56.
Title: Sense and Sensibility
Author: Jane Austen
Pages: 368
Genre: Classic
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Free download on Austen's birthday
Date Completed: July 28, 2012
Rating: ***

Austen's characters have never before inspired such a great sense of loathing.  I detest Willoughby, am repulsed by Lucy and her idiotic sister, and couldn't even enjoy the satire of their brother and sister-in-law in the face of the couple's hideous natures.  The difficulty is that, though the antagonists are so easily detested, the protagonists are not truly sympathetic. I appreciate Miss Dashwood, but am annoyed by Marianne; I cannot forgive the former for her easy forgiveness, and cannot accept the latter's "romance." 

This is one of the rare instances where I have seen a film version of the text before reading it (having watched the BBC miniseries before), so I was relatively familiar with plot points before I even began.  However, I find that I prefer the characters of the film far more than those of the text, perhaps because they are more appealing when one can't hear their thoughts. 


*Side Note* I have never seen a more ridiculous cover for this text.

55. 
Title: Some Like it Hawk
Author: Donna Andrews
Pages: 352
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: July 20, 2012
Rating: ***

Some of the polish has worn off Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series, and Some Like it Hawk isn't nearly as engaging as earlier installments.  The excitement over Meg's personal life is largely over, and although she is still perfectly comfortable running her home as a public building (I feel claustrophobic just reading about it), the somewhat enjoyable chaos is merely more of the same.  Many of the gimmicks of earlier novels - such as that damn gorilla suit - have become obnoxious plot devices as opposed to sentimental allusions, and the plot itself is rather dry, save for one major question: will Meg and Michael lose their house?

This is the question that kept me reading through a rather lackluster story, and the resolution of this question is certainly not a centerpiece of the conclusion.  Overall, much of the story felt ... obligatory.  While I've enjoyed the series thus far, I'm not altogether certain I will bother with the next, should Andrews continue the series. 

53. 
Title: Insatiable
Author: Meg Cabot
Pages:
Genre: YA
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: Incomplete June 2012
Rating:

I didn't give up on this book on purpose.  Rather, my library loan ran out, and I wasn't concerned enough to request it again.  Everything in Insatiable has been done before, but Cabot's version certainly isn't the worst that I've read.

54. 
Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
Pages: 272
Genre: Classic
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Free Download
Date Completed:  July 7, 2012
Rating: ****

With my books now packed for the move I'm finally finding time to read some of the things I have downloaded on my Kindle.  Jane Austen's Persuasion is the first that caught my attention, and is pleasant for its charm and comfortable familiarity.  Though I enjoy Austen's satire and dissatisfaction for trivial social pursuits and concerns, the novel as a whole seems less polished than her earlier works.  The narrative style is all Austen, the observations more biting, and many of the characters more realistic and therefore sympathetic. 

51.
Title: The Princess Diaries
Author: Meg Cabot
Pages: 256
Genre: YA
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June ?, 2012
Rating: ***

I've avoided reviewing this book - to the point that I cannot remember when I actually finished reading it - because of a rather lackluster response.  I didn't dislike the book any more than I actually liked it.  I enjoyed the fact that Cabot's original story is very different from the Disney movie (and I appreciated the drunk and slightly-scandalous grandmother in the novel), but it wasn't thrilling.  I'm giving it three starts because I'm sure others would enjoy it.

52.
Title: Witch Way to Murder
Author: Shirley Damsgard
Pages: 304
Genre: Supernatural Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 26, 2012
Rating: **1/2

Witch Way to Murder gets a low rating for inconsistency and poor research.  The story itself is what one would expect from any cozy - a librarian is attempting to solve a series of crimes in her small town - and a supernatural cozy  - she's inherited a skill for witchcraft which she is oh-so-dramatically resisting because of a past trauma.   

The big problems - inconsistency in plot and characterization - make the "little" problems all the more irksome.  I can think of two examples off the top of my head: there is a vision involving a young girl dancing ballet, described by the protagonist, and likely inspired by some juvenile fantasy of what ballet should look like.  Oh, sure, she throws in the word "arabesque" for good measure, but here's a big tell: ballet dancers don't cross their laces up to their knees.  I promise. 

The second irksome detail?  A librarian who doesn't know how to conduct research.  Specifically, research on the internet.  I can't imagine that a librarian attempting to do research related to the mystery she is solving would a) be so careless in her search attempts and b) would give up on said research after a single results return.  Really? 

Overall, the story seems careless; there are better examples of the genre to be enjoyed.

50.
Title: Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues
Author: Robert Fate
Pages: 269
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Amazon Loan
Date Completed: June 9, 2012
Rating: ***1/2

The second in the "Baby Shark" series, Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues leaves the personal vendetta behind, and instead focuses on  more traditional territory: PI work, and all the grit and violence Fate can stuff in there.  Less emotionally taxing - and more predictable - Beaumont Blues follows the protagonist through her professional development, and allows Kristin and Otis to shine as the true characters they are.  There's nothing earth-shattering here, but Beaumont Blues is a solid read and a great sequel. 

49. 
Title: Kiss the Dead
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Pages: 368
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: June 7, 2012
Rating: ***1/2

Fans are - and will continue to be - split on responses to the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, and I for one doubt that the severance will ever be rectified.  Anita as a character is extremely different in book twenty-one than she was in book one, and she will never be the same again.  I, for one, appreciate the change; I found her sense of morals and personal conflict rather stifling, and prefer her growing comfort with life, love, and sexuality.  Many readers will disagree with me, as the Anita that Hamilton writes now is not the Anita they once loved. 

Kiss the Dead will be no different.  More of a law officer than an animator these days, Anita is involved with a fair amount of police work in this latest episode, but neither her professional life nor her personal life grabs center stage; the narratives are relatively compartmentalized, much like Anita's current life, and the stories are disjointed.  I found Kiss the Dead entertaining, and it delivered on many of my expectations, but it isn't likely one I would return to again.  At twenty-one books, I don't know that I would expect such from the series.   

48.
Title: Avalon High
Author: Meg Cabot
Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:  Library Book
Date Completed: June 6, 2012
Rating: **1/2

Avalon High has the subtlety of a barrel of bricks dropped from seven stories, and just in case the reader doesn't pick up on the five inches of gooey sloppy allusions slathered on this narrative, the protagonist explains things explicitly at least twice.  While the premise of the novel is fun in theory, Cabot's execution leaves much to be desired, as she demonstrates just how little faith she has in her reader to even understand the basic premise of her story. 

47. 
Title: A Tale of 3 Witches
Author: Christiana Miller and Barbra Annino
Pages: 53
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: May 30, 2012
Rating: **

This cross-over story lacks ... just about everything.  It lacks character development, plot development, suspension of disbelief, and the charm of the previous Mara/Gus novel. 

Gus wielding a sword?  An actual sword?
Best friends at first sight?
A new mother leaving her firstborn in the care of the maybe-father who thinks the child might be evil incarnate?

The falling action is the only well-paced part of the narrative; the rising action is full of holes and the climax arrives too quickly. While this story wouldn't prevent me from picking up another Mara/Gus novel, I am fairly disappointed that I actually paid for this. 

The Folger's western Taming of the Shrew, starring Kate Eastwood Norris and Cody Nickell, is a true delight.  As director Aaron Posner says himself, his Deadwood-inspired rendition is not unique, but it is no less successful for it.  Placing Shakespeare's comedy in a western-esque setting provides a strong context for a contemporary American audience, and bending the gender of several characters (Baptista is a controlling mother, for example) shifts the understanding of gender expectations in the work.

The characters are well-cast and excellently played (I particularly enjoyed not only the principle characters, but also Danny Scheie's Grumio and Holly Twyford's Tranio), and the setting and costumes are perfectly detailed, but the true icing on the cake is the inclusion of live music - Cliff Eberhardt as the Blind Balladeer that serenades each scene.

 The production is an absolute joy, and an unequivocal success.

I want, too, to say a word about the staff of the Folger.  My partner's neck injury prevents him from looking left (among other things), and when we first found our seats in the balcony it was immedietly clear he would not be able to enjoy the play, as we were seated on the left side.  I spoke with the staff member at ticket sales, who in turn called a senior staff member who did not hesitate to move our seats when I explained our concern.  I was 90% certain there was nothing that could be done but felt there was no harm in asking, so I was delighted with the care that we received.  Our seats were moved right away, and the gentleman who moved our seats came back to be sure that we were comfortable before the play began.  I was impressed because they surely weren't required to do anything, and they didn't hesitate to help us in our enjoyment of the play.

So, not only is the play wonderful, but so too are those working behind the scenes. 

Photos: http://www.dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2012/05/07/the-taming-of-the-shrew-at-folger-theatre-by-julia-exline1/

46. 
Title: Baby Shark
Author: Robert Fate
Pages: 270
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Free download, recommended by Penn Jillette on Twitter
Date Completed: May 19, 2012
Rating: ****1/2

Baby Shark opens with gut-wrenching violence against the unlucky patrons at a pool house.  The unapologetic violence of the scene captivates, even as the reader wants to look away.  Among the victims are 17-year-old Kristin, who is brutally raped and beaten, and her father, who is murdered.

Kristin doesn't remember getting out of the pool hall when she wakes in the hospital, but she learns that the owner - the only other survivor of the attack by a gang of bikers - dragged her from the building despite his own gunshot wounds, and manages to drive her to the relative safety of the hospital.  She also learns that the police have no intention of investigating the murders and assault.  Kristin and Henry find a new family in each other, drawn together by a need for both safety and revenge.  Together they live, train, and plan. 

Baby Shark is a tale of survival and what it takes for two damaged individuals not only to recover, but to find justice.  Kristin (aka Baby Shark) seeks not only to avenge her father's death, but also to reclaim her dignity and establish herself as a strong, independent figure, regardless of the abuse she suffered and regardless of her gender in a very gender-biased setting.  One reviewer remarks on a lack of morality in Kristin's actions, but my own reading suggests something very different: it is not necessarily a quest for Hammurabian revenge, but justice.  If the police had pursued and prosecuted the bikers responsible for these violent crimes I would suggest that Kristin and Henry would not have have sought out their own form of justice; given the circumstances of their case, they sought punishment that was otherwise denied. 

As I first read of the attack on the pool hall I did not expect to like this book, but the narrative quickly sped away, and before I knew it I was at the novel's end.