ALAN

ALAN is always a fantastic conference, but I think I came away with even more books this year! I just finished Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott, which I can't believe I never read. What a haunting novel!

"Alice" aka Kyla is abducted at 10 years old from a zoo field trip by Ray. He has kept her at his apartment and "loves" her like a "daughter" for five years and Alice's disappearance is never solved. Kyla is also replacing the "last Alice" who Ray killed when she got to old for his liking. Now, Ray is on the lookout to replace "Alice" with a new younger version. This novel left a horrid feeling in the pit of my stomach, probably because I have an almost 10 year-old daughter. The writing is passionate and real with a speed to the prose at the end that is reminiscent of LH Anderson's Wintergirls. A departure from her romantic realism, Elizabeth Scott has done a phenomenal job of creating these characters and lingering setting. Ray is one of those horrific characters who will make all mothers of young girls lock their doors tightly!
I am now settled in NYC for the long weekend after finishing ALAN today and I have a load of novels to keep me busy on the long drive home Sunday. Happy 94th Birthday, Grandma!

Happy New Year! Something, Maybe......

Happy 2009 to all....actually, anyone who is bothering to read this. :)

Now, don't get me wrong with this one; I LOVE Elizabeth Scott! She has written some novels that have brought me right back to high school, feelings and all. And, I've often wondered how she is able to produce so many novels so quickly. On the ride to Indy, I finished SOMETHING, MAYBE (March, Simon Pulse) and I was not as enthralled as I was with her other novels. They are, to be sure, all feel good novels about boys and girls finding each other, going through trials and ending up reasonably happy. This one, however, I didn't have characters flushed out enough to seem real to me. The writing was lackluster compared to the other novels of hers that I've read and I just think this one could have used a bit more time on the back burner.

Hannah has a mom who is a dying star trying to keep her image alive on the internet, literally. Her father is a super famous, 72 year-old playboy who lives, Hugh Hefner-like, with his "bunnies" in NYC. Hannah is the product of her mother (when she was a bunny) and Jackson James, her father. Most of the novel is spent with Hannah trying to be invisible (her goal in high school)and trying to decide between two equally adorable boys at work. The plot just didn't seem to have the life that other Scott novels have. Characters were somewhat 2 dimensional and the plot just didn't seem to go anywhere. Perhaps teens would find this more scintillating than I, but this one just didn't do it for me. More later- I read a LOT over break.