to read a book by a talented writer, knowing his life was cut short.

– John Corey Whaley: Still haven’t read Where Things Come Back, winner of the 2012 Printz Award.

– Paolo Bacigalupi: I’m under the impression that I’ll love this writer, based on all the great things I’ve heard about Ship Breaker and The Windup Girl.

– China Mieville: I have a friend who keeps insisting that I’ll love China Mieville if I give him a try… but frankly, I feel intimidated every time I think about starting one of his books. Sigh.

And here’s where I’m interrupting my top 10 list… because in my first draft, the rest of this post ended up sounding super negative and cranky, all about authors whose books I didn’ want to read… and frankly, it sounded kind of obnoxious. And who needs that?

So instead, I’ll use the rest of my TTT energy for going to a happy place… oh, like this, for example:

(And if that video doesn’t work, you can also see it here: http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/03/02/pharrell-happy-oscars-performance/)

Which popular authors have you not read yet… but really, really want to? Let’s keep it upbeat, folks — I’m in my happy place right now!

Share your links, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out our regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday. Happy reading!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

3Mar2014

The Monday Agenda 3/3/2014

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

City of Jasmine The Husband's Secret 16 Things I Thought Were True

City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn: Done! My review is here.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. Done! My review is here.

16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler: Done! Watch for my blog tour feature later this week…

Fresh Catch:

Just a few new books on my Kindle, one bought, two received as ARCs:

Somewhere in France: A Novel of the Great War The Here and Now The Daring Ladies of Lowell

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

House of Glass The Opposite of Maybe The Mapmaker's Daughter

It looks like this will be an adult fiction week, starting with:

House of Glass by Sophie Littlefield: I meant to read this one last week, but somehow I ran out of time. (Ummm, too much TV, perhaps?)

After that:

The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

The Mapmaker’s Daughter by Laurel Corona

And also in the works:

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths My kiddo and I are still reading D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths each night before bed, and it’s loads of fun. I feel like I’m reliving my childhood, and kiddo is really enjoying the crazy shenanigans of the gods. Finally, a win in the book arena for mom!

And my ongoing project:

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon continues! Coming up this week: Chapters 34 – 38. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

2Mar2014

Stuff I Love: TV Time!

Posted in Pop Culture by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I’m a reader, but I do love me a good TV show.

Am I excited when my favorite shows are on? Yeah, you could say that.

“Good” is, of course, subject to interpretation, but for me, the best TV shows are the ones that give me some of what I get from the best books:

Character must-haves:

Characters who are interesting, smart, and with a purpose.
Development: The best shows, for me, are the ones that show their characters learning, changing, and progressing over time.
Consistency: Nothing worse than a show that suddenly has a character acting completely “out-of-character” for the sake of plot. Ugh. Way to alienate your viewers, show.
Something in their lives besides a love interest. Shows that are only about love triangles are so boring.

Plot must-haves:

Consistency: You can’t ignore events from season 1 or retcon them just because they’re no longer convenient.
Mythology: For shows with mythologies — stick to them! I hate when a show suddenly changes the rules just because they need a new twist.
Stakes: I don’t mean the wooden kind. If we’re supposed to care about the show or its characters, then there has to be something on the line.
Forward motion: I cannot stand shows where, at the end of the season, all of the characters are more or less at the same place or in the same situation that they were at the start.

Other essentials:

Clever dialogue. Quirky is good. Smart is good. Quotability is golden.
Choreography: If there’s action, it should be fun to watch.
Set design, costumes, props: Visually engaging, please.

I’m much more of a drama fan, although I do watch a few comedies here and there. Still, it’s the on-going dramas that catch me, hold me, and bring me back week after week. As with my book preferences, I enjoy shows that keep my brain engaged, that challenge and surprise me, that have an internal logic, and that build each episode on what’s gone before.

I don’t watch crime shows or police procedurals… but then again, I don’t generally read crime novels or read mysteries. (I make more exceptions in my reading life than in my TV life.)

I tend not to read soapy books, and mostly avoid soapy shows as well. (Eye of the beholder, though — my definitions and yours may be nothing alike.)

This past week was a heavy TV-viewing week, as a lot of “my” shows came back after their Olympics hiatus and a few other returned for a new season. I think I had about 8 hours worth of episodes that I *had* to watch last week or risk seeing serious spoilers, and a couple more will be added this coming week. So maybe it’s no wonder that I’m always whining about not having enough time or staying up too late reading every night?

Still, at the end of a busy day of work, family, and getting the kid to do his homework, I like my hour or so of decompression in front of the screen. It soothes me and gives me downtime, gives me a chance to unwind (and eat a bowl of popcorn), and is a good de-stresser before curling up to read.

Sure, if I absolutely had to choose, I’d pick books any time. But why can’t I have both? And while I’m completely justified in telling my kid, who never reads without arm-twisting, “turn off the TV and go read a book!”, nobody around my house can claim that I don’t read enough… even if I am glued to the TV like a total fanatic when my shows are on.

From time to time, you may see me writing about my favorite TV shows… when I’m in the mood for a non-bookish moment or two. So stay tuned… later this week, I’ll tell you about one of my newer favorites and why I love it so much!