Book Review: The Boy at the End of the World, by Greg Van Eekhout (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Yes, it's another boy book - I have two of them, naturally my reading will be influenced by them. But I've got more girl books on the horizon, even princessy stuff. Honest.

I was hoping to like this one more. It took me longer to like it than I expected, especially since I'd been excited about reading this book for a while. I can't yet put my finger on what it was that didn't tune me in right away, because it's an interesting enough book.

Fisher, a preteen boy from what we are led to guess, wakes up in a pod in a shelter. There is destruction all around him, and he sees other beings like him lying dead in similar pods. The only other living being is a robot, from whom he runs. The robot catches up with him and tells the boy that his name is Fisher and he's the only survivor of the human race.

It's the usual post-apocalyptic story. Humans went and ruined the earth and nature's taken her planet back. This time, humans genetically engineered humans and animals and put them in gel-filled pods, with robots to oversee their care, until such tiime came that they could all be reawakened and recreate society. The humans were programmed with specific survival skills that would help them create a community. Fisher, he learns, has been programmed to be a fisherman. Click, the name he gives his robot companion, tells Fisher that he has been tasked with helping Fisher "continue existing".

Fisher heads off to find another Ark - the name of the facilities where the humans and animals were kept in hibernation - with Click and a pygmy mammoth they meet on their travels (and who Fisher names Protein, because his first thought was to eat the mammoth). They also meet up with a group of genetically engineered, intelligent prairie dogs who hate humans because of what they did to the planet and to the prairie dogs.

It's a survivalist tale, and that is where the interest lies. Fisher, created with one set of skills, learns and adapts as the book progresses. He is born little more than a blank slate and we see not only an intelligence develop, but an emotional intellect. The characters they meet aren't cute and cuddly (even Protein is a fan of dropping dung right and left throughout the book), and sometimes, they're downright chilling.

I think where the book stumbles lies in its background story. It is difficult to write a postapocalyptic tale without sounding like hundreds of other books on the market, and the "humans and technology bad, nature good" call to action beats the reader over the head throughout the book. Humans bring the planet to the brink of environmental collapse, so they leave the rest of the planet to deal with it while they go into hiding until the coast is clear. The technology that humans created to save them ultimately turns on them and brings the race to the point of near-extinction, further painting us as hapless ne'er do wells.

Maybe a younger, less jaded audience won't read it through the same eyes as I will - but then again, this is a generation that has been fed this storyline since they were babies. Think Happy Feet, a movie that deceptively sold us a cute story about a penguin who didn't fit in, and gave us a Greenpeace horror movie halfway through the picture. Think of Wall-E, where we were drowning our society in junk, so we had to go into space to get away from it.

I don't want it to sound like I didn't like this book, because I did. I think older middle grade readers, around the 9- and 10-year old mark, will grab onto Fisher as a hero they can identify with as a young boy who needs to learn to survive, and who has a robot companion. And a mammoth. Fisher's society is a society that kids today can understand and relate to, with a marriage of technology and environmental awareness.

Greg Van Eekhout knows how to write for kids - he has a Masters in Education and spent ten years developing online curricula for K-12 and college students. He is kid- and teacher-accessible, offering teachers tips on having author events at schools (and libraries), and providing his e-mail address to be contacted about school visits. He offers two presentations that he follows in his appearances. His website is geared toward grownups who are interested in reading his reviews, about his books, and where he'll be next.

Full disclosure: This is a Bloomsbury book; I got it from work and I am not promoting the book for work. This is solely my opinion.

Book Review: The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang, by Amy Ignatow (Amulet Books, 2010)

Recommended for ages 9-13

I finished this book in a day. It's that good. I also giggled out loud while reading this on the subway - it's that funny.

The Popularity Papers is the project ("Learn/Improve") undertaken by fifth graders that want to be popular by the time they reach middle school. They decide that they will observe the most popular girls in the school to figure out what makes them popular, imitate them and perhaps even infiltrate the group. They record their notes, observations, conversations with family and friends, and drawings to tell the story of their social climb. On the way up, they learn that being popular isn't always what it's cracked up to be, that being popular means different thing to different people - including who you like and who you're not supposed to like - and Lydia discovers what can happen when the quest for popularity goes to your head.

The characters aren't your staid, Gossip Girl-type mean girls. One popular girl plays field hockey and knits; Lydia lives with her divorced mom and sister, who made the transition from pretty, tan girl to dark-haired, pale goth; and Julie lives with her two dads, Daddy and Papa Dad. It's a book that addresses different people and different family structures but it's not cliche and it doesn't come across as being portrayed for the sake of being edgy or different. It's an honest storytelling.

The girls' notes to one another are as hilarious as the situations they find themselves in, and Lydia's journaling when she finds herself in sole possession of the notebook after she and Julie stop speaking is heartfelt and real. Readers will easily be able to see themselves and their friends in these characters and can hopefully laugh at themselves a little more easily.

Amy Ignatow's Amulet web page offers an author blog and links to author appearances, press and a gallery of some more images from the book. It looks like another Popularity Papers book has come out - I need to get myself a copy.

Book Review: Foiled, by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Mike Cavallaro (First Second, 2010)

Recommended for ages 12+

I love Jane Yolen's books - her How Do Dinosaurs... series have a very special place on my bookshelf; they provided hours of cuddle time and giggles for my boys and I when they were younger. Her Commander Toad series was my older son's logical next step after enjoying Frog and Toad's adventures. And, as a former fencer, I was thrilled to see that not only did Yolen make a teen female the hero of her graphic fantasy novel, she made her a fencer. Girl power!

Aliera Carstairs is a high school girl who doesn't fit in. She doesn't fit in with the goths "("I don't look good in black"), the nerds ("my grades aren't high enough"), or the jocks ("fencing doesn't count"), but she's dynamic on the fencing strip. Her coach is grooming her for nationals, and she takes his advice to "always guard your heart" very seriously, on and off the strip. Her best friend is her wheelchair-bound cousin Caroline, who Aliera visits every week to play role-playing games with.

Aliera's mom, a compulsive bargain shopper, picks up a fencing foil at a garage sale that Aliera plans to keep as a practice foil once she shaves off a big fake ruby that's been glued onto it. Around the same time as she gets the foil, she meets a new boy in school, Avery Castle, who has all the girls vying for his attention - but he's a little odd. He asks Aliera on a date and they agree to meet in Grand Central Station after her fencing practice. Having never been on a date, she's nervous but accepts.

It's in Grand Central Station that things get interesting. In a Neil Gaiman-esque turn of events, Aliera stumbles on a fantasy world where that connects her, Avery, and her unusual foil.

Foiled leaves off leaving the reader waiting for a second helping. Aliera, Avery and Caroline are all vibrant, interesting characters, even when Aliera is at her most guarded - you want to get behind her fencing armor and find out what makes her tick. Older 'tween and young teen readers alike will enjoy the blending of fantasy into a reality-based setting, and teachers could use this novel in a fairy tale/mythology unit for older readers. The artwork never talks down to the book's audience, portraying kids as kids rather than caricatures; the fantasy creatures are brightly colored and drawn straight from a vivid imagination. The fencing drawings are dynamic.

Jane Yolen's website contains information for both students and teachers, an archive of awards the author has received, book trailers, and a link to her blog.

Nerd Joy.

I finally went to a real, live in-person author event last night - and what an event to go to! I finally got to see Neil Gaiman, my favorite author since Anne Rice went a little crazy on me back in the Lasher days. Sandman, Neverwhere, American Gods, book after book, comic after comic, he's never let me down. (Okay - Interworld. But he wrote that with someone, and I couldn't find much Neil in that book.)

Gaiman, interviewed by Lev Grossman, was charming, funny, and just brilliant, overall. He read a selection from his 10th Anniversary edition (and "preferred text") of American Gods; he spoke about myths and whether or not we take our gods with us; he talked about what scares him, and he stated, definitively, that robots will not take over the world. It was a great evening with great friends. If only the line at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck hadn't been so long, I'd have treated myself to a Bea Arthur (vanilla ice cream, dulce de leche, crushed Nilla wafers).

Book Review: Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, by Julie Sternberg (illustrations by Matthew Cordell) (Amulet Books, 2011)

Recommended for ages 8-10


"I had a bad August. A very bad August. As bad as pickle juice on a cookie. I hope your August was better. I really do."


Thus begins Eleanor's story. Eight-year old Eleanor learns that her beloved babysitter, Bibi, will be leaving her family's employ and their Brooklyn home to move to Florida in order to care for her sick father. To make things worse, her best friend, Pearl, is away on vacation with her family. Heartbroken, she doesn't want to do anything that will remind her of Bibi and she certainly doesn't want another babysitter. But her parents have to work, and a new babysitter shows up. Eleanor learns that it's okay to miss Bibi and still make space in her heart for Natalie.

Pickle Juice teaches kids about loss and how to work through it. Told in free verse and accompanied by line drawings, it presents an easy transition for middle graders ready to move on from beginner chapter books. The story presents many areas for discussion for both parents and teachers having read-alouds with their children.

Julie Sternberg's blog features a curriculum guide for Pickle Juice, as well as an interesting author biography told through her favorite books. Readers can click through to her blog and contact her regarding author visits.

Book Review: Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon (Dial Books, 2009)

Recommended for ages 8-12

Ursula Vernon's first book in her Dragonbreath series introduces readers to Danny Dragonbreath, a young dragon who happens to be the only mythical creature in a school filled with reptiles and amphibians. He's a little rebellious, not a fan of schoolwork, and really wants to be able to breathe fire (if for no other reason, than to stop hearing his father's motivational speeches). His best friend, Wendell, is an iguana who finds himself sucked into Danny's crazy schemes when he'd rather be doing something safer, like getting Danny to do his homework.

In Dragonbreath, Danny flunks his paper on the ocean after writing it the morning it's due and making it up from his own imagination. Luckily for him, he's got a sea monster cousin named Edward, who he can visit and from whom he can get an ocean tour, so off he goes, dragging Wendell along with him. Can they survive the deep ocean, where giant squids are known to show up without notice? Will Danny pass his Science paper?

Dragonbreath is a great book for younger readers that are still getting used to chapter books; the book is written in a half-chapter, half-graphic novel format that readers will find user-friendly, and Vernon provides a copious amount of nonfiction information about ocean life through Danny's and Wendell's eyes that will show the kids that learning can be fun.

Vernon's website provides summaries of all the Dragonbreath novels as well as her other titles, as well as updates on author appearances and her artwork.

I'm Going Au Naturel...

No, don't run screaming. It's not THAT. Let me explain.

My back has been going out for a little over a year now. My doctor thinks I have sciatica, brought on by an inflamed disc in my back. I need to get physical therapy for it, but I have to wait until the flareup peters out before I can do that. I had a disastrous consultation with an orthopedist, who proceeded to tell me three times over the course of five minutes that I need to lose weight - that will take care of my back.

I was not in the friendliest of moods to begin with, having waited for almost two hours for my consultation. When the doctor finally came into the examining room, he was distant, arrogant (he spent about 10 minutes filling me in on his illustrious resume before he asked me anything about my pain) and plain rude. I tried to explain that I'd lost about 20 pounds but was sidelined for almost four week at the time by the back injury, and he cut me off, saying, "calorie reduction is how you lose weight." Well, Dr. Personality, while calorie reduction is definitely an important part of weight loss, I don't have the metabolism is did in my 20s. Calorie reduction will give me weight loss, sure - about a quarter pound a week, without exercise. While that's great, it's frustrating. He didn't want to hear it.

I left the office in tears. He made me feel like I was this obese woman, a step away from having to be airlifted out of my bed through a window. Do I need to lose some weight? I sure do. But the doctor's attitude toward me was anything but motivational. Luckily, I turned to my friends, posted about my experience on Facebook, and received a lot of support. One friend, who's suffered back injuries over the past few years told me that "a halfway decent ortho would not make more than a passing reference to losing weight as a tactic for treatment. A good doctor would treat you with respect. A good doctor would have enough sense and experience to know that people with back issues tend to have a harder time with consistent exercise, as well as things like depression and other issues." Other friends weighed in with their experiences about rude doctors.

Recently, a good friend told me that her pediatrician told her - wither her 6-year old daughter in the room - that her daughter was overweight. Remember the good old days when doctors would consult with you (or your parent, if you were a child) in their office after an exam? How is saying something like that in front of a child anything but harmful? We have reports of children developing eating disorders in primary grades today - do we really want to encourage a trend of eating disorders this young?

And then, Prevention magazine ran an article in their July 2011 issue that was really perfect timing. "When Your Doctor Makes You Feel Fat" really spoke to my experience and let me know that I wasn't alone.

What's amazing is that years ago, doctors were coming under fire for not saying anything to morbidly obese patients about their lifestyle; now, they've taken it in the other direction and feel like they can say whatever they want to patients, under the guise of encouraging health. I call bullshit, plain and simple.

Having said all that, my back and knee are killing me. I'm not able to work out, so something's got to give. I'm going natural. I'm taking some extra vitamin supplements, sure, but I'm also making the attempt to make most of what I eat. If it's artificial, I'd like to skip it; ditto for refined sugars. If I can follow a strict regimen, even for a week or two, just to get the first few pounds off and get some relief, I can start working out again. But I've got to clean up the diet.

So while I wouldn't say that I'm starting a food blog, I'm definitely going to be reporting in with some of the healthier habits I'm cultivating. Wish me luck.

As I try to figure out where this blog's going to go... I've had the desire to blog regularly for a while again, but the problem is, where do I want this to go? I've been learning so much at school that I'd love to share and mull over here, in my little corner of the Internet. I still knit and miss sharing my WIPs with the few knitters that found their way over here (and alas, have probably given up on me by now). I love talking books - and since I'm about to start finally taking my kids' lit courses, this would be a good place to do it. And I love sharing news about my family, the original reason for creating this blog, but it would seem that I'm doing that over at Facebook. So where do I go? Do I keep on posting whatever enters my head at the time, and risk continuing to keep a scattershot blog? Or do I take this blog into a new direction and make it more in line for my career, where I can actually share links that I post with people in the profession and try to make a name for myself in the industry that I'd like to be part of one day? Facebook has been great for getting little stream of consciousness posts out there, and that's why I've ended up neglecting my poor little blog. Facebook just makes it so easy. But I do miss writing, which I can do at length here. In the meantime, I've been reading. Mostly for school, but I just reviewed a book for the clubs called The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma that is one of the best books I've read for the clubs yet. There's some Jack the Ripper, some H.G. Wells, some dubious time travel, and a storyline that's all over Victorian England and possibly, the 20th century - but you have to read it and find out for yourself. The narrator is great fun to read - you can see his shadowy figure sitting in a Queen Anne chair, tongue firmly planted in cheek as he guides you through the maze of time created in the book. I loved it and want to read more by him. Interestingly, I read one review that compared it to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, which I've been interested in reading (oh yes, it's joined "the night table pile"). Speaking of books, it's gotten so bad. Working in publishing is a blessing and a curse, especially when you work for a publisher that publishes TOO many good books. Bloomsbury publishes both kids' and adults' books, and since my desired field is kids' and tween lit, I'm in overload mode. Books to the left of me... books to the right of me... books in front of me... and with all the work I have for school this semester, it's like starving in a supermarket. More reviews to come as I read them. Sneak preview: I'm sneaking in time with This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Will Save the World by Marilyn Johnson. I quoted the author in my first grad school paper, back when this book was "coming out in 2010", so I had to get it. It's a good read so far, but I've had to renew it since I've only been able to get the first chapter down. More to come when I finish it. I was about to start talking about articles I've read for school, but I've got to work out. It's 11:25 and I cannot go to bed another night having gone back on my promise to drop at least 8 more pounds by Cutie's Communion. I was on a great ride for a while, but laziness, stress and another back incident sidelined me. My pants are comfortable again - they were loose. I can't go back now, this is the most progress I've seen since 2005. So off to the yoga mat I go. More to come.

In Which I Delve Further Into Tech-Nerddom. I've been enjoying Trendy Topics conferences lately. They're virtual conferences on using technology in libraries, and my SJSU student status allows me to attend for free. I've been learning so much from these panels and come away fired up to do something, anything, right now. It's so exciting to be this passionate about my soon-to-be career. Tonight, I finally sat in on the QR Codes conference - Quick Review codes, the little black and white pixelated cubes you see all over the place these days? You download an app, usually free, use your phone's camera to snap a pic, and if you have the proper app downloaded, you'll likely see anything from a company website to a trailer to a link to a video tutorial. By the end of the second panel, I'd downloaded six additional apps - I'd already had one on my phone when I wanted to see a Target ad about a month ago - and made my own QR code. Sadly, JumpScan isn't available for BlackBerry just yet, but for those of you who do have JumpScan, I present... me: I'll add more to the profile as I get more comfortable with the whole code process, but for now, it's a fun start.

Still here, honest!

I'm really trying to figure out the focus that I want for this blog and for my Twitter feed, so bear with me while I work it all out. And if you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them.

I sat in on a really interesting colloquia on making the most of my American Library Association membership the other day. When I started grad school, I joined the ALA figuring it would be the thing to do, only to let my membership lapse a year later because really, all I did was receive the magazine. I thought maybe it was too premature. I see now, with about a year and a half left to school, that associations are exactly what I need right now. I need to start getting involved and getting my name out there, and councils are the way to start. Dr. Haycock, the recently retired director of the SJSU SLIS program, talked about editing papers we'd written and submitting them for publication - so I'm definitely going to look into that.

I've started following more people on Twitter, and checking into it more often, to seew what's going on. I want to be more active on Twitter myself, but I'm still not sure, other than retweeting cool links that I see other people put up, what I should be Tweeting about. So I need some help there.

The semester is as hectic as I expected, but I am enjoying the classes. Historical Research is letting me finally enjoy the history classes I wanted to take as an undergrad but was too afraid that I wasn't smart enough to keep up with. I'm doing my research project on the Five Points area of New York (think Gangs of New York) - I know, right? Not Medieval England! I've got an annotated bibliography coming up due, and I feel fairly confident about it. What I've got the shakes over, though, is the historiographical essay that my professor suggests be 10,000 words. I swear I was hoping he'd added an extra zero, but no. In two weeks? Gulp.

Reading and Knitting

Since finishing up a particularly tough semester, I was all ready to dive into reading what I want to read. I started off with Lois Lowry's The Giver, since Dude had been at me to read it. He's on a post-apocalyptic fiction kick. I love that he wants me to read the books he loves so we can talk about them together.

The Giver is one of those books that brings home to me that he's not little anymore. The themes Lowry tackles in the book, particularly infanticide, really got to me. The story takes place in a controlled society that has done away with color, feeling and emotion, and individuality. Each year of a child's life comes with a group milestone - the Nines, for instance, all receive sweatshirts with zippers in the front; at one age (I think it may be Tens), they all receive bicycles. At Twelve, the kids are given their professions; Jonas, the main character, is chosen to be the Receiver, the one person in the society who's the repsitory for public memory. The Receiver alone gets the memories of emotion and times before The Change. The Giver in this case is the former Receiver, who looks forward to being "released" - which, we learn, is given a lethal injection. I can't recommend the book enough. Dude and I have been having conversations about it here and there and we're both blown away by it.

When we first started Family Book Group, I tried to make it a formal thing; I'd print stuff up online about our books and try to have a sit-down discussion, but it felt so forced. Now, after I read a book he suggests, we just start talking about it whenever we want to. Sometimes, it's a 2-minute conversation, sometimes we come back to it somewhere else at another time. It's more organic and it works for both of us.

Now, I'm reading another review book, The Confession of Katherine Howard, which is yet another historical fiction novel involving one of Henry VIII's wives (the other one that he beheaded). I used to live for these types of books, but this one is yet another version of Another Boleyn Girl. It's maddening how these things go. One book will define the genre and every other book is a play off of it. Look at Twilight, and all the teen vampire novels that have followed. It happened to Bridget Jones. Sigh.

Once I finish the Katherine Howard book, I promised Dude and Cutie that I'd read the newest Wimpy Kid book, The Ugly Truth. I've read all the others and loved them. They're hilarious and well done. Cutie started reading them this year and loves them.

Knitting, knitting, knitting. I'm going through another bout of knitting ennui. I was working on a sweater vest for myself that was going well until I decided to knit while sick and managed to screw something up somewhere. I started the long and drawn out unknitting process but lost patience. I have to get back to it, but right now, I'm just letting it langish. Cutie wants a pair of yellow mittens, which I started but see the one I'm working on looks HUGE. I have to rip it out and start on smaller needles. Again, just not into it. So it languishes. Maybe I'll start them today, since we have a long trip out to the Island facing us.

Wow. Two Posts in Two Days?

One of the many awesome things about having a laptop is that I can pretty much post anywhere at any time. It's not like I can open up the laptop and take a snapshot in the middle of the street yet, but hopefully once I get my new and improved cell phone, that will go far. So here I am, with everyone else in bed, blogging. Just like old times.

Thankfully, I seem to finally be getting over the bug that rocked me for about a week. Naturally, Mike's sick now; I hope he gets over it quicker than I did. We're supposed to be taking the kids to see the Radio City Music Christmas Spectacular tomorrow night, so I hope we can still go. The boys have been so excited.

I'm still recovering from this semester - it only ended on Sunday evening, and writing a final paper while feverish and sick really, really sucks. I would say it's not my best work, but I know I say that about almost everything I hand in. I hope my teacher thinks otherwise.

While I enjoyed the class and the material this semester, I did make a big discovery: I can like archives, but I just don't connect with it. I had initially been toying with splitting my specialization between archives and youth literacy, even weighing more heavily in archives, until this semester. I can talk books. I can talk kids' books. I connect on so many levels with books. But archives? This semester was a struggle all the way through, whether it was catching up with the reading or getting the simplest assignment committed to paper. I wasn't on fire and I had to fight to create every sentence. Which is helpful in that it showed me what NOT to do.

I decided to go to library school because I love books. Because helping develop my kids' love of reading made me love kids' books in a whole new way. I took a career detour of sorts years ago when I somehow got away from my original career plan - from the time I was 4 or 5 until I was about 12, I wanted to be a teacher or a librarian - so why am I going to do this to myself a second time? I'm not. Taking this archives class showed me more than ever that yes, I want to be involved in children's literacy. Next semester, I take a collection development class, which any librarian needs to have. I also have an historical research class down, which I thought of dropping; I do, however, need a research class and the class itself sounds interesting. So I'm going to stick with it. After these classes, I'm pretty sure that the rest of my electives will be in children's literacy, perhaps with one or two Web classes to round me out.

Having that direction in place has given me a tremendous sense of relief and peace. Something in my crazy life is settled.

I've been knitting away, but naturally, being sick and knitting equals huge mistakes. Luckily it's a stockinette piece so aside from having to negotiate the ripping back of a few armhole decreases, I should be fine. Grr, regardless.

More tomorrow on books. I should probably get a good night's sleep since I'll be back at work after three missed days. Zoinks.

New Decade, Same Me

Wow. I'm 40 today. Rather, in a little less than an hour, I will be (it's currently 10:21 a.m. I was born at 11:17 a.m.). It's an interesting feeling.

I remember turning 29 and sobbing for an entire year in the awful anticipation of turning 30. As it turns out, my 30s were some of the best years of my life this far. I became the person I was supposed to be, and it turns out, I actually like that person. My teens and 20s were spent trying to figure out who I was, so having the guesswork taken out of that was really relieving. I figured out how to be the best Mom I was capable of being; I worked at being a better wife and daughter, and I really found out who my friends are versus who the very cool acquaintances that I enjoy having around are.

I finally decided, in my late 30s, what I wanted to be when I grew up. Turns out, it's one of the career choices I'd made for myself when I was 6. Sometimes, we really DO have the answer when we're that young. I could have saved myself a lot of angst, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Today, I'm home sick and woke up really cranky and irritable. What a way to turn 40, right? Feeling all Emily Dickinson-comsumptive and weepy. Not the greatest way to kick off my next decade, so I'm not. I'm surrounded by family and friends that I love, I've just finished one of the toughest semesters in grad school that I've had so far, and I got a shiny Tron light cycle and a Dwight Schrute bobblehead for my birthday. And a fabulous new laptop. Now THAT'S a way to turn 40.

So I'm going to enjoy this, a forced day off of sorts, and crack open an actual book that I've been waiting to read. Today is a day to be enjoyed. And who knows? Maybe having this laptop will guarantee that I find my way back to the blogosphere a little more often now.

Okay, so "tomorrow" as a term is relative in my world. Here's the other half of the meme:

Favorite cookbook?
Miracle Muffins (sadly, out of print) has some of the best muffin recipes on the planet. True story.

Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Does Zombie Haiku count? Hey, it's inspirational to see someone lucid enough to not only write, but write in haiku, as he transforms into a zombie. You try it, then judge.

Favorite reading snack?
I'll say popcorn, but ultimately, what goes better with a book than a nice cup of coffee (or another hot beverage of your choice)?

Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I'll give you two: The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada. They were such letdowns.

How often do you agree with critics about a book?
It's hit and miss; critics tend to dismiss my favored genre(s), science fiction and fantasy, as so much fluff. Sometimes, it's deserved, other times, they're so far off the mark I have to wonder if they've even read the book. On the other hand, critics tend to go berserk over so-called literary fiction that has left me wanting to bang my head against a wall repeatedly.

How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I've gotten a lot better at it, but I'd like to think I provide solid reasons. I also make sure that peole know it's MY point of view, not a sweeping generalization. Reading is a subjective experience; what one person enjoys, another doesn't like. Someone put (we would hope) a lot of their time and passion into their pages, before tearing it down, I'd better have damned good reason to.

If you could read in a foreign language, what language would you choose?
Elvish. Oh, okay, killjoy. French or German.

Most intimidating book you've ever read?
Aside from some college textbooks, I'll say The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I've read it twice - once when I was a preteen, just to say I did; next, when the movies came out to see if I actually could retain anything other than "the Silmarils are pretty jewels and the Balrog is badass".

Most intimidating book you're too nervous to begin?
At the moment, anything involving metadata.

Favorite poet?
Shel Silverstein.

How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
If I'm talking about books for me, probably 2-3, depending on my class syllabus. If we're talking Cutie Pie, I've shambled home with 15 books, at least. And yes, I am counting them as books I read - he reads them to me or I read them to him.

How often have you returned a book to the library unread?
A few, less often now.

Favorite fictional character?
I refuse to pick just one. Since this is a book meme, I'll just deal in the written word. Gandalf and Aragorn vie for the number one spot; Neil Gaiman's Morpheus rounds out the top three. Andalthough I didn't like the book she had on her own, Polgara the Sorceress (from the Belgariad and the Mallorean) kicks serious booty.

Favorite fictional villian?
Now we're talking. Saruman of Many Colors. Professor Moriarty. Bellatrix.

Books I'm most likely to bring on vacation?
Something light and fun, probably a Doctor Who novel. Or I'll bring something that will keep me up nights, like Stephen King's The Cell.

The longest I've gone without reading.
I think I could probably get two days in before I get the DTs.

Name a book that you would/could not finish.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Sorry, Jane fans, I couldn't even get through the Cliff's Notes. Ask Sister Peggy Linane over at Saint Agnes, she'll back me up. Also? The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. No. Can. Do.

What distracts you easily while you're reading?
"Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?"
"Wanna know what Dude/Cutie did/said to me?"
"Roe, can you help me a second?
"Mommy?"
"Roe?"

Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The first one of that comes to mind is The Lord of the Rings. Come on, it doesn't matter that Tom Bombadil wasn't in it, for crying out loud. Return of the Living Dead was pretty nifty. It's a short story, but Something Wicked This Way Comes was pretty great, too.

Most disappointing film adaptation?
There are so many. Right now, I can think of The Lightning Thief. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, but then again, I couldn't stand the book either.

The most money I've ever spent in a bookstore at one time?
Before children and rent, when I had disposable income, Mike and I would do some damage in Barnes & Noble. Easily over a hundred bucks, I'm sure. But now I work in publishing and try to get my stuff for free/cheap.

How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Every time.

What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?
Complete lack of interest or if something really bothers me about it.

Do you like to keep your books organized?
I'd like to, but considering the amount of space and the number of books we've got, it's not happening any time soon.

Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?
I read an article on organizing once, and adopted this advice: Think of a book like an old friend you see one day and have coffee with. If you can imagine visiting with this friend again, keep the book. If it was a nice enough time for you both, but will live just fine with the memory of that chat, let it go.

Are there any books you've been avoiding?
Not lately.

Name a book that made you angry.
The Boy from Baby House 10 by Alan Philps - when I read about the conditions that babies lived in at Russian orphanages, I was upset, appalled, and ultimately just wanted to punch something. Ditto for Farm Sanctuary by Gene Baur. When I learned about factory farming and how most food arrives at my plate, I wanted to cut all animal products out of my diet. Now, it just fueled me to find better ways to eat. No living creature deserves to live in those conditions.

A book you didn't expect to like but did?
Hmm... have to get back to you on that one.

A book you expected to like but didn't?
Queen Victoria, Demon Hunter. What a bill of goods that one was.

Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Anything Neil Gaiman, a Doctor Who or Torchwood novel, or late '90s chick lit, preferably from the UK, before the US hype machine killed the genre.

Okay, so while I try to narrow down what I'm going to be writing about, I decided to take the easy way out and start with a book meme, courtesy of Booking Through Thursday. Feel free to copy and write up your own. If you do, leave me a link so I can visit!

1. Favorite childhood book?
Easy one - Grover and the Monster at the End of the Book. Mom would read it to me and over and, and obliged me by adopting Grover's voice (which I'm sure was hell on her vocal cords - thanks, Mom). Years ago, Karen bought me a copy of the book when we were talking about our favorite books and I lamented its loss. I loaned it to my children when they were babies, but it's back on my shelf now.

2. What are you reading right now?
Believe it or not, I blogged about this book almost two years ago, and I'm still inching through it: Mary, a fictional autobiography of Mary Todd Lincoln, by Janice Cooke Newman.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
With school not in session yet, none. I've been trying to request a book for Will, but the OPAC is giving me a hard time (Library-school talk: OPAC, or Online Public Access Catalog, is the library system's online card catalog) with the request.

4. Bad book habit?
Really, is any reading at all bad?

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
A back-breaking number of children's books.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
Nope.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I like reading one at a time, but sometimes I get schizo and will go after two. I don't count school reading here, though.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Not really, I was a sci-fi nerd then, am now.

9. Least favorite book you've read this year (so far)?
Ugh, where do I begin? I'll say Palo Alto by James Franco; I had to write a reader report on it. It was awful.

10. Favorite book you've read this year (so far)?
Ooh... that's a tough one. Let me say it's a toss-up between The Lightning Thief and The Graveyard Book.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Pretty often; I review books for book clubs.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Sci-fi and fantasy.

13. Can you read on the bus?
I used to be able to, but now I get horribly car sick.

14. Favorite place to read?
Where almost everyone else's favorite place is - sprawled out on my living room couch.

15. What is your policy on book-lending?
I'm fairly rough these days, I've lost too many. Only to people I can trust to take care of my books, and I'd really like to get it back in a somewhat reasonable amount of time.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Only if there's some pressing reason, and never a hardcover.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Nope.

18. Not even with text books?
Okay. Sometimes.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English, although Klingon amuses me.

20. What makes you love a book?
Make me feel something - even the most deplorable villain, if he gets an visceral reaction from me, can make the book. Don't bore me. Have characters that come alive and for crying out loud, don't overwrite. The fifth Harry Potter book drove me up a wall; the last 150 pages could have been the entire book.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
See above.

22. Favorite genre?
See the bit about my comfort zone.

23. Genre you rarely read but wish you did?
Hmmm... I can't realy say that there's a genre I don't read that I wish I did.

24. Favorite biography?
I enjoyed Mick Foley's Have a Nice Day.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Yup. Not one of those touchy-feely things, I read stuff like Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life and Organizing From the Inside Out in my neverending quest to get my crap until control. And wellness books. That kind of stuff.

Okay, this meme has 50 questions, so more to come tomorrow.

Hi, Remember Me?



I don't blame you if you don't, it's been quite a while. For a while, I just decided I was going to leave my little corner of cyberspace - not for any real reason, mind you - since everyone seems to be on Facebook. Why not just microblog via my status and post links? Then, I missed putting up longer trains of thought. But there was that whole lazy thing. But Linda over at Coffee & Danish started blogging again, and it served as a kick in the rear for me. So here I am. As for where I'll go, who knows? I invite you along for the ride.

Jeez, I've Gotten So Bad At This.

Gah. It's been over a month since I last blogged! Bad blogger, no cookie. Sorry, guys, I keep meaning to get back to regular blogging, but between my schoolwork, being at the kids' school, and just general craziness, I lapsed again. My apologies. I'm going to commit to blogging at least once a week to get back on track. I've been doing a lot of committing lately, so let's chat.

First up - kids are back in school, and it's like a breath of fresh air for me. Not to have them out of the house for six hours, I meant the social interaction again. I stepped up my involvement with the Parents' Association and the school itself this year, because I just enjoy being around everyone so much. I'm in the school almost every day because there's always some way to help, and honestly, what else am I going to do? Sit home and snarf down a sleeve of Oreos? Because I know that's what the alternative is. Plus, I'm lucky enough to have my kids in a school that welcomes parents - I'm taking advantage of it.

The boys are loving school this year, and they have two great teachers. That's a HUGE sigh of relief you hear right now. They've been pretty consistently lucky except for one hiccup that Heartbreaker had a couple of years ago.

Schoolwork for me is going along much better than I had whipped myself into a lather over. The management class that I feared with all of my being is a pretty interesting course, and the professor is a big part of that; she has found reading and lessons that aren't nearly as dry as I'd imagined management writing to be. I have a big project coming up in the next few weeks that I'm terrifying myself into inaction on (again), but I've committed to getting that started this week. I have lucked out so far in getting my work done before deadline, and I'd like to keep that streak going.

I'm committing also to losing some weight again. I'm tired of beating myself up. The bingeing is the hardest habit to break. I've been re-reading my old yoga books for some inspiration.

Which brings me to the reading list. Read so far:
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink - for years, I've loved that expression, "Left-handed people are the only ones in their right mind" because... well, because I'm left-handed. But this book goes beyond the cute little slogan and examines how we'll need to step up our game in the future, now that third-world countries are competing with us in the jobs arena, more and more work is being automated, and quite frankly, we just have too much stuff to want something just functional (The "three As" - Asia, automation, and abundance, as Pink puts it). His idea of developing right-brained skills, like empathy and symphony, to infuse our experiences with functionality and then some really appeals to me. Yes, I read this for school, but I ended up coming away with a lot more than work on an assignment.

Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock & Roll, and Mental Illness by Mary Forsberg Weiland - I reviewed this one for the clubs, and it's your typical celeb spouse tell-all. On the one hand, I was impressed and somewhat empathetic with her struggles against bipolar disorder and getting clean, but on the other, it's so formulaic. Dysfunctional childhood. Check. Beautiful girl, begins modeling. Check. Falls in love with aspiring rock star. Check. Drug Abuse. Check. Diagnosis of psychological dysfunction that proves the feelings she’s had but was never able to describe all along. Check. Ultimate divorce from rock star so she can heal. Check. She name-drops like crazy and tends to adopt a whiny teenage girl voice when talking about the early years of being in love with Scott Weiland while he was dating and married to his longtime girlfriend. Gag me.

Management Basics for Information Professionals by G. Edward Evans & Patricia Layzell Ward - hey, I know it's a textbook for school, but I've got to read it, right? I'll go with what another Amazon reviewer wrote: "Not bad as textbooks go." I liked my textbook from last semester (Foundations of Library & Information Science) better; it had all the cool history information. Heck, I really liked my Professor Haycock's book (he's the dean at my school), The Portable MLIS, with The Whole Library Handbook 4, too. I didn't get to read both in their entirety, but I can see myself going back and reading these during some downtime.

Next up, I'm reading 12: The Elements of Great Managing by Rodd Wagner & James K. Harter, Ph.D. It's another book for school, but again, I'm glad my professor has found material that livens up the whole management reading. I tend to like case studies, and this book has many of them. It goes down easier, and makes information stick better than just reading a textbook. According to the authors, there are 12 elements in order to be a great manager. Interesting concept, sad to see how many of these elements are absent today.

Other than school reading, I'm going between three books right now. I started a Supernatural novel, Nevermore. This time around, Sam and Dean are investigating some creepy murders that echo murders from Edgar Allen Poe's books. That's taken a backseat for a little while, because I started Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I kind of got sucked into a reading group that's done through the Dept. of Ed and the local schools, so I decided to give it a shot. So far, I really like it; I'm only about 20 pages in so I can't discuss too much, but I'll be back to talk about it.

Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss is one of the yoga books I'm revisiting in order to get back to where I was years ago. It's not even so much about the weight loss - I need to get my head back into a good place. Once I get that down, everything else will follow. Getting into a regular yoga practice again, getting my head into the place that yoga brings me, is where I need to begin. I can't find a link to the book, but there are DVDs (AM and PM) that I also own that are great. Suzanne Deason is one of my two favorite yoga instructors, the other being Sarah Ivanhoe. Very relaxing, great starting point for introspection. Hopefully I'll have good news in a few weeks' times.

More to come, including knitting updates.

School's In!



School finally began this week, and not a moment too soon, judging from my last entry. Not so much for getting the kids back to school as getting me around people again. The boys (and I) are thrilled with their teachers, and I've already started logging Mom Hours in the school. It is so nice to be around people I like again, and I won't lie - being part of the Parents' Association makes me feel like I'm working again.

Off to school we go!

The Cutie and his Buddy

Murderer's Row, aka Heartbreaker and The Gang

School's back in session for me, too, and I've been pretty happy with the class so far. It's more of a management class, one of those core courses that gives you a taste of something, should you decide you follow that path in the future. Taking a management class gave me some pause; I was afraid that the material would be dry, but the professor is very good and has chosen readings that put a new perspective on management. She is very much in touch with the class and is communicative, and she chose early assignments that helped us all get to know one another, so it's going better than I could have imagined.

Cutie Pie starts Sunday School this year, and while he was initially not thrilled with going to Church AND school on a Sunday, he seems to have warmed up, having met his teacher, Ms. Mercedes. Even Heartbreaker sounds like he wants to return to Sunday School next year, so I told him he's got to start catching up on material he's missed. I think having Cutie in the school sparked his interest; it's fun having a little brother around, apparently. At least, sometimes.

Lots of reading and knitting going on, but I'm going to pause here for now and take advantage of the sunshine. Happy New Year, everyone!

A Rant.

Normally, I try to keep the blog light. Who wants to read the rantings of a lunatic? So please, feel free to skip this post today; I just needed to write this out somewhere before I burn myself up inside.

I'm sorry about putting this up here, but it's been brewing for a while now and I am hoping that by getting it out of my system I can move on. Like I said, just pass this post by if you want. It's more for me this time.

I am tired. I have been out of work for almost 10 months now. On the one hand, I love and am appreciative for the time this has given me to be with my kids, and for how much easier their lives have become as a result. They don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn on a day off to be shuttled off to the in-laws because I have to work. I don't have the sick feeling form in the pit of my stomach every morning I hear a cough or the groan, "I have a bellyache..." because I may have to call in and deal with crap from a boss who either doesn't have kids, never made them a priority, or was scared to and is just passing the buck. I love that they were actually able to go to bed late and sleep late on summer vacation, like a kid should. Having said that, I am so lonely.


At first, I felt like I was useless. I see people dressed nicely, heading to work, as I dropped my kids off at their half-day summer camp clad in my sweats and t-shirt that I'd slept in. I tried to shower in time to pick them up so I'd at least feel like I'd accomplished something while they were in camp. Yes, I know - I had school and that time was spent working on the FINAL PAPER OF DOOM, which was all good time spent. But I go to school online. I'm alone.

There are apparently many stay-at-home mothers that my children are friends with during the school year, but you'd never know it come summer. I have made attempt after attempt to reconnect with these friends over the summer, but I'm either left to wonder if my e-mail made it through, if there's something wrong with my cell phone, or I'm politely told, week after week, sorry, there's something else going on. Do you know what it's like for a 6-year old kid not to see any of his friends during the summertime? Do you know what it's like to try and explain that to him?

And then there are the friends that just disappear when you're at home. Everyone's working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If anyone is left, there are promises and jokes of the attempts to get together that never happen - but my phone doesn't ring. I've asked time and again to see people. Offers have been vaguely made, and when I try to suggest making it concrete, my messages apparently get lost in the ether. Jokes are made about how often we try to get the kids together and it doesn't happen, but there's no 'we' happening here. I try.

My stepfather's passing brought people to my aid, for which I am eternally grateful. But two weeks after he's in the ground, we're back to square one. All those offers of "Do you need anything?" fade away, when all I need is someone to freaking talk to. Someone to go to the park with. Someone to just come talk to me about something other than Disney Channel and wrestling and Nickelodeon and video games.

Look, I'm not condemning everyone I know. There have been friends who, in spite of having full plates of their own, have reached out this summer. I hope they know that I appreciate everything they've said and done more than they can possibly know. But before I get caught up in excuses and trying to apologize for my feelings at the outset, let me just pause here. I'm feeling what I'm feeling and not trying to call anyone out or hurt anyone else's feelings. This is my space to talk about what's on my mind and this is what is.

On days that I feel like this, I'd rather have no one - because at least then, I'd know what to expect.

Amish Fun

I saw this sign when we were watching fudge get made. I think it sums it all up nicely.



An amusing new take on American Gothic?


Looking at this now, Christine and I really should have taken the kids spots, but then no one would have been left to take the picture.

Mike continues to be inspired by Weird Al Yankovic's "Amish Paradise".

Okay, this is cuter.

Mom and I, a little damp from having ridden the tube ride you see in back.

Books, books, books. Working my way through the Hellboy novel On Earth As It Is In Hell, since I needed to take a break to take care of schoolwork. I also read the Vol. 1 graphic novel, Seed of Destruction, so now I'm set with the first few issues of the comic. I hope to get all of them, because I love the way they're written and I've been a fan of Mike Mignola's art since I used to collect Dracula cards (from the Gary Oldman movie), where he did artwork.

Also read another wrist-slitter for the clubs, a book called The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris. A high-powered lawyer develops a resurgence of a disease he had a few years before, which causes him to walk compulsively. He is fully aware while it happens, it's just that he has no control over the urge and will walk until he passes out from exhaustion, at which point his wife has to go fetch him from wherever he ends up. There's no physical trace of the disease and nothing seems to treat it, so he's never vindicated. He's humiliated by his coworkers, loses his partnership at the firm, and eventually, his family falls apart as his wife descends into alcoholism and his daughter withdraws into herself. There's an odd sort of murder mystery thrown in that doesn't really seem to belong there. The thing is, nothing ever improves in this book. It really is a downward spiral of misery and it wasn't that great of a book. I admit that losing my stepfather after seeing him in and out of a hospital for a few years didn't help the state of mind I was in while reading the book. It's not going to find a space on my bookshelf.

Cutie's birthday came and went, and now I have a six year old. How did that happen so quickly? We kept it low-key, having just lost Rich the week before, and had a cake for him at my Mom's, with presents at Grandma's earlier that day. His party will be in September again, since I had such a great turnout last year by waiting until everyone was back from vacation and in school. He doesn't mind; we pretty much make his birthday a month-long event this way.