Jordan's Village Books

So, I just finished reading John Cusick’s soon-to-be-released novel, Girl Parts. This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read before and I’m not sure where to start on this review, so bear with me in case I get a little rambly ~

Premise of the book: in the not so distant future, there is a breakdown of human interaction and teenagers develop some major dissociative issues. How to fix the problem? As an experimental behavioral solution, a Japanese company has manufactured hot female Companion cyberbots to help teenage boys unplug from their online lives and learn how to communicate in the real world. Remember Wall-E? Humans aren’t that bad yet but they’re getting there (apparently, teenage girls are too smart in the future to be taken in by hot male Cyberbots).

The plot revolves around three main characters: David, the schmarmy big-man-on-campus playa; Charlie, the sullen loner who wishes he could be popular like David; and then there’s Rose, the beautiful Companion assigned to David who discovers that there’s more to life than living for a single person.

I struggled a bit with part of the story. Maybe it’s because I’m a girl and cannot fathom a bunch of horny adolescents wanting to “do it” with a robot chick (spoiler alert – Companion bots are missing their “girl parts” so most of the boys just end up frustrated). I enjoyed Rose’s development into something half robot, half human – I could imagine her becoming her own person and deciding things for herself. That part of it was very empowering. And she does have a sort of “no-disassemble-Number-5″ moment that makes you root for her.

David and Charlie however remained sorta 2-dimensional. They grew only marginally throughout the whole book and I felt sad for them and not sure where they were headed in their life. At least they were able to relate better to real girls in the end. And I suppose that was the whole point of the experience.

Maybe Mr. Cusick will resolve a few loose ends in a sequel…? I hope so!

All in all, very creative concept for the storyline and promising writing. This novel will definitely spark a lot of discussion in your next book club! It’s available on August 10th so make sure you pre-order a copy of this one. If I had a 5-star rating system, this book would get 4 stars.

Title: Girl Parts
Author: John Cusick
ISBN-13: 978-0763649302
Street Date: August 10th, 2010

2010 EW Summer Books Challenge

Signing up for a new book challenge always cheers my soul! Now if I can only stick to the plan…

Polliwog level (1-3 books)

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Join in the fun: http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/2010/04/announcing-2010-ew-summer-books.html

There is no excuse to ignore a blog for 4 or maybe 5 months. But, in my defense, we were slammed during the holidays and I had “almost” pneumonia ( that’s “almost” as good, or bad in this case, as the real thing – hey, don’t kick a gal when she’s down!) And I’ve been working a lot at my other job…

Being sick is the pits – especially when you have a paid holiday and can’t enjoy it. But I love the fact that I was able to devour several books I’ve been shelving for a while. I’ll make up separate posts for the others, because this post is being dedicated to the imaginative wanderings of fabulous young adult fantasy author, Libba Bray.

If you don’t know who Libba Bray is, you might want to learn a little more about her on her site. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy was extremely entertaining. Set in the Victorian era, a young woman discovers within her the power to travel into an alternate magical world.  She is enrolled in a snooty English boarding school and manages to make friends with some unusual girls – unusually strong-willed and modern-thinking, I should say, for the era that the novels are set in. With her friends by her side, she explores a strange new world and faces the ups and downs of teen-hood, while fending off evil and figuring out how to control her power.

The series gets a little darker as it goes on through the successive books until you reach a stunning climax that will leave you wanting more. Will the author write more in the series? Probably not. It is a good ending, if not entirely satisfying. But it will be remembered long after it’s put back on your shelf. Definitely a keeper, so don’t just borrow it from the library – you’ll want to read it more than once!

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Book 1
ISBN: 9780385732314

Rebel Angels, Book 2
ISBN: 9780385733410

The Sweet, Far Thing, Book 3
ISBN: 9780440237778

Thanks so much to Random House for the copy of Lisa See’s newest paperback, Shanghai Girls! They also threw in a bag of Hershey’s Bliss chocolate ~ so smooth! Haven’t started the novel yet but it looks interesting.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read anything quite so lovely as The Shape-Changer’s Wife. What a richly imaginative treat!

A young, talented apprentice magician named Aubrey journeys to a decidedly creepy manor to train from the master shape-changer, Glyrenden. He’s your run-of-the-mill sadistic megolomaniac and the rest of the member’s of his household are all just a little…off.

There’s Arachne, a cook who grumbles to herself scuttles about the kitchen. And a big, lumbering man named Orion who seems wary of people and is taunted by the village children. Last of all, we have Lilith, the shape-changer’s wife. She is beautiful but remote, not seeming to care much about anything and speaks little.

Aubrey becomes entranced by Lilith and longs to understand her haunting sorrow. And the longer he stays with this strange group, the more obsessed with Lilith he becomes. It is obvious that she does not care for her husband, or really anyone else for that matter. Can he get her to care for him? And why is she so unusual from any other woman he has ever known?

Disturbing secrets finally come to light as Aubrey uncovers the horrible truth behind Glyrenden and must save Lilith and the others from his evil grasp.

This fairy tale was a literary breath of fresh air. The novel is short but well worth the read and will stay with you long after the last page is read.

The Shape-Changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn
ISBN: 044101061X
Publisher: Ace

We’re fortunate to have Ruth Rymer coming to our store tomorrow for a book signing of her latest novel, which I just finished reading - Susannah, A Lawyer: From Tragedy to Triumph.

The story is centered on Susannah Reed, a beautiful young woman whose greatest desire in life is to read law and become a lawyer. The only problem is that the year is 1874 and women can’t be lawyers , silly! They need to stay home and raise hordes of children and darn socks, not defend murderers and prosecute criminals. That’s the man’s job.

Through a series of horrible tragedies and setbacks, the driven Miss Reed succeeds in drawing the reader in and cheering her on to have the courage and determination to fulfill her dream.

The historical reasearch for the novel was obviously extensive and it helps that Ms. Rymer is a lawyer herself, although no longer practicing. I learned quite a bit about life in the 1800′s. While the novel is fiction, it is based in the reality of the time and attitudes towards “unconventional” women who wanted to forge their own destinies.

All in all, a very enjoyable historical novel with a great message: don’t let anyone decide what you can and can’t do; your life is your own.

Susannah, A Lawyer by Ruth Rymer
ISBN: 1934938416
Publisher: Langdon Street Press

Every year, the last week of September is dedicated to celebrating the freedom to choose what to read. It seems crazy that in this day and age books would be challenged by the censors but, alas, they are.

And just a small disclaimer before you read this article: there are some books that are not age appropriate and I fully understand not having explicit, sexual or otherwise, books within reach of any 9 yr. old who happens along – actually, I’m pretty sure you could be charged for that under ‘contributing to the deliquency of a minor’ or something. You can check with your local authorities for that information. But for all intents and purposes, this post is primarily dealing with taking the power to make decisions away from those who are deemed competent and mature to decide for themselves.

So, who are these evil censors that have the power to decide for others? Every time a book is removed from a shelf in either a library or school classroom, that qualifies as book banning. This is done locally as well as nationwide. This is not being done by some secret organization of trained officials bent on keeping people in the dark – these are your teachers or your librarians, on their own or directed by local government, deciding what is appropriate for you to read based on the books’ content or perceived controversial subject matter. 

And this is not limited to the US – all around the world, books are banned by other countries and authors persecuted or exiled.

Sometimes books are banned for using certain words that were in use during the time period the story is set in but are generally viewed as being ignorant and offensive today. One such book has been To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. That was one of my favorite books growing up and I have wonderful memories of discussing it in my freshman English class.

As a class, we acknowledged that some of the comments made by characters were racial slurs and that’s just how things were back then, but, as a society, we’ve progressed and can look back and see where mistakes were made and how those kind of views are negative and hurtful. 

What we did not do is make excuses or say that it was ok – it was a fact of life, a part of history, and we moved on. And we did not run around calling people names or using those phrases just because we had read it in a book. 

Is that what people are afraid of? That impressionable youths will read something that’s considered to be “not very nice” and will be corrupted and get into drugs or become part of a gang? That they’ll be influenced by a certain author’s views and begin advocating anarchy and mailing bombs to officials?

George Santayana’s quote is never more true than in this case: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Book banning is not just aimed at kids. Libraries are frequented by people of all ages. If they aren’t carrying something because they deem it to have a corrupting influence on others, then that book will not be accessible to anybody, unless they are forced to purchase it.

So, now I open this up to my readers: should decisions like this be up to others or should each person be capable of deciding for themselves what to read?

The RIP IV Book Challenge is on til Oct. 31st so still time to register! I’m going for Peril the First…

http://tinyurl.com/ye7hxbe

RIP IV Book Challenge

My RIP IV book selections (2 thru 4, not in order):

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2. Glass Books of the Dream Eaters vol. 2
3. Cold Moon
4. one of Phyllis Whitney’s oldies but goodies

If you’ve never read John Case then I suggest you rush right down to your local bookstore and pick this beauty up!

The Genesis Code has been and always will be my very favorite of his books. Brutal murders amid madmen and international conspiracies, The Genesis Code has enough plot twists and turns to satisfy any critic.

The main protaganist is Joe Lassiter, a regular “Joe” (waw waaaaw) who is thrown into explosive circumtances beyond his control. He receives a phone call in the dead of night telling him that his sister and her son have been viciously murdered and their home set on fire to cover up the crime. Lassiter doggedly pursues a string of similar crimes to uncover the evil reason behind the murders. Exciting, edge-of-your-seat stuff; and the best part is? You’ll never guess the ending And that’s the way a good book should be, no?

Now, run along like a good little bibliophile and devour this treat of a novel!

The Genesis Code by John Case
ISBN: 9780345422316
Publisher: Random House

A beautiful princess born with a secret; a mother willing to keep that secret…um, secret any way possible. Ok, I’ll tell you: one of her fingers is a dragon claw. Bummer. So, the baby princess Rosalind starts a glove-wearing trend, and mom seeks a “cure” for the disfigurement so her daughter can fulfill a prophecy which states that their family name will be restored and war prevented. Oh, and there are dragons. And Rosalind has to babysit. Disaster and self-discovery ensue.

Excellent young adult fiction. Perfect for fans of Shannon Hale and Cornelia Funke. Adventurous with a spirited young heroine and 3-dimensional characters. I’d definitely read a sequel if she decides to write one. Hint, hint Janet

Dragon’s Keep by Janet Lee Carey
ISBN: 9780152059262
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books