The Agency 1: A Spy in the House Y.S. Lee
Immediately after being sentenced to the gallows at the age of 12, Mary Lang is spirited away by the warden where she ends up at Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for girls. In Victorian London, options for women are limited, and Miss Scrimshaw's tries to give girls that best chance they have to make their own way.
So, five years later, when Mary (who has changed her last name to Quinn, as Mary Lang is still a wanted criminal) isn't satisfied with any of the options available to her, she feels guilty and selfish-- Miss Scrimshaw's has given her everything-- who is she to say that it isn't enough?
But Miss Scrimshaw's Academy has one more ace up its sleeve-- The Agency. The Agency are spies for hire. Taking full advantage of women's role in society, they're allowed to go places and overhear things men aren't.
Mary's first job is to pose as a lady's companion in the house of a man suspected of smuggling Indian goods. But, nothing is as it seems. Mary's not the only person looking into Thorold's financial dealings. The daughter has her own thing going. The deeper Mary gets in the case, the darker and more dangerous she gets and the closer she comes to the really big secrets of her past (and no, not the fact that she's an escaped convict sentenced to hang.)
First off, OMG love. I CANNOT wait until The Agency 2: The Body at the Tower comes out in August.
I really liked how the female characters are strong and biting against societal conformities while still seeming historically accurate-- they don't openly rebel, they know their place, but find ways around the rules.
I also loved James, the engineer who's also digging around in the Thorold case in order to save his brother from a disastrous match.
Craft-wise, I loved the way that the omniscient third-person narrator changes focus between Mary and James, to further flesh out and add to the mystery and action of the puzzle. Also, this works as a stand-alone novel. I want to read the next one because I love the premise and Mary, not because it was a 335-page lead-up to a sucker-punch of a cliffhanger.
Overall, really super awesome. The plot took a million little twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting more, more, more. It kept me up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay past bedtime.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society Michael BuckleyJackson Jones is an all-around good guy that everyone loves, until the day he gets braces. He loses his spot on the football team, loses his friends, and loses his ability to get away with anything. In loneliness, he starts spying on everyone at school. That's how he finds the secret lair under the building, that's how his braces get upgraded to a fighting mechanism. That's how he ends up joining NERDS-- a children's branch of the CIA.
Of course, the rest of the NERDS aren't so welcoming. They never liked Jackson-- he has always been a bully that tormented them mercilessly and he's really, really bad at this spy stuff. They (understandably) have no desire to help him become a better spy or to make him part of the team.
But, the mad scientist Dr. Jigsaw is currently trying to rearrange the continents in order to reunite Pangea. In order to obtain his goals, he's kidnapping various scientists from around the world to use their ideas, technology, and skills. Unless the NERDS can stop him first.
Lots of fun, with cool gadgets and action, and a good dose of silly fun. It's sure to be a hit with middle grade readers, especially boys. I didn't like it as much as I lurve Buckley's Sister Grimm series, but it is a lot of fun.
I most loved the character of the Hyena-- the tween femme fatale who wants to be a hired assassin, but can only find goon work. She can kick a lot of ass in heels, but keeps breaking them in the process, so needs to rethink her footwear. I liked her career conundrums, and really, just the thought process of a bad-guy for hire. She's my favorite character by far and I would love to read a series just about her.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Nonfiction Monday: Readicide
Today's Nonfiction Monday review isn't a nonfiction book for kids or teens, but rather a nonfiction book for adults who care about children and teen reading, and what we can do to promote reading in children and teens!
Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It Kelly Gallagher
The problem with this book is that the "What You Can Do About It" is really only pertinent if you're a school teacher, and this is a book aimed at school teachers.
But, I do think it's worthwhile read for people concerned about the state of reading and education in this country.
Gallagher's argument is simple--
The way we teach reading in this country is actively making students hate reading, and this hatred of reading is having severely negative consequences on their education. Due to our current over-emphasis on testing* we tend to teach reading by making students read short pieces or novels and then do worksheet after worksheet on them. When we actually let kids read novels, we either fail to give them any context to it, so they can't understand it, or we over-analyze it to death, so they never actually get to enjoy it.
We also don't let them read for fun anymore.
Gallagher's argument is damning and convincing. Luckily, he does have a lot of ways teachers can combat this-- including things to do in the classroom, but also ways to talk to the powers that be. His argument that kids need a balance-- some fun reading, some academic reading, some reading that just gets read, some that gets analyzed, making connections so they know why it matters is inspiring and he makes it seem so easy to implement (although I realize it's probably harder than it looks).
It's a short and easy read, but powerful and I've been thinking about it ever since I finished, wondering what I can do to help, even though I'm not in a classroom.
*Seriously, the SAT, ACT, GRE, and AP tests are all about 3 hours long, and completely grueling. I needed a nap and day off after taking each of them. And I was an adult, or an almost-adult. The standardized tests we make our kids do now are days long. Jobs and school funding depend on these tests. The amount of pressure they're under is insane. Do you know that you can buy study guides for the standardized tests? That everything is around test prep these days? The kids are so stressed that they make me stressed! There's no way this is healthy, and there are so many studies showing how much this hurts learning. But, when in doubt, test! test! and test some more!
See the Nonfiction Monday roundup over at In Need of Chocolate. Check it out!
Book Provided by... interlibrary loan
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It Kelly GallagherThe problem with this book is that the "What You Can Do About It" is really only pertinent if you're a school teacher, and this is a book aimed at school teachers.
But, I do think it's worthwhile read for people concerned about the state of reading and education in this country.
Gallagher's argument is simple--
The way we teach reading in this country is actively making students hate reading, and this hatred of reading is having severely negative consequences on their education. Due to our current over-emphasis on testing* we tend to teach reading by making students read short pieces or novels and then do worksheet after worksheet on them. When we actually let kids read novels, we either fail to give them any context to it, so they can't understand it, or we over-analyze it to death, so they never actually get to enjoy it.
We also don't let them read for fun anymore.
Gallagher's argument is damning and convincing. Luckily, he does have a lot of ways teachers can combat this-- including things to do in the classroom, but also ways to talk to the powers that be. His argument that kids need a balance-- some fun reading, some academic reading, some reading that just gets read, some that gets analyzed, making connections so they know why it matters is inspiring and he makes it seem so easy to implement (although I realize it's probably harder than it looks).
It's a short and easy read, but powerful and I've been thinking about it ever since I finished, wondering what I can do to help, even though I'm not in a classroom.
*Seriously, the SAT, ACT, GRE, and AP tests are all about 3 hours long, and completely grueling. I needed a nap and day off after taking each of them. And I was an adult, or an almost-adult. The standardized tests we make our kids do now are days long. Jobs and school funding depend on these tests. The amount of pressure they're under is insane. Do you know that you can buy study guides for the standardized tests? That everything is around test prep these days? The kids are so stressed that they make me stressed! There's no way this is healthy, and there are so many studies showing how much this hurts learning. But, when in doubt, test! test! and test some more!
See the Nonfiction Monday roundup over at In Need of Chocolate. Check it out!
Book Provided by... interlibrary loan
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia
Alcatraz Versus The Knights Of Crystallia Brandon Sanderson
Either you like Alcatraz or you don't. He plays with narrative and is very much talking directly to the reader which really annoys some people, but personally, I find it hilarious, which is why I keep reading the series.
Alcatraz has finally made it to the free lands, only the find that his dad's an emotionally distant, self-obsessed jerk and the librarians are all over the place, including his mother. Meanwhile, Bastille risks being stripped of her knightship because she lost her sword at the end of the last book.
Lost of sands changing hands, weird freelander technology, and many evil librarians trying to rule the world.
Like I said, it's not the story so much that keeps me reading, but just that I love Alcatraz's voice.
Brace yourselves. Something very, very strange is about to happen. Stranger than talking dinosaurs. Stranger than glass birds. Stranger, even, than my analogies to fish sticks.
Bastille got teary eyed. Then she hugged me.
Girls, might I made a suggestion at this point? Don't go around hugging people without warning. To many of us (a number somewhere near half), this is akin to pouring an entire bottle of seventeen-alarm hot sauce in our mouths.
I believe that at this point in the story, I made several very interesting and incoherent noises, followed--perhaps--by a blank expression and then some numb-faced drooling.
If you've enjoyed the earlier books, you'll like this one too. If you didn't, this won't change your mind.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Either you like Alcatraz or you don't. He plays with narrative and is very much talking directly to the reader which really annoys some people, but personally, I find it hilarious, which is why I keep reading the series.
Alcatraz has finally made it to the free lands, only the find that his dad's an emotionally distant, self-obsessed jerk and the librarians are all over the place, including his mother. Meanwhile, Bastille risks being stripped of her knightship because she lost her sword at the end of the last book.
Lost of sands changing hands, weird freelander technology, and many evil librarians trying to rule the world.
Like I said, it's not the story so much that keeps me reading, but just that I love Alcatraz's voice.
Brace yourselves. Something very, very strange is about to happen. Stranger than talking dinosaurs. Stranger than glass birds. Stranger, even, than my analogies to fish sticks.
Bastille got teary eyed. Then she hugged me.
Girls, might I made a suggestion at this point? Don't go around hugging people without warning. To many of us (a number somewhere near half), this is akin to pouring an entire bottle of seventeen-alarm hot sauce in our mouths.
I believe that at this point in the story, I made several very interesting and incoherent noises, followed--perhaps--by a blank expression and then some numb-faced drooling.
If you've enjoyed the earlier books, you'll like this one too. If you didn't, this won't change your mind.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder Jo Nesbø translated from the Norwegian by Tara Chace
With a title like this, you know it will be a silly story. (Hee hee FART)
Lisa is sad because her best and only friend has moved away. But, when Nilly, a very very very small boy moves in to the empty house, everything's about to change. What Nilly lacks in size, he makes up in personality. Together, the two children befriend the mad scientist on their block. Dr. Proctor's sad because all of his inventions are useless-- until the kids point out that his powder that makes you fart loudly, but without a stink, is the greatest invention ever and that kids will pay a lot of money for such a thing, especially with the Independence Day celebrations coming up.
Not only does the fart powder prove highly successful (which leads to complications as a family of bullies tries to steal it for themselves) it ends up saving the day in very unexpected ways.
Yes, a silly story, but also a sweet one about friendship, optimism, Jell-O, and everything working out in the end. It does have a rather old-fashioned feel to it (despite all the farting) which may stem from the fact that Nesbø is actually well-known as a an adult crime novelist and this is his first children's book. But, there's enough silliness (like giving the bullies the extra-strong fart powder, which makes them fart so explosively they end up stuck in a tree) it doesn't feel nostalgic or like the book is talking down to the reader. Very silly and very fun.
Book Provided by... my local library.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
With a title like this, you know it will be a silly story. (Hee hee FART)
Lisa is sad because her best and only friend has moved away. But, when Nilly, a very very very small boy moves in to the empty house, everything's about to change. What Nilly lacks in size, he makes up in personality. Together, the two children befriend the mad scientist on their block. Dr. Proctor's sad because all of his inventions are useless-- until the kids point out that his powder that makes you fart loudly, but without a stink, is the greatest invention ever and that kids will pay a lot of money for such a thing, especially with the Independence Day celebrations coming up.
Not only does the fart powder prove highly successful (which leads to complications as a family of bullies tries to steal it for themselves) it ends up saving the day in very unexpected ways.
Yes, a silly story, but also a sweet one about friendship, optimism, Jell-O, and everything working out in the end. It does have a rather old-fashioned feel to it (despite all the farting) which may stem from the fact that Nesbø is actually well-known as a an adult crime novelist and this is his first children's book. But, there's enough silliness (like giving the bullies the extra-strong fart powder, which makes them fart so explosively they end up stuck in a tree) it doesn't feel nostalgic or like the book is talking down to the reader. Very silly and very fun.
Book Provided by... my local library.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Friday, July 09, 2010
KIDLITCON 2010
Much thanks to Liz B for reminding me that Kidlitcon 2010 is on its way! I'm still trying to make the dates work, but I hope I'll be able to be there.
The organizers are looking for presentations, still, if you have an awesome idea about presenting stuff...
I don't have any awesome ideas on what to present, but I do have an idea of what I want to see--
I'd love to have a session or two about the nitty-gritty technical stuff. Like, here's how to use some basic CSS to tweak your template to make it look the way you want it to look without paying anyone else to do it for you. Here are things to keep in mind when designing your blog-- no white text on dark background, etc. Or, here are things you need to know to make your posts appear ok across browsers and for people who read your blog directly, or on an RSS feed, etc. Or 10 widgets you should consider using and why, and how to add them to your blog.
Does anyone have those skills? Because I'd love to take that session!
The organizers are looking for presentations, still, if you have an awesome idea about presenting stuff...
I don't have any awesome ideas on what to present, but I do have an idea of what I want to see--
I'd love to have a session or two about the nitty-gritty technical stuff. Like, here's how to use some basic CSS to tweak your template to make it look the way you want it to look without paying anyone else to do it for you. Here are things to keep in mind when designing your blog-- no white text on dark background, etc. Or, here are things you need to know to make your posts appear ok across browsers and for people who read your blog directly, or on an RSS feed, etc. Or 10 widgets you should consider using and why, and how to add them to your blog.
Does anyone have those skills? Because I'd love to take that session!
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Guardian Challenge June and July Reviews
I'm sorry I never got the June post up, so here's a one post for June and July. Happy Reading!
China Challenge: June and July Reviews
I apologize for never getting the June challenge post up! I know some of you put your June reviews on the May post, which is great! But, if haven't linked to your June posts yet, you can do that here for the June and July list!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Popularity Papers
The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang Amy IgnatowLydia and Julie are on a quest to discover the secrets of popularity before entering junior high. They decide to observe the popular girls and try to figure out what makes them popular. This is the book of their observations and findings. Along the way, they deal with school musical auditions, camping trips, knitting, stick fighting, field hockey, talent shows, and some truly horrendous amateur Norwegian love poetry. Also, some lessons about popularity and friendship, but they're a bit hidden, so don't worry.
What's great about this book is that it's told in a mix of prose (with different handwritings for Julie and Lydia) and pictures and cartoons. Also, the entire thing is in FULL COLOR. It really does look like a notebook of two girls. And it's uproariously funny. I especially liked how the popular girls were... real. They weren't mean girl flat characters. As Lydia and Julie got to know them, they became real people-- with good and bad sides, just like everyone else. Julie illustrates most of the book, because Lydia can't draw, so the parts where Lydia does draw (glorified stick figures) are really funny. Lydia's older sister Melody is another comedic dimension. She's surly and wears a lot of black and heavy eyeliner. She used to be happy and pretty and friendly in elementary school, and then changed in junior high. She's actually the reason the girls are so desperate to be popular--they don't want to turn into Melody!
Readers do have to be able to read cursive, though, because Lydia's parts are all in cursive.
Overall, a most EXCELLENT book. It's like if Candy Apple and Wimpy Kid and Babymouse had a book baby of awesome.
And! Bonus points-- Julie has two daddies (Daddy and Papa Dad).
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Nonfiction Monday
Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From Catherine Thimmesh
Ethiopia, 1974. Scientists find an arm bone and quickly realize that they actually have found 40% of a skeleton.
It doesn't look like a human, it doesn't look like a monkey. What is it?
It's Lucy, named after "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles. She completely changed the way we think about how humans evolved.
In extremely easy-to-understand and interesting text, Thimmesh walks the reader through the discovery of Lucy's remains and the questions scientists asked and how they came to their answers. Was she an adult or child? Did she walk on two legs or four? How did she fit in with what we already know about evolution and where we came from? Was she even a she?
A great look at how scientists discover things and how our knowledge of the world is always changing. Great illustrations, sidebars, and quotations from those involved in the discovery and investigation.
Today's Round up is over at SimplyScience!
Book Provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Ethiopia, 1974. Scientists find an arm bone and quickly realize that they actually have found 40% of a skeleton.
It doesn't look like a human, it doesn't look like a monkey. What is it?
It's Lucy, named after "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles. She completely changed the way we think about how humans evolved.
In extremely easy-to-understand and interesting text, Thimmesh walks the reader through the discovery of Lucy's remains and the questions scientists asked and how they came to their answers. Was she an adult or child? Did she walk on two legs or four? How did she fit in with what we already know about evolution and where we came from? Was she even a she?
A great look at how scientists discover things and how our knowledge of the world is always changing. Great illustrations, sidebars, and quotations from those involved in the discovery and investigation.
Today's Round up is over at SimplyScience!
Book Provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Poetry Friday: School's Out Edition
Schoooooooooooooooooooooooooool's out for summer!
Schoooooooooooooooooooooooooool's out forever!
Summer vacation started here this week, which brings all the joy of summer reading lists. A lot of people complain about reading lists, but I really like ours. The libraries and schools* work together to put together lists that have a wide variety of books for a wide variety of readers. They also get revisited every year, so new titles get added. AND! With the libraries and schools working together, every book on the list is still in print and owned by the library (in fact, we have lots of copies, because it's a reading list book!)
I mean, is Babymouse on your reading list? It's on mine.
There are also poetry books on the list for almost every grade. Some grades luck out with multiple poetry books AND verse novels.
Two of those books are ones I want to talk about today-- A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems (for rising 5th graders) and A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms (for rising 7th graders.) Both are selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Chris Raschka
A Poke in the I is a collection of concrete poems, which are very visual in nature, are fun, and a great way to get kids to look at poetry in a different way.
One of my favorites from A Poke in the I is "Swan and Shadow" by John Hollander. I can't do proper formatting in the blog, but it's used in this post on How to Save the World.
A Kick in the Head is a book of different poetic forms. Up in the corner is the name of the form, the main page spreads are an example or two, and down in small print, it explains what the form is. There is more information on the form in the back.
So, it gives us an Aubade, which is explained in the fine print as "An aubade (oh-BAUD) is a poem without formal structure of rhyme that laments or celebrates the coming of dawn."
The example is "Morning Has Broken" by Eleanor Farjeon
Morning has broken
Like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!
Sweet the rain's new fall
Sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness
Where his feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight!
Mine is the morning.
Born of the one light
Eden saw play!
Praise with elation.
Praise every morning,
God's re-creation
Of the new day!
Which I just love, mostly because I love the way Cat Stevens set it to music. It was in our hymnal growing up, and was always one of my favorites to sing.
*Well, we work with the public school district for the county we're located in. We have a ton of students who go to private, charter, or public schools from other counties who use the library too. And by "we" I mean the library. Personally, I am not involved in the process at all. Sadly.
Roundup is over at Two Writing Teachers. Join the fun!
Books Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Schoooooooooooooooooooooooooool's out forever!
Summer vacation started here this week, which brings all the joy of summer reading lists. A lot of people complain about reading lists, but I really like ours. The libraries and schools* work together to put together lists that have a wide variety of books for a wide variety of readers. They also get revisited every year, so new titles get added. AND! With the libraries and schools working together, every book on the list is still in print and owned by the library (in fact, we have lots of copies, because it's a reading list book!)
I mean, is Babymouse on your reading list? It's on mine.
There are also poetry books on the list for almost every grade. Some grades luck out with multiple poetry books AND verse novels.
Two of those books are ones I want to talk about today-- A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems (for rising 5th graders) and A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms (for rising 7th graders.) Both are selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Chris RaschkaA Poke in the I is a collection of concrete poems, which are very visual in nature, are fun, and a great way to get kids to look at poetry in a different way.
One of my favorites from A Poke in the I is "Swan and Shadow" by John Hollander. I can't do proper formatting in the blog, but it's used in this post on How to Save the World.
A Kick in the Head is a book of different poetic forms. Up in the corner is the name of the form, the main page spreads are an example or two, and down in small print, it explains what the form is. There is more information on the form in the back.So, it gives us an Aubade, which is explained in the fine print as "An aubade (oh-BAUD) is a poem without formal structure of rhyme that laments or celebrates the coming of dawn."
The example is "Morning Has Broken" by Eleanor Farjeon
Morning has broken
Like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!
Sweet the rain's new fall
Sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness
Where his feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight!
Mine is the morning.
Born of the one light
Eden saw play!
Praise with elation.
Praise every morning,
God's re-creation
Of the new day!
Which I just love, mostly because I love the way Cat Stevens set it to music. It was in our hymnal growing up, and was always one of my favorites to sing.
*Well, we work with the public school district for the county we're located in. We have a ton of students who go to private, charter, or public schools from other counties who use the library too. And by "we" I mean the library. Personally, I am not involved in the process at all. Sadly.
Roundup is over at Two Writing Teachers. Join the fun!
Books Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Thank You, Jeeves
Thank You, Jeeves P. G. Wodehouse
Easy-going Bertie Wooster is in a bit of a bind. The neighbors keep complaining about his banjolele playing, so he's being evicted. Instead of giving up the banjolele, he will remove to a country cottage where he can play to his heart's content without bothering anyone. Jeeves would rather resign than live in a country cottage with the banjolele. And he does.
Bertie's off to the country, living in a cottage owned by his good friend the Fifth Baron Chuffnell (aka Chuffy) who, conveniently, now employs Jeeves. Rounding our our comedy are Pauline Stoker (Bertie's ex-fiance) her father (who hates our dear Bertie) and Sir Roderick Glossop (who also hates Bertie and is the reason Mr. Stoker hates Bertie and made Pauline call off the engagement.)
At stake is the fact that Pauline and Chuffy are rather in love, but there's a money issue. Bertie tries to shove them in the right directions, but always gets caught by Mr. Stoker, which only fuels Stoker's feelings that Pauline is still in love with Chuffy.
Hijinks and hilarity ensue.
I've never read any Wodehouse before, and I absolutely loved it and have a great desire to read the rest of his work, at least when it comes to Jeeves and Wooster. It was just pure silliness.
I will, however say, that this book is a product of its place and time (England, 1934). One of the plot points revolves around the fact that there is also a team of Minstrels in the same part of the country. Jeeves refers to them as "Negro Minstrels" while most of the other characters use a different N word. There is also a great deal of people running around in black face. We never actually meet the Minstrels, so we're at least spared that. It is what it is. I did still enjoy the book, but wanted to let you know that it was there and not nice.
I will definitely be on the look out for other Wodehouse.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Easy-going Bertie Wooster is in a bit of a bind. The neighbors keep complaining about his banjolele playing, so he's being evicted. Instead of giving up the banjolele, he will remove to a country cottage where he can play to his heart's content without bothering anyone. Jeeves would rather resign than live in a country cottage with the banjolele. And he does.
Bertie's off to the country, living in a cottage owned by his good friend the Fifth Baron Chuffnell (aka Chuffy) who, conveniently, now employs Jeeves. Rounding our our comedy are Pauline Stoker (Bertie's ex-fiance) her father (who hates our dear Bertie) and Sir Roderick Glossop (who also hates Bertie and is the reason Mr. Stoker hates Bertie and made Pauline call off the engagement.)
At stake is the fact that Pauline and Chuffy are rather in love, but there's a money issue. Bertie tries to shove them in the right directions, but always gets caught by Mr. Stoker, which only fuels Stoker's feelings that Pauline is still in love with Chuffy.
Hijinks and hilarity ensue.
I've never read any Wodehouse before, and I absolutely loved it and have a great desire to read the rest of his work, at least when it comes to Jeeves and Wooster. It was just pure silliness.
I will, however say, that this book is a product of its place and time (England, 1934). One of the plot points revolves around the fact that there is also a team of Minstrels in the same part of the country. Jeeves refers to them as "Negro Minstrels" while most of the other characters use a different N word. There is also a great deal of people running around in black face. We never actually meet the Minstrels, so we're at least spared that. It is what it is. I did still enjoy the book, but wanted to let you know that it was there and not nice.
I will definitely be on the look out for other Wodehouse.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Lockdown
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1 Alexander Gordon Smith
14-year-old Alex was just a petty thief until the day the men in black suits showed up at a house he was robbing, shot his best friend, and framed him with the murder. Sentenced to life with parole, Alex is sent the The Furnace, Britain's prison for the worst juvenile offenders. The Furnace is underground and run by the black suits. They have skinless dogs that eat kids. At night, the Wheezers come. The wheezers have gas masks for faces and take kids away in the night, never to be seen again. At 18, you're transferred out of the Furnace, but no one ever lives that long. Alex needs out. No one's ever escaped before, but Alex is going to try. He'll die if he's caught, but he'll die if he stays.
I really liked the concept of the Furnace, built after "The Summer of Slaughter" when youth gangs got out of control. I wanted to learn more about the world that would create Furnace rather than life within Furnace itself. I was also really frustrated because the book builds and builds to the cliff-hanger ending for the second book. And, it gets really exciting close enough to the end that you know you won't get anything until the sequel comes out next year. (Or you could order the next two books now, from England.)
With lots of gross creatures to keep the kid prisoners in line and the action-filled adventure plot, there's enough here to make this a *great* book for reluctant readers, but it just didn't do it for me. I enjoyed reading it, but have no desire to read the rest of the series. (ok, I did read the plot summaries of the next books).
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
14-year-old Alex was just a petty thief until the day the men in black suits showed up at a house he was robbing, shot his best friend, and framed him with the murder. Sentenced to life with parole, Alex is sent the The Furnace, Britain's prison for the worst juvenile offenders. The Furnace is underground and run by the black suits. They have skinless dogs that eat kids. At night, the Wheezers come. The wheezers have gas masks for faces and take kids away in the night, never to be seen again. At 18, you're transferred out of the Furnace, but no one ever lives that long. Alex needs out. No one's ever escaped before, but Alex is going to try. He'll die if he's caught, but he'll die if he stays.
I really liked the concept of the Furnace, built after "The Summer of Slaughter" when youth gangs got out of control. I wanted to learn more about the world that would create Furnace rather than life within Furnace itself. I was also really frustrated because the book builds and builds to the cliff-hanger ending for the second book. And, it gets really exciting close enough to the end that you know you won't get anything until the sequel comes out next year. (Or you could order the next two books now, from England.)
With lots of gross creatures to keep the kid prisoners in line and the action-filled adventure plot, there's enough here to make this a *great* book for reluctant readers, but it just didn't do it for me. I enjoyed reading it, but have no desire to read the rest of the series. (ok, I did read the plot summaries of the next books).
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It
I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It Adam SelzerZombies of Des Moines!
Alley is known as the Ice Queen of the viscous circle-- the cynical sarcastic kids who write the school paper and will actually leave their Des Moines suburb once they're done with high school.
It all changes when she goes to review a band for the paper. The band itself is awful, but they guy they get to sing a few songs? Alley's immediately smitten and her Ice Queen heart melts all over her laptop.
What she doesn't realize is that Doug is one of the zombies that Megamart created a few years ago to cut labor costs. Once the world discovered the zombies, the vampires also "came out of the coffin" and it's now a post-human world. Only Alley's guidance counselor (vampire) doesn't like the living dating the dead and demands Alley convert on her birthday or dump Doug. Doug can't leave Des Moines-- can Alley leave him? Or should she stay? And what's with all these new zombies roaming around demanding brains?
A few minor points made me really like this--
1. It takes place in Des Moines. While all Alley wants is to leave it, the Des Moines she lives in is not a stupid caractature of "small midwestern hicksville." Des Moines has surburbs, and is very much... Des Moines. Selzer grew up there and it shows.
2. Alley (and her best friend Sadie) are Jewish, but it's not a major part of the book (except that matzoh balls are things zombies can eat. Also, Des Moines has more zombies than Jews, which is just funny.)
Selzer captures well the heady feeling of first love and the willingness the change everything for a relationship before you start to actually think things through. While Alley was this really strong character who was willing to change EVERYTHING for a guy, the way Selzer wrote it made it totally believable and not weak and insipid. I think it's because she thought through her decisions and her parents and friends kept trying to drum some sense into her.
Either way, a light fun book about dating the undead.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels Walter Dean MyersRichie Perry can't afford college. He's stuck in Harlem with few prospects, so he enlists and goes off the Vietnam.
There are the basics of a war story-- fear, fighting, death, trying to make sense of it all, trying to stay alive.
But there's more to this one-- Perry and most of his unit enlisted for their own reasons, which goes against the standard Vietnam story we tell of draftees. Perry and many in his unit are black. While race isn't a major factor of Myers's story, it's there and sometimes it's an issue.
Myers touches on several issues, never letting them pull focus, but also not merely brushing them off.
Overall, while it's a different perspective on a war story, it holds much in common with other war stories, because the weapons and geography and reasons may change, but there is great universality in battle, in death.
We watch Perry change over the course of his tour of duty. What I really wanted to know is what happens next. Not just to Perry, but to Pee-Wee and Johnson and the others. What world did they go back to and how did they readjust? Did serving in the army open doors to them that weren't open before?
A moving story that stays with the reader.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Bloggiesta Finish Line
It's time to call it a night.
Dan has been incredibly patient with me this weekend, especially given that we has a blog widower last weekend as well. As soon as these cookies come out of the oven, we're off to watch some Lost (we're still on Season 1.)
Here's how I did:
1. Read 1500 blog posts. (I'm currently 1300 behind, but surely 200 more will appear in my reader by the end of this weekend. Heck, probably by the end of today.) I'm still 1000+ behind, but I did read 1001 posts. I was obviously hindered by the large amount of posting that happened this weekend!
2. Write 65 book reviews. I wrote 4
3. Pre-schedule 2 weeks worth of reviews Uh... nope. Just tomorrow's
4. Catch up on my record-keeping YES!
5. Organize my google reader YES!
6. Add reviews to LibraryThing nope
7. Challenge posts nope
8. Tell you about my SLJ reviews couldn't do, because their website's being weird.
10. Write 10 non-review blog posts I wrote 1
11. Tag old posts, add links and pictures nope
12. Clean up the blogroll nope
Not a total bust. I knew not everything would get done, as my goals were EVERYTHING that needed to get done for the website. I would have really liked to get more of those book reviews written, but I've been having reviewing writer's block lately, and this weekend wasn't the cure. *sigh*
Dan has been incredibly patient with me this weekend, especially given that we has a blog widower last weekend as well. As soon as these cookies come out of the oven, we're off to watch some Lost (we're still on Season 1.)
Here's how I did:
1. Read 1500 blog posts. (I'm currently 1300 behind, but surely 200 more will appear in my reader by the end of this weekend. Heck, probably by the end of today.) I'm still 1000+ behind, but I did read 1001 posts. I was obviously hindered by the large amount of posting that happened this weekend!
2. Write 65 book reviews. I wrote 4
3. Pre-schedule 2 weeks worth of reviews Uh... nope. Just tomorrow's
4. Catch up on my record-keeping YES!
5. Organize my google reader YES!
6. Add reviews to LibraryThing nope
7. Challenge posts nope
8. Tell you about my SLJ reviews couldn't do, because their website's being weird.
10. Write 10 non-review blog posts I wrote 1
11. Tag old posts, add links and pictures nope
12. Clean up the blogroll nope
Not a total bust. I knew not everything would get done, as my goals were EVERYTHING that needed to get done for the website. I would have really liked to get more of those book reviews written, but I've been having reviewing writer's block lately, and this weekend wasn't the cure. *sigh*
Sunday Salon-- TBR
Jen Robinson used to do a series of "reviews that made me want to read the book."
I have a slew of starred posts in my Google Reader of reviews that made ME want to read the book. So, I thought I'd steal Jen's idea and share some of the reviews that make my TBR pile so insane. This is probably become an occasional series:
Grinnell College Libraries Favorite Books and Book Review's review of The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War by David Laskin
It is interesting to read this book about 12 men who immigrated during the great 19th century wave of immigration in light of current debates on immigration and especially recent legislation in Arizona. Laskin's book is about the interesting path these men took to the United States, looking for opportunity, perhaps even seeking to avoid mandatory service in their native countries' armed forces, only to be drafted into the U.S. forces.
Abby (the) Librarian's review of Matched by Ally Condie.
Cruely, she taunts us with a book that doesn't come out until NOVEMBER.
I think Ms. Condie has created an intriguing world and she builds the tension up nicely to keep the reader interested. I started this book before I went to bed last night and ended up staying awake for an extra hour because I wanted to see what happened next. There are some nice plot turns, some I suspected and some that surprised me. This will definitely please fans of dystopian lit and it has a nice element of romance, so I'd recommend it to fans of paranormal romance, too.
Chasing Ray's review of The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt
Colleen hadn't even finished it yet, but...
First, I need someone to explain why you all haven't heard of this book. The easy answer is that it is too offbeat, too unusual, basically just too damn different. And yet in a world that supports Scarlett Thomas and Samantha Hunt I do not understand why Helen Dewitt is not equally embraced by a cult-like following. The Last Samurai is not a page-turning thriller but it is so bloody smart and witty that I can not understand for the life of me why it isn't the book that all the 21st century witty smart readers who like learning and think being curious is truly a cool thing bought the heck out of and made it a continuous, on a scale of David Foster Wallace type massive best seller.
Color Online's review of Moonshine: A Novel by Alaya Johnson
The notion of Moonshine being merely another vampire or paranormal fiction novel is taking it a bit too lightly. Though a quirky and supernatural tale, it's also a guise for a more grounded critique on race. Zephyr struggles daily to get humans to see that the "Others", who openly live, work, and play in mainstream society, are still deserving of humanity even if not human.
Editorial Anonymous had an interview with Adam Rex rather than a review of his upcoming Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story
I have to say the impetus for this book actually came when I misread a banner ad. I was in the middle of my morning web-crawl when I saw an ad for some manga or webcomic or something called My Dork Embrace. And I thought, That's great. I bet it's a story about the kind of awkward guy who's never supposed to become a vampire. And a minute later my brain wouldn't let go of it because the art and tenor of the ad didn't really jive with the assumption I'd made, so I scrolled back to have another look at it. And I discovered it's really just My Dark Embrace. I'd misread it. But then I got excited because that meant I could write My Dork Embrace myself, and it would be a good framework to work out some thoughts I'd been having about high school.
Another one from Chasing Ray. This time it's Touch by Adania Shibli
In many ways it is exactly like a thousand other YA stories and yet the telling is so different that it reads like nothing else. It's poetry in prose; an exotic fragmented tale of often mundane circumstances.
Reading Extensively's review of My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day
Heidi is a quirky character with a great sense of humor. She loves to watch DVD episodes of her favorite spy show and has imaginary conversations with the main character, Mycroft Christie...The title suggests that the book is a romance but really the focus is on friendship which I found refreshing. Heidi and her friends are one of a kind.
Emily Read's review of Only One Year by Andrea Cheng
Emily reviews in haiku and I don't want to copy her ENTIRE post here, because that hardly seems sporting, but here's part of the description of the book:
Just before Sharon's mother begins a new job, the fourth-grader's parents send her two-year-old brother, Di Di, to live in Shanghai for a year with their grandmother, Nai Nai. When Sharon questions why a babysitter can't care for him instead, Mama explains that for a sitter, 'Di Di is a job. But for Nai Nai, he is a grandson.'
Maggie Reads has an excerpt from I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui
I walk through an open door and am faced with a group of wailing women and men wearing black robes. This is the place I want to be. It is up to me and only me to find one of those black robed men alone and get what I seek...
The room is empty now and I sit afraid I will be missed as it becomes dark. The lady at the desk goes into the office and speaks to the judge. Suddenly, he is standing in front of me. “What do you want little girl?” I bravely state, “I want a divorce.”
Nymeth from Things Mean a Lot's review of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Maisie Dobbs isn’t only a mystery: it’s also a story about an Edwardian young woman growing up, moving from poverty to a world of comfort and education, and having her life irrevocably changed by the war...
There was quite a bit that I liked about Maisie Dobbs: the glimpses into the pre-World War I Edwardian world and into post-war society; the descriptions of the war period and of civilian life during it; the emphasis on how the war was experienced by people of different genders and different social backgrounds; the commentary on class; and most of all the sensitive analysis of the long-term consequences of an experience as devastating as WWI, both at an individual and at a social level.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
I have a slew of starred posts in my Google Reader of reviews that made ME want to read the book. So, I thought I'd steal Jen's idea and share some of the reviews that make my TBR pile so insane. This is probably become an occasional series:
Grinnell College Libraries Favorite Books and Book Review's review of The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War by David LaskinIt is interesting to read this book about 12 men who immigrated during the great 19th century wave of immigration in light of current debates on immigration and especially recent legislation in Arizona. Laskin's book is about the interesting path these men took to the United States, looking for opportunity, perhaps even seeking to avoid mandatory service in their native countries' armed forces, only to be drafted into the U.S. forces.
Abby (the) Librarian's review of Matched by Ally Condie.
Cruely, she taunts us with a book that doesn't come out until NOVEMBER.
I think Ms. Condie has created an intriguing world and she builds the tension up nicely to keep the reader interested. I started this book before I went to bed last night and ended up staying awake for an extra hour because I wanted to see what happened next. There are some nice plot turns, some I suspected and some that surprised me. This will definitely please fans of dystopian lit and it has a nice element of romance, so I'd recommend it to fans of paranormal romance, too.
Chasing Ray's review of The Last Samurai by Helen DewittColleen hadn't even finished it yet, but...
First, I need someone to explain why you all haven't heard of this book. The easy answer is that it is too offbeat, too unusual, basically just too damn different. And yet in a world that supports Scarlett Thomas and Samantha Hunt I do not understand why Helen Dewitt is not equally embraced by a cult-like following. The Last Samurai is not a page-turning thriller but it is so bloody smart and witty that I can not understand for the life of me why it isn't the book that all the 21st century witty smart readers who like learning and think being curious is truly a cool thing bought the heck out of and made it a continuous, on a scale of David Foster Wallace type massive best seller.
Color Online's review of Moonshine: A Novel by Alaya Johnson
The notion of Moonshine being merely another vampire or paranormal fiction novel is taking it a bit too lightly. Though a quirky and supernatural tale, it's also a guise for a more grounded critique on race. Zephyr struggles daily to get humans to see that the "Others", who openly live, work, and play in mainstream society, are still deserving of humanity even if not human.
Editorial Anonymous had an interview with Adam Rex rather than a review of his upcoming Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age StoryI have to say the impetus for this book actually came when I misread a banner ad. I was in the middle of my morning web-crawl when I saw an ad for some manga or webcomic or something called My Dork Embrace. And I thought, That's great. I bet it's a story about the kind of awkward guy who's never supposed to become a vampire. And a minute later my brain wouldn't let go of it because the art and tenor of the ad didn't really jive with the assumption I'd made, so I scrolled back to have another look at it. And I discovered it's really just My Dark Embrace. I'd misread it. But then I got excited because that meant I could write My Dork Embrace myself, and it would be a good framework to work out some thoughts I'd been having about high school.
Another one from Chasing Ray. This time it's Touch by Adania Shibli
In many ways it is exactly like a thousand other YA stories and yet the telling is so different that it reads like nothing else. It's poetry in prose; an exotic fragmented tale of often mundane circumstances.
Reading Extensively's review of My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie DayHeidi is a quirky character with a great sense of humor. She loves to watch DVD episodes of her favorite spy show and has imaginary conversations with the main character, Mycroft Christie...The title suggests that the book is a romance but really the focus is on friendship which I found refreshing. Heidi and her friends are one of a kind.
Emily Read's review of Only One Year by Andrea Cheng
Emily reviews in haiku and I don't want to copy her ENTIRE post here, because that hardly seems sporting, but here's part of the description of the book:
Just before Sharon's mother begins a new job, the fourth-grader's parents send her two-year-old brother, Di Di, to live in Shanghai for a year with their grandmother, Nai Nai. When Sharon questions why a babysitter can't care for him instead, Mama explains that for a sitter, 'Di Di is a job. But for Nai Nai, he is a grandson.'
Maggie Reads has an excerpt from I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui
I walk through an open door and am faced with a group of wailing women and men wearing black robes. This is the place I want to be. It is up to me and only me to find one of those black robed men alone and get what I seek...
The room is empty now and I sit afraid I will be missed as it becomes dark. The lady at the desk goes into the office and speaks to the judge. Suddenly, he is standing in front of me. “What do you want little girl?” I bravely state, “I want a divorce.”
Nymeth from Things Mean a Lot's review of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline WinspearMaisie Dobbs isn’t only a mystery: it’s also a story about an Edwardian young woman growing up, moving from poverty to a world of comfort and education, and having her life irrevocably changed by the war...
There was quite a bit that I liked about Maisie Dobbs: the glimpses into the pre-World War I Edwardian world and into post-war society; the descriptions of the war period and of civilian life during it; the emphasis on how the war was experienced by people of different genders and different social backgrounds; the commentary on class; and most of all the sensitive analysis of the long-term consequences of an experience as devastating as WWI, both at an individual and at a social level.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Bloggiesta Check In
Well, I had to go to work today, so that cut out some of my Bloggiesta time. I also realized one of my goals was impossible for this weekend (and not just for sheer numbers. I know most of mine are practically not going to happen, but this one just CAN'T happen) and thought of some more...
Basically, this blog is supposed to be a record of *Everything* I read, so I link to reviews published elsewhere. I have many reviews published in School Library Journal that I haven't linked to yet that I want to, but due to their moving to new systems, their reviews aren't online at the moment, so I can't exactly link to them, can I? (or find out if certain ones ran this June. The work copy hasn't gotten to my desk yet.) So, that goal gets delayed for now.
But, I remembered that my blog roll needs updating and that I my early posts aren't tagged (Because Blogger didn't have tagging functions back then. In fact, I'm not sure tagging exsisted 5 years ago. The internet moves so fast!) So, there are two more goals.
So far, I've been going for 9 hours.
1. Read 1500 blog posts. (I'm currently 1300 behind, but surely 200 more will appear in my reader by the end of this weekend. Heck, probably by the end of today.) I've read 768, which brings my unread posts to under 1000! Huzzah!)
2. Write 65 book reviews. I've done 2
3. Pre-schedule 2 weeks worth of reviews
4. Catch up on my record-keeping
5. Organize my google reader
6. Add reviews to LibraryThing
7. Challenge posts
8. Tell you about my SLJ reviews
10. Write 10 non-review blog posts
11. Tag old posts, add links and pictures
12. Clean up the blogroll
Basically, this blog is supposed to be a record of *Everything* I read, so I link to reviews published elsewhere. I have many reviews published in School Library Journal that I haven't linked to yet that I want to, but due to their moving to new systems, their reviews aren't online at the moment, so I can't exactly link to them, can I? (or find out if certain ones ran this June. The work copy hasn't gotten to my desk yet.) So, that goal gets delayed for now.
But, I remembered that my blog roll needs updating and that I my early posts aren't tagged (Because Blogger didn't have tagging functions back then. In fact, I'm not sure tagging exsisted 5 years ago. The internet moves so fast!) So, there are two more goals.
So far, I've been going for 9 hours.
1. Read 1500 blog posts. (I'm currently 1300 behind, but surely 200 more will appear in my reader by the end of this weekend. Heck, probably by the end of today.) I've read 768, which brings my unread posts to under 1000! Huzzah!)
2. Write 65 book reviews. I've done 2
3. Pre-schedule 2 weeks worth of reviews
4. Catch up on my record-keeping
6. Add reviews to LibraryThing
7. Challenge posts
10. Write 10 non-review blog posts
11. Tag old posts, add links and pictures
12. Clean up the blogroll
Friday, June 11, 2010
Bloggiesta check in
Hours spent Bloggiesta-ing: 6
Things accomplished:
1. Google reader organized
2. 350 posts read (out of 1500)
3. 2 reviews written (out of 65)
Things accomplished:
1. Google reader organized
2. 350 posts read (out of 1500)
3. 2 reviews written (out of 65)
Bloggiesta check in
Carrie wins "most helpful hint of the day" award for pointing out that if I look in Google trends, it will tell me how many blog posts I've read in a given day! Huzzah!
Anyway, I've now been Bloggiesta-ing for 2 hours. So far I have.
1. Organized my google reader
2. Read 178 blog posts.
In my non-Bloggiesta-ing time, I've been to the bank, the dry-cleaners and salon. My eyebrows no longer look like caterpillars trying to eat my face and my hair is shorter and physically lighter (in color, it's actually much darker.) Seriously, I only cut about 4 inches off (plus some thinning to deal with the weight) but I think I might have lost 5 pounds just by cutting my hair. Easiest and prettiest diet ever!
Anyway, I've now been Bloggiesta-ing for 2 hours. So far I have.
1. Organized my google reader
2. Read 178 blog posts.
In my non-Bloggiesta-ing time, I've been to the bank, the dry-cleaners and salon. My eyebrows no longer look like caterpillars trying to eat my face and my hair is shorter and physically lighter (in color, it's actually much darker.) Seriously, I only cut about 4 inches off (plus some thinning to deal with the weight) but I think I might have lost 5 pounds just by cutting my hair. Easiest and prettiest diet ever!
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