Christine’s Comments (group member since Jun 24, 2017)

Christine’s comments from the What's the Name of That Book??? group.

Somewhere in Time, by Richard Matheson.

I haven't read the book yet, but there was a very romantic 1979 movie version that I absolutely loved (with Christopher Reeves). It's an older book/movie, but really enjoyable, the movie at least.

Also- Divine by Mistake, by P. C. Cast, # 1 in the "Partholon" series. I think there are 3-4 books in the series.

It's a fantasy series, loosely based on Greek mythology (and other mythologies) where an American woman gets summoned into a fantasy world. Funny, sexy at times, silly at times, enjoyable. Characters include a lot of centaurs (shape-shifting), the Muses, etc.

Circe, by Madeline Miller. I haven't read it yet, but many of my goodreads friends have recommended it to me. I hope to start it this month.

A retelling of the witch Circe on her island, who started out as a nymph. (She later encounters Odysseus.) It's supposed to be very well-written.

I think the author has an earlier book about Achilles.

I'm looking for books for my seventeen year old transgender son. I will read them too. He is female-to-male, (and I'm finding that most transgender-topic books are male-to-female).

He loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, but that was more LGBTQ+ in general, than transgender. I'm looking into some of this author's other books.

I'm hoping to find either fiction or non-fiction, including biographies, about *females transitioning to male.* Age range of characters can be anything from children to older adults, but not books written FOR children as the audience.

I did recently see Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard, by Alex Bertie, and added that.

Also- 'The Anatomist's Wife,' by Anna Lee Huber. I've only read the first one, but it was great. Just found out there are 5 or 6 now, in the series. "The Lady Darby Mystery" series. I'm going to re-read the first soon, to refresh my memory before starting # 2.

The first was definitely a mystery, but set in a version of Scotland/England that felt like the Victorian era. I don't remember any magic or fantasy elements, but Lady Darby, Kiera, is a strong female protagonist, unique skills for a lady, and the writing was excellent. Budding romance; some oblique references to the sexual entanglements of others, but I don't remember anything explicit.

The Magicians and Mrs Quent, by Galen Beckett, first in the "Mrs Quent" trilogy.

Super-well-written; great fantasy world & magic system; alternate-world version of Britain; adventure & romance; excellent characters; multi-faceted plot. Highly recommended!

Thanks, Tab! Not it, but I appreciate your help. Looks like that series was published in the same time-frame, but as you noted, for tweens.

Still looking..,

Nope, neither of those, but thanks for the suggestions! I will save Summerhouse Time: that looks fun for my other niece, in middle school.

Still looking... : )

Thanks, Rainbowheart. Paperback, published in the U.S. Female author, but I don't remember the name. Not anyone well-known, I don't think.

The island was just a small, beachy island. Not tropical. All very pretend. No mention of any real places.

I'm still checking Barnes & Noble website and will check Amazon too.

That's not it, but thank you! No country is specified. It's not realistic, more little-kid-magical-pretend, though I don't remember any actual magic taking place. The stories were not realistic at all. They had that element of 'everything is wonderful and new and magical when you're a child.'

I don't remember the girls' names. The parents were in it, but not too prominently. The main focus was that they only saw each other when their families vacationed on this island. All of the cottages had cute names. I think the map featured a little in each story. Maybe they went to a different place on the map in each book, and had a different adventure?

It was two very little girls- 5 ? 6? 7? - who ran around this small island having little kid adventures, like 'today let's explore the beach and maybe we'll see a mermaid.' Then at the beach the'd see some random piece of flotsam and decide/pretend it was a mermaid comb. All very imaginative.

This is a series, we owned at least the first 4 or 5 until my kid outgrew them. We got them at Barnes & Noble, I think they were popular for awhile. They might have been early chapter books. I seem to remember a few black and white drawings scattered through the text.

I know that's not a lot to go on. I will also check the Barnes and Noble website to see if I can search by subject.

I'm trying to remember a children's book series that my kiddo liked years ago, probably around 2005-8. Definitely marketed for girls. Two little girls vacation often with their families on a special island, in a group of cottages with cute names. Each book began with a hand-drawn map of the island. The girls would go out on their own to have adventures; I think each book was about one adventure, and/or island visit. Short books, easy readers, early chapter books with short chapters. Probably targeted for first through third grade? Paperback with pastel covers, or "candy" colors, lots of pink? I think the titles might have had "seashell" or "island" in them, or maybe the girls' names? I think they were two-part titles, something remotely like "Seashell Island: (the name of book 1, book 2, etc" or maybe "(The girls' names): second part of title."

That's all I really remember except that they were cute. Hoping to buy them for my new little niece, who lives on an island! Any help is much appreciated. : )

My library system still has not sent it. They were requesting it from another county (that county's library system).

I'm still (somewhat) patiently waiting... 🙄

Yes!!! That's it! Thank you so much, especially for such wuick responses! I could not tell from the goodreads book description, but after reading some reader reviews, I can tell it's definitely that one. Can't wait to re-read it now! : )

I had thought this was a book I'd read by either Peter Straub, Stephen King, or Dean Koontz, but I can't locate it. It may have more than one author. I thought it was by a mainstream author, or authors, but maybe not. I think I read it in the early to mid 90s.

What I remember most is that there is a (small?) group of people frequently playing an online role-playing game, a fantasy game. At first readers don't realize the modern characters are "in" the game: it feels like reading a high fantasy story. Soon we realize they're playing a game, and begin to hear more about their real lives. I think that within the game they may have met because they were on the same "team." They only know each other as their characters' names.

I think the story is told through several characters' perspectives. The one I remember most (SPOILER ALERT!) is a boy (young to mid teens? or tween?) who is terminally ill, and confined to a hospital bed, but at home. He has some kind of 'neural implant,' or some kind of technology that lets him "live" in the game, and spends most of his time existing as his character. His physical body is weak, on a feeding tube and other life support, but his game character is strong, a hero. His parents are wealthy, able to get him the best medical care, but not home with him often. He's very lonely, and this game is his only pleasure, and only way of connecting to others.

I don't remember the bulk of the plot... the characters somehow find out about each others' real lives, and there is a problem they have to solve within the game (I think?) related to their actual lives. Another SPOILER ALERT: I think the ending had something to do with planning to find a way for the boy's consciousness to remain "alive" within the game, after his physical body dies. If I'm remembering it correctly...

How to Set a Fire and Why, by Jesse Ball? Except that the cover has matches on it.

It's on order from my library system. It's just taking a ling time, because apparently the multi-county system is having computer problems. Thanks for the info about Amazon, though!

If you like children's fairytales with beautiful artwork... One of my favorite owned children's books is ....
The Twelve Dancing Princesses, retold and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson.

The illustrations have a lush, gorgeous, medieval style, and are prints of her oil paintings. The 1990 hardcover edition is beautiful.

This is a long thread, so I'm not sure if anyone else recommended these...

Story anthologies edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling.

They did many anthologies of fairytale retellings (adult versions), such as these (and others):

Snow White, Blood Red

Black Heart, Ivory Bones

Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears

I'm not sure if Vanity Fair has already been recommended? The classic, by William Makepeace Thackeray.

Deanne, I'm sorry if my post about Mommie Dearest was taken personally; I wasn't trying to insult anyone... only to post warnings, similar to "trigger warnings," because that particular book is very, very disturbing.