The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery

I have to say that I am loving Europa Edition books. Besides their cool covers, I've found some great little gems. I LOVED Margherita Dolce Vita, and enjoyed The Girl on the Via Flaminia. So a while back I went to the library and checked out Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It is originally written in French and has been translated into English.

I liked it.

The story revolves around the lives of a few people in an affluent apartment building in France. It flip flops narration between an insanely smart but suicidal young girl, Paloma, and Renée, the intelligent but frumpy concierge lady.

Both are very smart but hide what they are from the wealthy people around them. That all changes when a handsome and intelligent Japanese man moves in and helps them open up.

I really enjoyed both Paloma and Renée. Their transformations were what made the book. Sometimes overly smart kids can be a bit annoying in books and movies, but Paloma surprised me. Although she is contemplating suicide, it's not really because she's sad or depressed, but more about her own logical reasoning. But Renée was what made me like the book. Watching her open up and blossom was my favorite part.

It wasn't amazing but I liked it.

**Have you read any Europa Editions? If so, what did you think?

Also Reviewed by:
A Book Blog. Period.
Library Queue
She is Too Fond of Books
Five Borough Book Review
Caribou's Mom
Books I Done Read
Books, the Universe, and Everything
A Bookish Way of Life
The Boston Bibliophile
The Book Nest

Festive Food Cart

Festive food cart in Mid-town taken with my phone.

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Winner!

Thank you all who entered and left great comments!! The winner of my hard back copy of Garth Stein's novel is:

Carol at buddyt

Aik

Carol, you didn't leave me your email (for shame!) so please email me your address (nycbookgirl at gmail dot com) so I can ship it out to you!! You left a great comment so I don't want you to miss out!

I never heard back from Carol so the winner is Aik!

Thanks!

Seeing Redd and Arch Enemy - Frank Beddor

Seeing Redd and Arch Enemy are the second and third books in the The Looking Glass Wars trilogy by Frank Beddor. You can check out my review of the first book. I found a copy of Seeing Redd at a library book sale and was in the middle of reading it when I was asked by Victor at Special Ops Media to review Arch Enemy. How cool is that?

**If you haven't checked out my first review or read the first book, you might get some spoilers so just watch out.

**Please note that these books are not graphic novels and the photos are taken from the Internet, not the books.

Seeing Redd

Alyss Heart (Alice from Wonderland) is real. She was forced to go through the Pool of Tears into our world when she was young to escape her evil aunt Redd who had murdered her mother. Alyss is back in Wonderland but is not fighting against her aunt for the throne.

I don't want to give away too much, but I really liked Seeing Redd. Evil Redd just cracks me up because she is just so perfectly evil. I love her evil roses on her dress that snap at people. And her side-kick Cat is just awesome. (Best part: Redd makes an appearance in London...totally enjoyed that part in the book).

Here's some other photos of Redd (I just LOVE this series' artwork):

Alternate covers:

Arch Enemy

Alyss Heart has more to contend with than just her evil aunt. The third book focuses on her other rival King Arch who is the tribal leader of the Boarderlands. How cool is the cover of Arch Enemy?
Here's the Boarderlands:
While Alyss and Redd are in the middle of their own war, Arch sees an opportunity to take over Wonderland for himself. Arch is pretty funny too. He thinks women should not be rulers and he is so condescending.

I really enjoyed this one because it really dealt with the the idea of Imagination and what happens when Wonderlanders (especially Alyss and Redd) lose their imagination and how that affects people in our world. It was one of those books that there were only a few pages left and I got all worried...how is it going to end!?! But he wrapped it up pretty nicely. I was impressed.

Oh, and don't forget Dodge. Dodge is Alyss's love interest in the trilogy who is bent on revenge because the Cat killed his father. Here's Dodge:
And here's the tragic Heart family (Redd on the left and Alyss's mom on the right):
While I enjoyed the series, I think I am more enthralled with the art work. I'd love to see this series as a graphic novel or better yet, a movie. On Frank Beddor's website for the trilogy, it does look like there is something in the works. Yippee!

Also Reviewed by:

Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops - Seeing Redd
Bold. Blue. Adventure - Seeing Redd
A Reader's Journal - Seeing Redd
Muse Books - Seeing Redd

The Neverending Shelf - Arch Enemy

That one tree in NYC

Time is moving way too fast. Does anyone else think that? I can't believe it's December already. Sigh.

NYC is all abuzz today because it's that time again. The day the Rockefeller Center's tree gets all lit up.

I am NOT dealing with the throngs of people today. Been there and done that a few years ago. So to regurgitate an old post, here's a photo of my husband and I during the tree lighting.



A few years ago I did happen to walk by the center while the tree was still all boxed up. Makes me wonder how they transport the massive tree?

What I Read in November

I am so proud of myself this month. I read 13 Books!! That is the MOST I've ever read in a month. I've read a total of 87 books this years so just 13 more and I'll read my goal of 100 books this year. Think I can do it?

Here's the recap:

November

75. Gourmet Rhapsody - Muriel Barbery
76. Smoke and Mirrors - Neil Gaiman

77. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

78. Only Milo - Barry Smith
79. Now & Then - Jacqueline Sheehan
80. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
81. Giv: The Story of a Dog and America - Boston Teran

82. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Anne Shaffer & Annie Barrows
83. The Creed of Violence - Boston Teran

84. The Sandman Vol 1.: Preludes and Nocturnes - Neil Gaiman

85. Arch Enemy - Frank Beddor
86. The Information Officer - Mark Mills
87. Hunter - Campbell Jefferys


Don't worry, my reviews will be coming ASAP.

**What all did you read this month? Did you have a favorite?

The Creed of Violence - Boston Teran

The Creed of Violence is the second book I've read by Boston Teran. I was asked to read by Kelley and Hall and I took one look at the title of the book and the cover and I was sold. And it did not disappoint.

I want to say that The Creed of Violence is a departure from Teran's novel Giv: The Story of a Dog and America that I recently reviewed. But based on all Teran's novels, I think Giv was the departure. While this is a gritty and often violent tale, what surprised me was the touch of humanity that was infused by the relationships of the main characters.

The Creed of Violence starts out on the Texas/Mexico border in 1910. Mexico is rumbling for revolution which is a problem for both countries because of Mexico's much-needed oil fields (hmmm...sounds eerily familiar). John Lourdes is a young agent in America's Bureau of Investigation (early FBI). His job is to take the criminal known as Rawbone and travel with him and a truck full of weapons across the border into Mexico undercover. Rawbone is working with the Bureau to gain immunity. Problem? Aside from the obvious dangers of working undercover in a country on the brink of revolution, Rawbone is John Lourdes dead-beat father. John Lourdes knows this. Rawbone does not.

I really enjoyed this book for two reasons: the setting of the novel and the relationship between father and son. I could totally see why The Creed of Violence is being adapted in to a movie. What a violent and vivid portrait he paints of Mexico, the revolutionaries, and America's intervention into the fray. The setting sucked me into the novel but it was really the relationship between Rawbone and John Lourdes that kept me reading.

Here's the first line of the book which is about Rawbone:

"He was born in Scabtown the day Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theater."

I love how it starts out. Rawbone is a criminal and a common killer. He never knew his father and his prostitute mom died when he was young. Left on his own he turned criminal. Honestly, I kind of liked him. He was sort of funny with a type of wit that made him a likable character. John Lourdes, ironically, had a similar sad upbringing. Rawbone was married to his mom and then took off when Lourdes was young. His mom passed away shortly after. But instead of turning criminal like Rawbone, Lourdes joins the Bureau of Investigation. He's angry at Rawbone and really wants to see him dead.

But their journey together changes them. And that's the part of The Creed of Violence that I enjoyed. I'm excited to see how this book will be adapted to the big screen. I wonder who would portray Rawbone and John Lourdes.

**Has anyone read anything by Boston Teran? I've heard that his book God is a Bullet is really really good. I'm going to have to check it out.

**I still want to know who Boston Teran really is. Arg.