Thursday, June 19, 2008
Book talk
Did you know my sister has a blog? It is the delicious, summery, fruity cocktail of the internets. Please, visit and encourage her to write more, because it makes me laugh (and wish we lived closer, sigh).
Books, yo!
The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
Ah, Dashiell, you really know how to confuse me with multiple characters, anonymous cities, and double-crossers. But fun! Everything is speakeasy sleazy. (Speakeasy Sleazy is going to be the name of my band of chipper girls who who sing songs in ABCB rhyme.) Anyway, there are lots of broads and bad guys. Good stuff.
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
1) More apostrophes in the title than any other book you'll read this year.
2) Doesn't Brock Clarke sound like the name of a 1950s-era quarterback?
3) There is little actual guidance in the arts of arson in this book.
4) I wanted to like this more than I did.
5) The main character was goofy and quirky. This could hypothetically indicate an original character. In execution, though, this person is tiresome and unaware of basic social norms. I can find that at work. I don't need it in my novels.
Buddies by Barbara Park
An oldie and a goodie. The story of a somewhat dorky girl, Dinah, who goes to camp and decides to fit in with the cool girls, only to be shadowed by Fern Wadley. Fern Wadley. (What a great name, right?) Fern picks her teeth with barrettes and hangs on to Dinah's shirt tail. Literally. The dilemma of how to shake someone unpleasant without being unpleasant oneself is rarely this funny in real life.
Books, yo!
The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
Ah, Dashiell, you really know how to confuse me with multiple characters, anonymous cities, and double-crossers. But fun! Everything is speakeasy sleazy. (Speakeasy Sleazy is going to be the name of my band of chipper girls who who sing songs in ABCB rhyme.) Anyway, there are lots of broads and bad guys. Good stuff.
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
1) More apostrophes in the title than any other book you'll read this year.
2) Doesn't Brock Clarke sound like the name of a 1950s-era quarterback?
3) There is little actual guidance in the arts of arson in this book.
4) I wanted to like this more than I did.
5) The main character was goofy and quirky. This could hypothetically indicate an original character. In execution, though, this person is tiresome and unaware of basic social norms. I can find that at work. I don't need it in my novels.
Buddies by Barbara Park
An oldie and a goodie. The story of a somewhat dorky girl, Dinah, who goes to camp and decides to fit in with the cool girls, only to be shadowed by Fern Wadley. Fern Wadley. (What a great name, right?) Fern picks her teeth with barrettes and hangs on to Dinah's shirt tail. Literally. The dilemma of how to shake someone unpleasant without being unpleasant oneself is rarely this funny in real life.
Comments:
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I HATED Arsonist's Guide. Like, violently HATED. It makes me mad just thinking about the time I wasted reading it!
Aw...you gave me a shout out. I totally remember that Buddies book. It's hardcover right?
I'm beginning to feel the need to re-read Just as Long as We're Together by Lady Judy. If not now then for sure before school starts. It's a good start of school book.
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I'm beginning to feel the need to re-read Just as Long as We're Together by Lady Judy. If not now then for sure before school starts. It's a good start of school book.
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