Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston

Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston

This was originally posted on my original blog, AllisonWrites, on 6/12/2008.

I've wanted to read this since I saw it in bookstores two years ago (note: 2006?! Wow!). I have this thing though, about buying new copies of books by authors I'm not in love with. I'll buy dozens of used books I've never even heard of, but at $.50 a pop that's not a big deal. Also, since I'm a huge fan of paperbacks (so portable!) it's hard for me to justify shelling out $20+ for a hardback book.

I FINALLY got it from the library last week! And read it! And really liked it! I'm glad I didn't buy it in hardback (is that mean?) but it was enjoyable. My main issue was that I pretty much hated the main character. She's the stereotypical kind of girl I can't stand, and maybe that was the problem - she was a stereotype. But I find that a little hard to swallow since she was based on a real person. Fictionalized, yes, but based in fact. It was hard for me to feel anything for her, so the whole time I was reading I felt a little distanced from the story. But I fell in love with the main character's sister and, of course, F. Scott himself. So it was weird to be rooting against the main character of the book.

Some great lines:

"The soothing chatter of men and the smack of balls floated over from the seventh fairway."

Ok, I KNOW fairway means golf course, which means golf balls. But the way it was worded is questionable.

"The baby girl was bald except for a fringe of black eyelashes - just like me."

I know it means the baby looked like her, but doesn't it sound as if the mom is bald except for a fringe of black eyelashes?!

It seems like an editor shoulda-woulda-coulda caught those two sentences and re-worded them. There were a few other confusing sentences too that kind of jolted me out of the story with a giggle.

Some (actually) good lines too. It won't make much sense out of context (they're at a Hawaiian-themed costume party), but this made me laugh and re-read the whole scene.

"'But I'm keeping this,' he said, patting the scarf around his middle. 'The fringe will quiver when I tango.'"

"'What would have happened if I'd turned right instead of left, if I'd picked the writer instead of the aviator? I've always wondered.'" - THAT, ladies and gentlemen, gave me chills. After reading the whole story up to that point, I had been wondering the same thing. And when you sit and think about it, how all these little decisions add up to change your life... it's monumental.

Exciting Announcement! New Book on the Horizon

I'm excited to announce that my second fiction collection is coming out April 10th!

Does that date sound familiar? It should, because it's the 100th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby! And since this book is inspired by that classic, it only seemed fitting to release it on that landmark publication date.

The book is now in public domain, so Janet Dale used the first page of each chapter to create found poetry (aka blackout poetry) and I used a sentence from the first page of each chapter to write an entirely new flash fiction piece.

Though we worked independently, things came together nicely and we can't wait for you to read the finished product in just six short weeks!

The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams

The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams

I’m a huge Babysitters Club fan so The Babysitters Coven had a more grown-up and modern (and WITCHY) twist on it that was right up my alley. I loved how it introduced the world and the characters so we were getting to know their powers along with them. The ending was so action-packed that I really just wanted to see it as a Netflix series so I could watch it all play out. 

After reading this book, I looked it up and was surprised to see that it was a re-release (apparently?) because the initial reception wasn't so hot. Publishers Weekly mentions that the slang, pop culture references, and political stances could make it seem dated, but those didn't stand out to me. Also, I still think 1999 was 4 years ago, but still. 

Complaints from Smart Bitches Trashy Books include that the narrator is "wildly insecure but also extremely judgmental" and that the book "tries VERY hard to sound teen-like while not sounding teen-like at all." Again, I feel like not noticing these issues probably speaks very clearly about where I am in life, ha, but honestly, the book rang true for me. As true as witchy babysitters can be, anyway. 

Kirkus Reviews said the humor was not funny at all (I laughed to myself many times) and that it was a ripoff of Buffy (which I have never seen) so yeah... I guess all of that just fuels my argument that this was a good read for me but might not land for you, unless you're a lot like me. (And if so, sorry, it's miserable, isn't it? Ha.)

The biggest bummer is that my library only has book one. However, I think I’ve got to get this series to read them all. I can’t wait to see how things progress!

You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly

You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly

I read the first four books in this series in the fall and had to wait for this one to be released. I got it for Christmas but just read it in February due to my never-ending TBR and library checkouts.

It was good timing because I needed a cozy escape from reality, though, and this did the trick! I think this book progressed the side storyline of Carly and Ari nicely and it felt like that story was happening organically. Too often the romantic storylines of cozy mysteries either feel forced or rushed. While Carly and Ari are pretty innocent overall, I buy the sweetness and their relationship journey overall. I hope the series continues so we get to see their wedding, which should be happening soon!

I also love how the other characters are becoming more dimensional, for he most part. I loved getting to see more of Carly's sister, Norah. I also loved the development of Nina, and hope to see more from her. Suzanne seemed a bit pulled back this book, and I wonder if she's going to go away in the next, or if something's going on in her life she didn't really address... (Yes, I know it's fiction, but c'mon, I'm invested!) It was interesting to have some new players in this mystery, but I have to say I loved Grant coming back for the holidays. I'd read a side series starring him, even if it focused on food and music instead of mystery.

Overall, I think this was a great fifth book in the series. It was cozy, moved the overarching story along, and made me want to read more. I've recommended this series to a lot of people who seem to enjoy it as well, so give it a try!

Storytime Activity Ideas for Lefty by Mo Willems and Dan Santat

Lefty by Mo Willems, Illustrated by Dan Santat

My son and I are both left-handed (like Dan Santat) and love Dan Santat illustrations (...like Dan Santat, surely?) so I wanted to read this book with him. He's a bit too old for it now, but there are some interesting facts in there that he loved learning to share with his (right-handed) friends. 

It's a fun book and I can picture reading it aloud in a classroom or library, like all Mo Willems and Dan Santat books! 

Activities I would do as a librarian would include: 

• polling the class or storytime group to see who is left-handed and who is right-handed
• tracing hands on paper and coloring them (for younger kids) or drawing things that make you you (for older kids)
• giving them a word to try and write with both their left and right hands
• draw the same picture with both left and right hands
• toss beanbags into a basket with left and right hands

What activities would you incorporate into a storytime or lesson using this book? What have you tried? I'd love to hear how it went!

For the Love of Writing

This blog is mostly book reviews but there's an overlap between reading and writing so I wanted to share my Substack, For the Love of Writing, launching today!

The monthly newsletter will include my thoughts on things related to reading and writing, and I'll also recommend a book (well, at least one!) per issue, so check it out and subscribe so you don't miss a thing!

The Record Shop Mystery Series by Olivia Blacke

I love finding a new cozy mystery series. Vinyl Resting Place was the January pick for Cozy Mystery Book Club. I love how the choices are always the first book in a series so you don't have to get up to speed with several books to join in on the discussion. Plus I love getting a chance to discover new authors and get invested in a series. My last home run from the book club was the Grilled Cheese mysteries.

Vinyl Resting Place

Was this book written just for me? I mean, records, coffee, and a mystery, yes please. Not to mention the song title puns used for the special brews Juni created in the shop! Speaking of the main character... I loved Juni and her sisters and the mystery of her uncle and all his associates. I thought it was really well done in terms of characters. The mystery itself wasn’t what I was expecting because I thought the reader would get all the clues to try and solve the mystery themselves, and that wasn’t possible (unless I missed something?), but it was still a fun ride with good twists. I definitely want to read more in this series.

A Fatal Groove

I loved the premise of this series but the first book didn’t quite grab me. I’m glad I gave Blacke another chance though, because this book ROCKED. I feel like she hit her stride here, or maybe it’s just because more townspeople were introduced and the story felt more rounded than the first mystery. I think the clues were better in this one too, and while there were plenty of potential suspects, I felt like I got to the resolution along with Juni, which I didn’t get from the first book. Can’t wait for the next! My favorite parts of both the first and second book in this series are definitely the song title/coffee puns - they're SO good.

Rhythm and Clues

The third book was such a satisfying resolution (for now???) to this series. I think I liked the second book best of all, but this one nicely wrapped up that love triangle (a bit late for my tastes but hey) and had a really interesting crime. My favorite part of the second book was seeing more of the community, and this takes that idea and runs with it, showing more of the town and local businesses. I feel like there weren’t enough coffee/music puns, though, which is just one reason I hope Blacke continues this series eventually. Six months in Cedar River isn’t enough!

The Blanche White Series by Barbara Neely

 Happy Black History Month!

I wanted to share the Blanche White books all together. Barbara Neely created this realistic, "average" yet incredibly intelligent sleuth that is one of the most memorable characters I've read. She doesn't shy away from racism, sexism, misgynoir, and other important societal issues. She's a cleaning lady and a stand-in mother for her niece and nephew yet still has romance (without getting in over her head, which is refreshing) and adventures.

This series was brought to my attention thanks to Sisters in Crime having a Reading Like a Writer discussion about the first book, Blanche on the Lam. I was hooked on Neely's writing style plus Blanche's larger-than-life personality, so I had to read the whole series.

Each book is worth a read, getting better and better as it goes on. Check out my reviews for the whole series:

Blanche on the Lam

Blanche Among the Talented Tenth

Blanche Cleans Up

Blanche Passes Go