Lover of Ebooks

These are a few of my favorite ‘first’ lines read in August 2010.

Once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.

Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafters, but I’ve lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten. The only difference between grown-ups and kids is that grown-ups go to jail for murder. Kids get away with it.

Come to think of it, the day my brother tried to eat his first-grade teacher turned out to be the same day that my dad brought me home a very, very strange cat.

I don’t want to die, I thought. Not again.

The big question: Is Origami Yoda real? Well, of course, he’s real. I mean, he’s a real finger puppet made out of a real piece of paper. But I mean: Is he REAL? Does he really know things? Can he see the future? Does he use the force?

Emma Woodhouse–handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition–had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress her. Until the vampire attacks began.

August’s Top Five:

A Tale Dark and Grimm. Adam Gidwitz.
The Convenient Marriage. By Georgette Heyer. (1934) Read by Richard Armitage. (2010)
To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee.
Turtle in Paradise. Jennifer L. Holm.
Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Salley Mavor

Number of Board Books: 6

Baby’s Book Tower. By Leslie Patricelli. 2010. August 2010. Candlewick. 96 pages.
Count My Kisses, Little One. Ruthie May. Illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie. 2010. August 2010. Scholastic. 24 pages.
Five Little Ducks. Beth Harwood. Illustrated by Emma Dodd. 2008. Amazing Baby. 10 pages.
Time for Bed. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Jane Dyer. 1993/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 28 pages.
Amazing Baby: Clap and Sing. Emma Dodd. 2007. Silver Dolphin. 12 pages.
Princess Baby On the Go. Karen Katz. 2010. August 2010. Random House. 14 pages.

Number of Picture Books: 10

Dog Loves Books. Louise Yates. 2010. July 2010. Random House. 32 pages.
Too Pickley! By Jean Reidy. Illustrated by Genevieve Leloup. 2010. July 2010. Bloomsbury. 32 pages.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. Mo Willems. 2006. Hyperion. 40 pages.
Piggy Pie Po. Audrey & Don Wood. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Alphabet Book. Robert Crowther. 1999/2010. August 2010. Candlewick. 12 pages.
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Numbers Book. Robert Crowther. 2010. August 2010. (1999) Candlewick. 12 pages.
Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep! Mo Willems. 2010. HarperCollins. 32 pages.
One Smart Cookie: Bite Size Lessons for the School Years and Beyond. By Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illustrated by Jane Dyer & Brooke Dyer. 2010. HarperCollins. 40 pages.
Chicken Big. Keith Graves. 2010. Chronicle Books. 40 pages.
It’s A Book. Lane Smith. 2010. August 2010. Roaring Brook Press. 32 pages.

Number of Children’s Books: 6

In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6) Jude Watson. 2009. Scholastic. 206 pages.
Complete Adventures of Curious George: 70th Anniversary Edition. Margret and H.A. Rey. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 432 pages.
Curious George Storybook Collection. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 197 pages.
Otter Everywhere: Brand New Readers. By Christine Webster. Illustrated by Tim Nihoff. 2007. Candlewick Press. 48 pages.
Brand New Readers: Termite Tales. Kathy Caple. 2009. Candlewick Press. 48 pages.
Brand New Readers: Larry and Rita. Jamie Michalak. Illustrated by Jill Newton. 2007. Candlewick Press. 48 pages.

Number of Middle Grade: 7

A Tale Dark and Grimm. Adam Gidwitz. 2010. November 2010. Penguin. 192 pages.
Leaving Gee’s Bend. Irene Latham. 2010. Penguin. 240 pages.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. Tom Angleberger. 2010. Harry N. Abrams. 141 pages.
Knightley Academy. Violet Haberdasher. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 469 pages.
Crunch. Leslie Connor. 2010. HarperCollins. 336 pages.
The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams. Rhonda Hayter. 2010. Penguin. 256 pages.
Turtle in Paradise. Jennifer L. Holm. 2010. Random House. 208 pages.

Number of YA: 6

Kiss of Life. Daniel Waters. 2009. Hyperion. 416 pages.
Glimpse. Carol Lynch Williams. 2010. June 2010. Simon & Schuster. 496 pages.
Passing Strange (Generation Dead #3). Daniel Waters. Hyperion. 400 pages.
Sphinx’s Princess. Esther Friesner. 2009. Random House. 384 pages.
Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater. 2009. Scholastic. 400 pages.
The Half-Life of Planets. Emily Franklin. and Brendan Halpin. 2010. Hyperion. 256 pages.

Number of Adult: 7

The Convenient Marriage. By Georgette Heyer. (1934) Read by Richard Armitage. 2010. August 2010. Naxos Audiobooks. 5 hrs. 6 minutes.
Beauvallet. Georgette Heyer. 1929/2010. Sourcebooks. 301 pages.
Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson. 2010. Sourcebooks. 304 pages.
April Lady. Georgette Heyer. 1957/2005. Harlequin. 270 pages.
The Foundling. Georgette Heyer. 1948/2009. Sourcebooks. 439 pages.
To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee. 1960. 281 pages.
Civil Contract. Georgette Heyer. 1961/2009. Harlequin. 432 pages.

Number of Christian: 6

The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. Tim Challies. 2007. Crossway Publishers. 208 pages.
Masquerade by Nancy Moser. 2010. Bethany House. 368 pages.
George Whitefield: God’s Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century. Arnold A. Dallimore. 2010. Crossway Publishers. 224 pages.
The Devil in Pew Number Seven: A True Story. Rebecca Nichols Alonzo with Bob DeMoss. 2010. Tyndale. 288 pages.
Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope. Mary Beth Chapman. With Ellen Vaughn. 2010. Revell. 288 pages.
The Vigilante’s Bride. Yvonne Harris. 2010. Bethany House. 304 pages.

Number of Nonfiction:

Number of Graphic Novels: 2

Koko Be Good. Jen Wang. 2010. September 2010. First Second. 304 pages.
Frankenstein The Graphic Novel: Original Text. Mary Shelley. 2008. Script Adaptation by Jason Cobley, American English Adaptation: Joe Sutcliff Sanders. Illustrations by Declan Shalvey, Jason Cardy & Kat Nicholson, etc. Classical Comics. 144 pages.

Number of Poetry: 1

Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Salley Mavor. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin. 72 pages.

Number of Short Story Collections/Anthologies:

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August Accomplishments

Happy Sunday! Today is my blogoversary. Today Becky’s Book Reviews turns four! I think it is a good time for me to revise one of my goals for blogging. In the past, I’ve loved blogging daily, loved having a book to review for most days. But. I just can’t keep up this pace. I can’t. I need freedom. I need balance. So I might not have something to post every day of the week. So I might be reviewing fewer books per week, per month. But I’m hoping that what I do review, what I do post, will be worth it. By giving myself some freedom, I hope to have more things that I love, love, love.

What I’ve Reviewed This Week:

Turtle in Paradise. Jennifer L. Holm. 2010. Random House. 208 pages.
The Half-Life of Planets. Emily Franklin. and Brendan Halpin. 2010. Hyperion. 256 pages.
To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee. 1960. 281 pages.
Civil Contract. Georgette Heyer. 1961/2009. Harlequin. 432 pages.
The Vigilante’s Bride. Yvonne Harris. 2010. Bethany House. 304 pages.
Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Salley Mavor. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin. 72 pages.
Chicken Big. Keith Graves. 2010. Chronicle Books. 40 pages.
It’s A Book. Lane Smith. 2010. August 2010. Roaring Brook Press. 32 pages.
Amazing Baby: Clap and Sing. Emma Dodd. 2007. Silver Dolphin. 12 pages.
Princess Baby On the Go. Karen Katz. 2010. August 2010. Random House. 14 pages.

Coming Soon:

Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope. Mary Beth Chapman. With Ellen Vaughn. 2010. Revell. 288 pages.

Frankenstein The Graphic Novel: Original Text. Mary Shelley. 2008. Script Adaptation by Jason Cobley, American English Adaptation: Joe Sutcliff Sanders. Illustrations by Declan Shalvey, Jason Cardy & Kat Nicholson, etc. Classical Comics. 144 pages.

Jane Eyre The Graphic Novel: Original Text. Charlotte Bronte. 2009. Classical Comics. 144 pages.

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. R.A. Spratt. Illustrated by Dan Santat. Little Brown. 239 pages.

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #35

Civil Contract. Georgette Heyer. 1961/2009. Harlequin. 432 pages.

“The library at Fontley Priory, like most of the principal apartments in the sprawling building, looked to the south-east, commanding a prospect of informal gardens and a plantation of poplars, which acted as a wind-break and screened from view the monotony of the fen beyond.”

Okay, so that first sentence doesn’t even hint at what the story is about. And it offers little incentive to the reader. Fortunately, most readers need only hear Georgette Heyer’s name to know that this may be a gem of a book. For those that aren’t the “most” in the readers listed above, I’d like to think I’m doing my part. A Civil Contract is a satisfying read in a very gentle and subtle manner. I enjoyed it. Enjoyed the characters and the subtle complexities of its non-plot. This is a very human novel.

You’re probably wondering, but what is it about??? Adam Deveril is a soldier whose father has just died. He’s inherited a title–he’s now Viscount Lynton–but he’s also inherited an overwhelming debt. A debt that is due to negligence, gambling, and mismanagement. He’s got a mother (Dowager is how she’s referred to in the text), and two sisters Charlotte and Lydia. Charlotte is engaged to be married, so she’s not one of his primary concerns. However, his mother and sister are. He’s been advised that he should marry for money. He finds the idea repugnant. Especially at first. But even Lydia, his younger sister, knows that sacrifices are called for in this occasion. It is her discussions of how she needs to be marry an older man for his money to “rescue” the family, that has Adam pondering how much he’s willing to do for his family.

The family home, Fontley, is at risk. All their property is at risk–most of their holdings are mortgaged already. And only their townhouse and Fontley remain. Adam feels that the honorable thing to do would be to sell everything they can and hope to break even. That is hope they have enough money to settle their debts. Whatever small amount may be left would be settled upon his sister for her dowry. He’s not worried so much for himself, for his comfort. He knows that he can go soldiering again and live on his pay if need be.

Of course, this newly-discovered money problem does mean that he cannot marry his first love, his supposed one and only love Julia Oversley. They met when he was injured. She became enamored with a vision of a dashing, heroic soldier. He became enamored of her beauty and charm. The parents consented at the time, though Lord Oversley did feel they weren’t well suited for one another. But now that he’s poor and soon to be without a home, he knows the only honorable thing is to break the engagement. Oversley does agree with him. Julia’s brokenhearted. Adam is melancholy but resolved that he’s doing the right thing, the responsible thing.

Enter Jonathan Chawleigh. A very wealthy man, but not “genteel” or gentle bred. Oversley introduces the impoverished Adam to Chawleigh with the hopes that they can solve each other problems. Chawleigh has high hopes for his daughter, his only child, Jenny. He wants to see her marry a proper gentleman, a man with a title, a man with dignity and distinction. A man that is part of the ton. Adam is shocked at first, but the more he considers the idea, the more he comes to feel it would be doing the better thing for his family–his mother and sister. The couple does meet first. And Chawleigh was right, Jenny doesn’t overwhelm men with her beauty and charm and grace. She’s the opposite of Julia in a way. Shy. Intelligent. Meek. Forgiving. Generous. Unassuming. And practical. Above all else practical. For those that are familiar with it, think Proverbs 31. Jenny is the essence of a Proverbs 31 woman. So after meeting her, while not overwhelmed by her beauty, he sees that they could live together amicably. They’d “suit” each other. Neither is dishonest. She knows that her husband is in love with another woman. He knows that she knows he’s in love with another woman. Yet this awkward situation somehow doesn’t stay awkward. Not for long. She doesn’t demand love. Her only hope–in the beginning–is for respect and dignity.

I loved Jenny. I did. I loved her father Jonathan. The scenes with him are just satisfyingly good. I loved Adam’s aunt Lady Nassington. I loved Adam’s sister Lydia. So many of the characters were just so wonderfully human, so thoroughly developed. I loved this quiet and gentle but always intelligent novel about marriage and love and family.

I wouldn’t say that I liked A Civil Contract better than A Convenient Marriage. But it was so much better than April Lady!

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Civil Contract

Happy Sunday! It’s August. It’s hot. And I haven’t been in the best of reading moods lately. (I’m SO happy that Emma and the Vampires and I have parted ways!) But Georgette Heyer has been a great indulgence–a true comfort read!

I recently reviewed several audiobooks of Georgette Heyer’s novels narrated by Richard Armitage. The Book Chook had a GREAT question on my Convenient Marriage post. “My question Becky is this (eventually): I love this book, and have read it often. I hear Horry’s gruff little voice and Cosby’s simper in my head already. Won’t hearing someone else’s interpretation be like going to a movie that mangled a loved book?”

I do have opinions on books that have been made (badly) into movies. I do see it as a form of interpretation/adaptation. Often changes are made. And (beloved) characters can act out of character. Before this question, I hadn’t really seen audio books as a way for a book to be misinterpreted. Not in the same way at least. The words remain the same. Though it’s obvious that some narrators are better than others. There are definitely times when enjoyment is lessened by a bad narration. So it’s more than just the words themselves, how these words are read does influence your experience. The narrator is interpreting the words–perhaps not as much as in the movies–but still there is some interpreting going on.

In the case of The Convenient Marriage–I thought Richard Armitage did a great job. I would almost say a perfect job. But. There is the little fact that it is an abridged audiobook. I thought he did a great job with Horry’s stammer. I thought he did a great job with our hero, Lord Rule. Listening to this one was very happy-making. I do LOVE the book. I’ve read it twice now. And I do love the book all on its own. Richard Armitage’s narration didn’t *make* me love it. But I was certainly very pleased with it. I can’t guarantee that anyone will love it or even like it the same way I did. But I would encourage people to give it a chance. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out. But if it does…then those five hours will not be wasted.

What do you think? Have you listened to any great audiobooks lately? Any ‘favorite’ narrators you enjoy spending time with?

What I’ve Reviewed This Week:

Beauvallet. Georgette Heyer. 1929/2010. Sourcebooks. 301 pages.
Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson. 2010. Sourcebooks. 304 pages.
April Lady. Georgette Heyer. 1957/2005. Harlequin. 270 pages.
Sphinx’s Princess. Esther Friesner. 2009. Random House. 384 pages.
Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater. 2009. Scholastic. 400 pages.
Knightley Academy. Violet Haberdasher. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 469 pages.
Complete Adventures of Curious George: 70th Anniversary Edition. Margret and H.A. Rey. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 432 pages.
Curious George Storybook Collection. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 197 pages.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. Mo Willems. 2006. Hyperion. 40 pages.
Piggy Pie Po. Audrey & Don Wood. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Alphabet Book. Robert Crowther. 1999/2010. August 2010. Candlewick. 12 pages.
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Numbers Book. Robert Crowther. 2010. August 2010. (1999) Candlewick. 12 pages.
Masquerade by Nancy Moser. 2010. Bethany House. 368 pages.
George Whitefield: God’s Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century. Arnold A. Dallimore. 2010. Crossway Publishers. 224 pages.
The Devil in Pew Number Seven: A True Story. Rebecca Nichols Alonzo with Bob DeMoss. 2010. Tyndale. 288 pages

Currently Reading:

The Foundling. Georgette Heyer. 1948/2009. Sourcebooks. 448 pages.

What I Hope To Begin/Finish Soon:

The Half-Life of Planets. Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. 2010. Hyperion. 256 pages.

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #33

April Lady. Georgette Heyer. 1957/2005. Harlequin. 270 pages.

There was silence in the book-room, not the silence of intimacy but a silence fraught with tension.

April Lady is an enjoyable albeit predictable read. Our hero, Cardross, and our heroine, Nell, have been married over a year when the novel opens.

The book begins with an argument over money. The wife is being scolded by her husband for going over her quarterly allowance. It’s not that he’s not fabulously wealthy. He is. He just wants his wife to be able to account for the money he’s given her, for the unpaid bills that arrive at the house.

After the scolding, Nell is horrified to learn that she missed one bill. It is for a Chantilly lace dress. She can’t possibly tell her husband the truth–the bill got buried in a drawer, forgotten. She can’t possibly expect her husband to understand this circumstance. Perhaps her brother can help her…

Nell is keeping other secrets from her husband. She is lying about giving money to her brother, Dysart, to cover his gambling debts. She knows she is disobeying her husband by “supporting” her brother like this. But she can’t understand why her husband blames Dysart for being an addict. He should know that Dysart just can’t control himself when it comes to gambling and racing. Being unsure of her husband’s love (and respect), Nell spends much of her time afraid of her husband. She’s afraid to be honest with him, which is all that he is asking of her.

Both husband and wife are deceived. She is certain that he doesn’t love her, that their marriage is one of convenience not love. And he is certain that she doesn’t love him, that she married him for his money. (Her family is always in need of money since her father and brother are gambling addicts.) The reader is the only one who knows the truth: these two do love each other, and have loved each other from the beginning.

Is Nell as silly as she seems? Is Cardross as tyrannical and unforgiving? Will these two ever be completely honest with one another?

While I didn’t love the plot of this one–at least as much as other Heyer novels I’ve read in the past–I did enjoy the characters. Particularly the “minor” characters. Nell has a sister-in-law, Letty, whose troubled love life steals the show, in a way. She’s in love with a man, Jeremy Allandale, deemed “unsuitable” by her older brother. (Letty gets one of her many scoldings in the second chapter.) This love affair is “aided” by Letty’s cousin, Selina Thorne, a young lady who has read too many novels. This romance provides my favorite scene of the novel!

Dysart, Nell’s brother, and Mr. Hethersett, Cardross’ cousin who has a way of being in the right place at the right time to aid Nell out of her messes, also add to the novel’s charm.

One of the weaknesses of this novel, however, is Cardross. It’s hard for the reader to fall in love with Cardross when he’s only in a handful of scenes. (He spends most of the novel out of town on a trip.) Especially when most of those scenes show him scolding the women in his life. Are Letty and Nell silly? Yes. But still, that doesn’t mean it’s fun to read Cardross’ condescending scoldings. (Or Dysart’s scoldings for that matter!)

Also, I felt the romance between Cardross and Nell to be a little lacking. We’re told that it was love at first sight. Yet we rarely see these two in the same room. And when they are in the same room, he’s either scolding her or she’s awkwardly avoiding him in conversation. These two are uncomfortable in their scenes together. Neither wants to be vulnerable. Neither wants to show too much.

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April Lady

Here are a few books I’d love to read…

Bespelling Jane Austen: Almost PersuadedNorthanger CastleBlood and PrejudiceLittle to Hex Her. Mary Balogh. Susan Krinard. Colleen Gleason. Janet Mullany. (September 2010) Harlequin.

Jane by April Lindner. October 2010. Little Brown Young Readers.

A modern “Jane Eyre” story with Rochester as a rock star.

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Waiting on Wednesday

Happy Sunday!

I know of two great events going on in August. The first I’ve mentioned twice the past week. It is Austenprose’s Georgette Heyer celebration! You can see the full schedule here. There will be reviews of over thirty of her books! I’ve heard there will be interviews as well. And giveaways! If you’ve never read Georgette Heyer, this would be the perfect opportunity for you to explore her books. It should give you a good idea of what to expect, and you might just find one to try! As I’ve mentioned before, it would be nearly impossible for me to name a favorite Georgette Heyer book. But Venetia comes close–for me.

I’m currently listening to THE CONVENIENT MARRIAGE on audiobook. It is narrated by Richard Armitage. And it is so good.

The second event is Presenting Lenore’s Dystopian August. There will be reviews, interviews, contests and giveaways, etc. She’ll have a place for readers to share links to their own dystopian reviews, I hope to read some this month!

Do you have a favorite dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel you’d like to recommend?

What I’ve Reviewed This Week:

Dark Life. Kat Falls. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
Everlasting. Angie Frazier. 2010. June 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
Leviathan. Scott Westerfeld. 2009. October 2009. Simon & Schuster. 448 pages.
Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Quest for Joy). Alison McGhee. 2009. Scholastic. 320 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Dream of the Dog). Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Drazen Kozjan. 2010. July 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
The Everlasting Now. Sara H. Banks. 2010. Peachtree Publishers. 176 pages.
Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde. 2010. October 2010. Marshall Cavendish. 128 pages.
Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. Henry Cole. 2010. HarperCollins. 342 pages.
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same. Grace Lin. 2010. July 2010. Little, Brown. 43 pages.
Word After Word After Word. Patricia MacLachlan. 2010. HarperCollins. 128 pages.
Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.
Fancy Pants. Cathy Marie Hake. 2007. Bethany House. 384 pages.
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science. Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages.
Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Snail: A Book About Things We Use. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Bird: A Book About Electricity. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Frog: A Book About Growing. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Moth: A Book About Light and Dark. Geoff Waring. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.
How Rocket Learned to Read. Tad Hills. 2010. July 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Ferocious Wild Beasts! by Chris Wormell. 2009. December 2009. Random House. 32 pages
Posy. Linda Newbery. Illustrated by Catherine Rayner. 2008. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
When the World is Ready for Bed. Gillian Shields. Illustrated by Anna Currey. 2009. Bloomsbury. 32 pages.
Click, Clack, 123. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2006/2010. Little Simon. 22 pages.
Click, Clack, ABC. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2005/2010. Simon & Schuster. 24 pages.

Currently Reading:

X Isle by Steve Augarde. 2010. Random House. 480 pages.

The Convenient Marriage. By Georgette Heyer. (1934) Read by Richard Armitage. 2010. August 2010. Naxos Audiobooks. 5 hrs. 6 minutes.

Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater. 2009. Scholastic. 400 pages.

Sphinx’s Princess. Esther Friesner. 2009. Random House. 384 pages.

What I Hope To Begin/Finish Soon:

Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson. 2010. Sourcebooks. 304 pages.

In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6) Jude Watson. 2009. Scholastic. 206 pages.

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #31

These are a few of my favorite ‘first’ lines read in July 2010.

I peered into the deep-sea canyon, hoping to spot a toppled skyscraper. Maybe even the Statue of Liberty. But there was no sign of the old East Coast, just a sheer drop into darkness.

Lisabeth Lewis didn’t mean to become Famine.

A definition:
A real live boyfriend does not contribute to your angst.

The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby.

Strange things can happen at a crossroads.

I don’t trust Clive Fagenbush.

July’s Top Eight:

The Boneshaker. Kate Milford.
Real Live Boyfriends. E. Lockhart.
Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde.
A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park
Moon Over Manifest. Clare Vanderpool.
The Daughter of Time. Josephine Tey
She Stoops to Conquer. Oliver Goldsmith.
Venetia. Georgette Heyer

Number of Board Books: 9

Welcome Summer by Jill Ackerman. Illustrated by Nancy Davis. 2010. Scholastic. 10 pages.
I Like Bugs. Lorena Siminovich. 2010. March 2010. Candlewick. 10 pages.
I Like Fruit. Lorena Siminovich. 2010. July 2010. Candlewick. 10 pages.
The Napping House. Audrey Wood. Illustrated by Don Wood. 1984/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
Baby at the Farm. Karen Katz. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 10 pages.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. 2008/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 38 pages.
All About Me! A Baby’s Guide to Babies by David Salariya. 2008. Random House. 16 pages.
Click, Clack, 123. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2006/2010. Little Simon. 22 pages.
Click, Clack, ABC. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2005/2010. Simon & Schuster. 24 pages.

Number of Picture Books: 15

No T. Rex in the Library. Toni Buzzeo. Illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Swim! Swim! by Lerch (James Proimos). 2010. July 2010. Scholastic. 32 pages.
The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out (Big Time) by Troy Cummings. 2010. May 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Beaver is Lost. Elisha Cooper. 2010. June 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Hello Baby! Mem Fox. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! by Kyle Mewburn. Illustrated by Ali Teo & John O’Reilly. 2008. Peachtree. 32 pages.
My Love Will Be With You. Laura Krauss Melmed. Illustrated by Henri Sorensen. 2009. HarperCollins. 24 pages.
Please Pick Me Up, Mama! Robin Luebs. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 40 pages.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants. Claire Freedman. Illustrated by Ben Cort. 2009. December 2009. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Night Lights. Susan Gal. 2009. November 2009. Random House. 32 pages.
Always in Trouble. Corinne Demas. Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. 2009. Scholastic. 40 pages.
How Rocket Learned to Read. Tad Hills. 2010. July 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Ferocious Wild Beasts! by Chris Wormell. 2009. December 2009. Random House. 32 pages
Posy. Linda Newbery. Illustrated by Catherine Rayner. 2008. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
When the World is Ready for Bed. Gillian Shields. Illustrated by Anna Currey. 2009. Bloomsbury. 32 pages.

Number of Children’s Books: 10

No New Pets by Hans Wilhelm. 2010. Scholastic. 32 pages.
I Won’t Share. Hans Wilhelm. 2010. Scholastic. 32 pages.
Jake. Audrey Couloumbis. 2010. September 2010. Random House. 176 pages.
Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever. Dean Haspiel and Jay Lynch. 2008. Toon Books. 40 pages.
Stinky. Eleanor Davis. 2008. Toon Books 40 pages.
The Black Circle (The 39 Clues #5) Patrick Carman. 2009. Scholastic. 176 pages.
Phineas L. MacGuire…Erupts. Frances O’Roark Dowell. 2006. Simon & Schuster. 176 pages.
I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. Lauren Tarshis. 2010. Scholastic. 112 pages.
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same. Grace Lin. 2010. July 2010. Little, Brown. 43 pages.
Word After Word After Word. Patricia MacLachlan. 2010. HarperCollins. 128 pages.

Number of Middle Grade: 16

Moon Over Manifest. Clare Vanderpool. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 368 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee. 2008. Scholastic. 290 pages.
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos. 2007. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 343 pages.
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris. R.L. LaFevers. 2008. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 400 pages.
Peter and the Sword of Mercy. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. 2009. Hyperion. 528 pages.
A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 128 pages.
The Boneshaker. Kate Milford. 2010. May 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 372 pages.
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. 1997. HarperCollins. 80 pages.
Elephant Run. Roland Smith. 2007. Hyperion. 336 pages.
Bamboo People. Mitali Perkins. 2010. July 2010. Charlesbridge. 272 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Quest for Joy). Alison McGhee. 2009. Scholastic. 320 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Dream of the Dog). Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Drazen Kozjan. 2010. July 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
The Everlasting Now. Sara H. Banks. 2010. Peachtree Publishers. 176 pages.
Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde. 2010. October 2010. Marshall Cavendish. 128 pages.
Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. Henry Cole. 2010. HarperCollins. 342 pages.

Number of YA: 19

Don’t Judge A Girl By Her Cover. Ally Carter. 2009. Hyperion. 272 pages.
The Treasure Map of Boys. E. Lockhart. 2009. Random House. 256 pages.
Scars. Cheryl Rainfield. 2010. WestSide Books. 250 pages.
Real Live Boyfriends. E. Lockhart. 2010. December 2010. Random House. 240 pages.
Wildthorn. Jane Eagland. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 352 pages.
Jumpstart the World. Catherine Ryan Hyde. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 192 pages.
Hunger. Jackie Morse Kessler. 2010. October 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 180 pages.
In a Heartbeat. Loretta Ellsworth. 2010. February 2010. Walker & Company. 216 pages.
Only The Good Spy Young. Ally Carter. 2010. Hyperion. 272 pages.
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour. Morgan Matson. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 343 pages.
The First Part Last. Angela Johnson. 2003. Simon & Schuster. 144 pages.
Finding My Place. Traci L. Jones. 2010. May 2010. FSG. 192 pages.
Stolen. Lucy Christopher. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
The Gardener. S.A. Bodeen. 2010. May 2010. Feiwel & Friends. 240 pages.
I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It. Adam Selzer. 2010. Random House. 192 pages.
Dark Life. Kat Falls. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
Everlasting. Angie Frazier. 2010. June 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
Leviathan. Scott Westerfeld. 2009. October 2009. Simon & Schuster. 448 pages.
Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.

Number of Adult: 15

The Man in the Queue. Josephine Tey. 1929/1995. Simon & Schuster. 256 pages.
Bath Tangle. Georgette Heyer. 1955. Harlequin. 336 pages.
The Daughter of Time. Josephine Tey. 1951/1995. Simon & Schuster. 208 pages.
Star Begotten: A Biological Fantasia by H.G. Wells. 1937/2006. Wesleyan University Press. 172 pages.
The Pirates! In An Adventure with Ahab. Gideon Defoe. 2005. Knopf Doubleday. 160 pages.
The Lost Duke of Wyndham. Julia Quinn. 2008. HarperCollins. 384 pages.
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. Julia Quinn. 2008. HarperCollins. 384 pages.
An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews. (Shamela) Henry Fielding. 1741. 40 pages.
Uncommon Reader. Alan Bennett. 2007. FSG. 128 pages.
First Comes Marriage. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages
Then Comes Seduction. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 448 pages.
At Last Comes Love. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
She Stoops to Conquer. Oliver Goldsmith. 1773. 80 pages.
Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.

Number of Christian: 9

Magdalene. Angela Hunt. 2006. Tyndale. 448 pages.
A Morning Like This. Deborah Bedford. 2002/2009. Faith Words. 336 pages.
When You Believe. Deborah Bedford. 2003/2009. Faith Words. 288 pages.
Perfectly Dateless: A Universally Misunderstood Novel. Kristin Billerbeck. 2010. July 2010. Revell. 256 pages.
Touching the Clouds. Bonnie Leon. 2010. July 2010. Revell. 320 pages.
The Sister Wife. Diane Noble. 2010. HarperCollins. 343 pages.
The Church History ABCs: Augustine and Twenty-Five Other Heroes of the Faith. Stephen J. Nichols. Illustrated by Ned Bustard. 2010. June 2010. Crossway. 32 pages.
Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz. 2010. Revell. 368 pages.
Fancy Pants. Cathy Marie Hake. 2007. Bethany House. 384 pages.

Number of Nonfiction: 7

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science. Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages.
Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Snail: A Book About Things We Use. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Bird: A Book About Electricity. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Frog: A Book About Growing. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Moth: A Book About Light and Dark. Geoff Waring. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.

Number of Graphic Novels:

Number of Poetry:

Number of Short Story Collections/Anthologies: 1

The Storyteller’s Secrets. Tony Mitton. Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Random House. 128 pages.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

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July Accomplishments

Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.

Venetia. Georgette Heyer. Read by Richard Armitage. 2010. Naxos AudioBooks. Abridged. 4 hours, 48 minutes.

“A fox got in amongst the hens last night, and ravished our best layer,” remarked Miss Lanyon. “A great-grandmother, too! You’d think he would be ashamed!” Receiving no answer, she continued in an altered voice: “Indeed, you would! It is a great deal too bad. What is to be done?”

I love Georgette Heyer. I do. I just love her. Most of her books leave me feeling happy, satisfied. Some more than others. But still, it is always difficult for me to name one book as my favorite. Or even two or three books as my favorites. Just when I think I’ve found it–the perfect Heyer–I read another and change my mind again. Such is the case with Venetia. I absolutely loved this one.

Venetia is a woman (25) living with her younger brother, Aubrey (17), and being courted by two equally unsatisfying gentlemen of the neighborhood, Edward Yardley and Oswald Denny. The Lanyon siblings do have an older brother, Conway. But he is in the army, and he hasn’t been at Undershaw in years. Venetia and Aubrey do not miss him at all. Life is fairly routine for the two. Until. Lord Damerel (“The Wicked Baron”) returns to his estate.

The two meet when she is trespassing on his land. He has no idea who she is. But she has a fairly good idea who he is. Especially after he kisses her! Yes, he kisses her.

“Who are you?” he demanded abruptly. “I took you for a village maiden–probably one of my tenants.”
“Did you indeed? Well, if that is the way you mean to conduct yourself amongst the village maidens you won’t win much liking here!”
“No, no, the danger is that I might win too much!” he retorted. “Who are you? Or should I first present myself to you? I’m Damerel, you know.”
“Yes, so I supposed, at the outset of our delightful acquaintance. Later, of course, I was sure of it.”
“Oh, oh–! My reputation, Iago, my reputation!” he exclaimed laughing again. “Fair Fatality, you are the most unusual female I have encountered in all my thirty-eight years!”
“You can’t think how deeply flattered I am!” she assured him. “I daresay my head would be quite turned if I didn’t suspect that amongst so many a dozen or so may have slipped from your memory.”
“More like a hundred! Am I never to learn your name? I shall, you know, whether you tell me or no!” (33)

He intends to know her better while he’s in the neighborhood. Venetia doesn’t need a Lady Denny to tell her that would be unwise. But. When her brother, Aubrey, has a riding accident and is saved by none other than Damerel…well, she can’t help getting to know him much, much better. And soon they become great friends. Of course, it’s a friendship with always a hint of something more…

Lord Damerel isn’t the only newcomer to the neighborhood. Soon Venetia and Aubrey welcome TWO very unexpected house guests. Conway has gotten married–her name is Charlotte. And Charlotte and her mother have come to stay at Undershaw. And the mother is quite the character. How long can Venetia stand to share a home with such a woman? Venetia begins to think about her options…and wishing it was more socially acceptable for her to set up her own home.

What did I love about this one? Everything! I loved the characters. I loved the main characters: Venetia, Aubrey, and Lord Damerel. I loved the minor characters too! Edward Yardley, Oswald Denny, Charlotte Lanyon, Mrs. Scorrier, etc. I loved the dialogue–the conversations. They were so well done! So exciting. Whether Venetia was having a heated argument with Mrs. Scorrier or flirting with Lord Damerel, there was just something about this one. So many memorable scenes. I think it would make a WONDERFUL movie.

The romance. Venetia and Lord Damerel make a great couple. There is such chemistry from the start! Every scene with these two is satisfying! It was a joy reading this one.

He released her hands, but only to pull her into his arms. “When you smile at me like that, it’s all holiday with me! O God, I love you to the edge of madness, Venetia, but I’m not mad yet–not so mad that I don’t know how disastrous it might be to you–to us both! You don’t realize what an advantage I should be taking of your innocence!” He broke off suddenly, jerking up his head as the door opening on to the passage from the ante-room slammed. (221)

Venetia is a Georgette Heyer romance that does not follow her usual pattern.

The audiobook! Wow, wow, wow! I LOVED listening to Venetia. I did read the book first, so I would be familiar with the story, the characters. But then I listened to this one. And it was so very satisfying! I didn’t think it was possible for me to love Lord Damerel more than I already did…but hearing the part read by Richard Armitage…wow!!! He does such a wonderful job with all the characters!

In other news:

The Convenient Marriage is the next Georgette Heyer audiobook to be narrated by Richard Armitage. It releases in August 2010.

In August, Austenprose will be celebrating Georgette Heyer! The month long celebration includes: “thirty-four book reviews of her romance novels, guest blogs, interviews of Heyer enthusiast from the blog-o-sphere, academia and publishing and tons of great giveaways.” The schedule can be found here.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Venetia

Happy Sunday!

What I’ve Reviewed This Week:

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz. 2010. Revell. 368 pages.
The First Part Last. Angela Johnson. 2003. Simon & Schuster. 144 pages.
Finding My Place. Traci L. Jones. 2010. May 2010. FSG. 192 pages.
Stolen. Lucy Christopher. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
The Gardener. S.A. Bodeen. 2010. May 2010. Feiwel & Friends. 240 pages.
I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It. Adam Selzer. 2010. Random House. 192 pages.
The Storyteller’s Secrets. Tony Mitton. Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Random House. 128 pages.
Elephant Run. Roland Smith. 2007. Hyperion. 336 pages.
Bamboo People. Mitali Perkins. 2010. July 2010. Charlesbridge. 272 pages.
Phineas L. MacGuire…Erupts. Frances O’Roark Dowell. 2006. Simon & Schuster. 176 pages.
I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. Lauren Tarshis. 2010. Scholastic. 112 pages.
First Comes Marriage. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages
Then Comes Seduction. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 448 pages.
At Last Comes Love. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
She Stoops to Conquer. Oliver Goldsmith. 1773. 80 pages.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants. Claire Freedman. Illustrated by Ben Cort. 2009. December 2009. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Night Lights. Susan Gal. 2009. November 2009. Random House. 32 pages.
Always in Trouble. Corinne Demas. Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. 2009. Scholastic. 40 pages.
The Napping House. Audrey Wood. Illustrated by Don Wood. 1984/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
Baby at the Farm. Karen Katz. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 10 pages.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. 2008/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 38 pages.
All About Me! A Baby’s Guide to Babies by David Salariya. 2008. Random House. 16 pages.

Currently Reading:


Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.

Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.

Kiss of Life. Daniel Waters. 2009. Hyperion. 416 pages.
What I Hope To Begin/Finish Soon:

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus. R.L. LaFevers. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 375 pages.

Knightley Academy. Violet Haberdasher. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 469 pages.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

If you’re reading this on a site (other than Becky’s Book Reviews or Becky’s feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #30