The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

What a fun read this was!

This contemporary book is set in an elite East Coast boarding school. The main character, Frankie, has blossomed between her freshman and sophmore years of high school and is finally noticed by the cool, upper classmen on campus.

As she begins to enter their world, she learns that her boyfriend, Matthew, is a member of a secret all-male society know as the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds.

The book explores class, feminism and discovering yourself in a unique and poignant way. Plus, the author, E. Lockhart took the liberty of having some fun with words in the book. Check out this snippet:

"Prefixes like 'in,' 'non,' 'un,' 'dis,' and "im" make words negative, yes? There may be grammatical particulars I am not addressing here, but generally speaking. So you have a positive word like "restrained," and you add the prefix "un" to get a negative: unrestrained.

"Possible. Impossible.

"Sane. Insane."

Frankie calls these neglected positives. She also has imaginary neglected positives (INPs) like petuous, meaning careful from impetuous; ept meaning competent from inept and turbed meaning relaxed and comfortable from disturbed.

Disreputable History is a nominee for the 2008 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. It is my goal to read all of the nominated books this year.

The House on Fortune Street

I recently finished reading The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey.

The story is set in the United Kingdom and reflects all the wonderful complexities of the English. I found this book particularly interesting in its approach to perspective. The book is divided into four sections, each told from a different character’s point of view. This technique allows the reader to see events and weigh their consequences through different eyes.

Would that it were so easy for us to shift our experience and take the other party’s thoughts and feelings into account. Livesey’s skillful writing and well-drawn characters produce a satisfying, yet sad story that is impossible to put down.

Continuing Education

I just found out that I've been accepted into the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children. It is a low-residency program, meaning I don't have to move to Vermont - only go there two weeks each semester. It seems like a perfect plan for adults who want to further their education.

I AM VERY EXCITED!!

I've been thinking about going back to school for a while, but I've never gotten beyond the thinking part. But now the timing is right and everything fell into place for this to work out, so I'm thrilled.


I recently read The Samurai's Garden: A Novel by Gail Tsukiyama. It is a rich story about a young Chinese artist who spends the summer on a Japanese island just before World War II. It is definitely a literary novel - meaning how it is written is more important than the plot. But both are fascinating. My dear mother-in-law, Marilyn, who is an artist herself, recommended this book and I must say, I wholeheartedly agree.

Mystery Twist

I've been having so much fun reading, that I haven't done much reviewing lately.

Down The Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams is a tight mystery featuring a plucky adolescent heroine. The plot is engaging and the characters are well-drawn.

My only complaint was that 13-year-old Ingrid weaves a web of lies so thick I thought at times she was Charlotte. And these aren't little fibs, she tampers with a crime scene, eludes police and takes her grandfather's car for a joyride. All without any consequences! At times she does reflect on all the lies she is telling, but it doesn't change the course of her behavior.

Delicious New Book

I'm working hard to make up for going almost two weeks without a post.

I finished another very good book today. It isn't quite as serious as Trudy's Promise, but it is an awesome read.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is a charming story of two Southern sisters who just happen to have a little magic, including a clairvoyant apple tree. Very intriguing, no? Allen does an excellent job of subtly weaving mysticism in with a story of love and family.

You can read more about Allen and her books at her website: http://www.sarahaddisonallen.com/index.html

One of the things I found inspiring is that it took her 12 years to get published. I think I needed to read that because I got a rejection letter on the teen novel I submitted recently. It was a very nice rejection letter, as far as that goes. The editor called the mystery "compelling" and praised the plot, but said "the narrative voice wasn't quite there." So, I guess it is back for more revision.

Great New Book

Oops! I let almost two weeks go by without a post...

But I just finished a fantastic book: Trudy's Promise by Marcia Preston.

The book is set in the early sixties and focuses on the Berlin Wall and communism versus freedom. Preston creates incredibly real characters that we cheer for and puts them into extremely difficult situations forcing them and the reader to examine what we believe and why. Because this book was written by a woman and features a female protagonist and is published by Mira, it is classified as "women's fiction." But this story transcends gender lines and will appeal to anyone looking for a good story.

Here is a link to Preston's website where she talks about the book and her inspiration for writing it http://www.marciapreston.com/women.html

This was my pick for our book club this month and I've heard from one other member that she just finished it and really enjoyed it. I'm eager to hear what everyone else has to say about it.

In my own writing news, I submitted a short story to Highlights magazine this week. It is likely to be weeks before I hear back from them and if successful, many months before publication. But it feels fantastic knowing I have launched another possibility out into the publishing world.

Book Challenge - Finish Line

In all, I read six books during the 48-hour period.
Flashcards of My Life by Charise Mericle Harper (235 pages)
Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killer by JT Petty (120 pages)
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor (170 pages)
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher (151 pages)
Ellie McDoodle, Have Pen, Will Travel by Ruth McNally Barshaw (170 pages)
Utterly Me, Clarice Bean by Lauren Child (190 pages)

Technically, I think I went about 10 minutes over on the 48-hours, but I'm hoping no one will hold that against me. (and I doubt that I've come anywhere close to reading the most books during this time period)

I reviewed the first two books yesterday, so you can check a previous post for those.
Here are the others.

I have to admit, I didn't like How to Steal a Dog. I realize there are quite a few parents out there who make poor choices or find themselves in over their heads - I could swallow the "we were evicted and living in our car" storyline. What I could not swallow is that no other adults in the story were smart enough to figure that out. The author sets the scene as being in a small town, but my experience is that folks in a small town would find out very quickly that this family was living in their car. More than likely child welfare would be involved, etc. I was impressed with the inner conflict presented in Georgina and the decisions she finds herself making. I just didn't think it needed to go on as long as it did.

In contrast, I LOVED The Opposite of Invisible. Great characters, great plot. I particularly liked how the author portrayed high school cliques and mentioned that the cheerleader was intimidated by the artsy kids. I also liked the open and honest way she talked about drinking and sex and the choices teens face in those areas. Plus, who can resist the Seattle setting? Makes me want to go shopping at Pike Place Market and dodge the flying flish!

Ellie McDoodle is pure fun. I wonder, would drawing in my journal make me laugh more at difficult situations? If I came up with descriptive nicknames and drew pictures of my crabby co-workers would it make me smile? I may have to try it....

Utterly Me, Clarice Bean was utterly wonderful. Again, humor in a difficult situation. I waited until I'd finished reading, but then I had to go back and share the Granddad's friend being evicted from the nursing home because he snuck in the dog and it ate the neighbor's parakeet pages with my husband. It was hilarious.

A few thoughts about the challenge - I learned that I can squeeze more reading time into my schedule. Carrying a book around means you steal time to read a page here, a page there and - guess what - you can read more books!
Most of all, I've been working on developing my voice in my writing. With the assortment I read this weekend (and yes, reading them all together like this really helped) I was able to hear the voice in each of the books. I feel very proud of myself for this. I'm looking forward to applying it to my own writing.
I got an audio book from the library to listen to while driving, but I didn't take the extra step of putting it on my iPod. Had I done that, I probably would've knocked off another book while grocery shopping this morning, doing the dishes, etc. Something to consider for next time.