waiting on wednesday (61)

Today I’m participating in "Waiting On" Wednesday, a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Its purpose is to spotlight upcoming book releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

I enjoyed Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl, a YA fairy tale retelling, and it prompted me (back in, what was this? 2007 or so... ?) to pick up Hale's Austenland as well.  Which I also liked very well.   And her Newbery award-winning Princess Academy!  Lovely beyond belief.  Just this weekend I saw the awesome that is the Austenland film.  Go see it if you haven't already.  100% joy.  Needless to say, anything Hale writes is instantly on my radar.  And her science fiction young adult novel Dangerous releases on April 1, 2014 from Bloomsbury USA Children’s (Macmillan).  Wow.  Wishlisted.

She never thought her friends were capable of killing.

She never thought she would be the one to stop them all.

When Maisie Danger Brown holds the token in her hand, she’s not sure what to think. But when the searing pain begins, and it becomes clear that there’s no going back, Maisie is thrust into a battle she never imagined fighting. For her family, for the planet, for everything she knows. She had only wanted to get away from home for a summer, to see something new. Instead she’s stumbled into something much more terrifying, something that has killed her friends and just might kill her next. From award-winning New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a unique, powerful novel for teens that asks, How far would you go to save the ones you love? And how far would you go to save everyone else?

What books are you waiting on?

top ten most memorable secondary characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

When I think about the stories I love, I usually remember the hero, the heroine, or perhaps a particularly effective antagonist (in the case of the best stories, all three!).  It is rarer that a secondary character comes to mind, but I think when one does it is the mark of good storytelling.  Below is a list of characters that are memorable in their own right, even if they aren’t the focus of the stories and worlds they inhabit.

Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

1. Mogget from the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix – What is Mogget, after all?  Mysterious, cat-like, more-powerful-than-he-appears, with a helping of sharp humor on the side, for a start.  One of the most memorable parts of a fantastic world and series.

2. Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – Everyone remembers Luna, if only because she’s so… quirky!  Radish earrings, missing shoes and all. 

3. Ell the Wyverary from the Fairyland books by Catherynne M. Valente – September’s dragon-library cross of a friend from Fairyland is a wonderful bit of make-believe and magic.

4. Puddleglum from The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis – My favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia was this dark tale that unpacked the power of words, of slipping into unbelief and forgetfulness, and of a depressing marsh-wiggle with more sodden humor than Eeyore.  Oh, and he had a pipe!  I remember that, too.

5. Suzy Turquoise Blue from The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix – Another Garth Nix character, and one of my favorites of all time, secondary character or no.  Suzy’s an inventive, energy-charged force of friendship and mischief.

6. Morwen from Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede – Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles began with the story of Princess Cimorene running away to live with a dragon.  But she wouldn’t have done nearly as well without the help of the witch Morwen and her numerous cats and books.  I’d like to live with Morwen for always, I think.

7. Lord Akeldama from Soulless by Gail Carriger – Akeldama is a most unusual vampire, with a keen fashion sense and a friend in that soulless creature, Alexia Tarabotti.

8. The Fairies (Cobweb, Moth, Mustard Seed and Peaseblossom) from Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev – Full of mischief and obsessed with glitter and sweets, these tiny tyrants are part of the magic and joy that fills Mantchev’s riff on Shakespearean playacting.

9. Marquis de Carabas from Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman – Neverwhere is my favorite Gaiman book, and I was tempted to put any number of character names in this list.  Trust me to pick the most shifty, mysterious and unexpectedly helpful of the lot!  The Marquis is part of a dark tale of London below, and you could say he has the most dramatic journey of anyone in the book.

10. Una from Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery – Una reminds me that L.M. Montgomery wasn’t very nice to one of her nicest characters.  I can’t think of Una without tearing up a little.  Ah, the feelings!

Which secondary characters count as your most memorable?  Do any of my picks make the list?

a greyhound of a girl

I go to Ireland in less than a month!  It’s going to be fabulous!  I can’t wait for September!  And how am I progressing on my goal of reading all those Irish middle grade and young adult books anywa…?  Oh dear.  I fell off the wagon.   I’ve been so busy planning my actual trip and trying out Irish pub recipes that I’ve failed to read kid lit by Irish authors.  EXCEPT!  Look at this: today’s review qualifies!  Roddy Doyle’s A Greyhound of a Girl is a lovely, haunting little book – a ghost story with heart.  Set in Ireland.  By an Irish author.  I’m saved!

Mary O’Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can’t let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary’s street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny’s own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye to her loved ones and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother, Scarlett, who embark on a road trip to the past. Four generations of women travel on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving, and one of them is just starting out.

Mary is a precocious girl whose best friend just moved away (such cruelty!) and whose beloved grandmother is in the hospital.  She's at the intersection of childhood and teenage angst, and she's that special mix of angry-at-the-world/loving/rude that goes along with upsetting life change.  Enter a ghost and the memories and perspectives of four generations of women in her family. The resulting interactions transform each woman, and show them the things that connect them all.

Doyle’s strength is his dialogue – it is funny, moving, and only contains the absolute necessary – there are no info-dumps or long, over-wrought passages full of description.  At the same time, this is not a spare, minimalist story – it is Just Right, as Goldilocks would say.  Really, beautifully, right.  It’s nominally fantasy (there’s a ghost!), but it reads a bit like Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls, the fantastical is woven into a very real, solid contemporary setting, with threads of the past woven in too with distinct narrators and voices.

In all, A Greyhound of a Girl is a lovely little book that impressed me with its depth, its sense of place, and its sentiment.

Recommended for: readers of all ages who appreciate funny, emotional fiction, fans of middle grade ghost stories, and anyone interested in Ireland as a setting for literary children’s fiction.

saved by cake

Over a year ago I saw a fellow blogger’s review of Marian Keyes’ Saved by Cake, and I knew I wanted to read it posthaste.  After all, the cookbook featured baked goods (my purview!) exclusively, and the author’s voice was straight-up hilarious in the short excerpt.  However, I couldn’t find a listing for the US release date, and when I looked into purchasing an international edition, I realized I wouldn’t do well with the metric weights and measurements. 

So I put it on my wishlist and waited.  And waited.  And then!  It was finally available in April.  I bought it immediately and it sat on my bookshelf for far too many months.  A few weeks back I finally picked Saved by Cake up again, and here we are today, with cake.  All is right with the world.

Beloved novelist Marian Keyes tackles the kitchen with a new cookbook featuring desserts that are both simple and delicious, with step-by-step instructions and stunning photography.

“To be perfectly blunt about it, my choice sometimes is: I can kill myself, or I can make a dozen cupcakes. Right so, I’ll do the cupcakes and I can kill myself tomorrow.”

In Saved by Cake, Marian Keyes gives a candid account of her recent battle with depression and her discovery that learning to bake was exactly what she needed to regain her joie de vivre. A complete novice in the kitchen, Marian decided to bake a cake for a friend. From the moment she began measuring, she realized that baking was the best way for her to get through each day.

Refreshingly honest and wickedly funny, Saved by Cake shines with Keyes’ inimitable charm and is chockfull of sound advice. Written in Marian’s signature style, her take on baking is honest, witty, extremely accessible and full of fun. Her simple and delicious recipes—from Consistently Reliable Cupcakes to Fridge-set Honeycomb Cheesecake—are guaranteed to tempt even the most jaded palate.

I’ve never read Marian Keyes’ novels, but based on the dark humor and honesty in her cookbook, I’d say she’s got a flair for the descriptive, a thing for cookie cutters, and is also dealing with a really troubling bout of depression.  Oh, and she’s not-so-mildly obsessed with cake!  This cookbook struck a personal chord for me – I too have baked myself through rough spots.  It’s rather special to see someone else, quite accomplished at writing, struggle and come through with the same sort of ‘therapy.’

As for the recipes themselves, Keyes has a bit of a fussy bent, so many include unique flavor combinations, unexpected ingredients, and long-ish prep times.  Keyes has a good knack for describing baking tips that you may not have thought of before, and I will incorporate several of these into my usual routines.  My favorite section of the cookbook was the one on ‘Classics,’ though I look forward to also trying recipes from the ‘Fruit and Veg’ section as well.  The photo below is from my attempt at the Victoria Sandwich, which I’d make again (it was a snap!) but vary the filling.  My favorite THINGS about the cookbook at large were the introductory paragraphs and the beautiful photos accompanying each recipe.  This is where Keyes shines – in her conversational writing style and self-deprecating humor.

In all, Keyes’ book is fun, funny and personal, with drool-worthy photography and delicious recipes.  It’ll stay on my shelf, and come down for many rereads in the future. 

Recommended for: Marian Keyes fans, those who would appreciate a funny, slightly irreverent take on food and mental health, and anyone with a ken for cake.  Especially making it (and devouring it afterward!).

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!