Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell

I read this entirely in one day during the Mini Readathon at the beginning of July (it was great, we'll do another one, hurrah for permission to read and eat all day!).  My justification for this being "mini" was that it is about teenagers, who are basically mini-humans in mind if not in body. And while, yes, that is technically true, oh lord.

Ladies, you know how sometimes you're like, "WHY am I sobbing at this? What is going ON? How do I FEEL SO MUCH RIGHT NOW?!?" and then two days later your least favorite aunt comes to visit and you're like, "oh. Maybe I won't die alone and pathetic and be eaten by wild dogs after all. Bring me the chocolate and ibuprofen, feline companion!" 

No.

Those first few days of feeeeeeels are not the ideal time to read Eleanor & Park, people, because Eleanor & Park is a book about... 

Ok, here's the thing. I got into a Twitter discussion with Rainbow Rowell last night about the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, and I said that the Ramona books are ABOUT Ramona, but Judy Blume's books are ABOUT growing up, and that is why Ramona sticks with us ladies of a certain age: because she is a real kid with a real range of kid problems. She's also the reason I can't look at a crop of Shirley Temple curls without wanting to boing them.

Which brings me back to Eleanor & Park, and what this book is ABOUT. The title characters are complete, which I really liked and which is surprisingly rare for most books - I was going to say YA books, but let's be honest: characterization is not currently in style in fiction, is it? 

But Eleanor and Park are not only well-defined and realized, they're also genuine teenagers. They do stupid shit, they think stupid things, they get stuff wrong, they're just trying to survive being teens, which is - as you may remember - HARD ENOUGH. But wrapped in all of this is Eleanor's family, which is broke and broken in a way that made me uncomfortable because I grew up poor and broken but not the same kind, so I empathized but also felt weird about my empathy because the shit that happened to me when I was a kid is nothing compared to what she is going through. Empathy is an odd thing.

So, Tika, what is this book about? You got all excitable about telling us and then went off on a tangent.

Well, my dear reader, first of all you cannot be surprised that such a thing would happen. And secondly, Eleanor & Park is a book about growing up and first love and whimsy and the awkwardness of being a teenager and parenting and preconceived notions and a definite hint of pride and prejudice (the emotions, not the book). It made my heart sore, and soar, and I had to stop a few times to ugly cry - sometimes for Eleanor and sometimes for Park.

It's a book teachers of high school students should read to remind them of what it's like to be the beings they're trying to connect to, and that's about the highest praise I can think of.

10.5 of 11 Mix Tapes from the Radio

Elantris - Brandon Sanderson

I’m on a kick with this guy lately; his work is interesting and I am amazed by the scope of his undertakings. And also, I’m waiting for him to finish all ten (10!) of his books in the Stormlight series, for which I will be waiting approximately another 15 years. At the rate I’m reading, I should run out of his previously published material in… a couple of weeks.

This isn’t looking good for the rest of the fantasy writing world.

I’m looking at you, Terry Goodkind and GRRM

Speaking of GRRM, I canNOT have been the only one who thoroughly enjoyed the Epic Internet Meltdown that happened a couple of weeks ago over the Red Wedding, can I? AT LAST my wide-eyed, slack-jawed reaction from 2002 is justified!

Ok, back to Brandon Sanderson.

This is his first novel, weighing in at a hefty 658 pages without too much infodumping, which in itself is pretty impressive. It’s something of a post-apocalyptic novel in that the world as the inhabitants know it changed cataclysmically 10 years ago and no one really knows why or what to do about it, and there are plenty of interesting characters.

I don’t know how to be funny about fantasy novels, you guys. No one but me seems to read them in our (really awesome) set, and I’m not generally a fan of the SF/F fandom – just the books.  And this isn’t the kind of SF/F that I’d recommend starting with (see above re. 658 pages), soooo…..

I’ll just be over here, reading cheerfully till 3am and talking to my cat about it.

7.5 of 11 Books You Didn't Write in Grad School, Haters

The Emerald Atlas - John Stephens

Hey January, where did you go? I have been a busy bee, but let me tell you, this year is starting out so much less stressful, hurtful, and heartbreaking than last year. Not that it doesn't have another 330-some-odd days to kick me in the teeth, but the outlook is definitely brighter and I think 2013 and I just might be friends.

BOOKS! I have read several this year according to my Goodreads challenge, but I have reviewed none of them because I have been - as mentioned - BUSY. There was a read-a-thon! It was great. And now there is the Harry Potter Read-a-long (ALL THE GIFS!) which happens on Hfridays (the H is silent).

And for the second time, I have read this book!

The first time was in April of 2012 on Alice's recommendation, and by November when her review of book 2 come out, I had completely forgotten I'd read it, and that is shameful because this book is utterly lovely and also hilarious. There are orphans (possibly the most over-represented demographic in literature), dwarves, sarcasm, and no poncy centaurs to let us in on the little secret that Mars is bright tonight. ::side-eyes JK Rowling and her send up of the centaurs::

But by far the best character is one of whom we see but little: Miss Sallow, the old crab-backed housekeeper.

"I've made dinner, I doubt it will be up to the gourmet standards of the King and Queens of France, but it will have to do. Chop off my head if you don't like it; I'm past caring. This way, Your Highnesses." 

This being one of the first meals the children have had outside of an orphanage, mind you. What a delight.

And it's kiiiind of a standard story line, in that they are The Ones Who Will Save The World and their parents gave them up to Keep Them Safe, etc., but it's also charming and the kids have this really great relationship with each other that makes me want to hug my brothers. ALL of them.

Plus, it's one of THREE. I do love a trilogy.

8.5 out of 11 Wicked Countesses