More Books

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman

(review also on Amazon) The basic story of Anthony "Antsy" Bonano and his friends is fairly straight forward - Anthony and his friends suddenly become aware of this kid who is pretty much an inconspicuous person in the world. I won't summarize the plot, as it is done pretty well in the reviews [see Amazon]. What surprised me, though, was the depth of the book. It could have been just a recounting of the basic events as detailed in the summary, but instead, you get tantalizing images of some really interesting characters: Anthony, and Calvin "The Schwa", of course, but also Mr. Crawley, Lexis, Anthony's family, and even Anthony's friends. This is a deeper and more complex world than the simple facade would have you believe. At the same time, it is not belabored. This is not a didactic book - it isn't trying to teach you something, but it is showing you a world that is complex and multi-faceted.

You can read the story as a straightforward accounting of events - and the plot is strong enough to make it a good read in that regard. Or you can see more - character study, exploration of values, decisions about what is important in life.

Better than I expected somehow.

Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett (listened to on audio CD)

I somehow feel that I am SUPPOSED to like Terry Pratchett. A lot of the other people I know who like books similar to the ones I like think that his books are great reading. But I just don't. Sure, I laugh at them, but basically I really don't think they are a very good use of time. They just don't leave me with anything afterwards. Once I am finished reading them, they leave my mind and there is no lingering pondering of characters or events.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (listened to on audio CD)

I have read this one in book form. It is funny, but fairly vapid. My daughters loved it when they were teens, though, so I guess it is an age thing.

Shiva's Fire by Suzanne Fisher Staples (listened to on audio CD)

The audiobook is good, well read and moving, but I am not enjoying listening to the story as much as I enjoyed reading the book. I think it may just be that the second time through isn't adding that much. I wonder what Shabanu would be like on audio. I really enjoyed that book the first time.