What We’re Reading

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You | Peter Cameron

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James Sveck is not happy. And that’s really the least of his worries. After realizing he felt separate, alone as in not a part of this species, life took a bad turn for James. 

It all came to a head with the whole America Classroom debacle. He doesn’t like to think about it. He doesn’t want to talk about it. And so for weeks he plays avoidance games, silence games, power games—pretty much any and every game—with his therapist.

His parents are worried. His sister is worried. James is just annoyed.

He doesn’t have much use for people, especially those his own age. Which makes college an extremely daunting proposition. He can’t see any point. He doesn’t want to be in that kind of environment, considers it an appalling waste of money, and would really rather just skip it and learn from books. To him, the idea is brilliant. To his parents, not so much.

And then there’s the whole sexuality debate. Suddenly, both of his parents become keenly curious as to his interests. As if knowing he were gay would suddenly answer all questions, solve something, allow them to help him. As if it were so simple.

And he’s alienated one of his only friends. John, who works at his mother’s gallery, and is one of the few people James feels he can talk to, liked to surf the web at the front desk, and wasn’t so good with covering his tracks. After stumbling upon John’s profile on a dating site, James creates John’s ideal mate. Anyone else would have realized, more than likely, what a bad idea this was, but to James it was just fun. A joke. Not to be taken seriously. To John, when James shows up in place of his date at a party, it’s nearly unspeakable. And it leaves James out of a job; fired by his own mother.

His college, or lack thereof, plans are falling to pieces, no one seems to understand him, everyone is hounding him, and now James has only Nanette (his Grandmother) to turn to. Luckily, Nanette is very good with both listening and advice. And she’s right about John coming around. The very next day James gets his job back. And faced with a pleading mother and sister, he even picks up the phone to speak to his future roommate, unsure what else to do.

There might just be hope after all.

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A Crooked Kind of Perfect | Linda Urban

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Zoe Elias has grand dreams of being a pianist. For her, there is nothing better to be. She imagines evening gowns, audiences awaiting in anticipation, beautiful recitals, much adoration. So you can understand how, when her father comes home with a Perfectone D60 Organ, instead of her lovely piano, why she’s a little upset. In fact, she’s fairly sure this might be unforgivable.

But the organ came with free lessons, which she reluctantly agrees to take. Miss Person (read: Persaaahn) is not the world’s most enthusiastic teacher. In fact, during lessons, Zoe doesn’t get into much of her instrument’s capabilities. But when Miss Person isn’t around, she likes to kick things up a little. Which is how, after a lesson one day, upon forgetting her purse, Miss Person comes to realize Zoe has talent, and decides she ought to enter the Perform-O-Rama.

And so Zoe spends the next few weeks practicing and practicing the same song: “Forever in Blue Jeans”. Not knowing the words, she’ll often make up her own. In the Kitchen, baking up a storm, her father, and schoolmate turned constant house-guest enjoy the show.

With the competition nearly upon them, Zoe’s mother not only misses her birthday, but has an emergency at work, which means she won’t be able to take her to the Perform-O-Rama after all. Disaster. Mr. Elias is not exactly known for his worldly skills. In fact nearly every time he goes out, he has to be guided home by a local mechanic. But he knows how important this is to Zoe. Armed with pre-programmed cell phone, ready for any disaster, they set off.

And he does get her there. But doesn’t make it to her first performance, which she would tell you, was not all that bad, since she was not all that good.

This was a very cute and extremely quick-reading story. Through her music, and her enthusiasm, Zoe manages to bring her family together, help a schoolmate, and inspire her dad. So maybe the Perfectone wasn’t such an unforgivable gift after all.

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The Hanged Man | Francesca Lia Block

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I’ve been an avid Block fan since a friend had me read Violet & Claire in 2001, after which I went out and bought all the books on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. Hanged Man has always been one of my favorites. It’s always struck me as odd, as it’s one of the touchier subjects, centering around molestation and repressed memories, but I suppose I felt I could identify, and her writing is just incredible.

As per usual with FLB books, her style is unique. Reality meats fantasy, poetry meets prose.

Laurel’s father has died, and she and her mother spend their days floating around one another, like ships anchored just out of reach, or at sea always passing but never meeting. The AIDS scare has begun, and Laurel worries for her friends and their wild lifestyles. Though constantly urged otherwise, she doesn’t eat. A man has been going around the valley breaking into women’s rooms, and Laurel can’t sleep, though her room is in a tower.

Phantasmic Jack haunts her dreams, appears at random at parties, on the streets. It’s he who eventually helps her to break free of her internal bars, to let go of everything held inside. Only after this point can she and her mother then confront what’s been between them for so long.

Laurel’s emotional journey will likely resonate with many, even if they can’t relate to her specific circumstances. The language alone makes it worth the read. I have a handful of favorite authors, but I’ve still yet to find anyone who can out-style Francesca Lia Block.

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The Looking Glass Wars, Book 2: Seeing Redd | Frank Beddor

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Picking up were Looking Glass Wars left off, Alyss is now Queen of Wonderland, but all is not wonderful. No one knows what will become of Redd and The Cat, after their leap into the Heart Crystal, Alyss is worried that Dodge’s need for revenge will ruin him, she’s unsure if a Queen should love one of her guardsman, King Arch of Borderland seems to be planning something, and no one has heard from Hatter Madigan.

There’s never a dull moment. Especially once Redd imagines herself back into existence through a painter’s canvas. She and The Cat waste no time in collecting a new army on Earth. As luck would have it, one of the first people they run into is a member of Wonderland’s Tutor species, who fled through the Pool of Tears after having a falling out with Bibwit Harte. Vollrath, eager to prove himself, tells Redd all she needs to know about gaining her full powers, which will give her the best chance of defeating Alyss and reclaiming Wonderland as her own.

King Arch also has designs on Wonderland. After using the Diamonds to help start his plot on its way, capturing Homburg Molly and rendering the Crystal Continuum useless, he seems well on his way. The Diamonds are imprisoned (all but Jack, who has escaped), Hatter Madigan has done as expected and come for Molly, but all is not as smooth as Arch suspects. Jack of Diamonds will always side with whoever is most advantageous to him. And Hatter Madigan is not as loyal as he seems.

Back in Wonderland, Alyss’ powers are put to their test, as she helps to defend the city against the seeming endless army sent against her. Cryptic words from a caterpillar come at an unexpected time to help guide her along her way.

You’ll be left on the edge of your seat, eager for the final installment.

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His Dark Materials, Book 2: The Subtle Knife | Philip Pullman

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I originally started re-reading this series when I first saw The Golden Compass preview on TV. Since it has come to annoy me, as having recently read the book again, I can tell they’ve altered the story. Unfortunately, I put down The Subtle Knife for a long time while concentrating on school books and other reads. Surprisingly, picking it up again after a long span of time, I was able to jump right back in, and it was every bit as compelling. But it does make reviewing it a little harder.

We pick up Lyra’s story just after she’s gone into the hole in the sky created by her father, intent on finding him and putting a stop to whatever he’s doing. Instead of finding Lord Asriel, however, she finds herself in a beautiful city inhabited by only children. Some invisible menace known as Specters has driven off, or killed, all the adults.

A series of events conspire to unite Lyra with Will, a boy who grew up in an Oxford very much like, and very different from, her own. Will is searching for his father, missing for 12 years. Lyra has vowed to help him. Along the way of course comes the unexpected trouble of having the alethiometer stolen by and old man who turns out to be someone Lyra has already had a run-in with, the police looking for both she and Will, brokering a deal to go after a mysterious knife, only to find out it’s incredibly powerful and has deemed Will its new master.

It’s a very fast read, with never a dull moment. Any Pullman fan or Potter fan yet to read His Dark Materials will find plenty to like. And you’ll certainly be left wanting to know how it will all end.

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Dexter in the Dark | Jeff Lindsay

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In the latest installment of the Dexter series, we start pondering the bigger questions. Always comfortable with the idea that he was what he was, Dexter never had reason to question where his Dark Passenger had come from, and what, it anything, that might mean. But when a new case leaves him feeling cold, off, and worst of all, alone, suddenly questions are all Dexter has.

Nothing about the burnt corpses with their ceramic bull heads is really all that much worse than any other case. In fact it all seems pretty much run-of-the-mill, except for the feeling that something about it is all wrong. And since Dexter doesn’t feel…well, you can see how he’d be a little upset.

Lost without his inner companion, Dexter divides his time between searching in vain for answers, attempting to go along with plans for his wedding, and mentoring Cody and Astor, whose impatience nearly lands them in a world of trouble.

Some fans may find this installment irritating. Dexter, without half of himself, is not himself. I know of one reader who found him annoying and just wanted it to be over with. Myself, while he certainly is a changed Dexter, I found his questioning and insecurity to be perfectly understandable, and his search for answers is fairly compelling. And the Astor and Cody story line certainly keeps things interesting.

Not necessarily my favorite of the three, but definitely a good read. I’m very interested to see where this will go next.

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Dearly Devoted Dexter | Jeff Lindsay

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I find Dexter to be a really likable guy, despite his serial killer nature. I’m interested to see where the TV show has gone in its second chapter, as it didn’t stick with the books. After reading the story, I can see how it might be extremely traumatic if translated to television, though with the amount of violence people watch today, I’m not sure it really would have mattered.

This installment centers around relationships, and a mystery killer who enjoys mutilating and dicing his victims, leaving them alive but witless with terror. For those who are squeamish, this might not be the best read, since there is a fair amount of detail to the distressing murders throughout.

On the flip side is the fun of seeing Deb in a relationship, and not only as a macho cop, and Dexter getting himself unwittingly engaged. Really.

I’m not sure I liked this as much as the first, but I did like it better than the most recent installment to the series.

Anyone who likes a great mystery, or the irony of a good serial killer, or a loveable bad guy, will enjoy Dearly Devoted Dexter for sure.

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