Oh Behave

June 9th. That's the day school is over for me (well, for a few weeks) and the day I can start reading/blogging in earnest again. Until then, well, the half-hearted, guilty and distracted reading and blogging prevails.

I did get to read The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Adventures of Jacky Faber, on Her Way to Botany Bay (Bloody Jack, Book 8) by L. A. Meyer. As always, freaking brilliant, and months early thanks to Netgalley.com. And instead of studying for my fourth chem test (I got a B) I read The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa, also through Netgalley.com--totally worth the sleepless night and less-than-stellar grade! (Alert, an exclusive Iron Fey short story will be available for download on Julie's website TODAY, June 1st!) I'll be posting reviews for those and other e-galleys I've read next week.

I also read Sea by Heidi R. Kling, which was an awesome debut novel and sure to be a big hit this summer.

I also got to meet C.J. Omololu, author of Dirty Little Secrets, who is, by the way, very tall, very sweet, and very friendly! I can't wait to read more of her stuff :D Picture soon; I'm trying to get ready for my drawing final in a few hours, so I'm afraid that's it for the moment.

Hmmm, should I sleep, or read?

I think you know the answer...

No reading here...

I'm halfway through ...the meeting is this Sunday, which gives me a *little* bit of time to finish. In the meantime I've read and which were both excellent (and much shorter)

and I met Lauren Myracle! She was super cool (again, a more comprehensive post when the semester ends. I have so much to tell you!)

I also hung out with Bob Boyle who drew in all of our Hugo and Wubbzy books... but I forgot to get a photo--sigh! It's ok, he'll be back for the Book Derby (aaaand... more info on that later).

I need to get through two final exams, one painting, seven drawings, 65 sketchbook pages, three prints, and two labs, then I'll be home free!!! (o_O) guh.

Until then, no reading for fun except when necessitated by book clubs. Wish me luck!

Releasing the Frontal Lobe: A Catch-Up Post

So, I really haven't been doing much reading lately--well, I have, but I just can't seem to finish anything! With all the events of the last few weeks, including LATFOB, Gayle Forman's Musical Tour, and Children's Literature Council, and everything I need to read/write/make for school... My eyes are about to fall out of my head.

So I'm going to unload a little bit of information onto the blog, and hope that makes some room in the grey matter chamber to finish the semester without too much screaming.

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff

If you hunger for love and thirst for approval, you'll devour this clever novel in just a few bites. This book was funny, touching, and a great counterpoint to Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. I think it's pretty strange that I decided to read them both at the same time. Food is much more enjoyable; I enjoy the complexities in the various characters like O. Douglas, the quarterback who takes Andrew "under his wing" so to speak; the various attitudes toward fatness that help both Andrew and the reader see beyond the blubber. For the synopsis, click here.  

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (The Queen's Thief, Book 1)

This has been sitting on my shelf for at least a year or two. I finally picked it up last week and couldn't put it down! Storytelling figures greatly in this book as Gen and other characters retell folktales based on Greek myths. The final twists and turns revealed at the end of the book are clever and well worth the wait! I wish I weren't still in the middle of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell so I could plow through the next three books. For the synopsis, click here.

  

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder (Inside Out, Book 1)

A wildly imaginative new fantasy from the author of Poison Study. Some may find the endless tension tiring but it just kept me wide awake. I know from experience, Maria's hard on her heroines--they can never seem to catch a break. If you love dystopia, you're in luck. And if you're not an attentive reader, leave this one alone: I needed a map to figure out where the heck Trella was going under, inside, in-between and upside down in this futuristic thriller. Luckily the author provides them on her website. :D For the synopsis, click here.

 

FORTHCOMING:

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2)

Due out July 20, 2010. I got my hands on an ARC of this for about 24 hours and I was not disappointed--all the romance of the original plus a sly, creeping dread; a new wolf; and what I love most of all: Maggie's lyrical writing. So few writers now can really use language in a way that makes you want to dance; Stiefvater's musicianship seems to come out of every instrument--even the lowly word processing application can be made to sing. Play on, Maggie, play on!

There's more, but I've got to get to chem lab (shakes fist at double-displacement reactions) so check back later!

I leave you with a link to new original fiction at Tor.com: "The Courtship of the Queen" by Bruce McAllister.