Monday, February 1, 2010

Books: Literacy and Longing in LA

I had ten minutes to pull something off the shelves of the library to bring home. I ended up with four, one of which I've read before (and seriously don't care to ever lay eyes on again...more about that one later.) I really ran out of time to search and later to read, but I did finish Literacy and Longing in L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack.

What I like about the book is that the main character, Dora, grows. I mean her learning curve is steep, and she really comes out at the end a different person. I'm happy with the change. What I'm not sure about is her journey there. In a way, I just felt like I was ho humming along on her journey. There wasn't any particular part that held me in suspense or kept me on the edge of my seat. Maybe I shouldn't be looking for that in this kind of book, but even my fluff has me saying, "Oh my, what is she going to do now?" and I didn't have an inkling of that in this book.

The back of the book (an L.A. Times bestseller) says things like breezy, sexy, profound, sharp, poignant, seamless, witty, and funny. I think the best fit is poignant. I'm not a poignant kind of gal. Decent book, just not my cup of tea. I also have A Version of the Truth by the same authors that must be returned to the library in the next 4 days. Hmmmm...should I or shouldn't I? Better yet, do I have the time?

7 comments:

jo said...

I just recently gotten into digital downloads from our library system here in MT. One of the series I started listening to last month is Body Movers by Stephanie Bond. This quirky book series had me laughing out loud. Just finished the third one and have requested the 4th. Hope it'll be in my inbox soon.

PurpleNepenthe said...

I will definitely look it up. I'm so thankful to be able to read right now! I'm afraid I'm not going to make through the ones I have checked out if I get too busy :( Stephanie Bond sounds familiar though...three day weekend... :)

Oh to Be a Muse said...

the back-cover adjectives are always so blah.

have you been able to finish your reading?

PurpleNepenthe said...

Didn't read their second book and returned them to the library... then checked out 5 more books ;)

I've read 4 so far... liked 3 of them. :)

jo said...

Can't wait to hear about them. Looking to build my summer reading list.
Anyone want to help edit a young writer's 1st novel? She's looking first for content and obvious spelling and grammar errors, the second time through will be a more serious edit. We only have till May to get it completed as it needs to be to the publisher then.

Thanks
jo

PurpleNepenthe said...

How many pages? LOL - sure. Send it my way.

jo said...

70 pages, 50,000 words.