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After many years of running this bookblog my life has shifted a bit. I will continue to review books I am reading but will be adding in TV and movie reviews as well. Enjoy! Check out my companion blog: http://dcvegeats.blogspot.com/
Friday, December 17, 2010
“Mockingbird” by Kathryn Erskine
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“Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins
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Tuesday, November 30, 2010
“Impossible” by Nancy Werlin
Friday, November 05, 2010
“Refresh Refresh” by Danica Novgorodoff, Benjamin Percy and James Ponsoldt
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Thursday, November 04, 2010
“Redwoods” by Jason Chin
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
“The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating” by A.W. Flaherty, illustrated by Scott Magoon
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Thursday, September 16, 2010
“A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge” by Josh Neufeld
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For intent and concept, I give this an “A”. For execution, a “C”. “A.D.” is a story of Katrina as told through the eyes of five individuals/couples/families who experienced it. As a concept, it’s smart. We see this huge and horrific event from different perspectives – rich and poor, black and white. Since this was a disaster that highlighted those on the margin, I found it interesting to read about the spectrum of impacts. The weaker elements of the book, however, frustrated me. The color choices in this graphic novel are sometimes poor. For the opening bird’s eye view of the city (clever idea), the roads are indistinguishable from the water. I believe a clear delineation would have made more impact on readers who don’t understand the presence of water around
Sunday, August 29, 2010
“Nation” by Terry Pratchett
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Mix “Swiss Family Robinson” with the Michael Dorris book “Sees Behind Trees” and you have Terry Pratchett’s award-winning book “Nation.” It *could* be Historical Fiction – it’s not, but that’s fairly immaterial. In a departure for the hard-core fantasy writer of the Discworld series, this book is set in the islands of a mythical Pacific around 1900. A natural disaster lands two young teens from different worlds together as they try to rebuild a community. The point of view between them flows freely from sentence to sentence. Leave it to Pratchett not to adhere to the current style of flipping voice-over from one chapter to the next. The large book (which I whipped through … of course) is the story of the ties that bind – to people, objects and gods. Like all Pratchett books, there are questions about religion, faith and belief, and death is personified. The dry, subtle wit, which takes a few gentle shots at British aristocracy is a hallmark of a gifted writer who is smart and clever and makes you think. Terry Pratchett is, without doubt, one of my most favorite authors. I kept this book for the end of my summer reading because I knew it would be like a delightful dessert – and it was. Terry Pratchett is also suffering from early-onset Alzheimers. Read his announcement at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1986843/posts. It’s like one of his storylines. Once the struggling little shlub finally makes it, the fickle gods strike him down in a stroke of apathetic irony. Except it isn’t a story, it’s real, and it is hugely sad and unfair. Nation is not Pratchett’s last book but it does feel like it in a way. An adorable epilogue not only wraps up things as they should (instead of how I wish it…) but seems to be a letter to his faithful fans to keep on dreaming. It was incredibly touching. For those who love his work or those who have never experienced it, read this novel before the fire goes out.
“Sabriel” by Garth Nix
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“Maximum Ride: The Angel Experience” by James Patterson
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“The Wanderer” by Sharon Creech
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“Coraline” by Neil Gaiman
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“Rumors”, “Envy” and “Splendor” by Anna Godbersen
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“The Book Is Not Good For You” by Pseudonymous Bosch
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“Wintergirls” by Laurie Halse Anderson
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“The Death-Defying Pepper Roux” by Geraldine McCaughrean
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“The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal” by Jonathan Mooney
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Lest you should think that this is just about ADD/LD, Jonathan visits people with ADD/ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, those who are gay and transgendered, a blind/deaf girl and a man with Asberger’s. As it turns out, the point is not the label but the feelings people associate with the label. Mr. Mooney makes it clear that he felt like a freak. He desperately seeks out other freaks either for a sense of belonging or to understand the elusive nature of normalcy. This is the real point of the book – Jonathan Mooney’s internal quest. He wants so badly to belong to an ideal of “regular.” From the perspective of someone who is out of their twenties, I found the ending predictable.
Strengths of the book have to do with Mr. Mooney’s stunning prose – his descriptions of settings not only allow the reader to “see” a place physically and emotionally, but it makes you want to go there. Even the drunken orgy of Nevada’s “Burning Man” takes on a fascinating hue here. The book is extremely wide-ranging (as is the travel of the bus, which follows no logical route) and while interesting, there are gaps. There is a rambling, jumbled quality to it that doesn’t make for a page turner. This, combined with a seemingly heavy-handed editor, makes the book feel like it doesn’t have flow. A great read if you want to sit down and digest a chapter here and there (as I did), but not one you can shoot through. Just as well. Jonathan’s observations of the world around him (and they are his version of things) are intriguing and take time to process.
Definitely a good pick for our school book-club, and a bravo to Mr. Mooney for daring to seek answers outside of his comfort zone. A great lesson for all.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
"Here Lies the Librarian" by Richard Peck
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Tuesday, June 01, 2010
"Boudica: The Life of Britain’s Legendary Warrior Queen" by Vanessa Collingridge
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Monday, February 15, 2010
“Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy”, Sharyn November, editor
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“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
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“Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice” by Phillip Hoose
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“Stitches” by David Small
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Monday, January 25, 2010
"Going Bovine" by Libba Bray
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"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
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Miranda is 12 year-old girl living in New York City in 1979. She goes to school near Times Square and has the typical ups and downs with friends, trying to navigate the changing landscape as boys discover that girls are actually a little different (!) I like the fact that unlike many of the books I have read recently, Miranda actually sounds like a 12 year-old. Her narrative voice speeds through thoughts and observes the world around her with a young girl’s confusion and sardonic humor (and much of my “laugh-out-loud” moments came from her takes on adult behavior). Miranda’s favorite book is “A Wrinkle in Time.” She reads it, and re-reads it, and re-re-reads it – carrying it around with her until the little paperback is near to shredded. While this book has a realistic premise, the denouement definitely harkens back to L’Engle and has a satisfying, if not surprising, twist. The writing is clean and straightforward and Miranda’s journey is engaging and delightfully “normal”. The home situation is not depressing (yay!) and much of it felt like the 70s I grew up in (unlike a previous Newbery winner, “Criss Cross”). Let’s hear it for a Newbery winner that should also have high appeal.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
“Graceling” by Kristin Cashore
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In fact, I loved it.
Yes, it is typical fantasy fare, but this is pretty much my favorite genre, so it wasn’t onerous. And no, I’m not a fan of romance, but they manage to keep things at a rough and tumble level (literally) for most of the book with very little “How can I ever be apart from you?” whining most of the time (yes, I did roll my eyes once or twice, but only once or twice). I think it is just fantasy done well. The language is formal enough to make you feel the different time/different place thing without being distanced by it (can I just say how much I hate fantasy books with contemporary language???) The adventure was compelling enough to make me want to turn the page – although the tramping about in the forest got a little old. But it got old for me in the Harry Potter books, too, so no big. The biggest draw was the richness of the characters. Yes, it is tremendously refreshing to return to a self-assured, kick-ass heroine like Katsa after struggling through the wimpy pity-party that is Bella, but she wasn’t the only character drawn in multi-dimensions. Every character, from love interest Po to random sailor, is given a physicality and style. It was easy to connect to people who felt real. The names are also cool – Princess Bitterblue being one of the more fun ones. And it is a deeper, darker book than you might expect for a fluffy fantasy. There is death here, and unnamed but easy-to-guess-at abuse. At least one injury took me by surprise. The sexual aspects of the story are covered with a bit more detail than I expected, although they seem to get fuzzy at exactly the right moments. Perhaps that is the great strength of the book – it has that perfect balance point. It’s not “too much” of anything but just the right amount of most things. In several ways, it echoed McCaffrey’s Pern books, and I kept remembering the thrill I had reading those – the rush as each new one came out. It is a sense of anticipation about a series I haven’t had in a long time. I read this book because the companion novel/prequel, “Fire” is showing up on most of the recommended lists coming out this time of year. I can’t wait to read it.
“Gacha Gacha” Vol. 1 by Hiroyuki Tamakoshi
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So, why review something I don’t like? Because there was a complaint. Not from our community, mind you, but from someone outside the program, who chose to make their concerns known via a so-called “anonymous” word to TPTB. TPTB decided that, gee whiz, as the librarian, I would know what was best. Thank you.
So, I’ve spent several hours of my vacation time reading over this dreck. By dreck, I don’t mean that this is trash to be thrown out, rather, this is trash one reads when one wants to read trash. The first book of the series sets up the general tone – a teenage boy, Kouhei, is attracted to a girl he has grown up with (Kurara), finding it increasingly difficult to ignore her maturing body and his natural responses. So far, so good. The first chapter came off not unlike any one of the several “American Pie” movies. But then, Kouhei discovers Kurara has a secret! Her behavior has become more and more bizarre and increasingly sexual. She is finally forced to confess that she has developed multiple personalities. One of them, “Arisa” is a slut. How very convenient. Kouhei spends the rest of the book trying to protect his friend from herself and from his (almost impossible to control) urges. The thing plays out not unlike a combination of “The Stepford Wives” and teen boy’s wet dream. Any attempt to assign some greater psychological meaning to the story is a stretch – I mean, you could see this as metaphor for the difficult paths trod by boys and girls as they try to understand the nature of themselves and their sexual roles with one another in the teen years, but my sense is that this is really just all done in fun. By volume #2, we discover that Kurara’s personalities are a result of a video game that her mother developed which accidentally created several artificial intelligences in her daughter. So, you have a lusty teenage boy, a hot girl and a video game gone wrong … needless to say, this has been a popular series. Will I keep it? Yes. If I were to throw out every book that offended my feminist sensibilities (“Twilight”, Piers Anthony, Gossip Girls) then the fiction section wouldn’t have much. I guess the question is, does everything we own have to be an award-winning piece of brilliant literature? Nope. And this one definitely balances the scale in that department. If it offends – well, good. Books should offend, and challenge, and show the diversity of who we, as people, are. And yes, some of that humanity is horny little teens. What a shock. How dare we expose some element of the reality of their lives in the books they read. And for the record, I grew up reading anything (and everything) I wanted. And I became a librarian. There are worse things.
"Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
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Moose Flanagan is a twelve year-old boy whose family has moved to Alcatraz in 1935. His father, an electrician, needed work and gets a job at the prison. Moose is not happy about leaving his friends and family and has typical struggles making new friends among the families living on the island. What makes Moose stand out (other than his appropriate name) is his sister Natalie, who has autism at a time before such a condition was able to be diagnosed. Virtually every character (minus a few prerequisite bad guys) is fully developed, and the historical information is woven in so seamlessly that it feels deeply contemporary. The shenanigans of the kids and Moose’s desire to just play baseball among his various responsibilities come off as real. The story was fun (if not “funny”) and enjoyable. I blasted through the book in two hours and would happily recommend it to most readers.
My one complaint, if there is one, is that the character of Moose seemed somewhat older than his years. This could be a function of having to grow up and be the “older sibling” before his time, but the dissonance between his 12 year-old behavior and the internal monologue which drives the book did bother me at times. I don’t see this being an issue for teen readers, but the given age of the lead character could turn off older readers who might otherwise like this book.
There is a succinct epilogue provided by the author to clarify the historical elements of the book and it did a nice job of wrapping up this snap-shot like moment in time.
TAB Reviews!
JR writes:
“The Possibilities of Sainthood” by Donna Freitas – I loved it because it is a real girl speaking to you (at least for me). But I could totally relate to her and what she did.
“What World is Left?” by Monique Polak
It’s very sad but very true. It makes you give thanks for what you have.
“Beware, Princess Elizabeth” by Carolyn Meyer
The best thing about this book was the “epic-ness” and suspense.
“Loving Will Shakespeare” by Carolyn Meyer
The best thing about this book was how it portrayed a simple English girl, also the romance that took place in the book.
“The Possibilities of Sainthood” by Donna Freitas – I loved it because it is a real girl speaking to you (at least for me). But I could totally relate to her and what she did.
“What World is Left?” by Monique Polak
It’s very sad but very true. It makes you give thanks for what you have.
“Beware, Princess Elizabeth” by Carolyn Meyer
The best thing about this book was the “epic-ness” and suspense.
“Loving Will Shakespeare” by Carolyn Meyer
The best thing about this book was how it portrayed a simple English girl, also the romance that took place in the book.
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