What Book Review language “Really” means

Found this via mediabistro.com:

Here is a quick guide for translating this review-speak into actual critique, with advice from authors, editors and agents on how to fix these mistakes and make your book more saleable.

Decoding stock phrases like “an interesting beginning” (you’re pushing the envelope, not sure we like it and/or too much exposition, bucko) “elaborate, emotional prose” (“some authors seemed to have never met an adjective they didn’t love”) makes for a fun read for a reviewer- and maybe a helpful guide to what other reviewers are doing.

I know that I have certain words and phrases I return to, but they aren’t necessarily on mediabistro’s list:

“vivid” “lyrical prose”  “elegant” – I really really liked it.

“savor” “evocative”- Great, possibly foodie writing.  I kind of wanted to lick the pages, actually.   Or I was jealous that I hadn’t written those sentences.  “lyrical” and “elegant” also may apply here.

“some readers might enjoy”- but it’s not my style, thanks.

“the prose is sometimes/often dry,”- someone confused informative writing with bloodless academia, lost me utterly even though the topic was fascinating.  Whoever wrote this should hire John McPhee or Diane Ackerman as ghostwriters.

“flawed but endearing characters,”- I have a crush on at least one of them, probably the befuddled man with the wittiest dialogue.

“whimsy.”  If I’m going to read romance, it had better have a sense of humor!  Goofy, lighthearted romance that makes me giggle.

“banter” “biting humor.”- the sweet spot I have for Beatrice and Benedick in “Much Ado About Nothing,” or Debbie and Martin in “Grosse Point Blank.”

“cloying.”  The romance took itself way too seriously.  I had to watch “Die Hard” and suck on a lemon just to feel normal again afterward.

“suspenseful” “gripping” “a real page-turner,”- I kind of hate myself for defaulting to these, but if the mystery’s so good I miss my subway stop/bedtime/a phone call or two, because I want to know what’s coming next… I’m not sure what other words to use to describe. There are really only a few things better than a mystery that good.

Published in: on February 28, 2009 at 9:53 am Leave a Comment
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The Kindle: Mostly Harmless?

from the webcomic xkcd.com

from the webcomic xkcd.com

I love this for taking a jab at the Kindle, and also referencing Douglas Adams.

Funny “Reasons to Hate the Kindle” from Dave at the Baltimore Sun’s Book blog.

Published in: on February 25, 2009 at 10:52 pm Leave a Comment
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Obama Puppy: Portuguese Water Dog

Well, this just in, courtesy of nj.com:  The Obamas’ First Puppy will be a Portuguese Water Dog.

The Biden family has the same breed.

Personally, I can’t wait for the photo ops to start.

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“Breaking Dawn” a “Kids’” Book?

In the “Living Well” section at the front of the current Woman’s Day magazine, I find what seems to be excellent advice.

“Read a children’s book.  Some of the best, most innovative fiction is in the young adult section.  Steal new stuff from your kid’s bookshelf.”

So far, I have no problem.   I agree.  A great deal of YA fiction is well written, imaginative, and fun to read  as an adult.  (I find it comforting, in fact, to know that I have some sense of perspective on some of the catastrophes and shattering defeats teenagers in love are likely to face.)  I was expecting something like Nancy Drew, (which the piece does mention) or Harry Potter.  Well-written books with fanciful but well-grounded kids and teens.

But… then WD goes on.

“like Stephenie Meyers’ ‘Breaking Dawn.”

Granted, I’ve only read synopses- because Twilight was not, to put it mildly, one of my favorite reads…  But isn’t “Breaking Dawn” the horrifying one with vampire childbirth, as well as the ever-present spineless, simpering bad role model girl heroine pining after her stalkery, sparkling vampire??

Oh, Woman’s Day, treasure trove of useful household tips and tasty recipes!  For shame!  Couldn’t you give the nod to the Traveling Pants, or Diane Duane?  Much better reads, and better roles for women.

That does it.  I’m more determined than ever to write for WD.   Books, house stuff, cooking… anything I can pitch, to get myself in, and elevate the books discourse beyond sparkling vampires.  And if you think of another good YA book for grownup women to read, leave a comment!

Published in: on February 23, 2009 at 4:11 pm Comments (1)
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Food Fiction Meme

I posted this Saturday, but the post went up as blank… so I’m re-doing it, and will add links, once I’m sure it posted.  Fie!  Still fun to think about, even though I’m reconstructing.   I heard about Kate’s Food And Fiction Meme from Sassymonkey’s book blog.

Food from fiction that you’d like to sample: Anything cooked by Carmen Vega, the Spanish cooking show diva from Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs.  I love the flavors of Spanish and Mediterranean food.  And in particular, there’s an octopus salad she whips up seemingly effortlessly.  I envy that ability.

On the curiosity side, I’ve been reading a lot of Lauren Willig’s romances.  Set at the beginning of the 19th century, they’re full of elaborate suppers at balls during the season.  In particular, I’m curious about ratafia, and negus, two cordials.  I looked up the ingredients, and they don’t give clues as to the taste.

A fictional meal you would like to have attended:

I’d love to eat with my favorite country doctors, James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small, and Barry Laverty of the Irish Country Doctor series.  Their housekeepers make simple, comfort food with local farm-fresh ingredients.  Not sure about the idea of kippers for breakfast, though.  I’d be all for fresh bread and farmer’s cheese.

Also, the fancy pageantry of Willig’s historicals appeals, just because it’s so alien and decadent.  I’d love to eat slices of roast duck at a casual supper!

A memorable work of fiction set in a restaurant or a café:

The cooking class in “The School of Essential Ingredients,” by Erica Bauermeister.   Not only is the prose about the food utterly mouth-watering, Lillian, the restaurant owner teaches the class with an intuitive slow-food approach I would love to learn.

Food you’ve tried that didn’t live up to the expectations raised by a fictional account: Like many others who are doing this meme- Turkish Delight, from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”  Edmund was ready to sell his siblings for a fruit goo covered in chocolate?  I don’t understand, even if magic is involved!  Also- I thought crumpets would be fancier than they are.

Food from fiction that you couldn’t help but want to try even though you knew you would hate it: Can’t think of one.  I’m pretty omniverous, and willing to try anything at least once.  Then, I figure out whether I hate it or not.  Maybe black pudding.  I was dubious of it, but see above re: Yorkshire/Irish countryside doctor novels.  It’s reasonably tasty if you don’t think about the ingredients.   On the flipside— something I’d wanted to try based on the descriptions, but then decided not to:  I thought “sweetbreads” meant pastry.  Once disabused of this notion, I lost interest!  Zombies may eat brains, but I don’t!  At least not knowingly.

An unappetizing food description from fiction: This isn’t from fiction, but from memoir.  In Roald Dahl’s “Boy,” he describes many adventures involving candy shops.  And the candy sounds horrifying!  Black licorice whips rumored by his schoolmates to be made of rats… Pear drops that make your throat go numb…  Brr!  It helps that my sweet tooth tends towards snobbery and upmarket dark chocolate, rather than fruity sweets.

A recipe you’ve tried or a meal you’ve recreated from fiction: “The School of Essential Ingredients” put me on a quest for fresh tomato sauce.  Maybe when heirloom tomatoes come into season this summer, I’ll start trying again.  And “The Book of Salt” renewed my interest in Vietnamese food.  I had the local Vietnamese takeout on speed dial for a while there.  Also, mole sauce would not have occurred to me, if I hadn’t read “Like Water For Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel.   I’ve never tried making it, but I do love to eat mole chicken at Mexican restaurants.

Food you associate with reading: Snack food that can be eaten one-handed while I turn pages.  When the Harry Potter books came out, I planned to stay in bed all day, eating finger foods that wouldn’t stain the pages.  Baby carrots, grapes, cheese cubes, pretzels.  I also love lazy Sunday mornings in bed with a book and a mug of tea, hot chocolate, or coffee.

Your favourite food-focused book/writer:

Fiction: Laura Esquivel, Kate Jacobs, Erica Bauermeister (I still can’t believe “The School of Essential Ingredients” was her first novel!)

Nonfiction: Anthony Bourdain, Ruth Reichl.  Others I’m sure I’ll remember, if someone nudges me in the comments.

Published in: on at 10:06 am Comments (2)

What Makes Good Fantasy?

I’ve spent the past week or so reading fantasy and scifi novels for the Ledger’s round-up.   I was pleased to be assigned the roundup.  It’s a genre full of authors I enjoy, and books I like to reread.  And it was pure delight to be able to read Ender In Exile, find that it was just as good as I’d hoped, and then to write about the ways it made me happy.

The pure fantasy, with magic and swords, was not nearly so wonderful.  I wonder what would have changed if I’d been the one rummaging through my editor’s stacks, and picking books.  I probably wouldn’t have picked up The Dragonlance Book I reviewed, and would have missed out on the revelation that Dragonlance books have improved since I was reading glorified roleplaying tie-ins about Raistlin and Caramon.  I read a lot more fantasy in high school and college, and for a few years afterwards.

Looking at the books I still have on my shelves, their spines fissured and wrinkled with multiple readings, I think I can pin down what I like about the genre.  A strong, internal logic of world and culture is a must.  I like being able to see variations of actual world cultures and legends. (Remember, dear readers, I was an anthro major.)  Or a magical and cultural system that is unique, stays consistent, and fuels both the plot, and interesting musings you can take outside the book, about how assumptions play a part in our own culture.  I don’t mind unsubtle social commentary peeking through my speculative fiction.  I think that’s what it’s for, at best.  If I want a more straightforward adventure, there’s always suspense and mystery, genres I also like.

And yes, the fantasy writers on my shelf are gifted writers, who, most of all, write well-crafted descriptions and realistic characters.  I felt that was missing from the books I reviewed: real star-quality storytelling.  Then again, there are only a handful who pull off fantasy of that quality:  Guy Gavriel Kay, Tamora Pierce, Diane Duane, Neil Gaiman, Jacqueline Carey, Mercedes Lackey.    That’s the list from my bookshelf.  And I know that there are people who will see those, and gasp at one or two I haven’t included.  Leave me a comment, please!  I’d love to read some highly recommended sword and sorcery fiction, especially after this week.

Published in: on February 21, 2009 at 3:06 pm Comments (4)
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Friday Finds

Not too many books on my horizon for this week.  I’ve been making a steady dent in my TBR pile, both assigned review books from the Ledger, and books I’m reading on my own.  I finished off the books for a science fiction roundup, and a green, earth-friendly books roundup.

Some standouts:

Hope For a Heated Planet- Robert K. Musil.  Looking at climate change and green energy from a public health perspective.  His writing gets professorial and dry in spots, but if you muscle through, he has a lot of important, and inspiring info on green technology, and personal changes.

Ender In Exile- Orson Scott Card.  I’m really pleased I got to review this one.  And even more pleased that it’s a continuation in Ender’s story that I actually like.  Speaker For The Dead, Ender’s Game, and Xenocide are among my all time favorite books, but the Ender’s Shadow books with Peter and Bean were infuriatingly bad.  Such a relief to love Card’s fiction again!

Another surprisingly good one: The Illumination, by Karen Tintori and Jill Gregory.  I was dubious, because the flap copy compared it to The DaVinci Code, which I hated but couldn’t put down.  But, I found The Illumination to be well written, with decently complex characters and plenty of action.  It made me want to watch Raiders Of The Lost Ark, though, a craving I still haven’t satisfied.  Maybe this weekend after I reorganize my bookshelves.

Here is what I would like to find, on the last day of work before the weekend: The time, and the willpower, to reorganize my bookshelves, and get caught up on general tidying.  Not fun, but still needed.

Published in: on February 20, 2009 at 10:27 am Comments (1)
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Booking Through Thursday: Bookshelves

bookthursday “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”

This week’s BTT makes me stare around my apartment kind of guiltily.  I keep meaning to reorganize my bookshelves.  There’s just me here, so the books in the living room and the bedroom are all mine.   I remember moving here about two years ago, and feeling sort of disconnected and alien in my house.  What it took to change that feeling, and feel like home, was setting up the bookshelves.  And it took a few weeks to get over the glee that they were ALL my books.  (I’d lived with a roommate before, so was used to the living room as not being my dedicated bookshelf space.)

I wish my bookshelves were better organized.  They’ve gotten jumbled lately, and are overdue a thorough going-over.  For the most part, bedroom bookshelves are reserved for the beloved comfort books, the ones I grab when I need to read a few pages here and there.  Some worn books from childhood, favorite poets.  Cozy books.

The living room is full of books I’d probably loan out to people.   And the shelves have an intuitive organization.  Or so I like to think.  Cookbooks and foodie fiction in the shelf by the kitchen.   Poetry next, with misc facts and history books on the shelf below.  Science fiction and mystery in the corner right by my cozy reading chair, and then a jumble of my favorite fiction and nonfiction to loan people.

It sounds pretty organized, but where I need to overhaul is the tendency to smush books on top of these categories, or find an organized spot for my review books, rather than the stacks on the dining room table or the horizontal stacks on two bedroom bookshelves.  I’ve lost books in my apartment more than once.  That does it!  Sunday afternoon!  Major book overhaul, of at least the bedroom!  Yeah!

It’s not like I have an excuse now that football season is over….

Published in: on February 19, 2009 at 9:15 am Comments (4)
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The Brain Chemistry of Reading

I’ve been wondering about the brain chemistry behind reading.   Last night, I had a great conversation over gchat with one of my best friends from college, Cheryl. (I miss her, and our late night dorm conversations.   Why is San Diego so far away?  But I digress.)

Why does it feel so good to curl up with an engrossing book?  The sensation recharges me.  It’s like having a good dream.  But less surreal.

Without a background in bio, or cognitive science, though, I feel like I don’t even know what search terms to Google to get a better handle on it.  So I’ve asked at MetaFilter, and replies are trickling in.  I’ll post again, once I learn more. (more…)

Published in: on February 18, 2009 at 8:37 am Comments (1)
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Essay From Another Elizabeth at WVFC

(Noting that I wish I had written this. Or that I had the writing chops to do so- ERW.)

Meditations On My Mother’s Bed

Elizabeth-Flock
by Elizabeth Flock

The bed is already crowded when I crawl into it. The cats have arranged themselves neatly around my mother and they are not happy when I climb aboard and upset their cozy set-up.
I fit easily into my father’s mattress indentation, he’s begun his day but the covers have kept his spot warm. My mother is just awake, still soft from sleep. And that is perhaps what I like best about this infrequent ritual, the intimacy of lying close to the yawns and stretches of a fresh day.
I live out of town and cannot visit as often as I would like. Time skitters by far too quickly on these trips. Days become filled with friends, family squeezed here and there in between. So although I am certainly far too old to be crawling into my parents’ bed I relish the private time with my mother. Not to mention the youthful implication of climbing into one’s parents’ king size bed.
Our talk can be about our sleep the night before (“I had the strangest dream”), our meal the night before (“I love the atmosphere but the salmon was overcooked”), plans for the day ahead (“Is that store still here? The one on the corner behind the bank? Let’s go there for sure”). Then we meander to meatier topics: (“is [insert family friend's name] happy? It seemed like they were strained when we ran into them yesterday”). Meatier still are the questions about my life, my marriage, my choices.
Truth is, my life is nothing like what I thought it would be. Pretty much every friend I have says the same thing. My friend Kathy is fond of saying “if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.” God must be laughing big time right about now.
I’d always imagined a storybook marriage, kids, home, friends. I thought the big dilemma would be how many children to have . . . four, to make it even? Two, to make it affordable? Of course this was back when I thought forty was ancient, and eating an entire bag of Doritos wouldn’t show up on my fit body which would, by the way, always stay effortlessly fit.

At thirty-five I visit, we lie in bed looking up at the ceiling and I ask my mother if everything’s turned out the way she thought it would.

To continue reading, please go to Women’s Voices For Change.

Published in: on at 7:26 am Leave a Comment
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