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Tuesday, March 01, 2022
Top Ten Tuesday: To All the Books I've Loved Before...
7:11 AM
Feeling listy? Be sure to join in the TTT fun by visiting That Artsy Reader Girl, then making your own list, and hopping around the book blogosphere to share the love. It's a good time, I promise!
Top Ten Authors I Used to Love, But Haven't Checked In With Recently
- in alphabetical order -
1. Piers Anthony—I went through a brief sci-fi/fantasy phase in high school in a futile attempt to impress a boy. SFF has never been my favorite genre, but I did fall in love with Anthony's Incarnation of Immortality series. It's been years since I've read it and occasionally I get the hankering to revisit it just for nostalgia's sake. Now in his late 80s, Anthony is still publishing books. He's had a remarkable career, even if I haven't kept up with it.
2. Mary Higgins Clark—My dad introduced me to Clark's clean, compelling murder mysteries when I was in junior high school and I quickly became a rabid fan. In the ten or so years before Clark's death in 2020, my enthusiasm for her books started to wane. They just didn't hold my attention like they had in the past. Still, I'll always love Clark for those many nights her books kept me up way past my bedtime racing through the pages, desperate to see what was going to happen next.
3. John Grisham—Like Clark, Grisham's books from the 1990s kept me absolutely spellbound. His newer titles just haven't had the same spark for me. I did tackle The Reckoning a couple years ago, but that one was such a disappointment that I haven't picked up a Grisham book since and don't plan to do so again.
4. Stephen King—When I was a teenager, horror was the only genre it was acceptable to be seen reading in public. Horror was cool, so I read a lot of it. King was my go-to guy for spooky stories long after high school. Apparently, I've gotten much wimpier with age because I can't handle his books now. They're just too gory and too disturbing for this old lady with her delicate constitution!
5. Dean Koontz—Like King, Koontz is an author whose books I devoured back in the day. I'm still a fan, even though I haven't read anything of his since Odd Thomas a number of years ago. I really should pick up the next book in the series one of these days.
6. Jodi Picoult—Up until about House Rules in 2010, I inhaled everything Picoult wrote. Her stories sucked me in, kept me turning pages, and made me think. I tuned out about the time she started writing YA novels with her daughter since those didn't interest me. She's published a handful of novels since then that I probably should check out eventually. I'm not rushing, though, which is weird since I used to be such a devoted fan.
7. Christopher Pike—Pike is another author for whom I went absolutely crazy in the 1990s. He was my hands-down favorite, even though he never did answer any of the fan letters I sent him as a teenager! As of a few years ago, he was still writing scary books for teens. I wonder what I would think of his creepy tales now?
8. Ann Rule—I used to read a lot of true crime back in the day. Rule's books are well-researched and interesting, so I flew through a number of them in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These days, I just can't stomach the genre, which is ironic since it's gotten so crazy-popular!
9. John Saul—This is another author I adored during my horror-reading phase. His last novel was published in 2009, but I haven't read him since high school (which was a looonnnggg time ago).
10. Adriana Trigiani—I've long loved Trigiani's warm, Italian-themed women's novels. For some reason, though, I haven't picked up anything by her in about a decade. I really need to check out her newer books as I'm sure I've missed out on some good ones.
There you have it, ten authors I've loved in the past but haven't really kept up with in the present. Have you read any of them? Which authors fit this category for you? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. Please note that I will be out of town from tomorrow until Saturday, so you won't see comments from me until I return. Thanks for your patience.
Happy TTT!
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Middle-Grade Alcott Biography Intimate and Fascinating
7:22 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
I've long been a fan of Little Women, but I'd never known much about its author's personal life except that she was raised by an eccentric father. So, when Candlewick Press offered me a lovely copy of Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott by Liz Rosenberg to review, I jumped at the chance. With its charming middle-grade cover (illustrated by Diana Sudyka, who's best known for her work on the Mysterious Benedict Society books), I figured it would offer a good overview of Alcott's life, written at a level appropriate for children (the book's target audience is readers aged 10-14). I was right about the overview. Rosenberg offers a sweeping, but intimate look at Alcott's experiences as a daughter, a sister, an author, a breadwinner, a Civil War nurse, a suffragette, and more. It focuses, naturally, on her growth as a writer and her path to publication, citing the desperation Louisa felt to earn money for her family, which never had any. Rosenberg also talks about Alcott's most famous novel, Little Women, and how the story echoes the author's own experiences while also presenting a very idealized portrait of the Alcotts' lives.
It's evident from Little Women and other of her stories that Louisa was well acquainted with soldiering through hard times. In fact, because of her father's many oddities, her childhood and young adult years were marked by abject poverty, constant instability, and parental indifference, even neglect. Because she alone seemed to feel the weight of providing financially for her family, Louisa worked feverishly, using almost every penny she made to pay her parents' debts and support her sisters. She also dealt with wild mood swings, described as "high spirits and low moods" (107). Louisa apparently also felt that she, herself, was not worthy of much expenditure, so she sacrificed many of her own wants, needs, and longings in order to fund the lives of those she loved. All of this means that much of the material in Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots is bleak and dark. Rosenberg doesn't shy away from or gloss over these elements, making the book feel like it's most suited to an older audience, despite its juvenile appearance. The author doesn't talk down to her audience (although certain information is repeated more than necessary), which is admirable, but it is also worth noting that this particular biography might be a bit much for younger middle-grade readers. Still, the text is very readable. At 405 pages, it's a hefty tome, but it's engaging enough to make for a rather fast read overall.
Personally, I found this book fascinating. Also, sad and depressing. I came away from the book with new knowledge about Louisa May Alcott and with a fresh appreciation for her literary genius as well as the many ways in which she embraced duty, generosity, humility, and perserverance throughout her life. Because Rosenberg quotes Alcott's more reknown biographers continually throughout Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots, this book does sometimes feel more like a brief compendium than its own, in-depth study (which makes sense given its audience and purpose), so I will definitely be searching out more original sources for continuing my reading on this beloved author. As an overall summary of her life, though, this one works quite well.
(Readalikes: Little Women and other work by Louisa May Alcott)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for some difficult subject matter that is most suited to readers over 13
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots from the generous folks at Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Top Ten Tuesday: Up-and-Comers I'm Looking Forward to Reading
11:27 AM
Today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Dynamic Duos—should be a simple one. Pairings like Frodo and Samwise Gamgee or Sherlock and Holmes come immediately to mind. I figured such well-known duos would be on everyone's lists, though. I didn't want to do the same ole, same ole, but I honestly couldn't think of a creative spin for this one. I got up way too early after this morning after having a nightmare about rushing to board an international flight only to realize I didn't have my passport, so yeah, I think my brain is just mush right now! In an effort to give my poor, tired mind a rest, I'm going to go with an easy TTT topic of my own devising: Top Ten Upcoming New Releases I Want to Read. Although I've already read a number of 2022 up-and-comers, there are a bunch more I'm excited about, so here goes.
Before we get to that, though, be sure to hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give our hostess some love. If you're feeling listy today, join in the TTT fun. It's always a good time.
Top Ten Upcoming New Releases I Want to Read
in order of publication date
1. This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel (out today)—Although Darling Rose Gold was a very meh read for me, I'm still interested in reading this one, Wrobel's sophomore effort. Here's the story: Natalie's worried about her sister, Kit, who hied off to a remote island to join a 6-month program designed to help her become her "Maximized Self." Natalie hasn't heard from Kit since. When Natalie receives a sinister email from the program's leader threatening to reveal a secret Natalie has been keeping from her sister, Natalie heads to the island to rescue her sibling. Turns out, that's a whole lot easier said than done.
2. Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (coming March 15, 2022)—A family-run business, Secret Staircase Construction specializes in building hidden rooms and secret passageways for private clients. Tempest Raj never intended to be part of the business, but when her life implodes, she has little choice. While on a job, Tempest discovers the dead body of her former stage double inside a wall that was supposedly sealed 100 years ago. Frightened that she was the actual intended victim, she sets out to find a killer. The first installment in a new mystery series, this one sounds like a lot of fun!
3. The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten (coming March 15, 2022)—The daughter of Peter the Great and his wife, Catherine, Tsarevna Elizabeth is beautiful and privileged. When her fortunes turn, however, she finds herself in a desperate fight for survival. Will she live to take the throne? Or will she suffer the same fate as her murdered brother?
4. Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (coming April 12, 2022)—In 1973 Alabama, a young Black nurse sets out to change the world, or at least to make a difference in her local African-American community. Tasked with distributing birth control to impoverished women, Civil's shocked to discover that her first clients are only 11 and 13. Desperate to give the children choice and freedom, she takes the girls under her wing. Then, the unthinkable happens, changing all of their lives forever...
5. Queen of the Tiles by Hannah Alkaf (coming April 19, 2022)—Set in Malaysia, this YA mystery revolves around a cutthroat Scrabble competition. Najwa Bakri has entered the competition for the first time since her best friend, Trina Low, died. Now that Trina's dead, the top spot is open and everyone wants it. Things get complicated when Trina's inactive Instagram is suddenly resurrected, spewing cryptic posts and messages. What is going on? What really happened to Trina? I love Scrabble almost as much as I love mysteries, so I'm all in for this novel. Sounds exciting.
6. Hide by Kiersten White (coming May 24, 2022)—YA novelist White makes her adult debut with this tantalizing thriller. It centers around a competition that places 14 contestants in an abandoned amusement park for a week. If you can hide well enough not to get caught, you win a huge sum of money. Mack is a hiding expert, but when her opponents start disappearing one-by-one, she realizes there's a lot more to this competition than meets the eye.
7. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan (coming May 31, 2022)—I adore Ryan's World War II novels, so I'm excited for her newest. Like her other books, this one is about women on the homefront coming together to support and strengthen each other in tough times.
8. The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager (coming June 21, 2022)—I'm a fan of Sager's creepy stories, so I always look forward to a new book from him. This one is a Rear Window-ish tale about Casey Fletcher, a woman whose guilty pleasure is spying on the glamorous couple who live across the lake. When one of the perfect pair mysteriously disappears, Casey's determined to find out what happened to her.
9. The It Girl by Ruth Ware (coming July 12, 2022)—Ware is another thriller writer whose books I'm always excited to read. Her newest concerns a tight group of friends whose lives were upended when one of their number was killed. When new evidence about the murder comes to light years later, it throws their lives and friendships into a tailspin once again.
10. These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall (coming August 9, 2022)—This spooky YA novel is being billed as The Haunting of Hill House meets Knives Out. Um...yes, please! The story is about a Helen, a teen girl who is shocked to inherit her family's hulking ancestral home, even though she and her mother have been estranged from their kin for as long Helen can remember. Her grandfather's will stipulates that Helen will only receive the inheritance if she lives in the home for a year. Harrowstone Hall has haunted Helen's nightmares all her life. Can she really live there for a full year?
There you go, ten upcoming releases I'm looking forward to reading. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which 2022 books are you most excited about? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Saturday, February 19, 2022
Upbeat MG Novel Entertaining and Empowering
7:32 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Ashley Simon-Hockheimer loves reporting the news. She's been on her school's news crew since she was in second grade. Now that she's in sixth, she should be the undisputed star of The News at Nine. If it weren't for that unfortunate decision to film a teacher doing something embarrassing, she would be the lead anchor, not cringe-y Harry E. Levin. Ugh.
Tired of watching from the sidelines, Ash and two of her friends decide to create their own show, The Underground News. They don't have a fancy sponsor to gift them sophisticated equipment like the school does, but that doesn't mean they can't make a quality program that will attract lots of viewers. All they need to make their little homemade show go viral is a big, juicy story...
When the girls stumble across a story that could have a potentially huge impact on their school and community, they can't wait to break it. While they race to verify their information, they have to contend with dodgy sources, friendship drama, and fending off Harry, who's about to steal their scoop for himself. Who will break the story first? Will Ashley finally get the chance to shine as lead anchor? Or will her nemesis steal her glory once again?
Elissa Brent Weissman's The Length of a String was one of my favorite reads of 2021. I wanted to read more from her, so I picked up The Renegade Reporters since it looked like a fun book. It is both of those things; it's also a timely story about the hot-button issue of online privacy. The novel looks at the pros and cons of tracking people's movements online, providing a perfect springboard for thoughtful discussion in a classroom or at home. It also shows the benefits of teamwork, learning from one's mistakes, and using your voice for good. While it does get a little far-fetched, overall The Renegade Reporters is a warm, upbeat read that is entertaining and empowering. I enjoyed it.
Note: I listened to this book on audio, an experience I highly recommend. The narrator, Keylor Leigh, does an excellent job. Her voice is smooth and easy on the ear. I'll definitely look for more books with her as the reader.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
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