Sunday Salon: Second to the Right and Straight on 'til Morning

It was a rumor that I enjoyed, but never one that I thought would actually come true. There was no way it would actually happen. No way way it was true. NO WAY.

And then, it did happen. It WAS true.

On Friday night, a 100 foot tall Voldemort was taken down by a team of Mary Poppins. And it wasn't just Voldemort. Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, and the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Not only did the Olympics celebrate Children's Literature, it celebrated its villains and nightmares.

It's an interesting juxtaposition to the common cries of "WAH! YA lit is too dark!"

The Opening ceremonies embraced that darkness and celebrated it, and for an even younger audience.

I immediately thought of an article I read many years ago, many years before I worked in children's literature. In her December, 2000 Salon piece "Oz vs. Narnia," Laura Miller compares the two beloved classics, with Narnia being the clear winner. And one of the reasons it is the clear winner is because of the darkness. At the time, I thought the comparison didn't work-- one was written for Victorian children on the plains, one was written for British children who just survived the Blitz, of course Narnia is darker. But, I now know differently. I know the debate. I know the literature and this argument still resonates, 12 years later:

[Oz scholar] Hearn complains that American librarians have unjustly labeled Baum’s Oz books as “poorly written”; the librarians, however, are right. He attributes their preference for British fantasy to “Anglocentric” “reverse snobbism,” but the truth is that in Britain real writers like Lewis (and J.R.R. Tolkien, and J.K. Rowling and Phillip Pullman today) write children’s fantasy, and they take their readers seriously, as people facing a difficult and often confusing world.
...
Just as the British think that children are important enough to merit the work of their best writers, British children’s writers think children are important enough to be treated as moral beings. That means that sometimes things get scary.
...
Baum, like many Americans today, saw children differently, as pure innocents who need to be shielded for as long as possible from the challenges of life.

And this debate still rages. Children and teens much be protected from nightmares, and reality. librarian Josh Westbrook says, "Kids are living stories every day that we wouldn't let them read."

But on Friday night, on a global stage, some of literature's most memorable and terrifying villans came out to play. We didn't frolic with puppies, Peter Pan, Alice, a flying car, or even Harry. We didn't immerse ourselves in Neverland, Wonderland, or Hogwarts. No, we recognized and reveled in their enemies. We recognized the nightmares they've given us. But, instead of ignoring they exist, instead of covering our eyes and turning away, Danny Boyle and the London Olympics paraded them out for us all to see. They were celebrated.

In the US, we gnash our teeth and wail and moan about books that portray the darker, harsher sides of our world. In the UK, they take center stage when the entire world is watching.

The prominence they were given, and the seriousness with which they were treated, surprised and delighted me even more than the Queen parachuting in with James Bond or the obligatory singing of "Hey Jude."

And, in the end, I'm still smiling with glee over the fact that the rumor of a Voldemort/Mary Poppins smackdown in the middle of the Opening Ceremonies actually happened, and was completely awesome.

Sunday Salon: Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

Thank you for bearing with me on this unscheduled blog break.

In the meantime, I've been to ALA, which was awesome. I got to connect and hang out with a lot of great people, met some new friends, and got a ton of ideas for programming and better ways to serve my customers. (Before ALA I started having some pretty interesting conversations and THOUGHTS about customer service in the library setting, and so some of these sessions timed perfectly for me that way. But that's a whole 'nother blog post.)

Plus, my committee meetings went really well. I'm so excited about the work we're doing. It's a great year for Nonfiction.

The big news though is...

I have a new job. I start week after next. It's still youth services, but in a different system in the DC area. I don't have any time off between jobs either, so there's been a lot going on as I try to tie up all my loose ends and prepare to start someplace new.

AND! While all that was going on, there was the dreaded DERECHO. Or land hurricane.*

It was pretty awesome when it hit. We screened in the porch last summer, so we had a drink and watched the storm. I'm surprised we kept our trees-- that wind was crazy. Half the time I couldn't tell if the rumbling was thunder or just the wind in the trees. And the lightning! As one of our friends said, "It looked like there were huge strobe lights behind the clouds."

We lost power for about a day. Friends of ours kept power, so there was a big party at theirs. Of course, shortly after we all arrived, THEY lost power for a few hours. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. The library was out for a few days, too. The craziest was the day we had power back and then lost it again. The circ department kept checking books out (old skool-- BY HAND) and we stayed open until the AC started to wear off. I was super-impressed with many of the library systems in the area that stayed open late (some were even open on July 4th) to serve as cooling stations for their communities.

I lost internet in the Derecho. While I legitimately lost if for a few days, it was out even longer because I forgot that I had unplugged the FIOS box shortly after the power blew because that was the only way to make it stop beeping. There's nothing worse than BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP that won't end at 4 am when it's 90 degrees in your bedroom. Luckily the KungFu Princess dropped a toy behind the couch a few days ago and when I was fishing it out, I noticed that the internet was unplugged. D'oh.

But, no internet = limited TV (most of our TV is via iTunes and Netflix) which means LOTS of reading.

But, it's really, really, really hot. And with everything else going on, I'm more whiny and lazy than productive. I should have some reviews up this week though.

*Land Hurricanes bring Land Sharks. FYI.

Sunday Salon: Reviews that Made me Want to Read the Book

Here are a few reviews that I bookmarked because when I read them, I added the book to my TBR list.

Anne Boleyn by Evelyn Anthony

My friend sonetka (not her real name) just started a FANTASTIC new blog, The Head That Launched A Thousand Books, which analyzes and reviews various novels about Anne Boleyn. This one was the first one she read, and one of her favorites. As she says This is one of the comparatively few novels in which Anne the politician takes center stage. It’s not told entirely from her point of view, but takes frequent detours into other scenes and other people’s thoughts, notably Cromwell, Norfolk, and the demoted Princess Mary. Anne herself comes across as intelligent, brave to the point of being almost nerveless, and at first mainly concerned with seizing her moment both to advance her family and their views, and to do damage to Cardinal Wolsey, who thwarted her possible marriage to Henry Percy.

Vodnik by Bryce Moore

As Charlotte from Charlotte's library says: an immensely enjoyable journey to a place where old, strange, crazy magic fills the streets of a medieval city. It's part mystery, part the story of a boy finding magical powers (while dealing with culture shock), part an exploration of ancient stories, and altogether engrossing...It's funny, with flashes of dry wit that made chuckle. It's gripping, with some truly spooky moments. It was a treat, as well, to spend time with the magical beings of Slovakian folklore--it was refreshing to have a somewhat blank supernatural slate, and there was real uncertainty about which of the various beings were allies, and which enemies.

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

The Book Smugglers tell us that this book is a vividly detailed Historical novel about the lives of these two girls in the tense early period of English occupation of Wales and the narrative alternates between their perspectives... There is very little in the way of an actual plot (it’s not until the very last pages, when the Welsh revolt, that something happens) and the novel focus on the relationship between the two girls and on their narrative. These encompass and mirror perfectly in a microcosms, the fraught relationship between Welsh and English at large. Sometimes that relationship is tense and full of distrust and resentment. Sometimes there is an almost truce that borders on friendship. Theirs is a relationship in constant motion, shifting accordingly to what’s happening in the world around them.

Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung

Adult Books 4 Teens says Tied to the traditions of Korea, Jamie’s parents expect the world of her, and more. Her younger sister, Hannah, feels many of the same pressures, but doesn’t have the coping mechanism to deal with them. When Hannah packs up and leaves one day, leaving no note, Jamie is expected to find her and bring her back. Chung weaves haunting stories from the family’s past, of sisters from each generation who go missing...

No Safety In Numbers Dayna Lorentz

Our time in Juvie says: The tagline for this trilogy in “Contagion meets Lord of the Flies in a mall that looks just like yours.”

Lorentz really captures the tension and how young adults think in a situation like this. What I love about this story is each of her characters is unique and come from different multi-cultural backgrounds. This element is very hard to find in well-written young adult literature. The pacing of the story is right on target as the tension and fear ratchets higher and higher. I can’t wait for Book Two.



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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.


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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Sunday Salon: Monstrumologist

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey was a ALA Printz honor book when it came out in 2010 and was a finalist for the NCTE/ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden award. It was named a Booklist Editor's choice and won numerous state awards.

The sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo was named an ALA Best Books for Young Adults, a Booklist Editor's Choice, and a Kirkus Best Children's Book.

The third and final book, The Isle of Blood comes out this fall and then there are no more. Which would be fine, if it were a trilogy, but it's not. Simon and Schuster just isn't happy with the sales. I can't talk much about the book because I haven't read it yet, but this is a series we've held up time and again as what quality literature that teens will enjoy looks like. But apparently quality lit with reader appeal isn't what we want.

I'm not going to fault Simon and Schuster. They're a business and have to go where the money is. So... let's save the series by putting the money there. If you have $10, but a copy. If you have $20, but two copies and give one away. If you have $30, give two copies away, or all three. You get the idea. If you don't have any money, check it out from the library. (How many times a book is checked out lets us gauge popularity. It tells us if we need more copies, if we should replace worn-out copies, or if it's just taking up limited shelf-space.) But it goes beyond that. Book blog readers are book pushers. Some of us are librarians, teachers, book sellers or other people who are professional book pushers. But those of you who read book blogs just because you like books, I bet you're book pushers among your friends. I bet your family and friends turn to you for recommendations and ideas. So, try pushing this one and let's see what happens.

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-- TBR

Jen Robinson used to do a series of "reviews that made me want to read the book."

I have a slew of starred posts in my Google Reader of reviews that made ME want to read the book. So, I thought I'd steal Jen's idea and share some of the reviews that make my TBR pile so insane. This is probably become an occasional series:

Grinnell College Libraries Favorite Books and Book Review's review of The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War by David Laskin

It is interesting to read this book about 12 men who immigrated during the great 19th century wave of immigration in light of current debates on immigration and especially recent legislation in Arizona. Laskin's book is about the interesting path these men took to the United States, looking for opportunity, perhaps even seeking to avoid mandatory service in their native countries' armed forces, only to be drafted into the U.S. forces.

Abby (the) Librarian's review of Matched by Ally Condie.

Cruely, she taunts us with a book that doesn't come out until NOVEMBER.

I think Ms. Condie has created an intriguing world and she builds the tension up nicely to keep the reader interested. I started this book before I went to bed last night and ended up staying awake for an extra hour because I wanted to see what happened next. There are some nice plot turns, some I suspected and some that surprised me. This will definitely please fans of dystopian lit and it has a nice element of romance, so I'd recommend it to fans of paranormal romance, too.

Chasing Ray's review of The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt

Colleen hadn't even finished it yet, but...

First, I need someone to explain why you all haven't heard of this book. The easy answer is that it is too offbeat, too unusual, basically just too damn different. And yet in a world that supports Scarlett Thomas and Samantha Hunt I do not understand why Helen Dewitt is not equally embraced by a cult-like following. The Last Samurai is not a page-turning thriller but it is so bloody smart and witty that I can not understand for the life of me why it isn't the book that all the 21st century witty smart readers who like learning and think being curious is truly a cool thing bought the heck out of and made it a continuous, on a scale of David Foster Wallace type massive best seller.


Color Online's review of Moonshine: A Novel by Alaya Johnson

The notion of Moonshine being merely another vampire or paranormal fiction novel is taking it a bit too lightly. Though a quirky and supernatural tale, it's also a guise for a more grounded critique on race. Zephyr struggles daily to get humans to see that the "Others", who openly live, work, and play in mainstream society, are still deserving of humanity even if not human.

Editorial Anonymous had an interview with Adam Rex rather than a review of his upcoming Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story

I have to say the impetus for this book actually came when I misread a banner ad. I was in the middle of my morning web-crawl when I saw an ad for some manga or webcomic or something called My Dork Embrace. And I thought, That's great. I bet it's a story about the kind of awkward guy who's never supposed to become a vampire. And a minute later my brain wouldn't let go of it because the art and tenor of the ad didn't really jive with the assumption I'd made, so I scrolled back to have another look at it. And I discovered it's really just My Dark Embrace. I'd misread it. But then I got excited because that meant I could write My Dork Embrace myself, and it would be a good framework to work out some thoughts I'd been having about high school.

Another one from Chasing Ray. This time it's Touch by Adania Shibli

In many ways it is exactly like a thousand other YA stories and yet the telling is so different that it reads like nothing else. It's poetry in prose; an exotic fragmented tale of often mundane circumstances.

Reading Extensively's review of My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day

Heidi is a quirky character with a great sense of humor. She loves to watch DVD episodes of her favorite spy show and has imaginary conversations with the main character, Mycroft Christie...The title suggests that the book is a romance but really the focus is on friendship which I found refreshing. Heidi and her friends are one of a kind.

Emily Read's review of Only One Year by Andrea Cheng

Emily reviews in haiku and I don't want to copy her ENTIRE post here, because that hardly seems sporting, but here's part of the description of the book:

Just before Sharon's mother begins a new job, the fourth-grader's parents send her two-year-old brother, Di Di, to live in Shanghai for a year with their grandmother, Nai Nai. When Sharon questions why a babysitter can't care for him instead, Mama explains that for a sitter, 'Di Di is a job. But for Nai Nai, he is a grandson.'

Maggie Reads has an excerpt from I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui

I walk through an open door and am faced with a group of wailing women and men wearing black robes. This is the place I want to be. It is up to me and only me to find one of those black robed men alone and get what I seek...

The room is empty now and I sit afraid I will be missed as it becomes dark. The lady at the desk goes into the office and speaks to the judge. Suddenly, he is standing in front of me. “What do you want little girl?” I bravely state, “I want a divorce.”

Nymeth from Things Mean a Lot's review of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs isn’t only a mystery: it’s also a story about an Edwardian young woman growing up, moving from poverty to a world of comfort and education, and having her life irrevocably changed by the war...

There was quite a bit that I liked about Maisie Dobbs: the glimpses into the pre-World War I Edwardian world and into post-war society; the descriptions of the war period and of civilian life during it; the emphasis on how the war was experienced by people of different genders and different social backgrounds; the commentary on class; and most of all the sensitive analysis of the long-term consequences of an experience as devastating as WWI, both at an individual and at a social level.



Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.