Quick & Dirty: Best of 2010

This year has been such a doozy, I actually feel a touch apathetic about putting this list together. Don’t get me wrong: I read more than a handful of knock-my-socks off books this past year. The apathy has more to do with wrecked concentration, a continued disinterest in starting new books, and I’ll leave it at that. So here it is, a quick and dirty list. Actually, lists.

They’re Among My Favorites for a Reason:

• Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop
• Bewitched & Betrayed by Lisa Shearin
• Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
• Killbox by Ann Aguirre
• Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh

Favorite New (and New to Me) Series:

• Touched by and Alien / Alien Tango by Gini Koch
• The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
• Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
• Still Life by Louise Penny

YA Keepers:

• The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Dreamdark: Silksinger by Laini Taylor
• A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
• Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
• Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
• Jane by April Lindner
• Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

I loved it so much, I couldn’t review it:
Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

This book is all kinds of wonderful. Frankly, it’s the most grounded, realistic romance I’ve read in a long time. I loved everything about it, so much so that it made finding the right words to review it impossible. Luckily, it’s caught on like wildfire, and there are plenty of other wonderful reviews, like Angie’s, to spotlight Anna‘s wonderfulness. As for me, instead of writing a lousy review that doesn’t come close to doing the book justice, I’ll opt to go back and reread it instead.

Deserving of a {I can’t believe I’m about to use this phrase} Shout-out:

• Everlasting by Angie Frazier
• Heist Society by Ally Carter
• House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
• The Man with a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes
• Dreadful Skin by Cherie Priest
• Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard

2010 Retrospective Thingy: Richard Armitage

North & South.

North & South.

North & South.

My favorite bloggers were talking about this BBC film, posting pictures of a handsome man, tempting me with talk about how wonderfully romantic North & South was. I drove myself crazy for weeks trying to track down a copy. And when I finally did…I was, quite simply, in love. With both the man and the film.

To say that I then devoured the man’s body of work would be an understatement. I instantly craved everything he’d ever done: film, serial shows, audiobooks, Cbeebies. Everything. And I got my hands on all of it as quickly as possible. My adoration grew with each new thing. And adoring Richard Armitage yielded more benefits than I imagined; he brought new, virtual friends into my life, and gave me something to rhapsodize over with those I was already blessed with. With his upcoming roles in Captain America and The Hobbit, they’ll be plenty more to talk about, I’m sure.

A Sliver, A Snapshot

Oddity: Chelle receiving books for Christmas. I read so many, borrow a ton; friends and family have a devil of a time picking them out for me. So I never get actual, honest-to-goodness, smell-the-paper, admire-the-cover books for holidays. I get shiny, equally lovely gift cards to local bookstores. But this year I thought, what the heck, I’ll mention a few to my husband and see how it turns out. What do you know: He paid attention.

Unwrapped on Christmas morning: Dark Heart Forever by Lee Monroe and Star Gazing by Linda Gillard. (The latter turned out to be a duplicate copy because Ms. Gillard sent me a signed copy to review. Thank you, Linda!) Not pictured because of a shipping delay, and so husband printed out overly complicated emails, which prompted me to ask “what am I getting?”: Emotional Geology* by Linda Gillard and The Last Letter from Your Lover by JoJo Moyes.

The other three pictured above, okay, well, they were presents to myself. That still counts, yes? They are: Beneath the Thirteen Moons by Kathryne Kennedy, Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma, and The King in the Window** by Adam Gopnik.

For the Blogger Holiday Swap, Alysa sent Patricia McKillip’s The Book of Atrix W0lfe, a journal, some peanut butter cups, and a Cybils bookmark my way. Thank you, Alysa! To see what I sent to the blogger selected for me, head over to Amused by Books and check out her post.

And, um, yes. Well. That is a Tardis t-shirt. I love it. And the fact that my husband is feeding my newfound love for Doctor Who. (Did anyone see Doctor Who at the Proms? Or the Christmas special? Fantastic about covers it.) Anyway: The shirt was purchased over here. Actually, it was purchased over here, on Etsy, that dangerous,  wondrous place, but the store is on vacation. Or rather, I suppose, the people are on vacation.

Oh, one last thing: I’ve changed my Tumblr blog to be a whatever-I-fancy blog, a place to post random things. Check it out if you have a moment or two, and are so inclined.

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*The copy of Emotional Geology I read previously was from the library. I wanted one of my own.
**The slip jacket comes off and the gorgeous party begins. Seriously, what’s hidden underneath that jacket is beautiful. See for yourself: Front/Back. And it was a bargain book I picked up for $1.99. Not a remainder mark, ding or dent in sight.

2010 Retrospective Thingy: Doctor Who

Vincent Van Gogh came this*close to making me cry. Or rather, Tony Curran playing Vincent Van Gogh in an episode of Doctor Who nearly did me in. And it was the last thing I expected.

I always sort of wondered about Doctor Who. Charlie McDonnell’s a fan. (And that’s pretty much enough right there.) But then there’s the inside jokes, the debate over which Doctor is the Doctor, this guy dressing up as Tom Baker’s Doctor on The Big Bang Theory. Oh, and Neil Gaiman wrote the script for an upcoming episode. What greater impetus was I waiting for to push me over the edge? None, that’s what.

But I did something…strange. Perhaps.

I went backwards. Meaning, I watched season five first. And if it’s true that your first Doctor will always be your Doctor, well, I guess Matt Smith is mine. And, you know, I’m okay with that: Matt Smith’s Doctor talks to himself (a lot, and usually while pacing), has funky and endearing hair, and saves the galaxy wearing a bow tie and suspenders. And occasionally a fez. But Matt Smith’s Doctor has one other thing…Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, companion. Isn’t she lovely? (Yes, we’re talking girl-crush.) Gillan’s Amy is wonderful: she’s smart and fiesty, emotional but never moody, capable and game for anything. And she complements Matt Smith’s Doctor perfectly.

In very short order, between the two, I was hooked. I’ve since gone back and watched season four. David Tennant is fantastic. Watching him, the weight of the years the Doctor has lived, his loneliness, is a tangible thing. His charm is, too.

So now I know what the Tardis is. And a Dalek. And I’m going to keep going back, weasling out more of the Doctor’s secrets. And, of course, I’m going to continue forward. I’m very much looking forward to the Christmas special airing on BBC America on Christmas day. Er, night.

Was I surprised to find myself sucked into this show? Honestly, yes. But I’m glad of it if for no other reason than the awesome, heart-breaking episode that was “Vincent and the Doctor.” Seriously. It was, well, like I said, it nearly made me cry. In a good way.

Anyone else jump on the Doctor Who bandwagon this year? Or, whenever?

Seven Nights to Forever ~ Evangeline Collins (Mini-Review)

Publisher’s Summary:
“Destitute after her father’s death, Rose Marlowe has debts to settle and a younger brother to support. But she also possesses a matchless beauty-one that could command quite a price. Now, every month, Rose spends one week at a decadent London brothel, where she’s become a sought-after prize.

Then one night she meets a wealthy merchant. Handsome, kind and compassionate, with a lonely soul that matches her own, James Archer is not her typical client. Falling in love with a client, never mind a married one, is unthinkable. Yet Rose can’t help but lose herself as one night becomes seven-and seven nights leads to a chance at forever.”

Seven Nights to Forever is a sweet romance with heart, and it’s that highly enjoyable combination that makes up for the story’s shortcomings.

The statement “what you see is what you get” applies to every character in this novel. James is an honest, hard-working man made lonely and hurt by the circumstance of his marriage; Rose is a lovely, good-natured woman struggling to do right by her brother at terrible cost; Amelia, James’s wife, is selfish and cruel; his sister, Rebecca, is innocent and kind, and so on. All of their traits, while supported by their actions, are very much on the surface. The reader is given reason for Amelia’s rancor towards James, but her behavior is so blatant (and blatantly awful) that she doesn’t seem quite real; her horridness an obvious plot device. Due to their lack of depth, the plot itself becomes somewhat predictable. Happily, James and Rose are so wonderful, individually and as a couple, that I could easily overlook the rest and truly enjoy their romance as it unfolded.

This book came just when I needed it, providing a wonderful reprieve and a happy ending to boost me up a bit.

Thank You

Thank you all for your thoughts and comments. Each and every one was deeply appreciated.

Losing two siblings in so short a span of time makes you take a good, long look at your own life, and with resolution season quickly approaching, I’m cognizant of the need to make changes, big and small, and that includes this blog. I’m not going anywhere, but I’ve taken things perhaps too seriously, focusing so hard on getting reviews out that I’ve lost the fun of it. That said, I will be back this coming week (with reviews, yes, but also with other random bits that serve no other purpose than to make me smile.)

I cannot emphasize enough: Thank you.

Personal News

Both of my mother’s sons are gone now. Earlier this week my brother, my mom’s oldest child at 47, passed away.

The blog will be quiet for a while. Perhaps I’ll require the distraction once again, but for now, certainly, I won’t be around much.

Scoop to Kill ~ Wendy Lyn Watson

Publisher’s Summary:
“During the local college’s annual Honor’s Day festivities, a graduate student is killed. When the English professor suspected of his murder also meets an untimely end, Tallulah Jones steps out from behind the counter of Remember the a-la-Mode to clear the professor’s name-before anyone else gets put on ice…”

Scoop to Kill is the second book in Watson’s Mystery a la Mode series featuring Tallulah Jones, though I didn’t clue into that fact until I was nearly done with it. My oblivion proves one thing: Watson did an admirable job of inserting enough background to quickly catch you up with the characters and the series’ premise. If you like cozy mysteries, but are a stickler for adhering to release order, you’ll want to begin with book one, I Scream, You Scream.

Want to know why I’ll be reading the third book in this series? Because I don’t know whose hand was squeezed. And I need to. I’m sorely tired of love triangles, but in this case it was underplayed and never overshadowed the mystery. Because of that, I have to know who Tally chooses: Cal, the steady as a rock police detective, or Finn, her first and still a little wild love.

Tally was a sweet protagonist, willing to do anything (and I do mean go above and beyond) for her family, well-mannered and unfailingly polite, but I didn’t click with her in the same way that I have with other amateur sleuths. Because she didn’t thoroughly engage me, my attention wavered every now and again. It didn’t help that I found myself frustrated with some of the characters, namely Tally’s cousin, Bree, and her niece, Alice; thought the discrepancy in how people – and by people I mean family vs. non-family – perceived the victim could have been further explored; and thought the pacing dragged in spots. I also would have loved a little more behind the scenes action in Tally’s ice cream shop; there were a few mentions of sundaes, shakes, and the French Pot method of making ice cream, but there’s always room for more, right?

I love cozies because, no matter the issues I have with them, they are always light, fun, and perfectly good company for a few hours. Scoop to Kill mostly fit that bill and, as I mentioned previously, I’ll give the third book, A Parfait Murder, a go when it’s released next June.

The Poison Diaries ~ Maryrose Wood

Publisher’s Summary:
“In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love . . .

Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle, with little company apart from the plants in her garden. Her father, Thomas, a feared and respected apothecary, has taught her much about the incredible powers of plants: that even the most innocent-looking weed can cure — or kill.

When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden in a way she never could have imagined . . .”

There are words I adore for their mouse trap quality; their ability to trip a visceral reaction, springing sights, sounds, emotions or memories in my mind. Apothecary is one of those words, and it was but one of the hooks that initially snagged my interest in The Poison Diaries. Having grown up in a family that strongly believed in the healing properties of plants and herbs provided further motivation to pick it up. Plus, topping off at 278 pages, I thought it might be a quick read, and that was just what I was wanting at the time. The Poison Diaries is a quick read and at times an interesting one; I’d hesitate to say it’s entirely successful, though.

I was immediately drawn into the world Jessamine inhabits, her days filled with little else beside chores and waiting on her father’s presence and moods, living an isolated life, relying on her own voice for company. Coupled with her sweet nature, Jessamine’s loneliness and longing compel sympathy, and she’s certainly a likeable character if not a fully realized one. As a result of her role as the narrator and a particular plot point – her father zealously guards his knowledge of plants, those that help and those that harm – the focus on the use of plants for medicinal purposes and their history is somewhat limited, or perhaps I should say it may be that I wanted more of that aspect than was given. Once Weed is introduced into the story, the reader is privy to more information about the plants Jessamine’s father uses in teas and poultices, but other complications arise.

Here again, love blooms a bit too quickly between strangers. Weed is an enigma – to both the reader and Jessamine – for much of the story, and while I could understand an immediate attraction, claims of love are harder to swallow. That’s not to say that the relationship isn’t sweet, because tenderness is evident in several of their exchanges, as is caring, but this is another case in which the girl questions the boy’s morality/humanity while admitting that she does not want to live without him. In any event, their relationship plays a pivotal role in the resolution of the story, and the end is where several of my reservations about it come into play.

For one, the villain was all too obvious, and from very early on, as was the motivation behind the actions. For another, there’s this…trippy development that, poison or no, was just sort of strange. Sure, it may have aligned with the big revelation behind Weed’s character, but still, strange. And the ending was abrupt. Honestly, my attention waned throughout the last quarter of the novel, which turned that abrupt ending into an unsatisfying one for me.

If you’re looking for something a little different, a twist on the common paranormal tropes, The Poison Diaries might fit the bill. I can’t say I liked it – or disliked it – but it’s easily read and offers some interesting bits.

Emotional Geology ~ Linda Gillard

Publisher’s Summary:
“Rose Leonard is on the run from her life. Taking refuge in a remote island community, she cocoons herself in work, silence and solitude in a house by the sea. But she is haunted by her past, by memories and desires she’d hoped were long dead. Rose must decide whether she has in fact chosen a new life or just a different kind of death. Life and love are offered by new friends, her lonely daughter, and most of all Calum, a fragile younger man who has his own demons to exorcise. But does Rose, with her tenuous hold on life and sanity, have the courage to say yes to life and put her past behind her?”

If not for Angie, the likelihood of my finding and/or picking up Emotional Geology would be slim. But pick it up I did, and I’m glad of it because, as Angie said, the story delivers.

There’s the setting: The terrain of North Uist, from looming rock faces to the smooth side of a pebble, plays a pivotal role. The landscape shapes and often appears in Rose’s textile art; the allure and danger the cliffs and mountains represent is ever present, a source of heartache in a previous relationship; the comfort to be found, surrounded by trees, and the quiet that embraces her new home. And, really, the story itself is every bit as rocky as those mountains, one’s footing never assured. Metaphors and themes aside, the descriptions are lovely and visual.

There’s Rose, who struck me with her honesty, and surprised me with her willingness to be open and up front about her mental illness. Her unease at times is palpable, as is her despair, which makes for a successful emotional hook. Too, the narration, which occasionally switches from first person to third, keeps you slightly off balanced, echoing, I believe, Rose’s state of mind. (The switch, when it happens, isn’t jarring though, if that’s a point of concern.) And there’s Calum who had me at, well, Calum. But then he reinforced his hold with his patience, the depth of his own fears, and the way he interacts with the children he teaches. It doesn’t hurt that Scotland is there in his voice, an unintentional seductive punch. To say the least, I became quite invested in the pair, separately and as a couple.

Everything about this book is treated with frankness: Mental illness, sex, grief, betrayal. No punches pulled here. And the decisive nature of the characters beautifully supports the relationships, whether mature and earned or struggling and painful, encountered in the story.

I’ve hinted to those wanting a wishlist from me that Emotional Geology would make a lovely gift – I know there will be times when I’ll want to revisit the characters, to reread certain passages – and that Gillard’s other novel, Star Gazing, would be most welcome as well. And because that’s so I must once again thank Angie for pointing me not only in the right direction, but in one I might not have headed towards otherwise.