2010, Insight first editionHarry Potter: A Pop-Up Book Based on the Film PhenomenonPaper Engineering by Bruce Foster
Art by Andrew Williamson
Text by Lucy Kee
Bought new for $34.95Hardcover in good conditionB
Although there's more to this than to 2008's Magical Scenes from the Sixth Film in the Harry Potter Series, it does promise more, so I can't give it a higher rating.
- Dumbledore's Office, this time with a packet from the Ministry and for some reason a Howler.
- Diagon Alley, with pop-up buildings and smaller pop-ups of Hedwig and the Weasley-twin joke-shop statue.
- Hogwarts pop-up, with a smaller pop-up of both the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship.
- Magical Creatures, including the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's Hut, and smaller pop-ups of Fluffy and a Mandrake.
- "Magical Games and Sports," with Harry and the dragon in the First Task, smaller pop-ups showing the giant chess game and Ron as Quidditch Keeper.
- The Dark Arts, showing Voldemort torturing Harry in GoF, and this time three smaller pop-ups: Nagini, the Inferi, and Dementors.
There's more text than in Magical Scenes, although understandably still not very much. I think rather than themes, I'd prefer a scene from each film to that point. (Deathly Hallows, Part I was released that November, but they could've gone up to HBP.) Or maybe they could've focused on a character, or group of characters, each spread. The pop-ups are more detailed than before, including backs, but they seem to tilt more than necessary. The book is probably less spoilery than Magical Scenes, although anyone willing to spend 35 bucks probably had seen all the released movies more than once by then.
2009, first edition, from ECW PressWritten by Ted Nichelson
Commentary and Special Features by Susan Olsen
Art Direction and Design by Lisa Sutton
Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety HourBought new for $22.95Paperback in good conditionB
I still remember my excitement as I taped the pilot episode of BBH ("Variety" was later dropped) off of Nickelodeon at midnight. I of course watched at least some of these episodes when they originally aired. Number one, it was the Bradys; and number two, it was a variety show on ABC, and I already faithfully watched Donny & Marie. But I hadn't seen the show since, it having lapsed into what then seemed permanent obscurity. By the time I was in my early 20s and watching Nick at Nite, I could appreciate BBH on a so-bad-it's-good level. I later got the DVD with two episodes, and I've watched a bit of different episodes on Youtube, particularly because of reading this book a second time. And, well, it is painful at times, but it's never boring.
As for the book, it captures much of the craziness onscreen and behind the scenes. Too much time is spent on the swimming/dancing Kroftettes, who, yes, were hard-working but aren't really what's most memorable about the show. I'd actually have liked to have heard even more about the costume- and set-designers. I do love that there are many photos, all in color I think, showing the look of the show in all its tacky glory. I like that Sutton uses a different color/object theme for each chapter, although I wish that less of the black text had been printed on gray. I'm not color-blind, but it would've made the book literally more readable if it had been white text, or a different background.
As for the writing, Olsen's contributions are snarky but insightful, showing the perspective of someone who was a fifteen-year-old who hated disco and the Krofft look, but nonetheless appreciated all the effort put into the show. And, yes, she reluctantly discusses Maureen's cocaine use and resultant unreliability. She even talks about how she was regarded as fat compared to Maureen (who was also bulimic then) and "fake Jan" Geri Reischl. (At nine years old and now I thought Cindy was then the prettiest sister.) Geri, by the way, is proud of her role on the show, which is more than most of the cast would say of theirs.
Because there were only nine episodes, you're going to find more information per episode than you would in your average book on one program. But if you're reading this book, then too much of a good/bad thing isn't a problem for you.
(And, yes, I'm using the Schwartiana tag, even though Sherwood was proud to have nothing to do with this spin-off. They're still loosely based on his characters after all.)
2009, 2010 Touchstone editionDavid BianculliDangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy HourOriginal price $24.99, purchase price $9.60Hardcover in good conditionB
A fascinating account of a pivotal television program, the narrative marred by Bianculli's tendency towards redundancy. (Some information and anecdotes are given not just twice but thrice or more!) Unlike Saturday Night Live, this isn't a show I watched often, even in the years after it originally aired (1967 to '69, so I was a baby when it got cancelled). I am going to get the DVDs from the library sometime though, because I am curious about the program, and watching bits and pieces on YouTube isn't enough. (I think I also watched the 2002 documentary Smothered, but it's been a long while.)
Bianculli had the full support and cooperation of not only the Smothers Brothers but much of their staff and admirers, as well as some of the censors that they (mostly Tommy) battled with. This enables Bianculli to go into detail on several of the episodes, including ones that didn't air in part or in full. He puts the show in the context of its time, both what else was on television and what was happening in the U.S. He also looks at the show's legacy, including on The Daily Show. Yes, although this book is almost five years old by now, it feels a lot more contemporary than anything I've reviewed so far. (There's also what I think is the first reference to Obama in my book collection.) Bianculli goes rather quickly through the brothers' post-show career, but it was interesting to get another take on John Lennon heckling Tommy. (Apparently Lorne Michaels and Lily Tomlin were there that night as well.)
2008, Penguin first edition
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Magical Scenes from the Sixth Film in the Harry Potter Series
Copyright by Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Original price £9.99, bought newish for $7.95
Hardcover in good condition
B
Ironically, I find this more entertaining than the book or the movie, for what it is. Not that it isn't odd to see a book with "pull-tabs, pop-ups and flaps" that involves romance and violence, but such is the oddness of a fandom that spans many ages and interests. Each two-page spread has a different theme, not necessarily in order. In fact, there are even spoilers for Deathly Hallows!
- Hogwarts Express, with a ticket and four house badges
- Quidditch theme, with a flying Ron and a small poster
- "Severus Snape (TM) is the Half-Blood Prince (TM)." You didn't know he trademarked it, did you?
- Quibbler salute, with awesome Spectrespecs
- Love and Friendship, with Harry/Ginny pop-up, although he's not even looking at her. (Couldn't they have done the kiss, or at least hand-holding?)
- Death Eaters theme, with a big flap that reveals some of the D.E.s.
- Tom Riddle, with one flap revealing 1930s Dumbledore and another Voldemort's face hidden behind young Tom's. Eek!
- Horcruxes, with a dial to see what they are, very spoilery.
- Room of Requirement, with pull-tab to see explanation, and a tab hiding Bellatrix in the Vanishing Cabinet. Eek!
- Dumbledore, with pop-up Fawkes and a portrait flap I can't pull loose.
The design of the book is generally impressive, although it could've been better.
2007, 2009 Plume editionJennifer Lee CarrellInterred with Their Bones: A NovelBought new for $15.00Worn paperbackB
Although this book is often understandably compared to The Da Vinci Code (which I've read but don't own), it most reminded me of Byatt's Possession (1990). There's a literary mystery, but this time it's about a real writer, or set of writers, Shakespeare and his peers. We get some glimpses of the past, but it's mostly set in 2004, as Kate Stanley prepares to direct at the rebuilt Globe. She gets swept up in a mystery that involves a lost play of Shakespeare's, based on a subplot from Don Quixote. I found this an irresistible idea, so I didn't mind that there's a lot of implausibility to its working out. I was disappointed in the sequel, Haunt Me Still, then "coming in 2009," so I just checked it out of the library and didn't want to buy it. This one held up to the third reading, especially since I didn't remember all the plot twists, but I could see eventually viewing it as a B-.
2006, 2007 Penguin editionMarian KeyesAnybody Out ThereOriginal price $10.99, purchase price $5.50Worn paperbackB
Despite all its flaws, this is my favorite of the series, so far. OK, get out the Keyes Flaws Checklist:
1. Ethnic stereotypes? Check, although they're not as prominent as in Rachel's Holiday, and arguably the Irish are more stereotyped than other groups.
2. Gay and lesbian stereotypes? Check, although they're presented more affectionately than in the past, partly because Anna is a nicer person than Claire or Rachel. (No mention is made of Maggie's lesbian fling.)
3. Size-queening? A bit, but it's Helen remarking on Adam, to annoy Claire, so that's fine.
4. Inconsistent characterisation? Oh yeah, starting with the main character.
Anna is still the nicest of the Walsh sisters (again, this is like Harpo being the nicest Marx brother), but she's much less spacy than before, although still interested in the occult (with reason it turns out). She's no longer a latterday hippie and instead has a very upscale New-York job as a cosmetics marketer. It's supposed to be the Best Job in the World, because she gets free cosmetics and the like, but it comes across as incredibly stressful, with her bosses offering her no sympathy to her situation (again, I'll get to that). Meanwhile, Rachel is back in New York, now engaged to Luke (who is much sweeter than before). You'd think Rachel would be a Bridezilla, but, no, she's a very mellow, rational addiction counselor. Thank God for Helen, who is as unsentimental and hilarious as ever, whether in person or email. And Mum chimes in as well, providing counterpoint.
It's roughly four years after Angels, with Claire now 40 and the mother of three children, Kate the eldest at 12. Helen is 29 but still living at home, mostly because it's free. Anna is 32 and newly widowed, although this doesn't become clear till about a third of the way in. It seems at first that Anna can't accept that her marriage has broken up, but then we find out that she's in denial about her husband Aidan's death. There are complications, including that her bosses are horrified that she's scarred (not out of sympathy but because of their business), and the story does verge on soap-operatic at times, but I never stopped caring about Anna and what happens to her, even if it's not the Anna of past books.
The novel is so rich and funny and bittersweet that I can overlook its flaws somewhat, including that I don't give a damn about the cosmetics industry. (At that, I think there's a great deal of parody in Keyes's portrayal.) The book does at times get a bit Sex-and-the-City-ish, although ironically Anna is celibate except in flashbacks, understandably given her mourning. There is a Mr. Big, but he's an Irish crime-lord, and even that is presented playfully. I'm looking forward to getting The Mystery of Mercy Close, Helen's book, in paperback, but I'm afraid it'll be too late for this project, at the rate I'm going.
2005, first edition, from Harcourt, Inc.Haynes JohnsonThe Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to TerrorismOriginal price $26.00, purchase price $6.40Hardcover in good conditionB
Johnson, who was an adolescent at the beginning of the McCarthy period, does offer a bit of his personal history, including his recollections of his father writing the articles that inspired On the Waterfront, but this is mostly a general look at McCarthy and his impact on American society. At that, we mostly stay in Washington, D.C., or perhaps follow McCarthy on his speaking engagements, including the 1950 Wheeling speech that kicked things off. There's little here about, for instance, Hollywood. But Johnson did help me better understand McCarthy, why he had such influence and what a lying, scheming bully he was. He literally kicked columnist Drew Pearson in the balls, and then boasted about it. Richard Nixon was the one to break up the fight, as a Quaker!
The book has lots of stranger-than-fiction details like that, so I found it very entertaining. I did think Johnson didn't get what leftist criticism of liberals' handling of McCarthyism is/was about, that the liberals not only didn't stand up to McCarthyism enough (if at all), but also sometimes fed into it, as Truman did, although he disliked McCarthy personally. Johnson thinks Eisenhower was heroic to disagree with McCarthy, but that was in private meetings, his diary, and rough drafts of speeches. Johnson attributes this to classiness, not cowardice.
As for the "terrorism," in the last two chapters Johnson draws parallels to the Bush II administration, and it is interesting to get a blended contemporary and long-term perspective. The thing is, Johnson believes that what Bush, Cheney, and Ashcroft did is worse than McCarthyism, even if McCarthy paved the way for them. And that's not really something you can just throw in at the end, it needs to be explored more deeply. On the other hand, I found it just as interesting as what went before.
This is one of my most recent purchases, and I was reading it while rereading 2003. It's a pretty long book (600+ pages, counting notes and all) to read twice within a few weeks, but it was worth it, and I look forward to revisiting it again when more time has passed.
2005, first edition, published by Alyson BooksAlison BechdelInvasion of the Dykes to Watch Out ForBought new for $14.95Slightly worn paperbackB
While there's still some good, sometimes funny, stuff here, I found it somewhat of a downer, as even Bechdel acknowledges, in a wall-breaking sequence (which also shows Stuart as a leather daddy). It's not even because of the War on Terror, since her characters have seen (and protested against) past wars and invasions. It's more how they interact with each other, especially in the bonus story, "Theory & Practice," where Sydney cheats on Mo (with an ex-lover and fellow cancer survivor) and, more heartbreakingly, Toni cheats on Clarice with long-time crush Gloria. Yes, Toni and Clarice have discussed polyamory in the past, but this is not a negotiated outside relationship; it's clearly presented as something hidden and dishonest.
Less troubling, I didn't like some of Stuart's child-rearing ideas, not just for the baby he and Sparrow have together, but for Jonas-Janis, who still drops by a lot. Since he becomes a stay-at-home dad, no one really challenges him on this, although he does get yelled at for not respecting the Christianity of Cynthia, Ginger's right-wing lesbian student.
Yeah, it's not the small inbred DTWOF world of a couple decades before. Well, it's still very inter-related, but more complexly than when it seemed to just be mostly Mo, Harriet, Toni, Clarice, and Lois. I don't own 2008's The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, which had most of the strips to that point. I've read online what's happened to some of the characters, and I would like to see a 2010s update someday, but this isn't a bad place to end.
2005, first edition, from Harcourt, Inc.M. T. AndersonIllustrated by Kurt CyrusM. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales: Whales on Stilts!Bought new for $15.00Hardcover in good conditionB
Sort of a kinder, gentler Lemony Snicket, Anderson's writing here doesn't merit more than a B-, but I really enjoyed Cyrus's woodcut illustrations, usually diagramming ridiculous inventions, or adding to the fun of Anderson's ads for the book series starring the protagonist's best friends. In a reversal of the more common two-boys-one-girl-best-friendship (as in Harry Potter of course, but also as in, for instance, The Beloved Dearly by Cooney), "ordinary" Lily Gefelty (a pun on "gefilte"?) has a male friend, Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut; and a female friend, Katie Mulligan, who has Goosebumps-like adventures.
Anderson calls attention to various cliches, as when the villain (yes, a whale) monologues, and his minions MST3K him. The book isn't hilarious, but it's certainly likable, and it is nice to see, you know, a happy ending after all the Snicketing. The next thrilling tale, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen, is coming up in '06!
2004, undated later edition, from Houghton MifflinAlice W. FlahertyThe Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative BrainBought newish for $15.00Slightly worn paperbackB
Flaherty is a neurologist and a mother of twins, as well as a writer, and she brings all these perspectives to this book. She also quotes a variety of writers, from Flaubert to Mel Brooks. Although there's a lot in here about how the brain works, it never gets too dry or technical, but instead is funny, lively, and thought-provoking. You won't necessarily learn how to unblock your writer's block, but you'll learn some coping techniques, including how to see the block as part of the process.
At the time I reviewed The Golden Notebook, I said that I'd never seriously had a writer's block. Well, after that I did find myself stalled on one story, but I eventually realized that I didn't really want to be writing it. I came to accept that if writing isn't easy for me, it won't be good, and vice versa. And then a few months ago I was able to write from three to six short chapters a day of a different story, until I reached the home-stretch and had to tie up loose ends, which slowed me down to a chapter every day or so.
I don't think I have hypergraphia, which she discusses here as a compulsion to write quickly and at great length, but it is something I relate to more than a block, and why I bought this book in the first place, because no one ever talks about it in comparison to block. (Obviously, it's much less of a problem, unless it's interfering with other tasks.) I also liked things like her observation that the "inner child" has little to do with actual children's behavior. (The stuff with her twins, then three, is great.) And about 35 years after Kate Millett, Flaherty can let a simple "Yikes" suffice for Freud's view of the pen as penis.
I was also amused that in '04, roughly three years after I got a LiveJournal account, she defines "blog (from Web-log)" as an "on-line memoir." Obviously, blogs (not just this one) are often used for less diaristic purposes as well.
2003, first edition, from HarperCollinsLemony SnicketIllustrated by Brett HelquistA Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Tenth: The Slippery SlopeBought new for $10.99Hardcover in good conditionB
Despite the title and the overall slow decline of the series, I found this to be the best entry in awhile. It helps that we meet the third Quagmire Triplet, Quigley. He befriends the elder Baudelaires and seems to be a love interest for Violet. (Like Rowling with Harry's first kiss, Snicket gives Violet some alone-time with Quigley, although he's much more ostentatious about it, a word that here means calling attention to his discretion.) I also enjoyed the several-times-repeated alphabetical list of Snow Scout pledges, with "xylophone" the "adjective" for X. And I actually laughed out loud, partly in surprise, at "'Busheney,' Sunny said, which meant something along the lines of, 'You're an evil man with no concern whatsoever for other people.'" (Hint, think of who the President and VP were then.) Most of all, I felt like all the hints were finally adding up to something.
Nonetheless, I didn't own #11 or #12 till yesterday, although I did check them out from the library at the time.
2003, British hardcover Bloomsbury first edition, American hardcover Scholastic first edition
J. K. Rowling
American edition illustrated by Mary Grandpre
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
British edition possibly bought later for 16.99, American bought new for $29.99
British edition in good shape except for torn dustjacket, American possibly water damaged
B
Although Snicket fluctuates from B+ down to B-, with occasional trips back to B, Rowling continues to earn B's. This book is of course even longer, so that at the point that Stone was wrapping things up, Harry has just earned his first detention with the "sweet" but really malicious Dolores Umbridge. She's one of several memorable new characters, mostly female, that are introduced surprisingly late in the series. One is a villainess of a very different sort, Bellatrix Lestrange. (Yes, Bellatrix appears in Goblet, but it's much briefer.) Nymphadora Tonks and Luna Lovegood are both unconventional but brave and loyal. And we see more of Cho Chang, which is a mixed blessing, as she spends most of her time crying over Cedric.
I'm keeping notes on Rowling's mathematical errors to a minimum here, since as I said, there are plenty of sites that track these. But I must note that it's not just the movie version of this book that puts Cho into Harry's year, after it was very clear in Goblet-book that Cho was a year older. Here she refers to a Quidditch match in "the third year," meaning hers as well as Harry's. Rowling could've avoided this by saying, "a couple years ago." Still, I thought she did a nice job of showing the awkwardness of a first date, where Harry can't think what to say, when to hold Cho's hand, or even how to move his own limbs. (And, yes, Ron and Hermione continue their tension, without getting it at all resolved.)
Unfortunately, Grandpre is drawing the characters as if they're about three years younger than the 15 or 16 that they are. I know Harry is small for his age (though getting taller), but even Ron doesn't look like he's too far into puberty. I did like seeing what she did with Tonks, Sirius, and Lupin though, and I do think this is her best cover so far, not so overcrowded, and with the nice blue tones.
This book continues the "darkness," with more violence and death. It also shows a distrust of government, in the form of the Ministry of Magic, that wasn't as strong in the pre-9/11 days (although the book is set '95 to '96). The parallels to both British and American Muggle governments will be more obvious in the next book.
I mentioned in my Goblet review that this contains a weak chapter, one I think could've been omitted or at least quickly summarised (as it is in the movie, but then that's notoriously short as a whole). "Hagrid's Tale" of befriending giants is inconclusive. They may or may not help Dumbledore's side. And it could count towards the building of Hagrid's romance with Madame Maxime, except that Rowling later said that that fizzled out. Yes, the journey leads to Hagrid bringing home his full-giant half-brother, but even that's not really necessary to the saga. I consider this the weakest chapter in the series.
On the other hand, I've long regarded the sixth book as the weakest overall, so we'll see if I revise that opinion when we get to 2005....
2001 update from 2000, this edition from St. Martin's Griffin
Sam Staggs
All About "All About Eve": The Complete Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made
Bought new for $15.95
Worn paperback
B
This is similar to Aljean Harmetz's 1977 Wizard of Oz book, focusing as it does on one classic movie that was the highlight of many careers. I didn't grow up watching All About Eve of course, in fact I think I was in my 30s before I saw it. But the first time I did, I thought it was one of the wittiest movies ever. I don't know about bitchiest, but Staggs definitely writes from a middle-aged gay man's perspective. There's certainly queer content in the film, although obviously there's a lot of straight content, too, with Bette Davis and Gary Merrill blurring with their characters, and Marilyn Monroe making a very memorable appearance. The book is basically a long, sometimes repetitive, but almost always fascinating love letter to not just this movie, but Old Hollywood. I'm also using the "literary criticism" tag because Staggs has quite a bit about the short story that inspired the film.
I'm going with the 2001 update rather than the original copyright, because it includes, among other things, Celeste Holm's reaction to Staggs's opinions. She was the only surviving cast member (she died last year) and refused to be interviewed for the book, and yes, she and Staggs are pretty bitchy about each other.
2001, first edition, from HarperCollins
Lemony Snicket
Illustrated by Brett Helquist
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Eighth: The Hostile Hospital
Original and/or purchase price unknown
Hardcover in good condition
B
Things pick up in this installment, surprisingly thanks to an apparently re-inspired Helquist. From the smiley-face (not just heart-shaped, as in the text) balloons to the guitar that says, ala Guthrie, "This volunteer fights disease," there are great details. As for the story, the Baudelaires try to find out more about their parents' deaths (although there may be a survivor of that fire), as they not only elude pursuit for the count's uncommitted murder, but work as file clerks in the hospital of the title. And following the previous book's anacrostic, we this time get an anagram, suggested by the name "Ana Gram."
I wonder if Snicket realized he was cranking these out too fast and it was hard to maintain a high quality. (It's still a better series than His Dark Materials of course.) He slowed down in 2002, so we'll just have Book the Ninth and his "unauthorized autobiography."
2001, possibly first edition, from PrometheusBill Sloan"I Watched a Wild Hog Eat My Baby!": A Colorful History of Tabloids and Their Cultural ImpactOriginal price unknown, purchase price $12.50Hardcover in good conditionB
Sometimes I ask myself, "Will I regret it more if I buy this or I don't buy it?" (This applies to other things than purchases of course.) In the case of this book, I was on the fence and didn't buy it when it was relatively new, and regretted it. Luckily, I found it used years later. It's a fun, although sometimes serious, read about "the tabs" by a journalist who got to know many of the key players in the golden years of the late '60s through late '80s. Generoso Pope (real name) and the other publishers were almost as strange as the people and creatures who appeared in their magazines/newspapers. My favorite chapter was about the likes of Weekly World News, where nearly everything was made up and bizarre. I was never a big tabloid reader, except during my early teens, and even then it was mostly so my best friend and I could make fun of them.
Sloan argues convincingly that everything changed in the 1990s, due to factors that included corporate consolidation, the Internet, the Lewinsky scandal (when daily newspapers could wallow more easily and more deeply than the tabs), and the aging of the prime audience, the housewife readers of the glory days. Of course, the story begins back in the 1890s, with Hearst and Pulitzer, but Sloan moves quickly to the '50s when The Enquirer and its less successful competitors began with violence and sometimes smut, later cleaning up their acts as newspaper/magazine purchasing shifted from news-stands (think of the Bellini family in The Cricket in Times Square in 1960) to supermarkets. I went to two different supermarkets this past weekend and noticed that one didn't seem to have any tabloids, while the other had a few at the less used checkstands. I can still remember laughing at headlines while waiting in grocery lines in the '90s, but Sloan is right that the tabs were in a long, slow decline throughout that decade. On the other hand, I just looked, and nationalenquirer.com has news of Peter O'Toole's death, so tabs are still out there in some form.
The book could be criticized as too short to cover all it sets out to cover, but I found it an enjoyable read for what it was. And, yes, it's got one of the more eye-catching titles in my book collection.
2001, first edition, from Watson-Guptill PublicationsJeanne MartinetTruer Than True Romance: Classic Love Comics Retold!Bought newish for $19.95Slightly worn paperbackB
Martinet takes stories from romance comics, leaves the artwork intact, and makes up new, 21st-century dialogue. So, for instance, in "The Job From Hell!," part of the suffering is that the main character has to use a 1971 typewriter instead of a computer. I've read this book more often than most of my other books from its time (although the condition doesn't suggest this), so I didn't laugh out loud this round, but I still found it good solid parody, yes, especially after Maney's weakest. There's a LGBT element here as well, notably in "Loving Gay Men!" of course, but also in the Sapphic happy ending of "Psychic Matchmaker." With the latter story, it's hard to believe that the artwork is unchanged, and I sometimes wish that Martinet had reprinted the entire original stories, rather than just the splash pages and brief synopses.
Every story has something to enjoy, even the weakest one, "Carry-on Girl!", with the line "You know, you have very Ronald-Reagany hair." While I think it stands up to repeat readings, I recommend you just read a couple stories at a time, since it might feel a bit repetitive all in one go. Still, I thought Martinet does a good job of pointing out some of the craziness unique to each story, as well as things that appear in more than one, like entire panels in one color.
2001, 2002 Norton edition
Mary S. Lovell
The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family
Original and purchase price both unknown
Hardcover in good condition
B
I was wrong that Jessica's The American Way of Birth (1992) would be the end on my blog for this colorful family, because after that I got a used copy of this group-biography. I thought Lovell did a fairly good job of balancing the different sides, although she's admittedly harder on Communist Jessica than Fascist Diana or Nazi Unity, perhaps because Diana and Debo were then still alive. (Diana died in '03.) She even pays some attention to Pam, who's sort of the Gummo Marx of the family. Father David and in particular Mother Sydney come off as much nicer, if not as colorful, than in Jessica and Nancy's books. Yes, there's some repetition from other books (including the Collier & Horowitz book on the Kennedys), but there was enough new material to be interesting, and sometimes amusing.
2001, 2002 Anchor Books edition
Antonia Fraser
Marie Antoinette: The Journey
Original price $16.95, purchase price $5.95
Worn paperback
B
This is equally as good as Fraser's 1969 biography of Mary Queen of Scots (one of MA's* ancestresses). As with that profile, Fraser humanises the queen, flaws and all, although it's mostly a positive portrayal. Even the flaws are ones that Fraser sees as common to MA's times, places, and class. She argues that the "let them eat cake" remark was not only attributed to many earlier French princesses, but it would've been out of character with the soft-hearted MA. The book can be fairly criticized for not giving much if any sympathy to MA's many enemies, although I understand why Fraser chooses to instead focus on MA's perspective and experience.
One aspect I found especially interesting, as a post-Hillary-as-First-Lady book, is that MA was the subject of nasty rumors and even pornography, presenting her an anything-that-moves bisexual bitch who controlled her weak husband. Although Louis XVI was killed first, it was her beheading that was meant to be cathartic, and unifying, for the French. In her show trial, she was accused of incest with her eight-year-old son. (And, yes, some right-wing sickos have accused Obama with incest with his daughter, and his father.) As Fraser notes, some modern lesbians have claimed MA as one of their own, but in her lifetime and for a long time afterward, her sexuality (real or imagined) was considered part of her evil.
Fraser argues that MA had little interest in sex, and her closest female friendships were sentimental, not "tribadic." And yet Fraser herself, on little evidence, insists that MA had a several-years-long affair with Count Fersen. Fraser claims he used condoms to prevent pregnancy, but I think it's more plausible, given all the risks, that MA made out (or maybe just kissed) with the Duchesse de Polignac, and saved sex for reproduction with her often uninterested husband.
Still, I enjoyed this book so much the first time that my boyfriend bought me a novel about MA's son, "Louis XVII." It wasn't very good, so I reread this book again instead of finishing that. This time is my third read in three years, so that's saying something.
*I'm going with this abbreviation, especially since the queen's birth name was Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna.
2000, first edition, from HarperCollinsLemony SnicketIllustrated by Brett HelquistA Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Fourth: The Miserable MillOriginal and/or purchase price unknown
Hardcover in good conditionB
Although this is still a solid entry in the series, there is a drop in quality. It's partly that I didn't think the setting was as interesting, and partly that I didn't like the thread of Klaus being hypnotized to cause accidents. Also, Olaf doesn't show up until pretty far into the book, and I have mixed feelings about him disguising himself as a woman. Not to be overly p.c., but I was already bothered by the character who's not clearly a man or a woman. I'm not saying Snicket is homophobic, or transphobic, but there is a tradition (even in children's literature) of androgyny being evil. (Like albinos being evil.) It doesn't bother me a lot, no more than I'm bothered by the fatness of Vernon and Dudley Dursley, but I am conscious of it.
As for Helquist, he of course really plays up the "eye" theme, which is stronger than ever here. I kept wondering if there were Great Gatsby connections. It is significant that the optometrist is named Georgina Orwell, which connects to the "watching" motif.
I'm missing The Austere Academy, so we'll jump ahead to #6, The Ersatz Elevator in 2001.
2000, British hardcover Bloomsbury edition that's not the first but at least pre-Order-of-the-Phoenix, American paperback Scholastic edition from 2002J. K. RowlingAmerican edition illustrated by Mary GrandpreHarry Potter and the Goblet of FireBritish edition possibly bought for 14.99, American originally $8.99 but purchase price unknownBritish edition in good shape except for torn dustjacket, American worn with broken spineB
Before the release of Deathly Hallows, this was my favorite in the series, but I'm finding the books to be all roughly on a level, so far. Yes, this moves us into YA territory (although I'd say more middle school than high school), and the Yule Ball stuff is still among my favorite sections-- the Skrewts made me laugh out loud, too-- but I'm not entirely sure it was a wise choice to make the books longer. (It's not till Chapter Eleven that we're "Aboard the Hogwarts Express," 140 pages in, and we were almost up to Christmas at that point in the first book.) It's not that there are any seriously weak spots (unlike a certain chapter in the next book), but I don't know that we need to go into so much detail on everything. On the one hand, it's nice to spend extra time with the characters, especially anything with Percy (the "Weatherby" stuff is great), but on the other, you've got Voldemort doing a Villain Monologue, and there's probably too much of logistics overall, like exactly how to get to the World Cup. That's right, too much is explained, or over-explained anyway.
As for that move to young-teen territory, there are the first serious hints of romantic tension between Ron and Hermione. (He now 14, she now 15, although I don't remember if her birthday is ever explained in the books.) Ron continues his crush on Madam Rosmerta and also falls for quarter-Veela Fleur, although she's eying his brother Bill later on. (Grandpre's illustrations are again mostly forgettable, although the one of Ron and Fleur is funny.) And Harry gets tangled in romantic triangles, real and imaginary.
Also, while there is violence and "darkness" in every book, the torture of Harry, and of course the killing of Cedric, are more intense than anything in the first three books. Even Dumbledore's look of almost-triumph is disturbing. (Not explained till late in the last book.) When he says that Snape is no more a Death Eater than he is, I once had a theory that Dumbledore would turn out to be secretly evil. (The truth about him, and Snape, would turn out to be more complex.) As a symbol of this being the midpoint of the series, we don't have Gryffindor winning the House Cup-- Harry not only doesn't take finals, but he doesn't play Quidditch except at the Weasleys'-- and instead black banners hang for Cedric.
I was hooked by the series when I read this book in I guess mid-2001. It would be another two years, very long it seemed then, before the fifth book came out. Much would change in the interval, partly as a result of September 11th. On a brighter note, we got the first two movies, and I could finally visualize Quidditch.
