Top 10!

We have a fun summer reading thing at the library I work at, and we were asked for our ten favorite books, so I thought I'd share the list here (though I realize now that I don't have to limit it to ten and could keep going ... perhaps one day when I'm feeling just a bit more ambitious). There are, of course, notes at the end.
As they occurred to me in my head:
1) The Jane Austen novels: Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Emma. (Yes, even obnoxious Emma.) As my father pointed out, they may be similar stories, but it's the characters and situations Austen creates that make each novel unique. After nearly 200 years, these novels have endured, persevered, thrived even. (How many movie versions of Pride and Prejudice are there? I can think of 5 off the top of my head, four of them done in the last 15 years.) I continue to insist these are not pure romance stories; social issues, questions of survival (um, by gentry standards, that is), class, overcoming adversity, and what makes a good person are large parts of these novels. They are enjoyable, well written novels. If you want to hear me continue to stand on my Austen Soap Box, feel free to start me on the subject.

2) The Island by Gary Paulsen. One of those great coming of age novels, this one about Wil, who finds an island he likes to visit and will spend so much time sitting there, thinking, planning, just being. Eventually he moves onto the island, his parents confused and surprised by his decision, but allow him to do it. And he finds himself, as cliché as that is. I'm a huge Gary Paulsen fan, and have liked everything I've read by him, but The Island continues to stick in my head as one of my favorites.

3) The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. I love these books. There! I've admitted it! Told from the perspective of Mia's journal, she moves through her early high school years trying to make sense of being a princess (for real!), boys, her mother, and math. The books are always funny, touching, and I get a kick out of how clueless Mia is about her surroundings. And herself. There will only be one more Princess Diaries book, about which I am very sad, but will still eagerly devour when it's published.

4) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. Despereaux is the runt of his family, a tiny, tiny mouse, with rather large ears. The Princess Pea is, well, a princess living in a grand castle with her father, who refuses to eat soup (an odd quirk of his). Toss in a rotten rat living deep in the dungeons of the castle, Mig, a girl who wants to be a princess, a cook's knife, and love. Think you know where this story is going? Guess again. It's one of those books with passages that ring entirely true, has moments of fear and suspense, and even tugs at the ol' heartstrings. The illustrations are exceptional as well.

5) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It was in this book that I first discovered David Levithan as a writer and he's brilliant. Beautiful, descriptive, wonderful passages that are easy to read and keep you wanting more. Nick and Norah meet one night, spend the whole night together talking and learning about each other and developing one of those relationships that head places we're not even aware they could head.

6) The Bookman's Wake by John Dunning. Let me begin by saying I don't read mysteries. I don't really like them a whole lot. But I enjoy the Cliff Janeway mysteries. Bookman's Wake is the second book in the series (Booked to Die the first), but I find it better than the first. Janeway was a Denver cop who loved to read and then gave up being a cop to open a used bookstore. Not exactly something that makes you a lot of money, but he loves it and solves book related mysteries in his spare time. There's something a little crazy happening at a well known fine print press, and Janeway is asked to check it out. As in all mysteries, troubles abound, red herrings spawn, and there's always a woman. I think it's the items the mysteries revolve around that keep me interested (Dunning is fabulous at describing books).

7) A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I suppose it's my occasional dark sense of humor and love for all things nineteenth century that propelled me through this series. With a clever (and very depressed) narrator telling the story of three orphans chased by a wicked man through all manner of places and disasters, this series is just plain funny.

8) Any of the Jeeves and Wooster novels by P.G. Wodehouse. Bertie is so classically clueless and Jeeves, ever the proper gentleman's gentleman, is ready with an answer and solution for Bertie at a moment's notice (even when Bertie said he wanted to handle it himself). Great British humor.

9) Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut. I love all Vonnegut novels. He's a brilliant writer. He comments on society and the stupid things we do and is funny while still retaining some tiny sense of optimism, somewhere. Bagombo Snuff Box is different than most of Vonnegut's work, as the stories in this collection are, for lack of better word, normal. You just have to read him to understand. :)

10) The Emily series by L.M. Montgomery (Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, Emily's Quest). Like Anne Shirley, Emily Starr is an orphan when she gets to New Moon Farm, living with a particularly stern aunt and other family members. But whereas Anne's natural talents (aside from getting into trouble) tends toward teaching, Emily's talent is in writing. A much shorter series than Anne's, but well told and my favorite of the two.

Once I got started on this list, it was difficult to choose only 10! Other authors of note: Booth Tarkington, a remarkably underappreciated American writer; Louise Rennison's fabbity-fab Georgia Nicholson confessions; Jean Plaidy's wonderful historical fiction; Louisa May Alcott's thrillers and A Long Fatal Love Chase are entirely different from what you would expect from her; Jasper Fforde's quirky and funny and highly literate stories; and Edith Wharton's dark upper class tragedies.

It feels so High Fidelity, creating a Top 10 list (yes, I know his were only 5, but really, only 5 books?). Enjoy, disagree, or shake your head in wonderment at the odd things I've chosen (I originally had a picture book on here), and I shall remain your Savage Librarian.

An Adventure

I've just finished The Queen Jade by Yxta Maya Murray, the first in the Red Lion series (the second has been published recently, and I enjoyed The Queen Jade so much that I'll pick up the second, The King's Gold, as soon as my pile diminishes somewhat--down to two library books and Rumors, the second Luxe novel that I bought and have yet to read), about Lola, who owns the Red Lion bookshop. Lola doesn't really envision herself as an adventurer; she's content to let her mother, an archaeology professor at the University of California, do the exploring and the adventuring. Her mother, Juana, and her father, Manuel, who curates a museum in Guatemala, explored the Guatemalan jungles, trying to find the source of the mysterious blue jade, and the legendary Queen Jade. Juana decides to head to Guatemala, telling Lola she wants a vacation. Lola is immediately suspicious of that, as her mother never takes just a vacation. Juana goes, spends time with Manuel, and then, as she reveals in an email to her daughter, heads out into the jungle because she thinks she knows where to find the Queen Jade. Of course, when Lola receives this email, a hurricane has just swept through Guatemala. In her email Juana reveals that she didn't even tell Manuel where she was going, so Lola determines it's up to her to track her mother down. Erik, one of Juana's colleagues, goes with Lola, and there they pick up Yolanda, the daughter of a rival archaeologist and explorer. It's a well paced book with short chapters that keep you reading (and keep you feeling like you're making progress), and a storyline mixed with legend, history, adventure and a little bit of romance. A fantastic read with a surprising and clever ending. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, and I highly recommend this title.
Just begun another fairy tale retelling and will post when I finish with that. In the meantime, I remain your Savage Librarian.

The Magic of Librarianship

Yes, I said magic.
Pardon me for tooting my own horn, but sometimes, just sometimes we librarians can pull some magic out of a hat.
A lady came up to me recently and asked about a book (she didn't know the title or the author) that had Queen Elizabeth walking her dogs. That's all she could tell me.
I let my trained librarian mind and fingers do some searching, and being the type of person I am, could not contain a little yelp of joy when I found--not stumbled--the correct book. Curious? It's The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. (I'm waiting for it to be returned and will read it when my Pile has shrunk somewhat.)
In the midst of watching Ugly Betty season 1; I watched most of season 2 this past year and got hooked on it. Thought it would be wise to see where it began. Too much hokey mystery so far, I think, not enough funny drama. Will update more when more has occurred.
I remain, you Savage Librarian.

Cheating Presidents and Forever Bridesmaids

The Scandal Plan; or, How to Win the Presidency by Cheating on Your Wife by Bill Folman. You read that right. Cheat on your wife, become President (though I was under the impression that you got to cheat on your wife after you became president). I enjoy comic political novels. If the story preaches me all that is wrong with the American system of electing a president (or any election), then I will probably not read it. If it suggests that it will be funny, I'm in. I have not read many political novels, I admit, but this one was funny and thought provoking. Funny election movies are a little more up my alley (The Candidate, Bob Roberts, even Election). Scandal Plan has a presidential candidate who is perfect for the job, but, unfortunately, doesn't appear to the average American as human. Ben Phillips has been a politician ever since he ran for a student council position. Ben Phillips knows (as he's known since he was in high school) that he is not cool and will never be cool. Sadly, coolness is a bit of a factor in becoming president. He is now a Senator and does the job he's supposed to do without the typical muckraking and sleaziness factor that most of us associate with politicians nowadays. His chief campaign advisor, Tom Campman, is not beyond blackmail to advance his candidate. The Plan is Campman's design. How do you talk an honest man into going along with a made-up scandal? Dangle the office of the presidency in front of him. At the end of the novel, I find it very interesting that Campman rationalizes his actions as follows: "Did any of it matter? If the right man was in office, was there really any harm in what he'd done?" (Page 435) A well-paced, fun, seemingly absurd novel with ideas that you may shake your head at but the results of which should not surprise you (so long as you're a cynic like myself). About to read The Jade Queen. Haven't started it yet, but it's about an archaeologist, which I thought would be fun. Will update when I'm finished.
I saw 27 Dresses in theatres, and enjoyed it (didn't think it was fantastic and a must-buy but definitely worth seeing). My question to myself was, as it sat on my counter for most of the week, should I watch it again? Is it really worth watching again? I asked a friend if it was worth a second watch. "Yes," was the reply. O all right, I'll do it. So I watched it last night, and yes, it definitely was worth a second watch, not only for Katherine Heigl (whom I really enjoy) singing "Bennie and the Jets" (I'm still determined to look up those lyrics ... what are they really?) but because it was a cute, slightly girly movie. Kind of like Forgetting Sarah Marshall leans a little more towards guy humor but has enough to keep girls interested, 27 Dresses leans toward girl story but (from my female perspective) isn't so awfully sappy that a guy wouldn't see it. But I wouldn't force a guy to see it. Aside from all that, I remember I hated Jane's sister, Tess. Before she was bridezilla, she was that cute friend you had that all the guys fell all over because she presented herself exactly as the mirror opposite of the guy she was interested in. Annoying. Selfish. Bratty. Ergh. Judy Greer is another highlight of the film; it was nice she got to play a character a little more risky than she usually plays. She often ends up as the cute but dorky friend who pines over the guy but may or may not get him in the end. One of her earliest lines in the movie is "Where are all the cute guys?" Jane says to her, "Can't you keep it in your pants for one wedding?" Definitely different for Judy Greer.
In the midst of library mess, I remain your Savage Librarian.

A Fantasy Nerd

I've most definitely come into my affection for fantasy at a late age. I'm reading fantasy books. I'm writing fantasy books. And yes, nerdiest of nerdiest, I've been watching Star Trek. I do lean more towards fantasy than sci-fi, though I won't turn down a well told (and admittedly not very complicated) sci-fi story. Suggestions are always welcome.
Abhorsen by Garth Nix ends the story (for now?) of Lirael, Sam, Sabriel, and Touchstone. Wow. It opened well, with an attack on Sabriel and Touchstone and then you don't hear anything about them for 100 pages or so. But it's not as if you're waiting for that to come because so much else is happening with Sam and Lirael that Sabriel and Touchstone are just in the background. How do they get out of the House with Chlorr and the Dead surrounding them? How do they find Nick? Can they stop Hedge and Whatever It Is He's Setting Free? Intense, definitely intense, fast paced and well written. You keep going and feel as if you've barely turned the pages. Lirael remains proud of her librarian-ness and Clayr heritage, even though she has become the Abhorsen. And what of Sam? Who was to be the Abhorsen? Sure there is relief he is no longer the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, but is his destiny just to fall to the wayside, to live in the wakes of Lirarel and his sister, Ellimere, who will be Queen? A son of Sabriel, destined for nothing? No. And what exactly are Mogget and the Disreputable Dog? Many questions, and many answers. Fantastic read. I might be interested in reading more books by Nix. In the meantime, I've got to get through the pile I have accumulating from the library (not to mention Rumors, the next Luxe novel, which I already bought. My kingdom to be paid to read!), the first of which is The Scandal Plan: or, How to Win the Presidency by Cheating on Your Wife by Bill Folman. About 100 pages in so far--let me just say that the candidate's advisors determine they have to create a scandal to make the candidate seem more human. The plan is about to go into action, so I'm curious to see how and if it will go wrong or actually work. I like election stories too (so long as they're funny or history) and love election movies. (Bob Roberts with Tim Robbins! Hilarious!)
Unless I see anything in the next few days, you won't hear from me until I finish Scandal Plan, I remain, however, your Savage Librarian.

Solely movies.

The promised Charlie Wilson's War review: it was good. Of course, much of what occured happened when I was but a wee child myself, so it was all new to me. The ending quote from Charlie is probably one of the best parts of the film. The mood of the film was light, which is kind of nice when dealing with such a serious topic as war and covert wars and the Cold War, while not entirely sugar coating what was happening in the film. It looked like it used news footage from the time period (Dan Rather reporting!) which was a nice touch. Charlie called his troop of aides in his Congressional office his jailbait. Which I find is funny, but I have a strange sense of humor, which apparently works with the screenwriters'.
Mad Money with Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes was a fun bit of fluff. Stealing money from the federal reserve (stealing money that is destined to be destroyed) to pay off massive debts, send kids to fancy private schools and buy weird husbands stuff. Ted Danson did a great job as Diane Keaton's unemployed, worrisome husband (with all that white hair! Shocking!). As most happy-go-lucky films go, they do get caught. But don't end up doing jail time. And very conveniently some 'mad money' shows up. All in all, worth a watch.
Lars and the Real Girl with Ryan Gosling is surprisingly touching. I anticipated the film to be solely funny but I damn near cried more than once. Lars is a very quiet, shy, closed off man. He lives in the garage apartment of his brother and sister-in-law's house and she continually tries to get Lars to spend more time with them (with other people really) and when he finally decides to do so, it turns out Lars has a girlfriend ... a sex doll girlfriend named Bianca. Gus and Karin (the brother and sister-in-law) take Lars to a doctor (a psychologist) to find out why Lars brought Bianca home. Well, not why he brought her home, but why he brought her out in public and is talking to her as if she is real and she responds. (As a side note, my father always told me it was ok to talk to myself, so long as I didn't answer myself. Oops.) The doctor suggests Gus and Karin go along with it, pretend Bianca's real. .... The whole town gets in to this to help Lars out (without him knowing) and it's fantastic to see them come together for Lars and help him with his delusion. Even the poor girl, Margo, who has a wicked mad crush on Lars. She doesn't make fun of him at all and continues to pine for him. As I said, funny and touching. Definitely recommended.
On the big screen: Sex and the City! I was so freaking excited to see this movie. I'm a fan of the show but not so much as to own all the seasons (still too expensive). One of my friends said the movie seemed like an extra long episode, and it did, but didn't drag at all. Carrie's, Miranda's, and Samantha's storylines were well done and each felt at the front of the film when occuring, but poor Charlotte seemed kind of brushed to the side, though I have to say I am way impressed by Charlotte's fierce side. It's not something that is usually seen in the show because she's so nice. Fierce Charlotte = Awesome and a Friend I Want on My Side. I like the film. I recommend it to fans of the show (not really those who've seen a few episodes, but people who like the show.) I will make this plea for all men with no interest in seeing the film: Ladies, PLEASE do not make your male significant other see this film if he has no desire to. He won't know what's going on and will probably spend most of the film 1) asleep or 2) making fun of it. Go with your girlfriends.
Abhorsen review to come ... tomorrow? We'll see.

Book and movies

I'm steadily moving my way through my piles of both books and dvds that I have currently checked out from my library.
Lirael by Garth Nix. Sequel to Sabriel. Lirael is a pretty awesome character. She's a librarian (!) for the Clayr, a people who See the future. She does not have the gift that the rest of the Clayr have for Seeing the future and this depresses Lirael, as children younger and younger than herself gain that power. At 19 she has made a friend in the Disreputable Dog, and the Clayr have Seen fragments of her future and determine she must venture into the world to fulfill that fragment. She meets Sam, King Touchstone & Abhorsen Sabriel's son, who is 'taking a break' from the expectations of and training to be the Abhorsen-in-Waiting to rescue his from Nick, who hails from South of the Wall. Only Nick's got himself into a bit of a scrap having to do with some ancient magic. And Sam gets himself into some trouble before he meets up with Lirael, and naturally, once the two are together, trouble finds them. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm nearly half way through Abhorsen, the final book. As my friend informed me of Lirael and Sam's destinies, they both have greated destinies than what they planned for. Still quite enjoyable.
Untraceable starring Diane Lane and Colin Hanks (yay, Colin Hanks. Ok, ending my Fangirl-ish-ness). I'm typically not a fan of thrillers, but I have to say I'm more impressed with the film than I expected to be. Lane and Hanks are FBI agents dealing with cyber crime when someone tells them about this site where first a cat and then people start to die. Spooky. One this about this film is that the audience knows who the perpetrator is fairly early on, so it loses some of its suspense. But how the characters get to the correct conclusion and what they do with him is interesting on its own. If you have the bravery for these films, pretty good. I for one, however curious I am about the website they talk about in the film, will not even attempt to see if there's an actual website with that address. It's freaking spooky. *shudders*
Watched Charlie Wilson's War, but will review later. For now, I am, as ever, your
Savage Librarian.