Bogormen

Title: Dear John, I Love Jane
Author: Candace Walsh
Genre: Essay
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 272
Date read: September, 2014

The new buzzword in female sexuality is "sexual fluidity" - the idea that for many women, sexual identity can shift over time, often in the direction of same-sex relationships. Examples abound in popular culture, from actress Cynthia Nixon, who left her male partner of 15 years to be with a woman, to writer and comedienne Carol Leifer, who divorced her husband for the same reason.

In a culture increasingly open to accepting this fluidity, Dear John, I Love Jane is a timely, fiercely candid exploration of female sexuality and personal choice. The book is comprised of essays written by a broad spectrum of women, including a number of well-known writers and personalities. Their stories are sometimes funny, sometimes painful - but always achingly honest - accounts of leaving a man for a woman, and the consequences of making such a choice.


I picked this book up, not really knowing what to expect, and put it down again, not really knowing what I thought. I'm obviously not the target audience, and as such I thought it fell a little flat... or rather, it was a tad one-dimensional. I would have appreciated essays from the ex-husbands and children as well in order to tell the full story.

The essays were all well-written though, so all in all it made for a solid average read.

Title: A Dangerous Witch (Witch Central #3)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 165
Date read: September 2014, March 2015, June 2018, December 2021


Very bittersweet book to read, since I knew it would be the last book about my dear witches. I almost put off reading it, so I'd still have something 'new' to read, but in the end I couldn't wait. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that Debora Geary gets attacked by plot bunnies sometime in the future after all ;)

That said, having read this I can understand her decision. I don't mean to say that it's badly written or anything, but for the first time ever the book is plot-driven rather than character-driven... Which makes sense, if she no longer feels like she can draw on her personal experiences to write the characters - then the plot would have to take center stage. And it feels weird to say, because usually I prefer plot-driven books, but this series is apparently the exception that proves the rule, and I missed the crazy asides that has made me come to know and love the Witch Central characters so. But Debora Geary was determined only to "add words that were worthy of Witch Central" and I understand and respect that decision. And at the end of the day, I think she succeeded very nicely.

I am very sorry to see the end of Witch Central - it has meant more to me than almost all other book series I can think of - but I wish Debora Geary all the best for the future, and thank her for the hours of joy and love she has brought me through these characters.

She hasn't stopped writing completely though, and I will make sure to continue to follow her under her new pseudonym.

Title: Gracefully Grayson
Author: Ami Polonsky
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 250
Date read: September 2014

Grayson's parents died in a car accident when he was very young, and since then he has been living with his aunt, uncle and two cousins. He is very much a loner though - both at home and at school - because he is scared that somebody will get too close and discover the secret he's been hiding for as long as he can remember: Grayson is really a girl, trapped in a boy's body.

But in 6th grade, admitting such a thing would be tantamount to putting a "target" sign on your chest. So instead Grayson hides away in the library during recess and dreams himself away by drawing princesses that looks like doodling, and imagining himself in the pretty dresses he sees his classmates wearing.

Thanks to an openminded teacher and a new friend, Grayson gets the chance he needs to break out, when he tries out for the school play. Grayson may finally be able to show others his/her true self.

Much of this book made for rather unpleasant reading. It is never nice to read about people being bullied, and even more so when that bullying spreads over to a person's home life. I hope Grayson grows up to trust his uncle, and that his aunt realizes what a disservice she's doing him, by wanting him to appear "normal". I can understand her reasoning, but some things are just more important than keeping yourself "safe" from bullying (which obviously doesn't work anyway, but somehow some people keep thinking it will).

The book was a bit slow to start, but once the rehearsals for the school play began it really took off, and I found it hard to put down. I loved how Grayson finally managed to find a place for himself in the school, and how he started to relate to the other actors.

This could have been a 5-star read, but unfortunately the end fell a bit flat. I would have liked to see Grayson's relationship with Jack and his aunt be resolved somewhat. I'm glad Ami Polonsky didn't end it immediately after the play though, which is what I originally had feared.

I think it is an important book, and am glad such a book has been written for a younger audience than normal. Many thanks to Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Title: Great Little Gifts To Knit
Author: Jean Moss
Genre: Craft
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 137
Date read: September, 2014

Great Little Gifts to Knit consists of 30 different patterns, ranging in size from taking just a few hours to knit, to being labelled a "vacation project".

The book expects the reader to know the basics of knitting, but explains the slightly fancier techniques in an appendix, and offers small projects to allow a newish knitter tackle the challenges of fair isle, beading, intarsia, cables and short rows on a more managable scale.

For the advanced knitter there are fewer challenges, but Jean Moss offers variations to some of the project (like the Cuddle Cocoon) that allows the knitter to knit "out of the box".

The patterns are split into four sections, "Baby", "Hers", "His" and "Home". Each section has a lovely introduction, as does each pattern, which gives the book a nice and personal feel.

Each pattern is clearly described and the charts and instructions are easy to read. For some of the patterns I could wish for more photographs, as there were parts of the patterns I couldn't make out from the photos given.

Unfortunately the patterns themselves are not as appealing or motivating as I would have hoped, with a total of 4 patterns I want to knit, and none where I find myself tempted to cast on right away.

All in all not a book I would have bought for myself if I'd picked it up in a shop, but that's due to the selection of the projects rather than how they're written, so if the patterns appeal to you, this would be a great book to get.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Title: Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy #1)
Author: Mira Grant
Genre: Thriller, Dystopian
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~14hrs
Date read: May 2013, September 2014, June 2016, October 2020, June 2024

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will get out, even if it kills them.

This was amazing! Pretty near impossible to put down. I "read" it as an audiobook, and found myself making excuses to bike detours just to read a bit more. To label it merely a zombie-book or a dystopian novel would be doing it a disservice, because it is so much more than that. The true strength of this book is the worldbuilding, and Mira Grant's descriptions of a world post-zombie outbreak. A world where George Romero is considered a national hero, and where bloggers are the true journalists.

The only reason I left out the last half star is because I wasn't too pleased with all the events near the end of the book, but there's no way I'm going to spoil that for you! The ending itself was satisfactory though, and I've immediately started on the second book.

The title is pure genius, even though I'm embarrassed to admit how long time it took me to get the second meaning... I'm blaming this on not having the cover in front of me all the time.