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Reading Wednesday
Feb. 19th, 2014 09:07 pmI recently finished 3 YA novels-- pretty darn good for me since I hardly ever read novels any more!
Inheritance by Malinda Lo. Not as good as the first book (Adaptation). This book couldn't quite decide if it wanted to be a relationship book or a thriller, and so the pacing felt off. It went slow, slow, slow, SUPER FAST, and then a whole bunch of fascinating stuff was packed into the afterward. I personally found the relationship stuff a bit boring, with the exception of Reese's friendship with Julian, which was an awesome queer friendship and very realistic. I liked the fast pace of the first book, and this time around I kept wondering where the story was going.
I appreciate this book for political reasons-- ie representation-- because the types of relationships portrayed here are just not seen very often in Sf/F or mainstream literature. Lo does really well with race, orientation and gender, and types of relationships. There was one use of "so OCD" language in this book which surprised me, and another instance where a person with a body difference (a deformed arm) was seen as being horrible. So, not the best on disability, which was disappointing since the first book had some cool embodiment things going on (Reese's body changing without her knowing what was going on, etc).
Overall, just kinda "meh" on this book. :/
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gibert Murdoch
Set in rural Wisconsin, this book is about DJ, who is running her family's dairy farm more or less by herself, because her dad is temporarily disabled. Her younger brother (who almost never talks) is her only help. This summer, quarterback Brian Nelson comes to the farm to help out and to "learn how to work".
The strength of this book is DJ's voice, the realism of the setting and people, and how DJ changes over time. She makes assumptions and mistakes, and she needs to learn to connect with people and talk about her problems. I really enjoyed this book, despite the football theme!
There is one scene of homophobia in the book. It didn't bother me much due to context-- ie, Reese is a dumb kid who has learned stupid messages, and that's what's being presented-- but it might bother other readers.
Half-World by Hiromi Goto
A beautiful, creepy tale about a 14-year-old girl, Melanie, who must venture into the Half-World, a place where the dead try to work out their traumas before they can join the spirit realm, in order to rescue her mother. She is tasked with trying to restore balance to the realms. I liked this story's focus on how one is only responsible for one's own choices, and how Melanie ultimately solves problems using courage and kindness. Melanie's guides are older women. Recommended.
Inheritance by Malinda Lo. Not as good as the first book (Adaptation). This book couldn't quite decide if it wanted to be a relationship book or a thriller, and so the pacing felt off. It went slow, slow, slow, SUPER FAST, and then a whole bunch of fascinating stuff was packed into the afterward. I personally found the relationship stuff a bit boring, with the exception of Reese's friendship with Julian, which was an awesome queer friendship and very realistic. I liked the fast pace of the first book, and this time around I kept wondering where the story was going.
I appreciate this book for political reasons-- ie representation-- because the types of relationships portrayed here are just not seen very often in Sf/F or mainstream literature. Lo does really well with race, orientation and gender, and types of relationships. There was one use of "so OCD" language in this book which surprised me, and another instance where a person with a body difference (a deformed arm) was seen as being horrible. So, not the best on disability, which was disappointing since the first book had some cool embodiment things going on (Reese's body changing without her knowing what was going on, etc).
Overall, just kinda "meh" on this book. :/
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gibert Murdoch
Set in rural Wisconsin, this book is about DJ, who is running her family's dairy farm more or less by herself, because her dad is temporarily disabled. Her younger brother (who almost never talks) is her only help. This summer, quarterback Brian Nelson comes to the farm to help out and to "learn how to work".
The strength of this book is DJ's voice, the realism of the setting and people, and how DJ changes over time. She makes assumptions and mistakes, and she needs to learn to connect with people and talk about her problems. I really enjoyed this book, despite the football theme!
There is one scene of homophobia in the book. It didn't bother me much due to context-- ie, Reese is a dumb kid who has learned stupid messages, and that's what's being presented-- but it might bother other readers.
Half-World by Hiromi Goto
A beautiful, creepy tale about a 14-year-old girl, Melanie, who must venture into the Half-World, a place where the dead try to work out their traumas before they can join the spirit realm, in order to rescue her mother. She is tasked with trying to restore balance to the realms. I liked this story's focus on how one is only responsible for one's own choices, and how Melanie ultimately solves problems using courage and kindness. Melanie's guides are older women. Recommended.
