I've only read two of Sue Grafton's famous "alphabet mysteries", maybe three, but two that I actually remember elements from. For the record, they are "K" and "C", in that order, and I seem to recall reading "B", but thumbing through the book just now, nothing truly leaps out at me, so perhaps I read it while half asleep, and it's time to read it again.
After reading "Kinsey and Me", a collection of short stories, I think perhaps it is time to again pick up one of her novels. This lady can craft a mighty fine story.
In case you don't know, Sue Grafton's heroine is 30-something year old, divorced twice, ex-cop turned private eye, Kinsey Millhone. We the readers are told this, in some variation of those words, at the opening of every story, and this collection of short stories originally published in magazines and anthologies, is no exception. Each novel takes a letter of the alphabet and ties it to a crime: "A is for Alibi", "B is for Burglary", "C is for Corpse"etc. The series was begun in 1982, and the stories have remained in the eighties. Kinsey solves the crimes without the aid of the Internet, GPS tracking, or anything else but brains, guts, perseverance, wit, and no small amount of luck.
I found the book while browsing and decided that while I had enjoyed the novels, it wasn't enough to work my way through the entire alphabet. The ones I had read I hadn't read in order, and with each new novel, the task of "catching up" seemed more daunting, as "W" is being published this fall. But a collection of short stories? Sure, I could do that, and if I didn't finish all the stories before the public library respectfully requests the return of their book because other patrons are waiting (this happens to me a lot), I'll still have enjoyed a mystery or two and not have to wait another two or three months for it to be my turn again (also something that happens often).
Many writers have said it is harder to write a short story than it is a novel. I believe this. You don't have time to flesh out a character. Dialog and plot must be concise and you have to win your reader over in 5, 15, 35 pages - not 200, 300, 1100 (nothing against Victor Hugo!) This collection of Kinsey Millhone stories does that, superbly. Dead and disappearing bodies, guns with a history of disappearing and reappearing years later in other crimes, and dysfunctional families are some of the plot lines. My favorites were the slightly creepy ending of "Falling Off the Roof" and the poetic justice of "Full Circle".
the last Kinsey story was commissioned by Lands End for a 40th anniversary catalog in which she plugged one of their jackets. I've read some reviews in which the reviewers were not amused by this story. Myself, I thought it was funny, taking the rapier wit of the character and throwing in product placement for a very nice jacket which I myself used to own. It wasn't intended to be a serious story and I didn't take it as such. Its lightheartedness I felt was a nice segue into the second half of the book.
The second half is actually less than half the book, although it contains half again as many stories. The character in these stories is Kit Blue which the author states is a younger version of herself, in stories she wrote in the years following her mother's death. They are somewhat autobiographical. And they are heartrending. I read the book front to back, although I was tempted to skip ahead, for the knowledge of the inclusion of these stories is what prompted me to put myself on the waiting list for the book. I was curious to see how the author writing about growing up in a household with alcoholic parents might have affected her writing. I didn't really get that question answered.
What I did see in these stories were people I know. Not necessarily those with addictions, unless loneliness and despair can be considered addictions. If you have lived on this planet for more than a decade and you haven't been living under a rock, you know people like Kit Blue's mother and father. You know people who the more you love them, the more they wilt. And you've probably wondered what more you can do for them, and agonized over the fact that your love for them is not only rejected but it somehow inexplicably hurts them. And you've had to struggle to believe what is obviously the truth even though the evidence apparently contradicts it: that their pain is not your fault.
I'm not sure that's what the author intended in combining the two very diverse sets of stories. It's what I got out of it, however. Reading these stories, you probably won't get any answers as to how to help the hurting. But as the stories progress you will journey with Kit past anger and chaos to hope and love. as the author writes, "I wish life could be edited as deftly as prose... what I've noticed, though, is that any attempt to trim out the dark matter takes away some of the good that was also buried in the muck. The past is a package deal and I don't believe there's a way to tell some of the truth without telling most. Wisdom comes at a price."
I'll be honest. Even though I checked the book out for the "and Me" stories, I enjoyed the "Kinsey" stories more. Both, however, make for compelling reading, blending well that can't-put-it-down-edness we readers crave with short segments which allow us to put it down. Both Kinsey and Kit are very likable heroines: kind, smart, courageous and persevering.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Fresh - Delivered!
Since the beginning of the year I've been trying to eat more produce but like with most times I have made the resolve to do so, it's been a struggle simply because of the way produce makes it to the grocery store: mass produced and engineered for looks rather than taste, then picked before it is ripe so it spoils quickly. The reason people don't eat their fruits and vegetables is because they don't taste all that great.
I decided this year if I could spend a little more money to buy a little higher quality cheeses, chocolates and root beers, I could certainly spend more on my produce. I had the previous year gotten oranges delivered straight from the Florida groves and i did it again this year, followed by some Meyer lemons - who knew lemons could actually be almost sweet? - and this summer I had blueberries and cherries delivered. Friends and family got a false impression on the strength of my pocketbook and probably questioned my sanity for the money I was spending. but here's the thing: the food didn't go to waste, and here's the reason why: it was good. Not simply "good" as in "tasty" - it was that - but good as in fresh, ripe. I know, not all store-bought produce is bad. Every now and then I'll get a really good tomato or peach. But the others I bought the same day from the same bin in the same store are not. It's hard to get enthused about eating healthy when the supposedly healthy food doesn't taste good and spoils in your refrigerator.
And there is no shortage of groves willing to ship directly to you. Depending upon the season and how close you are to the groves, you might have to pay a premium for shipping. Some groves had great prices but their shipping policies put the already higher prices over the top for me. True, I don't want my blueberries to be cooked before they get to me in the hot summer months. But I don't want to pay for shipping that seems to approach what the gasoline would cost me to drive to the Great Lakes region to pick them myself. Ordering itself is a bit of a leap of faith; if I balk at store prices for fresh Ranier or Bing cherries, do I really want to double that? It's not something I can do every week or even every month. But I tried it, had some success, and what I knew I would not consume right away I shared with family and friends and froze the rest. The ones I have tried so far and enjoyed are:
The Orange Shop
Lemon Ladies Orchard
Pittman and Davis
The Blueberry Store
and I have bookmarked a few pages which look promising but for which I missed the growing season.
So after the oranges and lemons and blueberries and cherries came in their big boxes and my tummy was happy I decided to try the organic produce delivery in the sidebar ads I kept seeing on Facebook and my ISP homepage. Although supposedly geared towards my locale and my preferences, some of these ads didn't deliver within a hundred miles of my locale. So I did an internet search and discovered fresh produce can be delivered to your door if you live in New York, California, London or Australia. Awesome. But what about Colorado where I live? I did find two which deliver to the Denver metro area, Door to Door Organics and Mile High Organics. Both work essentially the same way: you create an account, select the size box of veggies and fruit you wish delivered, and whether you want it delivered once a week or every other week. You can even specify local in-season produce. And you can add fresh milk and other dairy, meat, bread, and other organic groceries. With Door to Door Organics, you supply an ice chest and they deliver to that with ice packs as needed; with Mile High Organics, they supply the chest and the ice packs. Reuse and recycling of all content is encouraged on both sites by the customer putting the thawed ice packs and empty produce bags and glass milk bottles, etc, back in the chest the morning of your next delivery. Costs vary especially depending on what size produce "box" you want plus whatever extras you've ordered, but they start at $25 and go from there. Does getting your produce delivered cost more than a run to Walmart or your regular grocery store? Certainly. It even costs more than going to natural grocers like Whole Foods or Sprouts or Vitamin Cottage, although the price difference is less there. For me, it is worth it, since I generally go grocery shopping when i am hungry so I overbuy, and this way I can better plan. I haven't yet worked out the intricaies; it is difficult to prepare meals for one. But in the month since signing up for both services, alternating weeks, I have wasted less food than before, so I'm not convinced I'm truly spending more.
Are these services for everybody? No, probably not. You have to weigh what you know you will use with the upfront cost versus the long term cost and consider your taste buds as well. For me, if I am enjoying what I eat, I am going to eat it, and if not, I won't. So the extra cost is worth it to me. And weighing the cost of the organic foods against what I might spend in the vending machines because I (a) forgot to grab something out of the fridge when I left for work or (b) grabbed for it but it crawled away under its own power because it had gone bad -- for the time being, it's worth the money and the time saved not going to the grocery store.
Honorable mentions go to Abe's Market and iHerb.com, two online grocery stores for canned and boxed groceries. I haven't bought from them yet, and some of the groceries only come in bulk, but the prices seem very comparable to like foods at natural foods grocery stores.
I decided this year if I could spend a little more money to buy a little higher quality cheeses, chocolates and root beers, I could certainly spend more on my produce. I had the previous year gotten oranges delivered straight from the Florida groves and i did it again this year, followed by some Meyer lemons - who knew lemons could actually be almost sweet? - and this summer I had blueberries and cherries delivered. Friends and family got a false impression on the strength of my pocketbook and probably questioned my sanity for the money I was spending. but here's the thing: the food didn't go to waste, and here's the reason why: it was good. Not simply "good" as in "tasty" - it was that - but good as in fresh, ripe. I know, not all store-bought produce is bad. Every now and then I'll get a really good tomato or peach. But the others I bought the same day from the same bin in the same store are not. It's hard to get enthused about eating healthy when the supposedly healthy food doesn't taste good and spoils in your refrigerator.
And there is no shortage of groves willing to ship directly to you. Depending upon the season and how close you are to the groves, you might have to pay a premium for shipping. Some groves had great prices but their shipping policies put the already higher prices over the top for me. True, I don't want my blueberries to be cooked before they get to me in the hot summer months. But I don't want to pay for shipping that seems to approach what the gasoline would cost me to drive to the Great Lakes region to pick them myself. Ordering itself is a bit of a leap of faith; if I balk at store prices for fresh Ranier or Bing cherries, do I really want to double that? It's not something I can do every week or even every month. But I tried it, had some success, and what I knew I would not consume right away I shared with family and friends and froze the rest. The ones I have tried so far and enjoyed are:
The Orange Shop
Lemon Ladies Orchard
Pittman and Davis
The Blueberry Store
and I have bookmarked a few pages which look promising but for which I missed the growing season.
So after the oranges and lemons and blueberries and cherries came in their big boxes and my tummy was happy I decided to try the organic produce delivery in the sidebar ads I kept seeing on Facebook and my ISP homepage. Although supposedly geared towards my locale and my preferences, some of these ads didn't deliver within a hundred miles of my locale. So I did an internet search and discovered fresh produce can be delivered to your door if you live in New York, California, London or Australia. Awesome. But what about Colorado where I live? I did find two which deliver to the Denver metro area, Door to Door Organics and Mile High Organics. Both work essentially the same way: you create an account, select the size box of veggies and fruit you wish delivered, and whether you want it delivered once a week or every other week. You can even specify local in-season produce. And you can add fresh milk and other dairy, meat, bread, and other organic groceries. With Door to Door Organics, you supply an ice chest and they deliver to that with ice packs as needed; with Mile High Organics, they supply the chest and the ice packs. Reuse and recycling of all content is encouraged on both sites by the customer putting the thawed ice packs and empty produce bags and glass milk bottles, etc, back in the chest the morning of your next delivery. Costs vary especially depending on what size produce "box" you want plus whatever extras you've ordered, but they start at $25 and go from there. Does getting your produce delivered cost more than a run to Walmart or your regular grocery store? Certainly. It even costs more than going to natural grocers like Whole Foods or Sprouts or Vitamin Cottage, although the price difference is less there. For me, it is worth it, since I generally go grocery shopping when i am hungry so I overbuy, and this way I can better plan. I haven't yet worked out the intricaies; it is difficult to prepare meals for one. But in the month since signing up for both services, alternating weeks, I have wasted less food than before, so I'm not convinced I'm truly spending more.
Are these services for everybody? No, probably not. You have to weigh what you know you will use with the upfront cost versus the long term cost and consider your taste buds as well. For me, if I am enjoying what I eat, I am going to eat it, and if not, I won't. So the extra cost is worth it to me. And weighing the cost of the organic foods against what I might spend in the vending machines because I (a) forgot to grab something out of the fridge when I left for work or (b) grabbed for it but it crawled away under its own power because it had gone bad -- for the time being, it's worth the money and the time saved not going to the grocery store.
Honorable mentions go to Abe's Market and iHerb.com, two online grocery stores for canned and boxed groceries. I haven't bought from them yet, and some of the groceries only come in bulk, but the prices seem very comparable to like foods at natural foods grocery stores.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Sporks!
Things you might not have known about sporks....
* Patents for spork-like instruments date back to 1874. And here, when I was a kid, I thought Kentucky Fried Chicken invented them!
* The word "spork" appeared in the 1909 supplement to the Century Dictionary. I need to get a copy of that supplement. You know, for the historical significance.
* You can buy them made of titanium. I have one in my spork collection:
* Patents for spork-like instruments date back to 1874. And here, when I was a kid, I thought Kentucky Fried Chicken invented them!
* The word "spork" appeared in the 1909 supplement to the Century Dictionary. I need to get a copy of that supplement. You know, for the historical significance.
* You can buy them made of titanium. I have one in my spork collection:
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
withdrawal.....
Somehow, I don't know how, I arrived at my bus stop this morning with my water bottle, my umbrella, and.... no book. I had chosen a hardcover copy of Agatha Christie's "The Murder At the Vicarage" to take with me today instead of my ereader, in which I am currently reading "Ben Hur", "Les Miserables", "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life", a sampler of recent teen novels, and the scriptures. I set the book, umbrella and water down in order to turn off the air conditioner before I left. Somehow I missed picking the book back up. Sleep deprivation, perhaps. Whatever the reason, by the time I realized it, I didn't have time to run back home and grab the book. For the first time ever I wish I had a smart phone, because then I could have books on it. But no, I have a phone of ordinary intelligence.
The bus came. I read all the signs on the bus. I hoped for the opportunity to interact with another passenger, ask what they were reading. There was a strange dearth of readers today. The regular riders who like me generally have a book or ereader in their hands either weren't on the bus today or had possibly left home themselves tomeless, because they weren't reading and they weren't napping.
Somehow I survived. I think I might've broken out into a cold sweat at one point, but I survived, by rereading all the signs on the bus and past text messages and current text messages in response to the one I sent out lamenting my lack of a book. Helpful messages like "You should get more rest" and Oh man you are going to have a long morning" and "I hate it when that happens" and "This is serious!" and "How could you forget a book?"
When I forget my phone, I shrug and figure I'll make my phone calls when I get back home. When I forget my hat, my pate gets warm in the summer and my ears get cold in the winter. When I forget my umbrella, chances are good I will get wet (not a bad thing, as remembering it will almost guarantee it won't rain and forgetting it will almost guarantee we will get some moisture.) When I forget my water bottle, I can generally stop and buy another halfway to work in-between buses.
When I forget my book....
Well, I survived. Wish me luck and a good memory tomorrow...
The bus came. I read all the signs on the bus. I hoped for the opportunity to interact with another passenger, ask what they were reading. There was a strange dearth of readers today. The regular riders who like me generally have a book or ereader in their hands either weren't on the bus today or had possibly left home themselves tomeless, because they weren't reading and they weren't napping.
Somehow I survived. I think I might've broken out into a cold sweat at one point, but I survived, by rereading all the signs on the bus and past text messages and current text messages in response to the one I sent out lamenting my lack of a book. Helpful messages like "You should get more rest" and Oh man you are going to have a long morning" and "I hate it when that happens" and "This is serious!" and "How could you forget a book?"
When I forget my phone, I shrug and figure I'll make my phone calls when I get back home. When I forget my hat, my pate gets warm in the summer and my ears get cold in the winter. When I forget my umbrella, chances are good I will get wet (not a bad thing, as remembering it will almost guarantee it won't rain and forgetting it will almost guarantee we will get some moisture.) When I forget my water bottle, I can generally stop and buy another halfway to work in-between buses.
When I forget my book....
Well, I survived. Wish me luck and a good memory tomorrow...
Monday, December 17, 2012
Breadcrumbs
"Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu is a book not easily classified. Equal parts fairy tale adapted from "The Snow Queen" and an exploration of friendship, loss and the power of imagination, it grabbed my attention and didn't let go. I loved the writing, the verbal imagery, and the characters. And although it's often true that you cannot judge a book by its cover,
with this book you can: the story lives up to Erin .McGuire's magical artwork
"It snowed right before Jack stopped talking to Hazel" opens the story; the snow is described as a magical event and the author manages to remind the reader of a time when he (or she) saw that magic as Hazel sees it, without falling into the trap of too much stage direction. Hazel greets the new snow in pajamas and socks, soaking in the magic; her mother comes to the door to tell her to come in out of the cold and get ready for school and to explain the science behind snowflakes - expertly showing how clueless adults can be when it comes to magic. Her best friend Jack hits her with a snowball and a snowballfight would have ensued right then if mom hadn't intervened. All this causes Hazel to miss her bus, requiring her mother to take her to school on icy streets which trip includes a pleading for Hazel to make new friends in addition to Jack.
Now all that might seem like rather mundane events, but in the first few pages the characters and their motivations are well established. Hazel's father has left them, her mother is overworked and tired but loving and gentle towards her daughter; Hazel is in a new school with no friend but Jack and with teachers who see her daydreaming as disobedience to the rules rather than the creativity recognized at her previous school. Fifth grade can be tough on any kid, but Hazel is having an especially difficult time coping. So Hazel tries "desperately not to disturb the universe" and just get through the day, looking forward to spending after school time with her best friend Jack.
With her mother's prodding and orchestration, Hazel slowly develops a friendship with Adelaide, who has an active imagination as well, and a very cool uncle who unlike most adults actually understands the magic the kids take for granted. He also understands kids, shown when he tells Adelaide's mother: "Come on, Lizzie. Kids can handle a lot more than you think they can. It's when they get to be grown up that you have to start worrying."
But this new friendship doesn't compare to her friendship with Jack, and when Jack inexplicably changes a couple days later after she hits him with a snowball, Hazel is bewildered, lost and confused. Unknown to her, the snowball contained a shard of a broken magic mirror and Jack has fallen under the spell of the evil Snow Queen.What she does realize is that Jack has grown distant and unimaginative and now says mean things like "stop being such a baby," something the real Jack would never say. No one seems to notice that Jack is not Jack and although her mother is sympathetic she tells Hazel that sometimes people just change, and Hazel must accept that fact as part of growing up.
"Breadcrumbs" is divided into two parts, the first of which is set in the "real" world which is in many ways scarier and more unfriendly than the fairy tale world Hazel enters into in the second part when she goes to rescue Jack. One of my favorite parts in the real world comes after Hazel, having been sent to the school counselor where "she felt like a bird that someone was preparing to stuff and put on a mantel" has a session with the counselor and her mother. As they leave, her mother is silent and stops outside the office to look at a flower arrangement. Hazel tells her the flowers are fake. Her mother rolls her eyes and says she knows, and asks if Hazel is okay. A defeated Hazel shrugs and responds, "They're going to figure out what's wrong with me."
Something flashed over her mother's face, and she leaned down and put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "Hazel," she said, her voice firm and grave. "Listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. Got it?"
Hazel nods, but she believes the words to be like the plastic flowers, looking good on the surface. She's not yet ready to trust herself or the adult world she believes has let her down. That will come by the tale's end (I would have been acutely disappointed if she didn't) but the character of her mother was wholly redeemed with that exchange. Despite her own frustration and not knowing how to help her daughter cope with her trials, she found a beautiful way to love and support her child. Sometimes children's literature paints adults as emotionally absent and non-supportive without showing that they struggle as much as their children do. Extra points here!
When one of Jack's friends tells Hazel that he had seen Jack follow a woman dressed in white into the woods, she knows what she must do: she must go into the woods and rescue Jack from the Snow Queen, and in the second half of the book she does just that, "in ill-considered shoes, brave and completely unprepared."
Wolves and ravens and giant clocks; dancing slippers and a trio of women at a spinning wheel and an empty swan skin are just a few of the creatures and things Hazel finds in the woods before she makes it to where the Snow Queen is holding her friend captive. Hazel must learn to know who to trust and who not to in this strange world, and that of course includes herself. And in the end, it is her love for Jack that rescues him and brings them both back to the real world.
The book is replete with references to both classic fairy tales and more modern children's classics by C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, Madeleine L'Engle, Phillip Pullman and others, many of which I recognized and probably a few which went over my head; most of which are old friends of mine and a few which in the context given I figure I perhaps ought to revisit. In celebrating imagination and friendship, "Breadcrumbs" celebrates the joy of reading as well. And it has earned a spot in my "favorites" bookshelf.
"It snowed right before Jack stopped talking to Hazel" opens the story; the snow is described as a magical event and the author manages to remind the reader of a time when he (or she) saw that magic as Hazel sees it, without falling into the trap of too much stage direction. Hazel greets the new snow in pajamas and socks, soaking in the magic; her mother comes to the door to tell her to come in out of the cold and get ready for school and to explain the science behind snowflakes - expertly showing how clueless adults can be when it comes to magic. Her best friend Jack hits her with a snowball and a snowballfight would have ensued right then if mom hadn't intervened. All this causes Hazel to miss her bus, requiring her mother to take her to school on icy streets which trip includes a pleading for Hazel to make new friends in addition to Jack.
Now all that might seem like rather mundane events, but in the first few pages the characters and their motivations are well established. Hazel's father has left them, her mother is overworked and tired but loving and gentle towards her daughter; Hazel is in a new school with no friend but Jack and with teachers who see her daydreaming as disobedience to the rules rather than the creativity recognized at her previous school. Fifth grade can be tough on any kid, but Hazel is having an especially difficult time coping. So Hazel tries "desperately not to disturb the universe" and just get through the day, looking forward to spending after school time with her best friend Jack.
With her mother's prodding and orchestration, Hazel slowly develops a friendship with Adelaide, who has an active imagination as well, and a very cool uncle who unlike most adults actually understands the magic the kids take for granted. He also understands kids, shown when he tells Adelaide's mother: "Come on, Lizzie. Kids can handle a lot more than you think they can. It's when they get to be grown up that you have to start worrying."
But this new friendship doesn't compare to her friendship with Jack, and when Jack inexplicably changes a couple days later after she hits him with a snowball, Hazel is bewildered, lost and confused. Unknown to her, the snowball contained a shard of a broken magic mirror and Jack has fallen under the spell of the evil Snow Queen.What she does realize is that Jack has grown distant and unimaginative and now says mean things like "stop being such a baby," something the real Jack would never say. No one seems to notice that Jack is not Jack and although her mother is sympathetic she tells Hazel that sometimes people just change, and Hazel must accept that fact as part of growing up.
"Breadcrumbs" is divided into two parts, the first of which is set in the "real" world which is in many ways scarier and more unfriendly than the fairy tale world Hazel enters into in the second part when she goes to rescue Jack. One of my favorite parts in the real world comes after Hazel, having been sent to the school counselor where "she felt like a bird that someone was preparing to stuff and put on a mantel" has a session with the counselor and her mother. As they leave, her mother is silent and stops outside the office to look at a flower arrangement. Hazel tells her the flowers are fake. Her mother rolls her eyes and says she knows, and asks if Hazel is okay. A defeated Hazel shrugs and responds, "They're going to figure out what's wrong with me."
Something flashed over her mother's face, and she leaned down and put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "Hazel," she said, her voice firm and grave. "Listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. Got it?"
Hazel nods, but she believes the words to be like the plastic flowers, looking good on the surface. She's not yet ready to trust herself or the adult world she believes has let her down. That will come by the tale's end (I would have been acutely disappointed if she didn't) but the character of her mother was wholly redeemed with that exchange. Despite her own frustration and not knowing how to help her daughter cope with her trials, she found a beautiful way to love and support her child. Sometimes children's literature paints adults as emotionally absent and non-supportive without showing that they struggle as much as their children do. Extra points here!
When one of Jack's friends tells Hazel that he had seen Jack follow a woman dressed in white into the woods, she knows what she must do: she must go into the woods and rescue Jack from the Snow Queen, and in the second half of the book she does just that, "in ill-considered shoes, brave and completely unprepared."
Wolves and ravens and giant clocks; dancing slippers and a trio of women at a spinning wheel and an empty swan skin are just a few of the creatures and things Hazel finds in the woods before she makes it to where the Snow Queen is holding her friend captive. Hazel must learn to know who to trust and who not to in this strange world, and that of course includes herself. And in the end, it is her love for Jack that rescues him and brings them both back to the real world.
The book is replete with references to both classic fairy tales and more modern children's classics by C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, Madeleine L'Engle, Phillip Pullman and others, many of which I recognized and probably a few which went over my head; most of which are old friends of mine and a few which in the context given I figure I perhaps ought to revisit. In celebrating imagination and friendship, "Breadcrumbs" celebrates the joy of reading as well. And it has earned a spot in my "favorites" bookshelf.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Post-apocalyptic Fairy Tales
If a blend of retold fairy tales and post-apocalyptic romance sounds a little odd - well, it is. And yet that doesn't mean it can't work. This year I've read two books which, although neither made it to my "favorites" shelf, were nonetheless enjoyable.
First read was 2011's "A Long Long Sleep" by new author Anna Sheehan. The title probably gives away which fairy tale serves as inspiration. Rosalinda Fitzroy is awakened out of a sixty-two year chemically induced slumber when a young man exploring a forgotten room finds her stasis tube and accidentally activates it. The famous kiss for this sleeping beauty tale comes when the young man, fearing he's botched the reviving sequence, starts what this future society terms "rescue breaths". From there, the original tale takes a back seat.
Rose has missed a lot during her sixty-two year slumber, most importantly, the "Dark Times" which killed millions of people and utterly changed the world she knew. It also made her heir to an interplanetary empire. Rose must adjust to a new and foreign life while catching up on a lifetime of history she's missed, and experiencing plenty of teen angst (some things even an apocalypse cannot change.) She must learn how to run an empire she's not legally old enough to and figure out who's really on her side, as the loyalties and motives of those running the company now aren't entirely clear. She has feelings for Bren, the boy who rescued her, but also for Otto, who knows something about feeling alienated, as he has alien DNA and telepathic abilities. She has memories, told in flashbacks to her previous life, which hold clues to who she is and what happened to her, and which bring up uncomfortable questions about her parents who might not have had her best interests at heart. And then there's the Plastine - a cyborg with a mission: either bring Rose back "home", or kill her if she refuses to come along willingly, sent after her by persons unknown (although despite a couple of red herrings, I expect most readers will figure it out halfway through the novel.)
The author has stated on her webpage is working on a sequel, but his is a novel which stands well on its own.
Not so with this year's "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer, which is first in a planned series of four of "The Lunar Chronicles". Neither book ends with the obligatory happily-ever-after, but "A Long Long Sleep" ends in such a way that a sequel is possible but not necessarily expected. "Cinder" stands well on its own, but there's obviously more to be told.
Cinder is a cyborg, and the tale opens rather entertainingly with her replacing her own foot. She is the best mechanic in New Beijing, and her reputation bring Prince Kai to her marketplace booth with an urgent request for repair of an outdated android and his startling pronouncement that it is a matter of national security - stated as a joke but which Cinder perceives as quite possibly true. Cinder has a wicked stepmother and wicked stepsister, but unlike the classic tale we're all familiar with, her other stepsister is quite nice, even a friend. But when her friendly stepsister is stricken with the plague which has been devastating the earth for the past decade, stepmother blames Cinder and volunteers her for plague research, which like the plague no one has ever survived. When Cinder's blood proves to be unique, Cinder consents to further tests with the agreement that should a cure be found, her sister will be treated first.
What is a Cinderella story without a ball? Cinder wants to go, and Prince Kai has invited her. It is impossible, of course, as he is the prince and she a cyborg, a little tidbit of knowledge she conceals from him, knowing he dislikes cyborgs nearly as much as Lunars, the race bent on ruling both worlds. Cinder has a connection with the Lunar people that she herself is unaware of, and the Lunar queen has threatened war with Earth unless Prince Kai agrees to marry her. She might very well get her wish, as the Lunar people have a certain glamor about them which causes everyone to adore them, and the queen is expert at this glamor. The fate of the world might very well rest in Cinder's hands.
Of the two, I enjoyed Cinder more, but both were enjoyable and clever reads.
First read was 2011's "A Long Long Sleep" by new author Anna Sheehan. The title probably gives away which fairy tale serves as inspiration. Rosalinda Fitzroy is awakened out of a sixty-two year chemically induced slumber when a young man exploring a forgotten room finds her stasis tube and accidentally activates it. The famous kiss for this sleeping beauty tale comes when the young man, fearing he's botched the reviving sequence, starts what this future society terms "rescue breaths". From there, the original tale takes a back seat.
Rose has missed a lot during her sixty-two year slumber, most importantly, the "Dark Times" which killed millions of people and utterly changed the world she knew. It also made her heir to an interplanetary empire. Rose must adjust to a new and foreign life while catching up on a lifetime of history she's missed, and experiencing plenty of teen angst (some things even an apocalypse cannot change.) She must learn how to run an empire she's not legally old enough to and figure out who's really on her side, as the loyalties and motives of those running the company now aren't entirely clear. She has feelings for Bren, the boy who rescued her, but also for Otto, who knows something about feeling alienated, as he has alien DNA and telepathic abilities. She has memories, told in flashbacks to her previous life, which hold clues to who she is and what happened to her, and which bring up uncomfortable questions about her parents who might not have had her best interests at heart. And then there's the Plastine - a cyborg with a mission: either bring Rose back "home", or kill her if she refuses to come along willingly, sent after her by persons unknown (although despite a couple of red herrings, I expect most readers will figure it out halfway through the novel.)
The author has stated on her webpage is working on a sequel, but his is a novel which stands well on its own.
Not so with this year's "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer, which is first in a planned series of four of "The Lunar Chronicles". Neither book ends with the obligatory happily-ever-after, but "A Long Long Sleep" ends in such a way that a sequel is possible but not necessarily expected. "Cinder" stands well on its own, but there's obviously more to be told.
Cinder is a cyborg, and the tale opens rather entertainingly with her replacing her own foot. She is the best mechanic in New Beijing, and her reputation bring Prince Kai to her marketplace booth with an urgent request for repair of an outdated android and his startling pronouncement that it is a matter of national security - stated as a joke but which Cinder perceives as quite possibly true. Cinder has a wicked stepmother and wicked stepsister, but unlike the classic tale we're all familiar with, her other stepsister is quite nice, even a friend. But when her friendly stepsister is stricken with the plague which has been devastating the earth for the past decade, stepmother blames Cinder and volunteers her for plague research, which like the plague no one has ever survived. When Cinder's blood proves to be unique, Cinder consents to further tests with the agreement that should a cure be found, her sister will be treated first.
What is a Cinderella story without a ball? Cinder wants to go, and Prince Kai has invited her. It is impossible, of course, as he is the prince and she a cyborg, a little tidbit of knowledge she conceals from him, knowing he dislikes cyborgs nearly as much as Lunars, the race bent on ruling both worlds. Cinder has a connection with the Lunar people that she herself is unaware of, and the Lunar queen has threatened war with Earth unless Prince Kai agrees to marry her. She might very well get her wish, as the Lunar people have a certain glamor about them which causes everyone to adore them, and the queen is expert at this glamor. The fate of the world might very well rest in Cinder's hands.
Of the two, I enjoyed Cinder more, but both were enjoyable and clever reads.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Haunted Bookshop
The bookshop in question isn't haunted by ghosts as you would probably think given the book title. In Christopher Morley's 1919 novel, the proprietor of Parnassus at Home (see this book's predecessor, "Parnassus on Wheels") has posted above the outside entrance, "THIS SHOP IS HAUNTED." Upon entering, customers are greeted by a large placard which explains:
"This shop is haunted by the ghosts of all great literature."
Both browsing and tobacco smoking is encouraged in this shop and the owner boldly states "We have what you want, though you may not know you want it."
The story opens on a cold and rainy November evening when young advertising agent Aubrey Gilbert enters Parnassus at Home to talk to the proprietor Roger Mifflin with the intent on winning the privilege of handling the latter's advertising, and expresses great disbelief upon learning that the only advertising Mr. Mifflin believes in is the books themselves. Roger invites Aubrey to supper, and the rest of the chapter discusses the virtues of books and book selling and the joy of reading, as does Chapter II when Roger meets with the Corn Cob Club, a monthly meeting with his bookseller associates, and this discussion continues.
Bibliophages will love those first two chapters as well as Chapter IX where more book philosophy is presented in the form of a letter Roger writes to his brother-in-law. Personally, I loved these chapters, even though over half of the books I'd either never heard of or had heard of by have not yet enjoyed. But even of those titles which still failed to pique my interest, the discussion itself was both entertaining and enlightening.
Those expecting a ghost story out of The Haunted Bookshop will be disappointed; as the sign presented on page three explains what the haunting of the bookstore is truly about. But that is not to say there is no mystery. There is indeed a mystery -- mysterious figures lurking about dark alleys at night, an attempt on Aubrey's life, and a stolen book which is returned but inexplicably rebound and then stolen again.
And there is romance. Enter young, beautiful Titania Chapman, daughter of Roger's friend who thinks learning the book selling trade might provide life direction for his daughter. If I state that Aubrey is instantly and completely smitten with the lovely Miss Chapman, would anyone be surprised? At one point, Aubrey reflects, "Extraordinary, how these creatures are made to torture us with their intolerable comeliness!"
Aubrey manages to convince himself, if not Titania, that her life is in great peril, and that Roger Mifflin is a part of that danger. If one has already read Parnassus on Wheels, we know there is nothing sinister about the bookseller. But there are a few grains of truth in Aubrey's suspicions, and getting to the denouement is a delight. After the appetite is whetted by observations on the joy of literature, the unfolding story is a delicious multi course meal of mystery, suspense and espionage accompanied by hearty sides of romance both sweet and comic. To quench the thirst there are pitchers full of commentary on war and peace and human nature. For dessert, Mr. Morley serves up wry observations on gender differences: "The feminine intellect leaps like a grasshopper; the masculine plods as the ant." and "He was wondering how long it might take for a girl to fall in love? A man -- he knew now -- could fall in love in five minutes, but how did it work with girls?"
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