Oh, Erin (and Kathy! and meara!) I can also rec my friend Gayle Callen's romances. She writes historical for Avon, and they're ... Regency period, I believe.
Has anyone else read The Monsters of Templeton?
No, but I would like to. It's on my list.
Lorne: Take care of yourself and ah, make sure fluffy is getting enough love. Gunn: Did he have anything? Fred: No. And who's fluffy? Are you fluffy? Gunn: He called me fluffy? Fred: He said make sure…wait. You don't think he was referring to anything of mine that's fluffy, do you? Because that would just be inappropriate.
'Conviction (1)'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Amy - Mar 04, 2009 12:02:56 pm PST #8526 of 28431
Because books.
lisah - Mar 04, 2009 12:04:29 pm PST #8527 of 28431
Punishingly Intricate
Monsters of Templeton actually fills me with rage! I don't understand why it was on some people's best books of 2008 lists. It was a mess! And not a particularly fun one. And certainly not a well-written one.
Amy - Mar 04, 2009 12:09:28 pm PST #8528 of 28431
Because books.
Uh, maybe it shouldn't be on my list then ...
lisah - Mar 04, 2009 12:14:48 pm PST #8529 of 28431
Punishingly Intricate
Uh, maybe it shouldn't be on my list then ...
haha, well, I'm a pretty critical reader (of novels especially). But, none of the characters felt real to me and there was information withheld that changed the whole story at the end in a really artificial way. It doesn't drag though, I'll give it that, I was compelled to read to the end.
I'd be interested to hear your take on it. And it was on several Best Books list so maybe it's just my taste? My boyfriend also hated it, though. We actually read it for our bookclub (members: me and him!).
Ginger - Mar 04, 2009 12:20:08 pm PST #8530 of 28431
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
A friend pressed it on me, and I did like it, except that the monster made no sense, even metaphorically. It felt like she had this vision of a monster in the lake and she wrote the book around it, but when she was done writing, she should have thrown the monster out. Also, for the end to make sense, we should have known more about the running boys. I couldn't tell them apart.
lisah - Mar 04, 2009 12:21:34 pm PST #8531 of 28431
Punishingly Intricate
Also, for the end to make sense, we should have known more about the running boys. I couldn't tell them apart.
Yes! And, also, I HATE that she withheld the part about how her mom had told her she'd been pregnant for 10 months until the end. That really pissed me off.
lisah - Mar 04, 2009 12:22:37 pm PST #8532 of 28431
Punishingly Intricate
I actually kind of liked the monster parts. I think the book would have benefited from her throwing everything else out and making the monster part a short story!
Ginger - Mar 04, 2009 12:28:10 pm PST #8533 of 28431
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
That was irritating, but we were told fairly early that the father was someone in Templeton. What was really irritating was the whole scavenger hunt thing, which just made the mother look like a bitch. It would have been better if the book had another reason for her to scour Templeton's history and through that she stumbled on the answer. I really liked the parts about putting together Templeton's history.
eta: I think the monster could have been a whole different book. Just not the one she wrote.
lisah - Mar 04, 2009 12:34:02 pm PST #8534 of 28431
Punishingly Intricate
What was really irritating was the whole scavenger hunt thing, which just made the mother look like a bitch.
It totally did! It made no sense except as a device to keep the daughter there.
Ginger - Mar 04, 2009 12:48:58 pm PST #8535 of 28431
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
The daughter wanted to stay and sort things out anyway. I think she would have leapt on the thinnest of reasons and would have jumped at any research project to distract herself. She could have found a clue in the house earlier. There could have been some piece of information needed or they'd lose the house.
It is a first novel. I'd give the author another chance, but better editing would have improved this one. I think the basic stuff was there.