Derailed Part Two: The Rebuilding of a Reader

In spite of my intentions to get reading again in January, life had its nefarious way with my plans. Plague, famine and pestilance ensued... ummm ok slight exaggeration there!

Reality check: The never ending work place flu, caught and suffered from 3 times. Nasty trip to hospital. On the bright side, day surgery means you don't have to eat their alleged food. Moving yet again, a chance to see how much crap you really own when you try to stuff it all into grocery boxes. And, scariest of all, entering the dating pool!!

Well, things seem to have finally settled down. (Please note oh fickle Fates and Gods I am NOT tempting you by saying things HAVE calmed down just that there is a VENEER of calm: we ok on that point?) Yours truly will now try to resume a reading life. I'm thinking of revisiting the classics for a change and mebee some non-fiction. Hold on kiddies and let us see if Studly Bookworm actually gets her reading mojo back.

And, as a footnotely way of making me seem all human and humble, I will share this personal detail: I think I need bifocals. 46 years old! Bifocals! Studly??? Hmmm.

A New Year - New Start

Well, I see this blog derailed half way thru last year. Perhaps not surprising as it was a hell of a transition year. I, of course, read a lot of books but just couldn't bother posting them. But here we are in 2011 and it's time to start over. I've been busy watching my christmas DVDs (Family Guy and Dexter) and I haven't read much but newsmagazines and the paper for a whole week. It feels weird!

But I am halfway thru two books and will be posting soon.

Playing Catch Up

Been busy - too busy with house issues and being too stressed and depressed to read. Fortunately things seem to be calming down and I have managed to get a few books read. Binged on my air miles to get a gift card from chapters and for $60, got the following 4 books:

VERITAS: There were a couple nice insights about how academics tend to mix their lives with their work. Interesting career for our heroine's tiny, Escalade-driving mother and a well done relationship between the two of them. Overall the murder story was incidental to the romance and both were a bit formulaic. Also the cover picture has nothing to do with the real murder scene and that is a sloppy detail which annoys me and makes me wonder did the artist even read the book or just make the bad decision to go for a "college murder" look and hope to get away with it?

TRUTH BEHIND THE MASK: A Sci-fic novel with a crime ridden city protected by the vigilante sentinals. Well done back story and interesting plot. I liked this one for its emphasis on family. The heroine's "parents" are her older sister and her sister's lesbian partner who were thrown into those roles at a young age. Some very nice banter between Pagan and Erith. And its always a pleasure to see women who are smart with technology.

NIGHTSHADE: This book was a delight. One heroine is the undervalued daughter of the "Butcher of the Plains" a rather unpleasant despot of a desert realm. The other is the "backwards," as in lesbian, daughter of a more benevolent king and queen of a lush kingdom. There is of course a sub plot of political machinations but the main emphasis is the increasing attraction of Jessa and Darcy. The author manages to convey their longing and delight in each other very well. I'm thinking this is the first in a series because, although our lovers get together and foil the plans for Jessa's arranged marriage, the whole question of the assassination of the king and the subplots amongst the conspirators is never answered. Hopefully, there is a sequel to look forward to.

BATTLE SCARS: There is nothing a lesbian likes more, at least in romance novels, than a woman with issues/baggage who is in need of helping/healing/rescuing. In real life, most people would run like hell from all the warning signs but that is why they call this stuff fiction. To be fair though, this one is well done. Ray is dealing with her Iraq war PTSD with the help of her therapy assistance dog. Dogs need vets and in this case, she a hottie who needs to learn to love again. The book does show how people can resist their own healing, just how much work it can be and how your self esteem can take a beating. Also loved this book for the secondary characters, the dogs. Being a new dog owner, I can attest to the impact those furry companions can have on one's outlook on life. I thought this book was very well done for the genre.

Review: Dry by Augusten Burroughs

If alcoholism was a choice, this book would certainly dissuade you from ever picking up a drink. Augusten had the fancy apartment and high paying job but he was also downing a bottle of scotch a night - minimum. Fortunately for him, his employers stage an intervention and it's off to the Pride Institute - a GLBT rehab. As he says after a moving testimony from a fellow patient "That's the reason to go to a gay rehab. People appreciate the drama."

Throughout his rehab and subsequent attempts to remain sober, he never spares us his nasty thoughts or his judgements. Of the closet case, Mormon boss who attempts to sabotage his sobriety, he says "I wish Rick would get gang raped by a bunch of Muslim garbage collectors.

He struggles with feeling "...I'm a drunk that doesn't get to drink. It seems unfair. Like keeping a Chihuahua in a hamster cage."

He manages to remain sober, and attend his AA meetings although he thinks that "It seems easier to make friends in bars. I have to keep reminding myself these AA people are exactly like bar people - they are bar people - except their bars have all been shut down. And I have to admit, this makes them less interesting to me."

He manages to remain sober for quite awhile even though he becomes involved with a crack addict. Eventually, it's the death from AIDS of an ex-lover which sends him free falling of the wagon. He endures months binging on booze and coke repeatedly pissing the bed only to sleep in it again the next night and be haunted by hallucinations of spiders. He certainly doesn't make alcoholism in any way attractive.

The strength is must have taken him to stop drinking not just once but twice is amazing. He presents most things in a humourous way but the horror of the events is still clear beneath the presentation.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Source copy: own it

Review: Sword of the Guardian by Merry Shannon

This one is a romance set in the court of King Soltran. The life of the princess is saved from the knife of an assassin by an acrobat named Talon who is actually a young woman in disguise as a man. I have a love for cross-dressing intrigues from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night onwards and this one is pretty good.

There is a nice slow character development of both Princess Shasta and Talon as they grow up from teenagers to young adults. Talon's sisters are major characters and given a fair amount of time due to their importance in the plot. The politics of the court are realistically drawn and a definite influence on the awakening of the princesses' sense of duty to her people. The religion of the land, worship of the Goddess Ithyris, is well thought out and stands in contrast to the worship of the Goddess's brother Ulrike by the barbarians in the border lands. The power of the priestesses in battle was a nice touch. Apparently this is to be the first in a series...ie we get to see the reality of life after the fairy tale ending.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Source copy: Own it

February Total

Grand total five books in February. Slow month as I've been busy preparing for a promotion and, having succeeded in getting it, yay me, I am dead tired from climbing up the learning curve. For a whole week, it was all I could do to drive home and collapse. Book covers would call out faintly, and plaintively but I ignored them. Tragic. But its a new month and although the learning curve is still there, I'm not pushing myself too hard...so time to get back to it.

Waiting on the shelf this month:
The Doomsday Key by James Rollins
Dry by Augusten Burroughs

Year total to date: 14 books
Jan 9
Feb 5

Review: A Crystal Diary: A Novel by Frankie Hucklenbroich

I love memoirs. I love reading about real lesbians and what life was like back in the bad old days. And in the majority of cases, I can find some points on which to identify with or at least understand the author/main character....this book is the exception.

The first chapter is great and details her encounter with the neighbourhood butch who is back "ruined" from the war. But it's downhill from there because our heroine is just too lazy and selfish to go and get a real job, for long, when she can pimp out other women or rob people. I have nothing against sex workers but I despise pimps. The fact that Frankie knows she is a user of people and keeps it up, makes her extremely unlikeable. In her favour, she doesn't try to blame it all on the drugs since that is a cop out and more importantly she continues this behaviour even when she kicks her habit.

The writing however is great. The author can really paint a picture and is very honest about her thoughts and actions. I just couldn't relate to her air of entitlement. And her idea of "butchilinity" comes across as plain old sexism. Note to author; you can be a butch without being a complete jerk.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Source of copy: personal library