Review: What I Saw and How I Lied

Title: What I Saw and How I Lied
Author: Judy Blundell
Pages: 288
Publisher: Scholastic

Evie can't wait to grow up. World War II is over, her stepfather is home, her family has come upon some money, and she is just coming up on that age where yeah, she does want boys to notice. But they don't. Until the family picks up and heads to Palm Beach for the summer. There she meets Peter, an ex-private who had served with her stepfather Joe in the war. Not only is he an older man, but he seems to understand her. Evie falls like only a 15 year old girl coming into her own is able. But it seems as if there is an ugliness beneath the glitz (I really do not like that word) and shimmer of Palm Beach. Evie is forced into adulthood by exposing the secrets of her sheltered school-girl life, by discovering herself, and learning how to lie.

I'm going to go for the bad first. There was some. As a matter of fact, right there in the first bit I thought I was going to have to put it down. It was reading like a catalogue, with so many cultural references to products of the late 40s that I felt compelled to buy one. And if the pre character development Evie referred to someone as "movie star handsome" one more time... blah... bad things were going to happen to a future review. That was the condemning phrase through the entire novel. Also, the war-time celebrity name dropping was rampant and not so subliminal. As in, I just rented about four films with black-and-white guys in tuxedos and impossibly curvaceous heroines swooning about on the case. But.

It was definitely worth it. I grew to really like Evie through the book. I could relate to her in many ways and understand how she thought, even while I drew my own conclusions as to the conflict around her. I was crossing my fingers for her to figure it out before she got hurt. Her voice matured through the flipping of pages and it was quite literally like spying on a someone's most private thoughts and development. The plot picked up as well. After around page 30, the references took a holiday and I was able to see the course of events, which was both moving and rapid enough to keep me interested. I am SO glad that I didn't put this down. And when I finally did it was with an ache as I let the bittersweetness just sort of sink in. Fan. tas. tic. I ended up loving it and even re-reading some sections. And who doesn't love that feeling when its attached to a book?

I'm ditching the rating system. How does one rate something like a story? It means something a little different to everyone. Draw your own conclusions.

Plus. Isn't that cover gorgeous?

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce

First review. Okay. Fingers go.

Tamora Pierce is amazing. Yes. That statement is as much a warning as a fact because I AM one of those Alanna-Cooper-Daine-Alianne fangirls. I have been Tortall obsessed since I was just a wee one. I recommend getting the background on those books and reading the first Beka Cooper book (Terrier) before going after this one. But you'll want to get around to it eventually because it is pretty fantastic.

Beka Cooper, ancestor of everyone's favorite Rogue, has returned to the dark backstreets for more head thumping and villain tracking. But the crime in Tortall is worse than ever and a new batch of suspicious activity is coming forward. It appears as if there is counterfeit in the cities, shaking the treasury to its roots. Beka, joined by her new scent finding dog Achoo, is off to a foreign city where she finds assassins, first love, and a nasty Rogue who could stand to feel the club of Lord Provost's hardest young dog.

I can assume that you've already guessed my opinion on this. Excellent action. Fantastic characters. Hilarious and well thought out dialogue. Plus plenty of plot twists I wasn't expecting at all. I have been disappointed by Pierce before *cough* rarely *cough*, but this is not one of those times. Bloodhound has met my expectations and more. Be sure to grab yourself a copy when it comes out April 28th! I'm only hoping the final cover is alot prettier.

A rating system is in order I guess. But I don't really have anything at the moment. Um. Er. Well. Perhaps I will steal the number of another blog and rate out of seven, which coincidentally, is an excellent number. I hope the Maelstrom doesn't mind...

6 out of 7 Broken Q Keys.

I'm Leigh

I wish you could see the view from here. Books. Everywhere. Stacked high or spread open on the floor. Some with bookmarks and some without, although there are scraps of paper everywhere. An ancient laptop, open and with the battery rapidly dying. Every so often it clicks disconcertingly and the image on the monitor resets in a splash of shattered color. The carpet is stained with ink. There is a glass of water, nearing three evenings old, sitting on the bedside table by a copy of Octavian Nothing. There are dust motes drifting about... and a box of expired allergy medicine by the mirror.

This is my room.

It has come to my attention that simply reading books is no longer quite good enough for me. I need to write them. That is one purpose for this blog. Perhaps I can find one or two people to join me on the way with this work. The second reason, perhaps even more pressing an urge, is that I need to share my passion with others. Some things in life are certain. So here I am. Leigh. 16. Blogging. Spread the word.