Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me, edited by Ben Karlin, Written and read by Stephen Colbert, Will Forte, Tom McCarthy, Andy Richter....


I had to interlibrary loan this when I noticed that Nick Hornby wrote the introduction. It had to be good, right? And, oh, was it! I giggled on the interstate. I chuckled in the parking lot. And I even laughed until I cried. Seriously, I wish I could write like this! These men cracked me up!

Basically, each essay is about a man being dumped. But, oh, the lessons they learned! I can't even remember my favorite. I know Colbert's was funny because he claimed his wife edited the info about his past girlfriend so there are a lot of bleeps and noises. Funny! I plan on recommending this one to a lot of men in my life. It's just that kind of book.

Friday, November 14, 2008

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson & the Olympians Book Three, Read by Jesse Bernstein


I love the Percy Jackson books. I know, I know, they are supposedly written for kids, but my high school students like these, too. So it isn't just me! Riordan has a way of mixing the Greek myths with the modern world and making me love it!

Percy is really in trouble this time. The monsters and stirring and trying to fulfill the prophecy. A major god's child is supposed to overthrow the world. Is it Percy, the son of Poseidon? Or Thalia, the daughter of Zeus? Or (oh no!) is there another child of the Big Three out there somewhere?

Percy's friend Annabeth is kidnapped and Percy and his friends set out to rescue her. They travel to the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, and everywhere in between trying to find Annabeth and stop the curse. The evil Luke is back with his cruiseship full of mosters and Atlas shrugs off the weight of the sky to be evil, too.

The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti


2009 Alex Award Winner!

Have you ever read anything by Charles Dickens? If so, you can't help but think of Dickensian England as you read this adult novel by first time novelist Hannah Tinti.

Ren is an orphan and dreams of finding out who his family is. But then Benjamin Nab claims him as his brother and Ren is thrust into a world of crime and deceit. Nab is a thief and Ren falls quickly into his footsteps. But, remember, I said Dickens? The world is dark, dreary, and full of dangerous factories with working children. There's a dwarf forced to live on rooftops to escape bullying and a giant coerced into killing for a living. There's a woman who yells because she is deaf and people who dig up dead bodies for science. Doctors are amputating and children are stealing to prevent hunger. Add in the nasty Top Hats who maim and kill for their boss McGinty and you've got quite a story.

Did I like it? I'm not sure. And I couldn't sell it to my book club members. It's dark and dreary and very violent at times. But at least the ending is uplifting.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Yummy Mummy by Polly Williams, Read by Rosalyn Landor


Sometimes adults need fun books, too, and this was one of mine! I was in the mood for some good adult chick lit, so I picked up this audiobook at my local public library. And it fulfilled my need! First of all, the narrator had a wonderful British accent--yay! Second of all, the book was about a thirtysomething woman who had one child--yay!

Amy has a live-in boyfriend and she isn't sure if he's the right one for her. In fact, she thinks he cheated while she was pregnant. But Amy meets Alice, a "yummy mummy" who is always perfectly made up in Jimmy Choos and manicured nails. Alice helps Amy redo herself--dayspa, new clothes, etc. And, whoa, that Pilates instructor helps Amy with feeling needed, too. But Amy isn't sure about whether her baby's father is the right one. And things get confusing.

Monday, November 3, 2008

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry


Towner Whitney is one confused woman. She's back in town because her grandmother has disappeared. Towner left back when she was 17 because she was in a mental institution. She admits at the beginning that she is a liar and an unreliable narrator, which is oh so true! Her family lives in Salem (with a history of witches) and all the women in the family do have some type of power. They are lace readers (hence the title) and can read the future. Towner is also pretty good about reading minds, also. Throughout the book, you're trying to figure out what caused Towner to flip out when she was a teenager. This adult novel has a little bit of everything--mystery, suspense, murder (maybe), abuse, love, and wild dogs.