i got this book for valentines day from the huzzzzz – what can i say the boy knows me!

for those of you that don’t know, josh and i manned a hearts and laserbeams booth in the vendor area of a couple of l.a. derby dolls matches last year. then we went with some friends to see a multi-game roller derby extravaganza put on by the oc rollergirls last march, and when we actully saw a match we were hooked. hooked may not be the word. but full-on obessessed may be a little strong… anyways, moral of the story is we had to stop getting booths at the derby dolls games because all we want to do is watch. and drink beer. roller derby is the effing bomb!

derby girl is a novel written by shauna cross, who used to skate for the l.a. derby dolls under the name maggie mayhem. according to the inside cover of this book, she “is obsessed with flea markets, the art of the perfect cd mix (even though cds are so over), and pretending she still lives in her hometown of austin texas.”

i would also like to add to this that she likes long romantic walks on the beach and candlelit dinners from mcdonalds but i don’t actually know her so i’m not for reals adding that at all.

according to my extensive research (i.e. josh mentioned he thought this might be the case and then i double checked imdb which never lies), this book is where the story for the upcoming roller derby movie whip it came from, with the screenplay also written by shauna cross!

hearts and laserbeams book report: derby girl by shauna cross

ok i got through this book in one day because i couldn’t stop reading it – which is a stark contrast to the ambrose bierce travesty (check out yesterday’s book report)! if you’re looking for a superfun read this is it – it’s kinda a bit like reading a teen girl’s diary, and no chapter is longer than like 3 or 4 pages.

love love LOVE the cover. i know that’s got zero pull in the merits of reading a book, but dangit i’m an artist so that crap matters. the cover’s got a cool pulp art kind of feel and i totally dig it.

don’t read this book trying to learn the rules of roller derby cuz it’s not that kind of book. i can’t quite put my finger on what it reminds me of – maybe juno a tiny bit but not really… ghost worldy maybe! just very much a book about a misfit teen who’s rebelling against a mom who’s trying to make her a beauty pagaent winner and all the madcap mayhem that results.

i can’t wait for the movie of this book to come out dangit!

and no i’m not giving away this book cuz number one it’s about roller derby and number two it was a gift from the huzzz! but the next book i will, i swear! i think i’m gonna start passing on the books i report on so someone else can have a read…

ratings

hearts: 4 hearts – i totally had a blast reading this book! it’s really fun to do more lighthearted books in between the high school reading list type stuff i’ve been getting into lately, and this was a much-needed break! i will probably read this again sometime!

farts: 1 fart – as a roller derby fan it was kinda confusing to see l.a. teams and players referenced in this book set in texas mixed in with other teams from other places and it kinda left me scratching my head at times. but really, that’s the only complaint! pow!

super fun, super fluffy, no cliff notes needed, read 40 pages of it in the morning and came back to finish the job later that day!