May 18, 2014

Short Stories 93-96- Scott & Zelda

The Dance
The Southern Girl
The Girl The Prince Liked
The Girl with Talent

The Dance is by Scott but the rest of the stories are Zelda's.  I have to admit I do not like her writing. Sorry.  She is too wordy and her images are just odd and I drift off while I read her words.  In the end her writing is just not for me.   I am not convinced she was an excellent writer and that she would have made it as an author if it wasn't for Scott keeping her down. 

I did decide to not read the rest of her works.  The Millionaires Girl, Miss Ella, A couple of Nuts, The Continental Angle & Poor Working Girl.

Abandoned Book 1: Lizzies War, by Tim Farrington

If I am chronicling all my reading I think I need to also talke about the books I start but abandon for whatever reason.

The first book is Lizzies War- By Tim Farrington

It was a book recommended to me off Amazon, I am not sure why or if it was one I found highly rated on an Amazon Deal.  I did downloaded it and gave it a try.

I got about half way through the story and finally gave up.  I won't say it is a horrible book, but in the end I just did not care about the characters or what was going to happen.  Or maybe I saw where the book is going and just didn't care.

There was some parts that felt like they were added for effect but had no bearing to the story like the drive through Detroit during the riots and the kids almost being blown up at the gas station.  Is there a reason why the kids needed to be put in peril?  It did not seem to come back around, and felt too dramatic for the story of an everyday military wife dealing with her husband in Vietnam.

I did not realize that this story was written by a man, I guess when I was reading it I assumed it was written by a woman.  That may have something to do with it.  Not that I don't believe men can write believable women  because there are some great examples out there, but I think it is hard for any writer to really get inside the mind of another gender and do it well.

Oh well.  I decided to give up on this one and I moved on to The Fault in Our Stars.

Book 27: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Here is another YA book that has been floating around my periphery and I finally decided to read it.  I guess I also finally read it because the movie is coming out and I watched a segment on the legion of fans that this book had and I was curious.

Lets see...I liked the book, but I was hoping for a bit more, but I can see how this book is important to younger readers.  I have been listening to a podcast called What are you reading?  Where the host often asks about the book that turned your head as a young reader, and I see that this could be one of those books.

In a nutshell it is a book about Cancer kids who fall in love and die.  It feels like it shines a unflinching eye on the subject and speaks on a topic that most kids have little connection to. 

After reading this book, I was given the typical suggestions of what to read next.  And of course they were all YA novels and now ones on kids who die.  I have mixed feelings on this.  In the world that lives produces recommendation only off of current purchases or reads, I am afraid of being typed cast as a YA reader.  I don't have a problem reading YA if it is done well, and I have a daughter who is a reader and starting to pick up some of these books.  But I want to be able to read other types of books.  Ones that are written for adults and have some meat on them.  It seems like I get the Classics, which is fine, but it seems like the only digging down that occurs is that they are classics and nothing else or now I am getting YA book recommendation.  Can it combine the and see what else comes up?

I find this similar to Pandoras recommendation to me on music.  I like a certain 1 Hit wonder from the 80's, who had gone on and produced many wonderful albums and styles.  I would like a recommendation of songs from one of his later albums to see what else is out there and I all I get recommended is 80's New Wave music, which I like but is not like his jazzier, moodier later stuff so I am left frustrated and type cast.  I have always had an eclectic taste in music, as with most things in life.  Give a good sampling of a whole bunch of stuff.

Ah anyways. that is a tangent that is not really well thought out, just some frustrations.

Back to the book.  Yes it is a book I will be OK if my daughter reads, I would just like her to be a tad bit older as there is a bit of sex involved.

May 17, 2014

Short Stories 75- Outside the Cabinet Maker

75. Outside the Cabinet-makers:  I love this short little short story.  Just a quick read on creating magic for your children and yet not being able to fully participate in that creation.

Short Stories 76-92

A nice big list of Short Stories. 
Here they are...
The Rough Crossing
The Mystery of the Raymond Mortage
Reade, Substitute Right Half
A Debt of Honor
The Room With the Green Blinds
A Luckless Santa Claus
The Trail of the Duke
Pain and the Scientist
Shadow Laurels
The Ordeal
The Debutante
The Spire and the Gargoyle
Sentiment and the Use of Rouge
The Pierian Springs and the Last Straw
Our Own Movie Queen
A Penny Spent
The Original Follies Girl

As with all the Short stories, click on the link to get more info.

I will call out the following stories:
The Ordeal, The Debutante
The Spire and the Gargoyle, Senitment and the Use of Rouge
and The Pierian Springs and the Last Straw


Book 26: The Thoughtbook of F Scott Fitzgerald

I was able to read this as I was reading some of his apprentice fiction.  It was a good time to read it. I would also suggest it if someone was reading Basil stories.

Book 25: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Powell

I loved this book.  I don't think I have made it a secret that I am frustrated with what I am finding out in the book world lately.  I am sure there are many good books, I am just not stumbling upon them.  I am glad I was able to come across this one.

It is refreshing and honest and a great book that feels real when dealing with relationships in the 80's.  Heck, I am sure the relationship part still rings true today.  Which it is why I am going to give this to my daughter when she is a few years older. 

Loved, Loved, Loved this one