BBL: A Super Spirited Welcome

-->

Welcome to BBL, the Bookblog of the Bristol Library! The staff will be posting reviews of books old and new that we found especially interesting or noteworthy or possibly even annoying. (I personally would like to have a deep discussion with the “editors” of a few books whom I would like to suggest took money under false pretenses.) We may even sneak in mentions of a few DVDs or CDs or other library goodies. If you’d like to submit a review for consideration, please drop off a copy at the Reference Desk or email it to bplref@yahoo.com.

Our hope and intent is to post every Tuesday. Of course, there is an old saying about a road paved with good intentions. . . .

For our first BBL post, we take a walk on the fantastical side. One book is by a relative newcomer, the other by an author firmly established in a wide-ranging career, but both bend reality to create an enjoyable tale.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (J GAI Main & Avoca; YA GAI Main) (Reviewed by Jeanne)

When the Harry Potter books were first gaining popularity, some seemed surprised that a "children's book" had attracted adult readers. The truth is that good books attract readers of all ages and rightfully so. The difference was that for the first times large numbers of adults weren't ashamed to admit they were reading such a book for their own enjoyment. In fact, in Great Britain the Harry Potter books came out with two different covers, one for children and one for adults. The content didn't differ: just the covers.

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is another book worth slipping into the children's section of a library to read. The story opens with the violent murder of a family by a mysterious man named Jack. Only one person escapes, a toddler who has wandered out into the night. Jack follows him to an old cemetery but is denied entrance there. Meanwhile, the ghostly inhabitants are somewhat taken aback by a living child in their midst. Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a deceased childless couple, decide they want to raise the boy as their own and dub him "Nobody Owens" or Bod for short. Silas, who isn't dead but who isn't human either, procures food and clothing for the child as well as other necessities. Bod grows up and learns about life and love from a community composed of individuals from many times, from the Roman soldier to young 'Liza who died when the first Elizabeth sat on the throne of England, to more recent arrivals. And all the while, a killer searches for the one who got away. . . .

I found the book to be sweet, funny and chilling, sometimes all at once. This meant that The Graveyard Book brought back some of my own memories of playing in the graveyard, petting the stone lambs, studying the photos etched into some stones, wondering about some of the people buried there. Like Bod, we found it good place, not scary or threatening like movie cemeteries, though we didn’t have the benefits of actually speaking to the inhabitants as he does. Gaiman deftly blends folklore, fantasy and history into a coming of age story that you won't quickly forget, and this comes from someone who can’t remember what she did with her car keys ten minutes ago. This is one Newbery Award winner that has the popular vote as well as critical acclaim.

Neil Gaiman is the award-winning author of Coraline, Stardust, Good Omens, American Gods and the very popular The Sandman graphic novels as well as numerous short stories, comics and screenplays.

Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep (F EST Main) (Reviewed by Jeanne)

Supernatural and paranormal themes are now popping up in almost every fiction genre. Just a few years ago, the idea that a detective would solve a crime by psychic means would have been considered cheating at best and total nonsense. Most readers would have cringed at a historical romance where the duke turned out to be a werewolf. Now vampires seem to dominate the best-seller lists and established writers are adding a ghost or ghost or two to their books, if not a vampire, demon or werewolf.

Author Jennifer Estep has put a fresh face on this trend with her Bigtime series, setting her stories in a world where costumed super-heroes and super-villains are a fact of life. Still, it comes as a shock to Carmen Cole to discover—on her wedding day, no less!—that not only is her fiancé a superhero but he’s having an affair with the woman who is supposed to be his biggest foe.

In a classic case of woman spurned, Carmen turns her considerable talents to unmasking those with super-abilities. Her many successes lead her to a job reporting for the biggest newspaper in Bigtime, NY until an unfortunate revelation leads to a death. In an instant she goes from ace reporter to scum. However, her talents haven’t gone unnoticed: now a group of baddies wants her to find the secret identities of their good-guy arch enemies or else they’ll give her a fate worse than death.

Karma Girl is an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek novel filled with fiends, radioactive goo, heroes and spandex—lots of spandex. A spirited heroine, fast pace, romance and snappy dialog combine to make this a great beach book. Other books in the series are Jinx and Hot Mama.

Tennessean Jennifer Estep is a features editor at the Bristol Herald in between writing her own books. She’s working on her new “Elemental Assassins” series.