This is so the story of my life (if I had been a genius as a kid instead of merely a geek)

[rj_anderson]

A line that made me laugh out loud when I read it this afternoon:

Oh, sure, Emily has a few flaws. But don't we all. For example, I am lax about cleaning out my three-hole punch.

Then came this gem, only a few pages ahead:

There are good silences, like the beat after a fabulous play has just ended and before the audience jumps to its feet applauding. Then there are bad silences, like after you've said, "Actually, the hypotenuse is 3.4 centimeters off" to your father's supervisor. Stanford's silence created a new category: the infinite silence of limbo where your words are released into the atmosphere but mysteriously disappear before they reach their target.

...

Millicent Min, Girl Genius is the best book ever.

*sighs happily*

Okay, well, maybe not. But it gave me great pleasure to read it, and the envy I felt at Lisa Yee's brilliant characterization and pitch-perfect narrative voice did not diminish my enjoyment of the story one bit.

I think I need to read more kids' books. I enjoy the good ones more than most "adult" books I read. Which is possibly why I read Millicent Min before I picked up the new Lois McMaster Bujold novel, although since it is, you know, Bujold, I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy that one too.

Comments

[kerravonsen]

the new Lois McMaster Bujold novel

Is that "The Sharing Knife"? I'm waiting on that one, because I gather it's part 1 of a 2-part story, so I'd rather not get it until both parts are out.

But I'm with you on reading kids' books. One reason I'm looking forward to "The Sarah-Jane Adventures"; they will lack all the things that make Torchwood smell like a brothel.

[poodlerat.livejournal.com]

I'm waiting on that one, because I gather it's part 1 of a 2-part story, so I'd rather not get it until both parts are out.

A wise choice! I wish I'd done that - it's really obvious that cutting the story in two was her publisher's decision, and the first book really can't stand on its own.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

::beckons:: come, come to the YA side... it's more fun here... ;)

I know--!

[carbonelle.livejournal.com]

I was thinking just that.

I mean, sure I read (and review) teen and (older) kids fiction for my job.

But that's because I'd read it anyways.

Re: I know--!

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

I'm the YA book pusher for most of my friends' kids. If I buy something and enjoy it, I'm likely to hand it on to the one I know will most enjoy it. (But often, "the one" is an adult!)

[olmue.livejournal.com]

Millicent Min has the most perfectly consistent voice I've read in a long time. Great stuff!

I hate it when my friends kick themselves for no reason.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Sure. A sad geek who wrote one of the best items of literary criticism I ever read - one so good that it unleashed an avalanche of excellent discussion and eventually ended up linked to Wikipedia.

And should I mention the children?

Re: I hate it when my friends kick themselves for no reason.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Sorry, my bad. I forgot to add the words "as a kid" to the subject line. I was thinking of myself at eleven (Millicent's age in the book), and wanting everyone to realize that I was not like her in being so brilliant I could attend college before most people were in high school, but just in the sense of being incredibly geeky and lacking social skills.

I've fixed the subject line now, to make it more plain that I am not beating up on myself, just being honest. But thanks for the kind words.

[labellerose.livejournal.com]

Just finished the new Bujold, myself, but won't insert spoilers unless you, you know, really want them.

I'd be very interested in your take.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I'm not quite halfway through it yet; so far I think it's pretty nifty. But we'll see how I feel at the end.

Kids Lit

[jamesbow.livejournal.com]

I hear you about the love of Kids Lit. I enjoy it more than most "adult" literature I read. There's a youthful sense of transformation in many of them, a sense of wonder and clarity that you don't always find in more mature novels.

I recommend Kenneth Oppel's "Airborn" and its sequel "Skybreaker", both of which are winning awards everywhere ("Airborn" won the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature back in 2004), and it's easy to see why. Swashbuckling adventure with Zeppelins and sky pirates! Really good books to tear through.

Re: Kids Lit

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Read and enjoyed both Airborn and Skybreaker -- gave them away to my nephew for Christmas, too. Definite tear-throughs.