Booklog 2007: Week 4
Jan. 29th, 2007 11:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityofoneWhy do I feel the need to keep coming up with lame-o introductions to this? It says it's a book post, you can tell that it's a book post. I need to shut up now.
Week 4: 22-28 January 2007
19. Espedair Street, Iain Banks — A novel about the rise and fall of a Scottish rock bank, told from the perspective of its bass player, Daniel Weir (nickname: Weird). Nothing revelatory, but since, as some of you may know, I’m fascinated by band dynamics and performance personas, there was a lot for me to enjoy in this. Especially since Banks’ opening description of Danny states that he’s tall, with lank, greasy black hair, and a hooked nose—it’s Snape in a band! (Seriously, I could not shake this image for the entire rest of the book.) But oddly, what I think I enjoyed most was the descriptions of Danny (once he’s retired and gone into hiding, pretending to be somebody else) getting drunk and wandering around Glasgow with his buddies. The aimless drunk Scottish banter—that’s what I loved. Perhaps because it seemed the most real?
Two things that freaked me out: 1) That Banks brought ‘The Waste Land’ into this—I know it’s ridiculous, but I’m kind of like, “Hey! The Eliot/band idea is mine! Beat it, Banks!” Banks also wrote Consider Phlebas, which was going to be my title for…something. I dunno. Get out of my head, man!
And 2) I know that some people think that the Puddlejumpers ‘verse is depressing, but let me just say: Have I electrocuted anybody? No, I have not. Think about that. ;-)
20. Last Days of Summer, Steve Kluger — An epistolary novel about a 12-year-old Jewish kid from Brooklyn who becomes best friends with a star baseball player in the early 1940s. This is utter pap, but…well, okay, I’m embarrassed to admit that I quite liked it. Joey is one of those impossibly clever and erudite 12-year-olds, and the premise is ridiculous—not just the becoming-best-friends-with-a-ballplayer part, but the fact that Joey and Charlie, the New York Giants’ 3rd baseman, also go on to meet President Roosevelt, Humphrey Bogart, etc. Like I said: ridiculous, and there are shades of Forrest Gump that make me gag. Yet…it’s sweet, and very funny, and Charlie is just the type of character I tend to fall for: someone who puts a lot of effort into appearing brash and tough but is a secret softie. And I have to admit that the all-too-inevitable ending made me cry.
21. Transformation, Carol Berg — I loved this. I am shocked and delighted by how much I loved this. It’s an original world combined with all the pleasures of a really slashy bit of fanfic. There are slavefic and wingfic elements, and demons and destiny, and it all sounds really cheesy, but like really good fic, it transcends these clichés. The relationship between Aleksander and Seyonne is beautifully developed: they begin as master and slave, and we get to see the whole process of Aleksander gaining maturity and compassion, and Seyonne regaining himself. Plus there’s a really thrilling quest-y adventure, and an intensely exciting climactic battle in which…well, it would spoil it to say, but know that I made a very loud squeeing noise. Even without actually being slash, this book is the slasher’s dream come true. I only hope the next two volumes in the trilogy are half as good.
22. You Are Not a Stranger Here, Adam Haslett — This was recommended to me by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
honey_babes, and it was a beautiful and thought-provoking but very difficult read. Haslett’s short stories share themes of mental illness, suicide, alienation and grief—boy, do I make this book sound fun! But these stories are striking, and Haslett’s prose is beautiful. “The Beginnings of Grief,” about the violent relationship an orphaned boy tumbles into with a brutal classmate, was especially compelling to me, as was the story about a grown up brother and sister living together, haunted by the memory of their mother’s suicide and the man they both loved. Plus, “Notes to My Biographer” has one of the most startling and effective descriptions of schizophrenia that I’ve ever encountered. (It and “The Beginnings of Grief” are both available online: Notes and Grief.) These stories are stark and incredible, but not recommended reading if you’re feeling the least bit emotionally vulnerable!
23. Geography Club, Brent Hartinger — Novel about a group of gay teens who form a secret support group for themselves under the guise of the (they think) too-boring-for-anyone-to-join Geography Club. The best thing about this was probably the voice of the narrator, Russel, who sounds like a real teenager—just innocent enough, stupid enough, angry enough, moral enough, self-involved/confused/horny/mixed-up/self-aware enough. The plot is pretty predictable, but except for a few anvil-y moments (like when Russel explains, in parentheticals, how a self-sacrificing classmate is like Jesus, in a way), it’s well-told. I guess the biggest problem for me is that I’m too old for this book; like a lot of teen lit, it’s really about a lesson, and I already know that tolerance is important and that you can’t be someone you’re not and that high school really, really sucks. So while I don’t think it’s possible for me to really get all that much out of this book, I’m glad that it exists. When you’re a teenager—gay or straight—it’s helpful just to know that you’re not alone, that you’re not the only one who feels as fucked up as you do. (Actually, that lesson is helpful anytime.)
24 & 25. Astonishing X-Men: Gifted & Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous, Joss Whedon — The one thing I do miss about high school? Having a disposable income, and thus being able to buy tons of comic books every week. I am so behind on all the titles I used to read, I will never, ever be able to catch up, but it’s nice that the library has started stocking more trade paperback collections, so I can catch up here and there. And of course I had to read Joss Whedon’s take on the X-Men, which is…pretty much as I expected, really. I dunno. I mean, these were great fun to read, and Whedon’s dialogue is hilarious, but I think in part because I missed whatever arc came before this, I feel kind of cut off from what’s going on. Maybe if I keep reading (and library permitting, I will) beyond these first 12 issues, I’ll get swept up in this, in that slow build of character development and epic plotting that comics can bring when they’re really, really good. Which this has the potential to be, I think? Because even with the number of times I’ve been burned, I do trust in Joss. What a silly little fangirl I am.
Total Books: 25
ETA: Speaking of reading—damn, there is a ton of awesome-looking fic today! Why must I be so frickin' busy?
Week 4: 22-28 January 2007
19. Espedair Street, Iain Banks — A novel about the rise and fall of a Scottish rock bank, told from the perspective of its bass player, Daniel Weir (nickname: Weird). Nothing revelatory, but since, as some of you may know, I’m fascinated by band dynamics and performance personas, there was a lot for me to enjoy in this. Especially since Banks’ opening description of Danny states that he’s tall, with lank, greasy black hair, and a hooked nose—it’s Snape in a band! (Seriously, I could not shake this image for the entire rest of the book.) But oddly, what I think I enjoyed most was the descriptions of Danny (once he’s retired and gone into hiding, pretending to be somebody else) getting drunk and wandering around Glasgow with his buddies. The aimless drunk Scottish banter—that’s what I loved. Perhaps because it seemed the most real?
Two things that freaked me out: 1) That Banks brought ‘The Waste Land’ into this—I know it’s ridiculous, but I’m kind of like, “Hey! The Eliot/band idea is mine! Beat it, Banks!” Banks also wrote Consider Phlebas, which was going to be my title for…something. I dunno. Get out of my head, man!
And 2) I know that some people think that the Puddlejumpers ‘verse is depressing, but let me just say: Have I electrocuted anybody? No, I have not. Think about that. ;-)
20. Last Days of Summer, Steve Kluger — An epistolary novel about a 12-year-old Jewish kid from Brooklyn who becomes best friends with a star baseball player in the early 1940s. This is utter pap, but…well, okay, I’m embarrassed to admit that I quite liked it. Joey is one of those impossibly clever and erudite 12-year-olds, and the premise is ridiculous—not just the becoming-best-friends-with-a-ballplayer part, but the fact that Joey and Charlie, the New York Giants’ 3rd baseman, also go on to meet President Roosevelt, Humphrey Bogart, etc. Like I said: ridiculous, and there are shades of Forrest Gump that make me gag. Yet…it’s sweet, and very funny, and Charlie is just the type of character I tend to fall for: someone who puts a lot of effort into appearing brash and tough but is a secret softie. And I have to admit that the all-too-inevitable ending made me cry.
21. Transformation, Carol Berg — I loved this. I am shocked and delighted by how much I loved this. It’s an original world combined with all the pleasures of a really slashy bit of fanfic. There are slavefic and wingfic elements, and demons and destiny, and it all sounds really cheesy, but like really good fic, it transcends these clichés. The relationship between Aleksander and Seyonne is beautifully developed: they begin as master and slave, and we get to see the whole process of Aleksander gaining maturity and compassion, and Seyonne regaining himself. Plus there’s a really thrilling quest-y adventure, and an intensely exciting climactic battle in which…well, it would spoil it to say, but know that I made a very loud squeeing noise. Even without actually being slash, this book is the slasher’s dream come true. I only hope the next two volumes in the trilogy are half as good.
22. You Are Not a Stranger Here, Adam Haslett — This was recommended to me by
honey_babes, and it was a beautiful and thought-provoking but very difficult read. Haslett’s short stories share themes of mental illness, suicide, alienation and grief—boy, do I make this book sound fun! But these stories are striking, and Haslett’s prose is beautiful. “The Beginnings of Grief,” about the violent relationship an orphaned boy tumbles into with a brutal classmate, was especially compelling to me, as was the story about a grown up brother and sister living together, haunted by the memory of their mother’s suicide and the man they both loved. Plus, “Notes to My Biographer” has one of the most startling and effective descriptions of schizophrenia that I’ve ever encountered. (It and “The Beginnings of Grief” are both available online: Notes and Grief.) These stories are stark and incredible, but not recommended reading if you’re feeling the least bit emotionally vulnerable!23. Geography Club, Brent Hartinger — Novel about a group of gay teens who form a secret support group for themselves under the guise of the (they think) too-boring-for-anyone-to-join Geography Club. The best thing about this was probably the voice of the narrator, Russel, who sounds like a real teenager—just innocent enough, stupid enough, angry enough, moral enough, self-involved/confused/horny/mixed-up/self-aware enough. The plot is pretty predictable, but except for a few anvil-y moments (like when Russel explains, in parentheticals, how a self-sacrificing classmate is like Jesus, in a way), it’s well-told. I guess the biggest problem for me is that I’m too old for this book; like a lot of teen lit, it’s really about a lesson, and I already know that tolerance is important and that you can’t be someone you’re not and that high school really, really sucks. So while I don’t think it’s possible for me to really get all that much out of this book, I’m glad that it exists. When you’re a teenager—gay or straight—it’s helpful just to know that you’re not alone, that you’re not the only one who feels as fucked up as you do. (Actually, that lesson is helpful anytime.)
24 & 25. Astonishing X-Men: Gifted & Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous, Joss Whedon — The one thing I do miss about high school? Having a disposable income, and thus being able to buy tons of comic books every week. I am so behind on all the titles I used to read, I will never, ever be able to catch up, but it’s nice that the library has started stocking more trade paperback collections, so I can catch up here and there. And of course I had to read Joss Whedon’s take on the X-Men, which is…pretty much as I expected, really. I dunno. I mean, these were great fun to read, and Whedon’s dialogue is hilarious, but I think in part because I missed whatever arc came before this, I feel kind of cut off from what’s going on. Maybe if I keep reading (and library permitting, I will) beyond these first 12 issues, I’ll get swept up in this, in that slow build of character development and epic plotting that comics can bring when they’re really, really good. Which this has the potential to be, I think? Because even with the number of times I’ve been burned, I do trust in Joss. What a silly little fangirl I am.
Total Books: 25
ETA: Speaking of reading—damn, there is a ton of awesome-looking fic today! Why must I be so frickin' busy?
