The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

When I tell people what I do for a living they immediately think I sit in an office all day and read books.  Uh, no.  What I do is read a mother-lode of book reviews.  Then once I do that, I go to places where your average non-librarian citizen hears about books.  Let's face it - they aren't pouring over Publisher's Weekly every week.  They just aren't.  They're watching the Today Show, reading People magazine, and trolling around on Entertainment Weekly's web site.  That's how they hear about books - and that's how I heard about The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt - by reading Oprah's (::shudder::) magazine.

Once I tweeted (yeah, I did) the publisher to confirm that Caroline Preston's scrapbook-style novel didn't have any dreaded pull out ephemera (no little letters tucked in envelopes for example), I happily forked over library funds to buy several copies.  Because, you know, our customers read Oprah.  It generated a modest waiting list, and when I noticed a copy sitting on the New Books shelves before I left work for the holiday weekend, I thought "What the heck?"  Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the book I zipped through in a couple of hours on Christmas Eve.

The best way I can describe this novel is that it's a picture book for grown-ups.  Or better yet, like going to a cocktail party and poking around in your host's medicine cabinet.  We meet Frances "Frankie" Pratt when she graduates high school in 1920.  She's a young lady with big dreams stuck in a tiny New England town.  Over the course of reading her scrapbook, we follow her from Connecticut, to Vassar, to New York City, to Paris, back to Connecticut.  It's a bit like uncovering an old photo album while playing in Grandma's attic and discovering the old lady had a really cool life before shackling herself to Grandpa.

It is a charming little book, with a wonderful "hook" and a nice attention to historical detail.  It also makes me weep bitter, copious tears that this era tends to be flat-out ignored in romance genre circles (yeah, yeah World War I and the Great Depression are major downers, but it's such an interesting time for women!).  That being said, readers shouldn't go into this book expecting serious amounts of depth.  It's a story told in scrapbook form, so we're not talking oodles of text here.  We also really only get Frankie's point of view, so if you're a reader not wild about first-person?  This one isn't likely to change your mind.

But it is an enjoyable little read that has a lot to recommend it to the right person.  I can totally see scrapbooking crafty-types going ga-ga over this.  Also, if you're a bit of a social history nut, like I am, this is a real treasure trove.  I suspect some romance readers will find Frankie's romantic entanglements less than fulfilling, but I found them remarkably refreshing in a "true to life" sort of way.  There are boys, then men, and all of this leads to Frankie being the woman she is by the final chapter.

Like I said, it's a bit like finding out that Grandma was pretty kick ass before she settled down, had babies, and baked cookies for the grandkids.  It is what it is - that is to say somewhat of a novelty.  But it's a charming, breathtaking novelty that I didn't want to put down.

Final Grade = B+

All Fall Down

Megan Hart is one author I don't like to slap labels on.  I even hate to label her erotic novels as "erotic" - because frankly anyone who reads Megan Hart solely for "the sex" is missing the point (sorry, you are).  However, for the sake of discussing All Fall Down, her latest release, I'll go so far as to say it's "not a romance" and that it's Hart's "book club book."  Because that's what it is.  Highly readable general fiction that sucks you in with a ripped-from-the-headlines style plot and characters who feel like they could be real people.

Sunshine has spent her entire life growing up in a cult, the Family of Superior Bliss.  It's late at night, and the alarms are blaring again.  She thinks it's merely another drill - but her mother bundles her up, along with Sunshine's three small children, and ushers them off the compound.  Sunshine is confused, doesn't want to leave, and can't understand what her mother is doing.  However, she listens to her, takes a scrap of paper, and urges the girl to find her father.  Her biological father that Sunshine has never known.

Liesel Albright is Chris's second wife, and desperately wants a baby.  But month after month, her period arrives to mock her.  It's another month, another such morning, and then the door bell rings.  There stands Sunshine and her three children.  Chris had a daughter by his first wife, a woman who up and left him to join a cult 20 years ago.  Liesel may have wanted a family, but she's not quite prepared for inheriting one.  Sunshine might be 20 with three children of her own, but living her entire life sheltered in a cult means she is just as much a child herself.  While Chris retreats, it's up to Liesel to learn to cope, and Sunshine to find her way.  Which becomes increasingly hard for her when news that the cult committed mass-suicide hits the news.  Sunshine wasn't just forced out of the compound by her mother, she was left behind.

Hart's strength as a writer has never been, in my opinion, her plotting.  She's a very deliberate writer with very deliberately paced plots - which means none of her books are what I would call "page-turners" in the high-paced thriller sense of the expression.  This book is no different.  It unfolds slowly, page-by-page, sucking the reader in with the daily existence of the characters.  It's the kind of book that could go on forever and as the reader you wouldn't mind - because you get so invested in the characters that it's almost like reading a soap opera, but with no over-the-top behavior and bed-hopping shenanigans.

The first half of this book is mostly spent on Liesel - a woman who should be careful what she wishes for.  She admirably begins to pick up the pieces, but having four lost souls fall in your lap isn't exactly smooth sailing.  How she copes, what she learns about herself, and how it effects her marriage make for riveting reading.

The second half of the book is much more strongly focused on Sunshine, and how a girl who has spent her whole life living under the shadow of a cult can become acclimated to "the real world."  I'll admit that while I thought Liesel and Chris were interesting to read about, that I really felt this was Sunshine's story.  It reminded me a lot of one of my all time favorite books, Flowers For Algernon, also about a character going through a rapid ascent through adolescence and trying to live in a world he's not prepared for, nor understands.

As deliberately paced as the book is, and as much as I wanted it to just go on forever, it does have to end eventually.  In that respect, I found that after the slow unfolding of the story, that the ending does feel a bit rushed.  I also suspect that as general fiction, some genre readers might be less than enthralled.  However, it ends the way I think Hart has to end it.  And there is still a silver lining, albeit cute little puppies aren't exactly frolicking under a rainbow while gumdrops rain down.

The only real quibble I have is that the most interesting character is largely left unexplored, and that's Sunshine's mother.  I'm not entirely sure what the author could have done to remedy this though without entirely changing her story.  Unless flashbacks were employed, and that way is fraught with dozens of mine-fields.  I found myself fascinated by this woman, what made her marry Chris, and then leave him for a cult?  What was she looking for?  Why did she choose the way she chose?  And exactly how is she able to look on while her daughter has three babies by the time she's 20?  Sadly, those questions are never really answered, although the author does give us a few teasing glimpses.

This isn't what I consider a sexy book.  It's not easy to categorize, it's not filled with car chases, wall-to-wall sex, battle scenes, or a nail-biting cliffhanger.  It's a story about people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and how they learn to cope with each other, care for each other, and live their "new lives."  It's a lovely piece of work by an author whose work I tend to enjoy immensely, and it's the kind of book that sticks with me long after I've finished it.  No, it's not a romance - but I was perfectly fine with that.

Final Grade = B+

2012 TBR Challenge, Historical Romance Wiki, and Library Poultry

Now that the 2011 TBR Challenge has come to a close, why not consider signing up for 2012?  I'm hosting again next year, and I can tell you - not only is it a lot of fun, but it's also a great way to force your hand into digging some long-ignored book out of the mountainous hordes that can accumulate.  Why not take a gander at the information page to see the schedule, really broad monthly themes, and who has signed up already?  

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Every time I think I'm settling in fairly well at The New Modified Holy Crap I Have A Ton To Do Job, my optimism usually comes back to haunt me.  One of the things I've been neglecting lately is my Upcoming Historical Romances wiki.  However, I did get a little sprucing up done yesterday, and I have a healthy list of titles I hope to add soon (Today?  Maybe?  Hopefully?)

I'll admit that I debated for a while to deep-six this wiki.  To keep it manageable I don't include inspirational, digital-first, digital-only, self-published, or vanity press-published titles.  Which kind of made me wonder "Does anyone find this list remotely useful when my scope is only The Big Six, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Kensington?"  That's the librarian part of my brain talking.  At the end of the day, I'm going to keep trying to keep it up.  Honestly, I like cover art.  I also like seeing what's in the pipeline.  I still don't have the time or inclination to broaden my scope for this wiki, but maybe it will one day spur someone else on to undertake those areas of publishing I'm currently "neglecting" because I'm only one person.

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If you've been reading this blog for a long time (why?!), you may recall that back in The Dark Ages I used to occasionally post wacky library stories.  Just some of the odd-ball I Can't Believe That Just Happened stuff that can crop up when you do this type of work.  Then I moved to an administration building where nothing wacky ever seemed to happen.  Hence, no more stories.  Well, until now.  Sort of.  My blog has got to be one of the worst kept secrets among some of my colleagues, so I need to pick my stories carefully.  This is one I've been sitting on until I got a picture opportunity, so here it is.

We have poultry.  Yes, Library Poultry.

The library where I was transferred sits right next to a park.  This park is apparently a fertile dumping ground for various animals that people no longer want to take care of.  Hence, we've now got poultry.  A couple of roosters with faulty internal clocks that like to crow all day long, and even some hens.

Apparently this Rogue Band Of Bibliophile Birds has been here for a while, and I don't see them leaving anytime soon.  For one thing, I don't see coyotes coming this far into the interior (without help from a major disaster of some sort) and the animal folks are surprisingly hesitant to pick up any strays that they have to actually, you know, catch themselves.  Unless someone is really hungry and wants one for their soup pot?  The library has poultry.

(I wonder if we could sell their eggs as a fundraiser?  I mean, have you seen how much free-range organic eggs cost?  Yikes.)

I'm half-tempted to name them, but I don't actually know how many of them are out there.  There are at least two roosters, but I was clueless about the hens until this morning.  Maybe if I ever get a final head count we can have a Name The Library Poultry Contest?

TBR Challenge 2011: Apartment Living

The Book: A Seduction at Christmas by Cathy Maxwell

The Particulars: Historical romance, Avon, 2008, In Print, First book in the Scandals and Seduction series.

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  There was an eBay auction for a romance author (and I'm ashamed to say, I can't remember who now) to help her with some medical bills.  Maxwell was offering up this really cute Dr. Seuss-themed charm bracelet that I ultimately won.  Along with the bracelet, she sent this book - which was her latest release at the time.

The Review:  Fiona Lachlan came to London thinking it surely had to be better than Scotland.  Gently born and schooled by her mother to one day marry well, the tide changes quickly when her magistrate father attempts to do the right thing (which those in power think is the very wrong thing) and her brother gets mixed up in rebel causes.  She was employed as a seamstress, although she is now out of work and getting a little desperate.  So desperate that when her neighbor falls in love (for the umpteenth time) and elopes, she agrees to take over an errand the girl was going to run for a notorious courtesan.

The courtesan in question wants Fiona to meet her former lover, who has since unceremoniously dumped her.  Fiona is to feign like she's there for seduction, but instead slip a potion in the man's drink so he'll become violently ill.  That will surely teach him to not trifle with the affections of his spurned mistress!  However, when Fiona shows up on the scene?  It's not the man who spurned the courtesan, but the notorious Duke of Holburn who is waiting for her.  He's there thinking he's finally going to meet the man who stole his family signet ring years before - but instead he gets the delectable Fiona.  Then hired goons show up waving around guns and things get really sticky.

I know some authors who get their backs up when the term "wallpaper" is thrown around, so let us just say this book has absolutely no sense of place.  It's a bit like living in an apartment.  The walls are white and the carpet is beige.  Think of it like going to see some experimental theater "production" off-off-off Broadway, where the actors perform the play on an empty stage with no sets.  After a while I started to fancifully imagine these characters in any half-cocked location I could think of, because honestly - they would have fit just about anywhere with minimal changes needing to be made to the story.  On a pirate ship?  Sure.  At a Texas cattle ranch?  Why not!  On a space ship voyage to Mars?  OK, that's a little weird - but it could work!

The characters are likable enough, aren't prone to silly misunderstandings and do communicate with each other fairly well.  The Duke has Dead Daddy and Shrewish Mommy Issues, while the heroine is "haunted" by a gang rape she suffered at the hands of soldiers back in Scotland.  I don't mean to belittle gang rape, but this aspect of the heroine's back-story runs hot or cold - cropping up only when the author needs a convenient plot device.  It's not employed on a consistent basis, and I'll admit the feminist in me got annoyed that something as serious as a gang-rape was reduced to "convenient plot device" - on the same level as a impish child character who interrupts a potential love scene.  Bother.

The driving conflict of the story is really, mostly, external.  Someone wants the Duke dead, but who?  This "mystery" (and I use the term loosely) is thin and obvious, even though the author does toss in a red herring.  However, it does succeed in keeping the story moving along.  There is also a little slice of woo-woo, in the form of Greek mythology (the Oracle at Delphi plays a small role in the story).  As someone who is totally over paranormal, I can assuredly say that this aspect of the story is really light, although it did run a little silly for my personal taste (A prophecy?  Really?)

So we've got white walls and a thin mystery.  Where does that leave us?  With this weird sort of magic Maxwell's writing style seems to have over me.  It's like drinking liquid candy - which is ultimately how I came to think of this book - as "brain candy."  Sure there's no sense of place and I knew where the plot was going before it got there, but this is the sort of book I just needed at this moment in time.  When my head is all over the place, I'm strung a little too tight, and I'm overwhelmed.  I could pick up this book, turn off my brain, flip the pages, and just lose myself several chapters at a time.  No, it's not high art but I kept reading and never thought about DNF'ing it.  And even though I told myself I wasn't interested?  I looked up the other books in this series to make sure some of the secondary characters I met in this book eventually got a romance (I probably won't read those books - but I still had to make sure!).

So at the end of the day?  I'm left with the ultimate "C read."  It wasn't terrible, it wasn't great, it was easy reading, but ask me in a week what this book was about and you'll probably get "Uhhhhh....." 

Final Grade = C

The Month That Was November 2011

Lemon Drop: Auntie Wendy!  You're finally here, blogging, and not sitting in the corner rocking back and forth....  By the way, Mommy says that's rather unbecoming. 

Me: Now see here Little Miss Cutie Britches, Auntie Wendy and Uncle My Man got the plague.  And I'm still swamped at work, and not reading, and having a general all-around meltdown...

Lemon Drop: Blah, blah, blah - have you thought about me Auntie Wendy?  And my adoring public?  You need to get it together, because this keeping us waiting until the end of the month thing is just not kosher.  Besides, I'm cute!

Me: Well, there is no denying your cuteness.  While we all try to get over the sugar shock, why don't I tell you about what I read last month?  It wasn't all that great.  A couple of goodies mixed in with a couple of ho-hummers washed down with a DNF.  Six books in all.

Title links will take you to full reviews.

Snowflakes and Stetsons by Jillian Hart, Carol Finch & Cheryl St. John, Historical romance anthology, Harlequin Historical, 2011, Grade = B

• Holiday-themed anthology featuring three western stories.  Totally solid all the way around, with particularly strong showings by Hart and St. John.

Officer Down by Theresa Schwegel, Suspense, St. Martin's, 2005, Grade = D+

• My epic dud of a TBR Challenge read.  Well-written so I kept flipping the pages, a compelling mystery that kept me hooked, but a dumber than a sack full of door knobs heroine.  Blah.

Baby, Let It Snow by Beverly Jenkins & Elaine Overton, Contemporary romance anthology, Kimani Romance, 2011, Grade = C

• Two holiday short stories featuring characters done wrong, Thanksgiving, family and snow storms.  Easy reading, a nice way to spend an afternoon, but neither story lit a fire under me.

Rodeo Daddy by Soraya Lane, Contemporary romance, Harlequin Romance, 2011, Grade = C+

• Kind of a letdown considering how much I enjoyed Lane's first two books for HR.  Cowboy hero and single dad moves to New Zealand and falls for a local girl running from her past.  The heroine's Big Secret smacked me as "punishment."  It got under my skin, and not in a good way.

A Man of His Word by Sarah M. Anderson, Contemporary romance, Harlequin Desire, 2011, Grade = B+

• A real gem of a read that I downloaded and plowed through in one afternoon.  Hero shows up in South Dakota to help out his not-so-dear uncle, only to fall for the thorn in the man's side - the lawyer heroine.  Compelling conflict, interesting characters, a solid three-dimensional read that reminded me of how much I used to love the Desire line.

The Playboy's Gift by Teresa Carpenter, Contemporary romance, Harlequin Romance, 2011, Grade = DNF

• Got halfway through the book and had to stop reading because I was no longer rational.  Heroine's brother and sister-in-law die months apart from each other and the hero thinks he's the little girls' Daddy just because he was the frackin' sperm donor.  I got to the point where reading was making me angry, so I stopped.  Writing style gelled for me, so will likely try this local (for me) author again so long as Biology Above All Else is off the table.

Lemon Drop: Wow, you have issues Auntie Wendy.

Me: That would be what we call stating the obvious my dear.  Here's hoping for better things during the final weeks of December.

Lemon Drop: Like Christmas!  And presents!  And Santa Claus!  And presents!  You are getting me presents aren't you.....

Me: I love how you automatically made that plural.  Yes, I'm getting you presents.  And yes, I even had a little help from the Bat Cave community in picking them out.  That's how much of a rock star you are.

Lemon Drop: Like there was ever any doubt?

Reminder: TBR Challenge For December

For those of you participating in the 2011 TBR Challenge, a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, December 21. 

This month's theme is Holidays.  Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day - any ol' holiday will fit the bill.

Anywho....remember, the themes are completely and totally optional.  The themes aren't as important as digging something (anything!) out of your TBR Pile.

This also marks the end (::sob::) of the 2011 TBR Challenge.  I had a great time hosting, and I hope you all had a great time participating and/or following along.  But never fear!  I'm hosting again in 2012!  If you are interested in joining the 2012 TBR Challenge, please check out the information page.

Wanted: Contemporary and Paranormal Fairy Tales

Yes, yes - it's been a Dead Zone around here for the past week.  Chalk it up to Real Life with a healthy dose of Head Cold From Hell mixed in for good measure (and just to keep things lively, Typhoid Wendy gave the plague to My Man). 

Obviously taking pity on my lack of blog-fodder, JamiSings (a fairly regular commenter 'round here) sent me an e-mail desperately looking for some book recommendations.  She gave me permission to post her query on the blog - so here it is!  Here's what she's looking for (and coincidentally, what she's not looking for).

So this all started with a thread on All About Romance - this one actually

It's all discussions of fairy tales we love. Well, it's got me craving some serious fairy tale themed romances. Especially if the fae actually appear in it. Thing is, you know how you're burnt out on Paranormals? Well, right now I'm burnt out on historicals. My recent forays trying to find "plain Jane" and Older Man/Younger Woman romances gave me a lot of historicals. I REALLY want some contemporaries. (Yes, I've read ALL of Karen Marie Monings books, BTW.)

Jami is open to all sorts of fairy tales, but she's sooooo over Cinderella (seriously, girlfriend has exhausted the fairy tale collection at the library - she was telling me about some that I've never even heard of!)  By contemporary she's willing to go pretty much anything 20th century and after.  She'll make an exception for steampunk, but otherwise she wants to stay the hell away from the 19th century and earlier.

She's looking for books with Sexy Times, but buttsecks is a deal-breaker for her.  She's totally cool with Hot Vanilla.

She's open to reading "older" romances (she works at a library, so ILL is always an option for her) - but she doesn't like Rapetastic Bodice Rippers.  Also, no YA recommendations (Google's been spitting out lots of YA recs to her.....)

She really wants to read some human/fae books - but given that she's exhausted Karen Marie Moning, she's willing to go with "just fairy tale-ish."

So Bat Cave Dwellers, what have you got?  I've been on Paranormal Burn-Out for a while now, and my contemporary reading tends to be stuck in Category Romance Land.  Any awesome-sauce single titles out there?  Any smokin' fun paranormals?  Hit us up in the comment section!

Come One, Come All: The 2012 TBR Challenge!

Yes folks, it's that time!  I had such fun hosting in 2011, that I've decided y'all will half to pry the 2012 TBR Challenge out of my cold dead hands.

Things are going to run the same way they were in 2011.  The idea is that once a month you will pull some neglected book out of your To-Be-Read pile, read it, and post your commentary for that book on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.  This commentary can be as involved as you want to make it, and can happen anywhere online - including Twitter, Facebook, a message board, GoodReads, your blog etc.  We are also, once again, going to have themes for each month.  These themes are totally voluntary, and this year I've gone with boarder suggestions, some of which were provided by 2011 participants (thanks guys!).

If you are interested in signing up, please take a look at the 2012 TBR Challenge Information Page (which you can find on my sidebar), and either e-mail me from there, or simply leave me a comment on this post.  What I need from you is your first name, and a link to where your commentary will appear.  I will then add your home link to the information page so interested people can follow along with the various challengers.

C'mon, you know you want to sign-up!  It's fun, it's low-stress, there's no pressure (hey, Real Life happens!), and it's a great way to delude yourself into thinking you're making progress on your book hording "issues."

Not that I would know anything about that last bit....

Random Natterings: Holidays, TV, Adele and Apps

My #1 piece of advice for newbie bloggers has always been "be consistent."  I don't subscribe to the school of thought that says Blog Every Day, instead saying that one should find their own natural rhythm.  Mine?  On average, around 3 posts a week.  But honestly, this "reorg" at work is kicking my ass.  Still.  Just when I think I've settled in to some normalcy, I slide back a few steps.  It's also been hell on my mojo.  I've got nothing people.  Like, nothing.  I'm half-tempted to declare a hiatus because the one and only time I did that?  Yeah, blogging inspiration all over the darn place.  But yeah - I'm not going to do that.  Instead, I'm going to suck it up - which means yep, y'all are getting a random as hell post from me about stuff that I've been thinking about.

Wendy's brain = yes, really this pathetic.

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The older I get the more overwhelmed I feel by the holidays.  Honestly, I think that might be attributing to my current lack of blogging inspiration.  However, I am making progress!  The Christmas tree went up over Thanksgiving weekend, and today I finally sat down in front of the computer and ordered most of the gifts I needed to get.

The last sticking point?  Ugh, cards.  I haven't done cards the last two years because I suck (oh, and I'm lazy).  But this year?  I really feel like I should.  So I am.  Cards have been bought, but do you think I've started on them yet?  Ha!  It is to laugh.

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Oh happy day, TV has been pure gold for me.  First, Beavis and Butthead are back - which means I can start watching MTV again for the first time in like, 15 years.  Yes, I know they're juvenile.  Yes, I know I have precious few brain cells as is - but I don't care.  Epic!  It's been epic I tells ya!

Then I found out last week that Justified is coming back on January 17.  People, my life is just better with a blue-jean-boot-cowboy-hat-wearin' Timothy Olypant in it.  Heck, I think that makes all our lives better.

Dare I say it, could cowboy eye-candy be the meaning of life?  OK, maybe just my life....

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I don't get Adele.

At all.

There, I said it.

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I finally broke down and got a real cell phone.  No more pay-as-you-go for Wendy!  Yep, an actual honest-to-goodness smartphone.  With apps!  One app I downloaded right away was, well of course, Kindle.  I'll be blunt, I'm cheap and in it for the freebies.

So any advice out there from Kindle junkies?  Any searching tips for finding those killer deals?  Along those lines, any blogs or newsletters that I should think about signing up for?

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In general housekeeping news, I need to get moving on getting the information for the 2012 TBR Challenge posted.  Scroll back to the top of this blog post and reread.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  Hopefully next week.  Start wrapping your mind around how much you want to sign on!