After I read "Parrotfish" by Ellen Wittlinger, I wondered why on earth people kept comparing it - often putting it down in the process - with another novel about transgendered teens, "Luna" by Julie Ann Peters. So I read "Luna" (though the first Julie Ann Peters book I read was "Between Mom and Jo" which pretty much rocked) and finished it yesterday.
And here are ...
Reasons to like "Parrotfish":
1. It's a riot.
2. It will stay with you because it's hilarious AND touching AND infuriating.
3. The main character's first-person narration is pretty much priceless. Grady. Rocks.
4. It gave Benjamin the idea to get me a bottle of organic peppermint shampoo for Christmas.
Reasons to like "Luna":
1. It's intense and fascinating.
2. It's really multifaceted.
3. It rips at your heart really hard. You know ... in a good way.
I can't help it. I think I like "Parrotfish" just a little bit more. But "Luna" will never leave my heart.
~Emily
P.S. I just started another Julie Ann Peters novel. It's called "Far From Xanadu." Methinks this Julie Ann Peters is a really marvelous writer.
Showing posts with label Parrotfish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parrotfish. Show all posts
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Books and a Broken Toe
Having not had a book to review for VOYA since sometime in late spring, I am proud to announce that I finished reading one this morning and will soon be writing my review .... the book was quite horrible, but still, I was happy to have a book.
While I'm here, a list of (good) books I've read/been reading in my absence from the blog seems to be in order ...
Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee. It just might be that the best word to describe this book is "likeable". It's very emotional but so much fun at the same time ...
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. I'm a bit more than halfway through this one and really love it ....
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Too good to be finished, but I finished it anyway.
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton. I've always wondered where the word okay began, and now I know!
Spam-ku: Tranquil Reflections on Luncheon Loaf by John Cho. Each verse in this compilation of haiku is all about SPAM, the luncheon meat, and actually really lovely. Some of them are also absolutely hilarious, but each feels like genuine haiku (some have more of a traditional flavor than others -- which feel more like Western haiku).
On another note ...
I am a walker -- one harboring a great passion for journeying through an unknown neighborhood on foot. As a result of this passion, my neighborhood is no longer unknown to me -- I've been down every single street many a time; however, in the not-so-distant past, I wandered down unfamiliar streets and got myself lost, and was always nervous about that (more worried about my mother's being worried than anything else, actually), but relished the satisfaction of having found my way out. And walking become a routine but no less of a great love.
Anyway.
My toe is broken just in time for the flare of color and crisp air that marks the early Octobers of New England. Sigh. We only get so much of this weather. The cast won't come off until December, and I can only hope for a mild winter.
(If you're wondering how it happened, about a month ago I slipped on the stairs and landed on my toe, which buckled underneath me. I didn't think it was broken and so waited a while to have it examined. Of course, if it wasn't broken to begin with, it fractured when I reinjured it by tripping once more, only this time -- fortunately -- not on the stairs.)
I love walking. And I do miss it.
~Emily
While I'm here, a list of (good) books I've read/been reading in my absence from the blog seems to be in order ...
Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee. It just might be that the best word to describe this book is "likeable". It's very emotional but so much fun at the same time ...
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. I'm a bit more than halfway through this one and really love it ....
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Too good to be finished, but I finished it anyway.
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton. I've always wondered where the word okay began, and now I know!
Spam-ku: Tranquil Reflections on Luncheon Loaf by John Cho. Each verse in this compilation of haiku is all about SPAM, the luncheon meat, and actually really lovely. Some of them are also absolutely hilarious, but each feels like genuine haiku (some have more of a traditional flavor than others -- which feel more like Western haiku).
On another note ...
I am a walker -- one harboring a great passion for journeying through an unknown neighborhood on foot. As a result of this passion, my neighborhood is no longer unknown to me -- I've been down every single street many a time; however, in the not-so-distant past, I wandered down unfamiliar streets and got myself lost, and was always nervous about that (more worried about my mother's being worried than anything else, actually), but relished the satisfaction of having found my way out. And walking become a routine but no less of a great love.
Anyway.
My toe is broken just in time for the flare of color and crisp air that marks the early Octobers of New England. Sigh. We only get so much of this weather. The cast won't come off until December, and I can only hope for a mild winter.
(If you're wondering how it happened, about a month ago I slipped on the stairs and landed on my toe, which buckled underneath me. I didn't think it was broken and so waited a while to have it examined. Of course, if it wasn't broken to begin with, it fractured when I reinjured it by tripping once more, only this time -- fortunately -- not on the stairs.)
I love walking. And I do miss it.
~Emily
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
