May Wishlist

Divergent by Veronica Roth is one of many YA books I am currently craving. Over at Steph Su Reads, Steph writes that the hype for the book is legit: "At long last I do think I may have found the book that I will truly encourage fans in Hunger Games deprivation to pick up. DIVERGENT is fast-paced, with a thoroughly developed dystopian world, engaging plot, and an admirable protagonist. In a word, it is excellent." I am ready for a YA dystopian that rocks my world.

Swapna over at S. Krishna's Books featured The Intuitionist by Taylor Stevens, and for the first time in awhile, I am interested in a new series. Swapna writes: "The mystery in The Informationist is complicated, and at times, it seems like nothing makes sense, or will ever make sense.  But if readers just go with it, they will realize there is a larger story unfolding.  Stevens does a wonderful job tying everything together, making sure everything is clearly explained for the reader by the end of the novel.  Even if it seems as though the plot is leading to a place where no explanation will serve, if you have faith and keep reading, you will be rewarded." That idea of delayed gratification intrigues me.

Pam over at Bookalicio.us talked about Melissa de la Cruz's adult novel, Witches of East End, and I'm sold. Pam writes that "the world building is perfection. The town that the Beauchamp women live in just feels like a place where magic can truly happen". I love me some good world building; actually, next to characterization, that is the most important element of fantasy based stories. And it certainly looks like the story has some unique characters: "Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret–they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there’s Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache."

The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby is a collection about reading. How can this not be wonderful? Stephanie over at Reviews by Lola has nothing but positive things to say, including this amazing recommendation: "I tore through this book so fast, it’d make your head spin.  And then I immediately ordered the other two books of his columns, which will hopefully get here in time for my vacation!"

America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins has been on my wish list for a long time, but Aarti's review over at BookLust has me moving it up the list by leaps and bounds: "It's a collection of information on what it as like to be a woman at various points in time, and also a lot of short, tantalizing biographies of women who were awesome.  Seriously, I had no idea American history was chock full of amazing females, none of whom get the attention they deserve."

I knew I would pick up A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness because I so very much adore his Chaos Walking series. But Ana's review over at things mean a lot has me determined to run out and buy it tomorrow: "This is an extraordinarily moving story, and not in the easy tearjerker sort of way that a story about grief in clumsier hands has the potential to become. What makes it so affecting is exactly how unsentimental it is, how restrained, and most of all how perceptive and emotionally genuine."

It is not often that I read author interviews, and it is even less likely for one to inspire me to read the author's work. But Eden Unger Bowditch's guest post over at Steph Su Reads really had me craving her book The Atomic Weight of Secrets or the Arrival of the Men in Black. First off, the title is just awesome. The cover's pretty awesome as well. But this is what attracted me most: "At a time when every story had a magic wand or wizard holding one as its core element—not that I don’t love wizards and magic wands—I discovered a kind of disappointment. The magic we were all embracing must forever live in our imaginations, out of reach, out of reality. But magic is real! Look around at this amazing world with giant trees growing from tiny seeds and inventions that can make us fly or spin or float or stand on the moon. Magic is something within reach. And suddenly, like out of a weird haze, the children of The Young Inventors Guild began to appear . . . and then the whole story with it." Couple that with the synopsis, and I was hooked.

Over at Ready When You Are C.B., James consistently reviews books which I have never heard of and immediately want. Mamaw by Susan Dodd is no exception to that rule. The cover really creeps me out, and as the subject is Jesse James's mother, I am hooked: "how does one approach a book about the woman who raised him, who loved him more than any of her other children and protected him when she could even though she knew her protection made more crimes possible, including murder?   To her credit, Ms. Dodd doesn't whitewash her story, as far as I can tell.  Her heroine loves her son, admires him, pushes him to action, protects him and his reputation as much as she can.  But even she reaches a point where she must simply refuse to look too closely at what her son has done.  In order to remain the mother she has always been she must make herself willfully ignorant of her son's crimes."

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury is the first recommendation I have from a new-to-me blog, Book Labyrinth. The plot revolves around an (un)debutante's debut season, a mummy, and a mystery. Ashley writes: "Basically this is a super cool historical mystery. The characters are fun (it's lovely when a heroine can be super smart, brave, and sassy without being annoying or over the top), the writing is engaging, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end."

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club by Charles Dickens sounds like a book which will strike my fancy. Rebecca over at Rebecca Reads calls it "a character book. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and I found myself well engaged in their story by the end of the book. I wanted to know their fates. As for their adventures, I frequently laughed out loud at the jokes, ridiculous situations, and amusing happens. Dickens obviously loved these invented friends of his, and his joy at writing about them made the book a fun romp." Couple that with the Victorian setting and the Don Quixote-style adventuring and I'm ready to read.

Wishlist April

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan sounds so freaking fantabulous. Jenners over at Life...with Books turned me on to it. Had me hooked in fact when she said that the first story in the book, The Red Tree, is “a depressed person’s version of Dr. Suess’s Oh The Places You’ll Go.” That most certainly sounds like my cup of tea. I tried to be good and buy this at a Half-Price books, but alas, no luck. I can't find a cheap copy of the other Tan book on my wish list, The Arrival, either. I may have to suck it up and buy both online.

Nicole at Linus's Blanket mentioned The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer in a post prior to reviewing it. A post that made me quite curious as it mentions the withholding of sex as a primary plot line. The idea of sex as some sort of doggy biscuit fascinates me. Then her review pushed me over the edge when I found out about the fantasy element: "a spell slowly works its cold magic on the women of Stellar Heights, New Jersey, causing them to withhold sex and withdraw from their relationships shortly after a new drama teacher arrives and begins to stage a high school production of Lysistrata (the Aristophanes play detailing a sex strike to end war)...Keeping me on my toes through alternating uncertainty and speculation, was the nature of the spell, which struck at random. It can, as a matter of course, be taken figuratively and literally, and had a lot to say about women’s relationships with men and their ambivalence about those relationships." Fascinating.

Amanda over at The Zen Leaf wrote a description of The White Devil by Justin Evans which gave me little shivers of excitement: "British boarding schools, Lord Byron, and the ghost of a dead gay lover – can it really get any better than this?" No, Amanda, no it cannot. That sounds freaking awesome. Amanda pointed out that this one's up on NetGalley, so we shall see if HarperCollins is kind enough to let me review it!

Graveminder by Melissa Marr caught my eye for two reasons: first, look at that cover! It's seriously awesome. Second, Pam at Bookalicio.us had this to say: " It picks your judgmental “I’ve read all this before” ass up and slaps you in the face with a dose of the fascinating." I do so like to be slapped in the face by a book - and I mean that....I like the shock. And then there's the characters: "The characters are otherworldly...I was enthralled by Charlie’s world, the mission of the Undertaker and his Graveminder. I was enraptured by the zombie things that aren’t really zombie’s I just can’t find a better word for them. Probably the best way to describe them is by saying not zombie like but the true walking dead."

The Taker by Alma Katsu first of all has one kick-ass cover. Second, Nicole of Linus's Blanket got me all excited with her review in which she says she "literally had no words" after finishing the novel. Then she gave a sort of checklist to determine whether or not to read the book, and this awesome line was in there: "You love books that DON’T make you feel comfortable and that DON’T wrap up neatly in the end." I do so love a book which makes me feel a bit wrong. I'm not sure what that says about me, but there you have it.

Kim of Sophisticated Dorkiness is my go-to person for narrative nonfiction, and this month she wrote about one that got me really excited. This Life is In Your Hands by Melissa Coleman is a memoir about a family who homesteads in the woods in Maine (definitely not your typical family) and to make matters even more interesting, "the cost of the simple life — frenetic summers, long winters, and the daily pressure to get by — takes its toll on Sue and Eliot’s marriage. The dream of independence ends up with one daughter dead and the other abandoned by both parents. It’s a startlingly dark memoir about the cost of dreams." Sounds deliciously creepy and intense.

How can I not crave a book called The Psychopath Test? That just sounds fascinating. And when Nicole of Linus's Blanket says the following, I'm hooked: "I am about halfway through and so far I have read the interesting history and the original (sadly failed) treatments of psychopaths, a case of an institutionalized psychopath bent on proving to the world that he is sane, Scientology and the roots of the organization’s skepticism of psychiatry, and key points on the Robert Hare Checklist, which is “the” method these days for diagnosing psychopathy. I am expecting that this will be a good one all the way through."

Saint Joan is a play by Bernard Shaw, and while I don't typically go for plays - for some unknown reason - this one sounds fascinating. Amanda at The Zen Leaf writes: "This was a fantastic play. Joan is perfectly portrayed as sure of herself and yet definitely off her rocker a bit. The people around her are awed by her supposed power and secretly detest her at the same time. Even after her canonization, where all the characters revisit each other in a dream, Joan threatens to come back to life and all of her admirers quickly turn their backs on her. They love her, but only after she’s gone. She’s the sort of saint that is great to worship…now that she’s dead. One character even makes the statement that they would burn her again in six months if she came back to life. An interesting little ironic twist, I think." Sweet.

Amanda's review of The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist knocked my socks off, so I'll let it speak for itself. You should most definitely head over to The Zen Leaf and read her review. The quick version: dystopia, supremacy of economic productivity, "dispensables", extraordinarily powerful book, open-ended thematic questions, and "probably the best book [Amanda's] read all year".

I had never heard of Topology of a Phantom City by Alain Robbe-Grillet until reading James' review over at Ready When You Are, C.B. but man oh lordy did he get my cravings flowing. In his review, he offers five hypotheses for what the story is about. James claims that "whichever interpretation is right or best, the fact remains that Topology of a Phantom City is a mystery novel about interpretation. There is no solution.  Just evidence readers can use to come up with their own theories about what happened and about who done it."

Heather over at Raging Bibliomania consistently reviews really unique books, and the most recent to catch my eye is The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor: "John Holdsworth is having a tough time making ends meet. Living in 1780’s London, Holdsworth was once able to provide for his family through the ownership of a modest bookstore, supplementing that income from the authorship of a book called The Anatomy of Ghosts. But recently things have turned sour for Holdsworth, as both his wife and young son have drowned within weeks of each other, and his property has been taken from him. Just when he thinks all is lost, he’s granted an audience with Lady Anne Oldershaw, one of the most prominent members of society. In this gripping and intense historical mystery, Taylor takes us on a tour of 18th century London academia, grime and seediness notwithstanding." The story sounds wonderfully atmospheric.

Wishlist March

13, rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro includes two of my favorite things: a professor as a protagonist and a box of mementos. Kathy at Bermuda Onion summarizes: "When American professor Trevor Stratton goes to work in Paris, he discovers a box hidden in the bottom drawer of his file cabinet.   The box is filled with letters and other mementos from Louise Brunet’s life.  As Trevor goes through the box, he pieces together Louise’s life and comes to feel like he knows her even as he discovers a love of his own." I have a crush on stories which compile a life story through the objects surrounding a person. I don't know why; I just find it fascinating.

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist makes the list because I like books about vampires and I like books that make Sandy over at You've Gotta Read This fist pump. Her comments about character development really sucked me in though: "The characters are gloriously developed. They are all strange in their own ways, flawed and human (scratch that, they aren't all human), and I found that I had visceral reaction towards them all. I was ready to do some serious damage to the bullies and Oskar's father, in fact I might even call myself enraged. And the rest of them, I just wanted them to rise up, to succeed, to be happy, to be at peace."

I know I've read a review before of Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon, but Jill's review over at Rhapsody in Books really pushed me to add this one to the wish list. "This Pulitzer Prize winning book analyzes why blacks did not rise in American society after emancipation until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It provides an answer to those who counter the lack of black achievement with the “bootstrapping” advancement of immigrant populations. And most importantly it shows that long past the time of the Civil War, slavery was actually still alive and well in the South in all but name, with active support of the state and federal governments." How can you not be intrigued?

Wither by Lauren DeStefano sounds so amazing I get shivers thinking about it, and Reagan's review has me fiending for the book like a ho after crack. Wait, that's like really not politically correct. Reagan says, "DeStefano drew me in with the first chapter and before I knew it I was racing through the pages not on purpose but by complete accident. When I finally looked at the lower status bar on my Nook I discovered that hundred pages had been covered. And worse, when I hit that last page I was at a complete stand still. That couldn't be it - could it? I want more. I need more!" That sort of passion is contagious!

Stitches by David Small is praised as a book that "acknowledges the private lives and thoughts of every person and in turn the importance of giving each human a chance for understanding" on English Major's Junk Food. A graphic memoir about the loss of Small's voice due to his father's experimental doctoring, Stitches communicates to readers primarily through images. It sounds fascinating and beautiful.

Jill over at Rhapsody in Books often reviews rather awesome books, and it looks like Jonathan Tropper's How to Talk to a Widower is no exception. Jill writes: "I love this author’s characters. They’re even more depressed and morose than I am, so I can laugh hysterically at them and feel superior". Set up as a look at a dysfunctional family, How to Talk to a Widower (at least what I've read about it) reminds me of Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris only in fiction.

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell romantic paranormal historical fiction and that's just oodles of fun in itself. Combine that with Michelle at Galleysmith's awesome comments and I'm hooked: "The Vespertine is probably one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read.  Mitchell’s attention to detail is astounding and doesn’t scrimp on being poetic.  From the landscape to the fashion I could see vividly in my mind every scene that was set." I do love me some good world building. Michelle also stresses that this is a story about characters, how one reacts to seeing visions of the future and how those around her react to her ability.

James over at Ready When You Are, C.B. posted a fascinating review of this book. It starts off: "Children are evil.  Not evil, but so amoral in their innocence that their actions are sometimes difficult to distinguish from evil." How can you not love that? Apparently, this book tells the story of a group of kids who pretty much raised themselves and then were kidnapped by pirates. Without the civilizing of a normal childhood, these children are unruly even by pirate standards, and eventually the pirates have to figure out a way to get rid of them. While my dark sense of humor finds this entirely amusing, my academic side is really interested in seeing how Hughes explores the strange relationship between innocence and evil.

Madre by Liza Bakewell semantically analyzes the use of madre in idiomatic expressions, particularly in the Spanish language. Erin at Erin Reads writes: "If your curiosity is piqued by language, if you enjoy diving into other cultures, if you’re interested in gender studies, or if you like memoirs that teach while they transport, I would absolutely recommend Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun by Liza Bakewell to you." Well, I like all of those things, so it definitely sounds like this is one for me.

Wishlist February

Every day I add books to my wish list based on blogger reviews. While I certainly don't want to waste your time by listing every single one, I do want to highlight a few books and reviews which really sparked my interest.

Hunger by Knut Hamsun does not sound like a happy book. James of Ready When You Are, C.B., says "the novel's subject is hunger and its effects on the psychological and physical state of those who endure it." I think hunger is a fascinating subject but I was pushed over the edge by the concept of point of view: "Because Mr. Hamsun believed that the subject of literature should be the intricacies of the human mind, Hunger focuses on the experience and thoughts of its un-named narrator almost to the exclusion of  other characters."  This appeals to me for some reason; I like the intimacy that can develop between reader and protagonist when the point of view is so singular.

Amy over at Amy Reads reviewed Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg and got me jonesing for the book, and when you couple that with a recommendation from Cass at Bonjour Cass, you have a must read. A book about defying the conventions of gender, Stone Butch Blues uses a fictional character to discuss the difficulties of being outside the norm in pre-Stonewall days. Amy says that "what I think is most important about this book is how accessible it is to all of us. Whatever your gender or sexual identity, your class, or anything else, I think the book will still turn your world upside down and pull you apart. I seriously dare anyone to read this and not cry. Multiple times."

I am totally showing my geek here, but when I saw Leeswammes's review of I is an Other by James Geary, I actually quivered with longing. A book focusing on how metaphors affect people's lives and on where they originated, this non-fiction geekish gold mine sounds amazingly entertaining to me. It has been a long time since I've read a nonfiction book like this, a more educational look at life.

Z is for Zombie by Adam Troy-Castro caught my eye on Pam's blog, Bookalicio.us, when she said: "I loved the way the author took us through the alphabet with zombie-esque and apocalyptic style terms. “O is for OMIGOD get it off of me.” and so on. The art was a fantastic side character all to itself. It was grotesque and to be completely honest I started at it longer that it took me to read the words." While I am not a huge fan of zombies - based on very little experience - I am a fan of creepy graphic novels.

Pam over at Bookalicio.us is always a sure hit for YA recommendations, and hear she is again making the wish list. Her review of The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter has me all sorts of excited - and not just because my maiden name is Carter. Pam writes that "The plot moves forward at a lightening quick pace and there are so many twisty bits in The Goddess Test that make you want to read even faster to come to the conclusion of the story. I love that this book is one of the very few that make you sympathetic to Hades, because he never has been as evil as modern literature paints him." Being quite the fan of mythology (and Hades), I am super excited about this one.

Lenore posted a review of Grace by Elizabeth Scott at her blog Presenting Lenore. She says that "GRACE is a very dark story.  Both Grace and Kerr are killers, their minds warped by propaganda from both sides.  They've lived through sexual abuse, ostracism, starvation, cruelty. They've be programmed to live for others ideals, and they've both decided to be selfish, to live for themselves and to stay alive no matter the cost." Just like with the first of Scott's novels I read, Living Dead Girl, Grace sounds simultaneously horrifying and compelling.

Wishlist January

Every day I add books to my wish list based on blogger reviews. While I certainly don't want to waste your time by listing every single one, I do want to highlight a few books and reviews which really sparked my interest.

Heather at Raging Bibliomania reviewed Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Connor Grennan, and I immediately added it to the wish list. The book follows Grennan as he travels to Nepal and becomes involved with rescuing children from human trafficking. Heather says: "This was a very interesting book not only in the story it told, but in the way it was presented and the feelings that it evoked in me. It was funny, sad and timely, and had the added benefit of starring the enigma that is Conor Grennan."


The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett caught my eye when Heather of Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books reviewed it. Heather summarizes the book and its appeal: "In this unlikely story the aging Queen of England picks up a sudden interest in reading, an interest in which her family and advisers do not approve.  The fun part of this book is seeing how this slight interest turns into a burning desire and then into a passion, a progression which a book lover like me can easily identify with." I can identify as well, and I just love books like this as they seem to validate my own obsession with reading.

Book Crush by Nancy Pearl is a different kind of wish list book. It's like a book full of wish lists. Lenore of Presenting Lenore reviewed this book and got me thinking about how awesome it would be to own a book which included a bunch of lists of books especially when it focuses on YAL. Lenore explains: "A "celebrated librarian" Pearl offers up over 1000 titles organized into 118 lists.  The titles cover the entire spectrum of children's books - from board books to YA - and even include some adult titles of interest to teens." While the children's books aren't that exciting for me, I like the idea of exploring non-contemporary YAL.

A graphic novel called The Walking Dead: Book 1? Love it. Stephanie over at Laughing Stars reviewed this book by Robert Kirkman says: "There are intense, often brutal, action scenes and grotesque images of the walking dead. Honestly, you’d be disappointed if you didn’t get to see pictures of decomposing zombies, wouldn’t you?" Why yes, yes I would. Typically I am not in to zombie stories, but there is something about this one that just appeals to me for whatever reason.

When I saw Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys on Nicole's blog, Linus's Blanket, I knew it had to go on the wish list immediately. Nicole explains that one can read this book in two ways: "most famously it is known as the novel which explores the life of Bertha Mason before she meets Edward Rochester, the brief life they had together, and then her tenure as crazy woman in the attic in Jane Eyre. It is also an insightful work of Caribbean literature addressing the attitudes that former slaves had toward their masters, and the way those from the continent looked down upon the creole inhabitants and colonizers of the islands – especially the women.  Wide Sargasso Sea works well as a stand alone novel, and can be understood whether you factor in Jane Eyre or not."

If I had to guess, I would say that Ana from things mean a lot adds to my wish list more than anyone else. She reads such fascinating books and writes these intellectual and entertaining reviews. She really caught my interest with Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine when she said: "If I were rich, I would purchase a couple of hundred copies of Delusions of Gender and then stand in a street corner handing them out to random passer-bys: that’s how much I loved this book, and how important I believe it to be." Couple that with the fascinating subject matter and I am really jonesing for this book.

Nicole from Linus's Blanket writes so cleverly that she had me adding A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness to the wish list without her even writing a review. She just mentioned it in her Sunday Salon post! But what can I say? Her description really got me excited: "It’s a savory read as it is, so it’s almost ritual like when I can look forward into curling up on the couch or sprawling across the bed and reading a few pages, well, more like several chapters. What made it so hard to resist?  Oh my, the list is long.  History, witches, vampires, Oxford College, wine.  I love this book!" That list appeals to me too.

 I first saw Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin on Stephanie's blog, Reviews by Lola, then at Jill's Rhapsody in Books, and finally came across it again at Heather's Raging Bibliomania. Stephanie's note of the gender issues portrayed in the book and Jill's comments about the supporting cast of characters got me interested. But how could I resist when Heather describes the book in this way: "What I noticed first about this book as I was reading, was the unremitting darkness that surrounded the plot and characters. One could argue that the medieval age was one of particular darkness, but I think this book strove deeply for a real feeling of foreboding and ominousness." The book sounds deliciously creepy.

I had been toying around with starting the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, but middle grade fiction is sort of hit or miss with me and I worried it would be a miss. Then Kathy at Bermuda Onion featured the book for her Kid Konnection, and she made up my mind for me. The stories follow Greg, a middle child who is stuck in that 'life isn't fair attitude' for one year of his life. Kathy said: "I just loved Greg – he wants so hard to fit in and comes up with some crazy schemes to do so. Sometimes it seems as if nothing ever goes his way. The thing is, he thinks he’s got everything figured out yet he’s so clueless in some ways."

Generally speaking, math and I are not great friends. We are more like frenemies: each trying to prove she is better than the other. I took higher level calculus courses just to prove I could (couldn't let math beat me). This books looks like it will bring the interesting back to math. Here's Looking at Euclid by Alex Bellos "consists of a series of not very closely related mathematical topics, lucidly presented" according to the husband of Jill from Rhapsody in Books. He told a short anecdote about "a chimpanzee who can count up to nine and can identify the appropriate symbol for each of the first nine digits and put them in the correct order. She has significant problems with where the number zero fits in the order, however, even though she seems to know that zero mean no objects." Apparently this is one of the tidbits in the book, and since I find the concept so freaking intriguing, I am hopefully that I will enjoy the rest of the book as well.

Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai first caught my eye because I have The Zig Zag Way by the same author sitting on my shelves but still haven't read it. Then reading Swapna's review over at S. Krishna's Books, I got really intrigued. The story of one girl's sacrifices for her brother, Fasting, Feasting is, according to Swapna, "a quiet, contemplative novel about the love and injustices in one Indian family.  This family isn’t necessarily typical of those in India, but it’s still a brilliant depiction, one that Desai accomplishes masterfully.  Her prose is beautiful and easy to read, and the book has a universal message of acceptance that will appeal to any reader.  I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in cultural, character-driven stories."

The Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull is completely released, and that combined with the awesome review by Sheila of Book Journey has me fiending for the first in the series. Sheila says she "enjoyed the storyline and of course what's not to love about fairies?" There is absolutely nothing to not like about fairies. I love YAL SFF series, and I really really love it when I can read the entire series back to back in one horrifyingly obsessive week. I'm going to wait until after the TBR Dare is over, but then I fully intend on buying the box set in paperback!

Slob by Ellen Potter was completely unheard of by me until seeing a stellar review by James of Ready When You Are, C.B. I won't even summarize the book for you as I'm thinking it's one which knowing less is better. But James does say that "Slob is a gentle sort of book.  While the issues it deals with are heavy--grief, bullying, gender identity, body issues-- the resolution is entirely hopeful and even the book's worst villains aren't all that bad in the end...Slob is an entertaining book that will probably satisfy most young readers."