Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (my first foray into the world of graphic novels)

One of my goals in rebooting this blog is to broaden my reading habits a bit. I love romance.  That will never change.  Why should it?  Whether it is contemporary, suspense, paranormal, historical, or some other flavor, I just love it.  I do venture outside the genre on occasion and would like to do so more often.

To that end I tried something completely new to me.  My boyfriend is a big fan of manga, comics and graphic novels. He talks to me about the ones he is reading and I have begun to develop an appreciation for the genre.  I have been thinking of dipping my toes in the water and was given a perfect opportunity.  The art teacher at my school is, not surprisingly, a huge fan of the genre.  He and I often talk during our prep periods since my desk is housed in his classroom. He is wonderfully patient to share his space with me since I am “on a cart” at my school.  He is also wonderfully generous and lent me a graphic novel. I don’t think he could have picked a better book for me to start with. He definitely had paid attention to types of movies and entertainment I talked about. 

Title: Anya's Ghost

Author: Vera Brosgol

Genre: graphic novel, fantasy

Format: hardcover

As a newbie to the genre this book was perfect. Not only is it a standalone so that I didn’t feel like I was getting into a commitment with a long series, but the story was great.  What I loved is that the characters are so real. Forget about the ghost for a moment.  The main character, Anya, was so much like some of my old students that it was scary. Anya is a fairly well-adjusted teen with your basic self-image problem.  She fears growing round and cuddly like her adorable Russian immigrant mother.  She wants to catch the attention of the super cute sporty boy, but is disgusted with herself for being so typical as to be crushing on the popular boy. One who is, “the kind of boy teen movies tell you to like.”  I have taught this girl. Hell, in many ways I was that girl. She is awkward, though not a nerd. She is neither cool nor an outcast.  She and her friends exist in the middle ground that so many of us were part of.  Basically she is a realistic teen character.

The cast of secondary characters is great. Anya’s mom is flighty. English is her second language which causes little misunderstandings.  She is studying for the US citizenship test. Anya is proud of her mom for doing this and helps her to study.  Her mom believes that Benjamin Franklin was once president.  When corrected she declares that had he been president maybe our country wouldn’t be so messed up.  She is wonderfully round and comforting, a mother who would have snuggled her kids and wiped their tears away with her sleeve.

Siobhan, Anya’s best friend is this very androgynous tomboy who can talk Anya into all kinds of mischief.  Smoking in the school bathroom? Check. Climbing out the window during an incredibly boring lecture? Check!  Another classmate, Dima, is everything Anya fears people see her as: a geeky immigrant who can’t navigate the social niceties of him new home country. Then there is the ghost.  At first she seems to be a fairly sweet girl with a sad story.  I won’t give details so as not to spoil the story, but let’s just say that all is not what it seems. 

This book does more than tell the story of Anya meeting a ghost. It is so much more.  This is a beautiful story of family dynamics, friendship, the longing for acceptance, and personal evolution. Anya’s eyes are opened throughout the story. She is forced to see past the social mask of her peers. She develops a stronger sense of self and a deeper appreciation for the friends in her life. You put the book down at the end and feel that the character is going to continue forward as a better version of herself. 

I HIGHLY recommend Anya's Ghost to both experienced and virgin graphic novel readers. The wonderful style of Ms. Brosgol's art is clean and fresh, paring with the text in a way that makes it a bit magical. Go! Buy it! You will love this book.

I Dream a Dream

I have this coworker with whom I like to chat.  She teaches the after school program for our 4th graders, a rambunctious group, if ever there was one.  She and I are both major foodies. Many a conversation has centered around a new restaurant we tried or recipes on the docket for that evening's meal.

I realized yesterday that we have passed into true "work friends" territory when our conversation turned to movies and the actors who, well, just do it for us.  She admitted to not understanding the appeal of Christian Bale, but finally "getting it" in regards to Brad Pitt when she watched Troy.  I admitted my unaccountable crush on Edward Norton.

I can't fully account for all of the twist and turns in the conversation, but I do remember that we touched on one of our favorite 80's shows, Beauty and the Beast.  Ron Perlman in make up strangely holds more appeal than when he is out of make up.  Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show (creepy!) lead us to a discussion of more men and musicals we loved.  How we went from Tim Curry to Hugh Jackman is still a bit of a mystery.

At the top of my list of favorite musicals is Les Miserables.  As some of you may know, it is FINALLY being made into a movie musical.  I can not express the level of glee I had upon this discovery. Seriously.  I then started to hear news of casting.  Ah, yes.  This is how we got to this part of the conversation.  Hugh Jackman is set to play Jean Val Jean. I am pleased with this bit of casting. He is lovely and has plenty of Broadway experience.  Javert is going to be portrayed by Russell Crowe.  I am going to reserve judgement on this news.  We shall see.

For a while I was livid.  LIVID, I say.  Why?  Well, early casting announcements included Taylor Swift as Eponine.  She is sweet and all.  I don't mind my students listening to her inoffensive lyrics. I just don't want her playing my favorite character in my favorite musical.  Just... no.  Thankfully, producer Cameron Macintosh stepped in a vetoed that idea. New casting was announced and the villagers rejoiced.  I shall endure Anne Hathaway as Fontine and find rabid enjoyment over Helena Bohnem Carter as Madame Thenardier.

To prepare myself for the musical joys that await us all I snagged myself a copy of the 25th anniversary concert performance of Les Mis. It is SO wonderful.  Well, if you ignore Nick Jonas.  Otherwise it is phenomenal. Lea Salonga sang I Dream a Dream in such a way that even my boyfriend (sweet, patient man) was impressed with the performance.  So for your listening/viewing enjoyment, I give you Les Mis.

Giving Chase by Lauren Dane

Title: Giving Chase
Author: Lauren Dane
Genre: contemporary romance (with some suspense)
Format: ebook
Series: 1st book in the Chase brothers series


Synopsis: Maggie is fed up with the guys in town. Small town life just doesn't give a girl many options for romance. The men are all either married, gay, an ex, or not worth the time. Well, with the exception of the Chase brothers. Those boys are hot, but so far out of her league that Maggie doesn't give them more than a panting... Er, passing thought. 


Then Shane Chase dumps cheese fries all over her. 


Shane acted like a complete ass after bumping into Maggie. He knew is was an accident, and all his fault, but something about that woman got under his skin. Whatever it is, she caught his attention. She caught his brother, Kyle's, attention, as well. Two Chase boys chasing after her? What is a girl to do? When Shane suddenly turns skittish and Kyle steps in with serious intentions, Maggie knows there is no choice. 


But danger is lurking in town. Maggie has captured the attention of another man. One who won't take no for an answer and takes exception to Maggie's growing love with Kyle.

This was my first time reading Lauren Dane's work so going into it I really had no expectations. I was in the mood for a contemporary, and a series about gorgeous brothers? Perfect! Shane, Kyle, Matt, and Marc are skirt chasers. Lovers of women who are enjoying variety. Hey, a reformed rake is always a great hero, so I' m not complaining. I liked the brothers. I loved their mother. Strong, loving, meddlesome. She is your typical Southern momma. Almost too typical, but the stereotype worked for the story. Maggie is the history teacher at the local high school. Being a teacher myself, I am a sucker for heroines in my field of employ. She is sweet, but has the worst inferiority complex. You find out that her mother is Evil Mom. The character is so awful that I had a difficult time buying it. She is a former beauty queen who is obsessed with beauty and image. Someone so focused on how she appears would never say and do some of the things Maggie's mother did in public. Particularly in front of one of the most important families in town. I understand, though, that this character's actions are such so that the reader can see why Maggie so strongly doubts her self worth.

I liked the characters and the small town life. I liked the overall idea of the book. Unfortunately, there were elements that kept me from becoming full immersed in the story. Some of them were things that would not bother all readers. There are certain words that will immediately pull me out of a story if they are overused. Pussy can be cute for a cat. It can be sexy when used occasionally in an extra hot scene. When it is the only word used to describe a woman's anatomy, and it is used multiple times in a paragraph, I start to cringe. Like I said, my issue. Many readers won't care.

There was also the whole aspect of her being involved with one brother and immediately jumping into a relationship with the other.  It bothered me at first. I had a hard time with her going from crying over Shane to getting physical with Kyle. I think if there had been some time between the two relationships (although she barely started dating Shane) I would have been ok with it.

The overall pacing pulled me from the story. It felt a bit as though there was this great story full of so much potential, but it was packed into a format that was far too short. Often there were times I stopped and thought, "wait, I want more here!" Important events were mentioned almost in passing. I think if the story had been given a longer format it would have had room to breath and grow. You could have seen Maggoe and Kyle fall in love in a gradual, real way.  It would have brought the story from average to quite good. Instead of feeling rushed (wait, the bad guy is obsessed to the point of stalking her after only two dates?) you could have gotten a story with not just great characters, but great suspense.

I didn't hate this book, I promise! It was a nice, quick read. There was enough in it that I enjoyed that I am curious to read book two. Enough that I will give the series a second chance. I mean, those Chase brothers are pretty yummy.

Fresh Look For a Fresh Start

I have been tinkering all morning on this blog. I figured that if I am going to make a fresh start then WWR needs a fresh look.  It is quite a different look than before.  No moobs in the header.  Gone is the bright color scheme.  Actually, it looks a bit dark around here.  I'm not entirely sure if I like it. The header is rather bland, but the background seemed to need something simple over it.

What do you think of the new look? Any suggestions?  I am certainly open to any ideas!

A bit of a fresh start and thoughts on a library

To kick off the relaunch of this blog I decided to do something that I am quite embarrassed I had yet to do. I officially move to New Jersey back in July, settling into my own apartment in October. (Bless my patient boyfriend for dealing with my crap scattered all over his place until my job situation was finalized.) I have all of the necessities here and finally live in an apartment that I was allowed to decorate as I wished, even painting the walls a lovely bright teal color. I have my haven to come home to at the end of the day. Certain "extras" have yet to be established five months later. No cable. No Internet. I enjoy using them at my boyfriend's place, but can survive without at home for now. Trust me, the Internet connection is coming soon. VERY soon.

 Today I decided it was time to fill in one of the blanks here in Jersey. I headed out and got myself a library card. After for living in Chicago for so many years I have grown used to a very specific library experience. I hadn't quite realized how ideal it was. The location near my old apartment was new. Shiny, clean and new. The books were in great condition. The staff was wildly diverse. There was one gal around my age who was hip and funky and always commented on my wonderfully juvenile bacon and eggs book bag. Some of the librarians were stern or cranky, while others were friendly and happy. It was a place where I would have loved to work. Oh, how I miss the Wicker Park/Bucktown library.

The Bayonne Public Library is housed in an old building with fantastic architecture. I so wish the interior lived up to the exterior. Ok, the foyer has fabulous marble floors and there are some cool murals on the wall of the hallway leading to the children's library. There is just such a sad... old feeling to the place. The staff fulfilled the stereotype of old, frumpy and cranky. Boy howdy. It was the first library that I wanted to leave. You usually can't get me out. The organization of the rooms was confusing and the books were shelved on their sides, spine up so that they could fit into spaces that were not tall enough. You couldn't read the titles to see what was there. The main fiction section was full of dusty, torn hardcovers that made my heart ache. Thankfully I discovered the new book section. You could hear my sigh of relief echo though the room. There was a decent selection, enough that I was able to snag a few for the next week or so. I came home with a lovely, if small stack of precious including

Veil of Night by Linda Howard

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann

And for my daily commute to and from school I snagged the audio version of Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman.

 Libraries like this make me sad. There is so much potential in that building. With some elbow grease and organizational skills it could be a great library. New (but not the most recent releases) and old books should be shelved together. Separate sections for certain subgenres would help patrons. I clearly remember there being separate romance, mystery, and sci fi sections in libraries I have patronized in the past. Signage is needed and the poor, beautiful children's section needs to host some events. The young adult section should not be hidden in the back of the audio/visual room. Geez! Don't they know that YA has been a hot genre for years? I'm sure they are suffering from a lack of funding. I fear that the bigger deficit is in initiative. Everyone there seemed so tired. I wish I could go in and shake things up. Give them all a dose of excitement and energy. They have books! So many books! They could be awakening minds, turning children's imaginations away from video games and into worlds of imagination. It is libraries like this that make me want to get my MLS so I could get hired and whip the place into shape, inject some life into the organization. Shouldn't a library be full of people? Shouldn't it be a centerpiece for the community?

The potential is there, Bayonne, but what are you going to do to reach it? Does anyone have ideas on how the community could take action?

Firelight

Hello? Um....hello? Anyone out there? Wow. Isn't this site neglected? Who is responsible for this terrible oversight? Oh, wait. That would be me. Oops. Looking at the date on the last post I made shows that it has been nearly two years since I wrote anything on here. I would like to say that some hugely miraculous event has prevented activity on this blog. Sadly, it has simply been life, work and a seriously lack of Internet connection at home. For two years? Yeah, pretty much. Moving across the country and teaching at schools with high needs tends to take a lot out of a girl. I have been reading, however. Some new books, many a beloved reread. I like to think that this site has been sitting here waiting for the book that so engaged my mind that it demanded to be written about. I finished that book last night.

Firelight by Kristen Callihan has so many elements that work for me. It pushed all my buttons, in a good way. You have Lord Archer the dark, mysterious tortured hero. He holds everyone at bay, hiding the tragic results of an experiment gone wrong behind an eerie black mask. He is wonderfully strong, yet horribly vulnerable. He yearns so desperately for love but feels that he is unworthy. He is a fabulous mix of the Phantom and the Beast. (two archetypes that I will read in an instant.). The heroine, Miranda, is strong and feisty. This is no cowering miss. In fact, she is nearly fearless in regards to her own safety. You learn she has a very good reason for this. These two characters balance one another. Their strengths and weaknesses make them intriguing. Their faults make them seem very human, yet their "gifts" lend them the extraordinary. There is a mystery plot to the book involving ancient mysteries, murder, and some gruesome slice and dice. It kept me interested through the middle where the romance seemed to take a back seat for a short while. I felt that the mysterious source of Archer's disfigurement was different from what you have read in other tellings of this type of story. This book would be considered an Historical Paranormal Romance. That's a mouthful. It is also wonderful. I highly recommend this book to any and all fans of the genre. For a debut novel I am wildly impressed. I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming release of the second book in the series. Mmmm... Historical werewolves!

The Ancient Greeks are Among Us!

Two books that I have read recently have both featured Greek gods and goddesses in the present day. I found this intriguing. Especially so, because the two book were so very different.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is the first book in a YA/children's series that focuses on Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. Born half human, half god, Percy is not your average kid. School is torture. The special abilities that will someday manifest into battle skills only cause him trouble in the regular world. Labeled ADHD and LD, Percy hates school, and the teachers aren't too fond of him, either. One teacher in particular takes a murderous dislike to Percy. It's only when she glows claws and wings that Percy realizes just how much trouble he is in.

Born of parents from (literally) two different worlds, Percy and those like him draw the worst elements. Few of these children make it into their teenage years. This first book in a series starts the journey that Percy takes through adolescence. Will he survive? Will the gods take him out? Can he keep his mother safe? Will the Titans rise and take over Olympus?

This book was based so strongly in the original mythology that there is a sense of familiarity to the story. Those who studies the myths in school know the story of Medusa and Persephone. You know what Percy must do or why a god behaves in a particular way. Riordan honors the mythology, keeping true to the stories as his book unfolds.

I highly recommend this book. I have already told many of my students about it. I see the boys' eyes light up as they tell me about their favorite parts of the book. Boys. Reading. Voluntarily. For some of them this is a new experience. What could possibly be better than having students excited about a book they read, which will lead them to focused learning in the classroom? Not much, I think.

On the complete flip side, I FINALLY read Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This was my first Kenyon novel. I know, I know. What rock have I been living under. The back list was a bit intimidating. I finally sucked it up and snagged a copy. It was quite fun. Not the best paranormal romance I have ever read, but it was enjoyable. Certainly it was good enough to inspire me to request the next book from the library.

Julian is the son of Aphrodite and a Spartan soldier. Turned out of Olympus as a baby, he was given to the care of his father. Born of a time of war, male children were given over the the army at an early age. Blessed with his mother's beauty, Julian was often beaten and ridiculed. This shaped him into a lethal soldier. Gaining the favor of Athena, he was sent to battle to return victorious again and again. Jealousy of his conquests and his own poor judgement lead to his ultimate downfall. Cursed by his half-brother, Julian was locked in a book, only to be brought forth when summoned by women to act as their sex slave. Two millenia of this torture has left him empty, merely a husk of a man.

Grace is a sex therapist who ain't gettin' any. Her best friend thinks this is a problem. Grace is just fine with the situation, thank you very much. Her personal baggage comes in the form of a matching set of Louis Vuitton steamer trunks. She knows she has issues, but doesn't feel the need to lighten the load. Take a birthday, a bottle of wine, a cursed Greek book, and a well meaning best friend.... Grace, meet Julian. Julian, meet the first woman who has ever said no to you.

Sexual tension, ahoy! I enjoyed seeing the two characters get to know one another and begin to understand each other as individuals. Julian became human, not simply a love slave. Grace began to let go of the ghosts holding her back. Various gods popped in to either help or complicate matters. I felt that one or two issues were resolved perhaps too easily. Aphrodite waves her hand and all is well. Yet, I still enjoyed the book. A fun, easy romp.

So those Greek gods are still stirring up trouble today and making reading time interesting for us all.