I love reading - books, magazines, newsletters, press releases, you name it, I read almost everything (except recipes). I guess I'm an optimist, as I typically check out more books than I can read and order more magazines and newspapers than I can digest. So, I'm trying like the dickens to read all my old periodicals before the new year and new reading resolutions take hold. That's right, I'm a bag lady.
I tote magazines, books, newspaper clippings, and other stuff in a canvas bag anywhere I think I might have a chance to read. This week, the dentist's office.
There I really got into a Newsweek article (from OCTOBER! How embarrassing!) about how killing germs may be killing us, and another about campaign reform. I also enjoyed one from the Columbus Dispatch about a restoration of an old airplane recently underway in Urbana.
Maybe you're catching up, too? Let me know...
Meanwhile, no books for me until I'm done with about five pounds of magazines including Scientific American, National Geographic, Design News, Discover... and a New Year's resolution to read them rather than pile them up. (Who knows? Someday I may be looking for a new use for my magazine racks!)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Graphic Novels - Good & Bad
I just read The Plain Janes and loved it! But I finished it in 40 minutes! I hate it when that happens.
Which is the good and bad in this revelation, folks. I learned that a good writer (Cecil Castelluci) and a good illustrator (Jim Rugg) can turn out a very good story, even if it looks like a comic book. (Admission: this bookworm never liked comic books. A character flaw, I've been told.) It's just over too quickly!
I've just begun Castelluci's other 2005 release, Boy Proof, and so far, I'm less enamored. I'm only on page 25 and already I've tallied at least a dozen bad words, including several F-words. Realistic dialog, maybe. But still... not a plus in my book. More later. I also already know I'll forgive Castellucci - the story is off to a pretty good start.
Which is the good and bad in this revelation, folks. I learned that a good writer (Cecil Castelluci) and a good illustrator (Jim Rugg) can turn out a very good story, even if it looks like a comic book. (Admission: this bookworm never liked comic books. A character flaw, I've been told.) It's just over too quickly!
I've just begun Castelluci's other 2005 release, Boy Proof, and so far, I'm less enamored. I'm only on page 25 and already I've tallied at least a dozen bad words, including several F-words. Realistic dialog, maybe. But still... not a plus in my book. More later. I also already know I'll forgive Castellucci - the story is off to a pretty good start.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Rules of the Road Driven by Characters
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer features well-developed characters driving a fairly predictable story about growing up. The story isn't developed enough for me to consider it a coming-of-age story, exactly, but I think it's worth recommending to the 12-15 or 16 y.o. set.
Bauer's language keeps the story moving, and the pace of things ramps up very nicely when it should - during action-sequences and other tense moments.
Not wanting to offer a major spoiler, here's the story in a nutshell: Sixteen-year-old Jenna Boller, in a self-diagnosed "slump," feels like her job (selling shoes at Gladstone's) is the only area of her life where she succeeds. When her alcoholic father returns to annoy her, and the about-to-retire Mrs. Gladstone asks Jenna to drive her to Texas for the annual shareholders' meeting, fate hands Jenna the keys to her future. From Chicago to Texas, Jenna learns she can handle the road, a few demons from her own past, and the challenge of the future. A new hairstyle in the process helps.
I don't mean to trivialize the book (or the power or the right hairstyle) but folks, this is a book for girls.
As an aspiring fiction writer, I'm keeping the book on my shelf because I think Bauer provides a good example of getting the pacing right. I'm also hoping my daughter will pick it up off the shelf. While the plot line seemed rather obvious to me and there are too many cliches for my liking, the fact is, that's OK in YA fiction. We grownups who read kid lit have to remember that when it seems obvious or cliched to us it may not be to our kids, who haven't read quite as much or for as long as we have.
Related links:
This Fun Trivia quiz about Rules of the Road was created for kids, but I enjoyed it (and you might too) as a way to test my tired old brain. (I did OK. How 'bout you?) And homeschoolers or teachers may appreciate this http://www.joanbauer.com/rulesguide/index.htm teaching guide, designed for 8th-9th graders.
Bauer's language keeps the story moving, and the pace of things ramps up very nicely when it should - during action-sequences and other tense moments.
Not wanting to offer a major spoiler, here's the story in a nutshell: Sixteen-year-old Jenna Boller, in a self-diagnosed "slump," feels like her job (selling shoes at Gladstone's) is the only area of her life where she succeeds. When her alcoholic father returns to annoy her, and the about-to-retire Mrs. Gladstone asks Jenna to drive her to Texas for the annual shareholders' meeting, fate hands Jenna the keys to her future. From Chicago to Texas, Jenna learns she can handle the road, a few demons from her own past, and the challenge of the future. A new hairstyle in the process helps.
I don't mean to trivialize the book (or the power or the right hairstyle) but folks, this is a book for girls.
As an aspiring fiction writer, I'm keeping the book on my shelf because I think Bauer provides a good example of getting the pacing right. I'm also hoping my daughter will pick it up off the shelf. While the plot line seemed rather obvious to me and there are too many cliches for my liking, the fact is, that's OK in YA fiction. We grownups who read kid lit have to remember that when it seems obvious or cliched to us it may not be to our kids, who haven't read quite as much or for as long as we have.
Related links:
This Fun Trivia quiz about Rules of the Road was created for kids, but I enjoyed it (and you might too) as a way to test my tired old brain. (I did OK. How 'bout you?) And homeschoolers or teachers may appreciate this http://www.joanbauer.com/rulesguide/index.htm teaching guide, designed for 8th-9th graders.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
More Teen Lit, and a Revelation
Under the Watsons' Porch came highly recommended (by my 12-year-old) so I was anxious to read it, hoping to get a read on - well, a lot of things. Why she liked it, for one.
The Random House title written by Susan Shreve brought back some memories, pushing me somewhat reluctantly to recall how uneasy and unpleasant one can feel just being 12. In fact, what I remember most about being 12 was how badly I wanted to be 13.
The Watsons' story is a rather simple one: good girl meets mildly bad boy, and they get into some mild trouble together. The good and bad thing about the book, IMHO, is that it's too mild. Bad boy Tommy Bowers isn't nearly as bad as his neighborhood reputation. Shoplifting a couple of bags of lollipops and sneaking into an R-rated movie after purchasing a ticket for a PG-rated film is about the extent of his crimes. Good girl Ellie Tremont lies to cover a few of her and Tommy's escapades, but otherwise, she's good through and through. I found the supporting cast rather one-dimensional, too.
One-dimensional characters in "too mild" stories don't make great fiction, folks, but if ten-to-thirteen year olds like it, this mama is happy. Why? There's an abundance of books (including a few on our "to-read" shelf) dealing with suicide, mutilation, rape, drugs, and, and, and - and I'm referring only to the teen-lit books on our shelf!
My daughter said she liked Watsons' because it was a "romance," and frankly, folks, if the story fills her romantic interests at this point I say, "yippee!"
Still, in defense of (good) teen lit, I must say I'm still not a fan of Watsons'. There are lots of titles that are just as mild in their treatment of sex, drugs, and other stuff we don't want our 10-to-13-year-olds to read about, but that have better characters, and greater impact. For that reason, Under the Watsons' Porch won't earn a spot on my shelf. Unless you're hard up for reading matter, I suggest you skip it.
On the other hand, there's Rules of the Road... which I've only just begun, and therefore won't attempt to review. Let's just say I'm already making room on my shelf already so I can keep it around. It was recommended to me by the very fine writer Marsha McGregor. By page two, I had a revelation: when a writer recommends a book, it's probably a really good one. (Thanks, Marsha.) More on Rules of the Road later.
The Random House title written by Susan Shreve brought back some memories, pushing me somewhat reluctantly to recall how uneasy and unpleasant one can feel just being 12. In fact, what I remember most about being 12 was how badly I wanted to be 13.
The Watsons' story is a rather simple one: good girl meets mildly bad boy, and they get into some mild trouble together. The good and bad thing about the book, IMHO, is that it's too mild. Bad boy Tommy Bowers isn't nearly as bad as his neighborhood reputation. Shoplifting a couple of bags of lollipops and sneaking into an R-rated movie after purchasing a ticket for a PG-rated film is about the extent of his crimes. Good girl Ellie Tremont lies to cover a few of her and Tommy's escapades, but otherwise, she's good through and through. I found the supporting cast rather one-dimensional, too.
One-dimensional characters in "too mild" stories don't make great fiction, folks, but if ten-to-thirteen year olds like it, this mama is happy. Why? There's an abundance of books (including a few on our "to-read" shelf) dealing with suicide, mutilation, rape, drugs, and, and, and - and I'm referring only to the teen-lit books on our shelf!
My daughter said she liked Watsons' because it was a "romance," and frankly, folks, if the story fills her romantic interests at this point I say, "yippee!"
Still, in defense of (good) teen lit, I must say I'm still not a fan of Watsons'. There are lots of titles that are just as mild in their treatment of sex, drugs, and other stuff we don't want our 10-to-13-year-olds to read about, but that have better characters, and greater impact. For that reason, Under the Watsons' Porch won't earn a spot on my shelf. Unless you're hard up for reading matter, I suggest you skip it.
On the other hand, there's Rules of the Road... which I've only just begun, and therefore won't attempt to review. Let's just say I'm already making room on my shelf already so I can keep it around. It was recommended to me by the very fine writer Marsha McGregor. By page two, I had a revelation: when a writer recommends a book, it's probably a really good one. (Thanks, Marsha.) More on Rules of the Road later.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Support Your Local Authors
Well, now that I've had a bit of eggnog my holiday grumpiness is (almost) gone and I'm really excited because I just found the perfect gift for one of my favorite neighbors. It's The Christmas Dragon, written by Mary Ryan and illustrated by Susan Collette - a couple of talented and very nice Northeast Ohio residents. It's a chapter book for ages 7 - 10.
The Christmas Dragon came out too late for Amazon to pick it up in time for the holidays, but Mary is nice enough to handle sales until the giant e-store can. To snag a copy, contact dragonseedpress@aol.com, or catch Mary at a signing in Cleveland in the next couple of weeks. She'll be at The Learned Owl in Hudson, at Fireside in Chagrin Falls, and B&N in Mentor. The times and dates are listed at GoCityKids - and while you're there, you can search for other local author events or just use my keystrokes here.
Cheers!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Censorship Sucks, I Hate Shopping, and ...
Happy Thanksgiving. But seriously, I do hate shopping.
Regardless, I was thrilled to find this site, where book-lovers can buy buttons and stickers and even t-shirts that proclaim, "I read banned books."
Because a genuine ho-ho-happy holidays spirit never catches up with me until my Christmas shopping is done, I tend to rush through stores, online and off, before Halloween. This year, I'm behind schedule, and taking a different tack - one that, I hope, results in giving more gifts "made in the USA" than made in China. It ain't easy, but fortunately, I've found many books that are printed in the USA. Ditto for Post-it notes, and a lot of specialty paper items. Go figure. Or go write.
My favorite gift items this year are show tickets. I suspect the US exports more "entertainment" than anything else, so I feel like I'm supporting the home team with my purchases of DVDs, movie theater passes, and tickets to local and regional theater productions. Plus, it's nice to get out with the family to be entertained.
Heaven knows I could entertain myself for years with all the books on my shelves and at the library, but let's face it, once the kids hit a certain age, we just don't do a lot of reading to each other. Sigh.
Speaking of books for the read-to-me set, though, those certainly make great gifts. To make bookish gifts extra-special, I've enjoyed picking ones penned by local authors and getting autographed copies. Ohio authors you might be lucky to catch at area bookstores:
LeeAnn Blankenship, author of Mr. Tuggle's Troubles (Boyd's Mill Press, 2005)
Jeanine Garsee, author of Before, After, and Somebody in Between (Bloomsbury, 2007)
Annette Sheldon, author of Big Sister Now (Magination Press, 2006)
Joan Arbogast, author of Buildings in Disguise (Boyd's Mill Press, 2004)
If you've got favorite local authors, speak up!
Regardless, I was thrilled to find this site, where book-lovers can buy buttons and stickers and even t-shirts that proclaim, "I read banned books."
Because a genuine ho-ho-happy holidays spirit never catches up with me until my Christmas shopping is done, I tend to rush through stores, online and off, before Halloween. This year, I'm behind schedule, and taking a different tack - one that, I hope, results in giving more gifts "made in the USA" than made in China. It ain't easy, but fortunately, I've found many books that are printed in the USA. Ditto for Post-it notes, and a lot of specialty paper items. Go figure. Or go write.
My favorite gift items this year are show tickets. I suspect the US exports more "entertainment" than anything else, so I feel like I'm supporting the home team with my purchases of DVDs, movie theater passes, and tickets to local and regional theater productions. Plus, it's nice to get out with the family to be entertained.
Heaven knows I could entertain myself for years with all the books on my shelves and at the library, but let's face it, once the kids hit a certain age, we just don't do a lot of reading to each other. Sigh.
Speaking of books for the read-to-me set, though, those certainly make great gifts. To make bookish gifts extra-special, I've enjoyed picking ones penned by local authors and getting autographed copies. Ohio authors you might be lucky to catch at area bookstores:
LeeAnn Blankenship, author of Mr. Tuggle's Troubles (Boyd's Mill Press, 2005)
Jeanine Garsee, author of Before, After, and Somebody in Between (Bloomsbury, 2007)
Annette Sheldon, author of Big Sister Now (Magination Press, 2006)
Joan Arbogast, author of Buildings in Disguise (Boyd's Mill Press, 2004)
If you've got favorite local authors, speak up!
Teen Lit Ain't So Bad
"Don't judge a book by its cover" may be my pick for the "old sayings that aren't worth a damn" hall of fame. Two examples I'd cite are 'old' titles Seventeenth Summer and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, both sporting new covers that are fresh enough to pique the interest of today's tweens and teens. Of course, it's the story between the covers that holds their interest.
Lest I sound like I'm pining for the good old days (what? of the 1970s? please!) I have to ballyhoo a few teen titles I've enjoyed immensely this year.
Andrew Clements' Things Not Seen, Jerry Spinelli's The Library Card and Stargirl are on the list. Cynthia Lord's debut, Rules, is probably going to secure my favorite-book-of-the-year award. (That means it earns a permanent spot on my bookshelf. Not a spot with a lot of elbow room, I assure you, but a longtime resting spot, just the same.)
I've recently finished Joseph Bruchac's Darby Creek title The Way. I picked it up thinking it aimed at reluctant readers (judging by its cover, I'll admit) and I was right. Darby Creek, located in Central Ohio, is a press that focuses on books for reluctant readers, and The Way is a 2007 release that conforms to the style deemed appropriate: short (155 pages), with an action-packed plot and a likable, young narrator. In this case, the narrator is 15-year-old Cody LeBeau, who's been picked on in plenty of schools as his family has moved. Just as his family is falling apart, an uncle he didn't know he had appears to stay for awhile, and teach Cody some important techniques, and even more important philosophies, of martial arts. Cody uses them well - up to and including thwarting a planned act of terrible violence at his school.
It is a good story and it does keep up a nice, gotta-turn-to-the-next-page-pace, but - and I hate to cast stones at an author who has more than 100 books to his credit! - I felt Bruchac got way too didactic in several sections, particularly in the second half of the book. At those points, I didn't hear Cody's voice, I heard the author giving advice. Regardless, I'll keep it in mind for a few boys I know...
What do you like in Middle Grade or YA this year?
Lest I sound like I'm pining for the good old days (what? of the 1970s? please!) I have to ballyhoo a few teen titles I've enjoyed immensely this year.
Andrew Clements' Things Not Seen, Jerry Spinelli's The Library Card and Stargirl are on the list. Cynthia Lord's debut, Rules, is probably going to secure my favorite-book-of-the-year award. (That means it earns a permanent spot on my bookshelf. Not a spot with a lot of elbow room, I assure you, but a longtime resting spot, just the same.)
I've recently finished Joseph Bruchac's Darby Creek title The Way. I picked it up thinking it aimed at reluctant readers (judging by its cover, I'll admit) and I was right. Darby Creek, located in Central Ohio, is a press that focuses on books for reluctant readers, and The Way is a 2007 release that conforms to the style deemed appropriate: short (155 pages), with an action-packed plot and a likable, young narrator. In this case, the narrator is 15-year-old Cody LeBeau, who's been picked on in plenty of schools as his family has moved. Just as his family is falling apart, an uncle he didn't know he had appears to stay for awhile, and teach Cody some important techniques, and even more important philosophies, of martial arts. Cody uses them well - up to and including thwarting a planned act of terrible violence at his school.
It is a good story and it does keep up a nice, gotta-turn-to-the-next-page-pace, but - and I hate to cast stones at an author who has more than 100 books to his credit! - I felt Bruchac got way too didactic in several sections, particularly in the second half of the book. At those points, I didn't hear Cody's voice, I heard the author giving advice. Regardless, I'll keep it in mind for a few boys I know...
What do you like in Middle Grade or YA this year?
More Like Animal Dreams, Please
Barbara Kingsolver knows how to write. She describes people, places, things, and feelings in such a way - in only a few words - that they get under your skin, and you understand all you need to know about them. The language she uses isn't lengthy or flowery; it's overwhelmingly beautiful in its simple perfection.
While many writers can say a lot in a few words, what sets Kingsolver apart is how expertly she uses those few words to tell a story; even her descriptions move the action forward. Consider the expedient, but unrushed unfolding of Animal Dreams:
about the place, Grace, AZ: [p. 40]
about the shy doctor, the boyfriend left behind: [p. 41]
about going home: [p.69]
The main character and narrator of Animal Dreams is Codi, a self-described educated vagabond. Codi returns to her childhood home to check on her father, who may or may not be dying. I'm afraid to review the plot further, for fear I'd make the book sound like "just" another can't-go-home-again story, and that would be ridiculous.
In fact, for the most part, Animal Dreams is about going home, and within its pages, Kingsolver (once again) proves that a good storyteller can make even the oldest stories worth hearing again.
While many writers can say a lot in a few words, what sets Kingsolver apart is how expertly she uses those few words to tell a story; even her descriptions move the action forward. Consider the expedient, but unrushed unfolding of Animal Dreams:
about the place, Grace, AZ: [p. 40]
people here spent their childhoods tearing through the homes of their future in-laws
about the shy doctor, the boyfriend left behind: [p. 41]
He could face new flesh wounds each day at work, but he avoided actual people.
about going home: [p.69]
My father, the only real candidate for center of my universe, was content to sail his private sea and leave me on my own. I still held that against him. I hadn't thought before about how self-sufficiency could turn on your in old age or sickness. The captain was going down with his ship. It became possible for me to go back to Grace.
The main character and narrator of Animal Dreams is Codi, a self-described educated vagabond. Codi returns to her childhood home to check on her father, who may or may not be dying. I'm afraid to review the plot further, for fear I'd make the book sound like "just" another can't-go-home-again story, and that would be ridiculous.
In fact, for the most part, Animal Dreams is about going home, and within its pages, Kingsolver (once again) proves that a good storyteller can make even the oldest stories worth hearing again.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Barbara Kingsolver, beyond the Bible
Poisonwood Bible may be Barbara Kingsolver's best selling title, but fortunately it's not the only book she's given us. I'm soaking up Animal Dreams now. At about a third of the way into one of her books, I try to slow down, to a slow-motion crawl. Her books are that good to me - her characters so dear, and the stories so real that even though I know they're just ink on paper, I also know the end (of the book) is coming and I'll be a bit depressed when I'm done with it (and them).
Sigh.
In this case, of course, once I've closed Animal Dreams I'll have plenty of other reading to do. I picked up Team of Rivals at the library, again.
Sigh.
Sigh.
In this case, of course, once I've closed Animal Dreams I'll have plenty of other reading to do. I picked up Team of Rivals at the library, again.
Sigh.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Do You Wonder about Boys?
I wonder about boys. I've wondered about them about them just about as long as I can remember, as a matter of fact - and then I had one.
My son's nearly four now, and I'll admit up front, his gender absolutely is NOT the root of all of my parenting puzzlements.
In spite of the fact I just finished reading Michael Gurians's The Wonder of Boys, I'm no expert now. But I am a little um, do I dare say, wiser?
Like Gurian's The Wonder of Girls, Boys is written in easy-to-digest terms while the book presents plenty of data.
One of the reasons I like the book (and Gurian's style in general) is that Boys does NOT go down the "men-are-from-Mars" road. Instead, the author has skillfully selected a few choice phrases that are in the general vernacular while neither talking down to or over the heads of the "typical" reader. Smart guy, that Gurian.
Speaking of smart, Gurian spends practically no time discussing IQ test or how-to-handle-gifted-children, and does not head into any lengthy discussions of "lost" boys.
That said, I especially enjoyed Gurian's coverage of "The Way Boys Feel: Feelings and the Brain," where he describes eight common ways boys process their feelings and emotion. Yes, one of them is "going into the cave." Several of them seem quite closely related, I'll admit - the action-release method and the physical-expression method, for example - still, I nit pick.
As in The Wonder of Girls, Gurian again addresses most of his information to mothers. (Sorry, dads.) There is, I'm glad to report, no talk of the "artful" mother in Boys.
Overall, I'm glad I read the book, and I may pick it up to re-read in the future. While I do NOT feel the book is a handbook or reference to keep on my own shelf, Gurian's obvious knowledge and presentation style are a nice combination, and too rare, in my opinion, in the overcrowded parenting/pop psychology market.
Two thumbs up.
My son's nearly four now, and I'll admit up front, his gender absolutely is NOT the root of all of my parenting puzzlements.
In spite of the fact I just finished reading Michael Gurians's The Wonder of Boys, I'm no expert now. But I am a little um, do I dare say, wiser?
Like Gurian's The Wonder of Girls, Boys is written in easy-to-digest terms while the book presents plenty of data.
One of the reasons I like the book (and Gurian's style in general) is that Boys does NOT go down the "men-are-from-Mars" road. Instead, the author has skillfully selected a few choice phrases that are in the general vernacular while neither talking down to or over the heads of the "typical" reader. Smart guy, that Gurian.
Speaking of smart, Gurian spends practically no time discussing IQ test or how-to-handle-gifted-children, and does not head into any lengthy discussions of "lost" boys.
That said, I especially enjoyed Gurian's coverage of "The Way Boys Feel: Feelings and the Brain," where he describes eight common ways boys process their feelings and emotion. Yes, one of them is "going into the cave." Several of them seem quite closely related, I'll admit - the action-release method and the physical-expression method, for example - still, I nit pick.
As in The Wonder of Girls, Gurian again addresses most of his information to mothers. (Sorry, dads.) There is, I'm glad to report, no talk of the "artful" mother in Boys.
Overall, I'm glad I read the book, and I may pick it up to re-read in the future. While I do NOT feel the book is a handbook or reference to keep on my own shelf, Gurian's obvious knowledge and presentation style are a nice combination, and too rare, in my opinion, in the overcrowded parenting/pop psychology market.
Two thumbs up.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Why I Love Newspaper Book Sections
I've heard a lot about the eventual death of newspapers, enough to think the doom sayers will prove right. But not soon, I hope - I love newspapers. (Yes, the paper kind.) For a lot of reasons.
When I finished Laurie Notaro's there's a (slight) chance i might be going to hell,* I realized another reason why I love newspapers: it's the book reviews! I've never been steered wrong by one.
Generally, I read the reviews in the Plain Dealer, and the one on slight chance a few months ago was spot on. The reviewer said the book was sorta funny, sorta wacky, but not the year's best title, even by smarter-than-average chick lit standards. She was right. She also said the title's main character, Maye Roberts, was good company through all 302 pages - and she was right about that, too.
Maye Roberts happily accompanies her university-professor hubby when he moves from overheated Phoenix to lush and lovely Spaulding, Washington, only to find out it is possible for a town to be too green, and organic jelly donuts may in fact cause brain damage.
Maye, who is no wall flower, has a heck of a time finding a friend in town. Apparently, she's not old enough, vegan enough or hippie enough, and she has a tragicomic knack for turning little white lies into full-blown scenes worthy of the (Spaulding) nightly news.
The surefire way to make friends in Spaulding, Maye learns, is to enter the Sewer Pipe Queen Pageant. So she does.
The Miami Herald's review said Notaro "may be the funniest writer in this solar system," and while I seriously doubt it (and I think Herald guest columnist Dave Barry might disagree, too) she IS funny.
Sure, I could quibble about the too-neatly-wrapped-up-ending (no, she doesn't win the pageant) or the grammatical mishaps here and there (please, nobody look for mine!) but the fact is Maye proved fabulous company on a four-hour car trip. And for creating her, I believe Notaro earns a spot in reader's heaven.
*Powell's has it for $9.50 compared to Amazon's $11.16
When I finished Laurie Notaro's there's a (slight) chance i might be going to hell,* I realized another reason why I love newspapers: it's the book reviews! I've never been steered wrong by one.
Generally, I read the reviews in the Plain Dealer, and the one on slight chance a few months ago was spot on. The reviewer said the book was sorta funny, sorta wacky, but not the year's best title, even by smarter-than-average chick lit standards. She was right. She also said the title's main character, Maye Roberts, was good company through all 302 pages - and she was right about that, too.
Maye Roberts happily accompanies her university-professor hubby when he moves from overheated Phoenix to lush and lovely Spaulding, Washington, only to find out it is possible for a town to be too green, and organic jelly donuts may in fact cause brain damage.
Maye, who is no wall flower, has a heck of a time finding a friend in town. Apparently, she's not old enough, vegan enough or hippie enough, and she has a tragicomic knack for turning little white lies into full-blown scenes worthy of the (Spaulding) nightly news.
The surefire way to make friends in Spaulding, Maye learns, is to enter the Sewer Pipe Queen Pageant. So she does.
The Miami Herald's review said Notaro "may be the funniest writer in this solar system," and while I seriously doubt it (and I think Herald guest columnist Dave Barry might disagree, too) she IS funny.
Sure, I could quibble about the too-neatly-wrapped-up-ending (no, she doesn't win the pageant) or the grammatical mishaps here and there (please, nobody look for mine!) but the fact is Maye proved fabulous company on a four-hour car trip. And for creating her, I believe Notaro earns a spot in reader's heaven.
*Powell's has it for $9.50 compared to Amazon's $11.16
Friday, October 12, 2007
It's PC to Read About Your PC
Reading PC Magazine isn't exactly a pleasure; I consider it a duty. Like a lot of folks, I shop, read, learn, and work on a PC (a PC and two laptops, in fact) so I think I ought to try to understand the machines that are, for better or for worse, embedded in my life.
I know, as sure as I'll have to see a doctor when I get sick, there are some computer illnesses I'll have to see a help desk technician to heal. And then God help me (and my PC) - because like doctors, some help desk technicians have great "keyboardside" manners, and some don't.
But I digress. The latest issue of PC Magazine contains a dandy list of the editors' top 200 websites. Among them were a few for readers and writers:
Project Gutenberg features more than 20,000 books in the public domain;
WOWIO is an e-book site that offers loads of free books, in easy-to-download PDFs;
Footnote digitizes and uploads every document housed by the National Archives (!); and
Ninjawords, for when you've just gotta know the meaning of a word, and you don't wanna wade through several dictionary sites to get it.
I also enjoyed reading about Kiva, an organization that's reinventing what it means to "share the wealth." The site helps users make small loans to entrepreneurs worldwide - for example, $200 to a shopkeeper in Kenya - and then, helps loan-makers recoup their dough. Sounds good to me.
I know, as sure as I'll have to see a doctor when I get sick, there are some computer illnesses I'll have to see a help desk technician to heal. And then God help me (and my PC) - because like doctors, some help desk technicians have great "keyboardside" manners, and some don't.
But I digress. The latest issue of PC Magazine contains a dandy list of the editors' top 200 websites. Among them were a few for readers and writers:
Project Gutenberg features more than 20,000 books in the public domain;
WOWIO is an e-book site that offers loads of free books, in easy-to-download PDFs;
Footnote digitizes and uploads every document housed by the National Archives (!); and
Ninjawords, for when you've just gotta know the meaning of a word, and you don't wanna wade through several dictionary sites to get it.
I also enjoyed reading about Kiva, an organization that's reinventing what it means to "share the wealth." The site helps users make small loans to entrepreneurs worldwide - for example, $200 to a shopkeeper in Kenya - and then, helps loan-makers recoup their dough. Sounds good to me.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Don't Judge a Book By ... Oh, why not?
Why not judge a book by its cover?
Passing an absolute judgment on a book based on its cover is superficial, sure, but hey, you gotta start somewhere when you're selecting your next read.
For example, I picked up One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies (well, after I stopped laughing at the title) and couldn't put it down - because my daughter yanked it out of my hands. We took it to the register, and then home, where she read it all in the next few hours. I planned to read it this week, but then her teacher borrowed it before I could start it.
Anyway, my point is some good-to-great books have great titles. Some fabulous books have terrible titles. You just have to start somewhere when you're evaluating a book. A title like One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies is gonna get me every time.
Sonya Sones is the author of that "hideous" book, by the way. You can learn more about Sones and her books at her rather impressive website.
Headlines Grab Me, Too
One of the (too) many things that land in my in-box is ComputerWorld's newsletter; sometimes a great place to find out about a new virus (translation - before you get it), other times, it's way more tech than I can digest. Here's one I couldn't delete, based on the article's title, Data Centers Get Religion. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but let's just say I was a bit disappointed in the article.
Passing an absolute judgment on a book based on its cover is superficial, sure, but hey, you gotta start somewhere when you're selecting your next read.
For example, I picked up One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies (well, after I stopped laughing at the title) and couldn't put it down - because my daughter yanked it out of my hands. We took it to the register, and then home, where she read it all in the next few hours. I planned to read it this week, but then her teacher borrowed it before I could start it.
Anyway, my point is some good-to-great books have great titles. Some fabulous books have terrible titles. You just have to start somewhere when you're evaluating a book. A title like One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies is gonna get me every time.
Sonya Sones is the author of that "hideous" book, by the way. You can learn more about Sones and her books at her rather impressive website.
Headlines Grab Me, Too
One of the (too) many things that land in my in-box is ComputerWorld's newsletter; sometimes a great place to find out about a new virus (translation - before you get it), other times, it's way more tech than I can digest. Here's one I couldn't delete, based on the article's title, Data Centers Get Religion. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but let's just say I was a bit disappointed in the article.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Good Girls and Queen Bees
The New York Times Bestseller Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman was the basis for the movie Mean Girls; at least, that's what the book jacket proudly proclaims. I wouldn't know because a title like Mean Girls is hardly inviting to me.
Still, Wiseman has a lot of education and experience in her field - which is mean girls, I guess - so I picked it up and ... ugh. I sure hope she went a little overboard on her estimations.
After all, I was a girl (once, a lonnnnng time ago) and I don't remember hanging out with a bunch of vampires and other blood-sucking monsters. While I didn't enjoy the book, I hung onto it because I'm convinced the author knows her topic.
The Oprah take on the book says it gives parents - meaning moms - "the tools you need to build the right foundation to help your daughter make smarter choices and empower her during this baffling, tumultuous time of life."
Well, maybe, but this mom is hanging onto the hope that Wiseman's methods were somehow skewed to attract a disproportionate number of mean girls. I hope.
While I didn't enjoy Queen Bees..., I did find Michael Gurian's The Wonder of Girls helpful. The book portends to offers "a nature-based approach to why girls are the way they are." Wonder takes the approach that girls' lives can be navigated gracefully, without a great deal of emotional pain and strife. (Yes, I like to live on the sunny side of life, thank you very much; who says denial is unhealthy?)
Wonder did get a little too touchy-feely for me, though, and I didn't appreciate ALL of Gurian's advice. (A co-ed sleepover, for HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, is a "wonderful experience?!!" NOPE. I'm neither enlightened nor trusting enough.)
The book, while it is written by a father (of two daughters), is written to mothers of daughters. Gurian speaks of, and to, she who he calls the "artful mother." Which is lovely, but frankly, most of the mothers I know are no as artful as they are seat-of-the-pants types. In spite of, or maybe because of, my amusement, I liked the book a great deal.
Here's why I liked it: The Wonder of Girls offers insight into developmental issues, practical advice, and cause for a lot of optimism along the way. I also liked the fact that I only had to read a few chapters. Because it's divided into ages and stages, I skimmed right to "Stage 3" and skipped entirely the section on stepmothering. Still, it's nice to know it's there. (And I have to wonder, what would Cinderella have done with an Artful Stepmother?)
Now I'm looking forward to reading one of Gurian's previous books, The Wonder of Boys... sigh. Of course, I STILL haven't finished Team of Rivals!
Still, Wiseman has a lot of education and experience in her field - which is mean girls, I guess - so I picked it up and ... ugh. I sure hope she went a little overboard on her estimations.
After all, I was a girl (once, a lonnnnng time ago) and I don't remember hanging out with a bunch of vampires and other blood-sucking monsters. While I didn't enjoy the book, I hung onto it because I'm convinced the author knows her topic.
The Oprah take on the book says it gives parents - meaning moms - "the tools you need to build the right foundation to help your daughter make smarter choices and empower her during this baffling, tumultuous time of life."
Well, maybe, but this mom is hanging onto the hope that Wiseman's methods were somehow skewed to attract a disproportionate number of mean girls. I hope.
While I didn't enjoy Queen Bees..., I did find Michael Gurian's The Wonder of Girls helpful. The book portends to offers "a nature-based approach to why girls are the way they are." Wonder takes the approach that girls' lives can be navigated gracefully, without a great deal of emotional pain and strife. (Yes, I like to live on the sunny side of life, thank you very much; who says denial is unhealthy?)
Wonder did get a little too touchy-feely for me, though, and I didn't appreciate ALL of Gurian's advice. (A co-ed sleepover, for HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, is a "wonderful experience?!!" NOPE. I'm neither enlightened nor trusting enough.)
The book, while it is written by a father (of two daughters), is written to mothers of daughters. Gurian speaks of, and to, she who he calls the "artful mother." Which is lovely, but frankly, most of the mothers I know are no as artful as they are seat-of-the-pants types. In spite of, or maybe because of, my amusement, I liked the book a great deal.
Here's why I liked it: The Wonder of Girls offers insight into developmental issues, practical advice, and cause for a lot of optimism along the way. I also liked the fact that I only had to read a few chapters. Because it's divided into ages and stages, I skimmed right to "Stage 3" and skipped entirely the section on stepmothering. Still, it's nice to know it's there. (And I have to wonder, what would Cinderella have done with an Artful Stepmother?)
Now I'm looking forward to reading one of Gurian's previous books, The Wonder of Boys... sigh. Of course, I STILL haven't finished Team of Rivals!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Amazon Reviews and the Truth
I get sucked in by Amazon reader reviews - and I know better!
I don't "surf" much, but when I do, I'm likely to be found sifting through the pages at the amazin' Amazon of a bookstore. (Yes, I prefer REAL bookstores, but I'm stuck in front of a computer a lot.)
I love the convenience - Amazon has been able to deliver a few titles my library can't! - but I do make some mistakes. For example, I fell for great reviews, including one in an in-flight magazine, of Pete Dexter's Paper Trails.
I admit I fell for the catchy subtitle (True Stories of Confusion, Mindless Violence, and Forbidden Desires, a surprising number of which are not about marriage). I also love essays - good ones - and I thought the award-winning author and former Philadephia newspaper columnist would have a nice collection. There were a few gems, but overall, I found the lot uneven and uninspired. Sigh.
Guess it's back to Barbara Kingsolver for me.
And back to Amazon...
I'm sold on the site, for several reasons - including the various means of delivery offered by the giant e-tailer.
For example, Amy Friedman's collections of stories for preschoolers, Tell Me a Story and Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic can be purchased on CD or as MP3 downloads.
And speaking of these stories, they really do deserve the good reviews they've gotten. A friend of mine who teaches preschool (3-4 year olds) says her kids beg for them.
How 'bout you? Can you spout off about a book that didn't deserve the marketing hype or the reviews it got? Or, can you point out a little-known, wonderfully written book that was largely overlooked?
I don't "surf" much, but when I do, I'm likely to be found sifting through the pages at the amazin' Amazon of a bookstore. (Yes, I prefer REAL bookstores, but I'm stuck in front of a computer a lot.)
I love the convenience - Amazon has been able to deliver a few titles my library can't! - but I do make some mistakes. For example, I fell for great reviews, including one in an in-flight magazine, of Pete Dexter's Paper Trails.
I admit I fell for the catchy subtitle (True Stories of Confusion, Mindless Violence, and Forbidden Desires, a surprising number of which are not about marriage). I also love essays - good ones - and I thought the award-winning author and former Philadephia newspaper columnist would have a nice collection. There were a few gems, but overall, I found the lot uneven and uninspired. Sigh.
Guess it's back to Barbara Kingsolver for me.
And back to Amazon...
I'm sold on the site, for several reasons - including the various means of delivery offered by the giant e-tailer.
For example, Amy Friedman's collections of stories for preschoolers, Tell Me a Story and Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic can be purchased on CD or as MP3 downloads.
And speaking of these stories, they really do deserve the good reviews they've gotten. A friend of mine who teaches preschool (3-4 year olds) says her kids beg for them.
How 'bout you? Can you spout off about a book that didn't deserve the marketing hype or the reviews it got? Or, can you point out a little-known, wonderfully written book that was largely overlooked?
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Reading Woolf Sets a High Standard
Virginia Woolf's On Being Ill engages, delights, confuses, conspires, and again delights readers in only 24 short pages. Her artful yet very precise use of language could do it singlehandedly; because her writing is also very insightful I think she's rightly been deemed a "masterful" writer.
I enjoyed the essay but wonder what it will do to my perspective as I continue to tackle my reading list.
Maybe I'll be quicker to close a book that's not quite as engaging. Maybe I'll be smarter in my picks in the first place. Or maybe an essay like this is the protein-rich fortification my brain needs; but I'll still reach for the "snacks" on the shelf, and enjoy those too...
I enjoyed the essay but wonder what it will do to my perspective as I continue to tackle my reading list.
Maybe I'll be quicker to close a book that's not quite as engaging. Maybe I'll be smarter in my picks in the first place. Or maybe an essay like this is the protein-rich fortification my brain needs; but I'll still reach for the "snacks" on the shelf, and enjoy those too...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Gifts to Open Again & Again
I don't wait for holidays or birthdays to shop, I pick up gifts all year. (And sometimes I remember where they are when it's time to wrap.) A couple I've been delighted with recently:
1- Ribbit: Flip and See Who Froggy Can Be. Yes, I know, it's a hot title; maybe you've seen it. My local library doesn't have it, though, and I bet a lot of libraries won't carry this hands-on picture book because the pages would likely get mangled quickly. Haven't seen it? Get your hands on it; it's a hoot. While there's a running "story," the real story here is in what you can do with the pictures. Each page is divided horizontally into thirds. Readers (I recommend it for toddlers on up) can make froggy be a cowboy, cowgirl, doctor, ballerina... you get the idea. I'd say it's an ideal gift for a kindergarten student, and the whole family can laugh along.
2- Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals for Kids is a title I didn't want to like (I'm not a RR fan) but I did. Maybe it was the hip language and layout (your GH is your Grownup Helper, and some photos feature the GH in some pretty funny situations), maybe it was the Turkey Sushi (looks like a cool lunchbox item). Whatever, I was sold. The book is divided into sections with recipes by ages (4-6, 7-11, 12-up and a "take these to college and you'll have a ton of friends" section), and all of the recipes are formatted to be easy to follow. I bought this for an 11 year old girl - and I guess I'll give it to her, but I might have to buy my own copy. Sigh. That happens to me a lot. Oh, and I think the title is macho enough for boys, too.
3- Hey! I said a couple! It's your turn. Recommend some great-to-give books on a post... please! The holidays are coming....
1- Ribbit: Flip and See Who Froggy Can Be. Yes, I know, it's a hot title; maybe you've seen it. My local library doesn't have it, though, and I bet a lot of libraries won't carry this hands-on picture book because the pages would likely get mangled quickly. Haven't seen it? Get your hands on it; it's a hoot. While there's a running "story," the real story here is in what you can do with the pictures. Each page is divided horizontally into thirds. Readers (I recommend it for toddlers on up) can make froggy be a cowboy, cowgirl, doctor, ballerina... you get the idea. I'd say it's an ideal gift for a kindergarten student, and the whole family can laugh along.
2- Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals for Kids is a title I didn't want to like (I'm not a RR fan) but I did. Maybe it was the hip language and layout (your GH is your Grownup Helper, and some photos feature the GH in some pretty funny situations), maybe it was the Turkey Sushi (looks like a cool lunchbox item). Whatever, I was sold. The book is divided into sections with recipes by ages (4-6, 7-11, 12-up and a "take these to college and you'll have a ton of friends" section), and all of the recipes are formatted to be easy to follow. I bought this for an 11 year old girl - and I guess I'll give it to her, but I might have to buy my own copy. Sigh. That happens to me a lot. Oh, and I think the title is macho enough for boys, too.
3- Hey! I said a couple! It's your turn. Recommend some great-to-give books on a post... please! The holidays are coming....
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
On Being Ill and Doodling
I thought I'd read Virginia Woolf's On Being Ill over breakfast this morning, but I only made it through Hermoine Lee's 32-page introduction (I skipped the two pages of endnotes) before work beckoned. I'm eager to read it but bet I won't be able to claim as much insight as Ms. Lee, or an English lit student. I'm not exactly a deep diver when it comes to themes and answering questions like, But what did the author REALLLLLLY mean when she wrote...?" Ah, you know, I managed to imagine enough to get by in Honors English for a couple of years, but I agree with what a smart man once said: sometimes a pickle is just a pickle.
Speaking of pickles, I'm still in one trying to read Team of Rivals. Yes, I've been fascinated by a few things I didn't learn in history class, but golly. That's a long book with a lot of words in little print. A few pictures might prod me along...
And speaking of pictures (no, I couldn't think of another transition that time) I haven't read a graphic novel yet, but I've been easing into it with some cute middle-grade titles, first-person diary formats with doodles presumably included by the main character.
I LOVED the first of Dian Curtis Regan's Kaley books, The World According to Kaley, and just picked up the very similar Ellie McDoodle - Have Pen, Will Travel by Ruth McNally Barshaw. IMHO, Ellie isn't as smart or funny as Kaley, and I think even Kaley's sequel, CyberPals was better than the newer Ellie McDoodle title - still, it's bound to appeal to young girls. Ellie's travels with her not-exactly-favorite relatives (Aunt Ug, cousin Er-ick, and family) have just enough of a bite to elicit a few mean laughs, but because Ellie isn't mean, readers will like her. I'm not quite done, but I don't think there's a tear-jerker of a scene coming soon, like the one in Paula Danzinger's United Tates of America, another MG I enjoyed.
Now, if the work fairy would just show up and finish my newsletter, folks, I'd read all day, but she's nowhere to be found. So, it's time to shove the bookmark between the pages and get back to less enjoyable stuff. Read on!
Speaking of pickles, I'm still in one trying to read Team of Rivals. Yes, I've been fascinated by a few things I didn't learn in history class, but golly. That's a long book with a lot of words in little print. A few pictures might prod me along...
And speaking of pictures (no, I couldn't think of another transition that time) I haven't read a graphic novel yet, but I've been easing into it with some cute middle-grade titles, first-person diary formats with doodles presumably included by the main character.
Are you reading my diary?
I LOVED the first of Dian Curtis Regan's Kaley books, The World According to Kaley, and just picked up the very similar Ellie McDoodle - Have Pen, Will Travel by Ruth McNally Barshaw. IMHO, Ellie isn't as smart or funny as Kaley, and I think even Kaley's sequel, CyberPals was better than the newer Ellie McDoodle title - still, it's bound to appeal to young girls. Ellie's travels with her not-exactly-favorite relatives (Aunt Ug, cousin Er-ick, and family) have just enough of a bite to elicit a few mean laughs, but because Ellie isn't mean, readers will like her. I'm not quite done, but I don't think there's a tear-jerker of a scene coming soon, like the one in Paula Danzinger's United Tates of America, another MG I enjoyed.
Now, if the work fairy would just show up and finish my newsletter, folks, I'd read all day, but she's nowhere to be found. So, it's time to shove the bookmark between the pages and get back to less enjoyable stuff. Read on!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
A Decade of Work
I'll admit I'm only on page 16, but so far the most incredible thing I've read in Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals is that she spent TEN YEARS writing the book. Yikes! I understand how she could become engulfed in the project, though - and pouring over hundreds of diaries, letters, and newspaper articles seems to have given her a great deal of insight into the already-widely-profiled Lincoln.
So, I'm sure it'll be a great book... I'm just not sure I'm going to finish it before the end of the year.
So, I'm sure it'll be a great book... I'm just not sure I'm going to finish it before the end of the year.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Just finished reading about the Invisible Man
Correction - make that, the invisible young adult. Bobby Phillips, to be precise. He's the main character in Andrew Clements' Things Not Seen - it's a great read.
Things... was the first of Clements' books that I've read. As an adult, at least. I love Young Adult, or YA literature - in spite of the fact I'm a not-so-young adult myself. I just had to finish Things because (1) it was a great story and (2) Team of Rivals, all 912 pages of it, is taunting me from the kitchen countertop. I've got another week before the library will want it back. Ah ... so many books, so little time.
And then there's my stack o' mags. Popular Science. Discover. National Geographic. PC Magazine. National Geographic Kids. Highlights. My Big Backyard. Well, what did you expect from an admitted lover-of-kid-lit? Call me young at heart.
This blog is a place for me to blather about books and magazines - and I hope you'll join in. Otherwise, it'll just be my online reading list. Which is OK, but borrrrrr-ing!
So ... read any good books lately?
Things... was the first of Clements' books that I've read. As an adult, at least. I love Young Adult, or YA literature - in spite of the fact I'm a not-so-young adult myself. I just had to finish Things because (1) it was a great story and (2) Team of Rivals, all 912 pages of it, is taunting me from the kitchen countertop. I've got another week before the library will want it back. Ah ... so many books, so little time.
And then there's my stack o' mags. Popular Science. Discover. National Geographic. PC Magazine. National Geographic Kids. Highlights. My Big Backyard. Well, what did you expect from an admitted lover-of-kid-lit? Call me young at heart.
This blog is a place for me to blather about books and magazines - and I hope you'll join in. Otherwise, it'll just be my online reading list. Which is OK, but borrrrrr-ing!
So ... read any good books lately?
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