Jealousy and Envy

First things first:

My fortune cookie of the day:

Ideas not coupled with action never become bigger than the brain cells they occupied.

I made that big and red. That fortune hangs on my bulletin board and comes from a cookie my coworker brought me last week after going out for Chinese (she, for some odd reason, doesn't like fortune cookies. My gain.)

It's pretty cheesy, but is also really speaking to me right now.

Also, Rachel won my Vibes contest and so the book will be in the mail to her shortly. And for those who didn't win, it'll be in stores (and hopefully your library) next month.

And, to taunt you further, today I review

Paper Towns John Green

First things first--this is John Green's best book.

If you've read a John Green book before, you know that you can never really describe the book by describing the plot--it's hard to get too into the plot without giving much away, but also, the books are about so much more than just what's going on.

If you haven't read a John Green book before, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Quentin has always loved Margo Roth Spigelman, the girl next door. One glorious night before graduation, she takes him out all night to exact revenge on her cheating boyfriend and a few others. The next day, she's gone. Margo often disappears, but this time she doesn't come back. Quentin thinks she's left clues and is off on a hunt to find her.

As in his other works, Green's real strength is in his characters, especially the secondary ones. But this time, Green takes it a step further as his characters realize that you can never fully know another person. How Quentin sees Margo is not how Lacey sees Margo and it's not how Margo sees Margo. We all present different facets of our selves to the world--we very rarely let one person see all of us, but, at the same time, when viewing people, we view them through our own lenses and project our own ideals or hatreds on to them. And, when you idolize someone from afar, as Quentin does Margo, the difference between what you think and what he or she actually is, is much greater.

Smart, funny, heartbreaking, thought-provoking... John Green has done it again.

The man has 3 books out, one with a Printz, one with a Printz honor, and this one will be hot in contention for this year's top prizes. He's my age. I'm horribly jealous, especially because his work deserves all of it.

Look for it on October 16.

In the mean time, listen to A LOT of Mermaid Avenue and brush up on your Leaves of Grass

And, I leave you with this:

Last night or the night before that,
I won´t say which night
A seaman friend of mine,
I´ll not say which seaman,
Walked up to a big old building,
I won´t say which building,
And would not have walked up the stairs,
not to say which stairs,
If there had not been two girls,
leaving out the names of those two girls.

ACK!

Ok guys, I'm trying out some new things with my RSS feed, and somehow my feed got mixed in with another blogger blog with almost the same address. I hope I fixed it and I really apologize to Chinese Novel if I messed things up on their end.

Factoid of the day: Tushuguan is Chinese for library!

Anyway, let me know about wacky feed issues on my end.

Non-Fiction Monday

So, this week's Weekly Geek challenge is a quotation on every post. I'm going to see if I can do all fortune cookies:

The greatest truths are the simplest and so are the greatest men.

That's what I got in today's fortune cookie. (Dan is back after spending the weekend in Houston with his family. They're fine, he's fine, and now he's home, so I'm fine. Anyway, we ordered Peking Duck for dinner. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Peking duck. Also, just another plug for The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee, which is AWESOME)

So, it's Nonfiction Monday!

This is not nonfiction for kids or teens, but rather a book for those of us who work with kids or teens or just like reading their books.

Book Crush: For Kids and Teens - Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Interest by Nancy Pearl

Ok, if you haven't yet read them, you must read Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason and More Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason, you need to go do so. Like, now.

Anyway, Book Crush is along the same lines, but focusing on children's and teen books. As usual with Nancy Pearl's works, my To-Read list grew by PAGES. Everything from fiction to older teen works are covered.

If you're not familiar with the Book Lust books, Pearl offers a subject, and then several books that deal with the topic. In this offering, such topics include "Rebels with a Cause" which includes Where the Wild Things Are or "Friends Make the World Go Round" which includes both The Egypt Game and Meet Danitra Brown (the most splendifirous girl in town.)

I mean, who can resist book lists titled "May I Have This Dance? Old-Fashioned Love Hip Enough for the Jaded-at-Twelve Crowd" or "Kung Fu, the Samurai Crowd, and Ninja Stealth" or even "Dragooned by Dragons"?!

Of course, as a children/teen book aficionado, I had a few sad moments-- first off there's no mention of the the Alice series by Phylis Reynolds Naylor. I really think this is an important work of middle grade and YA lit. I like Alice in small doses, but still, an important aspect of the field and completely ignored. And, I really don't think The City of Ember is a fantasy (sci-fi? yes, dystopian? yes, fantasy? no.) And was sad to see that the description of Private Peaceful was just plain wrong. (But then again, so is the flap copy, but in a different way. Let's just say that Tommo is NOT spending the night up on watch (which is was the flap says) and people are NOT being executed for falling asleep on sentry duty (which is what Pearl says) I won't say what is really going on though, because it's a spoiler.)

But there were happy ones too. Pearl laments that not enough people know about the out-of-print Madeline L'Engle title And Both Were Young. I was horrified to learn this was OPP (but you can buy it from Amazon used for one cent, plus shipping and handling) but was happy to be one of the chosen few who love this book. (Seriously, buy a copy now and read it. It's wonderful.)

Anyway, many weekly geeks ago, we asked for questions on unreviewed titles. Here are mine on this book:

Chris asks: How is Book Crush? Would you recommend it to your fellow book fiends or should we pass?

Recommend! Especially if you like children's or teen lit-- I highly recommend all of Nancy Pearl's works to book friends.

Molly asks : Hi Fellow Weekly Geeker! I'm a HUGE Nancy Pearl fan, but have not read Book Crush. As someone who has not read a lot of teen and tween books, would I still enjoy Book Crush?

Yes. I'm a big proponent of getting adults to read younger lit, because it's SO FREAKIN' GOOD and I think adults would enjoy it if they read it. So, I think if you like Nancy Pearl, you should check this out and read some more teen/tween and even younger than that books.

This books is super up-to-date and includes books that must have been ARCS when she was writing this!

Anyway, it's non-fiction Monday and, as per usual, Anastasia has the round-up. Woot!

POETRY FRIDAY IS HERE!

Hello all and welcome to Poetry Friday. Mr. Linky is down below to add your link.

But first, I have a review of Hip Hop Speaks to Children edited by Nikki Giovanni

So, this is an anthology of poetry, hip hop, and sermons, showing the evolution of the spoken word with rhythm and using rhythm to best spread the word.

It's beautifully illustrated by multiple artists and contains a wide range of poets--Langston Hughes, Queen Latifah, Sugar Hill Gang, W.E.B. Du Bois, Kanye West, Walter Dean Meyers, and Maya Angelou and more.

The best part is the included CD. I have long loved Gwendolyn Brooks's "The Pool plays: Seven and the Golden Shovel" but never knew how to read the rhythm of her punctuation and line breaks

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We...



And I never thought I'd see "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang in a children's book. This is one of those tracks that helped define hip hop. (And you might know it as the song that the old lady rapped in The Wedding Singer

I said a hip hop the hippie to the hippie
the hip hip hop, a you dont stop
the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie



Some things are texts we think of as for adults--"The Creation," "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "The Song of Smoke," and some are things we tend to associate with children--"Books" and "Principal's Office."

I'm not a fan of all the poems, but many are ones I love.

But the CD... hearing Langston Hughes introduce and then read his work is amazing. There are also some interpretations of songs. I wasn't a fan of the rap of "I Have a Dream"--I liked the concept, but not the execution. But, the hamboning version of "The Pool players" and Josephine Cameron's sung version of Sterling Brown's "Long Track Blues" are tracks I can listen to over and over again.

I highly recommend this one for all collections. If the title didn't include the word "children" it'd be an excellent book all the way to high school. My coworkers and I are already talking about doing a Hip Hop poetry story time for our elementary school kids. The only question is if we wait until April (Poetry Month) or go ahead and do it now. Well, do it in October, when the book comes out, but pre-order today.

full disclosure: book provided by publisher

NOW! I want to read your poems! Leave your link below!

Still Here (FREE BOOKS!)

The library is open today, and despite the torrential downpour, people are using it.

Really, this is just a post to let you know that Cheryl Rainfield is giving away copies of The Hunger Games which everyone is raving about and I can't wait to read!

Meg Cabot is having a most excellent contest where you have to look at a foreign edition of one of her books and take a guess as to which book it is! Winners will get a signed Cabot book of their choice.

Also, my contest to win a copy of Vibes is still open. Email me (kidsilkhaze at yahoo dot com) with the subject line "vibes" to enter! AND I'VE CHANGED THE RULES: if you blog about my contest and email me to let me know, I will enter you twice! Entries must be received by midnight Eastern on Wednesday (that's the midnight between Wednesday and Thursday, not Tuesday and Wednesday). Contest is open world wide!

Poetry Friday

It's Friday evening and the rain from Hanna has started. The DC area is under a tropical storm warning tomorrow, which is an unknown entity to me. I can handle tornado warnings and blizzard warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings, but... tropical storms? I'm thinking severe thunderstorm + tornado x 2? Maybe? Luckily, I live with a hurricane expert and he doesn't seem worried (although there is a gallon of water in my car because I have to go to work tomorrow. Hmmmm...)

Dear internets, I'll be fine. I'm just typing out loud here.

Anyway... here is my Poetry Friday entry.

Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial Jen Bryant

This is a novel in verse about the Scopes Monkey/Evolution trial. It has 9 narrators--mostly townspeople, plus a few observers. Each character has their own poetic voice and style. Even though, like many poetry novels, I'm wondering if deleting the line breaks would have made such a difference.

It's broken into several sections, each one starting with quotations from people involved in the trial. There is a epilogue explaining what happened with the historical personages, as well as the current issues with teaching evolution in our science classes. There is also a short author's note explaining why she did certain things (such as reporting styles and the use of the words colored and Negro). The book has a definite pro-evolution slant to it. The anti-evolution characters are shown as a little crazy and, often hypocritical. Or taking the stance for a reason that has nothing to do with the issues at hand.

Bryant's account of the trial is one where Scopes was really just arrested because the town elders wanted the media circus that would inevitably surround such a trial in an effort to increase tourism to Dayton. The best voices are those of the children--3 high school students and one African-American boy and how the trial changes them. Often, it's not so much about evolution, but just the contact with the so many new faces and ideas gets them thinking in new ways about their futures.

Full disclosure: Book provided by author.

Round up is at Wild Rose Reader. Check it out!

Hanna update: Dan just tied a flashlight to my belt, in case we lose power. He's placing other ones through out the house in strategic locations. We are nothing if not prepared.

Also, Storm Naming People? Hanna should have an H on it. I know this because in 2nd grade, I had to read a story called "Hannah is a Palindrome" in which the teacher wrote that on the board, and then got called down to the office, and so all the other kids started making fun of Hannah. The mean kids were led by a boy named Otto. Then Hannah looked up palindrome in the dictionary and wrote "Otto is a palindrome" on the board which shut him up right quick. And then the teacher came back and was really proud of her because it turns out she was about to write that before getting called away. And, in order for Hannah to be a palindrome? It needs 2 H's.

ESP isn't all it's cracked up to be...

I made soup for dinner tonight. It was so tasty and completely worth going to 2 different stores to get the ingredients.

Today's book was provided by the publisher, via The Picnic Basket, which is another one of those sites you should know about. I was really excited when it was offered, because I really wanted to read it after reading Leila's review.

Also! Below! A Contest!

Vibes Amy Kathleen Ryan

Kristi is psychic. Life isn't easy when you can hear the popular girls thinking such things as Why is she such a drama queen? and Why does she wear those horrible outfits. Life really isn't easy when the most beautiful boy in school, whom she shouldn't care about, but does, thinks sick every time he sees her. It doesn't help when your best friend's head is full of gross fantasies involving your ginormous boobs somehow being wet. Opera at full volume is really the only thing that can keep the voices at bay.

But that's all background. The real drama of this story has nothing to do with the voices Kristi hears. The drama comes from sources readers will identify with--the mean popular girls, the mean not-as-popular girls, ex-best friends, boy friends who want to be your boyfriend, and serious parental drama.

What's even better is that Kristi is definitely human. She's mean and makes wrong decisions. Sometimes she learns, sometimes she doesn't. She's an excellent biting voice to YA fiction, a la Cyd Charisse in Gingerbread.

The book looks pink and light. And it is pink, but there's a reason Kristi is wearing such dark eyeshadow. This isn't depressing, but it's not fluffy. This is a book that has meat, while still being funny.

Mom might be a little overweight, but she's still an absolute health nut. For my fifth birthday party she got me an all natural carrot cake from an organic bakery that sweetens everything with honey. Hildie took one bite of it and announced to the room, "Ew! This takes like bird poop!"... You think my mother would take all this under advisement when selecting the cake for my next birthday, but she not. She got me a carob-raisin mocha chip, which was as yummy as it sounds.

I highly recommend.

Look for it October 6.

But, if you can't wait... I have a copy of give away. Email me at kidsilkhaze at yahoo dot com with the subject line "Vibes" by midnight (Eastern) next Wednesday. Winner will be chosen by random drawing. Open to everyone!

Monday? NO! Tuesday!

I love 3 day weekends, except then I'm always off for the rest of the week. Let's see if tomorrow I remember it is Wednesday (so must go to work in the morning) instead of Tuesday (when I go to work in the afternoon.)

Also, this weekend, I managed to seriously (well, not hospital-serious, but serious enough it's totally gross to look at and I can justifiably whinge about pain) mangle a toe on BOTH feet, in 2 separate incidents. Really. Saturday night was my right foot, last night, my left. Oiy.

But... let's talk books, shall we? Today's review is about a book written for adults, except I first read it at 11 or 12 or around there and loved it. I have been looking for this book for years and finally figured out (well, Sean figured out) what book it was. So, I reread it. I'm happy to say that, for the most part, it stands up to reread AND! I found out that it was actually the first in a trilogy. WooHoo!

Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming Robert Zelazney and Roger Sheckly

Every 1000 years, the forces of Good and Evil hold a contest. The winner controls man's destiny for the next millennium. Anxious to get out of duty in the Pit, Azzie is the demon in charge of Evil's entry. He has a budget, an assistant, and a drive to win. Azzie's plan involves building a princess and Prince Charming and have them act out the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but with disastrous consequences. Of course, nothing goes according to the plan.

Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming is funny, and almost a fantasy spoof. It very consciously plays with some of the fantasy genre mainstays. It's very silly, but in a smart way. I loved it as a kid and very much enjoyed it as an adult. There are a few things that I understand now that I'm pretty sure I didn't get then--nothing content wise, but some mythology and Citizen Kane references/allusions. I think I appreciated the silliness more when I was younger, but this was an extremely pleasant reread--I'm very glad I found this story again.

Poetry Friday

Today is weird. It's raining--not summer storm rain, but just a steady rain. With school back in session (for the kids-- I don't go back until Tuesday) and the over air-conditioned state of the children's room... I think it's cold out. I mean, like I think it's November or something. I'm sure to get a rather large shock when I leave work today to find it's 75 degrees out (so, I guess it is cold for DC in late August...)

Anyway, today's Poetry Friday selection is rather depressing. Blame it on the (much needed) rain or something... anyway, I'm currently reading The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed by Michael Meyers. I'm only about 70 pages in, but so far it's a fascinating look at the destruction of the hutong neighborhoods. On one hand, you're losing neighborhoods and homes, without recourse. One the other hand, these are homes built hundreds of years ago that aren't retro-fitted for heat or indoor plumbing and haven't had the upkeep been put into them... I'll post much more extensively on this later-- I've been kicking around a post on this topic since I went to Beijing last fall and I think this book will help frame what I want to say.

Anyway, today's poem was found scrawled on the interior wall of a house being torn down.

Poor in the carefree city
there is no quarter
Prosperity is in the remote mountains
Where I know people who care

Four years later, I stayed at the hotel that was built, along with shiny shopping centers and western eateries, in that same spot.

Round-up is at Charlotte's Library.

Nonfiction Wednesday--1775-style

Today, we return to our regular book reviewing! These are both adult non-fiction titles that were recieved as part as Mini Book Expo for Bloggers, which if you are a book blogger and don't know about, you should totally check out.

Hurricane of Independence: The Untold Story of the Deadly Storm at the Deciding Moment of the American Revolution Tony Williams

In September of 1775, when the American colonies were preparing for war, a hurricane struck its way up the East Coast, affecting many of the revolutionary players. The hurricane, while taking many lives where it first hit in North Carolina's Outer Banks, did not have much effect on history. Williams uses it as a window in which to view the beginning of the war. Sadly, the window is not big enough to do what he wants to do and, overall, the book lacks cohesion and focus. More than anything, the storm serves as an excuse for an extended metaphor about the brewing political tempest. The book ends with a chapter on a second hurricane that struck Newfoundland shortly after the first struck the East Coast. Where Williams's conclusions that this was a different storm are interesting and new, one must question why they are included on the book of ostensibly about the American Revolution.

Although the premise is weak, and much of the material has been covered before, Williams's writing style is very engaging. For readers who have not yet read their way through the plethora of books on the Revolution, Hurricane of Independence is highly readable and interesting. I'm not just saying that! This book had some organization issues, but really, an excellent writing style and I look forward to reading more by the author.

Williams has a knack for writing about the weather and I wish he would have done a history of eighteenth century North American hurricanes. I firmly believe Williams could write a fascinating account, both due to his writing style and the fact that in this title, that is where he really added to the field.

Published by Sourcebooks.

A Treatise of Mathematical Instruments John Robertson

This is a reprint of the third edition of this title, which came out in 1775. Already I know you're asking, "Jennie, why on EARTH did you ask for this book?" Well... science history is pretty cool.

The parts of this book that I understood were really interesting. It's not an easy book to understand--first off, the font is based on the original, when they used s's that looked like f's. Plus, um... math tools I've never seen. And... math.

It starts off with a publishing history about the Sector Compass, which is what math people used before the slide rule. Now, this might sound dull, but there was much intellectual theft! And Galileo suing people for intellectual theft! Even though maybe he didn't invent the thing after all! Intrigue!

The treatise then discusses basic math tools. After a lengthly explanation of each, and how it might be used, there are several practice problems with long explanations on how to solve the problem using the tool in question. I totally understood the part on how to use a protractor, but when we got to the sector compass? And there were logs and trig functions? I really tried, but my eyes glazed over.

However! There are great discussions on how to make your own carbon paper, eighteenth century style, as well as a ton of information on British naval theory (and a mathematical proof on the most space-efficient way to store ones cannon balls), architecture, and how to draw using perspective. PLUS! When discussing the gunners callipers, Robertson is explaining how to use the conversion tables that are printed on the side. One of the example questions was the following: How long with 33 butts of beer serve a crew of 324 men, allowing to each man 3 wine quarts a day?. Talk about real life examples! This shows how important beer was to the navy (because it's sanitary to drink?) and is just a very practical question because there are a several conversions that need to be done to answer the question.

Also, the lack of standardization! A beer gallon was different than a wine gallon! One of the charts on the callipers was converting English feet to French feet (the measurement, not the body part.)

But, overall, there were many pages of computations I did not understand. The parts of this book I did get were fascinating. The other parts made me feel dumb.

Published by Invisible College Press.














*hee hee* butts of beer *hee hee*

We've already established that I'm 10.

Announcements!

It's Cybils time again! And they need judges! Go volunteer!

Did you know that, this week, Author2Author is giving away a book a day? And that it's super easy to enter. Today's book is Meg Cabot's How to Be Popular

In other news... book reviews will be starting up again soon. I have a bunch written in my head.

BURNINATING THE PEASANTS!

This has nothing to do with anything, but I must share it with the world.

Today, I saw a license plate that said BRNIN8TR with a license plate holder that said TROGDOR!

So, dear guy with the red Toyota Corolla and the VA plates that say BRNIN8TR? YOU ARE AWESOME and made my day.

If such a thing doesn't make YOUR day, I think you need to watch this:

Back to School.

Wahoo! Schools out for a week and I have SO MANY books to review! SO MANY! Because all this time when I haven't been blogging? Yeah... I've been READING.

And dealing with 2 ear infections. And pink eye. The pink eye's all gone now but the ear infections remain... blargh.

School starts for the kids at work on Monday. And even though I just finished class and am experiencing a wee bit of vacation, I still have that back to school excitement. I'm looking forward to fall and sweaters. I love school supply shopping, even though I don't have to do it right now, I still find myself wandering the aisles of staples and smelling the erasers. I love the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil. I love the feel of a clean notebook, the roll of a good pen. The earnest eagerness of reinventing yourself every fall...


So, even though it's still summer, school is starting, which means it will soon be fall, so here's a fall poem by Emily Dickinson, always a favorite:

THE MORNS are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,	5
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I ’ll put a trinket on.

Round up is at Read. Imagine. Talk.!

Apparently, I am 10 years old

Remember that Futurama episode where we first see the Professor's Smell-o-scope?

FRY: This is a great, as long as you don't make me smell Uranus. Heh heh.
LEELA: I don't get it.
PROFESSOR FARNSWORTH: I'm sorry, Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all.
FRY: Oh. What's it called now?
PROFESSOR FARNSWORTH: Urectum.

Anyway, Uranus is one of my nightmares as someone who works with children. I mean, witness the REAL conversation I had last year:

Little Boy: Do have a book called Exploring Uranus?
Me: Did your older brother put you up to this?!

Turns out, he had just read Exploring Jupiter and wanted the next book.

ANYWAY! Today, we got a book in called A Look at Uranus.

I keep giggling to myself. tee hee hee!

Yes, I am 10. Shut up.

Forever Princess

Are you, like me, eagerly awaiting the release of Forever Princess the very LAST Princess Diaries book?

Well, Meg Cabot has a lovely sneak peak for us here. Just a little something to tide us over until the January!

Saturday Ramblings...

My head is full of Twilight. Of course, yesterday I spent the afternoon in the hammock reading Breaking Dawn.

A few things happened while I was engrossed (and dude, for part of that book, GROSS is the right word.)

1. I sunburned half of my body. Seriously-- 1 arm, 1/2 my nose and 1 cheek. I LOOK AWESOME.

2. I failed to go to the bank or post office.

3. John Edwards admitted to having an affair (I'm sorry John, were the cameras off you for too long?)

4. RUSSIA AND GEORGIA WENT TO WAR! Dude! WTF?!

Then I watched the Opening Ceremonies. I wouldn't mind seeing that again, but without the NBC commentary. Zhang Yimou is awesome that that was intense. I wish I knew more China Geeks-- we could pick out all the symbolism in that show and go wild.

Anyway, via Nymeth, I've decided to join another challenge. Why? Because apparently I AM INSANE. But, I finished Becky's Stephenie Meyer mini-challenge, so WHY NOT?

Anyway... for this one you have to read 6 of Entertainment Weekly's New Classics. And to start, we need to post all 100, bolding the titles we've read.

I've already read 21 of them. I need to read 6 more... but which 6? Who knows. I'll decide as I go along. Here's the list:

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

[INSERT WITTY TITLE HERE]

I am so sleepy. And then I had a too much super-greasy super-yummy food for lunch. Now I am super-sleepy.

I stayed up too late last night, reading Eclipse. So, now I've started Breaking Dawn. Next week will be Twilight review week. I have some things planned that have me excited, but might actually be really lame. I hope they're not lame.

Anyway, before then, I have a review of an amazing book, which was an Alex Award winner this year that I am highly recommending:

Mister Pip Lloyd Jones

Set during the rebellion of the early 1990s in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, Mister Pip tells the story of the one white ma who stayed on the island after every one else fled and the island was blockaded. Mr. Watts was not a teacher, but he started school again and read Great Expectations to the students. Pip’s story grabs the attention of the small village as they make do with fewer and fewer supplies. However, both sides of the rebellion have heard of this Pip and wonder why the villagers are hiding a man among them, a man who is probably fighting for the other side. Pip, who allowed the children to escape to another world, may well be the undoing of the entire community.

Matilda, the narrator, is thirteen when the book begins. Caught up in Pip’s adventures, she struggles with her mother over the role he plays in her life. Teens will identify with Matilda’s desire for independence as she searches for her own voice. Jones’s description of the tropical island, and the villagers’ loss of a sense of time, lulls readers into the story, even if their memories of reading Great Expectations are less than fond. The message on the power and importance of imagination will reverberate with teens and adults. Although it details a great many horrors, especially in the end, Jones’s novel is quiet, but guaranteed to stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.

Highly, highly recommend for adults and older teens. (Mom, I mean YOU)

Extremism from a different point of view

I have my fingers stuck in my ears and am singing LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA rather loudly. My work email is full of unread messages.

You see, for class today, I had to read a "genre" book. I was feeling like a bad YA lit person for not having read Twilight. So, that's what I read. And then I ran out and bought all the rest of the books, and now I have to shield myself from all the Breaking Dawn discussion until I finish it. However, I *do* have some fun things planned for the reviews, once I finish reading...

Anyway, here's a review of a different book I read for class...

In The Name of God Paula Jolin

As a teenager in Damascus, Nadia tries to be a good Muslim, and studies hard so she can become a doctor. She is frustrated by her cousins who have Western ideas and do not yet wear the hajib. She is concerned for her fellow Muslims caught in war-torn Iraq or Israel. She is saddened by her brother’s inability to find a job. When her favorite cousin is arrested for expressing anger over the oppression of Muslims, Nadia grows even more conservative, to the worry of her family. Eventually, she is drawn into fanatical fundamentalism, seeing no other option but to serve God through the ultimate sacrifice.

Short chapters start with Qur’anic names for God and paint an uncomfortably realistic portrait of how one devout girl can go from general anger at world politics to thinking that becoming a suicide bomber is a good choice. Jolin sets up the cultural and political landscape of Damascus, letting readers see Palestinian refugee settlements, the fear of the Secret Police, and many conversations on US foreign policy. (The fear of the secret police that leads to so much self censorship in the name of combating terrorism was especially striking.) Characters are viewed through Nadia’s eyes, trapping them in her pre-conceived notions, although based on their words and actions readers will have a different opinion. While readers may struggle with such a different world-view, they will recognize the standard tensions between mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers. Adults will recognize the hubris of teenagers in Nadia’s stubborn convictions that she knows better than everyone surrounding her.

Non-Fiction Monday

School is eating my brain. BUT! I did run into Susan today before class, which was great! I haven't seen her since... this fall? (Have we seen each other since Kids are Customers?) Also, because I blog everything I read, you might want to check this out.

I added a few new tracks to the MP3 widget on my sidebar.



Anyway, it's nonfiction Monday! So, today we're talking about...

Snow Falling in Spring: Coming of Age in China During the Cultural Revolution Moying Li

Li’s autobiography of her Beijing childhood starts with China’s disastrous Great Leap Forward and quickly moves through the Great Famine to the Cultural Revolution. In middle school at the time the Cultural Revolution began, she sees many of the confusing actions of high school and college students. After her headmaster commits suicide, she returns home, only to find no safe place as her family and their associates are targeted and imprisoned, several dying. As Li ages and the events hit closer and closer to home, her understanding of what is happening grows.

The narrative focuses more on Li’s personal story and, with the exception of the death of Zhou Enlai, the history and politics are only brought into play when explanation is needed. However, some things could use more explanation, such as why Li’s parents, both Communist veterans of the Revolution, are targets for the Red Guard.

Li’s English is straight-forward and she tells her story simply and matter-of-factly. In text explanations, as well as a chronology and a glossary of the Chinese terms add to the accessibility of this title. The pages are scattered with Li’s family photographs, which show a young girl growing up while the text outlines the drama, fear, and chaos that surrounded her.

Overall, I'm going to say it's a good introduction to the Cultural Revolution, even though some other books go into greater detail.

Back when we did the Weekly Geeks #12, Dewey asked:


What did you learn about China's culture that surprised you in Snow Falling in Spring?

Um, nothing. This isn't because there wasn't a lot in there, but I was a Chinese minor and college and spent a semester in Nanjing and have read a lot on the Cultural Revolution, so aside from Li's personal story, there wasn't a lot new for me in the book. For people who don't have a huge background in Chinese history, I think there is a lot to learn. I especially enjoyed her memories of the Great Leap Forward--it's not something you see a lot.


Round up is at Picture Book of the Day!

Poetry Friday

This week I give you an original. It's brand new, so it might not be done yet. Round up is at The Well-Read Child.









A Phone Call with my Father

I called to thank them for my birthday present.
I fill him in on life here,
The latest micro-dramas,
The antics of the dog.

He tells me of life there and how
My mother is working too hard
(as usual).
We worry.

He tells me of mill closings and
Changes in the football roster.

He also fills me in on the latest family gossip
Telling tales of my sister,
Once again proving she's a
BADASS.
And even though she's younger
When I grow up, I want to be
Her.

Three things before you go.
Two are standard father/daughter things.
The third--
You hadn't read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee?
Erm, no.

And then before we hang up,
Before he tells me he loves me,
Before he sends his regards to Dan
(and the dog),
He wishes me good luck,
Knowing full well the world we live in,
The obstacles I face,
But still fully believing
That his little girl can do
Anything.