White Cat by Holly Black The more I read of Holly Black, the more a couple of themes come across: Magic is real and scary. Family is not to be trusted. This book is set in a slightly different modern-day than her other books. Teenaged Cassel wakes up on the snowy roof of his boarding-school dorm room, knowing that his cover is blown. He’s been trying to pass for normal, even though he comes from a family of curse workers, all of whom work for one of the big five crime families. Cassel himself isn’t a worker, but con games are in his blood. Even lying low at boarding school – trying to escape some truly dark memories – Cassel is supporting himself as a bookie, running betting schemes all over the school. Now that the school sees him as a danger to himself, he’s sent to stay with his family until he can get a doctor’s consent to go back home. Once with his family again, the plot thickens. His oldest brother, a strong man for the crime family, is clearly up to something, and his young wife is suffering from some kind of spell. His next oldest and favorite brother is losing large amounts of his memory – is someone doing memory work on him, or is he doing such large amounts of memory work that the blowback is tearing holes in his own memory? All magic is called cursing here, and all the magic Cassel sees is used for cursing, controlled by the crime families ever since it became illegal shortly after Prohibition. Then, at his mother’s house (abandoned until she gets out of jail), he finds a white cat, the same white cat that he was following in the dream which ended up with him on the roof. In the dream, the cat’s name was Lila, the same name as his childhood best friend, the daughter of the head of the crime family; Lila, around whom his terrible memories center. Cassel needs to figure what is going on, and decide if there is anyone he can trust or if there is such a thing as real friendship. The plot is full of twists in the main plot, and has some nice subplots as well. The overall tone is dark and sarcastic, the plot fast-moving, and Cassel a likeable character despite his repeated assurances to the reader that he is not a good person. Fans of Holly Black’s other work will enjoy this, of course. The urban setting calls to mind Charles de Lint, though Black’s work is less dreamy and much faster paced, while the crime world fantasy is reminiscent of Stephen Brust’s Jhereg series, but less comedy than some of those works. It’s good stuff, and the cover makes it look like there will be more.
The only really annoying part was the cover – which looks fine on its own, until you read the descriptions of Cassel in the text, where he is described as definitely not white of indeterminate origins. That pretty boy on the cover looks lily-white to me, another frustrating example of covers being whitewashed on the theory that dark skins don’t sell.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Read by Janet Song
Harry and the Potters by Harry and the Potters This is the time of year when I start feeling nostalgic for Harry Potter – waiting in line for the new book, then discussing it with all my friends. Why not celebrate Harry’s birthday (July 31) and relive the magic with some wizard rock? Harry and the Potters is one of the first wizard rock bands to make it big. The two performers, brothers Paul and Joe DeGeorge, recorded their first album in their garage with not much but a whole lot of enthusiasm. Intonation and timing were sometimes a bit off, but I couldn’t help smiling as I listened to lyrics like, “You can’t take my best friend’s sister and get away with it,” or “Why’d you have to kill my parents, Lord Voldemort, I mean You-Know-Who?” The songs in this album are taken directly from the plot of the first two books and sung from Harry’s point of view. Although my library only has the first album, the band is still going strong, with several more albums and active tours – their [edited to add link] 
Life’s Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets by Lisa Quinn I was sold as soon as I saw the title, because even though I do fold my fitted sheets, I gave up the quest to make them look as nice as the flats years ago. Quinn has written a book designed for the recovering Martha Stewart addict, with sections on cleaning and organizing, decorating and entertaining. It’s all designed to help you feel pulled-together enough to enjoy your life and your friends without having to stress about it all. There are no Fly Lady-type tips on establishing regular routines here. Instead, there are lists: what to clean up if you have company coming in 30 minutes; tips on best floor and furniture finishes for easy cleaning and not showing dirt; hardest house plants to kill; easy mixed drinks. A few of the ideas that she called “slacker” were still more work than anything I’ve done – easy centerpieces, for example, when my table is so small that a pair of candlesticks makes it feel crowded. But these were mostly in the entertainment section, and maybe that’s just the difference between Hollywood entertaining and the casual Midwest. There were still a lot of good ideas, such as using large covered baskets to stash your clutter just before guests come, and how to make that ugly carpeting blend into your décor. Most of all, Quinn wants women (and especially mothers) to ease up on themselves and only do as much as is truly enjoyable.
Peter & Max by Bill Willingham This is the first non-graphic novel in 
The Unwritten Vol 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey and Peter Gross Metafiction! With action! Tommy Taylor is the star of a Harry Potter-like series, only it’s even more popular. And Tommy Taylor is not grateful that his father made the real Tommy Taylor star of a fictional series, making the fictional character close enough to the real that some die-hard fans believe him to be the boy wizard. But his father disappeared years ago under mysterious circumstances, leaving Tommy penniless. Now, suddenly, evidence turns up that Tommy might not really be his father’s son. A young woman calling herself Lizzie Hexam might have some answers – if Tommy can survive that long. While the excerpts of the Tommy Taylor stories as presented don’t seem like they would actually rival Harry Potter, the fiction within fiction and fiction crossing the borders to the real world is fascinating. It’s an exciting story, filled with references to other great works of literature for the discerning reader. Fans of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books, which have more humor and less reflection on the capricious nature of fame and fan worship, may enjoy this as well.
Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini Martini’s last book, 
Foiled by Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Mike Cavallaro Teen-aged Aliera doesn’t really fit in in high school, but she’s an excellent fencer, working towards nationals. She has a new foil that her mother found cheap second-hand, with a huge fake jewel attached to the hilt. She keeps herself busy with the fencing, and with weekly visits to play role-playing games with her wheel-chair bound cousin – cousin Caroline the queen, Aliera her defender. It’s fencing as metaphor for life, at first. Aliera’s fencing master tells her to guard her heart, and she finds the words echoing through her head as she falls for the same cute new guy that every other girl in school is falling for. Typical high school story so far, and it could work fine as just that. But supernatural elements start creeping in: the ravens flying outside the window at first, and then… cut for spoilers. Cavallaro’s sassy artwork is just right, mostly in grey scale with occasional splashes of color. The cover says he “illustrated”, and I wouldn’t be surprised if an established author’s first try at a graphic novel was text with illustrations that show exactly what the text says. Not so here, as there are clues to the story that only show up in the pictures, as well as clever little in-between pictures of fencing while the main pictures and the dialog are verbal sparring. Although the story ends tidily enough, there’s plenty of room for a sequel. I’m hoping. We’ve got this in teen here; there’s nothing inappropriate for younger children, though they might not appreciate the romance. And, like most of Jane Yolen’s work past the dinosaur books, there’s plenty of appeal for adults as well.
Steamed by Katie MacAlister Jack is a computer-ish engineer in the modern era, at work a bit tired from going to a concert by the steampunk* band Airship Pirates the night before. His sister Hallie drops by to inform him that she’s auctioned off a date with him and manages to do something very bad with the materials in his lab. Shortly thereafter, Captain Octavia Pye is quite shocked when her first mate reports two apparently unconscious people in the hold of her airship. Naturally, there is instant attraction between Jack and Captain Pye. There is shock on her part and on that of her crew that he is wearing a shirt that proclaims him to be a pirate. There is disappointment on the part of Jack that, despite the beautifully tailored uniform, Captain Pye insists on wearing her corset underneath her blouse. There are a good number of explosions, chases and escapes relating to Octavia’s secret involvement in an organization trying to overthrow the Empire, all of which is somewhat trying to Jack’s Quaker beliefs. The point of view alternates between Jack and Octavia, Jack speaking in rather foul-mouthed modern vernacular and Octavia in formal Victorian-era language. This is a humorous and light, yet steamy romance, suitable for fans of steam of both the romantic and, um, punk variety.
Simple Isn’t Easy by Olivia Goldsmith and Amy Fine CollinsThis is a book of style, rather than fashion advice. No looking at colors and sillouhettes here; rather, Goldsmith and Collins aim for you to have your closet hold only clothes that you love and look good in. There’s a step-by-step process to help you find what clothes really work on you and for your lifestyle. It really is advice that doesn’t date easily. They err on the European side of fewer, high-quality clothes, already assembled into outfits in the closet. This is an excellent book for people who love to shop and are tempted to come home with clothes that are fun and easy to buy but that don’t work for them. Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that now is not really the time for me to spend money on nice clothes, as I don’t have the money or the time for the process, nor will anything I own stay looking nice past the first wearing just now. However, for those willing to put some up-front effort into developing their own look and wardrobe, this is an excellent choice.
