Book Review: Handcuffs by Bethany Griffin

She runs out of the room crying.
Let me start over.
My mom runs out of the room crying.
Um, let me start over.

Bethany Griffin’s debut novel, Handcuffs, follows the story of Parker Prescott, an “ice princess” with problems. Her parents are unemployed and about to lose their house, the local high school blogger is spreading rumors that she’s a whore, her sister’s marriage is falling apart right on top of her, and–oh yeah–her ex-boyfriend came over and there was that incident with the handcuffs.

This ain’t Sweet Valley High, folks.

Griffin’s writing is taut and quick, moving through this high-school hell at breakneck speed as Parker tries to fix her life. I could not put the book down–it totally stole an entire Saturday from me.

While the plot is a good one—fast-paced, twisty—it was really the characters that grabbed hold and wouldn’t let me leave. They are exquisitely drawn, fresh and real. I loved Parker, and I was definitely rooting for her very early on. And I may have occasionally said “no! no! Parker don’t!” aloud to the book. Yes, that may have happened. Parker and her problems are easy to relate to–her everyday problems as well as her extraordinary ones. And the ex, ohhhh the ex. He’s mysterious and dangerous… and nameless. Throughout the book he is referred to only as “him” or “my ex-boyfriend” and so on. A cute gimmick? I don’t think so. It focuses the story on Parker. It’s Parker’s feelings for the boy that are important, not necessarily the boy himself. An interesting literary choice on Griffin’s part, and I think a good one.

So overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and I highly recommend it for the YA reader in your life. 

buy it here at amazon.com

Disclaimer: I do happen to know Bethany, she is awesomesauce, but I didn’t let that influence the writing of the review; please don’t let it influence your reading of it.

can life get any better?

I may have actually died and gone to heaven.

Law and Order: UK. Coming soon to a tv near you. (well, if you’re in the UK. or have internet, but don’t tell anyone I said that.)

This combines two of my favorites things ever: Law and Order and British tv. Seriously, I am dead of joy.

And it has a former Doctor-companion, Freema Agyeman (Martha), and my favorite Horatio Hornblower buddy, Jamie Bamber. (on the far right. he was also in Battlestar Galactica, or something.) And other people I vaguely recognize.

Overall, I’m pretty excited.

black ice

This weekend, a car carrying four people hit a patch of black ice and flipped over three times between Saint Paul and Duluth before sliding into a pole. One of my very good friends is now in the hospital with a shattered leg. The other three are mostly unscathed, and all are alive.

Dear People Reading My Blog: always wear your seatbelts.

That is all.

Spring Cleaning

Wow so I’m failing at this whole blogging thing of late. And I don’t even have the “no internet” excuse any more. Apologies. I know you, my fans, must have been going through major withdrawal. I hope to make it up to you. Have not yet figured out how, but stay tuned.

So anyway.

We’ll do a bullet-point update.

• First and most important, I have acquired a cat! She is adorable, but nameless. If you have any ideas, I would be much obliged.  She looks like this: Isn’t my baby cute?!?
• I have joined zipcar. I now use “zip” as a verb. I am going to “zip” this afternoon so I can go buy running shoes. Because:
• I have started running. You just watch, I am going to be a superfit runner girl. So far I can only kinda jog/walk 2 miles at a time. But you JUST WAIT.
• I haven’t written a word of fiction in almost as long as I haven’t posted here. I think it might be part of the reason I’m in kind of a grouchy mood.
• Spring is nigh. Gracetopia eagerly awaits.

Further updates as events warrant. And I’ll try to blog a bit more regularly again.

not really a theater review

Tonight I went to see Frost/Nixon. On stage, not on film. Nixon was played by Stacey Keach (I’m apparently supposed to know who this is, his name is in really big letters) and Frost was played by Alan Cox, who is a new addition to my list of favorite actors.

Here is Alan Cox wearing a fabulous vest and even more fabulous sideburns:

Keach was very very good (not being intimately familiar with Nixon–”I am not a crook” is about as far as my experience goes–I can’t speak to his impersonation, but his acting was très fab) and I’ve lost the beginning of my parentheses and will begin again. Keach was very very good, and Alan Cox was even better, and the production was excellent. The acting, the sets, the directing, everything was excellent.

My apologies. Usually my theater reviews are more interesting than me just twirling around and saying “this was great!” but I am tired. Also, it was great.

And really, this post isn’t about Frost/Nixon but about Alan Cox. My new favorite actor. He totally smiled at me, by the way, while they were taking their bows. No really. Right at me. I was in the front row (student rush FTW–I love my outdated and undated student ID card) and he looked directly at me and smiled. Really. Alan, call me. Anytime.

Also, random factoid thanks to IMDb, Alan Cox is the son of another of my favorite actors, Brian Cox. (I’d say I thought there was something familiar about A, but that would be a lie.) You probably know B from the Bourne movies. Here is a charming father/son picture:

Just look at Alan’s snuggly jacket!

Okay, I’ll stop being creepy now.

So, I’m sure Michael Sheen does a fine job in the movie (which I have to go see now) but he has a lot to live up to. So does Frank Langella, actually, tho I guess really since he originated Nixon it was sort of the other way around… but I saw Keach first… so… now I’m confused. Anyhoo.

Frost/Nixon is in Boston til the end of the week, then it travels on to places unknown.

are you ready for this?

And now.

The moment we have all been waiting for.

Ta-da! Isn’t it pretty?

Here’s a close-up. The blurriness is due more to my photographic abilities than to the tattoo itself, though it is still healing.

And if you can tell me what the quote is from without googling it–and I will *know* if you googled it–you get extra gracepoints. Which are very very valuable, I promise.

omg yes

Look out, Mr. Darcy! The zombies are coming to eat your brains!

This is the sort of book I would usually reject out of hand, disdainful of someone’s rehashing of a classic. But dudes.

Zombies. Jane Austen.

If that isn’t a match made in heaven, I don’t know what is.