Well, I took the final and my homework is 3/4 of the way done... so... one more assignment and term paper and then I'm done. In the mean time, here's a round-up of things you should be looking at:
Still need to do your Christmas shopping? Books! Kelly has the round-up of this month's Carnival of Children's lit-- all about gift books. (And, the first carnival I've participated in! Woot!)
Have you always wondered who was richer-- Mom or Monty Burns? (Answer: Mom) and how much is Lucius Malfoy really worth? Check you this year's most hilarious Forbes 15 Richest Fictional Characters. The article is a little annoying to read due to layout, but hilarious. (And, can I just cheer for the inclusion of Mom! Yay! Mom! Man, I do love Futurama. A few months ago, I read a Playboy interview with Groening in which he said that Futurama is going the way of Family Guy-- it's coming back! Speaking of Family Guy, Mr. Pewetershmidt is totally on the list.)
And here's some YouTube-ery to keep you entertained and distracted:
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Argh
I am going insane. Rapidly. You know how people go slowly insane? Nope I'm hurtling towards insanity in the form of undone cataloging assignments and a term paper.
I really wanted to be done by today. Nope. When I take my final tonight, I'll go home (it will be late) and... I'll do more homework. I cannot wait until this class is all done, except, I can. I mean, I have to have everything in on Thursday, and now I'm really really really freaking out that there isn't enough time...
But, Friday I go home and my sister comes back with us.
So I should probably clean the bathroom first, right?
Anyway, I read another book. (I can't do homework and eat, I can read and eat though.)
Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians Brandon Sanderson
I have yet to be inducted into the Evil Librarian cult. This makes me sad. I'm hoping that really, they're just waiting until I get my MLIS.
Alcatraz Smedry grew up in a slew of foster homes in the Hushlands (that's the known world to you and me. We're also Hushlanders and are stuck with primitive technology and not knowing there are three other continents on this earth. Blame the librarians, they control all the information, they keep us in the dark.)
On Alcatraz's thirteenth birthday, his grandfather shows up because it's time to step up and fulfill the Smedry role of saving the world from Evil Librarians.
Full of Alcatraz talking directly to the reader about how awful authors are (himself included), it's hilarious and well thought out. You'll never look at the central downtown branch of a library the same way again.
(Also, I would like to point out that MLK branch of the DC library? Perfect place for librarians to have evil lairs. That building is weird.)
(And for those counting at home, every book I've ever reserved has just come in, so... I now have 26 books to read. Before January... um.... that's what 4.5 hour long layovers in Detroit are for, right? Right.)
I really wanted to be done by today. Nope. When I take my final tonight, I'll go home (it will be late) and... I'll do more homework. I cannot wait until this class is all done, except, I can. I mean, I have to have everything in on Thursday, and now I'm really really really freaking out that there isn't enough time...
But, Friday I go home and my sister comes back with us.
So I should probably clean the bathroom first, right?
Anyway, I read another book. (I can't do homework and eat, I can read and eat though.)
I have yet to be inducted into the Evil Librarian cult. This makes me sad. I'm hoping that really, they're just waiting until I get my MLIS.
Alcatraz Smedry grew up in a slew of foster homes in the Hushlands (that's the known world to you and me. We're also Hushlanders and are stuck with primitive technology and not knowing there are three other continents on this earth. Blame the librarians, they control all the information, they keep us in the dark.)
On Alcatraz's thirteenth birthday, his grandfather shows up because it's time to step up and fulfill the Smedry role of saving the world from Evil Librarians.
Full of Alcatraz talking directly to the reader about how awful authors are (himself included), it's hilarious and well thought out. You'll never look at the central downtown branch of a library the same way again.
(Also, I would like to point out that MLK branch of the DC library? Perfect place for librarians to have evil lairs. That building is weird.)
(And for those counting at home, every book I've ever reserved has just come in, so... I now have 26 books to read. Before January... um.... that's what 4.5 hour long layovers in Detroit are for, right? Right.)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Love in a Foreign Language
There was a line from a poem written by a short blond girl who read once at a poetry open mic hosted by the college literary magazine. The line, which I don't remember exactly, was along the lines of, "I broke his heart in English, because I couldn't be bothered to translate."
There are many beautiful meditations on language, and losing your language, and living and loving in a foreign language in Chang-Rae Lee's fantastic Native Speaker.
I have tried and failed to date outside English. Conversation sticks to pleasantries like the weather and we never really get to know each other.
These were the thoughts running through my head as I read Xiaolu Guo's A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers: A Novel
I think it is telling that it is dedicated to "The man who... knows how a woman lost her language."
Z (no one can pronounce Zhuang, just call her Z) is sent to London to study English. There she meets a man, older and a drifter, and falls in love with him.
She talks to him as she learns English. Each chapter is short vignette, starting with a word and definition. As the novel, and time, wear on, Z's English improves, but never reaches fluency.
It's a doomed affair, you can tell from the beginning, the way he has a conception of China and expects her to be a good communist and Buddhist because she is Chinese and those are aspects that fit in with his aging-hippie drifter persona, never realizing that China has changed drastically. You can tell by the way she doesn't understand privacy.
More than a chronicle of a doomed love affair, it is a story of subtle and wry cultural misunderstanding. It is a coming-of-age story, both emotionally and sexually.
It is beautifully written, at times switching between terse and broken, to evocative and sensual, to moments of clear truth.
One of my favorite books of the year.
There are many beautiful meditations on language, and losing your language, and living and loving in a foreign language in Chang-Rae Lee's fantastic Native Speaker.
I have tried and failed to date outside English. Conversation sticks to pleasantries like the weather and we never really get to know each other.
I think it is telling that it is dedicated to "The man who... knows how a woman lost her language."
Z (no one can pronounce Zhuang, just call her Z) is sent to London to study English. There she meets a man, older and a drifter, and falls in love with him.
She talks to him as she learns English. Each chapter is short vignette, starting with a word and definition. As the novel, and time, wear on, Z's English improves, but never reaches fluency.
It's a doomed affair, you can tell from the beginning, the way he has a conception of China and expects her to be a good communist and Buddhist because she is Chinese and those are aspects that fit in with his aging-hippie drifter persona, never realizing that China has changed drastically. You can tell by the way she doesn't understand privacy.
More than a chronicle of a doomed love affair, it is a story of subtle and wry cultural misunderstanding. It is a coming-of-age story, both emotionally and sexually.
It is beautifully written, at times switching between terse and broken, to evocative and sensual, to moments of clear truth.
One of my favorite books of the year.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Ice?
I'm so sick of being... sick. Stupid head cold that won't go away and in fact, just got worse. Worse enough to keep me grounded yesterday and I couldn't even do my homework that desperately needs to get done because my brain was so foggy from the snot and the medicine trying to deal with the snot.
So I slept, and read a little, but mainly slept. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
So much of the country has a snow/ice day today. I hope if you do, you have some hot chocolate and a stack of good books to get you through it.
So, new book! (But I checked a new one out, so that's still 23 left to read.)
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L. LaFevers
I wanted to like this book, and I liked large portions of it but... there was something about it that kept me from loving it, but I can't quite figure it out.
Basic Plot: Theodosia's parents run the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in early twentieth century London. A lot of the artifacts her mother brings back from Egypt are positively broiling with evil curses. Only Theodosia seems to notice, so it's up to her to break and nullify them. Then there's something really cursed that lots of people want and gets stolen and there's intrigue and pre-WWI politics afoot.
The good: I liked the different societies vying for the Heart of Egypt. I liked the different countries vying for various digs in Egypt. I liked how it touched on Egyptian nationalism, was true to the time period and thought it was bad, and how there weren't over-arching lessons about colonialism that would have been totally anachronistic. (There were plenty of places for them.) At the same time, it shied away from the issue enough to not be totally offensive to the modern reader (Theo's parents are pretty focused and were most concerned about how it would mess up their digs.)
The bad: The historical-ness just seemed... off. As did the British-ness, but I can't say why exactly. Something about Theo's voice just seemed... off...Hmmmm... (I know, that's totally descriptive!)
Now, for an old review (9 more to go!)
Emako Blue by Brenda Woods
So, the book opens at Emako's funeral and then flashes back from the beginning of the school year to her death. Emako was a charismatic girl from the wrong side of the tracks that touched everyone she met. But, the book was way too short. You didn't get a good sense of how she touched these people and right when you were almost starting to care about her, she dies. 50-100 more pages and I think I would have really liked it, but it just ended too soon, before I was emotionally invested, so eh.
So I slept, and read a little, but mainly slept. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
So much of the country has a snow/ice day today. I hope if you do, you have some hot chocolate and a stack of good books to get you through it.
So, new book! (But I checked a new one out, so that's still 23 left to read.)
I wanted to like this book, and I liked large portions of it but... there was something about it that kept me from loving it, but I can't quite figure it out.
Basic Plot: Theodosia's parents run the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in early twentieth century London. A lot of the artifacts her mother brings back from Egypt are positively broiling with evil curses. Only Theodosia seems to notice, so it's up to her to break and nullify them. Then there's something really cursed that lots of people want and gets stolen and there's intrigue and pre-WWI politics afoot.
The good: I liked the different societies vying for the Heart of Egypt. I liked the different countries vying for various digs in Egypt. I liked how it touched on Egyptian nationalism, was true to the time period and thought it was bad, and how there weren't over-arching lessons about colonialism that would have been totally anachronistic. (There were plenty of places for them.) At the same time, it shied away from the issue enough to not be totally offensive to the modern reader (Theo's parents are pretty focused and were most concerned about how it would mess up their digs.)
The bad: The historical-ness just seemed... off. As did the British-ness, but I can't say why exactly. Something about Theo's voice just seemed... off...Hmmmm... (I know, that's totally descriptive!)
Now, for an old review (9 more to go!)
So, the book opens at Emako's funeral and then flashes back from the beginning of the school year to her death. Emako was a charismatic girl from the wrong side of the tracks that touched everyone she met. But, the book was way too short. You didn't get a good sense of how she touched these people and right when you were almost starting to care about her, she dies. 50-100 more pages and I think I would have really liked it, but it just ended too soon, before I was emotionally invested, so eh.
Friday, December 07, 2007
New Books--Lots of Reviews
So, last we checked in, I had 25 books checked out from the library that had to be read, and 15 books from 2006 and that to be blogged. As it stands now, I have checked out 2 more books, but read 4, so, now I have 23 to read. I blogged 5 unblogged books, so now I have 10 to go.
So the 4 new books, in the order in which I read them:
The Wednesday Wars Gary D. Schmidt
Holling Hoodhood is the only Protestant in his class, so every Wednesday, when everyone else goes to Hebrew School or Catholic School, Holling is stuck at school school, with Mrs. Baker, who we get the feeling was really wishing that she'd have Wednesday afternoons off and not be stuck with Holling.)
Mrs. Baker, who's husband (Tybalt) is a soldier in Vietnam, teaches Holling Shakespeare, which he likes, because Shakespeare really knew how to curse. In the meantime, there is baseball and running, hippies and the war, love and some giant rats in the ceiling.
Schmidt has written a wonderful book that has been raved about all over the blogosphere. I had one quibble with one little part of the ending, but I'll talk about that here.
Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm, pictures by Elicia Castaldi
Ginny is starting middle school, hoping to have a father and a lead in the Nutcracker and Swan Lake by the end of the year. And maybe her sweater back from her ex-best friend. In a story told through notes on the refrigerator, school assignments, IMs, postcards, report cards, bills, bank statements, and cartoons, we follow Ginny's year. She gains a father, but loses her brother who's juvenile crime sends him to military school. Funny and heartbreaking, a very amusing take on junior high and the graphic novel.
Sold by Patricia McCormick
I really wanted to read this after hearing McCormick speak and read at National Book Fest this fall.
Lakshmi is a peasant girl from a small village in the Nepalese Himalayas. After a horrible dry season comes a horrible monsoon season that washes away her family's crops. With the promise of a good job in the city, as a maid, Lakshmi's step-father sells her.
Only, they don't go to the city, but rather across the border into India, where she is sold two more times, ending up in a brothel as a child prostitute.
A novel in verse, Sold is told in vignettes, the sparse language lending to the Lakshmi's terror and confusion. There are moments of utter horror, and the beauty of everyday kindness.
McCormick tells this story well, matter of factly, but with beauty, never letting Lakshmi's voice stray into too much self-pity or the story go into emotional manipulation.
The Princess and the Hound Mette Ivie Harrison
If you liked The Goose Girl or Wildwood Dancing, you'll like this one.
George is a prince raised in duty, terrified that it will be discovered his posses the illegal and feared animal magic.
Beatrice is a princess trapped by her father and circumstance, resigned to marry for the sake of her kingdom.
More alike than they know, or will let themselves find out, they have to learn to trust each other to save each other.
And I know that sounds really lame, but it's a great story. I seriously thought about calling into work late so I could finish the last 100 pages.
So the 4 new books, in the order in which I read them:
Holling Hoodhood is the only Protestant in his class, so every Wednesday, when everyone else goes to Hebrew School or Catholic School, Holling is stuck at school school, with Mrs. Baker, who we get the feeling was really wishing that she'd have Wednesday afternoons off and not be stuck with Holling.)
Mrs. Baker, who's husband (Tybalt) is a soldier in Vietnam, teaches Holling Shakespeare, which he likes, because Shakespeare really knew how to curse. In the meantime, there is baseball and running, hippies and the war, love and some giant rats in the ceiling.
Schmidt has written a wonderful book that has been raved about all over the blogosphere. I had one quibble with one little part of the ending, but I'll talk about that here.
Ginny is starting middle school, hoping to have a father and a lead in the Nutcracker and Swan Lake by the end of the year. And maybe her sweater back from her ex-best friend. In a story told through notes on the refrigerator, school assignments, IMs, postcards, report cards, bills, bank statements, and cartoons, we follow Ginny's year. She gains a father, but loses her brother who's juvenile crime sends him to military school. Funny and heartbreaking, a very amusing take on junior high and the graphic novel.
I really wanted to read this after hearing McCormick speak and read at National Book Fest this fall.
Lakshmi is a peasant girl from a small village in the Nepalese Himalayas. After a horrible dry season comes a horrible monsoon season that washes away her family's crops. With the promise of a good job in the city, as a maid, Lakshmi's step-father sells her.
Only, they don't go to the city, but rather across the border into India, where she is sold two more times, ending up in a brothel as a child prostitute.
A novel in verse, Sold is told in vignettes, the sparse language lending to the Lakshmi's terror and confusion. There are moments of utter horror, and the beauty of everyday kindness.
McCormick tells this story well, matter of factly, but with beauty, never letting Lakshmi's voice stray into too much self-pity or the story go into emotional manipulation.
The Princess and the Hound Mette Ivie Harrison
George is a prince raised in duty, terrified that it will be discovered his posses the illegal and feared animal magic.
Beatrice is a princess trapped by her father and circumstance, resigned to marry for the sake of her kingdom.
More alike than they know, or will let themselves find out, they have to learn to trust each other to save each other.
And I know that sounds really lame, but it's a great story. I seriously thought about calling into work late so I could finish the last 100 pages.
Old Books--Lots of Reviews
Unblogged books, in order of reading-- we have 2 left from October of 2006... (short and pithy, because I don't remember these books very well.)
The Last Book In The Universe Rodman Philbrick
Spaz is an epileptic living in a post-apocalyptic world. There are no books, just mind probes that leave people empty shells of nothing. In order to save his sister, he has to cross several border lands, dealing with their gangs and security to get to the land of the "proves"-- the promised land populated by people who have been genetically improved.
An excellent adventure.
Wait for Me An Na
Yawn. Mina has lied about her academic prowress and that's about to come bite her in the butt. Her mom's a total bitch. She's been stealing from the family's dry-cleaning business. She likes this guy. Her little sister's deaf and depends on her for everything.
It could have been good, but... eh. It dragged and was boring and Mina was totally unsympathetic and so I didn't really care.
Woo-hoo! Unto November!
Pop! Aury Wallington
This was fun, nothing fantastic, but a nice little book about losing your virginity. Marit wants it gone, but freaks out when things get physical. Enter best friend Jamie, who isn't really a good choice for sex without attachment, because Marit still likes hot-boy Noah.
While the plot is a little unrealistic and happy-go-lucky, it's the kind I like in fun, sunny afternoon reads.
The sex scenes are hilariously accurate.
Lowji Discovers America Candace Fleming
A funny little book about a young boy trying to fit into small-town Illinois after growing up in Bombay. Moving just after school gets out, Lowji is bored and wants a pet. He quickly convinces his grouchy land-lady that a cat would help with the mouse problem and a dog would be a good burglar alarm, Lowji wins over the neighborhood.
Cute and written in the formal, slightly stilted English of a non-native speaker.
Spaz is an epileptic living in a post-apocalyptic world. There are no books, just mind probes that leave people empty shells of nothing. In order to save his sister, he has to cross several border lands, dealing with their gangs and security to get to the land of the "proves"-- the promised land populated by people who have been genetically improved.
An excellent adventure.
Yawn. Mina has lied about her academic prowress and that's about to come bite her in the butt. Her mom's a total bitch. She's been stealing from the family's dry-cleaning business. She likes this guy. Her little sister's deaf and depends on her for everything.
It could have been good, but... eh. It dragged and was boring and Mina was totally unsympathetic and so I didn't really care.
Woo-hoo! Unto November!
This was fun, nothing fantastic, but a nice little book about losing your virginity. Marit wants it gone, but freaks out when things get physical. Enter best friend Jamie, who isn't really a good choice for sex without attachment, because Marit still likes hot-boy Noah.
While the plot is a little unrealistic and happy-go-lucky, it's the kind I like in fun, sunny afternoon reads.
The sex scenes are hilariously accurate.
A funny little book about a young boy trying to fit into small-town Illinois after growing up in Bombay. Moving just after school gets out, Lowji is bored and wants a pet. He quickly convinces his grouchy land-lady that a cat would help with the mouse problem and a dog would be a good burglar alarm, Lowji wins over the neighborhood.
Cute and written in the formal, slightly stilted English of a non-native speaker.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Old Review!
Um, I read this in October of 2006.
Dixie Storms by Barbara Hall
Meh. So, it's the end of a summer with no rain, and the oppressive heat is used as an obvious metaphor for the tension in the Peyton household. Dutch is 14, not coping with the divorce of her brother and her city cousin Norma is in town, ruining everything.
Realistically, Dutch alternates well between hating/resenting Norma and wanting to be just like her.
There's some boy drama thrown in.
Overall, I didn't really like any of the characters, so I really didn't care what happened to them. They all annoyed me.
Meh. So, it's the end of a summer with no rain, and the oppressive heat is used as an obvious metaphor for the tension in the Peyton household. Dutch is 14, not coping with the divorce of her brother and her city cousin Norma is in town, ruining everything.
Realistically, Dutch alternates well between hating/resenting Norma and wanting to be just like her.
There's some boy drama thrown in.
Overall, I didn't really like any of the characters, so I really didn't care what happened to them. They all annoyed me.
A plea
Pfssss... look at me, where I'm all like I'm going to review review review! And then, what do I do? Carry around a stack of books to review and build muscles, but no reviewing.
But first, SNOW! YAY!
Second, I was writing a post on Puffery on products I wish they'd bring back. When researching it, I found that British LUSH will bring back the World Piece ballistic if enough people order it. Shipping and handling is stupidly expensive, BUT this is the greatest bath bomb ever. Order here. Help me out--you only have 3 more days and 8 hours...
In book-related news, the new the Edge of the Forest for November/December is out! There's lots of super cool stuff in it (one of my favorite issues this year!) and I review Martin Bridge: Out of Orbit! (Martin Bridge) by Jessica Scott Kerrin, illustrated by Joseph Kelly (good middle grade boy read), Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (lots of fun!), Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier (fantastic fairy tale), and Babymouse #6: Camp Babymouse Jennifer and Matthew Holm (not my favorite, Babymouse #7: Skater Girl is much better.)
So, go check those out to get your reviewing fix and I'll be back shortly with more reviews. Hopefully today, but I can't promise anything... :)
But first, SNOW! YAY!
Second, I was writing a post on Puffery on products I wish they'd bring back. When researching it, I found that British LUSH will bring back the World Piece ballistic if enough people order it. Shipping and handling is stupidly expensive, BUT this is the greatest bath bomb ever. Order here. Help me out--you only have 3 more days and 8 hours...
So, go check those out to get your reviewing fix and I'll be back shortly with more reviews. Hopefully today, but I can't promise anything... :)
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Gifts gifts gifts
See, the people who would be receiving such books? Would be reading this blog (Yes y'all you're getting books for Christmas. I'm sure you're shocked and amazed because you know, that's all I ever give anyone.)
So, I thought I'd turn it on it's head a bit and blog about books that people have given to me!
There's always a problem when giving your favorites to someone else. I'm not entirely sure my mother ever forgave me for not loving Trixie Belden the same way that she does.
On the other hand, I (and my classmates) will always love my parents for shipping a box full of John Steinbeck and Kurt Vonnegut novels to me when we ran out of English-language novels in China.
Now, my favorite books that have been given to me are cookbooks. This is interesting, because usually when I open them, I'm a little less than enthusiastic, but 3 of my top 5 cookbooks? Were presents to me. Desperation Dinners was given to Dan and me by my parents. It has the basis for my awesome Chicken/Tortellini/Pesto soup. (Um, add some tortellini.) Also, Dan's awesome white chicken chili is from here.
Dan's dad gave us How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food and when Mark Bitman says everything, he means everything. So, it not only contains the recipe to awesome pie crust, killer mocha butter-cream frosting, what to do with random chicken breasts or or how to make a good, basic marinara sauce, but when I didn't believe that whipped cream only involved cream and a wire whisk? Bitman proved me wrong (although he did suggest a smidge of sugar). When I realized I hadn't boiled an egg in a decade and didn't remember how long it should be in the water? This book told me. It also suggested that a medium boiled egg is much easier than a poached one with the same results. (My suggestion is to serve them on toast finely spread with Boursin cheese. Or on toast with crab cake.)
The third was a wedding present from our friend Alden, The Naked Chef which has some great recipes for various things and ways to do things the completely from scratch and where you can take shortcuts. I like this one because Oliver really gives you the freedom to experiment and really just provides base recipes and lets you run wild, for, as I've always said, one must approach love and cooking with reckless abandon. (In case you were wondering, my other top two cookbooks are Joy of Cooking (older editions are better) and Betty Crocker Cookbook which I DO NOT have. *hint hint*)
For Christmas a few years ago, Dan's mom gave me a copy of the hysterical Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About. (MotherReader agrees that this book brings the funny). She got it off my amazon wishlist and promptly forgot about it. Until we gave her a copy this year because, really people IT BRINGS THE FUNNY.
And who doesn't love going to the bookstore with parents who pay for their books? Everything from mama buying my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the midnight release party (she bought one for herself and one for me... when it comes to Harry, there's no sharing.) And most recently, Hardboiled and Hard Luck.
I love getting books and hope people never stop giving them to me!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
DEATH NOTE
As part of me catching up on things, there are going to be a lot of short one-book reviews with not a lot of me babbling before them...
Death Note, Volume 8: Flight Tsugumi Ohba
So, we have a battle of the wills between Light, Near, and Mello. I can't say much because we're really deep into the series. So, a few things
1. Light's a jerk.
2. Mello looks like a girl, and it would be cooler if he was because all the other girls in this series suck.
3. I hope light kills Misa, because then I won't have to deal with her anymore. He'll probably do it soon, because, well, see point 1.
The library has volumes 9,10,11, and 12 on order. I'm getting antsy.
So, we have a battle of the wills between Light, Near, and Mello. I can't say much because we're really deep into the series. So, a few things
1. Light's a jerk.
2. Mello looks like a girl, and it would be cooler if he was because all the other girls in this series suck.
3. I hope light kills Misa, because then I won't have to deal with her anymore. He'll probably do it soon, because, well, see point 1.
The library has volumes 9,10,11, and 12 on order. I'm getting antsy.
December!
In November I... did way too much, essentially. My November included:
1. 2 papers (including a term paper)
2. 1 midterm
3. More homework than I want to think about
4. New doggy
5. 33,000 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (well short of the 50,000 word goal. Ah well.)
6. Hosted Thanksgiving
7. Helped my mom make my sister's Save The Date cards
8. Read13 books.
In December, I'm attempting to do 2 major things:
1. Read the 25 books I have checked out from the library
2. Blog the 15 books that I read in 2006 and haven't blogged yet. (And make a dent in the 41 books that are unblogged from 2007.)
So, stay tuned for (hopefully, probably) multiple posts a day. Because I also have to
1. Do lots of homework
2. Take a final
3. Write a term paper
4. Stop Dog from destroying my kitchen
5. Do my Christmas shopping
6. Go home for Christmas
Speaking of Christmas shopping, here's a plea. There are a lot of links on this blog. A lot of them lead to Amazon. If you click on one, and order from Amazon? Even if you buy something that is different than what you clicked on? I get a wee kickback. How much depends on how much gets ordered (the more items ordered, the bigger the kickback.) And, let's face it. Librarian isn't really a big money career. Plus, I'm a grad student, plus, I have a nasty book habit that I'd really rather not kick... so... if you want to help out, that's a good way to do it. (Or, if you order some of my gear from the "cool book stuff" link in the sidebar, that works, too.)
Anyway, I got tagged for a meme by Hilary.
So, here we go:
1) Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So, 7 things about myself...
1. The term paper I wrote last week was about CIPA and internet filtering in public libraries. It's something I've been thinking a lot about. On one hand, information wants to be free and filtering is a form of censorship, especially some of the things that get filtered. On the other hand, kids can't spell and often the filter blocks porn they didn't mean to get to. But, filters often block a lot of legitimate, non-porn sites and lets a lot of porn through. In fact, this post will probably be blocked because I said porn so many times. PORN PORN PORN.
2. I use both Napster and iTunes. (Napster is totally legal now guys. I pay for it and everything.) Napster is a vastly superior product, because you pay $10/month and can download and listen to as much music as you want. If you want to burn it onto CD, it's an extra .99 BUT you can buy "track packs" which let you buy credits for a bunch of tracks at a discount. And, if you're buying a full album, it's usually cheaper than buying each track off the album. With iTunes, you can only listen to about 30 seconds of a song before you buy it, and albums cost .99 x # of tracks. I wouldn't use iTunes at all, but it's the only thing that works with my shiny pink iPod.
3. I really hate the use of putting "i" in front of everything information-related. I can understand "e" because it's short for "electronic" and I guess the lower-case "i" can mean information, but, really? You just sound like you're trying to buy into Apple's popularity. My library program is thinking of re-branding itself as an iSchool. It makes me want to scream. Not even getting into my issues with information schools vs library schools but to call us an iSchool?! Ew. Good luck ever getting money from me.
4. I love winter. I hate that it doesn't really snow in the DC area. I miss snow and extreme cold. I know I'm crazy, but I like a day so cold that when you breath in, the cold pierces all the way to the bottom of your lungs and your snot freezes.
5. I've never mailed out Holiday cards. Every year, I say I'm going to do it, and every year, Nada. This year, I have a great idea on cards to make. I know all the supplies I'd need and how to do it. I'm putting lists together in my head, but it won't happen. (As I typed that, I heard Dan saying "no no no no no no no no no" because he knows it would just be one of my projects that didn't go anywhere, and then I heard his giant sigh of relief when I said I wouldn't do it.) So, I'll share my idea with you:
1. Get a bunch of these navy blue cards.
2. Stamp them all over with silver snowflakes. I really like this one and this one.
3. Emboss a few of the snowflakes with this stuff, but I'm not sure which color. One of the silvery/white ones. (Mom and I embossed my sister's save the date cards--awesome and fun and easy once I figured out how to not set stuff on fire.)
4. Using double-sided type, put a bunch of these shiny white cards on the inside (ok, I totally know that they them with scalloped edges, which I'd use.)
5. Then I'd stamp the insides with a greeting. Probably Season's Greetings.
So now you can make them. And mail one to me.
6. I like Christmas carols and the Nutcracker music. My favorite carols are "O Holy Night" and "Psallite." "Psallite" is in Latin and German and is pretty, plus? Two foreign languages in one song? AWESOME.
7. For Christmas, I really want jewelry. Especially necklaces and earrings that I can wear to work. Some great stuff can be found at Tartx (especially the domino necklace with the Red Queen and a monocle necklace with the cards flipping over Alice) and Mytypewriter (especially the snowflake one) or the Cherry Blossom pearl necklace from the Sundance Catalog. (*cough* *cough* *hint* *hint*)
And now I tag Sara, Pam, Miss Erin, HolyKnitter, Kristin, Julie, and Susan and really, anyone else who wants to play.
1. 2 papers (including a term paper)
2. 1 midterm
3. More homework than I want to think about
4. New doggy
5. 33,000 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (well short of the 50,000 word goal. Ah well.)
6. Hosted Thanksgiving
7. Helped my mom make my sister's Save The Date cards
8. Read13 books.
In December, I'm attempting to do 2 major things:
1. Read the 25 books I have checked out from the library
2. Blog the 15 books that I read in 2006 and haven't blogged yet. (And make a dent in the 41 books that are unblogged from 2007.)
So, stay tuned for (hopefully, probably) multiple posts a day. Because I also have to
1. Do lots of homework
2. Take a final
3. Write a term paper
4. Stop Dog from destroying my kitchen
5. Do my Christmas shopping
6. Go home for Christmas
Speaking of Christmas shopping, here's a plea. There are a lot of links on this blog. A lot of them lead to Amazon. If you click on one, and order from Amazon? Even if you buy something that is different than what you clicked on? I get a wee kickback. How much depends on how much gets ordered (the more items ordered, the bigger the kickback.) And, let's face it. Librarian isn't really a big money career. Plus, I'm a grad student, plus, I have a nasty book habit that I'd really rather not kick... so... if you want to help out, that's a good way to do it. (Or, if you order some of my gear from the "cool book stuff" link in the sidebar, that works, too.)
Anyway, I got tagged for a meme by Hilary.
So, here we go:
1) Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So, 7 things about myself...
1. The term paper I wrote last week was about CIPA and internet filtering in public libraries. It's something I've been thinking a lot about. On one hand, information wants to be free and filtering is a form of censorship, especially some of the things that get filtered. On the other hand, kids can't spell and often the filter blocks porn they didn't mean to get to. But, filters often block a lot of legitimate, non-porn sites and lets a lot of porn through. In fact, this post will probably be blocked because I said porn so many times. PORN PORN PORN.
2. I use both Napster and iTunes. (Napster is totally legal now guys. I pay for it and everything.) Napster is a vastly superior product, because you pay $10/month and can download and listen to as much music as you want. If you want to burn it onto CD, it's an extra .99 BUT you can buy "track packs" which let you buy credits for a bunch of tracks at a discount. And, if you're buying a full album, it's usually cheaper than buying each track off the album. With iTunes, you can only listen to about 30 seconds of a song before you buy it, and albums cost .99 x # of tracks. I wouldn't use iTunes at all, but it's the only thing that works with my shiny pink iPod.
3. I really hate the use of putting "i" in front of everything information-related. I can understand "e" because it's short for "electronic" and I guess the lower-case "i" can mean information, but, really? You just sound like you're trying to buy into Apple's popularity. My library program is thinking of re-branding itself as an iSchool. It makes me want to scream. Not even getting into my issues with information schools vs library schools but to call us an iSchool?! Ew. Good luck ever getting money from me.
4. I love winter. I hate that it doesn't really snow in the DC area. I miss snow and extreme cold. I know I'm crazy, but I like a day so cold that when you breath in, the cold pierces all the way to the bottom of your lungs and your snot freezes.
5. I've never mailed out Holiday cards. Every year, I say I'm going to do it, and every year, Nada. This year, I have a great idea on cards to make. I know all the supplies I'd need and how to do it. I'm putting lists together in my head, but it won't happen. (As I typed that, I heard Dan saying "no no no no no no no no no" because he knows it would just be one of my projects that didn't go anywhere, and then I heard his giant sigh of relief when I said I wouldn't do it.) So, I'll share my idea with you:
1. Get a bunch of these navy blue cards.
2. Stamp them all over with silver snowflakes. I really like this one and this one.
3. Emboss a few of the snowflakes with this stuff, but I'm not sure which color. One of the silvery/white ones. (Mom and I embossed my sister's save the date cards--awesome and fun and easy once I figured out how to not set stuff on fire.)
4. Using double-sided type, put a bunch of these shiny white cards on the inside (ok, I totally know that they them with scalloped edges, which I'd use.)
5. Then I'd stamp the insides with a greeting. Probably Season's Greetings.
So now you can make them. And mail one to me.
6. I like Christmas carols and the Nutcracker music. My favorite carols are "O Holy Night" and "Psallite." "Psallite" is in Latin and German and is pretty, plus? Two foreign languages in one song? AWESOME.
7. For Christmas, I really want jewelry. Especially necklaces and earrings that I can wear to work. Some great stuff can be found at Tartx (especially the domino necklace with the Red Queen and a monocle necklace with the cards flipping over Alice) and Mytypewriter (especially the snowflake one) or the Cherry Blossom pearl necklace from the Sundance Catalog. (*cough* *cough* *hint* *hint*)
And now I tag Sara, Pam, Miss Erin, HolyKnitter, Kristin, Julie, and Susan and really, anyone else who wants to play.
In Which I do not do Justice to a Genius
Hi! Today I'm going to talk about John Green. I've been putting this post off, mainly because I don't have anything interesting to say besides he rocks! If you doubt me, just check out the hilarity that is Brotherhood 2.0.
Go ahead, check it out. I'll wait.
Yes, I realize you won't come visit me for a week after watching that, but hey. It's worth it. You'll come back to me, if anything, because I turned you onto Brotherhood 2.0.
So, anyway, John Green is like, my age, which really isn't that old, despite what I may tell you. He already has 2 books published. His first one won the Printz and the second one was a Printz honor. I feel like such a failure.
His work is characterized by main characters with odd things (in the first, knowing the last words of everyone, in the second, being a genius who has only dated girls named Katharine) and quirky side-kick characters.
Yes, there is some sex. But nothing worse than what my dog does to random dogs at the dog park. (We've decided she needs to know a few basic commands--come, sit, lie down, and stop bringing shame upon the family.) And there is some language. I talked about this with Molly over at Bittersweet.
Anyway, so his first one is Looking for Alaska
I like this book a lot more now than when I first read it. The problem is that it's the basic boy meets girl who fascinates him and then she dies plot. And I read it right after reading As Simple as Snow, which has a similar basic plot, even though the two books are very different. (And when I say right after I mean, I read Snow, went to the kitchen and made a fresh cup of tea and read Alaska. I had to read a bunch of books for work (those two titles being two of them) and so I did read the entirety of both of them on the same day.
After the intricate puzzles of Snow I just wasn't ready for the intelligent humor of Alaska
It was Green's second book, An Abundance of Katherines that I came around to appreciate everything that was going on.
In Katherines a child genius who has just graduated from high school and his best friend go on a road trip. Their car breaks down and they end up spending the summer in this small little town that's dying, because the factory (which makes tampon strings) employs almost everyone and it's not doing so well.
Trust me, it's hysterical, and no one dies, so it's not depressing like Alaska was.
Green has an excellent sense of the plausibly absurd. (I mean, a factory that makes tampon strings?! So bizarre, and yet, someone has to do it, right? These factories must be out there somewhere.) Coupled with his quirky characters (Yes, I know I used that word already, but really, it just fits well), especially the best friends are wonderful.
Check him out.
Go ahead, check it out. I'll wait.
Yes, I realize you won't come visit me for a week after watching that, but hey. It's worth it. You'll come back to me, if anything, because I turned you onto Brotherhood 2.0.
So, anyway, John Green is like, my age, which really isn't that old, despite what I may tell you. He already has 2 books published. His first one won the Printz and the second one was a Printz honor. I feel like such a failure.
His work is characterized by main characters with odd things (in the first, knowing the last words of everyone, in the second, being a genius who has only dated girls named Katharine) and quirky side-kick characters.
Yes, there is some sex. But nothing worse than what my dog does to random dogs at the dog park. (We've decided she needs to know a few basic commands--come, sit, lie down, and stop bringing shame upon the family.) And there is some language. I talked about this with Molly over at Bittersweet.
I like this book a lot more now than when I first read it. The problem is that it's the basic boy meets girl who fascinates him and then she dies plot. And I read it right after reading As Simple as Snow, which has a similar basic plot, even though the two books are very different. (And when I say right after I mean, I read Snow, went to the kitchen and made a fresh cup of tea and read Alaska. I had to read a bunch of books for work (those two titles being two of them) and so I did read the entirety of both of them on the same day.
After the intricate puzzles of Snow I just wasn't ready for the intelligent humor of Alaska
In Katherines a child genius who has just graduated from high school and his best friend go on a road trip. Their car breaks down and they end up spending the summer in this small little town that's dying, because the factory (which makes tampon strings) employs almost everyone and it's not doing so well.
Trust me, it's hysterical, and no one dies, so it's not depressing like Alaska was.
Green has an excellent sense of the plausibly absurd. (I mean, a factory that makes tampon strings?! So bizarre, and yet, someone has to do it, right? These factories must be out there somewhere.) Coupled with his quirky characters (Yes, I know I used that word already, but really, it just fits well), especially the best friends are wonderful.
Check him out.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Ma Yan Update
Man, I love it when authors google themselves. (At least, that's the only reason I can figure why they're finding my blog.)
Sometimes it leads to awesome things, like Kirsten Miller hooking me up with my awesome Kiki Strike t-shirt.
And sometimes it leads to really awesome things. Yesterday, I reviewed The Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl, which is edited by Pierre Haski.
Now, I'm sure you don't read my comments as obsessively as I do, but Haski commented on yesterday's post to update me on Ma Yan's situation. She has finished school in China and is about to arrive in France, to study there-- a very happy ending to her story.
Also, when talking to someone yesterday, I realized that I want to say more about Ma Yan and China in general.
As many of you know, I was in Beijing earlier this fall, and spent a semester studying n Nanjing. I commented on Ma Yan struggling with spending 50 fen (about 6 cents USD). I once had a beggar in Nanjing through 20 fen back in my face--in the cities it's useless. When briefing Dan on Chinese currency this fall, I had forgotten that fen existed, until it became an issue at the grocery store.
One term at elementary school in Ningxia costs $12. I spend more than that on coffee every week. That's about how much Dan and I spent on a super-tasty meal of Peking Duck at one of Beijing's most famous duck places. I spent that much getting up Taishan. I got bilked for more than that in the Great Wall adventure that will one day be funny, but isn't yet.
But, in the interior of the country, the new economy hasn't hit yet, and it never will if children cannot go to school.
The Diary of Ma Yan created such a stir, there is an organization to help the children of Ningxia. You can help. Click here to find out how.
Sometimes it leads to awesome things, like Kirsten Miller hooking me up with my awesome Kiki Strike t-shirt.
And sometimes it leads to really awesome things. Yesterday, I reviewed The Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl, which is edited by Pierre Haski.
Now, I'm sure you don't read my comments as obsessively as I do, but Haski commented on yesterday's post to update me on Ma Yan's situation. She has finished school in China and is about to arrive in France, to study there-- a very happy ending to her story.
Also, when talking to someone yesterday, I realized that I want to say more about Ma Yan and China in general.
As many of you know, I was in Beijing earlier this fall, and spent a semester studying n Nanjing. I commented on Ma Yan struggling with spending 50 fen (about 6 cents USD). I once had a beggar in Nanjing through 20 fen back in my face--in the cities it's useless. When briefing Dan on Chinese currency this fall, I had forgotten that fen existed, until it became an issue at the grocery store.
One term at elementary school in Ningxia costs $12. I spend more than that on coffee every week. That's about how much Dan and I spent on a super-tasty meal of Peking Duck at one of Beijing's most famous duck places. I spent that much getting up Taishan. I got bilked for more than that in the Great Wall adventure that will one day be funny, but isn't yet.
But, in the interior of the country, the new economy hasn't hit yet, and it never will if children cannot go to school.
The Diary of Ma Yan created such a stir, there is an organization to help the children of Ningxia. You can help. Click here to find out how.
Eileen Chang
Damn. This woman can WRITE. I first came across her work when I had to read "The Golden Cangue" for a Chinese lit class I took in college.
Eileen Zhang (Zhang Aileen) has perfected the art of the novella and short story. Most of her work is set in pre-WWII/WWII era Shanghai and Hong Kong. Chang's characters are not the hard scrabble peasants of Mo Yan's Gaomi township. Chang focuses on the fading elite. Old families whose fortunes are made or waning. She focuses are modern, Western young adults, caught in the traditional lifestyles of their parents.
How can you not love such passages as:
When the drops of rain hit the cement and caught a bit of light, they twirled around and shot out beams of silver light--long, long beams of light, like the silver skirts of ballet dancers.
Her prose is full of beautiful and elegant metaphors and phrasing, but not so full of them that they weigh everything down.
Life was like the Bible, translated from Hebrew to Greek, from Greek to Latin, from Latin to English, from English to Mandarin Chinese. When Cuiyuan read it, she translated the Mandarin to Shanghaiese. Something did not come through.
If you are unfamiliar with Chang's works, start with the exquisite collection, Love in a Fallen City
This collection of novellas and short stories encapsulates her work well. These are short glimpses into brief encounters between men and women. Men in women in love, men and women in lust, men and women trapped by circumstance and time, thinking the other might be able to help them.
Plus, look at how she shifts in time in "The Golden Cangue"
The green bamboo curtain and a green and gold landscape scroll reflected in the mirrors went on swinging back and forth in the wind--one could get dizzy watching it for long. When she looked again, the green bamboo curtain had faded, the green and gold landscape was replaced by a photograph of her deceased husband, and the woman in the mirror was ten years older.
I could drown in Chang's prose. I get lost in it. It is evocative of an era. Her scenes are lush, her dialogue and plot are fraught and taut, without crossing that line into ick.
She never over explains things, if anything, she under-explains them.
Such is the case of Lust, Caution.
I had to read the end three times before I fully understood what happened. For the first half of this novella, we see a young woman waiting for her old lover (both married.) She is nervous and tense, and the reader easily falls into the trap of believing her emotions are due to fear of being discovered.
And of course, they are. But not by her lover's wife. But rather, in this Japanese-occupied Shanghai because she is a Nationalist spy, the femme fatale, her lover a target that she is setting up.
And that's when the story turns. But all 57 pages hold tension, like a single plucked violin string.
Amazing.
Also, usually Wade-Giles transliterations bug me, so I loved the translator's note that she went with Wade-Giles over pinyin in order to keep the mood of the piece. I think it was a choice that really worked, and I'm happy that it was a conscious decision and that she included that information.
Eileen Zhang (Zhang Aileen) has perfected the art of the novella and short story. Most of her work is set in pre-WWII/WWII era Shanghai and Hong Kong. Chang's characters are not the hard scrabble peasants of Mo Yan's Gaomi township. Chang focuses on the fading elite. Old families whose fortunes are made or waning. She focuses are modern, Western young adults, caught in the traditional lifestyles of their parents.
How can you not love such passages as:
When the drops of rain hit the cement and caught a bit of light, they twirled around and shot out beams of silver light--long, long beams of light, like the silver skirts of ballet dancers.
Her prose is full of beautiful and elegant metaphors and phrasing, but not so full of them that they weigh everything down.
Life was like the Bible, translated from Hebrew to Greek, from Greek to Latin, from Latin to English, from English to Mandarin Chinese. When Cuiyuan read it, she translated the Mandarin to Shanghaiese. Something did not come through.
This collection of novellas and short stories encapsulates her work well. These are short glimpses into brief encounters between men and women. Men in women in love, men and women in lust, men and women trapped by circumstance and time, thinking the other might be able to help them.
Plus, look at how she shifts in time in "The Golden Cangue"
The green bamboo curtain and a green and gold landscape scroll reflected in the mirrors went on swinging back and forth in the wind--one could get dizzy watching it for long. When she looked again, the green bamboo curtain had faded, the green and gold landscape was replaced by a photograph of her deceased husband, and the woman in the mirror was ten years older.
I could drown in Chang's prose. I get lost in it. It is evocative of an era. Her scenes are lush, her dialogue and plot are fraught and taut, without crossing that line into ick.
She never over explains things, if anything, she under-explains them.
I had to read the end three times before I fully understood what happened. For the first half of this novella, we see a young woman waiting for her old lover (both married.) She is nervous and tense, and the reader easily falls into the trap of believing her emotions are due to fear of being discovered.
And of course, they are. But not by her lover's wife. But rather, in this Japanese-occupied Shanghai because she is a Nationalist spy, the femme fatale, her lover a target that she is setting up.
And that's when the story turns. But all 57 pages hold tension, like a single plucked violin string.
Amazing.
Also, usually Wade-Giles transliterations bug me, so I loved the translator's note that she went with Wade-Giles over pinyin in order to keep the mood of the piece. I think it was a choice that really worked, and I'm happy that it was a conscious decision and that she included that information.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Gobble Gobble
I hope you all had the happiest of Thanksgivings! It was great to see my parents (HI MOM AND DAD! I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS!) It was nice to also just hang out a bit and relax.
Yesterday afternoon, we were all sitting in the living room reading. Well, Dan was doing something on his laptop. I knew Mom was at the end of a spy novel. I was pretty into my book, too. Dad looked like he was into his.
Dan: So, what are we going to do all afternoon
Me: Um, I think we could just sit here in read, I know Mom's near the end of her book
Dan:?!
Me: Dear, they are my parents. This pointing to them, and to my book is totally a learned behavior!
Also, while we were gorging ourselves on mashed potatoes and stuffing (ha ha, not me. Two things I don't like. I gorged on pie. And cranberry dressing.) Our fearless Cybils leaders were putting together the final long lists. CHECK THEM OUT!
So usually, when I post multiple reviews, there's some sort of theme or something. Today's theme is:
These books are all due back at the library TODAY. In order in which I liked them:
Confessions of a Blabbermouth Mike Carey, Louise Carey, illustrated by Aaron Alexovich
So, this is part of the Minx series of graphic novels. My favorite, up to this point, was Re-Gifters , but I think I like this one better. The good news is, they're both by Mike Carey, so now I have a new author to be on the look-out for!
Anyway, Tasha is an angry blogger whose mother has a knack for dating losers. This new one she's brought home? Takes the cake and thinks that Tasha just needs a strong father figure in her life. His own daughter, of course, is perfect. Too bad she's a grade-A stuck up bee-yotch. And every time Tasha thinks that Chloe might be human after all, Chloe writes something awful in her newspaper column.
Tasha is supposed to spend spring break in the US, off-line, with these freaks?! How will she survive?!
Hilarious. Carey obviously knows how to write for the medium of the graphic novel and Alexovich's depictions of the bully Big Sylvie? Excellent.
The Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl Ma Yan Ed. by Pierre Haski. Trans. from the French by Lisa Appignanesi, originally trans. from the Mandarin by He Yanping
Ma Yan is a school girl from Ningxia province, in Central China. She is a member of the Muslim Hui minority. She, like many of her neighbors, is extremely poor. She struggles with spending 50 fen (which is about 6 US cents). All she wants is to go to school, to make her family proud, to get a good job so she can support her family. School is expensive and she's often pulled out so her brothers can go and she can work at home. Her father spends most of his time in Inner Mongolia, looking for work. Her mother is very ill and climbs mountains far away from home, picking fa cai to sell.
This is not so much a good book as an important one. Ma Yan's diary is written by the thirteen year old girl that she is. She's not writing for an audience. Her prose goes between matter-of-fact and very earnest. But what she does is paints a picture of modern day Chinese poverty that can get forgotten in all the coverage of China's booming economy. She paints a picture of hunger and parental sacrifice. And, above all, she paints a picture of hope and the strength of spirit. That sounds dumb, but it's true.
The photographs and Haski's information given valuable insight and background information.
I Am the Wallpaper Mark Peter Hughes
Floey Packer is sick of always being overlooked in favor of Lillian, her fabulous older sister. So, one summer, stuck at home with her two terrible cousins, she decides to make herself fabulous.
And she's getting the attention she wants. Until she finds out why. (Now, I think this is a bit of a spoiler, but it says so on the back cover so... her evil little cousin is posting her diary on the internet. No wonder her best friend is so pissed off!)
The problem with Floey is... Hughes has captured the voice of a 13 year old perfectly. The guy she likes called her and they talked for an hour! It doesn't matter that they're good friends, he obviously LIKES her! It's all going so well!
And, frankly, 13 year old girls? Are annoying. Oiy. So, Floey annoyed me. It's never good when your narrator annoys you. But, she annoyed me because Hughes is so good. Aiya.
Also, Floey writes a lot of haikus. Love. It's good while still sounding like it was actually written by a teen.
Blood Red Horse K. M. Grant
This is an excellent book for a teen who still loves horses.
Hosanna is the blood red horse of the title. A horse with mystical powers to bridge opposite sides of the Crusades.
Gavin and Will are brothers. Ellie's the girl that Will loves but is betrothed to Gavin.
Richard is the king that's dragging everyone (Well, not Ellie) off to the Holy Land.
La la la la la la.
This book took me a month and a half to read. I just couldn't get that into it. But, I was enough into it that I couldn't put it down, you know? I'm not that into horses anymore. And the crusade battle scenes? Kinda bored me. That's never a good thing.
Yesterday afternoon, we were all sitting in the living room reading. Well, Dan was doing something on his laptop. I knew Mom was at the end of a spy novel. I was pretty into my book, too. Dad looked like he was into his.
Dan: So, what are we going to do all afternoon
Me: Um, I think we could just sit here in read, I know Mom's near the end of her book
Dan:?!
Me: Dear, they are my parents. This pointing to them, and to my book is totally a learned behavior!
Also, while we were gorging ourselves on mashed potatoes and stuffing (ha ha, not me. Two things I don't like. I gorged on pie. And cranberry dressing.) Our fearless Cybils leaders were putting together the final long lists. CHECK THEM OUT!
So usually, when I post multiple reviews, there's some sort of theme or something. Today's theme is:
These books are all due back at the library TODAY. In order in which I liked them:
So, this is part of the Minx series of graphic novels. My favorite, up to this point, was Re-Gifters , but I think I like this one better. The good news is, they're both by Mike Carey, so now I have a new author to be on the look-out for!
Anyway, Tasha is an angry blogger whose mother has a knack for dating losers. This new one she's brought home? Takes the cake and thinks that Tasha just needs a strong father figure in her life. His own daughter, of course, is perfect. Too bad she's a grade-A stuck up bee-yotch. And every time Tasha thinks that Chloe might be human after all, Chloe writes something awful in her newspaper column.
Tasha is supposed to spend spring break in the US, off-line, with these freaks?! How will she survive?!
Hilarious. Carey obviously knows how to write for the medium of the graphic novel and Alexovich's depictions of the bully Big Sylvie? Excellent.
Ma Yan is a school girl from Ningxia province, in Central China. She is a member of the Muslim Hui minority. She, like many of her neighbors, is extremely poor. She struggles with spending 50 fen (which is about 6 US cents). All she wants is to go to school, to make her family proud, to get a good job so she can support her family. School is expensive and she's often pulled out so her brothers can go and she can work at home. Her father spends most of his time in Inner Mongolia, looking for work. Her mother is very ill and climbs mountains far away from home, picking fa cai to sell.
This is not so much a good book as an important one. Ma Yan's diary is written by the thirteen year old girl that she is. She's not writing for an audience. Her prose goes between matter-of-fact and very earnest. But what she does is paints a picture of modern day Chinese poverty that can get forgotten in all the coverage of China's booming economy. She paints a picture of hunger and parental sacrifice. And, above all, she paints a picture of hope and the strength of spirit. That sounds dumb, but it's true.
The photographs and Haski's information given valuable insight and background information.
Floey Packer is sick of always being overlooked in favor of Lillian, her fabulous older sister. So, one summer, stuck at home with her two terrible cousins, she decides to make herself fabulous.
And she's getting the attention she wants. Until she finds out why. (Now, I think this is a bit of a spoiler, but it says so on the back cover so... her evil little cousin is posting her diary on the internet. No wonder her best friend is so pissed off!)
The problem with Floey is... Hughes has captured the voice of a 13 year old perfectly. The guy she likes called her and they talked for an hour! It doesn't matter that they're good friends, he obviously LIKES her! It's all going so well!
And, frankly, 13 year old girls? Are annoying. Oiy. So, Floey annoyed me. It's never good when your narrator annoys you. But, she annoyed me because Hughes is so good. Aiya.
Also, Floey writes a lot of haikus. Love. It's good while still sounding like it was actually written by a teen.
This is an excellent book for a teen who still loves horses.
Hosanna is the blood red horse of the title. A horse with mystical powers to bridge opposite sides of the Crusades.
Gavin and Will are brothers. Ellie's the girl that Will loves but is betrothed to Gavin.
Richard is the king that's dragging everyone (Well, not Ellie) off to the Holy Land.
La la la la la la.
This book took me a month and a half to read. I just couldn't get that into it. But, I was enough into it that I couldn't put it down, you know? I'm not that into horses anymore. And the crusade battle scenes? Kinda bored me. That's never a good thing.
Monday, November 19, 2007
What's the Buzz? (Tell me what's a-happenin')
So, I should be reviewing something today, but, frankly, my brain hurts.
But, here's my blog's reading level (link via Bookshelves of Doom)
So, if you go to the YALSA site, you can see how the long lists currently stand for their various lists. I've gone through and see which titles appear on multiple lists, so we can figure out what we're supposed to reading! (Pictures come from books I'm already read or am about to read, like in the top 5 of my "to read" pile)
So, overlap from the Best Books for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers is:
Twisted Laurie Halse Anderson
Shark Girl Kelly Bingham
Almost Home Jessica Blank
The Nature of Jade Deb Caletti
Beige Cecil Castellucci
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Deadline Chris Crutcher
This Is What I Did: Ann Dee Ellis
Blood Brothers S. A. Harazin
Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies / Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies by Brett Hartinger
Glass Ellen Hopkins
Chasing Tail Lights Patrick Jones
Strays Ron Koertge
Guyaholic Carolyn Mackler
What They Found: Love on 145th Street Walter Dean Myers
The Penalty Mal Peet
Harmless Dana Reinhardt
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know Sonya Sones
Freak Show James St. James
7 Days at the Hot Corner Terry Trueman
Such a Pretty Girl Laura Wiess
Story of a Girl Sara Zarr
Overlap between Best Books for Young Adults and Great Graphic Novels:
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain Peter Sis
Houdini: The Handcuff King Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi
Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography Andrew Helfer and Randy DuBurke
Re-Gifters Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, and Marc Hempel
Notes for a War Story Gipi
Mouse Guard Volume 1: Fall 1152 David Peterson
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare, Richard Appignanesi, and Sonia Leong
Arrival Shaun Tan
Overlap with Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and Great Graphic Novels:
Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder Natalie Shivack
Avalon High: CoronationMeg Cabot and Jinky Coronado
Vampire Knight Matsuri Hino
Dead High Yearbook Ivan Velez
Have you read any of these? Tell me what you think!
But, here's my blog's reading level (link via Bookshelves of Doom)
So, overlap from the Best Books for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers is:
Shark Girl Kelly Bingham
Almost Home Jessica Blank
The Nature of Jade Deb Caletti
Beige Cecil Castellucci
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Deadline Chris Crutcher
This Is What I Did: Ann Dee Ellis
Blood Brothers S. A. Harazin
Glass Ellen Hopkins
Chasing Tail Lights Patrick Jones
Strays Ron Koertge
Guyaholic Carolyn Mackler
What They Found: Love on 145th Street Walter Dean Myers
The Penalty Mal Peet
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know Sonya Sones
Freak Show James St. James
7 Days at the Hot Corner Terry Trueman
Such a Pretty Girl Laura Wiess
Story of a Girl Sara Zarr
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain Peter Sis
Houdini: The Handcuff King Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi
Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography Andrew Helfer and Randy DuBurke
Re-Gifters Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, and Marc Hempel
Notes for a War Story Gipi
Mouse Guard Volume 1: Fall 1152 David Peterson
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare, Richard Appignanesi, and Sonia Leong
Arrival Shaun Tan
Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder Natalie Shivack
Avalon High: CoronationMeg Cabot and Jinky Coronado
Vampire Knight Matsuri Hino
Dead High Yearbook Ivan Velez
Have you read any of these? Tell me what you think!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
So far behind
So... it would appear that I still have 17 books that I read in 2006 and still haven't blogged about. I'm going to try to get through those before 2008 rolls around (which, let's face it, is just around the corner.)
Today's song is Ingrid Michaelson's The Hat. (Napster, apparently, is no longer offering the option to blog music. :( )
The store for November is up. Check out some of my favorite things and help support my habit!
In interesting news, I tried something new for my 6-9 year old story time last week. I "read" them the wordless graphic novel, Robot Dreams, by Sara Varon. They sat still for the entire half hour while we went through each panel and told the story to each other. It was great. I've never seen them pay so much attention and they *loved* the story.
But, onto the books:
Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner, pictures by Mini Grey
This is not an old, unblogged book, but rather one I just finished. (I'm trying to keep on top of things, you know!)
When Storm's mother, Zella, dies, she leaves Storm an ordinary tin pipe, but tells her Look after it, Storm. Don't be careless with it. It's not a trinket. Whatever you do, don't let it fall into the wrong hands. If you do, you will regret it, for such an event would put you and your sisters into terrible danger. I have chosen you, Storm, because I know that you will not betray my trust.
But, of course, it does fall into the wrong hands and Storm and her sisters must go into the woods and to the mountains in order to save it. Using the tales of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty, Gardner has spun a completely original tale about what happens with the piper tries to come back, and the people who remember what happened the first time around.
A great adventure with girls kicking some serious butt and the middle child as the leader. Mini Grey's large black-and-white pictures not only adorn the chapter pages, but also help break up the text and add to the spookiness of the tale.
A Company of Fools by Deborah Ellis
This is one that I read last November. What I remember most about it is the hope in times of despair and the friendship. I remember it being fantastic, though I only remembered the basics of the plot. (Funny how that works.) I had to look up some of the plot details.
It's 1348 and Henri is a choir boy in St. Luc's Abbey. Brother Bartholomew is always bringing weird things back from his travels and one day he brings back ragamuffin Micah. He has an angelic voice, but is mischievous. When the Plague comes to Paris, the boys form a comedy troupe to entertain the grieving masses, to offer an alternative to the endless funeral dirges. Surrounded by death, especially when the plague comes to the Abbey itself, Henri's tale stays strong. He doesn't waver into melodrama. I liked it.
Today's song is Ingrid Michaelson's The Hat. (Napster, apparently, is no longer offering the option to blog music. :( )
The store for November is up. Check out some of my favorite things and help support my habit!
In interesting news, I tried something new for my 6-9 year old story time last week. I "read" them the wordless graphic novel, Robot Dreams, by Sara Varon. They sat still for the entire half hour while we went through each panel and told the story to each other. It was great. I've never seen them pay so much attention and they *loved* the story.
But, onto the books:
This is not an old, unblogged book, but rather one I just finished. (I'm trying to keep on top of things, you know!)
When Storm's mother, Zella, dies, she leaves Storm an ordinary tin pipe, but tells her Look after it, Storm. Don't be careless with it. It's not a trinket. Whatever you do, don't let it fall into the wrong hands. If you do, you will regret it, for such an event would put you and your sisters into terrible danger. I have chosen you, Storm, because I know that you will not betray my trust.
But, of course, it does fall into the wrong hands and Storm and her sisters must go into the woods and to the mountains in order to save it. Using the tales of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty, Gardner has spun a completely original tale about what happens with the piper tries to come back, and the people who remember what happened the first time around.
A great adventure with girls kicking some serious butt and the middle child as the leader. Mini Grey's large black-and-white pictures not only adorn the chapter pages, but also help break up the text and add to the spookiness of the tale.
This is one that I read last November. What I remember most about it is the hope in times of despair and the friendship. I remember it being fantastic, though I only remembered the basics of the plot. (Funny how that works.) I had to look up some of the plot details.
It's 1348 and Henri is a choir boy in St. Luc's Abbey. Brother Bartholomew is always bringing weird things back from his travels and one day he brings back ragamuffin Micah. He has an angelic voice, but is mischievous. When the Plague comes to Paris, the boys form a comedy troupe to entertain the grieving masses, to offer an alternative to the endless funeral dirges. Surrounded by death, especially when the plague comes to the Abbey itself, Henri's tale stays strong. He doesn't waver into melodrama. I liked it.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Darling is darling...
The last two days have been an emotional roller-coaster some really awesome things followed by some completely awful ones. But, I did read a good book!
Fourth Comings: A Novel Megan McCafferty
In the fourth book that started with Sloppy Firsts, Marcus has given Jessica a notebook to write in, so he can read her thoughts. Then, he asks her to marry him. (Ok, when I read this in the plot descriptions I was all SPOILER! MEAN! but seriously, it happens on page 28.) Given that she was trying to dump Marcus when he asked, Jessica's first response is to say no. She promises to think about it for one week.
Over the course of two notebooks and one week, Jessica thinks. She thinks while babysitting her niece for too much money (but the only way she can afford to live) she thinks while living in a room called Cupcake with Hope. She thinks while attending high society events with Cinthia. She thinks while dealing with Manda and Bridget and Sara and Scotty. She thinks while trying to find a job.
Overall she thinks while making the same wry, hilarious observations about life, New York, and being in your early twenties at the moment.
If you like these books because you like the interplay between Marcus and Jessica, or because you like Bridget and Sara, then you'll be disappointed--none of these characters makes a big appearance. If you like these books because you think Jessica's sarcasm and skewered wit are pitch-perfect (like I do) then you're sure to love it. I think it's my favorite of the series...
In the fourth book that started with Sloppy Firsts, Marcus has given Jessica a notebook to write in, so he can read her thoughts. Then, he asks her to marry him. (Ok, when I read this in the plot descriptions I was all SPOILER! MEAN! but seriously, it happens on page 28.) Given that she was trying to dump Marcus when he asked, Jessica's first response is to say no. She promises to think about it for one week.
Over the course of two notebooks and one week, Jessica thinks. She thinks while babysitting her niece for too much money (but the only way she can afford to live) she thinks while living in a room called Cupcake with Hope. She thinks while attending high society events with Cinthia. She thinks while dealing with Manda and Bridget and Sara and Scotty. She thinks while trying to find a job.
Overall she thinks while making the same wry, hilarious observations about life, New York, and being in your early twenties at the moment.
If you like these books because you like the interplay between Marcus and Jessica, or because you like Bridget and Sara, then you'll be disappointed--none of these characters makes a big appearance. If you like these books because you think Jessica's sarcasm and skewered wit are pitch-perfect (like I do) then you're sure to love it. I think it's my favorite of the series...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sassy!
I'm celebrating Vetran's Day over at Geek Buffet today with my list of recommened WWI reading.
But, let's get down to some books, ok? Earlier this summer, I blogged about DC Comics new imprint, Minx. I have now had the chance to read two more books in the series.
Exiled to her grandparent's Lake District golf resor after a minor incident involving a club, a fake ID, the cops, and a school, night, Charlotte is set for a summer of drudgery. But then, a woman trying to tell her something is found murdered, drained of blood, with some weird symbol carved into her arm. The police rule it as suicide, the Charlotte and her friend Howard think differently.
Vaguely reminiscent of Hot Fuzz, the ending left me a big underwhelmed.
I really liked the drawing style of clear, bold lines, with lots of large blocks of space.
Dixie is hapkido (a Korean martial art) fanatic. Living on the edge of LA's Koreatown, she battles the usual high school crap of boys and the urban crap of which side the street it's ok for Koreans to walk on.
In a daring move to get the guy, she spends her tournament entry fee on a statue of a Korean warrior. The guy promptly gives it to the prettiest girl in school. Heart in the gutter, with no way to enter the tournament, Dixie needs to find her missing ki, and fast.
A most fantastic story, this is my favorite Minx title so far. Very well done. I love Dixie's prickly character and the very real story arc.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Because I'm Sure you Wanted to Know...
Me: Holy Cow! Molly's interviewing me for her blog!
Dan: Um, shouldn't you be interviewing her?
Me: Probably, but I'm saving that for when her book comes out and she's all famous and everyone wants a piece of her. Because they will. And then I can be all "Hey Molly! You interviewed me! My turn!"
So, here's my interview over at Bittersweet.
And, now, onto the Poetry Friday portion of our event.
"Luke, you will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
-Obi wan KenobiWhen I lived in Manchester, I spent Guy Fawkes day in the Darwin Forest, drinking cider by a large bonfire and pretending I knew the words the various songs being sung around me. Living in the North, Guy Fawkes day was a day to celebrate "The last good man sent to Parliament." Whereas, traditionally, especially in the South, it is a day to celebrate catching a Catholic traitor who tried to blow up Parliament.
Harpers had an interesting article on Guy Fawkes and his modern role in Monday's Harpers.
Literary connections: I'm assuming that Fawkes the Phoenix in Harry Potter is named after Guy Fawkes. Also, the day play a big role in V for Vendetta. (Do I lose all street cred when I mention I haven't read this, but only seen the movie? The movie was pretty awesome!)
So, here I give you:
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
To blow up the King and Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow;
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!
A penny loaf to feed the Pope.
A farthing o’ cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we’ll say ol’ Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!
Thursday, November 08, 2007
First comes love, then comes marriage
Some sequel lovin' for y'all today. Interesting note--these are all sequels to things I read in June as part MotherReader's 48 hour challenge.
First off, woot! A new SASS book!
The Finnish Line by Linda Gerber
Mo is very glad to be escaping her Olympic-champion family to (hopefully) ski jump in peace while studying in Finland. While there, she realizes she can't escape her family's fame. She learns a lot of skiing history and tries to reconcile her feelings about her family with how her host sister is used as a commodity by her host parents.
We learn a lot about injustice--both in how the Roma are treated in current Finnish society and in how women can't compete in the Olympics for ski jumping.
One of the better titles in this series. I especially liked the examination of Roma/Finnish clashes and the history of skiing.
Then we have the sequel to The Salem Witch Tryouts
Competition's a Witch by Kelly McClymer
Pru may be on the cheerleading squad, but she's still stuck in remedial magic and can't cheer at any non-mortal games until then. She needs to study her cheer off if she's going to test out early. That might be a bit of a problem, as the super nosy (mortal) next door neighbor has a super hott son. And Pru's kewl status is hanging in the balance, especially with the squad's dismissal of all things mortal.
But if she can't get her squad to listen to her, how can she get them working together to win the regional cheer competition?
Gotta love a bubbly book about magic AND cheerleading. Lots of fun, but Pru's obsession with kewl is more annoying than ever. It' COOL! Not KEWL! "Kewl" is so "Cartman joins NAMBLA"
First off, woot! A new SASS book!
Mo is very glad to be escaping her Olympic-champion family to (hopefully) ski jump in peace while studying in Finland. While there, she realizes she can't escape her family's fame. She learns a lot of skiing history and tries to reconcile her feelings about her family with how her host sister is used as a commodity by her host parents.
We learn a lot about injustice--both in how the Roma are treated in current Finnish society and in how women can't compete in the Olympics for ski jumping.
One of the better titles in this series. I especially liked the examination of Roma/Finnish clashes and the history of skiing.
Then we have the sequel to The Salem Witch Tryouts
Pru may be on the cheerleading squad, but she's still stuck in remedial magic and can't cheer at any non-mortal games until then. She needs to study her cheer off if she's going to test out early. That might be a bit of a problem, as the super nosy (mortal) next door neighbor has a super hott son. And Pru's kewl status is hanging in the balance, especially with the squad's dismissal of all things mortal.
But if she can't get her squad to listen to her, how can she get them working together to win the regional cheer competition?
Gotta love a bubbly book about magic AND cheerleading. Lots of fun, but Pru's obsession with kewl is more annoying than ever. It' COOL! Not KEWL! "Kewl" is so "Cartman joins NAMBLA"
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
No Whoopee Cushions in the Library!!!
OK! First things first!
The October Issue of The Edge of the Forest is up. There are a TON of YA reviews and some great articles.
I personally review The Hollywood Sisters: Caught on Tape by Mary Wilcox and Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth.
Also, nominations are still open for the Cybils. I always like to wait until the end, because I can't figure out what to nominate (really? only one?!) so I wait and hope that most of my list is nominated by the time I get around to it. BUT! Time is running out. I've already nominated in some categories. You should too!
But, now onto some very old books for book reviews. Both of these titles are ones I read when I was a child and remembered fondly, so picked them up. Both of them were books that haunted me, as I remembered only the scantest of details and nothing as useful as, say, a title. But I tracked them both down...
The song of the day is Charlotte Sometimes by The Cure, because it's about the first book I'm talking about,
Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer
On that bleak track
(See the sun is gone again)
The tears were pouring down her face
She was crying and crying for a girl
Who died so many years before...
It's always dangerous to reread a childhood favorite. I've been burned in the past, but... I'm so glad I reread this one.
Charlotte goes to boarding school in mid-century England. The second day there, she wakes up to find she's gone back in time 50 years and changed places with a girl called Clare. Charlotte and Clare spend one day in their own time, one day in each other's, and then one day back in their own time and on and on until...
Charlotte is moved off campus, stuck in Clare's time. Trapped at the end of WWI, with a growing flu epidemic, she grows conflicted. Charlotte wonders where she ends and where Clare begins, and as memories of her real life fade, she wonders if she ever will go back, or even if she wants to.
This book was even better than I remembered it. Farmer really delves into some deep issues and she treats them well, but, at the same time, so light-handed that they're just left as a little niggling thought in the back of your head.
Now, the book I've pictured and linked to is a re-release, and I've heard they CHANGED THE ENDING. The book I just reread and reviewed is the original. I'm trying to get my hands on a copy of the new version. I'll let you know what I find out.
I am less glad I reread Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett.
I remembered this book as a mischievous little witch who invites her friends over to make cool potions.
Sigh. I know this is the book I was thinking of, I remember the cover exactly and when I re-read it, I was like, oh yeah, ok. Still, I think maybe I'll just write the story I remember as it's so much cooler.
Instead, we have a little girl who's mother is a witch and very mean. The little girl sneaks out to go to school and finally makes some friends. All she wants to do is a see a fairy, and, while her evil mother is off being evil, she and her friends sneak into the potion cupboard to try and make a fairy potion or something.
This book was originally written in the early 50s and smacks of the same overly cloying sentimentality of Dick and Jane readers. Puke.
That said, I don't know how many times I read this book in elementary school. I remember going to the library, picking all my books, and, while waiting for the rest of the family to finish up, pulling this book off the shelf and just randomly opening it up and re-reading until everyone else was ready. So... kids might still like it, but I'm not so sure about adults...
The October Issue of The Edge of the Forest is up. There are a TON of YA reviews and some great articles.
I personally review The Hollywood Sisters: Caught on Tape by Mary Wilcox and Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth.
Also, nominations are still open for the Cybils. I always like to wait until the end, because I can't figure out what to nominate (really? only one?!) so I wait and hope that most of my list is nominated by the time I get around to it. BUT! Time is running out. I've already nominated in some categories. You should too!
But, now onto some very old books for book reviews. Both of these titles are ones I read when I was a child and remembered fondly, so picked them up. Both of them were books that haunted me, as I remembered only the scantest of details and nothing as useful as, say, a title. But I tracked them both down...
The song of the day is Charlotte Sometimes by The Cure, because it's about the first book I'm talking about,
On that bleak track
(See the sun is gone again)
The tears were pouring down her face
She was crying and crying for a girl
Who died so many years before...
It's always dangerous to reread a childhood favorite. I've been burned in the past, but... I'm so glad I reread this one.
Charlotte goes to boarding school in mid-century England. The second day there, she wakes up to find she's gone back in time 50 years and changed places with a girl called Clare. Charlotte and Clare spend one day in their own time, one day in each other's, and then one day back in their own time and on and on until...
Charlotte is moved off campus, stuck in Clare's time. Trapped at the end of WWI, with a growing flu epidemic, she grows conflicted. Charlotte wonders where she ends and where Clare begins, and as memories of her real life fade, she wonders if she ever will go back, or even if she wants to.
This book was even better than I remembered it. Farmer really delves into some deep issues and she treats them well, but, at the same time, so light-handed that they're just left as a little niggling thought in the back of your head.
Now, the book I've pictured and linked to is a re-release, and I've heard they CHANGED THE ENDING. The book I just reread and reviewed is the original. I'm trying to get my hands on a copy of the new version. I'll let you know what I find out.
I remembered this book as a mischievous little witch who invites her friends over to make cool potions.
Sigh. I know this is the book I was thinking of, I remember the cover exactly and when I re-read it, I was like, oh yeah, ok. Still, I think maybe I'll just write the story I remember as it's so much cooler.
Instead, we have a little girl who's mother is a witch and very mean. The little girl sneaks out to go to school and finally makes some friends. All she wants to do is a see a fairy, and, while her evil mother is off being evil, she and her friends sneak into the potion cupboard to try and make a fairy potion or something.
This book was originally written in the early 50s and smacks of the same overly cloying sentimentality of Dick and Jane readers. Puke.
That said, I don't know how many times I read this book in elementary school. I remember going to the library, picking all my books, and, while waiting for the rest of the family to finish up, pulling this book off the shelf and just randomly opening it up and re-reading until everyone else was ready. So... kids might still like it, but I'm not so sure about adults...
Monday, November 05, 2007
That Old Black Magic...
Wow. This book blows the others out of the water. A lot of the darker themes from the previous books (like the Scarlet Hand) really come to play here. Mayor Heart is taxing all non-Everafters (including the Grimms) out of Ferryport Landing. For, as Sheriff Nottingham says,
Ferryport Landing is an Everafter settlement... Too many outsiders have come in here, stealing our jobs, enjoying our hospitals and schools. But not for much longer. Mayor Heart has decreed, and I wholeheartedly agree, that Ferryport Landing is an Everafter town for Everafters!
Meanwhile, Charming is still missing and Snow White is heart broken. Baba Yaga, Glinda, and Morgen LeFey all have had something stolen, but Granny is too preoccupied with the taxes and leaves the case to Sabrina and Daphne.
Oh yeah, and Mr. Canis is having a harder and harder time controlling what literally is the beast within and there are some seriously odd rips in the space/time continuum.
The ending leaves a lot of answered questions and March seems too long to wait for Tales From the Hood
I have further, plot spoiling thoughts here.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
a whole new way of showing, not telling
I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Are you? Today's song is very important in my story (about the inherit drama of high school choir.) You Are the New Day. I'm trying something new wand this one goes to Amazon, not Napster...
Anyway, here are some more graphic novels for you to look at.
So, earlier this year, I was quite taken with Mark Crilley's Miki Falls: Spring.
I was less taken with Miki Falls: Summer. Miki and Hiro are doing the brand-new couple thing, which has it's own issues. Then Miki learns that Hiro is about to take the love out of a relationship involving her best friend, so of course, she tries to stop it and makes a HUG MESS out of things. And then there's Reika, Hiro's ghost from the past who is making it very clear to Miki that Hiro is hers.
I was disappointed, but it turns out it was the perfect bridge novel to...
Miki Falls: Autumn (which is the best so far). Reika is going to tell the elders about Miki and Hiro. Once the elders know, they will do everything to keep them apart--forever. So, they run away. Once they're hiding out in the mountains, Miki discovers the awful truth that Hiro's hold spirit, Anra, sees Miki as a Neverfind-- someone who will never be able to hold on to true love. Should she go back to her safe life at home? Or should she stay and enjoy love while she has it?
Crilley has an interesting frame style. He uses a lot of trapezoids that often make the action look like it's taking place in a shattered mirror. He also will sometimes put several actions into one frame. I first really noticed this with Autumn, where it really ties in well with the tenseness of the situation and Miki's emotional state at the time. I love it.
So, it's just a few more months until Winter. I can't wait.
Also, I just read Death Note, Volume 7: Zero by Tsugumi Ohba.
Nothing startling or crazy about this one. If you liked the other previous 6, you'll like this.
We get a lot of the back story about what Light was thinking when he gave up his death note and volunteered for custody. Then, using Misa's eye power, he does what he always meant to do.
With that done, things don't get easier for Light--they get harder as new people come onto the scene. New people, who are taking hostages in exchange for information he's unwilling to give. Still looking forward to Book 8!
Anyway, here are some more graphic novels for you to look at.
So, earlier this year, I was quite taken with Mark Crilley's Miki Falls: Spring.
I was disappointed, but it turns out it was the perfect bridge novel to...
Crilley has an interesting frame style. He uses a lot of trapezoids that often make the action look like it's taking place in a shattered mirror. He also will sometimes put several actions into one frame. I first really noticed this with Autumn, where it really ties in well with the tenseness of the situation and Miki's emotional state at the time. I love it.
So, it's just a few more months until Winter. I can't wait.
Nothing startling or crazy about this one. If you liked the other previous 6, you'll like this.
We get a lot of the back story about what Light was thinking when he gave up his death note and volunteered for custody. Then, using Misa's eye power, he does what he always meant to do.
With that done, things don't get easier for Light--they get harder as new people come onto the scene. New people, who are taking hostages in exchange for information he's unwilling to give. Still looking forward to Book 8!
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