Holy cow you guys! It's only 2.5 weeks until my blog birthday party! Y'all are coming right?
I really hope so! I know you need to supply your own cake and champagne, but I've been working madly on getting the goody prize bags together for the people who come. I can't wait until the giant bag from one of my favorite stores, tartx, arrives! That's just a small teaser (plus, there will be mountains of books being given away! Including audio books!) I'm hoping that EVERYONE who comes to my virtual party will get something, but I can't say for sure until I see how many people show up.
I'm still trying to decide what to read. I have about 5 books that have come out in the last few months that I haven't read yet! I couldn't wait to get them and I haven't even opened them. Life's been pretty busy lately and these are books that I want to savor, that I want to read slowly in one sitting. But how will I decide which one I read at the party?! Maybe, because it's my party, I can read for more than 5 hours? Hmmmm...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
When Cheerleader Zombies Aren't Just a Metaphor
Hannah and her father are always on the run, but their new town seems different. The popular girls, the cheerleaders, are all a little too perfect and too matching. The weird kid, Lukas, says it's because they're really all part of a zombie cult and that Hannah should stay away. Lukas says it's the zombies, not the economy, that's killing the town and are responsible for all of the empty houses that are for sale. But then Hannah's given a chance to join the squad...
Excellent concept, poor execution. Most of the book is aiming for mystery "are they really zombies or aren't they" but I couldn't bring myself to really care. The entire story is Hannah's narration, there isn't a lot of dialogue and it's lots of tell, no show. Frankly, until the final climax, it's just... boring.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Two by Laurie Halse Anderson
In the early days of the United States and a yellow fever epidemic is raging through Philadelphia. Mattie quickly finds herself alone in a city that's been decimated by disease. She has to protect herself not only from the yellow fever, but also the thieves that stalk the streets, taking things from deserted houses. While trying to survive, she desperately tries to find out information about her friends and family and if they still live.
It's not often I'd recommend historical fiction for reluctant readers, but this is a pretty fast-moving story with just enough gross pus to keep reluctant readers engaged. I liked it.
In June, for Weekly Geeks, people asked me about books I had read, but not reviewed yet.
Eva from A Striped Armchair asked Have you read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson? If so, how does it compare to Fever?
I have read Speak (and reviewed it here). I think Speak compares much more with Wintergirls (reviewed below). This is very different than speak, as it's more straight-up historical fiction and while still moving and gripping, it's for completely different reasons.
Book Provided by... my local library
Wintergirls Laurie Halse Anderson
Lia's ex-best friend is dead. She's been in treatment twice now for her anorexia. Her parents are worried that Cassie's death will trigger a backslide into starvation. What they don't know is that Lia has been starving herself ever since she left treatment.
A stark and unflinching look at the subterfuge Lia goes through (sewing quarters in the pockets of the robe she wears when being weighed, tampering with the scale, faking cooking smells) to starve to death. More than that though, it's a look into the very messed-up mind of someone who would want to do that. Someone who knows that once she meets her next weight goal of 100 lbs (at 5'5") she won't be happy until she's 95 lbs and when that happens, she won't be happy until she's at 90 lbs and on and on until she's dead.
Horrifying and amazing. I can't really add much to what's already been said by everyone else who has read this, except that I agree! I especially liked how Lia censors her thoughts, which we see through frequent use of words being crossed out and some teeny-tiny font. I like it when authors play with design to help tell their story.
Book provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
I have read Speak (and reviewed it here). I think Speak compares much more with Wintergirls (reviewed below). This is very different than speak, as it's more straight-up historical fiction and while still moving and gripping, it's for completely different reasons.
Book Provided by... my local library
Lia's ex-best friend is dead. She's been in treatment twice now for her anorexia. Her parents are worried that Cassie's death will trigger a backslide into starvation. What they don't know is that Lia has been starving herself ever since she left treatment.
A stark and unflinching look at the subterfuge Lia goes through (sewing quarters in the pockets of the robe she wears when being weighed, tampering with the scale, faking cooking smells) to starve to death. More than that though, it's a look into the very messed-up mind of someone who would want to do that. Someone who knows that once she meets her next weight goal of 100 lbs (at 5'5") she won't be happy until she's 95 lbs and when that happens, she won't be happy until she's at 90 lbs and on and on until she's dead.
Horrifying and amazing. I can't really add much to what's already been said by everyone else who has read this, except that I agree! I especially liked how Lia censors her thoughts, which we see through frequent use of words being crossed out and some teeny-tiny font. I like it when authors play with design to help tell their story.
Book provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Coffee and Shakespeare = YAY!
First things first-- this is Much Ado About Nothing, but set in Sonoma County and told from Beatrice's (renamed Geena) point of view. There's no wedding, but a giant sweet sixteen party. No one fakes their death, but they might return to boarding school earlier than planned. The evil Don John is just the bigshot local guy whom everyone worships. The coffee is hot, but the revenge is cold.
A fun and excellent summer read, and a really well done retelling. It stays true to the plot and elements, but if I hadn't known it was a retelling before reading it, it would have taken me a really long time to get it, because it keeps the source material in the background (much like Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason). I most enjoyed the subplot of Geena and her father. The sequel, Triple Shot Bettys in Love which I'm very much looking forward to reading, is a retelling of Cyrano De Bergerac.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Evil Step Mothers!
Despite references to various fairy tales, this is NOT a fairy tale retelling, which is really hard to tell from the product description.
Once I got over that disappointment, I was very much able to enjoy this book for what it is. Alice, Reena, and Molly are three very different girls with one thing in common-- a totally evil step-mother (and apparently whackjob dads that let their stepmoms just treat them like utter crap). The three are exiled by these (metaphorical) witches to boarding school, where they meet and form an unlikely friendship.
Chapters switch POV between each of the main characters, allowing them to flesh out as we see their inner monologue and everyone else's take on them. A great and funny twist on the boarding school/friendship/learning to accept change type story.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Scary Zombies!
The Return happened generations ago and now Mary's village is isolated, with its fortified fences and ruling Sisters. Mary has always known that no one believes her mother's stories of the ocean, passed from generation to generation, because to venture beyond the village is death. They are the only survivors.
Mary has questions and dreams that extend beyond what she knows, but the Unconsecrated (that means ZOMBIES) keep her at bay. She will marry a man she does not love, she will do what the Sisters tell her to do. She will believe in her mother's ocean and buildings so tall they touch the sky.
Then, when the fences break, she and her friends are forced to run through the forest and confront what they have been told and what they have dreamed of.
Gripping and chilling. It alternates between being a love story, a survival story in this post-apocalyptic landscape, and straight-up horror. Mary (and so, the reader) never fully learn all of the Sisterhoods secrets or reasons. I also like how you're not overly sure which religion the Sisters and the villagers practice (or even if it's one we'll recognize in our pre-zombie world). The name Sister implies nuns, but there is a spot on the outer doorways that Mary always touches that has religious significance, something that made me think of a Jewish muzuzah.
The end of the story is a little abrupt, but overall, I liked it, and I don't like horror or survival stories!
Why are there so few serious zombie books being published for teens? Everything I see is of the lighter variety.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Booking Through Thursday
Today's Booking Through Thursday question is...
Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?
Well, I do believe that life is too short to read bad books. When I'm helping kids find books, I always make them check out 3. This does more than help our circ stats. I tell them "Life's too short to read bad books. Take three, because that way if you don't like one, you're not stuck with reading it."
That said... I'll sometimes put down a boring book (if it's not required reading) but I'll rarely put down a bad one. It's like really bad TV, I get sucked into the horribleness and I can't turn away. Even if a book is boring though, it's hard for me to admit that I don't want to read it and put it down. It's like being mean to the book, and you shouldn't be mean to books!
Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?
Well, I do believe that life is too short to read bad books. When I'm helping kids find books, I always make them check out 3. This does more than help our circ stats. I tell them "Life's too short to read bad books. Take three, because that way if you don't like one, you're not stuck with reading it."
That said... I'll sometimes put down a boring book (if it's not required reading) but I'll rarely put down a bad one. It's like really bad TV, I get sucked into the horribleness and I can't turn away. Even if a book is boring though, it's hard for me to admit that I don't want to read it and put it down. It's like being mean to the book, and you shouldn't be mean to books!
Using your psychic powers to read high school social cues...
All the women in Lissy's family have some sort of psychic ability. Lissy can see auras, and as she starts life at a new high school, she knows her math teacher is up to no good. Meanwhile, she's trying to navigate the crazy social scene. The most popular kids are the "Goldens" the rest are "Nons" and the school takes the distinction very seriously. Luckily, the students realize that it's weird, it's not that Barnes thinks high schools are usually like that. Lissy has to pay even more attention to it because the Queen of the Goldens is her uncle's girlfriend's daughter, so they're often thrown together.
Barnes wrote this book at the age of 19. It's really good for someone who was 19 when she wrote it, but it's no where near as good as her Perfect Cover or Killer Spirit. Being a huge fan of those books, I was disappointed with this one. BUT! I do like that she set it in Oklahoma and Lissy has to quickly realize that Oklahoma is not full of hicks.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Gossip Girl Meets Nancy Drew in Ugly, Ugly Clothes
The Hamilton Triplets are top of the top. But, when a fashion editor turns up dead at a charity event, all three are suspects, for different reasons. The triplets need find the real murderer before it's too late--both for their reputations and their lives. Along the way, there's nothing like using a media circus to your won advantage.
I almost liked this. I liked the premise (Gossip Girl meets Nancy Drew) but a few things bugged me too much. One was a really big one--the inconsistency of the triplets. We're told they're poised to take over their father's business empire and we see this in action, but when it comes to dealing with the cops, they're whiny brats. If they really were as media, business, and socially savvy as the narrator says they are, and how they often appear, then they would know how to deal with the police without suddenly turning into petulant children. The two sides don't match. Also, their opulence was just... kinda tacky. They're named after streets! Their clothes, their decorating style, everything about their wealth screamed noveau riche in all the wrong ways. And the clothes just sounded pretty ugly to me. The wealth factor just failed for me. Those two things combined won't have me picking up the others in the series.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Vacations from Hell
Kiriel is a demon who's sick of Hell, so he steals a body and goes on vacation. The only problem is, he has a hard time being as self-absorbed as Shaun, the 17-year-old boy whose body he's inhabiting. So, his friends and family are a little worried. Plus, Kiriel knows that he's going to be in so much trouble when he gets caught, and that he'll get caught soon. But, what are they going to do? Send him to Hell?
Jenkins's Hell is heavily influenced by Milton and it wasn't as funny as I was expecting. While I did enjoy reading it, it's not a book that overly stayed with me. Hmmm... it's been awhile since I read this and all I can remember was "not as funny as I expected." Eh.
Book Provided by... my library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Nonfiction Monday
For today's nonfiction offerings, I'm giving you a slew of books that are Cybils nominees. They're all under 100 pages, which I normally don't review, but they're Cybils books, so they get a pass.
Sacred Mountain: Everest Christine Taylor-Butler
Basically, this is a book that talks about Mount Everest and the people who live on and around it. Taylor-Butler tells of the expeditions to the top and the perils involved therein, but spends most of her time talking about life in Everest's shadow, particularly for the Sherpa people and their culture. Personally, I would have loved more information about life on the northern Tibetan/Chinese side of the mountain and how it's the same or different from life on the southern Nepalese side of the the mountain.
Beautifully laid out with great pictures and a lot of side bars and pull-out boxes, I especially appreciated Taylor-Butler's focus on how the Sherpa people and traces their initial interactions with foreign climbers who needed them to succeed while but looked down on them as backwards natives up through today, where they claim much of Everest's glory for themselves and are working to keep it a high-stakes tourist spot (good for the economy) while not letting too many people come and destroy their mountain and way of life.
Book provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration
The Vermeer Interviews: Conversations With Seven Works of Art Bob Raczka
A very interesting idea. Raczka interviews the subjects of seven paintings by Jan Vermeer. The people in the paintings tell of their lives, of what Dutch culture at the time of the painting, and how to read the painting, pointing out details of the painting that give clues to what's going on, and details that show why Vermeer was so good.
This is a really fascinating book that's going to be a quirky sell to kids. It's not one they're going to pick up on their own, but I think they'll really like it once they start reading it. It's getting them to read it that's going to take a stealthily guiding hand.
My one complaint is that, while the printing is high quality, there were times when areas we pointed out that had been painted over. While I'm sure these things are visible in the originals, I couldn't see most of them in the book. That might just be me, but it was frustrating.
Book provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration
The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal's Search for the Truth Susan Goldman Rubin, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, made it his life's work to track down Nazis and bring them to justice. Despite the title, the book doesn't focus much on Anne Frank. Wiesenthal's search to find the man who arrested the Franks provides an interesting frame to tell of Wiesenthal's life and work, but his overall mission, and not that particular case, are the focus.
While I can't find information in the book itself, the illustrations look like oil paintings and are done in an almost impressionistic style. While I prefer photographs to illustrate nonfiction, I appreciate that Rubin was trying to tell this story like it was a story, and a unified illustration approach helps that.
There are photographs, as well as more biographical details, further reading (some of it even for kids!) and source notes in the back of the book.
An interesting look at what people did after the war to help deal with the affects of the Holocaust.
Book Provided by... my local library
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Abridged by Chris Van Wyk (original by Nelson Mandela), Illustrated by Paddy Bouma
This is a picture book version of Mandela's adult autobiography. The picture book version makes the material and Mandela's life accessible to 2nd-4th graders. It has a nice timeline in the back, as well as a glossary.
I have a few complaints about this book-- one is that it is fully illustrated with absolutely NO photographs. Not one! It's not like there aren't a million photos of Mandela out there! Not even one in the back matter? Really?
The book also doesn't explain the term "colored" in the South African context. In the US, colored is a term that meant African-American and we often see it in books for children about the Civil Rights Era. When explaining apartheid, it says "It classified every person in South Africa according to race, for example, as 'black,' 'colored,' or 'white.'" Later on it says "Thousands of colored, Indian, and white South Africans were against it [apartheid], too." (sorry, it's an unpaged book, so no page numbers.) It was confusing and even I had to look it up to see what it meant. (People who were of mixed race, but not "black enough" to be considered black under apartheid.)
Also, in editing the book for children, the reader fails to really grasp the full sense of what Mandela did, especially before being sent to prison. There's not a great sense of why Mandela is the hero he is, which is sad.
Book Provided by... my local library
Round up is over at Abby (the) librarian!
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.
Basically, this is a book that talks about Mount Everest and the people who live on and around it. Taylor-Butler tells of the expeditions to the top and the perils involved therein, but spends most of her time talking about life in Everest's shadow, particularly for the Sherpa people and their culture. Personally, I would have loved more information about life on the northern Tibetan/Chinese side of the mountain and how it's the same or different from life on the southern Nepalese side of the the mountain.
Beautifully laid out with great pictures and a lot of side bars and pull-out boxes, I especially appreciated Taylor-Butler's focus on how the Sherpa people and traces their initial interactions with foreign climbers who needed them to succeed while but looked down on them as backwards natives up through today, where they claim much of Everest's glory for themselves and are working to keep it a high-stakes tourist spot (good for the economy) while not letting too many people come and destroy their mountain and way of life.
Book provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration
A very interesting idea. Raczka interviews the subjects of seven paintings by Jan Vermeer. The people in the paintings tell of their lives, of what Dutch culture at the time of the painting, and how to read the painting, pointing out details of the painting that give clues to what's going on, and details that show why Vermeer was so good.
This is a really fascinating book that's going to be a quirky sell to kids. It's not one they're going to pick up on their own, but I think they'll really like it once they start reading it. It's getting them to read it that's going to take a stealthily guiding hand.
My one complaint is that, while the printing is high quality, there were times when areas we pointed out that had been painted over. While I'm sure these things are visible in the originals, I couldn't see most of them in the book. That might just be me, but it was frustrating.
Book provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration
Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, made it his life's work to track down Nazis and bring them to justice. Despite the title, the book doesn't focus much on Anne Frank. Wiesenthal's search to find the man who arrested the Franks provides an interesting frame to tell of Wiesenthal's life and work, but his overall mission, and not that particular case, are the focus.
While I can't find information in the book itself, the illustrations look like oil paintings and are done in an almost impressionistic style. While I prefer photographs to illustrate nonfiction, I appreciate that Rubin was trying to tell this story like it was a story, and a unified illustration approach helps that.
There are photographs, as well as more biographical details, further reading (some of it even for kids!) and source notes in the back of the book.
An interesting look at what people did after the war to help deal with the affects of the Holocaust.
Book Provided by... my local library
This is a picture book version of Mandela's adult autobiography. The picture book version makes the material and Mandela's life accessible to 2nd-4th graders. It has a nice timeline in the back, as well as a glossary.
I have a few complaints about this book-- one is that it is fully illustrated with absolutely NO photographs. Not one! It's not like there aren't a million photos of Mandela out there! Not even one in the back matter? Really?
The book also doesn't explain the term "colored" in the South African context. In the US, colored is a term that meant African-American and we often see it in books for children about the Civil Rights Era. When explaining apartheid, it says "It classified every person in South Africa according to race, for example, as 'black,' 'colored,' or 'white.'" Later on it says "Thousands of colored, Indian, and white South Africans were against it [apartheid], too." (sorry, it's an unpaged book, so no page numbers.) It was confusing and even I had to look it up to see what it meant. (People who were of mixed race, but not "black enough" to be considered black under apartheid.)
Also, in editing the book for children, the reader fails to really grasp the full sense of what Mandela did, especially before being sent to prison. There's not a great sense of why Mandela is the hero he is, which is sad.
Book Provided by... my local library
Round up is over at Abby (the) librarian!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
I think Dan has a parking talent fairy. Mine involves breaking myself.
Charlie has the worst fairy ever-- a parking talent fairy. Sure, it sounds great, but when everyone wants you to sit in their car while they go to the grocery store just so they can get a good spot? Stupid. It gets worse when the star water polo player starts kidnapping her for good parking. Charlie needs a new fairy, and pronto. Her best friend Rochelle has a shopping talent fairy--amazing clothes at low prices. Her crush Steffi has a never-get-in-trouble fairy. Sadly, the world's biggest fairy experts are the parents of Fiorenze Stupid-Name, possessor of the every-boy-likes-you fairy (so unfair!). Charlie's not going down that road for help, but she does need to get rid of her fairy. Disaster and hilarity ensue.
Lots of fun and a good read, but what really strikes me Larbalestier's world building. Fairly close to ours, but you know, with fairies. Beyond that though, the concept of a magnet high school for sports, where you study PR and statistics along with your chosen athletic areas. But Larbalestier has seriously thought this through to the point where they are examined medically on a regular basis and have their nutrition closely monitored. Building further out, race seems ambiguous, with everyone being a shade of brown (and it only comes up when doing a complete physical description as is standard when talking about how hotttt someone is) and sexual preference is no big deal, but plenty of students are gay or bi. It's just a matter of who you have a crush on. It's not a thing. And, you have the conceit of those who live in New Avalon and think their city is the center of the universe and how they look down on the rest of the world. But, this world building never gets in the way of the story. It's there seamlessly. When you can do that much world building in a light frothy story? Sweet.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
You're Invited!
I promised you a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT today, and here it is!:
In the beginning, I thought this would be a reading journal, where I would more actively talk about books as I was reading them, but that only happened in the early months. I took the last half of 2005 off. I didn't start actively trying to blog every book I read until 2006 (although I did try to review everything I read in 2005) which is 2 months after starting the job I still have. I found the book blogging community. I grew as a reviewer. I moved from Michigan to Maryland to Virginia. I bought a house and adopted a dog. I started and finished library school. I've made great friends and have read some absolutely wonderful books.
SO LET'S PARTY!
The details are simple:
On the weekend before my blog birthday (Friday, December 4th- Monday, December 7th) find five hours to read a book you want to read in one of your favorite reading spots.
(1)They should be consecutive hours
(2)You need to read it someplace you love reading. If it's the hammock (if you live someplace warm) or curled up on your couch or in the tub (but maybe not for all 5 hours-- the water will get cold) or the local coffee shop... pick one of your favorite reading spots for this!
(3)Practice your other favorite reading rituals-- do you love to curl up with a cup of tea? You better do it then!
(4)You can only read something you WANT to read-- not something you HAVE to read. No catching up on ARCS or Cybils reading (unless there's a title in those stacks you've been saving.)
(5) When you're all done, blog about it. Tell us where you read and what you read. If you don't have a blog, don't fret! You can tell us all about it in the comments section.
It's a good time to take a break just for you as the holiday madness gets ramped up.
Tell your friends, because everyone's invited.
*Sadly, you'll have to supply your own cake. And yes, I know that picture is from my 3rd birthday and not my 5th...
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Stretching my boundries...
Winter Santiaga lives in the Brooklyn Projects, but still lives the high life. It all crumbles when her father is thrown in prison for his gang activities. The Feds have seized all of her family's wealth and her possessions, so Winter starts every scam she knows, trying to get a piece of the game so she can stay on top.
Urban fiction is not a genre I normally read and I read this (a classic of the genre) because I felt I should know what everyone was talking about. Winter's voice is crude and vulgar, but I believed it 100%. I actually got into the story, even if I didn't like the characters (it's more plot focused anyway.) I also liked how Sister Souljah was a character in the book and Winter HATED her. My only complaint with that is at one point, Sister Souljah uses her own voice to say some pretty ignorant things about AIDS (she's afraid to touch people who have it, or even be in close contact with them.) And, even though the book whacks you upside the head with a "crime doesn't pay" message, it was a really fun ride.
I don't think I'm going to be reading a lot more urban fiction (some though, because it is really popular at my library and that's part of my job!) but this one did pleasantly surprise me. I liked it a lot more than I like teen urban fiction.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
China Challenge
I want to recommend that all of us doing the China Challenge read this thought-provoking article on Chinese literature in translation--what gets translated and how it's marketed. How are these issues affecting our perceptions about China today? Thoughts?
Leave your links to your November reviews below!
Guardian Challenge!
First off, some prizes! Yay! I entered all the May-October reviews (into a random number generator to get...)
A Paddington Bookmark and button (from Paddington Station) goes to Becky for her October Review of Of Mice and Men
Another Paddington bookmark and button go to Steven for his June review of The Mandarins. STEVEN! Blogger can't find your blog! Where'd you go?!
A Winnie-the-Pooh bookmark goes to Madeleine for her August review of Ingenious Pain.
And, a Wallace and Gromit bookmark goes to Rebecca from Sequestered Nooks for her July Review of Smilla's Sense of Snow.
So, if you won, email me at kidsilkhaze at yahoo dot com with your mailing info so I can get those in the mail.
If you didn't win, don't fret, there will probably be more to come! Leave your November links below!
A Paddington Bookmark and button (from Paddington Station) goes to Becky for her October Review of Of Mice and Men
Another Paddington bookmark and button go to Steven for his June review of The Mandarins. STEVEN! Blogger can't find your blog! Where'd you go?!
A Winnie-the-Pooh bookmark goes to Madeleine for her August review of Ingenious Pain.
And, a Wallace and Gromit bookmark goes to Rebecca from Sequestered Nooks for her July Review of Smilla's Sense of Snow.
So, if you won, email me at kidsilkhaze at yahoo dot com with your mailing info so I can get those in the mail.
If you didn't win, don't fret, there will probably be more to come! Leave your November links below!
Something totally unexpected
Hello. This was SO NOT what I was expecting based on Keltner's other works. Candace Ong is a young teenager (14) in the 80s, right on that verge of being last year's "Say Say Oh Playmate" hand-clapping playground champ and loving Where the Wild Things Are but at the same time hoping the Cars are singing directly to her and spending most nights masturbating with her stuffed animals.
Enter Ruby, Candace's best friend who is cooler and more grown up and ready to leave Candace behind. As Candace tries to prove to herself and to Ruby that she's just as grown up, she finds herself in way over her head.
So, technically an adult book, published by Avon, which specializes in romances and more chicklit (which this is NOT) this could be a YA novel. I think it was published by Avon as an adult title because Keltner's other books are Avon (and definitely fit in more with what they usually publish.)
What we have here is a coming-of-age book that happens FAST and in way the main character isn't necessarily ready for. It also takes a weird magical realism twist towards the end. This is gritty and full of sex as Candace tries to not let Ruby leave her behind.
I didn't really like this book. I never really connected with Candance and didn't really care what happened to her and Ruby was just a bitch. BUT it gets points for two things:
1. Keltner is very angry about the fetishization and eroticization of Asian women in Western culture. And she's not afraid to hit back in her books, and hit back HARD.
2. This was a total different departure for Keltner from her other books. She gets props for stretching and telling a difficult story in a real voice.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Growing up on Alcatraz
Moose Flanagan's family has just moved to Alcatraz, where his father is a guard and electrician. Not only is he now living next door to such notorious criminals as Al Capone, he has to make new friends, take a boat to school, and deal with Piper, the warden's daughter who manipulates everyone into going along with her schemes. To top it all off is his sister Natalie. Moose can't remember how many times Natalie has turned 10, but it's the only way his mother can cope with modern readers will recognize as severe autism. Moose's parents have tried everything possible with Natalie and their unflagging optimism and hope means the Moose feels he's missing out on a normal childhood and his parents' attention.
I think I'm one of the last people in the universe to read this. It won that Newbery Honor in 2005 and while it definitely deserves the prize for literary quality, it's also a book that kids will (and do) like. Moose is in this weird place where exaggerated stories of life on Alcatraz make him popular with the kids at school, but it also complicates things. Choldenko gives us a good sense of space and location as the kids run all over the island in their schemes and games. What I most loved is the complicated relationship Moose has with Natalie. He often resents all the expectations his parents place on him (like when he can't go play baseball with his new friends because he has to watch Natalie) and all the time and effort they spend on her, but at the same time, he is very protective of her and cares about her so much. To the point where he's willing to risk it all to do what's best for Natalie...
Book Provided by... my local library
Yay! A sequel! Not much time, just a few months, has passed since we last saw Moose, Natalie, Poper, Jimmy, Scout and Theresa on Alcatraz. Moose has been enjoying his time with just him and his parents, and feeling guilty about it. Luckily, Natalie is coming back when her school goes on semester break. Natalie has definitely changed and has gotten a lot "better," but all the means is she's started using pronouns and expressing some of her emotions and feelings. Moose starts to realize that there's an area between Natalie and "normal" and that Natalie can improve and sometimes get out of the world she's trapped in, she will never be like everyone else, and maybe that's all they can hope for and maybe that's enough. Trixle, of course, still goes out of his way to do what he can to drive her from the island. We also get to meet Trixle's daughter, Janet. Piper gets a lot more real as her mother is expecting and all her dad can talk about is how much he wants a boy and oh, the romantic entanglements...
PLUS! This is Alcatraz and now that Capone did something for Moose, Moose has to do something for him, and 105 is on the outside now and has been in contact with Natalie...
A wonderful follow up that doesn't disappoint. It's less about Natalie and Moose and more about Moose's relationship with his friends on the island, especially Jimmy. (Ok, and the romantic entanglements with Piper and Annie, but I liked the Jimmy stuff best. You don't get enough examples of male friendship issues in books that read like actual male friendships instead of girl friendships with boy characters.) Piper also becomes a lot less flat, which is good for her (I wouldn't have called Piper a flat character before, but she was a lot less explored in the first book.) We also see a lot more the politics involved in the adult world of Alcatraz (petty "office" politics, not national politics) but in a way that still makes sense for the kids to know about.
Book Provided by... ARC given to me by a fellow librarian who got it at ALA
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Housekeeping-a-go-go
Ok, I'm still struggling with the blog crisis that kidlitcon gave me about what I want to be and where I want to go and blah blah blah. Plus, I just have a lot of backlog to get through and other things in my non-blogging life that I want to focus more energy on and on and on and on...
I'm making a few changes in light of that.
In general, my blogging formula is
1. Write a few sentences on life, what's going on in blog world, general "hi, what's up?" type stuff
2. Review a book or two
I'll go a few days without posting because I have a ton of books to review but no time to do it. Days sometimes stretch into over a week.
I started pre-writing reviews (which coincided with a new personal policy to not return a library book before reviewing it) so that I could more quickly do a post for busy days. Sadly, adding the picture and links, adding my general "hi!" bit still took up too much time on some days.
SO! In order to cut through some of the backlog, I'mnot now just pre-scheduling a bunch of reviews. They'll just be posted automatically, one a day, and there they are.
I'll start having more non-review posts for the other things I want to talk about.
This means that I will now have a post a day (including weekends!). Also, there will be multiple posts some days. Some days, I'll want to talk about the book I just read, so I'll review it in addition to my pre-scheduled review. I'll want to talk about other things to participate in the discussion or just share about my life.
For now, THESE CHANGES ARE TEMPORARY. I'll re-evaluate around New Year's.
Between Cybils reading, NaNo writing, and a slew of other things, I'm feeling much more stretched than I should. These changes are to get me through that time and if it works, we'll keep 'em or tweak 'em and if they don't, we'll dump 'em.
PLEASE! Let me know what you think. Are such changes going to totally ruin all the reasons why you read Biblio File? Or are they just going to make it more awesome?
Let me know now, and let me know as things happen.
Thanks for reading!
Also, there will be a HUGE announcement on Monday. Look for it!
I'm making a few changes in light of that.
In general, my blogging formula is
1. Write a few sentences on life, what's going on in blog world, general "hi, what's up?" type stuff
2. Review a book or two
I'll go a few days without posting because I have a ton of books to review but no time to do it. Days sometimes stretch into over a week.
I started pre-writing reviews (which coincided with a new personal policy to not return a library book before reviewing it) so that I could more quickly do a post for busy days. Sadly, adding the picture and links, adding my general "hi!" bit still took up too much time on some days.
SO! In order to cut through some of the backlog, I'm
I'll start having more non-review posts for the other things I want to talk about.
This means that I will now have a post a day (including weekends!). Also, there will be multiple posts some days. Some days, I'll want to talk about the book I just read, so I'll review it in addition to my pre-scheduled review. I'll want to talk about other things to participate in the discussion or just share about my life.
For now, THESE CHANGES ARE TEMPORARY. I'll re-evaluate around New Year's.
Between Cybils reading, NaNo writing, and a slew of other things, I'm feeling much more stretched than I should. These changes are to get me through that time and if it works, we'll keep 'em or tweak 'em and if they don't, we'll dump 'em.
PLEASE! Let me know what you think. Are such changes going to totally ruin all the reasons why you read Biblio File? Or are they just going to make it more awesome?
Let me know now, and let me know as things happen.
Thanks for reading!
Also, there will be a HUGE announcement on Monday. Look for it!
Challenge Update!
OK! Guardian and China Challenge posts for November will go up this weekend.
Now comes the monthly post where I list all the reading challenges I'm participating in and how I'm doing...
TBR challenge, where I make a list of 12 books (and 12 backup) and read at least 12 by the end of the year. I've done 6.2:
Octavian Nothing II, Kingdom on the Waves
Frog Princess
High Fidelity
The Ballet Family
Hard Boiled and Hard Luck
Ballet Family
Ballet Family Again
The .2 is part of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out
For the 1% challenge, I need to read 13 books by March 31. I've done 2:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
For the Buy Books Challenge, I need to buy and read 12 books by the end of the year.
I've purchased 43, read 13, and reviewed 7!
Turning Pages
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Forever Princess
Frog Princess
Gold
Dead is So Last Year
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover
Living Dead Girl
Diamond Secret
Harry Potter Should Have Died
Fables: Dark Ages
Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?
Jack of Fables: Jack's Big Book of War
Also, I purchased a copy of Mao's Last Revolution but I read and reviewed that last year, so does it count? Does it not? I'm going to say no, just because I've purchased so many other things...
Along the same lines, I purchased Lonely Planet: Paris but I'm not going to review that.
For the Chunkster Challenge, I have to read 6 adult books of 450+ pages by November 15, 2009. I've done 1.4
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
That .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out
Let's just say right now: THIS ONE IS GOING TO GO IN THE FAIL COLUMN!
There's the Fill in the Gaps challenge, where I came up with a list of 100 books and commit to finishing 75 of them within 5 years. 4.5 years in, I've done 8.2!
Speak
Julie of the Wolves
Whale Talk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Dark is Rising
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Golden Compass
Betsy-Tacy
Once again, that .2 is Atlas Shrugged.
And then there's my own Guardian Challenge, which has me reading 10 books by February 1. I've done 3.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (which is filed under "comedy")
The Golden Compass (which is filed under "scifi/fantasy")
The Bottle Factory Outing (which is filed under "comedy" AND is a book I had never heard of before coming across it on this list.)
There's also my goal to read at least 50 of the books I owned but hadn't read as of January 1 by next January 1. I've done 20.4
Octavian Nothing II
Crazy Lady
Frog Princess
A Girl, A Boy, and a Monster Cat
A Girl, A Boy, and Three Robbers
Glass Castle
High Fidelity
North of Beautiful
Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies
Rapunzel's Revenge
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party
Rouge of the North
Story of Sushi
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Whale Talk
Hard Boiled and Hardluck
Betsy-Tacy
Ballet Family
Vogelein: Clockwork Faerie
Ballet Family Again
Once again, .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out.
Then there is me trying to finish Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children, of which I had 26 left. I've read 5!
Millions of Cats
Julie of the Wolves
The Dark is Rising
Snowflake Bentley
Betsy-Tacy
There's the
Japanese Literature Challenge so I have to read one book of Japanese literature by January 30. Which I've done! Complete! Huzzah!
Hard Boiled and Hard Luck
The Random Reading Challenge has me taking my TBR pile (or a segment thereof) assigning a number to each book, and then using a random number generator to pick my next book. I have to read 12 this way by July 31. I've read 2! Both were chosen from a list that had all by TBR books that were ON HAND (so books that I own, review copies, and books that were currently checked out from the library.)
A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers
Rouge of the North
And there is my own China Challenge. I'm going to read 12 books and do 3 China-related activities between now and September 1, 2010.
Also, I've been furiously studying my ChinesePod.com lessons
AND! Made a new recipe!
Well... there's that .2 of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.
New since last month are Callapidder Day's Fall Into Reading Challenge, where I make a list of books I want to read before the end of the year. I've read 17.4!
I'm not listing them all here, but we all know what that .4 is by now, right?
And, S. Krishna's Clear off Your Shelves Challenge, which sees me reading 38 books I own by the end of November. Cross your fingers for me.
I've done 6!
Now comes the monthly post where I list all the reading challenges I'm participating in and how I'm doing...
TBR challenge, where I make a list of 12 books (and 12 backup) and read at least 12 by the end of the year. I've done 6.2:
Octavian Nothing II, Kingdom on the Waves
Frog Princess
High Fidelity
The Ballet Family
Hard Boiled and Hard Luck
Ballet Family
Ballet Family Again
The .2 is part of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out
For the 1% challenge, I need to read 13 books by March 31. I've done 2:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
For the Buy Books Challenge, I need to buy and read 12 books by the end of the year.
I've purchased 43, read 13, and reviewed 7!
Turning Pages
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Forever Princess
Frog Princess
Gold
Dead is So Last Year
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover
Living Dead Girl
Diamond Secret
Harry Potter Should Have Died
Fables: Dark Ages
Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?
Jack of Fables: Jack's Big Book of War
Also, I purchased a copy of Mao's Last Revolution but I read and reviewed that last year, so does it count? Does it not? I'm going to say no, just because I've purchased so many other things...
Along the same lines, I purchased Lonely Planet: Paris but I'm not going to review that.
For the Chunkster Challenge, I have to read 6 adult books of 450+ pages by November 15, 2009. I've done 1.4
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
That .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out
Let's just say right now: THIS ONE IS GOING TO GO IN THE FAIL COLUMN!
There's the Fill in the Gaps challenge, where I came up with a list of 100 books and commit to finishing 75 of them within 5 years. 4.5 years in, I've done 8.2!
Speak
Julie of the Wolves
Whale Talk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Dark is Rising
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Golden Compass
Betsy-Tacy
Once again, that .2 is Atlas Shrugged.
And then there's my own Guardian Challenge, which has me reading 10 books by February 1. I've done 3.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (which is filed under "comedy")
The Golden Compass (which is filed under "scifi/fantasy")
The Bottle Factory Outing (which is filed under "comedy" AND is a book I had never heard of before coming across it on this list.)
There's also my goal to read at least 50 of the books I owned but hadn't read as of January 1 by next January 1. I've done 20.4
Octavian Nothing II
Crazy Lady
Frog Princess
A Girl, A Boy, and a Monster Cat
A Girl, A Boy, and Three Robbers
Glass Castle
High Fidelity
North of Beautiful
Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies
Rapunzel's Revenge
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party
Rouge of the North
Story of Sushi
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Whale Talk
Hard Boiled and Hardluck
Betsy-Tacy
Ballet Family
Vogelein: Clockwork Faerie
Ballet Family Again
Once again, .4 is part of Atlas Shrugged and part of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out.
Then there is me trying to finish Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children, of which I had 26 left. I've read 5!
Millions of Cats
Julie of the Wolves
The Dark is Rising
Snowflake Bentley
Betsy-Tacy
There's the
Japanese Literature Challenge so I have to read one book of Japanese literature by January 30. Which I've done! Complete! Huzzah!
Hard Boiled and Hard Luck
The Random Reading Challenge has me taking my TBR pile (or a segment thereof) assigning a number to each book, and then using a random number generator to pick my next book. I have to read 12 this way by July 31. I've read 2! Both were chosen from a list that had all by TBR books that were ON HAND (so books that I own, review copies, and books that were currently checked out from the library.)
A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers
Rouge of the North
And there is my own China Challenge. I'm going to read 12 books and do 3 China-related activities between now and September 1, 2010.
Also, I've been furiously studying my ChinesePod.com lessons
AND! Made a new recipe!
Well... there's that .2 of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.
New since last month are Callapidder Day's Fall Into Reading Challenge, where I make a list of books I want to read before the end of the year. I've read 17.4!
I'm not listing them all here, but we all know what that .4 is by now, right?
And, S. Krishna's Clear off Your Shelves Challenge, which sees me reading 38 books I own by the end of November. Cross your fingers for me.
I've done 6!
OW! My Eyes!
Check out the latest Twilight inspired book covers and oh! the promo copy!:
Wuthering Heights
I cannot live without my life!
I cannot live without my soul!
When Catherine and Heathcliff's childhood friendship grows into something so much more, what ensues is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Even as fate conspires against them and passion consumes them, nothing can keep Catherine and Heathcliff apart. Not even death . . . for their forbidden love is unlike any other. Emily Bronte's masterpiece remains as compelling and thrilling as ever. Beautifully presented for a modern teen audience, this is the must-have edition of a timeless classic.
Pride and Prejudice
"Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her."
With all the forces of the world conspiring to keep Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet apart, how will fate manage to bring them together? It certainly won't be easy if they're fighting it every step of the way. But theirs is a love that was meant to be, despite all the odds against them. One of the most captivating love stories of all time, Jane Austen's enduring masterpiece is beloved by generation after generation. Beautifully presented for a modern teen audience, this is the must-have edition of a timeless classic.
Romeo and Juliet
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume.
When Romeo first lays eyes on the bewitching Juliet, it's love at first sight. But though their love runs true and deep, it is also completely forbidden. With family and fate determined to keep them apart, will Romeo and Juliet find a way to be together? William Shakespeare's masterpiece is one of the most enduring stories of star-crossed love of all time. Beautifully presented for a modern teen audience with both the original play and a prose retelling of the beloved story, this is the must-have edition of a timeless classic.
Harper Teen is obviously trying to get some play out of these common domain titles to get them into the hands of new readers. If this publishing market, why not try to package content you didn't have to pay for in order to piggy back off something Twilight-huge? And, it's not like these are trashy items. These are HUGE literary classics. This is GOOD LITERATURE. It just doesn't look like it.
Harper Teen is making things secretly educational. And it's not just the covers. Look at the quotations they're pulling from the text and look at how they describe the books. They're obviously going after a very target audience. And they're doing it pretty well. I hope it works for them (and, ultimately, for the reader. These are awesome books.)
I've done the same. My cousin and I were talking about boys (she was 16 at the time) and the conversation was couched in comparing certain boys to Robbie the Sex God or Dave the Laugh (from Confessions of Georgia Nicolson) and Edward and Jacob and possibly some Harry Potter characters. I then gave her sage advice: Never, ever, date a Heathcliff and be wary of the Rochesters. Stay away from Wickham. You can never go wrong with a Bingley and should seek them out. Darcys are ok, but you need to approach with caution.
While it's advice I fully stand behind, it was my way of trying to get her to read something a little more complex than her usual fare. As far as I know, it didn't work, but maybe Harper Teen's new campaign will.
But, oh, it kinda hurts my eyes.
What do you think?
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
I cannot live without my life!
I cannot live without my soul!
When Catherine and Heathcliff's childhood friendship grows into something so much more, what ensues is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Even as fate conspires against them and passion consumes them, nothing can keep Catherine and Heathcliff apart. Not even death . . . for their forbidden love is unlike any other. Emily Bronte's masterpiece remains as compelling and thrilling as ever. Beautifully presented for a modern teen audience, this is the must-have edition of a timeless classic.
"Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her."
With all the forces of the world conspiring to keep Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet apart, how will fate manage to bring them together? It certainly won't be easy if they're fighting it every step of the way. But theirs is a love that was meant to be, despite all the odds against them. One of the most captivating love stories of all time, Jane Austen's enduring masterpiece is beloved by generation after generation. Beautifully presented for a modern teen audience, this is the must-have edition of a timeless classic.
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume.
When Romeo first lays eyes on the bewitching Juliet, it's love at first sight. But though their love runs true and deep, it is also completely forbidden. With family and fate determined to keep them apart, will Romeo and Juliet find a way to be together? William Shakespeare's masterpiece is one of the most enduring stories of star-crossed love of all time. Beautifully presented for a modern teen audience with both the original play and a prose retelling of the beloved story, this is the must-have edition of a timeless classic.
Harper Teen is obviously trying to get some play out of these common domain titles to get them into the hands of new readers. If this publishing market, why not try to package content you didn't have to pay for in order to piggy back off something Twilight-huge? And, it's not like these are trashy items. These are HUGE literary classics. This is GOOD LITERATURE. It just doesn't look like it.
Harper Teen is making things secretly educational. And it's not just the covers. Look at the quotations they're pulling from the text and look at how they describe the books. They're obviously going after a very target audience. And they're doing it pretty well. I hope it works for them (and, ultimately, for the reader. These are awesome books.)
I've done the same. My cousin and I were talking about boys (she was 16 at the time) and the conversation was couched in comparing certain boys to Robbie the Sex God or Dave the Laugh (from Confessions of Georgia Nicolson) and Edward and Jacob and possibly some Harry Potter characters. I then gave her sage advice: Never, ever, date a Heathcliff and be wary of the Rochesters. Stay away from Wickham. You can never go wrong with a Bingley and should seek them out. Darcys are ok, but you need to approach with caution.
While it's advice I fully stand behind, it was my way of trying to get her to read something a little more complex than her usual fare. As far as I know, it didn't work, but maybe Harper Teen's new campaign will.
But, oh, it kinda hurts my eyes.
What do you think?
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.
Amazon Share on Twitter-- FTC Fail?
So, earlier this week Amazon announced that Associates can now Tweet their associates links to earn money that way. I don't tweet often about what I'm reading or just finished, but occasionally I do, and I could see my editing the standard message and adding in my associate link.
BUT! As we learned at kidlitcon, if you are an Amazon Associate (or any one of the similar programs available) you have to disclose that relationship. Something in your FAQ or on your sidebar isn't enough. You have to disclose in EVERY SINGLE POST, which is why I added the standard language to my blog posts at the very bottom.
So, the way I understand it, you'd have to disclose ON YOUR TWEET that you'll make money off the link.
But how does one fit a link, why you're linking to the product, and a disclosure all in 140 characters? That, I don't know.
So, at kidlitcon, we also learned that the onus is on the company, not the blogger, to guide us bloggers on how to react. Amazon gets a big ol' FAIL for that (from their FAQ):
4. Are there any other issues with the use of affiliate ads and social networks that I need to be aware of?
Yes – the FTC has issued guidelines regarding the use of advertising and social networks which become effective on December 1, 2009. You can review the complete text of these guidelines by following this link (note that it requires Adobe PDF reader):
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005endorsementguidesfnnotice.pdf
Comments I've seen on the web and on Twitter tend to focus on "OMG! More Twitter Spam! That sucks!" But what about those that use responsibly? Can we tweet Amazon links and still disclose? Do you even want to? Should Amazon give more guidance? What do you think?
What are you ideas? Thoughts? Comments?
Book Provided by...
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.
BUT! As we learned at kidlitcon, if you are an Amazon Associate (or any one of the similar programs available) you have to disclose that relationship. Something in your FAQ or on your sidebar isn't enough. You have to disclose in EVERY SINGLE POST, which is why I added the standard language to my blog posts at the very bottom.
So, the way I understand it, you'd have to disclose ON YOUR TWEET that you'll make money off the link.
But how does one fit a link, why you're linking to the product, and a disclosure all in 140 characters? That, I don't know.
So, at kidlitcon, we also learned that the onus is on the company, not the blogger, to guide us bloggers on how to react. Amazon gets a big ol' FAIL for that (from their FAQ):
4. Are there any other issues with the use of affiliate ads and social networks that I need to be aware of?
Yes – the FTC has issued guidelines regarding the use of advertising and social networks which become effective on December 1, 2009. You can review the complete text of these guidelines by following this link (note that it requires Adobe PDF reader):
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005endorsementguidesfnnotice.pdf
The Associates program is an advertising service and, as a result, you must follow all applicable laws and regulations regarding this type of advertising, including any FTC guidelines.
That didn't answer anything! How do I follow applicable laws and link to your content in a mere 140 characters?!Comments I've seen on the web and on Twitter tend to focus on "OMG! More Twitter Spam! That sucks!" But what about those that use responsibly? Can we tweet Amazon links and still disclose? Do you even want to? Should Amazon give more guidance? What do you think?
What are you ideas? Thoughts? Comments?
Book Provided by...
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
When's Dinner? I'm Hungry!
Do you NaNo, too? Check out John Green's latest video about it (and his hair) (warning-- that's a direct link to YouTube, so it'll start playing right away.)
Even better, IF YOU ARE A MAC PERSON, Scrivner is offering a free trial for NaNo-ers. AND, if you win, you can then buy it for 1/2 price! Which I'd be all over, except I'm a PC, and it only works with Mac. Poo. It looks really, really neat. Alas and Alack.
City of Bones Cassandra Clare
Clary has started to be able to see things that aren't there. After her mother is taken by demons, Clary (and her best friend Simon) quickly finds themselves in a world of demon hunters, including hotttttt (and infuriating) Jace. If Clary's going to save her mother, she has to deal with all sorts of recent history and politics.
Soooooooo not for me. I figured everything out way too quickly and wanted to smack Clary for missing the painfully obvious. Every big reveal was something I had figured out chapters ago. A lot of people found this funny, but I'm not one of them. And Holly Black's cover blurb promised "Funny, Dark, and Sexy" but I didn't find it to be any of that. I could actually go on for pages, but that would move into the petty and mean and not overly helpful or useful. If I were funnier, I could go for comedic-like some of the great Twilight takedowns, but I'm not, so I won't. Oh well. Everyone I know loves this series to death and so I'm glad I read it, but I won't read the others.
Graceling Karen Cashore
Katsa is Graced with a special killing ability that's exploited by her uncle the King. In her work with the secret council that she founded to offset her Uncle's dirty work, she discovers an international plot. With the help of another Graced one (Prince Po) she sets off to save a kingdom and a princess. Lots of adventure and girls kicking butt. Not really my thing, but good. I can see why it's so popular.
But, HOLY HOT GRACELING ACTION BATMAN! I was not suspecting it to go there. I thought it would stay cleaner for the younger teen set, but nope. It went there. And those are the parts I loved, and why I enjoyed reading it.
There's a companion novel/prequel out, Fire I probably won't read it, because it won't have Katsa or Po and I was more interested in their relationship than the world they inhabited.
Books Provided by... my local library
Reasons I picked them up both were required reading for my small group discussions at Books for the Beast
Currently Listening to Every Sperm Is Sacred Monty Python
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.
Even better, IF YOU ARE A MAC PERSON, Scrivner is offering a free trial for NaNo-ers. AND, if you win, you can then buy it for 1/2 price! Which I'd be all over, except I'm a PC, and it only works with Mac. Poo. It looks really, really neat. Alas and Alack.
And now, two reviews from the vault, as I need to do my writing for tonight (they're both short, because I don't have anything to add to the discussion of them.)
Clary has started to be able to see things that aren't there. After her mother is taken by demons, Clary (and her best friend Simon) quickly finds themselves in a world of demon hunters, including hotttttt (and infuriating) Jace. If Clary's going to save her mother, she has to deal with all sorts of recent history and politics.
Soooooooo not for me. I figured everything out way too quickly and wanted to smack Clary for missing the painfully obvious. Every big reveal was something I had figured out chapters ago. A lot of people found this funny, but I'm not one of them. And Holly Black's cover blurb promised "Funny, Dark, and Sexy" but I didn't find it to be any of that. I could actually go on for pages, but that would move into the petty and mean and not overly helpful or useful. If I were funnier, I could go for comedic-like some of the great Twilight takedowns, but I'm not, so I won't. Oh well. Everyone I know loves this series to death and so I'm glad I read it, but I won't read the others.
Katsa is Graced with a special killing ability that's exploited by her uncle the King. In her work with the secret council that she founded to offset her Uncle's dirty work, she discovers an international plot. With the help of another Graced one (Prince Po) she sets off to save a kingdom and a princess. Lots of adventure and girls kicking butt. Not really my thing, but good. I can see why it's so popular.
But, HOLY HOT GRACELING ACTION BATMAN! I was not suspecting it to go there. I thought it would stay cleaner for the younger teen set, but nope. It went there. And those are the parts I loved, and why I enjoyed reading it.
There's a companion novel/prequel out, Fire I probably won't read it, because it won't have Katsa or Po and I was more interested in their relationship than the world they inhabited.
Books Provided by... my local library
Reasons I picked them up both were required reading for my small group discussions at Books for the Beast
Currently Listening to Every Sperm Is Sacred Monty Python
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Nonfiction Monday
When I was in college, I was very involved with the college's literary magazine. I was on both the art and literature selection committees. I don't know how I ever got on the art committee or why I stayed on it. I love art, but I can't discuss it intelligently. I had a few stock phrases that I could use intelligently such as "I really like the use of negative space" and "the composition just draws the viewer in" but mostly I'd pull a Meryl Streep as Anna Wintour in The Devil Wears Prada and shake my head slightly with a pained expression on my face. When pressed, I'd explain that "it just doesn't do anything for me."
That's one of the main reasons I don't review picture books on this blog, and when I review things that rely heavily on illustration, like graphic novels, the bit where I talk about the art is always strained, if I even bring up the art at all.
This book reminds me why I don't talk about art much. Each chapter stands alone as its own little essay on the work, life, and career of a children's book illustrator. It's full of technical explanations on process, the only I really got into was Denise Fleming, who it turns out is INSANE. Ok, not really, but her medium is paper pulp. She makes each illustration in a piece of paper as she makes the paper. I've made a lot of paper in my day (I really love making paper) and that's just super hard core.
Evans points out all these things I never noticed-- what makes us turn the page, the little details that tell the story, and fully convinces us that each of these artists is a genius.
The prose is full of technical information and can be rather dense in place for those not used to reading about art, and it would be really nice if there were an introduction and conclusion to look at the group of essay/chapters as a whole and to look at common themes and items that make a truly great picture book.
Overall though, a really interesting read for those interested in picture book illustration.
Nonfiction Monday round up is over at Books Together.
Book Provided by... my local library
Reason I picked it up... it was this month's book for the DC Kidlit Book club.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Nonfiction Monday round up is over at Books Together.
Book Provided by... my local library
Reason I picked it up... it was this month's book for the DC Kidlit Book club.
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, November 01, 2009
The Insanity Has Begun
Can you write a 50,000 word novel in one month? Wanna try? Sure you do.
Well, it's November. That means, once again, it's time for National Novel Writing Month!
It's super fun, and you should do it! Some helpful hints to pad your word count:
Give your character a double first name, such as Mary Anne. That way, every time you write his/her name, it counts as 2 words instead of 1.
Do not use contractions. Don't = 1 word. Do Not = 2.
When in doubt, have ninjas and/or pirates attack the scene. Especially if they don't belong. All sorts of chaos to write!
Never delete. Want to go back and change something? Change the color of the rejected text, or italicize it. Something so that you know it shouldn't be there, but so it's still in your file, helping your word count move right along.
And, as if that weren't good enough, check out this awesome contest. It makes me wish I were writing YA this year:
Serendipity Literary Agency, in collaboration with Sourcebooks and Gotham Writers' Workshop, is hosting its first Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition for a chance to win a one-on-one consultation with one of New York's leading YA literary agents!
If you've written a novel for young adults—or have an idea for one that you would like to write—we invite you to enter our contest. Simply submit only an enticing title along with the first 250 words from the opening of your original YA novel using the form below. There's no entry fee or purchase requirement.
GREAT PRIZES
The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks and receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop.
The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York’s premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions by editors at HarperCollins, Penguin, Harlequin, Random House, and Sourcebooks and receive a one-year subscription toThe Writer magazine.
Well, it's November. That means, once again, it's time for National Novel Writing Month!
It's super fun, and you should do it! Some helpful hints to pad your word count:
Give your character a double first name, such as Mary Anne. That way, every time you write his/her name, it counts as 2 words instead of 1.
Do not use contractions. Don't = 1 word. Do Not = 2.
When in doubt, have ninjas and/or pirates attack the scene. Especially if they don't belong. All sorts of chaos to write!
Never delete. Want to go back and change something? Change the color of the rejected text, or italicize it. Something so that you know it shouldn't be there, but so it's still in your file, helping your word count move right along.
And, as if that weren't good enough, check out this awesome contest. It makes me wish I were writing YA this year:
Serendipity Literary Agency, in collaboration with Sourcebooks and Gotham Writers' Workshop, is hosting its first Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition for a chance to win a one-on-one consultation with one of New York's leading YA literary agents!
If you've written a novel for young adults—or have an idea for one that you would like to write—we invite you to enter our contest. Simply submit only an enticing title along with the first 250 words from the opening of your original YA novel using the form below. There's no entry fee or purchase requirement.
GREAT PRIZES
The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks and receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop.
The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York’s premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions by editors at HarperCollins, Penguin, Harlequin, Random House, and Sourcebooks and receive a one-year subscription toThe Writer magazine.
The Top 20 Entrants will receive autographed copies of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks.
JUDGING
YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Soucebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to five, and each of the five winners will be provided commentary on their submissions.
NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo
In honor of National Novel Writing Month—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET), November 30, 2009.
IT IS EASY TO ENTER!
The contest is open to writers 13 years of age or older. Entrants will be judged solely on the title and the first 250 words of their YA novel—no additional material will be accepted. For an inside look at what the judges will be looking for, participants can refer to Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. There is no minimum word count for the submission. Only online entries will be accepted. And only one submission per person.
Press Release Provided by... Sourcebooks
JUDGING
YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Soucebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to five, and each of the five winners will be provided commentary on their submissions.
NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo
In honor of National Novel Writing Month—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET), November 30, 2009.
IT IS EASY TO ENTER!
The contest is open to writers 13 years of age or older. Entrants will be judged solely on the title and the first 250 words of their YA novel—no additional material will be accepted. For an inside look at what the judges will be looking for, participants can refer to Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. There is no minimum word count for the submission. Only online entries will be accepted. And only one submission per person.
Press Release Provided by... Sourcebooks
Friday, October 30, 2009
POETRY FRIDAY IS HERE!!!
Welcome to Poetry Friday! Please leave a comment with your link and I'll update throughout the day!
For my own entry...
Street Love Walter Dean Myers
In this verse novel, we get to hear the voices of many characters. Damien has a house on Sugar Hill and a scholarship to Brown. Junice's mother has just been arrested and she's doing everything she can to keep her family together. Their love is against the odds and we hear their lives, those of their friends and family, people in their neighborhood, and even Junice's social worker.
While the terseness of the verse novel form doesn't work as well for bringing the reader along as Damien and Junice find each other, I do really like how Myers has a very distinctive voice for each character. Damien's actions in the end of the book drove me UP A WALL, but I loved how strong Junice was, doing everything she could to keep her family and life together. She refused to be victimized by her circumstances and did what she could to keep it together.
My favorite poem is in the voice of Junice's grandmother, Miss Ruby, whose mind is coming and going:
Yeah, it's hard baby
It's hard right down to the bone
I said Oh, it's hard baby
It's hard right down to the very bone
It's hard when you're a woman
And you find yourself all alone
I've been flapping and scrapping
And running from door to door
You know I've been flapping and scrapping, honey
Running from door to door
I ain't what I used to be, ain't really Miss Ruby anymore
Book Provided by... my local library
ARGH! I had most of the roundup done and then my computer shut down and ATE IT. Grrrrr...
Anyway, bear with me! I'm working on it!
Ok, it's almost lunch time, here's what we have so for! Keep your links coming and I'll update again in a few hours!
Round two of the round up has been added! I need to go pick up my Cybils holds from my local library (which isn't the library that employs me) but I'll be back before dinner for more poetry fun!
Round three has been added. If I get many more entries, I'll add 'em before bed!
Round 4 is up! Thanks everyone for a great poetry Friday!
Don't forget to leave your Poetry Friday link below!!!!
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.
For my own entry...
In this verse novel, we get to hear the voices of many characters. Damien has a house on Sugar Hill and a scholarship to Brown. Junice's mother has just been arrested and she's doing everything she can to keep her family together. Their love is against the odds and we hear their lives, those of their friends and family, people in their neighborhood, and even Junice's social worker.
While the terseness of the verse novel form doesn't work as well for bringing the reader along as Damien and Junice find each other, I do really like how Myers has a very distinctive voice for each character. Damien's actions in the end of the book drove me UP A WALL, but I loved how strong Junice was, doing everything she could to keep her family and life together. She refused to be victimized by her circumstances and did what she could to keep it together.
My favorite poem is in the voice of Junice's grandmother, Miss Ruby, whose mind is coming and going:
Yeah, it's hard baby
It's hard right down to the bone
I said Oh, it's hard baby
It's hard right down to the very bone
It's hard when you're a woman
And you find yourself all alone
I've been flapping and scrapping
And running from door to door
You know I've been flapping and scrapping, honey
Running from door to door
I ain't what I used to be, ain't really Miss Ruby anymore
Book Provided by... my local library
Round 4 is up! Thanks everyone for a great poetry Friday!
Lots of Halloween Poetry and related posts today! (Which reminds me, I should get candy before tomorrow, shouldn't I?)
Sally at Paper Tigers has a review of Halloween Poems selected by Myra Cohn Livingston and illustrated by Stephen Gammell.
Elaine from Wild Rose Reader has a round up of Halloween Poetry books to share with kids.
Elaine at Bluestockings shares Shakespeare's "Song of the Witches" from Macbeth.
Gregory K. from GottaBook has an original Halloween zeno!
Laura from Writing the World for Kids has a some zombie haiku.
Sara at Read Write Believe shares a poem by Jacqueline Jules about Harry Houdini who died on Halloween.
April from Teaching Authors offers up Halloween lesson plans with original Halloween poetry AND illustrations.
Liz from Liz in Ink shares "All Hallows" by Louise Glück
Gisele from Reflective Ink shares an original Vampire Haiku.
Pam from MotherReader shares "Folloween" by Adam Rex.
Charles from Father Goose gives us an original, "A Ghostly Night."
MsMac from Check It Out shares some of her students' spooky zenos.
Michelle from The Cat and Fiddle shares a Halloween word poem and how to make our own!
Julie from She-Smoke offers up some Halloween food poetry, including her original "Trick or Treat"
Barbara at The Write Sisters shares "The Erl-King" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Kelly Polark gives us an original Halloween parody.
Priya from Book Crumbs shares "Jack-o'-Lanterns" by Ann Pedtke
Janet from All About Books gives us "Hallowe'en" from The Little Hill by Harry Behn.
I'm not the only one doing book reviews today!
Mary Ann from Great Kid Books has a review of the new edition of Edward Lear's The Duck and the Kangaroo, illustrated by Jane Wattenberg.
The Stenhouse Blog looks at Metaphors and Analogies by Rick Wormeli and explores how do define poetry with a metaphor.
Lots of great original poetry is being shared:
Elaine at Political Voices shares "Paean to a Bovine Beauty"
Julie from the Drift Record gives us two original zenos.
Laura from Writing the World for Kids also gives us a round-up of this week's 15-words-or-less poems.
Diane from Random Noodling shares an Emily Dickinson poem and her own, "With Apologies to Emily."
Jen and Colin from Coolhead Luke share some of the poems and pictures from their books.
Karen from Karen Edmisten (or, The Blog with the Shockingly Clever Title) shares an original, "I Am From"
Over at Deo Writer MsMac shares her own zeno.
Lorie Ann from On Point shares her haiku "Harvest"
And a plethora of wonderful poems by others!
Janet from Across the Page shares "These Are the Days when Birds Come Back" by Emily Dickinson
Kurious Kitty from Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet shares "The Excrement Poem" by Maxine Kumin.
Jama from Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup shares "Autumn Song" by Katherine Mansfield.
Ruth from There Is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town gives us "The Door" by W. H. Auden.
Little Willow from Bildungsroman shares "The Rose of Battle" by W. B. Yeats.
Sherry from Semicolon shares "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Tricia from The Miss Rumphius Effect gives us "Spelt from Sybil's Leaves" by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Mary Lee from A Year of Reading shares "Fall" by Edward Hirsch.
Lorie Ann at Readertotz gives us the full text of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (Did you know there are 5 stanzas?!)
Lisa from Lisa in Little Rock gives the traditional English ballad "Scarborough Fair"
Sylvia from Poetry for Children explains the new zeno form and gives some examples by the creator, J. Patrick Lewis.
Don't forget to leave your Poetry Friday link below!!!!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
HOW TO HAVE AN AWESOME NIGHT
Forgive the complete lack of book content.
But, here, in several easy steps, is how to have the greatest night EVER!
1. Have a super-busy, under-staffed, generally not-so-awesome day at work.
2. Stop by the fancy-schmancy grocery store on the way home and treat yourself to a nice piece of cheese.
3. Unpack the groceries, leaving those intended for dinner (Which is said nice cheese, some bread, and a pomegranate the size of your face)
4. Make a few phone calls.
5. Go to eat dinner and realize the cheese is missing.
6. Tear the house apart looking for it. Enlist the help of your husband. Don't succeed.
7. Conclude the only logical place for said cheese is in the dogs stomach.
8. Be annoyed the dog ate your dinner.
9. Be TERRIFIED over the fact that in addition to the cheese, the dog ate all the saran wrap and labeling!
10. Shove a bottle of hydrogen peroxide down dog's throat to induce vomiting.
I will skip the next several steps but include these highlights:
15. Find the saran wrap and cheese labeling in a pile of dog vomit and hold it up triumphantly.
16. Have the dog leap up, grab it out of your hand and RE EAT the @$#^%*^%%#^#@$!@$#%^^ Saran wrap.
...................
20. Buy more hydrogen peroxide.
..................
32. Give up and monitor her closely for the next 24 hours.
Yeah. It's been a good day.
But, here, in several easy steps, is how to have the greatest night EVER!
1. Have a super-busy, under-staffed, generally not-so-awesome day at work.
2. Stop by the fancy-schmancy grocery store on the way home and treat yourself to a nice piece of cheese.
3. Unpack the groceries, leaving those intended for dinner (Which is said nice cheese, some bread, and a pomegranate the size of your face)
4. Make a few phone calls.
5. Go to eat dinner and realize the cheese is missing.
6. Tear the house apart looking for it. Enlist the help of your husband. Don't succeed.
7. Conclude the only logical place for said cheese is in the dogs stomach.
8. Be annoyed the dog ate your dinner.
9. Be TERRIFIED over the fact that in addition to the cheese, the dog ate all the saran wrap and labeling!
10. Shove a bottle of hydrogen peroxide down dog's throat to induce vomiting.
I will skip the next several steps but include these highlights:
15. Find the saran wrap and cheese labeling in a pile of dog vomit and hold it up triumphantly.
16. Have the dog leap up, grab it out of your hand and RE EAT the @$#^%*^%%#^#@$!@$#%^^ Saran wrap.
...................
20. Buy more hydrogen peroxide.
..................
32. Give up and monitor her closely for the next 24 hours.
Yeah. It's been a good day.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Two of my OWN challenges
So, for my China Challenge, if you're doing the Silk Road Trek level, you have to do 3 out of 10 China-related tasks. I've done 2!
One involves making a Chinese recipe that you've never made before. Done and Done. I highly recommend the Green Tea Steamed Shrimp Dumplings from Ying Chang Compestine's new book, A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts: A Collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales.
Another one is to listen to some lessons on Chinese Pod and learn some Mandarin. I actually spent my birthday money this year to buy a subscription to this site because I haven't kept my Mandarin up at all and that makes me sad. When I signed up, they had a sale, so I was upgraded to the guided level, which means I have a teacher who tells me which lessons to study and the calls me once a week from Shanghai! This level is so great because that means I HAVE to study.
It's funny though, because one thing I've realized is that I remember weird idiomatic things, but not how to say the days of the week. It's interesting what sticks and what doesn't...
And look! I actually read a book for my Guardian Challenge!
The Golden Compass Philip Pullman
Can you believe I hadn't read this yet?! There's a reason I put it on my gaps list.
For those you don't know (which I certainly didn't. All I knew was that there was a talking polar bear, a girl named Lyra, an evil monkey, and everyone had these animal spirit things)
Lyra has been raised by the scholars of Jordan College, part of Oxford University. She pretty much has her run of the place and the town. Her uncle comes to visit and Lyra saves him from being poisoned. Kids start disappearing up and down the countryside and Lyra goes to live with the beautiful Mrs. Coulter. Lyra then discovers Mrs. Coulter is behind the disappearing kids AND she's the one holding Lyra's uncle prisoner. So, with a band of gyptians, she goes to Lapland to save the day.
Pretty good adventure story. Plus, there's lot of stuff about Dust and the role of the daemon (the animal spirit thing that everyone has.) I know Pullman wrote this as an atheist Narnia and I don't mind that one bit. But... when he starts trying to criticize the Church (because it's obviously based on the Catholic Church) that's where the story got weak and I got annoyed. Just like I get annoyed when authors impart LARGE MORAL LESSONS into their works, it annoyed me. Luckily, there wasn't *too* much of it. And usually, the Church bits read a bit like a Dan Brown conspiracy, which I happen to really enjoy. But, at the same time, if you really wanted to criticize the Church, reading a bit like a Dan Brown conspiracy while great for my reading tastes doesn't say much about your criticism.
I'm torn on whether or not to read the next two books. Someone I really respect told me not to and where I really liked this, I wasn't compelled to run over and get the next ones right away, probably because the bit at the back of the book where it tells you to read the next two says that it takes place in a different universe. That makes total sense in relation to the book, but lessens my desire to read further, for some reason I can't fully put my finger on. THAT'S JUST ME. I AM WEIRD.
But, I am really, really glad I read this. And while the Guardian list has "His Dark Materials" on its list, I'm thinking that I don't have to read this whole series, just this.
Book Provided by... my library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
One involves making a Chinese recipe that you've never made before. Done and Done. I highly recommend the Green Tea Steamed Shrimp Dumplings from Ying Chang Compestine's new book, A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts: A Collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales.
Another one is to listen to some lessons on Chinese Pod and learn some Mandarin. I actually spent my birthday money this year to buy a subscription to this site because I haven't kept my Mandarin up at all and that makes me sad. When I signed up, they had a sale, so I was upgraded to the guided level, which means I have a teacher who tells me which lessons to study and the calls me once a week from Shanghai! This level is so great because that means I HAVE to study.
It's funny though, because one thing I've realized is that I remember weird idiomatic things, but not how to say the days of the week. It's interesting what sticks and what doesn't...
And look! I actually read a book for my Guardian Challenge!
Can you believe I hadn't read this yet?! There's a reason I put it on my gaps list.
For those you don't know (which I certainly didn't. All I knew was that there was a talking polar bear, a girl named Lyra, an evil monkey, and everyone had these animal spirit things)
Lyra has been raised by the scholars of Jordan College, part of Oxford University. She pretty much has her run of the place and the town. Her uncle comes to visit and Lyra saves him from being poisoned. Kids start disappearing up and down the countryside and Lyra goes to live with the beautiful Mrs. Coulter. Lyra then discovers Mrs. Coulter is behind the disappearing kids AND she's the one holding Lyra's uncle prisoner. So, with a band of gyptians, she goes to Lapland to save the day.
Pretty good adventure story. Plus, there's lot of stuff about Dust and the role of the daemon (the animal spirit thing that everyone has.) I know Pullman wrote this as an atheist Narnia and I don't mind that one bit. But... when he starts trying to criticize the Church (because it's obviously based on the Catholic Church) that's where the story got weak and I got annoyed. Just like I get annoyed when authors impart LARGE MORAL LESSONS into their works, it annoyed me. Luckily, there wasn't *too* much of it. And usually, the Church bits read a bit like a Dan Brown conspiracy, which I happen to really enjoy. But, at the same time, if you really wanted to criticize the Church, reading a bit like a Dan Brown conspiracy while great for my reading tastes doesn't say much about your criticism.
I'm torn on whether or not to read the next two books. Someone I really respect told me not to and where I really liked this, I wasn't compelled to run over and get the next ones right away, probably because the bit at the back of the book where it tells you to read the next two says that it takes place in a different universe. That makes total sense in relation to the book, but lessens my desire to read further, for some reason I can't fully put my finger on. THAT'S JUST ME. I AM WEIRD.
But, I am really, really glad I read this. And while the Guardian list has "His Dark Materials" on its list, I'm thinking that I don't have to read this whole series, just this.
Book Provided by... my library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Non-Fiction Monday!
This is under 100 pages, but I'm reviewing it because it's a Cybils nominee, and so I have to think critically about it. Also, so I have a record of my thoughts when we get to making the short list in a few months.
I and I is a verse biography of Bob Marley. Several of the poems fall into the reggae rhythm. Even better, at the end, there is a lot of information explaining each poem and giving further information about Marley's life. Each poem is also beautifully illustrated in full-color paintings.
After reading this, many Marley lyrics suddenly make more sense or have more meaning (including all of "Three Little Birds" and the bit in "No Woman No Cry" about being in a government yard in Trenchtown.) But, these connections aren't made for the reader and I'm not sure how many kids of the intended audience are overly familiar with Marley's work. I could have used more of Marley's own music and words to really paint his life.
Also, I'm not sure how I feel about verse biographies in general as an example of awesome nonfiction. Sometimes, I think they would be more accurately shelved in 811 (which is where poetry lives, for those of you who don't automatically think in Dewey) instead of Biography. On the other hand, telling the life of a poet or songwriter in poetry is an intriguing concept and I've seen some that are done really, really well.
Overall, when it comes to I and I, the back matter is very good, but I just wanted more from the overall package, especially in the main body of the work.
Book Provided by... my local library
Nonfiction Monday roundup is over at Wrapped in Foil!
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, October 25, 2009
Hour 23
Hours Spent Reading: 9.5
# of books read: 5 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 1009
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: So so so so so so so so so sleeeeeeeeeepy
Listening to: "Warwick Avenue" by Duffy
Ok all, I'm out. I can't keep my eyes open for the last two hours, these past weeks and the first part of this weekend can only be described as "crazy pants" and I just need to sleep now.
So, I'm off to bed, but it was super fun!
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.
# of books read: 5 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 1009
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: So so so so so so so so so sleeeeeeeeeepy
Listening to: "Warwick Avenue" by Duffy
Ok all, I'm out. I can't keep my eyes open for the last two hours, these past weeks and the first part of this weekend can only be described as "crazy pants" and I just need to sleep now.
So, I'm off to bed, but it was super fun!
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