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My super-expensive glasses, which I bought specifically because they were touted as extra strong, just snapped in half while I was cleaning the lenses. Grr!
Quick Iron Man rec: The City of Los Angeles v. Iron Man
Terry Pratchett, The Bromeliad: A trilogy in which nomes – four-inch-tall beings who live on the fringes of human habitation – first find safety in a department store, then lose that safety when the store is destroyed and have to defend their new home against interlopers. It’s light Pratchett, with the usual satire of government, religion, etc., suitable for younger readers.
Vivain Vande Velde, Companions of the Night: YA vampire romance! Kerry makes a late-night run to the laundromat to rescue her little brother’s lost teddy bear, and things go downhill very fast from there. I liked a lot of the setup—the way vampires felt both seductive and terrifying, not just because we’re used to them being that way in fiction but because Vande Velde showed it. It was the romance part that fizzled—it made the terror too easily resolved, in my opinion. There’s an inevitable problem portraying sudden irrational love in a way that readers can feel, unless we’re simply prepared to accept it. I would have really enjoyed the book if it had ended in a way that the genre makes impossible—that is, with the “terrifying” aspect of vampires. As it was, I was mildly disappointed, but I’d be willing to try Vande Velde again.
Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid: Clearly these were mostly bits that were edited out of the Series of Unfortunate Events—a bunch of aphorisms and brief narratives with depressing life lessons. E.g., Snicket on school: “The expression ‘Those who can’t do, teach’ is a curious one, because if you look at the world, you’ll see that teachers aren’t particularly worse at doing things than anyone else, so perhaps the expression might be better worded as ‘Nobody can do anything.’” Entertainment: “One of the world’s most popular entertainments is a deck of cards, which contains thirteen each of four suits, highlighted by kings, queens, and jacks, who are possibly the queen’s younger, more attractive boyfriends.” Love: “Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby—awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.” I enjoy Snicket and I enjoyed these, but it’s a quick read—if you pay retail you’ll be paying possibly a cent per word.
Quick Iron Man rec: The City of Los Angeles v. Iron Man
Terry Pratchett, The Bromeliad: A trilogy in which nomes – four-inch-tall beings who live on the fringes of human habitation – first find safety in a department store, then lose that safety when the store is destroyed and have to defend their new home against interlopers. It’s light Pratchett, with the usual satire of government, religion, etc., suitable for younger readers.
Vivain Vande Velde, Companions of the Night: YA vampire romance! Kerry makes a late-night run to the laundromat to rescue her little brother’s lost teddy bear, and things go downhill very fast from there. I liked a lot of the setup—the way vampires felt both seductive and terrifying, not just because we’re used to them being that way in fiction but because Vande Velde showed it. It was the romance part that fizzled—it made the terror too easily resolved, in my opinion. There’s an inevitable problem portraying sudden irrational love in a way that readers can feel, unless we’re simply prepared to accept it. I would have really enjoyed the book if it had ended in a way that the genre makes impossible—that is, with the “terrifying” aspect of vampires. As it was, I was mildly disappointed, but I’d be willing to try Vande Velde again.
Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid: Clearly these were mostly bits that were edited out of the Series of Unfortunate Events—a bunch of aphorisms and brief narratives with depressing life lessons. E.g., Snicket on school: “The expression ‘Those who can’t do, teach’ is a curious one, because if you look at the world, you’ll see that teachers aren’t particularly worse at doing things than anyone else, so perhaps the expression might be better worded as ‘Nobody can do anything.’” Entertainment: “One of the world’s most popular entertainments is a deck of cards, which contains thirteen each of four suits, highlighted by kings, queens, and jacks, who are possibly the queen’s younger, more attractive boyfriends.” Love: “Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby—awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.” I enjoy Snicket and I enjoyed these, but it’s a quick read—if you pay retail you’ll be paying possibly a cent per word.
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