Book aborted: Part the Second

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (colloquially "LDS" or "Mormon") definitely isn't as hard here as it once was. I've never really been persecuted for what I believe; never been jailed; never been tarred and feathered; never been driven from my home by an angry mob. The worst I have ever endured for the sake of my religion is some snide comments and some ignorant questions. To be clear: I never mind questions if they come from a place of genuinely wanting to know the answer, but I have better things to do with my time than to satisfy idle curiosity or correct ridiculous rumors.

I do find, however, that I occasionally run across references in pop culture that are...less than flattering, let's say. I mean, I get that people do and say dumb things, and I also know it's not the worst thing to have a reference at all, even an unflattering one. Someone might see it and have a real interest and want to know more, and I'm in favor of that.

But when a character in a book points out that she's a vegetarian, and the immediate response is to ask if she's "one of the Latter Day Saints lot...with the funny underwear", and then the response to THAT is to reassure that she's not a cult member...look, it's not so much that offhand idiocy is offensive, or that I am personally bothered by it (though it is and I am.) In this instance, it's that it's so LAZY. First of all, vegetarianism is nowhere in our doctrine, so why would someone, even someone who doesn't know much about it at all, make that logistical leap? Had it been the character turning down alcohol, that would have made a lot more sense. 

That aside: funny underwear and being in a cult? That's the best the author can do? In all the "weird" things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (and there are some, at least from an outside perspective), she couldn't find a better target? It's in the same vein as stupid criminals for me: if you've decided that path is worth your while, make an effort, at least! Don't be BAD at it, because then what have you gained?

Nothing, is the answer to that, even though Alice Adams got whatever percentage of the price I paid for this book (although it can't be much, since I bought it from the bargain section). There's a decent chance she would have lost my attention anyway; 25 pages of surprisingly large print in, I wasn't invested in either the characters or the story. (I can only assume the font size was chosen to stretch the lackluster prose to a publishable length.) But by shoehorning in a ludicrously cheap shot to satisfy whatever petty antipathy she cherishes, she shifted me from neutral/bored to active dislike.

Title: Invincible Summer

Potentially objectionable content: See above. Plus language and sexual references 

Book #76: "Fifty-Nine in '84"

Modern technology is kind of amazing. A few years ago, I was getting ready for work one Friday morning, which happened to be a payday. With one hand I was blow-drying my hair, while with the other I was paying bills. I can browse the internet, send emails, play games, and even write out my thoughts on books from this small device that was originally intended to make calls. Remarkable.

The subject of today's book (another library-sale acquisition, I think) played baseball in a time where the first telephones were a novelty, and would no doubt have been in awe of this sorcery. Indeed, as he pitched his way to 59 wins without the benefit of medical help for his sore arm, rest for his beleaguered body or even a glove for his left hand, he might well have believed my ability to compose an essay without even getting out of bed the ultimate in laziness. 

Impressive as this feat was, the telling of it drags, with details unnecessary to the narrative and continual deviations to tell the backstory of minor characters I frankly didn't care about. But it's nonetheless fascinating to see how the game has evolved over time, and to learn about a record that is unlikely, in today's iteration, to ever be broken. 

Author: Edward Achorn

Potentially objectionable content: Not that I noticed; there are some references to various unsavory habits and language, but they are couched, as befits the era, in euphemisms.

Book #75: "Super What?"

I spent a little while fighting with this thing in order to paste a picture of the cover and then gave up. So what I'll do instead is paste a link: 

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/super-what_jax-abbott/1470865/item/#edition=3327993&idiq=2817352

Thriftbooks is my favorite place to buy books, by the way. They're typically used (though they do sell new copies of some things) but usually in pretty good shape, and they give you free shipping if you spend $10, which is just an amazing deal. PLUS you earn free books! So all in all, better than buying from Barnes and Noble (more on why I'm mad at them later.)

ANYWAY, now that I'm back, I'm catching up on everything I haven't done yet. My plan is still to do this alphabetically by author, so the categories will be all over the map, and I have a bunch of A's to cover.

Based on the spine, it appears I acquired this from the annual book sale at my local library, although I'm not sure when. (Quick aside: the library book sale is one of my very favorite things. It usually happens right around-or sometimes on-my birthday, so it is VERY much a happy birthday to me! And the prices are just RIDICULOUS; it's 50 cents for paperbacks, $1 for hardbacks, or $5 a bag, so I come home with anywhere between 20 and 50 new books every time. My method for choosing them is something like, "Hmmm. That looks interesting." End of aside.)

It's a charming and very teenage look at developing superpowers; set in high school, it's naturally filled with Queen Bee drama, missed homework, and agonizing over crushes and first kisses. But it also tackles some deeper issues: rebelling against parental control, fighting back against bullies, dealing with loss. It ends a little abruptly (and a little too neatly; there's no real stakes) for my taste, but it's sweet and funny and made me glad I have long since left my teens behind. Plus there's an alligator!

Author: Jax Abbott

Potentially objectionable content: It's pretty tame, but there is some crude-ish humor, and teen issues are present: bullying, menstrual cramps, dating, etc.

It's been a long time since we've rocked and rolled

Since the new year is almost upon us, I have been thinking about resolutions. I never mean to let them fall by the wayside, but most of them inevitably do. Much like this did.

Still, new year, new opportunities for a new me. So I am going to start again. I went through my library document and sorted it by author, then highlighted the ones I have already done. Since it's been a while (cough YEARS cough) I have acquired many more books. My plan is to go back to the beginning of the alphabet and cover anything I missed/didn't have at the time; then I'll continue on from where I left off. Coming soon to a blog near you!