Here’s what I’ve read in June. Though I tell you while feeling inferior to DirtyLibrarian, who reads more and better than I do. (Y) means it is intended for teen readers.
Guys Write for Guys Read, ed. Scieszka (Y)
Better in concept than execution. Assembled to support the Guys Read literacy program, the choice of essays is not great for the purpose of encouraging young guys to read. Two stars for effort.
The Secret Under my Skin by McNaughton (Y)
Post ecology-apocalypse political wrangling, with an orphan girl in the middle. Starts with promise, but limps in the end. Better than Gathering Blue (with similar apocalypse and textile elements), but that isn’t saying much. Two stars for being better than G.B.
If Chins Could Kill: confessions of a B movie actor: an autobiography by Bruce Campbell
Conversational, personable, funny, a really enjoyable biography. Good use of pictures, too. Four stars for being good and making me happy that I have my job and not his.
Fray by Joss Whedon
It isn’t often that I gasp at a plot twist in a book. This one had me on the edge of my seat and emotionally involved with the characters. Impressive, considering how short it is. Five stars and a hearty thumbs up.
Sequential
This was loaned to me by Mike. I couldn’t really get into it. Sorry, Mike. No stars.
America the Book by those Daily Show people
I’ll put it here as a June book, even thought I read it over the course of many months. It has been my designated bathroom book. It’s a funny book overall, and very well suited to reading a little at a time. Three stars for good potty reading.
Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last by Susan Juby (Y)
I love Susan Juby, and I love Alice. This is Alice’s third installment (after Alice, I Think and Miss Smithers). Very funny and touching, as usual. Now I want to go visit Smithers. Highly recommend for young and not-young. Four stars for excellent round three and writing a character that I can really root for.
Time Hackers, Paulsen (Y)
Time travel used for disgusting pranks, but may get out of hand. Novella-length and easy to read with lots of grossout details in the beginning, this is a definite booktalk title. Sly humor makes it fun for adults, too. Three stars for good high low book with cadaver stank on the first page.
Marvel 1602, Gaiman
The review said it was hard to understand if you weren’t really familiar with the Marvel universe. Turns out they were right! No rating due to giving up partway through the book. Later: Craig read it, says it’s great. Encouraged me to read the preface and try again.
Uglies, Westerfield (Y)
Wow, it’s nice to read a book for teen readers that really sucks you in. It was a long one (just over 400 pages), but I’m ready for the next book in the trilogy already. Future slang was well-done, and the first and last lines of the book were great grabbers. Four stars for an exciting and involving read with good character development.
Surviving Antarctica: reality TV 2083, White (Y)
Great premise, poor execution. Only made it halfway through. Two stars for annoying dialogue and glacial pacing.
Sins of the City: The Real Los Angeles Noir, Heimann
Only got it for the pictures, which were an OK selection.
One star for noir.
Banvard’s Folly, Collins
I got it because I absolutely love the two books he wrote after this one. I didn’t like it as much as the others, though. Interesting, but I had read about several of the cases in other books, and it ended up being more sad than interesting in spots. Perhaps I was not in the right mood for this one. I didn’t finish it. Two stars for a promising start.