April Jacket Flap-a-thon

The end of another month already? Would someone please tell me where this year is going? I can't believe it's May tomorrow...

At any rate, on with the flap-a-thon:

Caddy Ever After (Margaret K. McElderry Books): "Love is in the air for the Casson family! Four hilarious, endearing tales unfold as Rose, Indigo, Saffy, and Caddy each tell their intertwining stories. Rose begins by showing how she does special with her Valentine's card for Tom in New York. Not to be outdone, Indigo has his own surprise in store for the Valentine's Day disco at school. For her part, Saffy has an unusual date in a very, very dark graveyard, and is haunted by a balloon that almost costs her her best friend. But it is Caddy who dares everything -- as she tells all about love at first sight when you have found the Real Thing. Unfortunately the Real Thing is not darling Michael. What is Rose going to do?"

I've never really liked the jacket-flaps for the Casson family books; they try to get the tone right, and end up sounding gratingly annoying. This one, however, is not too bad. Not great, but not too bad, either.

Nim's Island (Scholastic): "A girl. An iguana. An island. And e-mail. Meet Nim–a modern-day Robinson Crusoe! She can chop down bananas with a machete, climb tall palm trees, and start a fire with a piece of glass. So she’s not afraid when her scientist dad sails off to study plankton for three days, leaving her alone on their island. Besides, it’s not as if no one’s looking after her–she’s got a sea lion to mother her and an iguana for comic relief. She also has an interesting new e-mail pal. But when her father’s cell-phone calls stop coming and disaster seems near, Nim has to be stronger and braver than she’s ever been before. And she’ll need all her friends to help her. "

This one, however, is adorable. Or at least very cute.

Fire and Hemlock (Greenwillow Books): "A photograph called "Fire and Hemlock" that has been on the wall since her childhood. A story in a book of supernatural stories -- had Polly read it before under a different title? Polly, packing to return to college, is distracted by picture and story, clues from the past stirring memories. But why should she suddenly have memories that do not seem to correspond to the facts? Fire and Hemlock is an intricate, romantic fantasy filled with sorcery and intrigue, magic and mystery, all background to a most unusual and thoroughly satisfying love story."

This is a hard book to write a blurb for, and I think the folks at Greenwillow did a good job. Intriguing, without giving anything away.

People of the Book (Penguin Books): "In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding--an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair--she begins to unlock the book's mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book's journey from its salvation back to its creation. In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city's rising antisemitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah's extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna's investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love. Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is at once a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity, an ambitious, electrifying work by an acclaimed and beloved author."

Long, but informative without spoiling the plot. And actually very interesting.

Other books read this month:
The Darcys and the Bingleys
Pemberley by the Sea
Jane Austen Ruined My Life
The Order of the Odd-Fish
Lock and Key
The Diary of a Young Girl
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry
Inkdeath
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
We Are the Ship
Ancedotes of Destiny and Ehrengard
The Farwalker's Quest
Aurelia
Artichoke's Heart

People of the Book

by Geraldine Brooks
ages: adult
First sentence: "I might as well say, right from the jump: it wasn't my usual kind of job."

I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this book (a close friend of mine adored it, as well as many of the book bloggers I read), and so when Julie at FSB Associates wrote and offered me a review copy, I jumped at the chance. (Granted, I did wonder why she wasoffering me a popular book, a critically acclaimed book... I don't usually get the "good" stuff.) Sure, I said, I've had decent enough luck with Geraldine Brooks in the past (liked Year of Wonders; didn't like March, which just goes to show that I have vastly different tastes in books than the Pulitzer Prize committee). Why not give this one a try?

For those of you who don't know, People of the Book is a sweeping work of historical fiction that centers around a real book: the Sarajevo Haggadah. It's a beautifully illuminated manuscript, something that has baffled historians for centuries: Where did it come from? Who illustrated it? A situation just ripe for a vivid imagination.

Brooks grounds her work in the character of Hanna Heath, an Australian book conservator, who in 1996 was hired to conserve the book before it went on display in the Bosnian National Museum. In the process, she discovers things about the book which leads the story back through time. The format is one of the wonderful things about the book: it reads almost like several short stories, yet the overlying plot of Hanna, her life, and her connection with the book binds it together as a novel. It's really quite brilliant.

But the thing I really liked about this one is that grounds her historical fiction in the human element. It's a re-imagining history that feels historical, yet isn't horribly offensive (though there are definitely some cringe-worthy moments). I also enjoyed the twist at the end, and how it all managed to get resolved. Very, very nice.

I'll stop effusing now, mostly because I'm supposed to be hanging out with A and K, and they're bugging me. Seriously, though: if you haven't read this one, do. It's worth all the praise it's getting.

Library Loot #16

What does one do when one doesn't want to read anything on the dresser? Why, go to the library, of course! (I really didn't get all that much for me... only two books. That's not that bad...)

For A/K:
The Castaway, by James Stevenson
A Friend for Minerva Louise, by Janet Morgan Stoeke**
I Will Surprise My Friend! (An Elephant and Piggie Book), by Mo Willems**
The Nine Lives of Rotten Ralph, by Jack Gantos/Illus. Nicole Rubel
City Witch, Country Switch, by Wendy Wax/Illus. Scott Gibala-Broxholm*8
The Pied Piper's Magic, by Steven Kellog
Old Bear, by Kevin Henkes
The Tree, by Karen Gray Ruelle/Illus. Deborah Durland DeSaix
Dora's Pirate Adventure (Dora the Explorer)

For M/C:
The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts, Found Out Where They Went, and Went There, by Daniel Pinkwater

For M:
Thirteenth Child (Frontier Magic Book), by Patricia C. Wrede*
Word Nerd, by Susan Nielsen
3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows , by Ann Brashares*
Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash, by Wendelin Van Draanen
RuneWarriors, by James Jennewein and Tom S. Parker

For me:
Kin (The Good Neighbors, Book 1), by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh
The Year the Swallows Came Early, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

The roundup is either at Out of the Blue or A Striped Armchair.

*Ones that M eventually read.
**Picture books we really liked.

Artichoke's Heart

by Suzanne Supplee
ages: 13+
First sentence: "Mother spent $700 on a treadmill 'from Santa' that I will never use."

Weight is always a tricky subject. Writing about it, talking about it, thinking about it... everyone (read: girls and women) seems to have an opinion on it, obsess over it (or say they don't obsess over it), or compare themselves to others. It's a curse of today's media-saturated age, but that's a subject for another post.

Rosemary Goode is overweight (she thinks she's obese, but she's "only" 200 pounds, which to my mind is not obese, but then again, I'm not a health professional... and it's mostly about how she thinks of herself anyway... so I tried to go with it). Her problem: food. (Well, duh.) She loves it. Craves it. Eats too much of it. Which is a problem of itself (inner pop psychologist refraining from commenting), but actually (couldn't contain it. Sorry.) is a symptom of a larger problem: her mom. Rosemary's mom, Rose Warren Goode, is the owner of Heavenly Hair in Spring Hill, Tennessee. She's a single mom, getting pregnant with Rosemary when she was 17. She's worked hard all her life: to be a successful businesswoman, to be a "good" (mom-issues in a YA book. Again.) mom, to be happy. She's really close to her sister, Mary, and spends most of her free time with her (rather than her kid. No wonder Rosemary turns to food). Rosemary (obviously) resents this. But, because this is the South (I did love the voice in this book; it was very Southern. I felt like was back in Arkansas...), Rosemary just puts a happy face on, and goes through life the best she can. Because that's what's expected of her.

Except. She's not happy. (Duh.)

Then she meets Kyle Cox. Well, "meet" is pretty strong. She reads about him in the school paper -- he's a jock -- and he's in her study hall. And he smiles at her. Which is the first little step she needs to get off her bum and do something about her habits. She goes on a liquid diet (issue: this girl crashed dieted to lose 45 pounds in the end. This bothered me. A LOT.), she starts exercising, she gets counseling (as a "trial experiment"). And when she starts losing weight she starts feeling better about herself... a little at a time. I don't want to insinuate that it was a sudden, miraculous overnight change, because it wasn't (something which I did like). But, once the pounds started coming off, she began to come out of her shell. (Are we saying that fat people just need to lose weight to feel good about themselves? That it's impossible to love your body when your overweight? Rosemary's target goal is 120 pounds -- she's 5 foot 6 -- is that reasonable? See what I mean about weight being a loaded -- sorry, no pun intended -- subject?)

I did like the characters: Rosemary is a very sweet girl, and Kyle is adorable in his geekiness. But I had issues (being overweight myself) with this book. Not a bad one, but not my ideal fat-girl book either. Then again, I'm not sure there can be a fat-girl book that will please everyone. The issue is just too volatile. Which is too bad. (But that's a subject for another post.)

Aurelia

by Anne Osterland
ages: 13+
First sentence: "Death disturbed the night."

There are several elements that make a good fantasy tale, at least for me. There must be:

A feisty hero or heroine -- I do better with feisty heroines, but a good, swashbuckling hero is great, too.

Action -- swordfighting, adventuring, chasing, etc.

Romance -- must have romance. Always nice to have a to-die for with an awesome leading pair, but even if it's just hinted at (or one of the parties is cluesless), that works for me, too. I do unrequited okay, but pining just turns me off.

Intrigue, suspense, mystery, and magic are all optional.

Most of all, it must be fun.

Aurelia fits the bill. Feisty heroine: check. Aurelia is a conflicted person, but in the end, finds herself and kicks some butt. Action: great swordfighting, awesome horse-racing, mostly well-written. Romance: *swoon*. Mystery and intrigue and suspense: check. I was biting my nails, intent on figuring out who was behind the plot to assassinate Aurelia (that's basically the plot of the book), and kept pestering M with questions (she read it before I got to it) until I figured it out. Granted, I was nearly done with the book at the time.

And fun? Check. It definately was fun. Very, very fun.

My New Favorite Movie

I know I have a thing for Austen movie adaptations. I've seen them all -- or at least most of them -- and I adore every single one (or at least most of them). But, I think this one has to be my current favorite: Lost in Austen. It was a BBC/ITV miniseries (I think it aired here in America back in March...), and the premise was quite simple: take Elizabeth out of the story, and stick a modern woman -- Amanda Price -- into the story. They turn the story up on its head -- no one is exactly who they seem, and the story doesn't go quite right -- with references not only to the book, but to the Colin Firth miniseries as well. (There's a brilliant scene -- you get a glimpse of it about 30 seconds into the trailer -- playing off the lake scene in the mini-series. Brilliantly funny.)



It was a fun romp, and I have to admit I like Elliot Cowan's Darcy...
What is it about a dark-haired British guy in Regency dress??

Okay, yeah, this is just me being a ga-ga about another Austen flick, but really: it's quite fun. Really fun.

Ancedotes of Destiny and Ehrengard

by Isak Dinesen
ages: adult
First sentence (of the first story): "Mira Jima told this story."

I bought this book ages and ages ago (maybe 12 years?), and although I read it when I first got it, I have to honestly say it's been sitting on the shelf, mostly unwanted. It's managed to survive a few move-induced book purges, so there must have been something I liked about it. I just couldn't remember what. Thanks to the Classics Challenge, I got it off the shelf, dusted it off, and cracked it open to see if I could remember what I liked about it.

Out of the five short stories and the novella, I liked two: the novella and one story. (I do have to admit that I didn't even read one of the stories. I tried, but I couldn't get into it.) Two out of six isn't good odds, but the two are positively sublime. (I suppose I could go into a reflection of Dinesen's unevenness, but I won't.)

Babbette's Feast is the short story that I enjoyed, and the remembered reason for keeping the book. It's set in Norway. Two sisters of a fairly Puritan sect run by their father take in a refugee from the French Revolution, Babette. She lives with them for 12 years, and then one day, she informs the sisters that she won the lottery and is the recipient of 10,000 francs. Babette decides that what she really wants to do is cook a meal for her benefactresses, and cook she does. Unfortunately, they don't quite understand what that means until it's almost too late, yet, in the end, realize what a work of art and grace and service the meal was. I had misremembered it as having a magical realism slant, which it doesn't. However, that doesn't mean it wasn't thoroughly captivating. Actually, at one point, I thought that it reminded me quite a bit of A.S. Byatt's writing at its best: beautiful, evocative, dense, and somehow sublime.

The novella, Ehrengard, is much like Babbette's Feast in its descriptiveness. It's peripherally the story of a prince and princess who fall in love, but don't quite manage to wait until their wedding day. In the need to cover up the royal faux pas, the Grand Duchess consults with Herr Cazotte, a famous artist as to what to do. They decide to send the prince and princess off to a remote mountain estate and surround them with people who are very loyal and very trustworthy (of course, Cazotte will be included). Among the people is Ehrengard, a daughter of a retired general. She's beautiful, loyal, and Cazotte decides that he must paint her. However, he doesn't just want to paint her, he wants to capture her, make her his own, so that the whole world will know that she belongs to him (I never could quite figure out if this was sexual or not...). At any rate, the plot is immaterial. Again, it's Dinesen's language that makes the story compelling. Her descriptions, the passion in which Cazotte is captivated by Ehrengard.

What Dinesen doesn't do is endings, which I think is part of the reason I didn't like the other stories. They wrap up, but somehow I'm always left feeling like there should have been something more, like I was left dangling in the wind. They -- even the ones I like -- feel unfinished. I'm sure it's something she did on purpose, but that doesn't take away the unfinished feeling I had when I was done reading.

Even with that, though, the two stories were enjoyable to re-read. And so the book will remain on the shelves for the time being.

Book to Movie Friday: 84 Charing Cross Road

Back when I read the book, and people mentioned that there was a movie starring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins, I have to admit I was suspicious. It's a book written in letters, one that doesn't have much of a plot to begin with. How on earth could the movie do it any justice?

I put it on the back burner of my brain, and let it simmer there for a good 6 months... and then I pulled it out a couple weeks ago, on a night when there wasn't much to do and I was looking for something to watch. Lacking cable, I turned to Netflix instant play, and discovered the movie.

Anne Bancroft is Helene (pronounced hel-leen; something which doesn't come through in the book), the struggling writer who loves antique books. Anthony Hopkins is Frank Doel, the British shopkeeper who Helene communicates with via letter for years. And the movie, well it's a sweet, lovely, charming, adorable, and heart-warming as the book. They kept the epistolary form -- Anne speaks the letters, sometimes as she's thinking them, sometimes as she's pounding at the typewriter, and sometimes she looks directly at the camera, as if she's talking to Frank. They expand her life a bit, to give it a place and time, but they don't really do much to change the plot or situations.

Same goes with Frank. Anthony Hopkins is a wonderfully subtle actor; he takes what could be a stuffy English bookseller and gives him humanity and humor. I liked his expanded behind-the-letters scenes with his family best; it made his death at the end of the story that much more poignant.

I was afraid, initially, that they'd change the story and somehow have Helene and Frank meet or fall in love or something horrible like that. But no: they left it as a friendship of equals, of people who are passionate about books. And even though Helene goes to London at the end of the movie, Frank (as well as the store itself) is long gone, so while it does provide closure the book didn't have, it doesn't change anything.

Verdict: As sweet, charming and wonderful as the book.

BoB Round 2 Commentary

Match 1, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing , The Kingdom on the Waves vs. Trouble at 8. Winner: The Kingdom on the Waves. As judge Wynne-Jones said, "The Kingdom on the Waves is dense, grand, epic in terms of its scope and virtue. And yes, it’s a marathon to read, by today’s standards, but that’s why it’s a book, rather than, let’s say a video game or a tweet. Books are what we turn to for the heavy lifting!" So... does that mean we're looking at the eventual winner here? Very possibly.

Match 2, Chains vs. Tender Morsels. Winner: Chains. I was rooting for this one, and it came through. I possibly will read Tender Morsels, eventually, but I really, really loved Chains. So glad it made it through to the next round, though I have no idea how it will stack up against the heavyweight Kingdom of the Waves...

Match 3, The Hunger Games vs. We Are the Ship. Winner: Hunger Games. The judge was John Green. I would have been more surprised if We Are the Ship had won. But that doesn't mean I'm not happy with the result...

Match 4, Graceling vs. The Lincolns. Winner: The Lincolns. What? No grrrl matchup? So sad. Though on the plus side, after Nancy Werlin's thoughts on The Lincolns made me want to search it out...

This does mean that one non-fiction has made it through to the semi-finals... granted, I think it's pretty predictable at this point that the ending matchup will be Kingdom on the Waves versus the Hunger Games. (Oh, dear: I'm predicting. It probably won't happen then...) Then again, anything could happen....

Library Loot #15

Pretty normal week. I'm getting a big pile of library books on my dresser, though...

For A/K:
Save the Elephants! (Go, Diego, Go! Ready-to-Read)
The Jellybeans and the Big Dance, by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans/Illus by Lynn Musinger**
Jibberwillies At Night, by Rachel Vail/Illus, by Yumi Heo
How to Be a Good Dog, by Gail Page
The Wizard, by Jack Prelutsky/Illus. by Brandon Dorman**
Myrtle, by Tracey Campbell Pearson
Oh, Look!, by Patricia Polacco

For M:
Bones of Faerie, by Janni Lee Simner*
Heroes of the Valley, by Jonathan Stroud
The Lab, by Jack Heath*
Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean, by Justin Somper*
Vampirates: Tide of Terror, by Justin Somper

For me:
The Oxford Book of Ballads, selected and edited by James Kinsley
Atonement, by Ian McEwan

The roundup is either at Out of the Blue or A Striped Armchair.

*Ones that M eventually read.
**Picture books we really liked.

We Are the Ship

The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson
ages: 8-12
First sentence: "Seems like we've been playing baseball for a mighty long time."

I am not a baseball fan. I did not grow up in a baseball house (which is odd, since my dad played ball when he was a teen). Football and basketball were our sports of choice, with tennis and the Olympics following close behind. That said, I think I'm American enough to appreciate baseball, even if I hardly ever watch it. (I did pick up two things about baseball, though: 1) it's better in person than on TV and 2) the minors are more entertaining to watch than the majors.)

Given that, I really wasn't interested in reading a book about the Negro Baseball League. I knew about it, sure (I did watch a bit of the Ken Burns' documentary, after all), but it didn't really register on my list of things to read about. Then the Battle of the Books came along and, We Are the Ship won its match, taking down a book that I really enjoyed reading. Well, I thought, there must be something to this book.

And there is something to this book. First of all, it's a lot more detailed than I expected it to be. From it's size, and the cover, I figured it was a picture book. I was wrong. It's a detailed history of the Negro League that just happens to have amazing (really, really amazing) photographs. I liked the layout of the book -- because it's so large, the illustrations become not just an accessory, but an integral part of the book -- and that the chapters were titled "innings". And then there's the narrator. As judge Rachel Cohn said, the narrator has a folksy charm to it, so much that you can imagine the person telling the story.

And what a story. It narrates the story of the Negro Leagues from its inception through to when Jackie Robinson made the crossover into the minor leagues. It touches on the determination of the men to play the game, and play a good game, in spite of the segregation and racism they encountered. Nelson spares no punches: he tells the good along with the bad. And, in the end, I was left with nothing but admiration for the men who wanted to play a game, and found a way to do so.

Abby pointed out that Nelson left out the women who played for the Negro Leagues (something that I didn't know until she pointed it out), but I'm not sure that detracted from the charm that this book had. At any rate, maybe Nelson will be inspired to write another book on the women who played ball.

I know I'll definitely read it.

Why Keep It Up?, Part 2

Just a quick bloggy thank you to all those who commented on my last post. I appreciated all your thoughts, your insights, and your kind words. They've given me something to think about, which is basically why I put up the post in the first place.

It's good to know I have such wonderful readers. Thanks again!

Why Keep It Up?

I have to admit that I've been thinking about why I blog quite a bit lately. Some of it was spurred on by extraneous events a couple months ago, some of it by this post by Becky, and some of it by my attempt to label all my old posts (not an easy task) in order to have some sort of organization in my little bloggy fiefdom.

I also have to admit that I've contemplated not writing this post, mostly because I'll probably end up sounding insecure and whiny (both descriptions can be accurate at times). But, I figured that I used to air grievances and insecurities and dreams more often in the past (part of the interesting things that have surfaced as I've gone through my archives), and that my blog has been (lately) nothing but reviews and weekly memes, and that maybe, just maybe, someone wouldn't mind knowing what goes on in this head of mine.

So. Why do I blog? When I started, nearly five years ago, answering that question was easy. I blogged because I needed a place to put what I think about the books I read. I discovered the wonderful side-effects of blogging: comments, recommendations, blogs by other readers who became friends. I was happy.

Two years ago, I took that up another notch, and entered the world of ARCs and blog-tours and reviewing and attempted in some small way to be on the cutting edge of publishing. All of which I enjoy; there's something rewarding about hearing about a book you like and being able to contact a publisher requesting it and have it arrive in the mail. Or, sometimes, books I want and have been idly hoping for just arrive unasked for. (Like the other day, when Blackbringer and Silksinger showed up. We were all SUPER excited.) Yeah, there are the duds, and the horrid books that I've felt compelled to read because someone sent them to me, but mostly it's been a positive experience.

But that leaves me as to why I still do this. Especially with Goodreads and Facebook, which whittle away at my reasons to keep blogging -- Goodreads fills my original bloggy purpose, and in some respects does it better than I can do it with Blogger. And Facebook provides a community of hand-picked (mostly) friends that I can connect with. (Bonus: no anonymous teenagers telling me I suck because I hated Eragon. I still get those comments, even four years later!) Especially because some of my original bloggy friends have packed it up and quit blogging, or at the very least scaled back. Especially because there are people out there who do what I do much better than I could ever dream of doing it (and are more popular, too).

In the end, I have to admit that I might be at a loss to answer this question. Is it community? (Partially; I adore the book blogging and kidlit communities I fancy myself part of, if only in a small way.) Is it the comments? (Partially; I enjoy reading every one I get, even if I'm absolutely horrid about leaving and responding to comments.) Is it the recommendations? (Yes, but I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of books that I really want to read.) Is it the challenges? (Yes, they help me knock books off my TBR list, and I enjoy them though I'm not great about reading what everyone else things about the books they are reading.) Is it rewarding? (Sometimes. But I think I'm wondering if it's just not as rewarding as it once was... I don't think I'll quit, just yet, but I do have to say that there are days when I lean in that direction.)

Why do you blog? Does it matter if you feel that no one reads your posts because you don't get comments on them? Does it take up a huge chunk of your time? How do you feel about the community? What do you get out of the whole blogging thing?

The Farwalker's Quest

by Joni Sensel
ages: 10+
Review copy received from the publisher
First sentence: "Zeke's tree wouldn't speak to him."

I knew a bit of what to expect with this book, thanks to Charlotte and Becky, but I didn't expect to be unable to put the book down. I was thoroughly captivated by the world that Sensel built -- part fantasy, part dystopian -- and the story which, although it's a coming-of-age/adventure story, took me to places and in directions that I never quite expected.

It's three days before the Naming festival, when 13 year olds pick a trade and thereby receive a surname. Ariel has always figured that she'd follow her mother into healing and become a Healtouch. But that's before she and Zeke, her best friend, discover a relic from the ancient days before the Blind War: a telling dart. They have only an inkling of what a telling dart is, or even what it's meant for (though somehow they both feel it's for Ariel), but when two strangers -- men called Finders -- show up in town looking for the dart, both Ariel and Zeke know their lives are going to change. They just have no idea how, or even how much.

I don't want to go into any more detail than that, since part of the enjoyment of the book is having no idea what's coming around the corner. There's adventure and suspense and action and mysteries. There's "good" guys and "bad" guys, but the whole book isn't black and white, something which I appreciated. I think I liked the world, best, though. I liked that it felt like it could have been our world that fell into chaos and evolved in this particular way. I liked that the magic was mostly organic, things which conceivably evolve if everyone in the world were blinded by some biological warfare. It made it seem more plausible (not that I have anything against implausible fantasy; I just thought that plausiblity lent some weight to this story). And the characters were not only likable but cheerable, too. Especially Ariel, who not only finds her true calling, but strength inside her that she never thought she had.

So, yes. All the things everyone has said about it and more. It's a fabulous story.

Shakespeare and the Letter B

For fun, in honor of the Renaissance Faire that's in town today (even though we're not going, sigh)... and because only Patrick Stewart could pull this off so well.

BoB Round 1 Commentary

I was going to wait until Sunday to put this up, but I figured why not get it out there in time for Friday's Peanut Gallery posts? Here's my take on the matches this week:

Match 1, Octavian Nothing, Vol. II vs. Ways to Live Forever. Winner: Octavian Nothing. I really have no opinions on this one, mostly because I haven't read either one. I know I should read the Octavian Nothing books, but I can't seem to bring myself to want to. However, after reading Roger Sutton's commentary, I want to read Ways to Live Forever. I'm not sure that was the intention of the game, but there it is.

Match 2, The Graveyard Book vs. The Trouble Begins at 8. Winner: Trouble Begins at 8. I'm SO excited about this one. I liked The Graveyard Book, but it's had enough accolades, and I thought (hoped, wished) that Trouble would get more. And so it has. Granted, it's not the Newbery, but at the very least, it knocked the "champion" off. YAY! (And see: if I had predicted this, it wouldn't have happened.)

Match 3, Chains vs. Washington at Valley Forge. Winner: Chains. So, I figured Chains would win this round, but I was fascinated by what judge Elizabeth Partridge had to say:

"So read ‘em both. You’ll be glad you did, and your mind will zigzag back and forth across the big gap between the general and the slave girl. But since, in a painful moment of triage, I have to chose one, I pick Chains. Why? Because I’m more interested in a scrappy underdog heroine than a war hero."

Fascinating. And Washington at Valley Forge is now on my TBR list.

Match 4, Here Lies Arthur vs. Tender Morsels. Winner: Tender Morsels. I don't have much to say about this one, either. I haven't read either of these, and had little desire to read Tender Morsels up until this point, incest, gang rape and all. But... but... but... I don't know. I may change my mind.

Match 5, Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks vs. We Are the Ship. Winner: We are the Ship. I wasn't expecting this one, mostly because I've never been a big baseball fan, and had no interest in We are the Ship. However, how can you ignore a comment like this one, by judge Rachel Cohn: "Simply put, We Are the Ship is an exquisite marriage of art to words (terrific story, well told), but also down-home enjoyable, visually stunning but accessible, and never succumbing to coffee table book pretentiousness." The answer is: you can't. Another one for my TBR list.

Match 6, Hunger Games vs. Porcupine Year. Winner: Hunger Games. I have one thing to say: of course. I didn't expect anything different. (Not really.)

Match 7: Graceling vs. The Underneath. Winner: Graceling. This, next to The Graveyard Book-Trouble Begins at 8, was the most interesting match for me. But I shouldn't have fretted: judge Tamora Pierce (yeah, that Tamora Pierce) chose the fantasy over the dark animal book. Good for her. And I like what commentator Jonathan Hunt said (he said this about Hunger Games, but I think it works here): "As plucky and resourceful as Omakayas is, she wouldn’t stand a chance against Katniss. Come to think of it, neither would Octavian Nothing, Frankie Landau-Banks, Nobody Owens, or most of the characters from this past year. Maybe Katsa from Graceling? Now there’s a cage match I’d pay to see! Grrrl Power! " There's the match I want to see.

Match 8: The Lincolns vs. Nation. Winner: The Lincolns. Nonfiction has done well in this battle, taking down entertaining, and popular, fiction titles. Who knows: maybe a nonficiton title will go home champion?? (Oh, and another two for my TBR pile. I really ought to read Terry Pratchett... soon.)

So, for round two we have:
Octavian Nothing II vs. Trouble Begins at 8, judged by Tim Wynne-Jones
Chains vs. Tender Morsels, judged by Coe Booth
We are the Ship vs. Hunger Games, judged by John Green
Graceling vs. The Lincolns , judged by Nancy Werlin

Sticking to my assurance that if I predict anything it won't come true, I'll refrain from making any calls. I'll just say that this is going to be interesting....

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

by Anne Fadiman
ages: adult
First sentence: "If Lia Lee had been born in the highlands of northwest Laos, where her parents and twelve of her brothers and sisters were born, her mother would have squatted on the floor of the house that her father had build from ax-hewn planks attached with bamboo and grass."

This book is incredibly complex, which makes it a difficult book to write about. It's a medical tome -- I now know more than I ever thought I would (not having any kids with epilepsy) about seizures and medical procedures of the early- to mid-80s. But it's also a work of cultural observation -- I now know more than I ever thought I would about Hmong history, religion, and culture. But what this book is, more than either of those things, is a testament to what happens when good intentions go bad because of cultural differences.

Lia Lee, daughter of Hmong immigrants, was eight months old when she first started seizing. Her parents (somewhat unusually for Hmong, who notoriously don't trust American doctors), took her to the hospital. And there, her saga starts. There is time after time of misunderstanding, miscommunication (lack of interpreters only played a role in that), and tragedy after tragedy in the life of this little girl. What impressed me most (and this is something that I've heard often associated with this book) is that Friedman does an admirable job of portraying both sides -- both the doctors' and the parents' attempts and efforts at helping Lia get better. I did feel, fairly often, that Friedman was more sympathetic to the Lees's side of the story, but she does give the doctors (who often come off as arrogant jerks) equal time -- both of her own in doing the research as well as in the book.

I often thought while reading it, too, that I was a bit of an outsider. That the people who really ought to be reading this are not lay readers, but rather doctors, social workers, adminstrators: people who could learn from the lessons that Friedman puts out in this book (not that I can't learn about the Hmong -- granted, I don't know if there are any here in Wichita -- but I'm not in a position to put that knowledge to use). It is a fascinating read, though (even if it was one of those dip in-dip out books -- read a chapter or two, read a whole other book -- types), and the lessons about respect for others' culture, beliefs and traditions is a valid one.

The Winston Breen Puzzle Party Tour (with Giveaways!)

I don't often go in for these -- press release announcements, yes, but solving puzzles (I'm terrible at it) even more -- but I thought it'd be fun to pass along the party invite for those of you who are better at puzzles than I am. :)

From the email:

The new Winston Breen book, "The Potato Chip Puzzles," hits stands this week, and to celebrate, Winston and I are throwing a puzzle party. From April 16th to April 22nd, visit the following great kidlit blogs and you'll find a puzzle waiting for you. Solve all the puzzles, submit your answers, and you might win a signed copy of the new book -- or possibly even every single book in G.P. Putnam's Spring 2009 children's and YA catalog.

Here's the lineup for the party:

April 16th: A Patchwork of Books
April 17th: Fuse #8
April 18th: Shelf Elf
April 19th: Books Together
April 20th: Bookshelves of Doom
April 21st: Chicken Spaghetti
April 22nd: Oz and Ends

I hope to see you there!

All the best,

Eric Berlin

Library Loot #14

So, I only picked up the holds... but, man, it was a HUGE pile. :) I apologized to the librarian, and she said, "Don't worry. It's my pleasure." I wondered what she thought when she actually saw the pile.

For A/K:
Monkey and Me, Emily Gravett
Cinderella, Paul Galdone
Just in Case, Yuyi Morales
Dream Dancer, Jill Newsome/Claudio Munoz
Traction Man Meets TurboDog, Mini Grey**
Simms Taback's Great Big Book of Spacey, Snakey, Buggy Riddles, Riddles by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg
Hansel and Gretel, Cynthia Rylant/Illus. by Jen Corace
Blueberry Girl, Neil Gaiman/Illus. by Charles Vess**
The Snow Princess (obligatory Dora book)

For C:
Gregor and the Code of Claw, Suzanne Collins

For M:
Poison Study*
Fire Study*
Magic Study, all by Maria V. Snyder*

For me:
Aurelia, Anne Osterland*
Extras, Scott Westerfield
We are the Ship, Kadir Nelson

The roundup is either at Out of the Blue or A Striped Armchair.

*Ones that M eventually read.
**Picture books we really liked.

Fire and Hemlock

by Diana Wynne Jones
ages: 12+
First sentence: "Polly sighed and laid her book face down on her bed."

A while back, I asked for suggestions for fairy tale adaptations. Mostly because I wanted something new to read for the Once Upon a Time challenge, and (having read many of them), I was running out of ideas. I'd read most of the ones that were suggested, but Nymeth and Kailana both suggested this one. How could I refuse to read it?

Those two ladies do know what they're talking about. It's an amazing fairy tale retelling. It's based on two British tales, Tam Lin (that's actually Scottish) and Thomas the Rhymer, neither of which I'd heard of before (quick Googling got me up to speed, sort of...). But, I found that it didn't matter that I didn't know the source material. The novel took itself in interesting directions, not the least of which was the format (divided up into four movements, each with a music tempo assigned to it). I was hooked.

Polly, at age 19, is packing to go back to college when she stumbles across a book she'd never seen before. Except, upon reading it, she thinks she had. But, it was different before... and she can't quite remember. Until, thinking back, she remembers a funeral she crashed at age 10, the place when she met Tom Lynn, a cellist. Tom and Polly took an immediate liking to one another, and they began to play a game of "pretend", Tom was Tan Coul and Polly was Hero, and both were heroes-in-training. It all sounds innocent, except for Mr. Leroy and his son Seb who are constantly lurking about threatening Polly, warning her that any involvement with Tom will lead to disaster.

It's a sweeping novel, not just in time -- it covers, on and off, about nine years -- but in scope. There's intrigue, romance, life, danger, excitement, pain... you name it, it's in there (except for, perhaps, the really really dark stuff...). I liked the use of magic in the book, too. It's there, but it's so understated, that it takes you quite a while to figure out what it is, and how it's being used. I suppose, if I was being totally fair, that the dark figures didn't do much besides lurk and smirk, and that the heroic figures were posturing more than doing, but I found I didn't really mind. I liked Polly (especially the younger Polly) and her relationship with Tom; I'm not sure I totally bought that it evolved into romantic love, but I liked the way they played off each other.

Then there was the bookishness of it all. Tom took to sending Polly books for a good portion of the book, and, wonderfully, they are all real. So, at the end when Polly figures everything out, and she uses the Oxford Book of Ballads to help her, I found myself intrigued, and checked at the library. Sure enough: it's a book, and I'm looking forward to reading both Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer, if only to say that I have.

Teaser Tuesday, April 14

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, p. 289:

Leslie stood forward on the platform, with the lighting glinting charmingly on his hair and his demurest look, and he played the flute. The music soared among the pretend Roman pillars, teasing, trilling, coaxing.

The roundup is as Should Be Reading.

Nim's Island

by Wendy Orr/Illustrated by Kerry Millard
ages: 8-10
First sentence: "In a palm tree, on an island, in the middle of the wide blue sea, was a girl."

I should, in the interest of full disclosure, admit that I picked this book up (which C bought at a book fair a while ago) only because I had stuck the movie on our Netflix queue, and it came last Friday. I decided, though, to be totally and completely fair to the book, to read it before I watched the movie. (The movie end will make it into a book-to-movie Friday soon.)

The plot is really quite simple: Nim and her father live on an undiscovered tropical island. They moved there after the disappearance of Nim's mother (she was investigating the insides of a live whale's stomach and a huge Troppo Tours boat came by scaring the whale, which dove into the ocean, taking Nim's mother with it). They are perfectly happy, until one day when Nim's father takes off on a boat to research plankton. Nim's left alone on the island, supposedly for three days and three nights. She reads an adventure book by Alex Rover, and through some weird coincidences, she begins an email correspondence with the author. One thing after another happens to Nim's dad, who is left stranded on a boat in the ocean, and it's up to Nim (and, eventually, Alex) to survive on her own, figure out a way to keep the Troppo Tours boat from discovering the island, and get her dad back.

Okay, maybe that wasn't so simple.

The book, however, is a delightful little read. I loved Nim's resourcefulness and her level-headedness as a character. She was all about figuring out how to get things done on her own. And Alex was a character in and of herself; she's stuck in the apartment, writing adventure novels and yet afraid to go outside. It's only her increasing concern for Nim that propels her out, and even then, she's more of a comic side character than an adult who actually accomplishes anything. :) But my favorite thigns about the book were the use of similies -- "fast like Fred (he's an iguana) going after a coconut" is one that comes to mind -- and the animals. None of them talked, yet each of them had personalities. There was Fred, the iguana; Selkie, the sea lion with mothering instincts; and Chica the sea turtle who saves the day. It's all very amusing and quite fun.

In the end, it was an enjoyable way to spend a couple hours on a gloomy afternoon.

Let the BoB begin

Tomorrow, the Battle of the (Kids) books will begin. (YAY!) Abby (and others) helpfully alerted me to this (really cool) idea, and I've been following along on their blog. They've been introducing this week's judges, and have put up a popular opinion poll so the rest of us can choose who should win (but not necessarily who will...) (As of right now, Hunger Games is out in the lead in the poll...)

The official battle begins tomorrow with Roger Sutton deciding between Octavian Nothing II and Ways to Live Forever... I would venture into the predictions game, but I learned (very early one while watching football) that if I voice my preferences, the ones I *really* want to win will most likely loose. (Though if you're interested in predictions, check out Book Bracketology.) As for me, I'm just going to sit back, quietly root for my favorites, and enjoy the show.

Inkdeath

by Cornelia Funke
ages: 12+
First sentence: "Moonlight fell on Elinor's bathrobe, her nightdress, her bare feet, and the dog lying in front of them."

I fell in love with Inkheart when I read it more than three years ago. I thought it was a brilliant concept, and I loved the story. I called it a "book lovers book", and gushed about the characters, the plot, the little quirks. I read Inkspell soon after, and I didn't care for it as much. So, maybe I shouldn't be surprised, three years later, that I was completely bored by the third in the trilogy.

Now, perhaps this is because I waited so long in between reading the second and the third, and I didn't bother re-reading the second again. But, I found myself unwilling to remember who all the characters were, and what their roles were, and how they fit into this very intricate world Funke has created. I also found that I've lost my original enthusiasm for the plot -- which now seems very convoluted and hackneyed, not to mention more adult than is warranted in an upper-middle-grade book (even though my library has classified this one as teen). I didn't care about Mo's struggles with being a Robin-Hood-like outlaw. I didn't care that Fenglio didn't care, or that Elinor's wallowing in depression because everyone's gone to Inkworld without her. And so Meggie's pining after Farid: what of it? She didn't do much else (that I read). In addition, it's a very slow -- check that: excruciatingly slow -- start; 150 pages in, I was thoroughly bored with the book. And so I did something I rarely do: I skipped around, looking for something more interesting to happen (spoiler: Dustfinger comes back. Woo-hoo! Except, he's not nearly as intersting or complex), and when it didn't -- not really -- I read the last 150 pages.

Because, even though the book was overlong and painfully slow, I still wanted to know how their story ended.

I guess I still care, if only a little tiny bit.

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

Love, Laughter and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking School
by Kathleen Flinn
age: adult
First sentence: "As a little girl, while other children played house, I played restaurant."

When, at age 36, Kathleen Flinn's mid-level corporate job was eliminated, she was faced with a choice: get another mid-level corporate job somewhere, or... pursue a life-long dream of going to school at the cooking school Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Encouraged by her boyfriend -- who puts his life on hold to move to Paris to be with her -- she chooses the latter. This is her story.

Equal parts food book, travel book and memoir, this book totally and completely engrossed me.

I think I liked the food parts best, though. Not only is the book littered with recipes (delicious, gourmet recipes that I will probably never make, but I can dream about), but Kathleen is meticulous with detail about her time in the cooking school. She doesn't hesitate to tell about her failures (like the time the "Grey Chef" shouted at her, or the time she dropped the roast duck on the floor) but she doesn't gloat over her successes (like when the head chef of Le Doyen singles her out over her classmates to chat with for 20 minutes). It's all matter of fact: this happened, she had this amazing experience, she lived this dream, wouldn't you like to read about it?

But more than the recipes, or even her cooking experiences (I've been inundated with French food in books lately; at least here she explains what it all means!), I enjoyed her trips into the Paris markets. The sights, smells, sounds, connections of European markets; it was sensory heaven. And it made me realize (not for the first time) that we're really missing out with grocery stores here in the States...

I did enjoy the other aspects of the book, too: I liked her tales of the many house guests (even the horrible ones; they were good for a cringe and a laugh) they had while living in Paris; I liked the love story between her and Mike (whom she met and fell into a relationship before Paris), and their whirlwind marriage. I liked her relationships with her classmates, the different personalities and expectations and goals of each person.

It did get a bit too life-preachy for me, especially near the end, where Flinn was trying to make some Big Moral out of her experience, when I would have been happier with her experience as is, without the life morals. But, that said, there's always something inspiring about people who leave the corporate track and do Something Different with their lives, pursuing a dream and, ultimately, succeeding. And that Flinn spins a good tale about her experience is just a happy bonus.

Geeky Haiku Review

I was going to do Option A: Be a kid!, for this week's geek, but then I got this book in the mail, and it just screamed for a haiku review, so I'm doing:

Option B: Be a poet!

Review a book you've read recently in haiku. (It doesn't need to be a poetry book you're reviewing, any book will do.) See Emilyreads for an idea of what I mean.

The book:

Legs Talk
by D.E. Boone
ages: adult, probably.
First sentence: "Some people call it shopping."

The haiku:
Captioned leg photos
Tell of a relationship.
It goes nowhere fast.

That's harder than it looks.

Library Loot #13

I found my self control this week! YAY! (That means there's really nothing interesting here, unless you like picture books...) I should be back to "normal" next week...

For A/K:
Bats at the Library, Brian Lies**
Cat and Mouse, Ian Schoenherr
Who Made This Cake?, Chihiro Nakagawa/Illus. Junji Koysoe
Everybody Bonjours!, Leslie Kimmelman/Illus. Sarah McMenemy**
Kipper's Toybox, Mick Inkpen
Angelina at the Palace, Katharine Holabird/Illus. Helen Craig**
All in a Day, Cynthia Rylant/Illus. Nikki McClure
Little Mouse's Birthday Cake, Thacker Hurd

The roundup is either at Out of the Blue or A Striped Armchair.


**Picture books we really liked.

Teaser Tuesday, April 7

I'm going to squeeze in an announcement here: April's Estella's Revenge is up! My three reviews (all Jane Austen related!): The Darcys and the Bingleys (I'm really quite proud of this review...), Pemberley by the Sea, and Jane Austen Ruined My Life. Go check them out, as well as all the other good stuff in this month's issue.

Now, on to Teaser Tuesday...

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

From The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, by Kathleen Flinn, p. 95:

That afternoon, I nurse my consomme and finish yet another round of disappointing puff pastry. As I do, I consider how wonderful it would be to toss some hamburger, egg whites, and tomatoes into the soup of life.

The roundup is as Should Be Reading.

Caddy Ever After

by Hilary McKay
ages: 10+
First sentence: "Today I fell asleep in class."

Things that are still true about the Casson books:
I adore Rose.
They make me utterly and unquestionably happy.
I find them hilarious in a wacky, British sort of way.
Eve is daffy and Bill's a cad (though much less so in this book, if only because they show up much less).

The basic plot: Indigo likes Saffy's friend Sarah, and so he finagles a way to sell tickets to the Valentine Dance. He sets Saffy up with Oscar. Saffy and Rose get "lost" on the moor (stranded is more like it) because of Oscar's lousy car. Oscar and his older brother Alex rescue them and bring them home. Caddy's waiting there, and she decides Alex is The One (mostly because he's got permission to go to China to photograph panda bears). Except he's not Darling Michael, to whom Rose promised not to let Caddy get married. Hence, Rose's (in)famous wedding destruction at the end of the book.

Things that are different from the previous Casson books:
The chapters alternate between narrators (going, in order: Rose, Indigo, Saffy, Caddy, Rose again). I loved each voice, but I espeically loved that Rose was still omnipresent.
The appendices are really the best part.
I was expecting a huge climax at the church (because I read Forever Rose first), but didn't get it, but it really didn't matter. It was still funny.
There was a subplot about Saffy and Sarah not being friends any more becuase of a star balloon, but that was pretty silly (well, of course), and not really worth mentioning. Indigo was pretty awesome, though.

And, yes, I'm going to read Forever Rose again, just so I can put it in it's proper place. And do a proper "review".

OCOC Giveaway...

Unfortunately, due to mailing costs and the state of our finances (several expensive emergencies -- not the least of which is a new pair of glasses for me!) have made it impossible for met to continue doing this... So, sadly, I'm suspending the giveaways (even though the closet isn't remotely cleaned out) for the time being. Thanks to all who participated... Hopefully, they'll be up and running again sometime this summer.

2009 Challenge #2: Jewish Literature

I managed to get through this one. I know there are some wonderful Jewish literature books out there (I've read them), but I didn't particularly love anything on my list.

1. Yellow Star, by Jennifer Rozines Roy
2. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
3. Maus I and Maus II, Art Spiegelman
4. The Bee Season, Myla Goldberg

I did admire Yellow Star and the Maus books, but I didn't love them. Ah, well. Maybe next year.

The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank
ages: 12+
First sentence: "On Friday, June 12th I woke up at six o'clock and no wonder; it was my birthday."

Ack.

Let me say that again.

Ack.

If I had read this book when I was 12 or 13, I would have totally loved it. I would have completely identified with Anne, with her plight, with her suffering, with her angst, with her. I would have cried at the end. I would have swooned over her relationship with Peter, and the difficulties it presented.

But now...

I just felt like she's a whiny teenager who wasn't completely grateful that she didn't end up in a concentration camp for the whole war, and that she spent too much time whining about how horrible her parents (and the Van Daans) are. I felt like the book is only famous because she (in a cruel irony) died in a concentration camp three months before the Allieds liberated it. Yes, it was human, and real, and sometimes insightful. But I couldn't stand her. Or the book.

Which makes me feel guilty.

Oh, well. I missed the boat on this one.

Well-Seasoned Reader Challenge Roundup

The final edition! It's been TONS of fun going on this journey with you all! Thanks so much for your participation and your reviews; it's been so enjoyable going through them all. Before I get to the final review roundup there's a few items of business.

Finishers since last week are: Bridget, Cheryl, Eva, Kristi, Katrina Callista, Trisha, Kim and Grilsgood.

And for the prizes...

The grand prize of a book from Powells is: Beth F!

And the two finisher prizes (of nuts or chocolate) go to: Lucia and Sandra!

Congrats!!

And now, to the last of the reviews:

Eva did all three reviews and wrap-up in the same post. She had the novel idea of focusing all her reading around one country, and chose Burma/Myanmar. She read From the Land of Green Ghosts, by Pscal Khoo Thwe, of which she writes, "It’s a compelling story, written with an idiosyncratic and appealing voice, about a place most of us will never visit (I know I won’t, until the junta loses power-I don’t want to help their cash flow.). And while it isn’t always happy, in the balance it’s certainly much more positive than negative. Thwe allows the reader to really enter into his life and world, and I am profoundly grateful to have been able to spend time with him." She also read Burmese Days, by George Orwell and Finding George Orwell in Burma, by Emma Larkin. Click through to read her reviews; suffice to say, she spoke highly of them all.

Frances read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, saying "Some of this may sound like things you have heard or read before, but much of it is different, and the material is transformed into a page-turner by Pollan's precise journalistic prose. No extra fat in the book, so to speak."

Heather read Last of the Angels, by Fadhil Al Azzawi. She writes, "When I finished the book, I was left confused and disappointed but as time has passed, I’ve come to like it more and more. This is not a book to pick up lightly and some research should be done beforehand. It reads like a much longer book than it actually is (only 276 pages) and it is not easy to follow the entire time, but I really think it is a worthwhile chance to explore a culture so incredibly different from our own but that is now so closely linked with our fate."

Tiny Librarian read Queen of the Road, by Doreen Orion. The end verdict: "A fun, funny, interesting book that may make you think about your own priorities in life."

For her final selection, Katrina read Baghdad Diaries, by Nuha al-Radi. She wasn't impressed, writing, "I was expecting a lot from The Bagdhad Diaries by Nuha Al-Radi and was very disappointed. I had seen this book talked about a lot a few years ago and was expecting a moving account of life in the war...Yes she does also describe the lack of food, the extreme poverty and the increase in cancer as a result of the war but I never really felt fo/ her."

And it wouldn't be a week without Amira checking in, this time with Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year, by Najmieh Batmangli. She writes, "There are plenty of recipes, but it's a lot more than a cookbook. I think a better subtitle might have been something along the lines of celebrating Nowruz with your children. Now, I know that many Americans don't know what Nowruz is, but if you do and are interested in celebrating it, this is an excellent book to explain all aspects of Nowruz, for the entire 4 weeks."

Kim read one of my all-time favorites for her final book: My Name is Asher Lev, by Chaiam Potok. She wrote, "I was just fascinated by the characters, the culture and religion, and especially Asher and his relationships with his family and others whom he cares about."

Callista read The Bit of the Mango, by Maritu Kamara, of which, she writes, "The book doesn't only address the war that went on in Sierra Leone and the casulaties of that war. It also addresses what little has happened to help those still in the country. Mariatu wrote this book to get the word out about what was happening and to clear up some misconceptions that were in some articles about her." She also read The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page. She writes, "This isn't your average cookbook. Instead of recipes to follow to the letter, this book contains charts to help you find flavor combinations. As you can see, this book truly is a FLAVOR BIBLE. This book is recommended for those who don't want to follow ready-made recipes anymore but create their OWN recipes."

And, finally, Tricia linked to four more books: The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Wegner; The House on Tradd Street, by Karen White; Galway Bay, by Mary Pat Kelley; and Banker to the Poor, by Muhammad Yunus. I liked what Tricia wrote about The House on Tradd Street, "I think Karen White is a great storyteller. However, the writing was repetitive in parts and the typos were inexcusable. But, the plot was gripping and I'll definitely read the next one in this series when it comes out in November."

Thanks again to everyone who made this challenge so great!

Lock and Key

by Sarah Dessen
ages: 13+
First sentence: "And finally," Jamie said as he pushed the door open, "we've come to the main event. Your room."

Like with Elizabeth Scott, I've been feeling a need to read some Sarah Dessen, especially since she's so beloved. So, again, I randomly plucked a book of hers off the library shelf, one that they just recently received, and went with it.

And, as with Elizabeth Scott, I wasn't disappointed.

For the past 10 years has been moving around with her mom from place to place, never really quite making it, never really settling in. Now that Ruby's nearly 18, all she can think about is getting out, being free. However, shortly in to the start of her senior year, Ruby's mom disappears. No problem, Ruby thinks: she can get by until she's 18. But things slowly break down, and her landlords find out and turn her in to social services, and she ends up with her sister, Cora, whom she hasn't seen since Cora left for college 10 years ago.

Suddenly, Ruby's life is turned upside down: no longer is she scraping long with the bottom of the pack -- the pot smokers, the dropouts. She's going to a private school, living in a million-dollar house, courtesy of her entrepreneur brother-in-law. She has everything her mother couldn't provide. Except... Ruby doesn't trust any of it. She misses the familiarity of her old life, she doesn't want to let anyone get close, she doesn't trust anyone (especially her sister). All she wants to do is get out.

I was wary of the book at first: Ruby's not a particularly sympathetic character -- understandable, considering her bad mother (again with the bad mothers! Ah, I suppose it must be for the sake of conflict...). But, what was fascinating to read -- as well as subtle and well-written -- was the de-icing of Ruby. She meets Nate, with whom she wants NO relationship, who ends up being her friend. And whom she ends up being able to help in a very big way. (Thankfully, there's a bad dad to balance out the bad mom.) Ruby learns the meaning of family (again, not a blantant life lesson, but one that snuck in by the end of the book) and friendship. And yes, while it has a "money can solve all your problems" Cinderella aspect to it (Ruby would still be scraping the bottom if Jamie didn't have money), it's not overbearing. It's mostly a book about expectations and trust and facing the unknown. And the romance, for what it's worth, is really quite good, too.

So, yeah, I can see what everyone is raving about with Sarah Dessen. I'll definately be reading more of her books.