REVIEW: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

 

Fifteen years ago Francesca Lia Block made a dazzling entrance into the literary scene with what would become one of the most talked-about books of the decade: Weetzie Bat. This poetic roller coaster swoop has a sleek new design to match its new sister and brother books, Goat Girls and Beautiful Boys. Rediscover the magic of Weetzie Bat, Ms. Blocks sophisticated, slinkster-cool love song to L.A.the book that shattered the standard, captivated readers of all generations, and made Francesca Lia Block one of the most heralded authors of the last decade.

Book: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Release Date: April 24, 1989
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult / Magical Realism
Series: Dangerous Angels, #1
Obtained: Bought on Amazon
Rating: (5 Zombies)

Words cannot express how much I loved Weetzie Bat. I can't believe I'd never read it until recently, but Weetzie had been one of those books that kind of floats along the edges of my radar; I had known about it for a while, and wanted to read it, but just never got around to it until now, and I'm sure glad that I did!

Weetzie has the most amazing cast of characters with the greatest names like Witch Baby, Duck, and My Secret Agent Lover Man, and they're all every bit as amazing as they sound. The magical realism aspect of the book was orgasmic to the English major in me, and I couldn't put the book down, even though I started it around three in the morning.

If you've managed to skate along without reading Weetzie Bat, you need to remedy this as soon as is humanly possible!

Reading Update

Reading Update

Last week in books:

• I've been reading a lot for my English classes next semester, so last week was a lot of literary fiction.
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson.

This week in books:

• I just started reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac, which I hope to finish, but I mostly started it to avoid the next book on my list:
• Beloved by Toni Morrison. I've never been a fan of Morrison, but this is my last school book, so I need to get it read soon.
• Soulbound by Heather Brewer, because I'm not only a litfic nut.

Wishful thinking:

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Chbosky.

That's all for this week. What are you planning on reading? Any good books you've read lately?

REVIEW: Before I Wake

I died on a Thursday-killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school...  Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life....

Book: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult / Urban Fantasy
Series: Soul Screamers, #6
Obtained: Bought on Amazon
Rating: (4 Zombies)

I always love Soul Screamers books, but this one threw me off a little because it was significantly darker than any of the others and parts of it started to feel like pity parties for Kaylee when there was better stuff to do. That isn't to say that I didn't love it, because I did, but that was just something that bothered me a little bit.

It still feels like Kaylee and Tod's relationship is just a happy dream that I'm going to wake up from, but it's really awesome. I've been routing for them as a couple since the very first book, and it's awesome to see that finally happening, even though I had given up hope several books before the kiss.

It was nice to see some of the old foes return for this new book, kind of like a bad guy reunion, although I had forgotten a few details in the time between books. I always like seeing old faces return, and some of them were favorites of mine, bad guy-wise.

I would highly recommend this series to anyone, and I'm dreading the day it comes to a close. Then Kaylee and I can throw some pity parties together.