Sunday Morning

Since I've felt behind in my reading because of all the library renovations, I've really pulled out all the stops on this challenge. Household chores? Neglected. Personal hygiene? Ha. And yes, I read really quickly. It's my JOB. Isn't that the best thing in the world? Plus, I've had 40 years of practice.

5-6 a.m.: Potter. Slob. Finally wrested this from Miss Reluctant Reader. Since Ms. Potter sent us a copy personally, I wanted to like it, but the description had me worried. Fat kid whose parents have died is being bullied at school AND is trying to reconfigure a radio so he can see the surveillance camera video from the night his parents were killed. Quirky, and you know how I hate that. But I did like the book. Yes, the characters were quirky, but I liked them. Owen's sister wants to be called Jeremy and dress like a boy, but she's spirited about it. Owen is really trying to come to terms with his past and move beyond the bad things that have happened to him. It all worked. Definitely buying a copy. (196)

6-7: DeLint. Dingo. Read The Blue Girl some time ago and didn't buy it; I'm guessing because of the language, since Dingo did have 1 and 1/2 f-bombs. (Had to love how he put "motherfu" on one line and continued the rest after two more sentences. Points for that, but really not necessary.) Still, I liked the book. Modern fantasy, with apprehensive characters dealing with odd happenings. Older male main character, a little romance, generally believable. Nice personal interaction, but not too introspective. Published by Firebird Books, which specializes in speculative fiction. Will have to take a look at other titles by this author. Oh, Miguel meets Australian Lainey and is sucked into her world, where her mythical father is trying to use her and her twin sister to break a spell that has him trapped. (206)

7-8:30: Triana. Riding the Universe. Chloe's life is complicated. She's adopted, and wants to find her birth parents, but she is also dealing with the death of a beloved uncle, who left her his motorcycle, her twin baby brothers, and the fact that she is failing chemistry. Gordon, her tutor, becomes romantically interested in her at the same time that she starts to feel that her long standing relationship with best friend Rock might be romantic as well. There's one f bomb, as well as a close call almost sex scene, so I'm debating whether to keep this or send it on to the high school. Fans of Sarah Dessen, who also writes richly complex romances, will like this one. (266)

8:30-10:00: Rollins. Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow. Wow. Rollins did his homework on this one, not only with all the historical/mythological stuff, but with the way that middle schoolers like their adventures written. This read sort of like the movie The Librarian-- stuff isn't explained overly much because we're on to the next explosion, chase scene or attack of pygmy dinosaurs. Which is okay. Somehow, the fast pace made me not worry about the fact that two sentences were spent explaining why everyone was speaking the same language, and made me just want to hang on for the ride. Looking forward to sequel. (397)

10-11:00: Anderson. Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter. As opposed to this. I somehow just could not get into the fairies. They flew around a lot, argued with each other... eh. I don't know why this didn't appeal to me. Sort of like SpellSpam last night. Maybe I was just tired, but something about the writing just didn't draw me in. (327)

11-12:30: Alegria.Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico. I thought this would be the same way, since it had tiny, tiny print and seemed so long. Also, I didn't like Sofi at first. She whined too much after she gets caught at the U.S. with problematic paperwork after sneaking off to Mexico with friends for the weekend. She has to spend time with relatives while everything is sorted out, and she does grow up. Character development, certainly, but it was interesting to see into another culture, and that's what ended up being really fun. It helps that the Spanish phrases at the end are explained. This author also wrote Estrella's Quinceanera, which I also liked because it explained in great detail about the custom of elaborate 15th birthday celebrations in Hispanic culture. (276)
30 1/2 hours, 28 books, and 7,259 pages.

12:30- 1:30: Blogging. Then short break to restore order to house.

That leaves 2-6 to read Kelsey's A Recipe for Robbery and Black's Tormod: A Templar's Apprentice. Since I do have some family obligations this evening, I will probably post my final blog tomorrow morning.