(First of all, I hate it that I efficiently wrote this on the airplane on Sunday and today is Wednesday and it’s the first chance I’ve had to efficiently copy and paste my write up here. Gah!)
(coming out in January 2010)
Jasper Fforde’s style is quirky and odd, funny, and richly literary. Or, if not literary exactly, it assumes its readers are, well, readers. I loved the Thursday Next books and the enjoyed the Nursery Crime ones as well, and so was delighted to get an advance reading copy of his newest venture, Shades of Grey. This is apparently the first of three projected novels. The style was very much like Thursday Next-kind of confusing and nonsensical and you just have to give yourself up to it and go along for the ride. And not try to figure anything out. Like Thursday Next this is set in an alternate world with crazy societal rules and regulations. Unlike Thursday Next it is a bit more sinister, a futuristic (but backward) dystopia.
Edward Russett is a Red. In this world everything is ruled by color. It forms the basis for a caste system which places greys at the worker bees who are good for nothings, and the reds, blues, and yellows as the highest ups. A system of merits and demerits rules what people are allowed to do and also controls who might marry whom. Edward doesn’t expect too much from his life except to hopefully marry Constance Oxblood, which would be a very beneficial match to both of their families. But then he and his father get sent to East Carmine, which is a settlement near the Outer Fringes. There Edward meets a Grey, Jane, who opens his eyes to the fact that their chroma-society might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
There are all kinds of weird and wonderful thnigs populating this world: swans that attack people and are feared as vicious beasts, giraffes roaming as freely as feral cats, giant trees that gobble up people like some sort of combination Whomper-Venus Flytrap.
I really enjoyed the wordplay in this, such as the fact that everyone’s surnames are a shade of the color family they are in (Oh and what color you are is determined by what color you can see. That’s right, a Red can see red but not really the other colors.) The Greys don’t get different surnames other than Grey and some of the characters we meet are Jane, Zane, and Dorian, so that’s pretty funny. This whole concept of colors being the foundation of the society and some being considered more valuable than others reminded me a bit of Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry. Another thing about this world is that when night falls everyone stays inside. To venture into the inky darkness means you will likely succumb to Nightloss and be gone forever. This terrifying darkness outside the town reminded me very much of City of Ember, by Jean DuPre. Thinking about these comparisons, as well as other novels I’ve read, it seems that a tool of those in power in any dystopia is Fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of real or imaginary (but told they are real) threats or creatures, these are the things that keep the masses in line and ignorant.
Overall, a great new venture for Fforde.
David Small is one of my favorite illustrators. He is a Caldecott winning illustrator, in fact, and has written and/or illustrated these (among others) great books: The Money Tree (written by his wife Sarah Stewart, this is a top favorite of mine), Imogene’s Antlers (who doesn’t love this imaginative story?), So You Want to Be President? (garnered a Caldecott, not too shabby), The Gardener (I get teary at the end, no kidding!), and The Library (what librarian doesn’t love this?). I mention all these because it’s good to bear in mind as you read this terribly sad story of his life: “look at all he’s done, there is a happy ending to this story.” It’s good to know that because it would be so dreadfully painful otherwise. Which makes you just realize even further how painful his life was because at age 8 I’m sure he didn’t know he’d grow up and write and illustrate gorgeous heart warming books and be recognized for his extreme talent. (I also mention those titles because if you’ve never read them you should get them next time you are at the library. Go ahead, you can spare five minutes to read a lovely story.)
Boarding school! Author (of adult books) I like! I was so excited when I saw this and I’m pleased to report it did not disappoint. Maybe not knock your socks off, but it was a good story, rich with contemporary boarding school details, and what’s more, I thought it was a great book appropriate for younger YAs. As I’ve mentioned before I think it can sometimes be difficult to find stuff like that. Not every kid is going to be a hit with the boys, or act like a Gossip Girl, and although there is a romance in here, it is a very beginner type realistic romance. I would certainly recommend this along with My Life in Pink and Green for those who don’t want a whole lot of sex/drama (though this is for a slightly older age group, I think.) The quirky/smart factor in here is great-Viola makes movies. Her parents are documentary film makers and she herself loves to film things. In fact, her filmmaker parents are what got her stuck in boarding school in the first place. 
This was a sort of hot book this summer that I only just came up on the queue for at the library. I really loved it-a solid adult fiction book. It covers relationships, friendships, and let’s face it-it has a hint of boarding school and YAness about it, and that certainly appealed to me too.
I really enjoyed the Little Lady Agency books, so when I read on 
I am just crazy about these Secrets of My Hollywood Life books. And, judging from the fact that of all the books I’ve written about they are the ones that get the most hits, I’ll guess an awful lot of other people are crazy about them, too. I love them for the juicy name dropping, the “secret” inside knowledge about being a celebrity, and most of all the fact that every single person is described by what they are wearing and every garment is from a designer. In this fourth installment in the series America’s darling, Kaitlyn Burke, faces the end of the television series she has grown up on. At 17 she’s been in the spotlight since she was 4-her co-stars are like an actual family to her. The thought of losing that is making Kaitlyn stressed out and she is worried about her future. Everyone is telling her she needs to decide on a next project or risk losing her celebrity status. As usual there are some minor “scandals” for Kaitlyn to get out of. It was all very satisfying and light and Kaitlyn was quite likable. In this installment, even more than the others, I found myself really appalled by her mother and thought how horrid it is that their child supports their family’s completely extravagant lifestyle. They seem to be totally mooching off of her and I can’t believe Kaitlyn doesn’t resent them more for it. I guess I’m glad I wasn’t a child actor and that my children never will be! Next installment out next spring-can’t wait!
This is Dunn’s first novel and I really liked it. Her first book was a memoir, which was absolutely hilarious. And although this new book is fiction it is very similar in that it had loads of what I like: details about New Jersey in the 1980s. It reminded me of reading Tom Perrotta’s The Wishbones, another book I love.
No one can talk about Marcia Willett without saying that she’s like Rosamunde Pilcher or Maeve Binchy, and it’s true. It’s a British novel that seems insanely old fashioned even if it’s set in modern times. There are happy romances, but also very sad things that just don’t work out. They’re cozy, but not entirely sweet. For example, in this one the main character is a woman whose blown her 20 year marriage on a one year affair. The affair ends and she’s left with an estranged daughter, a husband who won’t take her back, and the unbearable guilt of knowing that it’s all her fault. And that doesn’t change. So there you go. But that’s not what the novel is about, it is about the second phase of her life, and that of a few other characters as well, all brought together at a house by the sea. 
I was attracted to the both the cover and the title of this book, which lets face it, is how most people select their books when browsing. I like Dolly Parton very much. I’m sad she’s had so much plastic surgery because I think she looks a bit scary now, but I really admire her a lot. Have you ever heard her version of Shine? It’s outstanding. And I Will Always Love You? How can it be that I abhor that song when song by Whitney Houston, but when Dolly effortlessly sings it in such a lovely lilting manner, it just sounds like a wonderful love song? That’s my two cents on Dolly. Here is something very interesting that I did not get from the cover–it turned out to be a very Christian book. Enough that it gave me pause and for a moment I thought “Oh do I want to keep reading?” But I was enjoying the story and didn’t mind that the characters just spoke from time to time about praying and their faith. It was actually well integrated into the story. So what is the story? Four Southern women get together and open their own catering business. 
I know I’m out of touch because this book came out last year and had I known about it I absolutely would have picked it up right away. As it is I read about it on
