Thanks to an airplane jump and a visit from state surveyors to another of my buildings (not the one they visited last month in time for the Nightstand!), I don’t have pictures or my last week worth of reading. I have only what I’d already written prior to the excitement of this past week. Nevertheless, I do have a bit of reading I can share.
Read and reviewed in brief:
C.S. Lewis: Writer, Dreamer, and Mentor by Lionel Adey
C.S. Lewis is, like, one of my favorite authors (the Valley girl accent is absolutely appropriate, since I’m often a bit of a fan-girl where he’s concerned.) And I’m participating in Carrie’s Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge. So I really wanted to get through this book. I forced myself to read way past when my sister told me I should give up–and finally skipped through to the chapter about Narnia. This book was shelved with the biographies, but that’s not what it is. It’s…something else. It’s a literary critic reviewing what all sorts of other literary critics have said in criticism of C.S. Lewis as a literary critic and as literature-creator. Dull as dust.
I Was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block
If I were to try to describe Block’s writing, I’d have to stay that she’s a stereotypical YA author–except that she does it extremely well. Her books are full of edgy and inappropriate material; they’re almost devoid of adult-adults; and they try to be artistic. Except that Block succeeds where other authors fail. This particular book is about a girl-model who had been molested as a child, and about her fairy, who convinced her to keep living (or something like that.) I wish I could recommend Block’s writing, because it really is something to behold–but the sex, drugs, homosexuality, pseudo-bestiality, etc. make me loathe to recommend anything she’s written.
The Next-Door Dogs by Colby Rodowsky
Sara Barker is terrified of dogs. She has been since she was very little and had a bad experience with her aunt’s dog. She’s mostly kept her fear a secret from her friends, but when a nice next-door neighbor moves in–along with two dogs–Sara is forced to confront her fear (or have her friends confront her for her fear.)
Reviewed elsewhere on bekahcubed:
- Redeeming Singleness by Barry Dunylak
- Love at Last Sight by Chris and Kerry Shook
To be reviewed (Maybe):
The Fool’s Progress by Edward Abbey
Eyewitness Books: Photography by Alan Buckingham
The Holocaust Ghettos by Linda Jacobs Altman
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
Thrive by Dan Buettner
Food, Inc by Peter Pringle
Read but not Reviewed (even in short):
- 1001 Horrible Facts by Anne Rooney
- Bones and the Birthday Mystery by David A. Adler
- The Camp-Out Mystery created by Gertrude Chandler Warner
- The Greatest Invention in the History of Mankind is Beer… by Dave Barry
- The Yellow Feather Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon
Additionally, I read somewhere around 30 children’s picture books.
Don’t forget to drop by 5 Minutes 4 Books to see what others are reading this month!
You always have an interesting list. :) Happy reading!
Your description of the CS Lewis book made me laugh. An airplane jump? Exciting!
I haven’t heard of Francesca Block, but it does sound like she does YA well. I’m with you though — I wish they could be creative and artistic without all the other mature content!
Inspiring and entertaining as always, Bekah!
You got quite a lot of reading done even with all the extra activities this month! Thanks for the heads-up about the Lewis book.
I can see that all the action and adventures hasn’t really derailed your reading! LOL! As always, impressive!