Yearly Archives: 2004
The Quilter’s Apprentice
Jennifer Chiaverini I picked this book up on impulse – it looked interesting, and I’ve had quilting on the brain lately – and was instantly hooked. Some of the formatting is annoying, specifically the lack of quotation marks in the ‘flashback’ sequences, but it does a good job of meshing lessons in quilting technique with … Continue reading
So You Want to Be a Wizard?
Diane Duane Also read: Deep Wizardry High Wizardry A Wizard Abroad A Wizard’s Dilemma A Wizard Alone Share!TweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious
Talking to Addison
Jenny Colgan December seems to be the month for light reading, as witnessed by the sheer amount of chick-lit and repeat-reads in this month’s stack. Talking to Addison is a selection from the former category, and was….readable, and better than Citizen Girl, at least. It’s about a young English woman named Holly, who feels a … Continue reading
The Well of Lost Plots
Jasper Fforde The thing about Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series is that, while they’re entertaining if you only read modern literature, they’re even more entertaining if you have a thorough grounding in the classics. The Well of Lost Plots, the third installment in the life and times of Ms. Next, is just as much fun … Continue reading
Citizen Girl
Two years ago, this same writing team of Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Klaus offered the world a novel called The Nanny Diaries, which I read, and found delightful, so I thought picking up their second title, Citizen Girl, would be safe enough. Wow, was I wrong. It wasn’t just that the title character was known … Continue reading
Good in Bed
Jennifer Weiner There’s chick-lit that is as formulaic as a Silhouette romance novel, and then, just when you think the whole genre is the Malibu Barbie of literature, along comes a book like Good in Bed. In this novel (which was apparently the author’s first), protagonist Cannie Shapiro isn’t a lolly-pop headed stick-figure of a … Continue reading
Stardust
Neill Gaiman I was in the mood for light fantasy, and I always love classic fairy tales, so Neil Gaiman’s Stardust was perfect for my mood. Unlike American Gods, which I’ve set aside until I can deal with it again, it’a gently whimsical story, about growing up and finding your heart’s desire. Thorougly enjoyable, and … Continue reading
Nights of Rain and Stars
Maeve Binchy Nights of Rain and Stars, unlike most of Ms. Binchy’s novels, opens in a country other than Ireland, and remains there. Maybe it’s that fact that made it seem less cozy and more bitter than her usual work, maybe it’s the relative lack of Irish characters that made it feel less vibrant, or … Continue reading
