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3.23.2005

sick bed book vote

This is where you show you care. I've completely exhausted all the unread Tamora Pierce books in the house and am finishing up Pete Hautman's Sweetblood. I feel like dirty socks.

So, I have a stack of YAs to choose from for the next sick bed book. My fevered brain is unable to decide. Help me, please, in the comments.

The choices are:

What the Birds See by Sonya Hartnett
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
Witch Child by Celia Rees
Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
?

10 Comments:

  • At 3:51 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    "City of Ember" didn't light my bulb. You know the whole way through what the M.-Night-Shamalamadingdong is going to be, and at the end that's ALL you get. Plus the characters blow.

    Uglies, on the other hand, is a work of staggering genius. Plus hoverboard chase sequences.

    -s

     
  • At 6:08 PM , Blogger cecil castellucci said...

    Mira, Mirror

    So fascinating. From the Mirror's point of view!

    cecil c

     
  • At 6:09 PM , Blogger chance said...

    Agree about City of Ember - I enjoyed the worldbuilding, but all the adults acted like suck morons it was a tough read. I haven't read any of the rest, but Uglies and What the Birds see are the titles that struck my fancy.

    Though when I am sick I'm a big favorite of rereading the stuff I loved when I was a kid.

    Hope you and Christopher feel better soon.

     
  • At 6:25 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    IMHO, this is not a question of merit, but rather a question of what kind of books you like when sick. When I am sick, I like books like The Queen of Everything, because it is the most like a reality TV show (not that it is not also a good book; I liked it a lot). If you are looking for a Tammy Pierce read-alike, I would go with Mira, Mirror and/or Uglies because they are character-focused and more emotional. If you want a book that is more adventure story, I would go with City of Ember and/or Witch Child because I was a little more distanced from the characters (which can be a comfortable thing, again, not making any judgements).

    I haven't read What the Birds See, so I can't comment on that.

     
  • At 7:11 PM , Blogger Chris McLaren said...

    Uglies.

    No questions. It's great.

    Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Pierce books at some point. I read a few of her trilogies over the Christmas holidays and I'd like to compare impressions.

     
  • At 7:36 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I would not recommend City of Ember. Anyone who's read any SF is going to be less than dazzled by it.

    Pity you don't have Bucking the Sarge that's been my favourite YA of late. I haven't read that particular Sonja Hartnett, but she writes SO beautifully, plus she's an Aussie!

    Obviously, I also think you should read Uglies, but mine is a somewhat biased vote!

    Justine

     
  • At 7:37 PM , Blogger Gwenda said...

    When I'm sick I want something that's so absorbing I forget I'm sick or at least makes not being able to sleep well less painful. Sometimes that means rereading old favorites, but this time I want new stuff. I'd been putting off ready Pierce for ages and found it just the thing. (We will talk, Mr. McL.) The Hautman was excellent too -- I love the packaging of that book. A vampire story about a girl who is diabetic and thinks that makes her a vampire. Hautman does sympathetic, whip-smart, semi-delusional characters really, really well.

    So.

    Uglies first, then Mira, then probably Queen of Everything, because I love a good book that feels like a reality show every once in awhile.

    I must confess that I spent most of the afternoon watching Project Runway and Project Greenlight eps(!).

     
  • At 7:39 PM , Blogger Gwenda said...

    Justine, we cross-posted! I somehow knew you'd vote for Uglies. (And hey, it won, despite the first line mentioning cat vomit.)

    I LOVED Bucking the Sarge -- it was excellent. You should really read Boy Proof and How I Live Now as soon as possible.

     
  • At 9:08 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    So sorry to hear you're sick. I don't have much to recommend in the YA dept, but I could send over some chicken soup! rest up. Wendi

     
  • At 9:11 PM , Blogger Jenny Davidson said...

    Hi--I'm afraid I haven't read any of those--but in conjunction with your previous ninja post I must recommend a really wonderful YA trilogy by Lian Hearn set in a kind of mythic medieval Japan--have you read them already? The first is "Across the Nightingale Floor," and it's really spectacular. Good sick-room reading.

    Hope you feel better soon.

     

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