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April 2008
Immortal Snake: 04/30/08
The cover story in the May issue of FSF is "Immortal Snake" by Rachel Pollack. It is heavily inspired by the African myth known as "The Ruin of Kasch."
Pollack though has transported the myth to a new world that reminded a little of Robert Silverberg's Majipoor and especially Valentine Pontifex.
The story is one of change brought on by the human desire for power. The newest Immortal Snake and his two chosen companions conspire against the Readers, the true holders of power in the land of Written in the Sky. With all revolutions come the threat of a vacuum when the new leaders die. Only the best planned revolutions take into account what comes after the victors are no longer in charge.
For more on the story please see the interview posted the magazine's blog.To learn more about the author, please see her website.
Read the reviews at Raves and Rants, aethercowboy, It's Like This.
fantasy science fiction magazine | fiction | short story | rachel pollack
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The Unspeakable: 04/30/08
The Unspeakable for its theme of the delicate balance between faith and physical affliction reminds me a great deal of Lying Awake by Mark Salzman. Here it is the story of two priests both examining their own faith after a set of extraordinary circumstances bring their faith and calling into question.
Peter Whitmore is sent to investigate his friend and colleague, Jim Marbury when stories of miraculous healing filter back to the Diocese of St. Paul. At the heart of these miracles, is a missing period of time in Jim Marbury's life when he failed to show up at a conference and was later found walking in the cold, miles away from his car and suddenly mute.
Most of the novel is a series of conversations between Whitmore and Marbury, about the time of the accident, their time in the seminary, Whitmore's childhood and current events at Marbury's church. There is enough wiggle room in the story to interpret the novel any number of ways. Marbury may have been giving the ability to heal at the price of his voice or he's faking both or somewhere in between.
My one complaint is the unnecessary time spent with Whitmore's background. As a narrator he is only interesting as a friend of the much quirkier priest. It's unnecessary for him to have his own traumatic past just to make his connection stronger with Marbury. I found Whitmore's flashbacks an unwelcome distraction from an otherwise interesting novel.
books | fiction | christian fiction | charles l calia
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Thursday Thirteen is doing a vacation theme this week. We're supposed to pick a letter of the alphabet and stick with it. So here are 13 books that start with T.
1. There's No Such Place As Far Away by Richard Bach and H. Lee Shapiro |
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2. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley |
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3. Tales of Oliver Pig by Jan Van Leeuwen and Arnold Lobel |
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4. Test-Drive Your Dream Job by Brian Kurth |
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5. Take a Stand, Rosa Parks! by Peter and Connie Roop |
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6. Trucks and Diggers by DK Publishing |
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7. Tall by Jez Alborough |
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8. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Pam Adams |
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9. Tom Sawyer Detective by Mark Twain |
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10. Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire by Rafe Esquith |
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11. Tommy's Tale by Alan Cumming |
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12. The Turret by Margery Sharp |
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13. Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr |
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thursday thirteen | books
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Crispin: The Cross of Lead: 04/30/08
Crispin: The Cross of Lead was one of the first books I put on my wish list when I joined BookCrossing. I think I heard a review of it on NPR but it's been so long now that I don't remember for sure.
This year I'm trying to focus more on reading the books I've been wanting to read for ages rather than only reading books I've committed to either for Bookcrossing or as ARCs. I checked out Crispin: The Cross of Lead from my local library.
Avi's books seem to be span all genres, the only thing that unites them is the intended audience, tweens. Crispin is somewhere in the range of fantasy and historical fiction, taking place in medieval Europe around the time of the plague. The story cover's Crispin's quest to learn the truth behind his birth after his mother's death.
While the book had it's moments, it didn't capture my imagination like Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? The book borrows heavily on the fantasy genre conventions and relies too much on Crispin's emotional state to carry the plot. If I were a younger reader and still relatively new to the genre, I would probably enjoy the novel more.
Read the reviews by Gemini Moon, Becky's Book Reviews.
All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown: 04/29/08
All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown by Sydney Taylor is a perfect illustration of why I recommend everyone try reading a book at random. There are some absolute gems out there that might be beyond your normal scope of view. In last month's trip to the library I chose three books by random: A Traveller in Time, All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown and The Light in the Forest. So far, they have all been delightful.
All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown is the third in a series of semi-autobiographical books by Sydney Taylor about a Jewish family living in the New York in the first half of the 20th century. Uptown takes place around and during WWI and it was the WWI connection that first caught my eye.
The war, while a setting for book is only one part of it. Ella, Charlotte, Henny, Sarah, Gertie, and baby brother, Charlie must help their father cope while their mother is in the hospital with appendicitis. As the children are learning how to run a house hold while dealing with all the other day to day things like school, holidays and boyfriends, many of the early chapters cover what it took to run a home back then especially on a tight budget.
Then at a third level, the passage of time is marked by the inclusion of Jewish holidays. These moments bring the family to life and make me wish I'd been able to read and review the book in time for the Jewish Literature Challenge! In fact, there's now an award for Jewish children's literature named in honor of Sydney Taylor. The award even has its own blog.
Read the reviews at Teddy Bear in a Suitcase, True Confessions of Hannah Faith.
books | childrens | sydney taylor
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Rebecca's Locket: 04/29/08
The second story in the May issue of FSF is "Rebecca's Locket" by S. L. Gilbow (who wrote "Who Brought Tulips to the Moon" in the December issue). "Rebecca's Locket" was also the top search term to my blog in February, so I'm pleased to finally have the chance to review this story.
"Rebecca's Locket" in a light hearted eight pages explores the pitfalls of technology based immortality. The technology in question is the Eternilocket. It's supposed to lessen the pain of the grieving process but sometimes it gets in the way.
Take for instance, Jerry Morgan. He gets to attend his own funeral and makes an ass of himself in the process. Rebecca may have been a loving wife but she believes in "death do us part."
Read the reviews at lastshortstory, aethercowboy.
fantasy science fiction magazine | fiction | short story | s l gilbow
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Nonfiction Five Challenge: 04/29/08
I participating in the Nonfiction Five Challenge last year and I'm pleased to see that it will be starting up again in May.
The rules are:
- Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2008 (please link your reviews on Mister Linky)
- Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)
- If interested, please sign up below with the link to your NFF Challenge post (all choices need not be posted and may change at any time)
My tentative five are:
books | challenge | nonfiction five | thoughts of joy
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The House on the Strand: 04/28/08
Daphne du Maurier wrote great beginnings and great endings but sometimes she got lost in the middle as she did with The House on the Strand. This novel comes late in her writing career in 1969, just before her collection of short stories, Don't Look Now.
Coming on the heels of A Traveller in Time I couldn't help but see similarities between the two books. Here, though, the reason is science, not magic. Biophysicist Magnus Lane has created a serum that when ingested allows one to experience the past. He convinces the narrator, Dick Young, to be his guinea pig although he does partake of the serum too from time to time.
At at time when LSD was part of the pop culture scene, it's easy to draw connections between the drug and the time travel formula that Dick and Magnus take. Just as LSD can cause flashbacks, Dick ultimately learns the true negative effects of the serum, first in the tragic death of his mentor and then in his own physical condition.
Frankly though, I found Dick's trips back to the 14th century rather dull. What kept me reading was not the fates of Roger and Isolda but the tension between Dick's attraction to Magnus and his duties to his American wife and her children from a previous marriage. Like in My Cousin Rachel (1951) there is a strong homosexual subtext that is ever present but rarely acknowledged, certainly not the with frankness of the stories in Don't Look Now.
I read this book for the Themed Challenge.
Read the reviwes by Eva, Book-a-Rama, Carla Naylan,
Ring: 04/28/08
This week's theme at Raven's Range is "ring." I don't wear much in the way of jewelry save for two rings: my engagement ring (see the picture) and my wedding band (a plain gold ring). My engagement ring has had a few strange misadventures in the 15 years that I've worn it.
Ian and I got engaged in 1993. Before Ian "popped the question" we went to the jewelry district in Los Angeles. We were nineteen and had no budget. I ended up picking out something just slightly better than costume jewelry.
In 1995 just before we got married I bonked my hand into the tiled wall of the women's restroom by the film classes. The sapphire either popped out or if it was glass, it shattered. Regardless, I now had a ring without a pretty blue stone and I was heart broken.
Ian, though, rolled with the bad news and announced that we would buy a new emerald and a better setting and call it "engagement ring 2.0". We went to a local jeweler on State Street in Santa Barbara and picked out an emerald. The stone and the setting cost more than the original ring but it has stayed put now for 13 years.
In March 2007 after picking up Sean from school, I absentmindedly took my engagement ring off. Then to my shock, I couldn't get it back on! So I put it in my wallet and took the ring home. For a while I kept the ring in a box next to my favorite chair upstairs but when both of my children were having too much fun playing with the ring, I decided to try wearing it on a different finger before I could get it resized.
The first day the ring stayed put on my pinky. The second day, though, when I woke up, the ring was gone. I tore apart the bed and the area around the bed. I could not find the ring. As I had been gardening the day before, I decided the ring had fallen off my finger and over the edge. I searched the grounds outside between the buildings where the ring might have landed but I didn't see it.
By August 2007, I was despondent over the missing ring. Ian suggested we get "engagement ring 3.0." Then on August 12th, I had come to terms with the ring being gone and I was ready to start thinking of what I would want for my replacement. Then as I was going to bed, having just decided to stop looking for the ring, I saw it lying right next to our clock alarm at the foot of the bed. Better yet, the ring fit on my ring finger again.
I have not taken off the ring since it went missing last year.
If you have something to say on the subject of "sausage" check out Linda's meme. Here are the rules:
- Create the post on your own blog between Monday and Friday.
- Include a link back here with explanation of what you’re doing.
- Post a link to your own post as a comment in the current meme post. (Here!)
meme | ring | ravens range
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Doggies: 04/28/08
Sometime in the last year of doing Thursday Thirteens, Robin at Around the Island recommended Doggies by Sandra Boynton to me. So last month when I spotted a copy at our local library I snatched it to read to my kids. Thank you for the recommendation; we loved it!
Doggies is a "counting and barking book" and very silly to read. Each dog is different and each one has a unique bark. The book is best when read out loud. In 14 pages you will be expected to bark enough to sound like an entire neighborhood of dogs. These dogs bark, arf, yap, nnn, ruff and so forth.
Harriet, though, waits for the punchline. On the very last page, one of the dogs isn't a dog. I didn't notice at first but my daughter did. There's no fooling her on some things!
Read the reviews on We Heart Books, RanDumb Brain Droppings, Food Folks and Funnies.
books | childrens | sandra boynton
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Upcoming Reviews for the Week of April 28: 04/28/08
Last week was another busy week but I did mange to write all but one of the planned reviews.
This week's selection will be heavy in the science fiction and children's lit, both for the younger readers and the tweens. There will be a number of repeat authors: Sandra Boynton, Daphne du Maurier, S. L. Gilbow, Avi and Tite Kubo.
Upcoming reviews include:
books | pussreboots | reviews | blog
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It's Spring: 04/27/08
It's Spring is a cute board book by Samantha Berger and Pamela Chanko. It's the story of spring spreading throughout the forest and farmlands.
An observant rabbit notices the arrival of spring and goes out to tell the other animals. Each animal in turn finds another animal to spread the word about springs arrival.
Melissa Sweet's adorable illustrations make the book all the more enjoyable. Harriet loved just flipping through the book to look at the animals and name them.
Read the review on Reading Monkey.
books | childrens | samantha berger | pamela chanko | melissa sweet
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Reunion: 04/27/08
The first story in the May issue of FSF is "Reunion" by Robert Reed (who wrote "Five Thrillers" in the last issue).
"Reunion" is a much shorter story than "Five Thrillers" but just as character driven. This time the protagonist is a young woman named April who has crashed a high school reunion to find out the cause behind the class's extraordinary success. Twelve of the twenty-three graduates have gone onto earn fame and fortune in a variety of fields and April doesn't believe they did it by chance alone.
April is also there to find out the truth behind her father's death. He is the missing twenty-third classmate. She believes he is the key to their success.
I liked this story as much as I liked "Five Thrillers" even though this one is not much more than an extended conversation between April and the classmates. Reed does an excellent job of finding his protagonist's voice and sticking to it.
To learn more about the author, please see his website.
Read the reviews on aethercowboy, Jason Sanford.
fantasy science fiction magazine | fiction | short story | robert reed
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Fast Profits in Hard Times: 04/26/08
It is a surreal experience to read a book about investing in a time of economic recession or as Jordan E. Goodman calls it "Hard Times." The former Money magazine journalist gives ten strategies
for earning money in Fast Profits in Hard Times.
Each chapter contains one of the ten strategies and these strategies are further broken down into different techniques. The techniques involve: tax liens and deeds, below market real estate, income trusts and master limited partnerships, high-yield equities, DRIPs, bonds, options, foreign exchange, cash flow, and passive income strategies. Goodman writes in a straight forward fashion and shows exactly where one has to put in the hours of work to make the investment strategies pay off. Although he writes in an upbeat tone, he doesn't blindly promise results to everyone who reads his book.
As with all forms of investing, it takes money to make money. It also takes time and dedication. None of these ten strategies are "get rick quick schemes."
I am giving away my review copy. If you would like a chance to win, please leave a comment explaining why you'd like to win on the original contest blog post. Comments left on this review will not count as entries. The contest ends at 11 PM Pacific Time on April 29th.
Read the reviews at Cents and Sensibility, Million Dollar Journey, Stockerblog, Cash Money Life.
books | nonfiction | contest | jordan e goodman
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Win The Road from La Cueva: 04/26/08
I am pleased to announce a new book giveaway: The Road from La Cueva by Sheila Ortego. This time I am giving away 2 copies!
The contest runs from today through 11PM Pacific time on May 26th.
If you are interested in winning this book, please leave a comment on this post. The comment must include in at least two sentences your reason for wanting to read the book. Just leaving your name or "enter me" (or similar) will not count. This blog uses "do follow" in all links so if you have a blog, please include your URL. The contest is open to any country where the United States postal service sends packages. I will mail the book out to the winner on June 2, 2008.
If you want a second chance to win the book, blog about the contest. Just let me know that you have.
I will contact the winners via email on May 27th and announce the winners publicly as soon as I have verified their mailing addresses. The winners have 72 hours (3 days) to respond with a mailing address. If the winner does not respond within that time a new winner will be picked.
One entry per person / IP Address.
Here is the book description from Amazon
Product Description
Ana Howland is at a crisis point. As a constrained yet passionate woman, she finds few outlets for her desires in her role as mother and wife. She is subsumed by a controlling husband, but is craving her own fulfillment. Her frustrations find outlets through a friendship with an eccentric neighbor and an affair with a man who respects her and nurtures her spirit and independence. Through hardship and grim determination, she learns to look with her own eyes, to feel with her own heart. She discovers a deep well of resilience and compassion, with room for growth and freedom. Her story is one of a leap of faith, away from despair and toward life at its fullest. Despite all odds, she navigates herself, through small but profound changes, into new ways of living, of relating to her friends, her daughter, herself. Sheila Ortego is president of Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Born in New Orleans and of Acadian ancestry, Dr. Ortego received her doctorate in American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and since has taught Southwest Literature, Women's Literature, and Women's Studies at several colleges and universities. Her poetry has been published by the "Santa Fe Literary Review," and she has recently been admitted to the "Live Poets Society" in Santa Fe.About the Author
Sheila Ortego is president of Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Born in New Orleans and of Acadian ancestry, Dr. Ortego received her doctorate in American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and since has taught Southwest Literature, Women's Literature, and Women's Studies at several colleges and universities. Her poetry has been published by the Santa Fe Literary Review, and she has recently been admitted to the Live Poets Society in Santa Fe.
books | fiction | contest | sheila ortego
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Cult Books 04/26/08
Sharon Bakar at Bibliobibuli has a post about the 50 Best Cult Books, another list of books from The Telegraph. She decided to see which ones she'd read. Out of curiosity, I'm going to see which ones I've read too.
Books I have read will be crossed out. Books that are on my TBR pile will be bold. I will link to any reviews I've written.
Like Sharon, I've only read 15 of the 50. I have four books on my TBR pile so that would bring the total number to 19. Frankly the majority of the books on this list don't currently interest me so I doubt I'll be reading them any time soon.
books | bibliobibuli | meme
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The Dispossessed: 04/25/08
The full title of Ursula K. Le Guin's award winning novel is The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia. It's part of along tradition of ambiguous utopian novels that are thinly dressed critiques of contemporary society. In the case of The Dispossessed the two societies in question are the United States and the Soviet Union.
What makes Le Guin's utopia all the more ambiguous is her refusal to take sides. Both societies are flawed in a number of ways and yet both have supporters and detractors. Like so many of these novels, the story is told from the perspective of a traveler, Shevek, a physicist who has left Anarres (USSR) to continue his research on Urras (USA). It is through a combination of flashbacks to Anarres and his social faux pas that Le Guin reveals the good and bad of both societies.
The Dispossessed exists in the same universe as Left-Hand of Darkness (1969) and the other Hainish cycle books. In terms of the story timeline, it's comes first in the series but was the fifth published. The details linking it to the other Hainish books are sparse and the novel works well as a stand alone.
Along with The Dispossessed I also recommend:
Read the reviews on piapiapiano, memoirs of a vagabond, Terdwilicker, old book bag
books | scifi | utopia | ursula k leguin
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School Daze 04/25/08
It's probably time for another update. Thank you to everyone who asked about our illnesses. We're all now over the flu but I think we're suffering from all the pollen in the air.
The pine trees have done their pollen explosion and our car and the car port are constantly coated in a yellow-green dust. In the garden, all of my seeds have now sprouted and the berries are in bloom.
Sean:
We're still waiting to hear if Sean has been accepted into the Mandarin program at Stonebrae. His best friend just got the green light for the program and will be finishing kindergarten in the program so that he'll be ready for the first grade program this fall. Regardless of where Sean goes, the school year starts August 25. I hope before then they will tell us what we need to bring for the first day of class!
In other news, we will be enrolling Sean into three sessions of swimming lessons in Castro Valley. My mother is paying for one of the sessions. Thanks Mom! I need to drop off the enrollment form and payment next Wednesday.
Harriet:
I just got Harriet's spot reserved at Sean's current school to start as soon as she turns 2. Her first day will be September 8 and she's thrilled!
Harriet continues to amaze us with her new words. Today she learned: salami and turkey. She's also come up with a few new funny word combinations. My favorite one is: "full fish" which means she wants a cup of milk or juice in her sippy cup. Her favorite sippy cups are Finding Nemo themed, hence the "fish" reference.
Birthdays:
Congratulations to C and D to the recent birth of their son, S. Tomorrow Sean goes to another birthday party. After I finish this post I need to wrap the birthday gift. Then on Sunday we are going to the park for the first birthday for Trevor, our neighbor down the hill.
Desiree Balloon: 04/25/08
It's Friday and time to sum up the ways that people came to my site in the past week.
The top 10 searches of April 18-24:
- "prince edward island" desiree balloon "same birthday":
People are still looking for this strange string. So this week, I'm giving you an image of a balloon that I did back in July 2003.
- "a church of her own" sarah sentilles:
I'm reviewing and giving away a copy of A Church of Her Own. The contest ends May 11th at 11 PM Pacific Time.
- "robert reed":
I reviewed his story "Five Thrillers" on April 4th.
- "roi designs" pasadena:
I was interviewed in the February 2005 issue of ROI Designs.
- edward gorey, gashly:
I did a series of Bryce renders in 2007 based on Gorey's Gashly Crumb Tinies.
- giveaway books:
I am giving away a number of books.
- jeanne illenye biography:
I am a regular reader of Jeanne Illenye's blog.
- letter drawings:
I did a series of letter drawings in 2006.
- number the stars test:
I don't have any tests on Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, but I did write a review on March 4, 2008.
- "a new science of cities":
Check out my review of The City by Allen J Scott and Edward W Soja.
search | logs | traffic
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How Do You Go to the Bathroom in Space? 04/24/08
William R. Pogue served as an astronaut on a number of missions including the last Skylab mission. His book How Do You Go to the Bathroom in Space? presents a number of questions and answers (246 in the most recent edition according to Pogue's website) about life in space. The book is aimed at readers aged 9 to 12 and it is a solid introduction to the space program and a number of other topics.
I happened to read a 1985 copy that had been retired from a local school library and the book felt dated. It's nice to know that there are newer editions available (1991 and 1999).
From reading reviews of this book on various online sites, I can see that it is still very well received especially in the elementary schools. Reading it out of context, in a local coffee shop, I found the book a bit dull in places. The book works best as a reference material, rather than something to read cover to cover in one sitting.
books | nonfiction | nasa | william r pogue
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Booking Through Thursday: Spring: 04/24/08
Do your reading habits change in the Spring? Do you read gardening books? Even if you don't have a garden? More light fiction than during the Winter? Less? Travel books? Light paperbacks you can stick in a knapsack?
Or do you pretty much read the same kinds of things in the Spring as you do the rest of the year?
I don't plan my reading around the change of seasons. My reading schedule is determined by a number of factors: which books I have offered to other BookCrossing members through BookObsessed; which books I have been sent to review; the theme of the reading challenges I'm participating in; which books my children have checked out from the library; and finally my own whims.
For instance, I am reading Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies because the April theme for the Ultimate Reading Challenge is numbers even though it's a Christmas story. On the other hand, I recently read The Butterfly Alphabet Book, a decidedly spring book because my son checked it out from the library.
booking through thursday | books
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Ella Enchanted: 04/23/08
My husband has been wanting me to read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine now for about four years and I've been blowing him off. To make things right, I decided to read the book as my first selection for this year's Spring Reading Thing. Neither of us have seen the film so I won't be comparing the two.
As can be expected from the title, Ella Enchanted is based on the Cinderella fairy tale. In this version, Ella is short for Eleanor. The hook to this retelling is that Ella has been blessed (or cursed) with the gift of obedience. She must follow all direct orders even if they might cause her harm or cause her to harm others. While all the key points of the fairy tale are there the story is really Ella's quest to break the curse.
The book is roughly divided into four parts: childhood, school, remarriage and the ball. The remarriage of Ella's father is the part where novel gets forced back on track with the fairy tale. The change in tone is jarring and frustrating. By the ball the book stops playing connect the dots and goes back to telling a good story that only bears a passing resemblance to the fairy tale.
What I liked best about Ella Enchanted was the inclusion of all the different languages and cultures (both for humans and non-humans). I liked how the novel explained the ever absent father from the fairy tale without making him evil or impotent. I also liked the ongoing friendship between Ella and Char so that his decision to seek her hand in marriage after the ball was based on more than just a dropped shoe and a nice dance.
Having now read and more or less enjoyed the novel I think I'll have to rent the film one of these days.
Read the reviews by UMF EDU 302, Brookerz Books, Bookfrog, Anthony Carian, A Little Book Review.
books | fantasy | spring reading thing | gail carson levine
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#55: Armchair Traveling: 04/23/08
Thursday Thirteen is doing a vacation theme this week. Here are thirteen books for armchair traveling.
1. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene. Sierra Leone. |
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2. The Other Log of Phileas Fogg by Philip José Farmer. How about a trip around the world? |
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3. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. London. |
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4. Immortal by Traci L. Slatton. Italy. |
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5. Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward. Cape Cod and South Africa. |
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6. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird. Colorado. |
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7. Midnight Sun by Elwood Reid. Alaska |
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8. Letters from Iceland by W. H. Auden and Louis MacNeice. Iceland. |
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9. Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters. Egypt. |
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10. The Secret River by Kate Grenville. Along the Hawkesbury River, Australia. |
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11. Cereus Blooms a Night by Shani Mootoo. Near the Bahamas. |
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12. Barren Lives by Gracilliano Ramos. Brazil. |
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13. The Ebb-Tide by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne. The South Pacific. |
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thursday thirteen | books
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There's No Such Place as Far Away: 04/23/08
There's No Such Place as Far Away was written by Richard Bach as a birthday gift for Rae Hansen in 1976. The gist of book is an existential explanation as to why he couldn't make the party and why neither of them should grieve over it.
I have to admit I'm not a fan of Bach's writing. I suffered through the "beloved" Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) in 8th grade and wouldn't have read this short book were it not for H. Lee Shapiro's beautiful water color illustrations. Shapiro's birds in flight and his vibrant use of color make an otherwise ho-hum bit of philosophical platitudes into something magical.
The book is only 48 pages long and worth a quick read if only for Shapiro's artwork.
Read the reviews on Copous Chatter, Nameless.
books | philosophy | richard bach | h lee shapiro
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London Orbital: 04/22/08
London Orbital by Iain Sinclair is an interesting counterpoint to Mrs. P's Journey by Sarah Hartley. It is part map and part memoir of the outer fringes of London where the M25 makes its 125 mile (give or take) loop around the city.
Sinclair's walk in the late 1990s was inspired by his hatred for the Millennium dome. Walking and mapping the areas around the M25 became a way to cleanse the palette. He broke the walk up into seven parts, working anticlockwise around the fringes of the highway.
I enjoyed the first half of the book but as he came around the back half of his travels it became more of the same. Six hundred pages was just more time than I wanted to spend touring along the edge of the M25. The book could have been shorter with fewer asides and tangents.
I think that readers more familiar with the area will find the book more interesting. Likewise, I don't know that a Londoner who had never been to East Bay would find Castro Valley all that interesting either. While it wasn't among my favorite nonfiction books I've read so far this year, I did learn a few things. I recommend this book to readers familiar with London. Readers who aren't should take the book slowly and have a map handy.
Read the reviwes by Book Club, tesugen.
books | nonfiction | london | iain sinclair
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342,745 Ways to Herd Cats, OR tl;dr: 04/22/08
Bottle of Shine has started a reading challenge. The idea is to get participants to read and review 3 books from a list that has been generated by the participants.
Step 1 in the process is to recommend 10 beloved books. The list must be in the form of something that Bottle of Shine can link to for the other participants to see.
Without further ado, here are my top ten books. I haven't necessarily reviewed them here but they are still nonetheless favorites.
- The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted by Harry Harrison
- Cats Are Not Peas by Laura Gould
- Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene
- The Active-Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch by E. W. Hildick
- Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. Dick
- Tommy's Tale by Alan Cumming
- The High Road to China by Jon Cleary
- Sahara by Clive Cussler
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Better Than Running at Night by Hillary Frank
That's my list of recommendations.
Step 2: Is let Bottle of Shine know about your list and your interest in participating. Contact info is available on the original post.
Step 3: Browse the master list to come up with the 3 or more books you want to read.
Step 4: Read the books from May 1 - November 30, 2008.
Step 5: Review the books.
Step 6: Share the permalinks to the reviews (link to be provided)
From the master list, I will read:
- Girl Genius: Omnibus Edition #1 by by Kaja and Phil Foglio
- The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones
- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
- Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
- Mort by Terry Pratchett
reading challenge | books | bottleofshine
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Sausage: 04/22/08
This week's theme at Raven's Range is "sausage." The first thing that popped into mind (and you can see my comment on her blog) was bangers and mash. I suppose with being an American I should be thinking hot dogs or maybe breakfast sausage but I prefer the English banger. Our local grocery store sells them in packs of four and they make the perfect quick family meal. We sometimes have them with bubbles and squeak.
When I'm not eating bangers, I also like bratwurst with German potato salad. When I was an undergraduate at UCSB my favorite lunch before a long film lecture was a bratwurst with sauerkraut and a side of potato salad. It was hot, greasy and mustardy goodness.
One type of sausage I don't like is the breakfast sausage. It just doesn't taste right to me.
I wonder how many searches for "puss eating sausage" will bring in traffic to my site this week. Tee hee.
If you have something to say on the subject of "sausage" check out Linda's meme. Here are the rules:
- Create the post on your own blog between Monday and Friday.
- Include a link back here with explanation of what you’re doing.
- Post a link to your own post as a comment in the current meme post. (Here!)
A Traveller in Time: 04/21/08
You'll probably notice the different spelling. I'm going with the British spelling as A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley is a British novel. As the title implies, the novel is a time travel story but the time travel is a method for uniting the present (1934) with a wonderfully told historical fiction set around the Babington Plot.
Penelope Thacker is a bit fey as apparently all the Penelopes in the Thacker family and she begins to experience things from the past but try as she might, she cannot change them. As Penelope begins to live half her life in the past she learns how to live in the 1580s. Alison Uttley fills the world of the Thacker Manor with the mundane details of running a home and farm along with the big events surrounding the imprisoning of Mary Stuart.
Uttley's novel has enough historical information to teach the basics of the Babington Plot without hitting one over the head with facts, dates and figures. Readers knowledgeable of the events will enjoy filling in the missing details. Readers not as familiar with the history can still follow along and enjoy the time travel aspects of the novel.
Read the reviews by Nicola Daisies.
books | fantasy | historical fiction | alison uttley
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Flu and Stuff: 04/21/08
It's the third week in April and I feel like the month has gone by in a daze. I've had a few people (mostly family) ask me what we've been up to so here's a brief update.
The Flu:
Harriet came down with it first around the start of the month. I came down with it right after she was well. For Harriet it was a four day illness; for me it was ten days. Then Ian and Sean got the flu almost back to back. Sean missed a birthday party yesterday and school today.
Sean:
Sean's ability to read has really taken off. It has lead to some embarrassing conversations. Top on my list of awkward conversations: what are hooters? He read the Hooters sign while we were on our way to a BookCrossing meeting. I knew he'd ask eventually since their logo is an owl and he's an owl fiend.
Harriet:
Harriet meanwhile is learning how to talk. She's had a huge vocabulary for about nine months but recently she's actually been trying to use it for communication. She's developed a short hand lexicon for the things she's most interested in. Her newest addition to this list is "up and down" which means any action she wants someone to do. She uses it if: she wants to be picked up, if she wants to be let out of her booster seat, if she wants something opened or if she wants something closed.
Stuff:
Puss Reboots was the site of the week at She Who Blogs on April 13th. Yesterday I won a cartoon trivia tie-breaker at Pop Culture Dish.
sean | harriet | ian | sarah
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Win Dark Summit: 04/21/08
I am pleased to announce a new book giveaway: Dark Summit by Nick Heil.
The contest runs from today through 11PM Pacific time on May 21st.
If you are interested in winning this book, please leave a comment on this post. The comment must include in at least two sentences your reason for wanting to read the book. Just leaving your name or "enter me" (or similar) will not count. This blog uses "do follow" in all links so if you have a blog, please include your URL. The contest is open to any country where the United States postal service sends packages. I will mail the book out to the winner on June 2, 2008.
I will contact the winner via email on May 22nd and announce the winner publicly as soon as I have verified the mailing address. The winner has 72 hours (3 days) to respond with a mailing address. If the winner does not respond within that time a new winner will be picked.
One entry per person / IP Address.
Here is the book description
Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
By Nick Heil
Published by Henry Holt
April 2008; $26.00US; 978-0-8050-8310-1
The Harrowing True Story of the Deadly and Controversial 2006 Climbing Season on Everest
On May 15, 2006, a young British climber named David Sharp lay dying near the top of Mount Everest while forty other climbers walked past him on their way to the summit. A week later, Lincoln Hall, a seasoned Australian climber, was left for dead near the same spot. Hall's death was reported around the world, but the next day he was found alive after spending the night on the upper mountain with no food and no shelter.
If David Sharp's death was shocking, it was hardly singular: Despite unusually good weather, ten others died attempting to reach the summit that year. In this meticulous inquiry into what went wrong, Nick Heil tells the full story of the deadliest year on Everest since the infamous season of 1996. He introduces Russell Brice, the commercial operator who had done more than anyone to provide access to the summit via the mountain's north side — and who some believe was partly accountable for Sharp's death. As more climbers attempt the summit each year, Heil shows how increasingly risky expeditions and unscrupulous outfitters threaten to turn Everest into a deadly circus.
Written by an experienced climber and outdoor writer, Dark Summit is both a riveting account of a notorious climbing season and a troubling investigation into whether the pursuit of the ultimate mountaineering prize has spiraled out of control.
Author
Nick Heil first wrote about the 2006 climbing season for Men's Journal. Now a freelance journalist based in Santa Fe, he was a senior editor at Outside from 1999 to 2006. He has also worked as a climbing and skiing instructor and has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America.
books | nonfiction | contest | nick heil
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Upcoming Reviews for the Week of April 21: 04/21/08
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you probably noticed a slow down in the number of posts I made this week. The flu has hit this home and while I'm now over it, my husband and son both have it. Some of my blog time has been going taking care of my family.
I unfortunately didn't get through all of last week's planned reviews, nor have I done as much reading as I normally do. I hope things get back to normal soon.
This week's selection will be heavy in the science fiction and fantasy genres. There will be a bunch of children's books and two non fiction books for adults: London Orbital by Iain Sinclair and Fast Profits in Hard Times by Jordan E. Goodman. I am giving away Fast Profits in Hard Times and you can learn about the contest here.
Upcoming reviews include:
books | pussreboots | reviews | blog
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Winner Announced for Blood Matters: 04/21/08
I am pleased to announce the winner of Blood Matters by Masha Gessen. The lucky winner is Mary Dunigan. I will be mailing her the book on May 2nd.
If you would like to learn more about the book, please read my April 18th review. If you would like to buy a copy, please consider supporting this blog by purchasing it through Amazon.
Read the reviews at Grace Notes and Writing Doctor's Blog.
books | nonfiction | contest | masha gessen
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Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus: 04/20/08
The Junie B. Jones series starts off with Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus in which Junie starts kindergarten an has to learn how to ride the bus to and from school.
Over all, I like the books from the series I've read. See for example my review of Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime from November 2006. Unfortunately, the series gets a rough start. Junie here is acting much too young and her parents and teacher don't seem wiling to give her the support she obviously needs to get over her fears of kindergarten and of riding the bus.
The story is broken up into three parts: Junie meets her new teacher, Junie goes to school, and Junie refuses to ride the bus home. Junie is normally braver and stronger willed than she is in the first book. I can't imagine any of the kindergartners I know deciding to hide in a closet while the school closes, yet this is exactly what Junie does.
Happily in the later books in the series, Barbara Park gets a handle on Junie B. Jones's personality and she starts to act like a more typical child her age. Don't let this first rough book put you off the series if you haven't read it yet.
Read the reviews by Kelly's Journal and Bever's Book Blog.
books | childrens | junie b jones | barbara park
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Oh Boy, Boston! 04/19/08
Oh Boy, Boston follows the Polk Street kids on a field trip to Boston to participate in a kite festival and a reenactment of Paul Revere's ride.
Richard "Beast" Best who I gather is the "tough" for the series, has been cast as Paul Revere except that he doesn't care the least about the trip or the play. Of course for this book to teach its lessons through the Beast's blundering, the teachers have to remain blind to his complete apathy over the play and the trip.
When the story isn't following the Beast as he slumps along from one mishap to another, the book is following the children's attempts to keep a stowaway dog out of site and out of trouble. What the dog's name is or who he belongs to (beyond belonging to another of the Polk Street students) escapes me.
The fictional bit of the book is nothing special. It's fairly typical poorly disguised morality play and history lesson. The second half of the book has an extended appendix explaining the different sites the Polk Street kids saw on their trip to Boston. Here is where the book gets interesting. The book even includes photographs of some historical markers so any Markeroons out there with children might consider finding a copy of the book if they are doing some family snarfing in Boston.
books | childrens | markeroni | patricia reilly giff
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Blood Matters: 04/18/08
Blood Matters is a thin volume packed with information on recent advances in the science of genetics told in a very personal manner. Masha Gessen was inspired to write Blood Matters after learning she had a mutation that increases her risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
In the first chapter when Gessen is recounting her mother's death and her own fears about breast cancer I was reluctant to keep reading. I was afraid the book would be nothing more than a gnashing of teeth and self pity. Fortunately after introducing the reason behind the book Gessen gets on to the science and her own process of learning about it.
Blood Matters is broken into three parts: The Past, The Present and The Future. In the first part, Gessen places herself in the context of genetic science both as a potential cancer sufferer and as an Ashkenazi Jew. In the second part she looks at how genetic testing is being used now in mainstream healthcare and by certain communities. In the final part she wraps up with where the science of genetics is going and who is driving these advances.
As this is a memoir and a layman's introduction to genetics and the human genome, I am reminded fondly of Laura Gould's book on calico genetics, Cats Are Not Peas. I actually ended up enjoying the book so much that I will probably get myself a copy to keep as reference material, right next to my copy of Cats Are Not Peas.
If you are interested in winning my review copy, please see the rules on the original post. The contest ends at 11 PM Pacific time on April 20th. Comments left on this review will not count as entries!
books | nonfiction | contest | masha gessen
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Searching for Prince Edward Island: 04/18/08
It's Friday and time to sum up the ways that people came to my site in the past week.
The top 10 searches of April 11-17:
- "prince edward island" desiree balloon "same birthday":
This strange search is up from #8. I still don't know what "desiree balloon" means. I can tell you that I've written two reviews of L. M. Montgomery books: Pat of Silver Bush and Jane of Lantern Hill.
- free bryce 5 objects:
As always, the Bryce 5 objects are available on the Bryce 5 Freebie pages.
- puss:
Holding steady at #3, people are still looking for puss. Sorry guys... no porn here. Just pussy cats.
- affinity pussreboots:
Down from #2; I have written a review of J. N. Williamson's Affinity. At BookCrossing, I wrote a review of Sarah Water's Affinity.
- "a church of her own":
I am currently giving away this book. The contest ends May 11. Rules and info | Enter here
- an acquaintance with darkness packet:
I wrote a book review of An Acquaintance with Darkness by Ann Rinaldi on December 18, 2006.
- fast profits in hard times:
I am also giving away this book.
- jeanne illenye biography:
I am a regular reader of Jeanne Illenye's blog.
- language used in a christmas carol by charles dickens:
I wrote a review of A Christmas Carol on October 18, 2007.
- leadership brand:
I gave away a copy of this book a few weeks ago. I also reviewed it on March 25, 2008.
Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? 04/17/08
Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? by Avi is a good introduction to the literary mystery. Think of it as akin to The Bookman's Promise but for younger readers.
Here detectives are fraternal twins Becky and Toby. Becky has the bad luck of being accused of stealing a set rare books that had been set aside for the library sale: The Wizard of Oz, The Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan, and Through the Looking Glass.
While The Wizard of Oz is the impetus for the mystery, the heart and soul of the mystery is hidden away in Lewis Carroll's works. Avi walks the reader through the key points of each of the missing novels but a basic understanding of the books will make the mystery all the more enjoyable.
books | childrens | mystery | avi
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Booking Through Thursday: Vocabulary: 04/17/08
Suggested by Nithin:
I've always wondered what other people do when they come across a word/phrase that they've never heard before. I mean, do they jot it down on paper so they can look it up later, or do they stop reading to look it up on the dictionary/google it or do they just continue reading and forget about the word?
When I was in high school I was required by my English teachers to keep a journal of all the unfamiliar words I had found while reading. I was supposed to write down the words, look them up and then write a sample sentence to show my new understanding of the word. I think I had to do this for tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades. Although it was a chore, especially since I was a voracious reader, it did help me increase my vocabulary.
The second time I used the journal approach to unknown words and phrases was when I was studying to take my GRE. I remember that time my then fiancé (now husband) and I did the journal together and we ended up teaching each other a few words. The one I remember best: celerity.
Now when I'm reading I don't bother with the journal or with looking up unknown words. Nearly twenty years of daily reading has made my need for the journal a thing of the past. I'm pretty adept now at learning new words and phrases in the context they're used in the book.
If an unknown word or phrase ends up being a key motif to a book, then I will look it up before I write my review to make sure I haven't misinterpreted the book by misunderstanding the word or phrase.
booking through thursday | books
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Win Stone Gods: 04/17/08
I am pleased to announce a new book giveaway: Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson.
The contest runs from today through 11PM Pacific time on May 17th.
If you are interested in winning this book, please leave a comment on this post. The comment must include your reason for wanting to read the book. Just leaving your name or "enter me" (or similar) will not count. This blog uses "do follow" in all links so if you have a blog, please include your URL. The contest is open to any country where the United States postal service sends packages. I will mail the book out to the winner on June 2, 2008.
I will contact the winner via email on May 18th and announce the winner publicly as soon as I have verified the mailing address. The winner has 72 hours (3 days) to respond with a mailing address. If the winner does not respond within that time a new winner will be picked.
One entry per person / household.
Here is the book description
THE STONE GODS (Harcourt; April 1, 2008; 224 pages; ISBN: 978-015-101491-0; $24.00).
THE STONE GODS introduces Billie Crusoe, an anti-heroine who is becoming increasingly alienated by her home planet—a polluted, Orwellian world of mandatory plastic surgery and genetic "fixing"— and follows her as she joins a crew of misfits: a vapid contest winner, a swashbuckling captain named Handsome, and a beautiful "robo-sapiens"— in a journey to a new and unspoiled planet, where mankind will hopefully start over anew. What begins as a witty, satirical futurist adventure deepens into a time-traveling exploration of our relationship to environment, to power and technology, and to what defines us as humans.
books | fiction | contest | jeanette winterson
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This week I'm looking at the how the color green is used on book covers. With each example I have provided a sample of the color and the hexadecimal number for it.
1. The Company of Cats edited by Michael J. Rosen The green in hex is: |
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2. Q & A by Vikas Swarup. The letters are made of two greens: |
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3. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. The green here is: |
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4. Mommy Hugs by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben. The green here is: #79A62F |
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5. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami. The green at the top is: #A8D03E |
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6. The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac. #08E58E |
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7. Imaginative Still Life by Moira Huntly #5D823A |
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8. A Little Twist of Texas by Linda R. Moore. #65B867 and #006600 |
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9. Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley #56883D |
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10. The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope. #625C33 |
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