Nonfiction Monday: Stranger at Home

A Stranger At Home: A True Story Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

I haven't read Fatty Legs: A True Story, the story of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton's time at a church run residential school. A Stranger At Home is the story of what happens when she returns home to her Arctic village, Tuktoyaktuk, after two years at the school.

Only when she gets home, her mother no longer recognizes her. She no longer remembers the Inuit language, her native tongue. Her once favorite food, muktuk (made from whale blubber and skin) now makes her sick.

She has become one of "them," the outsiders who try to change the Inuit way of life, the ones who made her two years at school a horrible experience. Only her father, who also attended one of the church schools, knows what she is going through.

Slowly, Pokiak-Fenton figures out how to fit back in at home, even though she's not the same girl she was when she left it.

You don't need to read Fatty Legs to appreciate this story. The language is simple and is a good fit for younger middle grade readers. But it's still a moving story that will speak to older readers as well. There are several photographs, as well as full-color illustrations by Liz Amini-Holmes. There are also small photographs and in the margins and little facts to help understand life in Tuktoyaktuk.

It's a very good and interesting read. I want to seek out Fatty Legs so I can know more of the story.

Be sure to check out today's Nonfiction Monday round-up over at the Nonfiction Detectives.

Book Provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration

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Sunday Salon: reviews that made me want to read the book

In my poking around on the internets, here are some reviews and books that caught my eye and expanded my TBR list.

The Book of the Maidservant Rebecca Barnhouse

Ok, so this wasn't a review, Booksmugglers' hadn't read it yet. They just said they wanted too. But it's based on The Book of Margery Kempe and is the story of her maidservant and what happens when Kempe abandons her and the rest of the pilgrimage group.

A teen book. Based on Margery Kempe. Oh yes.

Memento Mori Muriel Spark

A group of older characters each receive a phone call reminding them that they will die. Intertwined lives, past mistakes and regrets, and reactions to the reminder of their mortality. By Muriel Spark.

My Friend Amy says:

Dame Lettie's bore out in the most obvious way throughout the book. She was the first to receive the phone calls and she heard the voice as very sinister. She enlisted the help of the police, and then a private investigator but when they failed to come up with any answers about who was making the calls, she grew more and more frightened and paranoid. She cut off her phone service. She would hear voices in the night and go investigate. All of these things left her very vulnerable to death itself and it came in the form of an armed robbery and brutal murder. It's easy to see what Sparks was doing here...her fear of death and avoidance of the reality of it made it's arrival harsh and frightening.

If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit Brenda Ueland

It's a book about creative writing and how to be better at it.

The Debutante Ball says:

I’m struck by how simple and wise and generous and important Brenda Ueland’s teachings are. She truly believed that anyone could write, as long as they paid attention to the world and did their best to tell the truth on the page. “Everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say,” she says, and you can’t help but believe her.

Afrika Hermann

A graphic novel dealing with the aftermath of Belgium's colonial past.

Adult Books 4 Teens says:

His protagonist in this particular independently standing story is a credibly hard bitten white man who takes his responsibility for a wild animal preserve more seriously than any other aspect of his life. We see the raw savagery inflicted by poachers, the guerilla tactics employed by government agents and Ferrer himself, and the highly visual contrasts between plush, European-style offices and Ferrer’s hardscrabble homestead... [Hermann] paints an Africa of beautifully hued days and shadowy nights, the ashes of an African village, the breakage caused in the jungle as Ferrer and his unwitting partner try to run away from pursing government agents. This is realism at its politically charged best: no deus ex machina, no recovery from misunderstanding.

Fracture Megan Miranda

Girl falls through ice and (kinda) survives, but with weird powers that draw her towards the dead. This is one where it really is the review that makes me take another look at a book I would have otherwise skipped right over.

Bookshelves of Doom says:

Although the synopsis makes it sound like forty bazillion other paranormals, Fracture is different. Yes, yes, Delaney is attracted to Troy (the mysterious dude), and yes, yes, there's a push-and-pull-and-push between her, Decker, and Troy. But it's not the same-old-same-old love triangle that we've come to expect in paranormals. The dynamics are different, and it's less about lurrrve and hormones and more about power, choice, and survival.


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Poetry Friday: Under the Mesquite

Under the Mesquite Guadalupe Garcia McCall

señorita

Mami said life would change
after I turned fifteen
when I became a señorita.
But señorita means different things
to different people.

For my friends Mireya and Sarita,
who turned fifteen last summer,
señorita means wearing lipstick,
which when I put it on
is sticky and messy,
like strawberry jam on my lips.

For Mami señorita means
making me try on high-heeled shoes
two inches high
and meant to break my neck.

For Mami's sisters, my tías
Maritza and Belén, who live in Mexico,
señorita means measuring me,
turning me this way and that
as they fit me for the floral dresses
they cheerfully stitch together
on their sewing machines.
For the aunts, señorita also means
insisting I wear pantyhose,
the cruel invention that makes
my thick, trunklike thighs
into bulging sausages.

When my tías are done dressing me up
like a big Mexican Barbie doll,
I look at myself in the mirror.
Mami stands behind me
as I pull at the starched
flowered fabric and argue
with Mami's reflection.

"Why do I have to wear this stuff/
This is your style, not mine!
I like jeans and tennis shoes.
Why can't I just dress
like a normal teenager?
En los Estados Unidos girls
don't dress up like muñecas."

Señoritas don't talk back
to their mothers," Mami warns.
When my aunts aren't looking,
she gives me a tiny pinch,
like a bee sting on the inside
of my upper arm. "Señoritas know
when to be quiet and let their
elders make the decisions."

For my father, señorita means
he has to be a guard dog
when boys are around.
According to my parents,
I won't be allowed to date
until I graduate from high school.

That's fine with me.
I have better things to do
than think about boys--
like prepare for my future.
I want to be the first one in our family
to earn a college degree.

For my sisters, señorita means
having someone to worship:
it is the wonder of
seeing their oldest sister
looking like Cinderella
on her way to the ball.

But for me, señorita means
melancolía: settling into sadness.
It is the end of wild laughter.
The end of chewing bubble gum
and giggling over nothing
with my friends at the movies, our feet up
on the backs of the theater seats.

Señorita is very boring
when we go to a fancy restaurant
decorated with Christmas lights
for the upcoming Posadas.
We sit properly, Papi, Mami,
and I, quietly celebrating
my fifteenth birthday
with due etiquette because
I'm trying my best
to be a good daughter and accept
the clipping of my wings,
the taming of my heart.

Being a señorita
is not as much fun
as I'd expected it to be.
It means composure and dignity.

Señorita is a nina,
the girl I used to be,
who has lost her voice.


HEY AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS! Did you know that you're allowed to have a book about a high school girl with NO romantic plot or subplot? Did you know you can have a book about a Mexican-American teen where immigration isn't an issue, that she can travel freely between countries (and often does?) Did you know you can have a book about a Mexican-American teen where race and racism and fitting in aren't plot points? Did you know you can do all those things and still have A REALLY GOOD BOOK?

So, if this book isn't about boys or race, what is it about?

Cancer.

Freshman year, Lupita's mother gets uterine cancer. Despite the fact that she's the oldest of eight, Lupita and her mother have a close relationship and it grieves her to see her vibrant and wonderful mother struggle with the disease. Following Lupita through high school and beyond, we see her and her family deal with her mother's illness. It's beautifully written and such a change of pace.

I loved the exploration of how Lupita tries to hold it together-- both herself and her family. Her relationship with her parents and her siblings and how these change, both because of age and because of the what the family is dealing with. I loved the family-- they're close while still being realistic. Siblings and parents fight, but they make up. Relationships change, but the underlying love doesn't.

The verse format allows for some wonderful imagery and metaphor, as well alluding to the fact that Lupita is a writer and writing poetry (but not the poetry we're reading) is one of the ways she tries to sort out her thoughts and feelings.

It was a Morris finalist and the Bel Pre Author winner and it's not hard to see why.

Today's Poetry Friday round up is hosted by Anastasia over at Booktalking!

Book Provided by... my local library

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Booking Through Thursday

Today's Question is...

What book took you the longest to read, and do you feel it was the content or just the length that made it so?

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I read it the summer before junior year of high school. It took me ALL SUMMER. Part of it is certainly the length-- my copy weighs in at nearly 900 pages. But Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix is only a few pages shorter, and that took me less than a day. A large part is content. Tolstoy has a lot of thoughts on Russia's peasants that I didn't know what to do with. And everyone had a million different names, so it was hard to keep them straight.

Now that I know more about Russia and Tolstoy's overall context and have a lot more experience with Russian literature, I'd like to pick it up again.


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The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight Jennifer E. Smith

Hadley hasn't seen her father in two years and isn't looking forward to seeing him now, especially as she's going to London to watch him marry some other woman. The woman he left Hadley and her mother for. A series of minor irritations and delays means that Hadley is four minutes too late to her gate, missing her flight. But while waiting for the next flight, she meets Oliver. Over the course of the wait and the flight, they bond, only to lose each other when they have to get in different lines for customs.

I really liked this book. I like that how, even though the book only takes place over the course of 24 hours, Oliver and Hadley's connection doesn't feel like insta-love. I really loved the complicated relationship between Hadley and her father. Hadley has so much anger at how and why he left. She can't, and won't forgive him for everything that happened after her parents split. As she explains it, his leaving didn't just change his relationship with Hadley's mom, or his relationship with Hadley, but also Hadley's relationship with her mom.

It's a sweet and simple story, but the characters grow a lot during the novel and even though it's a very compressed timeline their development doesn't seem rushed or forced. Something about it really reminds me of Stephanie Perkins.

Also, the author shares a first and last name with one of my BFFs from high school, so there's some automatic awesome points.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Zombies vs. Unicorns

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Which is better, zombies or unicorns? Black (team unicorn) and Larbalestier (team zombie) have picked their teams of all-star YA authors and are battling it out.

At it's surface, it is a strong collection of short stories about zombies or unicorns. Stand-outs include Alaya Dawn Johnson's zombie entry "Love with Tear Us Apart" about what happens when zombies love humans, Carrie Ryan's "Bougainvillea" a zombie story set in the same world as Forest of Hands and Teeth, Margo Lanagan's deeply disturbing unicorn story "A Thousand Flowers", Scott Westerfeld's "Inoculata" about teens flirting with zombie-ism the same way today's teens flirt with pot, Meg Cabot's hysterical "Princess Prettypants" about a girl who's pretty pissed off she's getting a farting unicorn instead of a car for her birthday, and Libba Bray's "Prom Night" about teenagers trying to hold it together when the adults all turned to zombies.

Despite the fact that the I have more favorite zombie stories than unicorn ones, I'm firmly TEAM UNICORN. I wasn't before I read it. Before I read it, I thought "seriously? Zombies versus Unicorns? What kind of contest is that? Zombies! Duh!" but these stories made me see unicorns in an entirely different light. Even when their farts smell like flowers and sound like windchimes and they have stupid names like Princess Prettypants, unicorns kick a lot of ass. There's also a much greater variety in types of unicorns. Zombies are... zombies. They get boring after awhile. With the exception of "Love Will Tear us Apart" we didn't meet that many zombies in the zombie stories. We met people dealing with zombies, living a life of fear in a zombie-filled world. The zombies don't have the same personality and skills that the unicorns do.

TEAM UNICORN.

And, even though this book is mostly great stories, but favorite parts were the between the stories, when Black and Larbalestier debate the unicorn/zombie question in the story introductions. Hilarious.


ARC Provided by... publisher, at ALA

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Ransom My Heart

Ransom My Heart Meg Cabot

I love Meg Cabot and I love romance novels, so I had pretty high expectations of a Meg Cabot romance novel.

Eh.

Finnula's sister Mellana is with child. The father is a troubador and Mellana's spent her entire dowry on dresses, so Finnula needs to get money for a dowry, and fast. The tomboy huntress does what she is loathe to do, take a noble hostage and ransom him.

Little does she know that the noble she's captured is really the Earl of Stephensgate, returned from the Holy Land. Little does he know that she's been married before. (Minor spoiler) To his father.

And of course they fall in love with each other but there are obstacles intermixed with the sexy times.

So here's what surprised me-- Meg Cabot can write a good kiss that makes you go weak at the knees. She's done it a million times. But her sexytimes fell a little flat.

It just didn't have the same spark and wit that I've come to expect from her work. I suspect that it's because this was written at the beginning of career and never published. She's a much better writer now.

There is a tie-in with this book and Princess Diaries. In Forever Princess, Mia writes a romance novel for her senior project (and tells everyone it's a history of Genovian olive pressing so no one will want to read it. Except Michael, because he's Michael and *swoon*) Anyways, supposedly this is the romance novel that Mia wrote. But, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to fans of Princess Diaries. It's not as funny and it is a full-fledged bodice-ripping (well, it would be if Finnula would wear a dress and therefore a bodice) romance novel. It's very different, so be warned. But that wasn't my complaint. I knew what it was. It just wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be.

Book Provided by... my wallet

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Nonfiction Monday: Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust

Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust Ruth Thomson

The Terezin ghetto was a holding center for Jews on their way east to Auschwitz. Terezin remains a bit of a “special case” in the historical record of concentration camps. There was a propaganda workshop here and many of the slave artists stole supplies and created an alternate visual record of their reality. These works were hidden and survived the war. Terezin was also used for a propaganda film to show the world that it was a model village where the Jews lived normal lives.

Thomson lets the residents of Terezin tell their own tale. Each page spread has a different subject, in roughly chronological order. There is a paragraph or two of introduction, then quotations from the people who were there, as well as large illustrations-- either photographs or the surviving work of the artists.

The design is crisp and clean.

The problem in the this approach is that it ends up a bit detached. The lack of overall narrative and the brief introductions don’t provide enough context and, as with many remembrances of extremely traumatic events, the quotations tend to be factual and unemotional. As such, the book doesn’t give a true sense of the scope and the horror of what happened, or what was different about Terezin.

It needed more to put these voices into context.

Today's Nonfiction Monday round up is over at Ana's NonFiction Blog. Be sure to check it out!

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 Salon: reviews that made me want to read the book

Here are some reviews and books that caught my eye and made my TBR list that much longer...

New Girl Paige Harbison

A modern teen retelling of Rebecca? Go on...

Forever YA says:

I liked the main character about 80 times more than her literary predecessor.

...

Harbison did a pretty good job. Anyone expecting a word-for-word retelling of Rebecca (see below) will be disappointed, as she didn’t translate every last detail to this version, and put in some disturbing sexual elements that weren’t part of the original material — although I’m not saying she shouldn’t have, because they’re definitely a part of real life. It alternates between the main character and Becca’s points of view, which sometimes works, and never makes me like Becca. For the most part, it’s atmospheric and goes down like a dark and stormy (that’s one part dark rum, two parts ginger beer, and a slice of lime).

The Sister Queens Sophie Perinot

A story of sisters Eleanor(queen of England) and Marguerite (queen of France). I mean, this book had me at Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The Broke and the Bookish says:

While they were best friends, they were also each others greatest enemies. They tried to oust each other and win their battles vicariously through their husbands. Children, war, money, and power were all ways they could triumph over the other. Still, through all this, they were completely and truly devoted to each other. Almost the entire was through, I was so envious of their sisterly bonds, something I've never known.


This is an excellent slice of an extremely interesting period of time. We get the politics and social aspects of not one but two countries (always a bonus!) as well as in the the latter part of the book, Louis' crusade to the Holy Land. I felt very connected to them and their personalities were extremely opposite and varied. I enjoyed watching the sisters grow from young teenagers to mature mothers, queens, and friends. Recommended to all historical fiction lovers!

Sita's Ramayana Samhita Arni, illustrated by Moyna Chitrakar

A scroll painting as graphic novel telling the Ramayana from Sita's point of view. Oh yes.

Pink Me says:

The book's layout merits particular mention: translating the scroll transitions to pageturns has been done very skillfully. Large panels on pages with abundant white space are interspersed with busier, more action-packed pages. Panels with diagonal edges indicate movement, while round dialogue bubbles and rectilinear swatches of narration are used as compositional elements, sometimes captioning a panel, sometimes stitching two panels together.


It might be a tough sell to your average middle schooler, and it might not even be a choice for leisure reading at all. But even if this book were not created in a little-known traditional medium, even if its story were not one of the most prominent epics in South Asian culture, even if the authors had not made the unusual choice of presenting the Ramayana from Sita’s point of view-this book would be a must-purchase based on the strength of its dramatic story and arresting art, enhanced by superior design and high-quality production.

Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China Paul French

An unsolved murder mystery in China is usually enough to get me, but add in the fact that this is nonfiction? Yeah, I already have it on hold.

The China Beat says:

French reconstructs these events with sympathy and style as he elegantly recreates the world of Old Peking and explains the significance of Pamela’s death for the community around her. And while her murder may officially remain unsolved, Midnight in Peking more than satisfies French’s desire that “some sort of justice, however belated, be awarded her” (p. 251).

A Temptation of Angels Michelle Zink

So, with most of these reviews, it's not really the review that's getting me, it's the book. They're putting books on my radar that I'd likely pick up if I had run across them in the stacks or at the store, but... this one? A paranormal romance with angels? *yawn* This is one where it really is the review that's making me take a closer look.

Bookalicious says:

There are plenty of details left around the book like a trail of breadcrumbs leading you to the stunning conclusion. I loved the lore involved with the main plot and it was plain to see that Zink spent time researching and building wicked webs of friendship and deception. The side characters were fleshed out and not used to advance the plot. Holy Action, Batman! There was tons of kick ass moments where Helen and the brothers truly got to shine.


A Temptation of Angels is breathtakingly written. The boys are hot, the friends are great characters and out protagonist is torn between light and dark. Her inner struggle, her feminism, and her bad-assery make Helen one of my favorite characters this year.


If you enjoy fantasy, or have read a bunch of angel books that have sworn you off the genre- give A Temptation of Angels a go.



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Mockingjay

OMG THERE WILL BE SO MANY SPOILERS! SO MANY SPOILERS! LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS! AVERT YOUR EYES NOW!!!!!





Mockingjay Suzanne Collins

Ach. I've been sitting on this review for almost 2 years, because at first I wanted to let it sink in. Then, I wanted to calm down a bit.

You guys, it's been almost 2 years. I haven't calmed down. I've just gotten more and more angry.

First off, the good stuff:

I read this in a sitting. I started reading and stayed reading until it was done. It's a gripping story.

I loved the further look into the dark side of the Capitol, the lengths they were willing to go to to keep down the population, the revelations about what really happens if you survive the Hunger Games.

I loved the fact that District 13 was no picnic either-- there are different types of bad. I liked how Katniss struggled with this.

Now the stuff that annoyed me:

Gale vs. Peeta. I feel like the "love triangle" took to much precedence in this book in way it hadn't in the first two. It was there, but seriously guys, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DITHER ON ABOUT? Also, for it to be an actual love triangle, Katniss should have been a little more involved. I always thought she loved for both guys, but I never once believed that she loved either of them.

Katniss lost a lot of her agency. Every so often she stood up for or did what she thought was right, but in the end, she was a pawn of the revolution the same way the Capitol tried (and failed) to use her. While I understand that surviving two Hunger Games will break a person, she spent a lot of time staring at the wall and doing whatever everyone else told her to do. She stopped kicking ass. This may be realistic, but it made me sad.

Katniss pretty much loses contact with her mom at the end. For a book that was started when she tried to stand up for her family, this was something I didn't understand.

Now the stuff the MADE ME WANT TO SMASH:

The final battle. Now, the fact that figure head would be knocked out pretty early on and miss it? That I liked because it made it a bit more "real." The fact that, as a reader, the major climax we've waited three books for was summed up for after the fact? That's a craft flaw. And, I CANNOT BELIEVE I'M GOING TO SAY THIS, that's where Twilight is better. Because Meyer realized that she needed Bella to be out of commission for part of Breaking Dawn, so all of a sudden there were multiple narrators. And you know what? It worked. But instead, Katniss misses the battle and the reader does to. JENNIE SMASH.

And then... the epilogue. Now, I was Team Gale because the fact that Peeta was willing to die to protect a girl he "loved" but didn't really know always made me want to puke. Gale was her friend. In Catching Fire I got the Peeta/Katniss thing more, because Peeta was one of the only people in the world who could understand what Katniss was dealing with but still... I was team Gale.

I'm not (overly) upset that Katniss chose Peeta. There was nothing overly objectionable about him. He's Bingley to Gale's Darcy. Darcy's the better choice, but Bingley is lovely and easier to handle. BUT! Then, in the epilogue, we get this sentence: It took five, ten, fifteen years for me to agree. But Peeta wanted them so badly. WOW PEETA! Way to beg your way into making Katniss have kids! Way to totally respect her wishes! And because she had kids because Peeta begged for 15 years (not because she wanted them, but because he wanted them "so badly.") I lost all respect for Peeta. Every move in the entire series became suspect. And Peeta went from being Bingley to being an emotionally manipulative asshat who played Katniss and used her the same way the Capitol tried to, the same was the rebellion did. And that's how the book and series ended. With me realizing that Peeta isn't a nice guy and that Katniss is a much weaker character than she seems.

Puke puke puke.

But, to end on a happy note, The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond is a really, really, really good album.

Book provided by... my wallet

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.

Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy Robin LaFevers

Ismae has a horrible scar down her back from the poison her mother drank to end the pregnancy. The fact that Ismae survived marks her as the daughter of St. Mortain. The daughter of death. It means she's feared and ridiculed in her small Breton village.

But then she's rescued and taken to a convent where she's taught to serve St. Mortain and to be his instrument. It is in this role that she finds herself thrust into court life of Brittany. The French wish to consume the duchy. The duke is dead and the duchess is 12*, and cannot be crowned, according to the French. Her hand had been promised to many men and threats are all around, including in the middle of her Privy Council.

Holy court intrigue batman! Although I figured out the true bad guy before Ismae did, it was near the end, and even though I didn't know if Ismae would be able to convince everyone else that the bad guy was, well, the bad guy.

I love the way LaFevers paints the place and time (middle ages) and I love how the 9 Saints of Brittany are actually old Gods, folded into a new religion. I love how Ismae struggles with her realizations that her convent, while not bad, is also not infallible.

I loved that there was NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Or insta-love. I loved that Ismae kicked ass without seeming like an anachronism. I liked that people liked her because she kicked ass, not in spite of it.

There is a slight paranormal tinge to it (being a daughter of death comes with some privileges) but just a little. Mostly, it's just a great historical fiction/court intrigue/adventure. Pretty damn awesome. Mostly, I loved the intrigue and mystery and just really adored Ismae.

ALSO! Yes, this is the first book in a trilogy, but it could easily stand alone. Based on the paragraph teaser for the next book (due out next spring) it looks like it's more of a companion novel instead of a straight sequel, which is a trend I can get behind.

My only wish was for an author's note, explaining what part of the politics of Brittany v France was true, and what wasn't. That may be in the final version. It's not in the eGalley that I read, so I lost of a lot of time getting lost in various wikipedia articles (being a history nerd is really fun sometimes.)

*Although I pictured her as closer to 16/17. And then it's her birthday and she turns 13 and I was like "wait, what?!"

eGalley Provided by... publisher, via NewGalley promotion

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Fake Mustache

Fake Mustache: Or, How Jodie O'Rodeo and Her Wonder Horse (and Some Nerdy Kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind Tom Angleberger

When Lenny's best friend buys a suit and a fake moustache for that "man about town" look, everything goes wrong. The Heidelberg Handlebar #7 has special powers and Casper (or, as he's now known, Fako Mustacho) becomes an evil mastermind. He robs banks for billions of dollars and rigs a presidential election. Only Lenny isn't hypnotized by the power of the mustache. But, with the help of Jodie O'Rodeo, a former TV Cowgirl sensation, they might just be able to save the world.

As you can probably tell from the plot description, this one is wackier, siller and more of a tall tale than the Origami Yoda books. As such, it wasn't really my cup of tea BUT it's one that middle graders will eat up. I liked the fact that Jodie O'Rodeo did all her own stunts, just not her own singing. I also like that both Lenny and Jodie narrate this one, but they don't alternate chapters--it's more or less in thirds. I also liked the crazy things invented by he Heidelberg Novelty Company.

ARC Provided by... the publisher, at ALA.

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: 50 Poisonous Questions

50 Poisonous Questions: A Book With Bite Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Ross Kinnard

I'm not familiar with the other books in the 50 Questions series, but this book makes me want to check the rest of them out.

This book has everything for high reader appeal-- gross out factor, easy to browse, funny illustrations, and good information.

Each chapter has several questions on a topic (such as bugs, or environmental disasters) with information answering the question, quick "foul facts" and some other related sidebars and pages. At the end of each chapter, it describes a hypothetical situation and using the information you just learned, you can guess the poison and how it was delivered.

I really like that it covered more than just natural poisons. Yes, lots on spiders and snakes and plants, but also poison gas, terrorism, and chemical spills. It does a great job of exploring some dark areas without getting too dark. It also covers large areas of time-- everything from poisons in the ancient world to modern environmental spills and the Tokyo sarin gas attack.

It's a fascinating and fun book that grosses you out without freaking you out.

Rasco from RIF is hosting today's Nonfiction Monday round-up. Be sure to check it out!


Book Provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration

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Bloggiesta Wrap-Up

I had an ambitious set of goals. How'd I do?

First, let's talk about all the things I did that weren't on the list.

Read 2.5 books.
Folded 25 origami cranes.
Had lunch with a friend.
Got my hair cut.
Went to a birthday happy hour that turned into a girls night.
Got a mani/pedi.
Worked a full day.
Plus, there is food in my belly, my house is still standing, and my baby is still alive.
So, even without Bloggiesta, I got a lot done!

But, how'd I do on Bloggiesta? Not too bad.

Here were my goals:

Review books. I have 61 unreviewed books. I'll be happy if I review at least 10.
I reviewed 8. Close to my realistic happy goal.

Preschedule Reviews. I'd like to preschedule all of April. I'll be happy if I get next week and the week after done.
I got this week and next week kinda done! My Poetry Friday and Nonfiction Monday posts need to have the hosts filled in before they can actually post. Also, April 13's isn't scheduled yet because I want to review a verse novel that I'm not done reading yet. BUT! I have a few other posts scheduled beyond then, so yay!

Deal with my Google Reader. This involves cleaning out starred posts and reading all my unread posts. Currently, I have 2581 unread posts. I'll be super happy if I just get this under 1000, but I'll settle for reading 1000.
I read 1005, marked a few hundred more as read, and it's now down to 1690. Progress and baby steps. I didn't get finished cleaning out my stars, but I did clean out a lot of them. (Most of my starred posts are just things I want to follow up, but it's been awhile since I've gone through and done the following-up.)

Do some work on my programming blog, Library Noise. I need to write up an introduction to Toddler Storytime, come up with a post template, change some stuff on the intro to Baby Storytime, record and post a video or two, and make a rhyme page.
DONE! Ok, not the videos and rhyme page, but the rhyme page was going to be links to the videos showing me doing all my action rhymes. I didn't make any videos, but I TRIED TO. My camera was being glitchy so the audio track was a few seconds behind. But the rest got done!

I've changed my review policy on Nonfiction, but only in my head and actions. I need to get it in writing and let y'all know what's going on and why.
DONE

Change my domain registration. GoDaddy's ads are effective in that I use them because I remember they exist, but they also skeeve me out, so I would like to not use them anymore.
This is the only thing I didn't make any progress on. Hopefully this week. It's not a major deal and won't take a lot of time, it just needs to get done.

Clean up my sidebar.
DONE

All in all, not too shabby. I still have a lot of reviews to write and posts to read, but I made some progress this weekend, so I'm happy! Plus, I have really pretty toenails.

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 Salon: Reviews that Made me Want to Read the Book

It's been forever since I did one of these (an idea I got from Jen Robinson's Book Page) but one of my Bloggiesta goals was to clean out my Google stars and most of my stars are book reviews that looked promising! So!

Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West Blaine Harden

It's about the only person we know of who has gotten out of North Korea who was born and raised in a prison camp.

Adult Books 4 Teens says:

Harden originally wrote Shin’s story for the Washington Post, and he brings a journalist’s eye to filling in backstory on North Korean policies and conditions. For example, why does South Korea turn a relatively blind eye to these atrocities? The answer may surprise. This is the kind of eye-opening book that motivates change and involvement.


I say, after years of reading about genocides and totalitarian regimes, I'm amazed by how much current conditions in North Korea continue to shock me.

Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis Pete Nelson

The USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese torpedo during WWII. 300 men died in the initial attack. Nearly 900 survived, only to spend 4 days in shark infested water with little or no supplies. In the end, just over 300 survived.

But, as Becky's Book Reviews explains:

Probably half the book is devoted to Hunter Scott's mission for justice, to see the ship captain's name and reputation restored, to "prove" that the court martial against him was absurd and unjust. There are several chapters discussing how he got important people to pay attention to the new facts and work together to bring this before the House and Senate and pass legislation that would help restore the truth.

And who is Hunter Scott? A kid who did a history fair project on the USS Indianapolis. His research changed history.

Highland Fling Katie Fforde

Light romantic comedy set in Scotland? Sign me up!

Book Nut says:

It's fluff. Really. There's no way around it. It's predictable, enjoyable, fluffy romance, where you want the guy to get with the girl, and the stupid, silly boyfriend out of the way. Everything else about the plot is immaterial. There isn't much sex (just one scene, in a snow cave... cozy...), though Fforde does know how to write a good kiss.

The Storyteller Antonia Michaelis

A translated book that brings back the darkness and horror of fairy tales. Yes.

Bookshelves of Doom says:

Okay. Short version? Read this book. It's beautifully written—and the translator should get an award, because, WOW—it's layered and beautifully crafted, the prose is gorgeous, Leonard Cohen's lyrics are a perfect fit, and the story is dark and tragic and devastating (I wasn't joking about blubbering at work) and it made me want to crawl under my desk until it was time to go home. In a good way.

Castle of Shadows Ellen Renner

A missing queen, a mad king, and a princess living in a castle run by a housekeeper (I'm imagining Mrs. Danvers).

Charlotte's Library says:

Set in a quasi-Victorian world similar to our own, but with a dash of steampunky alternate technology, this is one that should appeal to those who like plucky kids caught in complicated situations, where not much happens in the way of outright adventure, but plenty of locks are picked, clues uncovered, and suspicion clashes with friendship. Charlie doesn't actually accomplish all that much--she never exactly saves the day and sets things to right. Her story is not a hero's quest, but rather a satisfying journey from life as a forgotten pawn to an active and intelligent participant in her world, capable of making true friends and assuming responsibilities.


It's not a cheerful, cozy read--it is, after all, set somewhat clausterphobically in a castle of shadows, and Charlie's life is pretty horrendous. The ending comes with surprising, sudden darkness, that was somewhat distressing, involving a gruesome death (so those who don't like gruesome deaths should be warned!).



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.