I'm not a graphic novel fan, really. I grew up amidst piles and piles of Archie, Richie Rich, and Peanuts comics - the funnies - but I try reading graphic novels based on fantasy and they're not for me. What I do like are the memoirs: Fun House, American Born Chinese, and now Stitches. A quick and intense read, an amazing work. ]]>
bookshelves: currently-reading
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After putting aside "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" because it's - well, just dumb - I picked this up and started it. The smart writing, fearless satire, eye for detail and ear for dialogue that Austen fans love are all here. About halfway through and loving it.
Finished it, and still say two thumbs up. Irreverent, smart, and funny. Fans of Jonathan Tropper will like Amy Sohn, and her other books are going on my to-read list! ]]>
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by Amy Sohn
Yes. I think a lot of readers are completely missing the point. I'm in the middle of this book and just loving it - precisely because of the snark, irreverence, and deliberate exaggeration of trendy parenthood in a trendy neighborhood. I don't even live in NYC and I can totally appreciate the caricatures - there are versions of these people everywhere you go. Smart, funny, and wicked. Love it. ]]>
bookshelves: to-read
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Ugh. I got about halfway through and then couldn't take it anymore. For a reason either never given or that I couldn't read far enough to learn, 19th century girl (Jane Austen fan) wakes up in 21st century girl's body & life (another Jane Austen fan) and predictable hijinks ensue. Girls walk around barely clothed! A man is in my room unchaperoned! What is that strange box with pictures moving on it? PLEASE. No more. ]]>
My review about a third of the way in:
I don't know...this volume of the Jamie + Claire series is just not roping me in like the other ones did. Seems like DG included significantly more historical detail about the politics and war-related intrigue of the time, and I'm forcing myself through those chapters so I can get back to the personal/family/emotional storylines. She's built her reputation on doorstop-sized novels, but it might be time for her editor to start making a stand. She's never let me down before, though, so on I read.
My review after finishing it:
The heavy historical detail without moving the story forward finally ended. And things started happening without letting up even once. The second half of the book brought back the storytelling that DG does like no one else.
And the last 100 pages or so?...I had to stop reading so I could go to work, and the first thing I did when I got home later was grab that book and read. Wow - did she ever leave us hanging. The good part? There will definitely be at least one more book! ]]>
by Diana Gabaldon
Right on target with my own reactions to the book, Jamie. Good summary of the book's strong/weak points, and it looks like many agree. Let the waiting commence! ]]>
Aurora
read and liked
Jamie's
review of An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7):
"The five stars are an expression of my Outlander fangirl enthusiasm, since I'm incapable of objectively judging the quality of these books. I'd probably have given five stars to anything that wasn't a huge disappointment. Which this wasn't, of course...more "
"The five stars are an expression of my Outlander fangirl enthusiasm, since I'm incapable of objectively judging the quality of these books. I'd probably have given five stars to anything that wasn't a huge disappointment. Which this wasn't, of course...more "