January Readings

1. Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland: More Personal Ads from the London Review of Books. Edited by David Rose. (Hilarious & sweet. Perfect for when you might feel like the oddest crayon in the box. Will put a hold on the first one. Thanks to J. for handing it to me.)



2. House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block (My favorite rockstar author takes a crack at kids books... It's okay, but it's no Dangerous Angels.)



3. All Things Alice by Linda Sunshine (Cute little book of Lewis Carroll quotes with masses of vintage illustrations.)



4. Almost French by Sarah Turnbull (Memoir. It was interesting to see Paris from the point of view of an outsider trying to make a life there & that kept me in it even though I was not enthralled by her writing style.)



5. Dandelion Fire: Book 2 of the 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (I really enjoyed 100 Cupboards but in its trilogy I found myself just barely keeping track of the multiple characters roaming separately and by the end I just didn't care anymore. Have not put the third on hold.)



6. Matched by Alley Condie (Very cool. Utopia/dystopia/futuristic. What is you lived in a society that found your perfect mate for you? What if it was wrong? Fans of Hunger Games, Brave New World, 1984... anyway, it's great fun. Question authority, read poetry.)



7. Walks with Men: fiction by Anne Beattie



8. The Frozen Thames by Helem Humphreys (A collection of short stories that take place on or around the Thames at various times when it was frozen. Interesting meditation on cold, ice, celebration, life in London over a long period of time in snapshots of lives.)



9. Baby, Remember My Name: An Anthology of New Queer Girl Writing. Edited by Michelle Tea. (My favorite was "Homo Marriage Redux" by Zoe Whittal. Some fun stuff, some sad stuff, some strange stuff, that's how anthologies go.)



10. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride (I got through this because I liked the main character, but I'm a little critical of bringing this many kind of magical people into a reality (werewolves, necromancers, witches & more) theres a certain point where it just feels like someone pulled out a myth dictionary and started opening it at random & tossing out types. I think there were also parts that were supposed to be funny (idea propagated by Sherman Alexie quote on cover) that just weren't my kind of funny.... Not hating, but it wasn't quite for me.)