HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN by Um, You Know, Whatshername

Of course, this isn't a real review.  Like J.K. Rowling really needs my help!  Just letting you all know I finished it and can't wait to watch the movie now.  If you're an objective reader and she hasn's successfully cast her spell on you, you'll think the plot is getting repetitive.  Harry goes to school.  Voldimort and/or one of his goons tries to kill him all year.  However, if you're not under Rowling's spell by the time you read this book, you never would've gotten this far anyway.  Since millions and bazillions of readers have read the whole doggone series, I'd say she's pretty darn good at spellcasting.  By the time a reader gets this far, he or she is hooked on the characters and the Harry Potter universe and if the plot isn't that original anymore he or she really does not care. 
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Rowling still does not disappoint with the characters' believability.  Harry Potter is 13 years old in this book and like any 13 year old he resents having his freedom curtailed in the name of personal security.  He's moody.  Those hormones are kicking in, you know.  His best friends, Ron and Hermione, are fighting like crazy, no doubt to make up for the fact that they have a crush on each other and haven't figured it out or what to do about it.  Yep, pretty normal 13 year old stuff.
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In case, you're wondering, my daughter is starting to ease her restrictions on me reading Harry Potter.  Personally, I think she's just after my credit at the used bookstore.

Reading to Learn to Write

I recently picked up JOHNNY AND THE BOMB, a Middle Grade Science Fiction (I think) Time Travel novel by Terry Pratchett.  Sorry to say, I didn't like it enough to give you a full review.  But, I think reading half of it (that's as far as I got) was educational enough for me to tell you about it, because I picked up HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN by J.K. Rowling right after.  The difference in how appealing each was to me was so radical I knew there must be an educational opportunity in it.
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See, I'd like to write Middle Grade fiction one day, although I doubt I'll ever write anything compatible with New York publishers.  I can't seem to help myself from wanting to do it.  Nasty habit, I know.  I tried underwater basket-weaving instead, but it just didn't work out.  Too cold in Alaska.
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Anyway, so I started reading the 3rd HARRY POTTER novel too.  Thankfully, I have my very own Middle Grader, my brilliant daughter, and I turned to her and said, "I don't like JOHNNY AND THE BOMB.  Can you read it and tell me if you do?  And why or why not?"  I wanted to know if it was just me being a fortysomething mom or if my readerly instincts were on to something.  So, we read.  After a while, she sighed and said, "It's okay."  That's how I'd felt too.  It was just 'okay.' 
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HARRY POTTER on the other hand is 'FREAKIN' AWESOME!'
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"Why?"
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More discussions are forthcoming.  However, at this point, I believe it's all in the *characters.*
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Harry Potter and his friends are living breathing human beings on Page One whom you feel sorry for and desperately want to win as you read along.
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Johnny and his friends...   Well, you know I only like to give positive reviews here, so I'll just say JOHNNY AND THE BOMB is more plot-driven than character-driven.  The characters are okay, but they *feel* as if they were created by filling out one of those character creation forms you can find on writer's websites.  If you're a plot-driven reader, this will work for you.
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I'm a character-driven reader.  If the characters don't grab me, I couldn't care less about the plot, or anything else about the story.
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If you're an aspiring author, you've probably been told to read a lot.  This is why.  It also helps to talk to representatives of your target audience, I believe.
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Here's a review of JOHNNY AND THE BOMB by someone else-     http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0060541911.asp

I originally picked it up because I love Time Travel stories and this one's set during the Battle of Britain, one of my favorite time periods.  However, there was not a single Spitfire in any of the pages I read. 

Hello?  This is a book for boys, primarily, and there were no Spitfires?   That's just...just crazy.  My GIRLS dream about Spitfires!  Spitfires are only the coolest airplanes ever!  How can you not include Spitfires in a story set during the Battle of Britain?  That should be considered sacrilege.  Okay, okay, I'll stop now.
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All due respect to Mr. Pratchett, but it just didn't work for me.

Saturday Speed-Reads

Good morning, Blog Buds.
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This week I read HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS by some obscure author named, um, uh, what was her name again?  Oh, yeah.  J.K. Rowling.  Yes, I watched the movie first!

No need to review this one since it went through the bestselling stratosphere, and with good reason.  Like I've said before, Rowling nails all the emotional needs of a the average Middle Grade reader, and then some.  This series is right up there with CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis, I swear.  It's a classic and while the author's still alive.  How amazing is that?  The second book is just as good as the first book.  In fact, my daughter says it's better.  How rare is that?  As  a book reviewer, I can tell you I've only read one second in a book series which successfully bridged to the next book in the past THREE years, and it still was not as good as the first one.  It's incredibly difficult to do, especially if you're only writing a sequel because the first one did well and your editor and/or agent told you it would be financially good idea.  I'm trying very hard to learn from Rowling's stellar example in this respect, because I love series.  I get attached to characters and I don't want to let go.
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Oh, yes, the battle over the HARRY POTTER books in our house rages on.  You may remember I said Draco Malfoy was cuter than Harry.

And my daughter informed me, on no uncertain terms, that this is absolutely FORBIDDEN.  Apparently, the Freedom of Speech doesn't apply to readers of the wizarding world.  Anyway, she banished me from every reading another HARRY POTTER book again, but I snagged THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS from a second hand store while she was at school!  Mwa-ha-ha!  As for the other books, we're currently in negotiations.  She's considering letting me borrow THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, if I let her use by credit at the used book store to buy more books for herself.  Somehow, this doesn't exactly seem fair.  I could use that credit to buy my own copy.  Hmmm...
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Anyway...
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I also picked up WHITE HOUSE NANNIES by Barbara Kline. 

I used to be a nanny, you know, so this one kept me up half the night.  It swings from hilarious to poignant and made me look forward to the day when my own children are old enough that I can nanny again.
http://www.amazon.com/White-House-Nannies-Barbara-Kline/dp/1585424978/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271524104&sr=1-1

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In other news, I think I'm done with renovating this blog.  It's business as usual, starting tomorrow with an interview with Science Fiction Romance author, Linnea Sinclair.  Her latest novel, REBELS AND LOVERS, was out in March.

Harry Potter and Blond Baddies

I've been going through the HARRY POTTER series with my daughter 'cause, you know, me and trends just don't get along, so I never read them when they first came out.  We watched HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS this week and I learned, rather painfully, that it is sacrilege to say Draco Malfoy is cuter than Harry.

My daughter summarily revoked my Harry Potter movie viewing privilages and condemned me to a miserable eternity of never finishing the books.  She says I have a thing for blond baddies and I seriously need to get over it. 
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I protest!  I also like blond good guys, like Legoles from THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Anyway, I'm sure we'll resolve our differences in time for the teen years and her TWILIGHT phase, if she goes through one.  Might not.  She kinda reads all over the place, like me. 

But, if she does, then she'll see that I like blond heroes just as much.
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She prefers blonds overall too. (That's my girl!) But, the battle rages on.
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"Luke Skywalker!"

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"Anakin!"
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"Luke Skywalker!"

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"Anakin!"
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P.S. Don't worry.  I will read the rest of the Harry Potter books.  I have my little ways of getting the books I wants, my preciousssss.

TAMING HER IRISH WARRIOR by Michelle Willingham

This isn't a full review.  I'm sick.  I'm cranky.  I have tendonitis.  But, I just had to tell you about this one.  I didn't want to read it, but it wouldn't let me put it down.  Don't let the typical Harlequin title fool you.  It's the heroine who needs taming.  And, besides, if a girl falls in love with a wild man, why would she want to tame him?  She wouldn't like him anymore if she did!  While I'm complaining, the cover art is beautiful, but inaccurate.  The hero is BLOND.  Some time ago Harlequin concluded all women prefer brown-haired men and so now you'll have a hard time finding anything else on their covers, regardless.  If Harlequin is right, then how in tarnation do little blond babies get made?  Hmmm? 
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Relax, guys.  Harlequin doesn't know everything about women.

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Here's an actual review-

http://www.theromancereader.com/willingham-taming.html

And, I believe, this one's up for the RITA award too.

Saturday Speed Reads

Good morning, Blog Buds!  When I first started reviewing books three and a half years ago on my personal blog, I did what I called the Tuesday Speed Reads.  Now, I have to limit my writing time due to Tendonitis, so I thought I'd revive that idea.  On Saturdays, I'll give you a quick run-down of what I read over the week.
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HIGH COUNTRY HERO by Lynna Banning
http://www.lynnabanning.com/
Historical Romance.  I've reviewed her before.




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And the Middle Grade novels I've read to learn how to write Middle Grade novels-

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AKIKO ON THE PLANET SMOO by Mark Crilley

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DINOTOPIA RETURN TO THE LOST CITY by Scott Cienein
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ANIMORPHS THE ESCAPE by K.A. Applegate
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GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE THE JOURNEY by Kathryn Lasky
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Google them, Blog Buds!