SBD early

I must be in a mellow mood because I'm enjoying nearly every book I pick up.
Here is my favorite:

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. I listened to it and the reader was pretty good. She didn't intrude so we got the story without extra drama. It's a peculiar mix of styles, deep third point of view, then some unnamed person's report of Frankie along with what had to be footnotes explaining references.

I noticed some people over at Amazon objected to the interruption of the story with the notes from some omniscient story teller, not to mention the notes from whoever had written the reports. I wish I had a print copy--I bet it would be easier to know where we are with the story. It didn't bother me. In fact it was a nice change from the standard deep third all the way.

The story was full of rich kids at a boarding school. For once I believed it. These were really the rich kids I've met (I went to private school in DC and there were some of these people there). The boys acting like boys was spot on, endearing, full of themselves, funny and flat out stupid. That would have been enough but Frankie was also a treat. She wasn't easy or nice, and she was fairly unpleasant about the people she used to associate with (the geeks). She was probably in need of counseling. But I rooted for her all the way. Considering how picky I am about self-absorbed heroines, it had to mean she was a full-fledged person. It was odd how she drew upon Wodehouse and his Drone's club for inspiration because her view of life was a great deal darker than his music hall world.

I wish Beth, Rachel and JMC would read it and get back to me with their opinions. They're good readers, as in the insight they give usually makes me say, huh, hmmm, yah, even when I don't share the opinion.

Bonus read: There were references to a book about pranks and I ended up buying a copy of the book. How can you resist a title like If at All Possible, Involve a Cow

Here's a book I began to read and didn't like: Long Hard Ride, a freebie over at Amazon.
I'm always up for smut--or I thought I was--but this book annoyed me. It seemed to want us to accept things that made no sense if you stopped to think (which I don't usually do with this sort of book, but ....). Some girls were sluts but our heroine wasn't--that sort of thing. The world was too simplistic. When the hero thought about all the reasons he wanted her and no other girl, he thought about the stuff anyone with the lack of gag-reflex and tight holes could do for him. He'd get all dreamy about how her lips that would feel so fine on his man-parts. She was supposed to be special because she was a brain, but I didn't see that big brain in action much. Then again, I haven't finished reading it yet. I might. The voice is fast and easy.

I sure would be sad if I was entirely off smut but more and more it looks that way. Alas.

UPDATE: I still didn't finish the book and probably won't, but it has improved a great deal Characters are less cartoonish.