Author: Ursula K LeGuin
Title: Very Far Away From Anywhere Else
LSU
Rating: 5
Summary: It’s been several years since I first read this book, and perhaps that’s why I feel more distant from the story. The two protagonists are seniors in high school. Both are brilliant, and both feel isolated from their peers. Unlike many of her other works, this novel takes place in contemporary time, and given the year of publication (1976), the markers used to indicate the time seem a little dated to the modern reader.
Despite this, the heart of the story is timeless. It’s about growing up, and staying true to yourself, and understanding how to make your own space in the world.
Author: Raymond Chandler
Title: The Big Sleep
LSU
Rating: 4
Summary: Given the classic status of this novel, I’m a little embarrassed to admit I haven’t read it previously. Then again, the formative nature of the novel works against it, somewhat--all the hallmarks of the noir and detective genres are here, Chandler’s very descriptions signaling which archetypes are which. Because so many stories have emulated or parodied this very story, it was difficult for me, as a reader, to be surprised by the twists and turns of the plot.
Despite that, however, the imagery and metaphors Chandler use never failed to make me smile, and the dry, sometimes weary voice of Marlowe is distinct and easily accessible.
Author: Michael Chabon
Title: Maps and Legends
LSU
Rating: 5
Summary: If you aren’t someone who considers genre fiction like mystery, fantasy, science fiction, or horror "real" literature, this book will be either illuminating or irritating. While Chabon's novels have garnered numerous awards, he makes no bones about his frustration with the arbitrary nature of book categorization, especially in regards to how the genre label can often lead to good writers being ignored.
This collection of essays centers on writing in general, and Chabon’s own experience with the process. As a fan of Chabon’s work, and of genre fiction in general, I enjoyed the essays immensely. Then again, in my case, Chabon is really preaching to the choir.
Author: Jo Walton
Title: Tooth and Claw
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Rating: 4
Summary: Those familiar with Victorian-era novels will best appreciate Walton’s work in this story, as she has created a world in which dragons inhabit a similar kind of society. The inhibitions we associate with those times are given biological explanations, but the voices of the characters are intelligent and often cunning. They bicker about inheritance, arranged marriage, gender and class equity, and war.
While it takes a while to get used to the concept and style of the book, it’s easy to get caught up in the story and characters themselves.
Author: Jo Walton
Title: Ha’Penny
LINK+
Rating: 4
Summary: While this novel refers back to previous novel, "Farthing," the story itself functions almost independently. We are presented with an alternate history, in which Great Britain offered a treaty after the Blitz of World War II. Walton paints a disturbing but realistic portrayal of the aftermath of this event.
"Ha’Penny" focuses on the machinations of a group trying to assassinate Hitler during a visit to London, showing us the events through the eyes of an actress who gets pulled into the plot, and the detective who reluctantly must solve the mystery of it.
Author: Susan Cooper
Title: Victory
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Rating: 4
Summary: If you’re familiar with Cooper’s novels, the structure of this book won’t be a surprise to you, though it doesn’t come across as trite at all. There is a young person who has recently lost a parent, a degree of interaction with historical events, and a hint of supernatural influence throughout.
What makes "Victory" different from Cooper’s other books is the extent to which she grounds both contemporary and historical events. In previous novels, time has been much more fluid, but there is no such tone in this novel. Historical events are fixed, and there isn’t anything the protagonist needs to do, per se. Instead, Cooper uses the context of the Battle of Trafalgar to help a young girl deal with her own grief in losing her father.
Author: Susan Cooper
Title: Dreams and Wishes: Essays on Writing for Children
LINK+
Rating: 4
Summary: This collection of essays is a collection of speeches Cooper has made at various ceremonies and workshops in the past decades, in which she discusses her experiences as a writer. She examines where she finds inspiration, the process of writing itself, finding a proper audience, and dealing with the response from her audience. She also decries, at length, the state of literacy and reading in American culture.
While Cooper's complaints about the decline of popular reading in the face of television and video games, it often seems clear she is speaking from a period of flux (most of the essays were presented in the 1980s and early 1990s). Though her points about literacy in general are well-made, I wonder how she might be reacting to today's electronic culture.
Author: Susan Cooper
Title: King of Shadows
LINK+
Rating: 4
Summary: After a bout of illness, a young actor finds himself in Shakespeare's time, playing Puck under the eyes of the playwright himself.
While this isn’t as enthralling or epic as the "Dark is Rising" series, Cooper uses time travel and alternate possibilities to excellent effect. While the book isn't very detailed in regards to historical accuracy, what notes Cooper chooses to include create a vivid and authentic experience.
Author: Stephen Colbert
Title: I Am America (And So Can You!)
LSU
Rating: 4
Summary: If you're familiar with "The Colbert Report," you won't find any surprises in this book. Colbert’s overblown, extreme right-wing Republican schtick is as a delicious a spoof in print as it is on live television.
He and his team insert marginal notes and footnotes frequently, mimicking the popular segment, "The Word," to great affect. Random inclusions of quizzes, "common person" testimonials, "facts," and stickers continue the thematic straddle between a textbook gone wrong and TV segments structured for viewers with short attention spans.
The prevalence of short attention spans, however, might be the major weakness of the book. While "I Am American (And So Can You!)" is a fun diversion, the joke wears thin after the first few chapters. Fans might prolong their enjoyment by imagining the text performed in its original context, but in the end, the show itself is just as much fun, without so many empty calories.