Friday Reads: Long Plane Ride Edition

I have approximately 10 hours round trip on an airplane so I have an ambitious Friday Reads list for this weekend.

I’m headed to Los Angeles this weekend for V3Con, a conference that connects Asian American Pacific Islander online journalists, creative social media communicators, seasoned bloggers and those interested in engaging on digital platforms. I’ve never been to L.A. but I’m looking forward to hanging out in Little Tokyo.

Here’s what I’m packing in my overnight bag for my short coast to coast trip (affiliate links below):

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld. I haven’t read any of her other books, but my friend Anne likes Prep.

The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese by Kathe Lison. I suspect this book will make me hungry. For cheese. Of the stinky variety.

 

The Returned by Jason Mott. I download the prequel short story The First (The Returned), and I can tell The Returned will be a great book. I suspect I will finish this book rather quickly.

I think I should add just one more book to the list, but I can’t decide what. Maybe an e-book would be better.

What’s on your Friday Reads list?

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Twitter
  • RSS

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Don’t hurt me when I say this: The Ocean at the End of the Lane is the first Neil Gaiman book I’ve read.  I had no idea what I was missing! His other well-loved novels are long and seemed a bit intimidating, like American Gods, but I think I need to reconsider.

I pretty much read The Ocean at the End of the Lane in one sitting, except when it got a little too creepy for me. That’s because everyone in my family went to bed early so it was just me in a largely quiet, dark apartment. I had to set it down and take a bathroom break.

I’ll share the publisher’s description of the book because I can’t do it justice:

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed – within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.

His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.

I truly felt transported the entire time I was reading the novel. The narrator’s memories feel fresh and new as he re-lived them for the reader. Even though it’s a short novel at only 192 pages, it’s packed with non-stop action and creepy stuff. Creepy in a good way. One genre that I don’t read enough of but love is modern fantasy like Gaiman’s novel. I guess I have his entire backlist to visit now.

I’m not going to give away too much, so pre-order The Ocean at the End of the Lane. You won’t be disappointed.

I received a review copy of the book. This post contains affiliate links.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Twitter
  • RSS

Meeting Amy Tan at Book Expo America

One of the highlights of Book Expo America for me was meeting Amy Tan. Ok, maybe meeting might be too strong a word. I said “Hi” to her as she signed her book and slid it over the table to me. Amy Tan holds a special place in my teenage years. Prior to The Joy [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Twitter
  • RSS
[Continue reading...]

Book Club Day: Those We Love Most + Win Video Chat with Lee Woodruff!

We’re starting off our first summer book club read with Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff. The books’ family members whose lives are forever intertwined not just by blood and marriage but by a tragic accident. You’ll be able to relate to at least one, if not many of the characters in the book. I’m also [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Twitter
  • RSS
[Continue reading...]

Book Club Picks from BEA 2013 (Video)

I had fun making my last Book Expo America top picks video, so I thought I’d make another one. These are books I think will create good discussions for book clubs. I would definitely read them, book club or not. (I tried to fix the sound so it was louder but only managed to make [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Twitter
  • RSS
[Continue reading...]

Must Read Books from #BEA13 (video)

Here’s a short video I did about some books I think will be hot this fall! It’s dark because the lighting in my hotel room is a wee bit odd. I know it’s just a few books, but I have much more books to talk about it. I’ll share soon. How do you like the [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Twitter
  • RSS
[Continue reading...]