Sunday, August 8, 2010

He does this to me all the time!

My husband. He does this to me all the time. He buys me books, cheap, that look interesting, things he finds when he is out and about. Usually he does well, finding things I would never have picked up. Then, either to make him feel good about his thoughtfulness, or just because it is the nearest book, one day I will pick up a book he has chosen. Inevitably, it will be a part of a trilogy, or it will be a book that was an ARC and is lacking essential maps, or some silliness as that. Either way I'm hooked and sunk all at once.





The latest trap:



I could tell, he was proud of himself. He knows I enjoy reading YA to preview books for my children, make suggestions to our library director, and because some of them have been very good. He also knows that my heart belongs to the classics. "This is a young-adult book, written in a Dickensian style, it says on the jacket," he tells me with a grin. "I thought you might like it."


I look at it and shrug, thinking to myself, "Probably not Dickensian in style. Probably not something I want to read, it is about a print shop!" But then he looked crestfallen. I had disappointed him. I added the book to my bag, but first managed to read Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside by Beth Fantaskey, and Fang by James Patterson. Then I thought I'd better tackle the book hubbins brought home.


Well, it has some aspects that remind me of Dickens. The feeling of the desperation of London at that time; Dickens was really good at weighing his readers down with the bleakness of it. Bajoria accomplishes that same sense of understanding of the filth of London both figuratively and literally, and the injustice served upon the children who were poor or orphaned. We follow the story of Mog, a 12-year-old printer's apprentice, which is commonly known as a printer's devil.


Mog is a bit too curious and gets tangled up in an intrigue of drugs, criminals, and the London subculture that lurks in the shadows and most would like to ignore. There are many twists and turns which required me to go back and re-read passages to discover a clue I had overlooked or to reacquaint with a character I had dismissed. This story held me captivated. The bravery of Mog never ceased to impress me.


I am sick today, too sick to go into work, and ended up in bed most of the day. When I was not sleeping, I was reading this book. I got to the end...and...was...left...hanging. Darn. He did it to me again. It is part one of a trilogy. I ordered the next book from ILL and now I wait. I recommend reading this one, but having book two waiting before you are done, you will want to pick it up and keep going. I know I wanted to.


It's Monday, what are you reading?


**NOTE TO LIBRARIANS**


I was intrigued enough that I mentioned the book to the librarian who does the purchasing. I looked it up in the catalog to find it is categorized both as J-Fic and as YA within our system. I would maintain the subject matter of working children, child abuse, drugs, murder, and intrigue put this solidly within the YA, and I would go out on a limb and say it could hold its own categorized as Adult Fic.




12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think thats sweet that your hubby brings you home books. You are a lucky wife indeed.

Lea Kelley said...

I read Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side last week also, I liked it. And The Printer's Devil sounds interesting, I'm going to have to check that one out. Have a great week.

danya said...

Haven't heard of the Printer's Devil before but it sounds promising!

Danya
A Tapestry of Words

Gina said...

Oh, I've heard of this one before! I won a copy a while back (*checks calendar....yeah a WHILE*) but as of yet have not had the chance to read it. Sounds like it shall live up to expectations I had when selecting it...glad you enjoyed it as well! Keep discovering new reading adventures thanks to your husband's random purchases... ^_^
Happy reading!

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

I'll look out for The Printer's Devil, thanks. I actually work for a printing company, so the title is right up my street! :D

Gerbera Daisy Diaries said...

Thanks for commenting on my blog.
Every Last One was my first Anna Quindlen book, and I am hooked on her writing. However, the subject matter was heavy and depressing and left this mommy clinging to her kids. Not sure if all her books are like this one or not. but, I did like it enough, that I will probably read more.

jlshall said...

It must be so nice to have a hubby who brings you books! Even though mine reads a lot,I still do most of the book acquiring in our household. I'd love to be surprised with a book gift now and then.

Hope you enjoy all your reading this week!

The Literary Lioness said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and all your nice comments!

It's so sweet that your hubby brings you books! How lucky are you?

http://www.theliterarylioness.com

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

This is such a fun post! Seriously - I love that your hubby does that but what a bummer when you discover they are part of a series! Hope you feel better.

:D

Jenny N. said...

I wish I had someone who bought me books and I hope you feel better soon.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

How thoughtful of your husband - enjoy your reading.

Lily said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Yes, I'm a lucky girl, my hubby is always thinking of me. He brings me books and snacks. He is also delighted to read all of your comments! His tailfeathers were on display this morning ;-)

~Lily