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The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn AcademyThe Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy, Book
by Hattemer, KateBook - 2014Book, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Dec 23, 2014
Quotations
- I wanted to call her a bitch. I almost did. But I couldn't get the word out. I started wondering whether that'd be sexist, and then I started thinking about how many thoughts could squeeze into the tiniest pause between words, and then I started thinking that now I was thinking about my thoughts, and also thinking about the fact that I was thinking about my thoughts, and how that could go on forever, as if my first thought had been placed between two mirrors and now there was an infinite, recursive series of thoughts. And then I thought about how everyone else probably thought about thoughts too, and how there were so many thoughts out there, an oppressive consciousness ladled over the globe like a thick, congealing sauce.I wanted to call her a bitch. I almost did. But I couldn't get the word out. I started wondering whether that'd be sexist, and then I started thinking about how many thoughts could squeeze into the tiniest pause between words, and then I started…
- If you have ever wondered what it's like to be me, or a teenager, or a human, that does a pretty nice job of explaining it. The tremulous fusion between self-trust and self-doubt.
- "Yes!" said BradLee It was rare that I exacted an exclamation point from a teacher. They used a lot of ellipses when talking to me: "yeah but . . ." or "okay . . . " Elizabeth gave me an air-five from across the room.
My Friend DahmerMy Friend Dahmer, Graphic NovelA Graphic Novel
by Backderf, DerfGraphic Novel - 2012Graphic Novel, 2012
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Dec 17, 2014
Comment:
"I had normal friendships in high school . . . and really never had any close friendships after high school."
- Jeff Dahmer
I briefly met Derf Backderf a couple of years ago, when he was telling a small group I was a part of about this book. He said that Jeffrey Dahmer killed his first victim two weeks after Backderf last talked to him, at high school graduation. Before that they were classmates, peers, and friends.
Though the word "friend" is a bit of an overstatement, as Backderf wasn't all that great to Dahmer; still, Backderf and his group of buds were about as good as friendship ever got for Dahmer. They never quite bonded with him and didn't much associate away from the captivity of school, but at least they accepted him there. That was a welcome contrast from his reclusive home life with his unhappy family, trying his best to repress the host of impulses he knew were wrong without ever sharing them with anyone. At school Dahmer could at least act out a little to relieve the pressure, and Backderf's group accepted him as a curiosity and entertaining spectacle as much as a friend.
Backderf has recreated as much of Dahmer's middle and high school years as possible from his perspective as someone on the edges of Dahmer's life. He draws from his own memories, those of friends and associates he interviewed, Dahmer's as shared in interviews with journalists, and the public documents and records available. He shares his graphic account with highly effective artwork and fairly matter-of-fact writing, choosing for the most part to let the story speak for itself. It is a fascinating, sad portrait, one well worth reading.
The section titles tell a bit of a story all by themselves:
- Part 1: The Strange Boy
- Part 2: A Secret Life
- Part 3: The Dahmer Fan Club
- Part 4: Becoming the Monster
- Part 5: Fade to Black"I had normal friendships in high school . . . and really never had any close friendships after high school."
- Jeff Dahmer
I briefly met Derf Backderf a couple of years ago, when he was telling a small group I was a part of about this book. He…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Dec 16, 2014
Comment:
A great character/story that young readers will both relate to and fantasize about, drawn appealingly and told well.
Andrew is small for his age and picked on--or at least overlooked--by nearly everyone bigger, including the school bullies and his older brother. He dreams of having powers like Defender, the superhero he idolizes, so he could fight back. Then one day, out of the blue, a supervillain scheme goes wrong, leaving Defender dead and Andrew secretly given his powers.
Andrew suddenly has many new quandaries to face: Is he now responsible for fighting crime in Defender's place? But he can't really control his powers--his poor flying gets him the moniker "Smash," not to mention his fear of heights and vomit-inducing motion sickness--and doesn't know the first thing about dealing with criminals. And how can he keep his powers a secret? The temptation to use them on the bullies is overwhelming and, more importantly, the villain wants to find him to get back Defender's powers. And what about the police, which aren't too thrilled with his appearance, and the other heroes and villains that suddenly all want something from him?
Exciting, entertaining, and empathy-inducing.A great character/story that young readers will both relate to and fantasize about, drawn appealingly and told well.
Andrew is small for his age and picked on--or at least overlooked--by nearly everyone bigger, including the school bullies and…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Dec 16, 2014
Comment:
Parallel stories of mysterious illness. Illness that spreads like contagion, yet only to teen girls. Illness of unknown cause; might it be something consumed? Viral? Psychological? Environmental? Supernatural? Illness of unknown cure, and as the illness spreads and the unknowns mount, so does the hysteria, spread and mount, in the form of community reaction. The longer people go without answers, the crazier they get.
The main story is set in a privileged, highly competitive, all-girl high school in Danvers, Massachusetts in 2012. The secondary story, told in alternating chapters called "interludes," is set in Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1706. The illnesses in each might be the same but they might not, and therein lies the mystery. The intrigue lies in how people react to the mysteries, both the specific, intimate reactions of the two protagonists, each narrating her own story, and the general, larger reactions of those around them. There are plentiful fascinating comparisons to consider.
Perhaps most fascinating is that both stories are based on actual events. At times the narrative is hampered by the constraints of being true to those histories and by the structure of the parallel tellings to prompt the comparisons, the characters and their interactions a little less than organic and fully believable as a result. Nevertheless, they remain sympathetic characters and their stories are compelling ones.
-----
"Do you know what it's like," I ask him, "to not be listened to?"
"What do you mean?"
I can tell from the look on his face that the Reverend is about to insist to me that of course he knows. And he probably thinks he does. But he doesn't.
Look at him. He's a son, maybe even an eldest son, I don't know. He's educated. His clothes fit. He's got that hearty wife in the hall, with the piglet girl and the hiccoughing baby. A whole churchful of parishioners ready to attend to his opinions, looking to him for guidance. Even me. I'm appealing to him, I'm prostrating myself, showing him my sin, as if it's in his power to absolve me, which it isn't. He's been listened to all his life. He always will be.
"I was an eldest daughter," I begin, hunting for a way to make him understand. "We were people of worth in the village. I wasn't bound out, like Abby. My labors weren't half as hard as hers. But even so, to be a girl of thirteen . . . "
I hunt his eyes for understanding, and I can see him straining to find it. Silently, I beg him to *see me.*
But I read it on his face plain as day.
He doesn't. He can't.Parallel stories of mysterious illness. Illness that spreads like contagion, yet only to teen girls. Illness of unknown cause; might it be something consumed? Viral? Psychological? Environmental? Supernatural? Illness of unknown cure, and as the…
Added Dec 02, 2014
Video: Andrew Smith: Kukuřičný město (trailer)
Russian trailer for the translated edition.
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Dec 01, 2014
Comment:
I'm enough of a detail-oriented bibliophile that I enjoy dwelling on parts of books like the acknowledgments. While all five paragraphs of this book's acknowledgments page are stellar, the fourth is best I can remember reading:
"Also, this book would never have been written if it weren't for the following: Sleeplessness, Self-Doubt, Depression, and Anxiety. So, thank you, demons. You guys are the greatest! I don't know what I would do without you!"
With such a perfect mix of honesty, vulnerability, voice, and sarcasm to kick things off, I was primed to fall in love before even starting the book.
That paragraph proved to be a good representation of what followed. This is a simple, honest slice of a fairly typical 17-year-old guy's life, including the sarcastic voice he uses to hide his vulnerability. It is not a particularly flashy story, and its power lies in the fact that it is so true to life and its characters so real.
"If I was ever the kind of guy who punched things, I would have put my fist through something--anything--maybe Cade's window. But I'm not the kind of guy who punches things. I'm the kind of guy who sucks all his shitty life inside his personal black hole and pretends everything is perfectly fine."
Finn's story is a reflection of Finn.
Don't, though, take that to mean it is so mundane as to be boring. It may not have giant, planet-destroying insects, outrageous humor, or dystopian wastelands, but there is death, love, tragedy, heroism, and conflict enough to make for a dramatic story, it's just contained within the realm of normal teenage life and high jinks and shared from the perspective of an introspective, insecure young man trying to find his way in the world. Like Finn, it's thoughtfully engaging.
And, like Finn's best friend Cade, it has enough unusual elements--such as dead horses falling from the sky, ill-timed epileptic seizures, and fathers famous for their books about cannibalistic aliens that are mistaken for angels--to be irreverently entertaining.
I'm rating this immediately after having finished it, which is creating some conflict for me. Because the book tells a quieter story than many it's easier to set aside than my absolute favorites, making me lean toward 4 stars. Yet I suspect it will be one that sticks with me and feel more powerful as it lingers, as the best 5 star books do. So for know I'm going to go with 4.5 stars.I'm enough of a detail-oriented bibliophile that I enjoy dwelling on parts of books like the acknowledgments. While all five paragraphs of this book's acknowledgments page are stellar, the fourth is best I can remember reading:
"Also, this book…
Quotations
- This book would never have been written if it weren't for the following: Sleeplessness, Self-Doubt, Depression, and Anxiety. So, thank you, demons. You guys are the greatest! I don't know what I would do without you! [from the acknowledgments]
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Dec 01, 2014
Comment:
Parallel stories of mysterious illness. Illness that spreads like contagion, yet only to teen girls. Illness of unknown cause; might it be something consumed? Viral? Psychological? Environmental? Supernatural? Illness of unknown cure, and as the illness spreads and the unknowns mount, so does the hysteria, spread and mount, in the form of community reaction. The longer people go without answers, the crazier they get.
The main story is set in a privileged, highly competitive, all-girl high school in Danvers, Massachusetts in 2012. The secondary story, told in alternating chapters called "interludes," is set in Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1706. The illnesses in each might be the same but they might not, and therein lies the mystery. The intrigue lies in how people react to the mysteries, both the specific, intimate reactions of the two protagonists, each narrating her own story, and the general, larger reactions of those around them. There are plentiful fascinating comparisons to consider.
Perhaps most fascinating is that both stories are based on actual events. At times the narrative is hampered by the constraints of being true to those histories and by the structure of the parallel tellings to prompt the comparisons, the characters and their interactions a little less than organic and fully believable as a result. Nevertheless, they remain sympathetic characters and their stories are compelling ones.
-----
"Do you know what it's like," I ask him, "to not be listened to?"
"What do you mean?"
I can tell from the look on his face that the Reverend is about to insist to me that of course he knows. And he probably thinks he does. But he doesn't.
Look at him. He's a son, maybe even an eldest son, I don't know. He's educated. His clothes fit. He's got that hearty wife in the hall, with the piglet girl and the hiccoughing baby. A whole churchful of parishioners ready to attend to his opinions, looking to him for guidance. Even me. I'm appealing to him, I'm prostrating myself, showing him my sin, as if it's in his power to absolve me, which it isn't. He's been listened to all his life. He always will be.
"I was an eldest daughter," I begin, hunting for a way to make him understand. "We were people of worth in the village. I wasn't bound out, like Abby. My labors weren't half as hard as hers. But even so, to be a girl of thirteen . . . "
I hunt his eyes for understanding, and I can see him straining to find it. Silently, I beg him to *see me.*
But I read it on his face plain as day.
He doesn't. He can't.Parallel stories of mysterious illness. Illness that spreads like contagion, yet only to teen girls. Illness of unknown cause; might it be something consumed? Viral? Psychological? Environmental? Supernatural? Illness of unknown cure, and as the…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Dec 01, 2014
Comment:
I quite enjoyed the story at the heart of this book and its central characters. As long as the narration was focused on the misadventures of Elena and Ekatarina, with their prince and pauper accidental reversal of roles in tsarist Russia, I found myself swept up in the tale. The secondary characters developed nicely into multi-dimensional people and all the characters experienced interesting growth. I especially enjoyed the way Maguire worked traditional Russian folklore into his story, with the figures of the firebird, the witch, and the ice dragon playing prominent roles.
However, the narrative voice itself did not work for me. I'm sure this is a matter of preference more than writing quality, but immediately from the series of false starts on the first few pages I took a dislike to the monk who narrates the book and his storytelling style. Every time he intruded on the story with his frequent thoughts, comments, and overblown prose, my teeth grated. My one other big gripe that keeps me from rating the book higher is the fact that Baba Yaga's constant anachronistic patter--that makes her seem imbalanced to the other characters and is meant to make her feel timeless and immortal to readers--is entirely composed of 21st-century jokes; were she truly timeless and immortal, her references would have come from all times instead of winkingly at the readers' time and place, so it made her ring false. Nitpicky, I know, but it bothered me.I quite enjoyed the story at the heart of this book and its central characters. As long as the narration was focused on the misadventures of Elena and Ekatarina, with their prince and pauper accidental reversal of roles in tsarist Russia, I found…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 25, 2014
Comment:
A 3.5 star rating that I'm rounding down rather than up because I found the ending just a little too superficially neat and easy, and that's lingering a bit. In general, though, I found the book engaging and interesting and Lucy an appealingly strong character.
The book opens with Lucy riding a train north from San Francisco, fleeing the finishing school she hates in pursuit of the father who left her there while he sought work as a ghost clearer. This is an alternate history where the continent's first peoples did not fare so badly against the European settlers, and she travels through their lands to reach the rough pioneer logging community along the coast. She arrives to find her father gone, though, without explanation. Lucy deduces upon investigation that he left hoping to find a supernatural cause--and cure--for the mysterious fungus that is killing all the trees, and sets off into the wild to track him down. Her adventures that follow are magical, perilous, and eye-opening in numerous different ways.
A very solid and appealing read for middle grades.A 3.5 star rating that I'm rounding down rather than up because I found the ending just a little too superficially neat and easy, and that's lingering a bit. In general, though, I found the book engaging and interesting and Lucy an appealingly…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 14, 2014
Comment:
"I think I figured it out." She sniffed, looking up at the stars. "Hester asked me what the difference between a story and a lie was. At the time, I told her that a story helps folks. 'Helps 'em do what?' she asked. Well, I think I know the answer. A story helps folks face the world, even when it frightens 'em. And a lie does the opposite. It helps you hide."
In and of itself, the book's Contents page is not exceptional. Good, definitely, but not necessarily reason enough to love a book. Yet I think I can identify my first look at it as the moment I fell in love with this book.
I was quite taken with Auxier's first book, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, so I was excited to read this one for that reason alone. Additionally, friends have loved it, peers have recommended it, and best-of-the-year lists have included it. Dark, creepy, atmospheric books almost always draw me in, and this is one. So I started with all of that in the book's favor before I even picked it up. But I hate to get my expectations high only to have them disappointed, so I tried not to let myself feel too much anticipation.
My reading started with dwelling on the gorgeous cover, followed by the amazing art design on the end, title, publication, and introductory pages. Superficial, I know, but amazingly creepy and atmospheric, and they set a delicious mood. The Milton quote didn't do much for me without context, but I was exceedingly intrigued by the Aesop: "We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified." Then I turned the page and saw the contents--Arrivals, Pursuits, Departures--and it just seemed to so perfectly encapsulate the journey of a great story I knew at that moment the book had me hooked.
It did not disappoint.
Not only is it a wonderfully dark and scary, gripping and suspenseful tale, it also viscerally considers the power of our wishes, the lies and stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we want to be.
Neil Gaiman recently had a conversation about the timeless appeal and importance of stories that are dark, including:
"I think if you are protected from dark things then you have no protection of, knowledge of, or understanding of dark things when they show up. I think it is really important to show dark things to kids — and, in the showing, to also show that dark things can be beaten, that you have power. Tell them you can fight back, tell them you can win. Because you can — but you have to know that.
"And for me, the thing that is so big and so important about the darkness is [that] it’s like in an inoculation… You are giving somebody darkness in a form that is not overwhelming — it’s understandable, they can envelop it, they can take it into themselves, they can cope with it.
"And, it’s okay, it’s safe to tell you that story — as long as you tell them that you can be smart, and you can be brave, and you can be tricky, and you can be plucky, and you can keep going."
This is one such story: chilling, thrilling, compelling, and a bit horrifying; eloquent, insightful, and astute; and an inoculation against the darkness."I think I figured it out." She sniffed, looking up at the stars. "Hester asked me what the difference between a story and a lie was. At the time, I told her that a story helps folks. 'Helps 'em do what?' she asked. Well, I think I know the answer.…
Quotations
- “I think I figured it out." She sniffed, looking up at the stars. "Hester asked me what the difference between a story and a lie was. At the time, I told her that a story helps folks. 'Helps 'em do what?' she asked. Well, I think I know the answer. A story helps folks face the world, even when it frightens 'em. And a lie does the opposite. It helps you hide.”“I think I figured it out." She sniffed, looking up at the stars. "Hester asked me what the difference between a story and a lie was. At the time, I told her that a story helps folks. 'Helps 'em do what?' she asked. Well, I think I know the answer.…
- “Stories come in all different kinds." Hester scooted closer, clearly enjoying the subject at hand. "There's tales, which are light and fluffy. Good for a smile on a sad day. Then you got yarns, which are showy-yarns reveal more about the teller than the story. After that there's myths, which are stories made up by whole groups of people. And last of all, there's legends." She raised a mysterious eyebrow. "Legends are different from the rest on account no one knows where they start. Folks don't tell legends; they repeat them. Over and over again through history.”“Stories come in all different kinds." Hester scooted closer, clearly enjoying the subject at hand. "There's tales, which are light and fluffy. Good for a smile on a sad day. Then you got yarns, which are showy-yarns reveal more about the teller…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 14, 2014
Comment:
I quite enjoyed the story at the heart of this book and its central characters. As long as the narration was focused on the misadventures of Elena and Ekatarina, with their prince and pauper accidental reversal of roles in tsarist Russia, I found myself swept up in the tale. The secondary characters developed nicely into multi-dimensional people and all the characters experienced interesting growth. I especially enjoyed the way Maguire worked traditional Russian folklore into his story, with the figures of the firebird, the witch, and the ice dragon playing prominent roles.
However, the narrative voice itself did not work for me. I'm sure this is a matter of preference more than writing quality, but immediately from the series of false starts on the first few pages I took a dislike to the monk who narrates the book and his storytelling style. Every time he intruded on the story with his frequent thoughts, comments, and overblown prose, my teeth grated. My one other big gripe that keeps me from rating the book higher is the fact that Baba Yaga's constant anachronistic patter--that makes her seem imbalanced to the other characters and is meant to make her feel timeless and immortal to readers--is entirely composed of 21st-century jokes; were she truly timeless and immortal, her references would have come from all times instead of winkingly at the readers' time and place, so it made her ring false. Nitpicky, I know, but it bothered me.I quite enjoyed the story at the heart of this book and its central characters. As long as the narration was focused on the misadventures of Elena and Ekatarina, with their prince and pauper accidental reversal of roles in tsarist Russia, I found…
The Family RomanovThe Family Romanov, BookMurder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia
by Fleming, CandaceBook - 2014Book, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 14, 2014
Comment:
A fascinating, captivating account of the life--and death--of Russia's final Tsar and his family, the story of how the richest people on the planet went from absolute power over a massive empire to revolution and quiet murder in a cellar. Enough information is shared about the politics and life in Russia during the time to provide context, but the focus is definitely on the personalities and experiences of the Romanovs, who above all seemed to want a quiet (though privileged) family life removed from public life and power, and who responded when forced to rule as cluelessly sheltered, absent tyrants who should not be questioned or challenged. Accessible, informative, and entertaining.A fascinating, captivating account of the life--and death--of Russia's final Tsar and his family, the story of how the richest people on the planet went from absolute power over a massive empire to revolution and quiet murder in a cellar. Enough…
Quotations
- "The tsar offends the nation by what he allows to go on in the palace . . . while the country offends the tsar by its terrible suspicions. The result is the destruction of those centuries-old ties which have sustained Russia. And the cause of all this? The weakness of one man and one woman. . . . Oh, how terrible an autocracy without an autocrat!""The tsar offends the nation by what he allows to go on in the palace . . . while the country offends the tsar by its terrible suspicions. The result is the destruction of those centuries-old ties which have sustained Russia. And the cause of all…
Through the WoodsThrough the Woods, Graphic Novel
by Carroll, EmilyGraphic Novel - 2014Graphic Novel, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 14, 2014
Comment:
I have to admit up front that: A) while I like stories that are dark and explore, to an extent, the ways we humans cause and confront suffering, I'm not a big fan of pure horror, particularly supernatural; and, B) while I find some short stories amazing, often I feel they're one-trick ponies and wish they had more depth, substance, and complexity, particularly when the form is compounded by the spareness of graphic fiction, with its limited word count (even though a good number of my favorite books are graphic novels; they just tend to be the long, wordy ones). Both of these biases impacted my enjoyment of this book. The art is striking, darkly gorgeous, chilling, and effective. The storytelling--plotting, pacing, etc.--is stellar. I just wanted more substance and relevance; it's not coincidence that my favorite story was the one that happened to be the longest. So not a book I fell in love with, as much as I could appreciate and partially enjoy it. Fans of short horror stories, though, this is one to find immediately, as I feel strongly that you'll love it.I have to admit up front that: A) while I like stories that are dark and explore, to an extent, the ways we humans cause and confront suffering, I'm not a big fan of pure horror, particularly supernatural; and, B) while I find some short stories…
Quotations
- "Oh, but you must travel through those woods again and again," said a shadow at the window, "and you must be lucky to avoid the wolf every time. But the wolf . . . the wolf only needs enough luck to find you once."
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 06, 2014
Comment:
I'm waffling between 2 and 3 stars on this one.
There is much humor that I think the target audience will appreciate, but it's, well, not very smart humor. That sounds a strange thing to say, given that the humor is meant to be crude and scatological, that I might expect it to not be dumb, but I do. There is some great, intelligently crude, scatological humor in similar books that press the same funny bone in much more clever, deft, sarcastic, and even challenging ways. This always goes for the tired, obvious, easy joke: boys like boogers and hate girls categorically; cops operate out of doughnut shops; etc. The subtle, ironic social commentary that should operate behind the humor is absent. And the storytelling, wordsmithing, characterizations, and such are just as blunt. It could have been so much better.
Still, I do think the target audience will have fun with it and consider it more than just okay. So, from their perspective, 3 stars.I'm waffling between 2 and 3 stars on this one.
There is much humor that I think the target audience will appreciate, but it's, well, not very smart humor. That sounds a strange thing to say, given that the humor is meant to be crude and…
The Family RomanovThe Family Romanov, Audiobook CDMurder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia
by Fleming, CandaceAudiobook CD - 2014Audiobook CD, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 03, 2014
Comment:
A fascinating, captivating account of the life--and death--of Russia's final Tsar and his family, the story of how the richest people on the planet went from absolute power over a massive empire to revolution and quiet murder in a cellar. Enough information is shared about the politics and life in Russia during the time to provide context, but the focus is definitely on the personalities and experiences of the Romanovs, who above all seemed to want a quiet (though privileged) family life removed from public life and power, and who responded when forced to rule as cluelessly sheltered, absent tyrants who should not be questioned or challenged. Accessible, informative, and entertaining.A fascinating, captivating account of the life--and death--of Russia's final Tsar and his family, the story of how the richest people on the planet went from absolute power over a massive empire to revolution and quiet murder in a cellar. Enough…
Quotations
- "The tsar offends the nation by what he allows to go on in the palace . . . while the country offends the tsar by its terrible suspicions. The result is the destruction of those centuries-old ties which have sustained Russia. And the cause of all this? The weakness of one man and one woman. . . . Oh, how terrible an autocracy without an autocrat!""The tsar offends the nation by what he allows to go on in the palace . . . while the country offends the tsar by its terrible suspicions. The result is the destruction of those centuries-old ties which have sustained Russia. And the cause of all…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 03, 2014
Comment:
An appealing tone that is both light--with plenty of situational humor--and thought-provoking. An outrageously impossible situation that is dealt with so realistically it almost seems believable. It satisfied my literary desires for both entertainment and edification, without either detracting from the other. Highly enjoyable and recommended.An appealing tone that is both light--with plenty of situational humor--and thought-provoking. An outrageously impossible situation that is dealt with so realistically it almost seems believable. It satisfied my literary desires for both…
ShackletonShackleton, Graphic NovelAntarctic Odyssey
by Bertozzi, NickGraphic Novel - 2014Graphic Novel, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 03, 2014
Comment:
An engaging account of Shackleton's failed expedition that became an epic story of survival. I just wish the book had been bigger and longer, because the story would have been improved by more details and the characters would have been easier to tell apart had the illustrations been larger. But the fact that I wanted more means what was there was successful at drawing me in and holding my attention.An engaging account of Shackleton's failed expedition that became an epic story of survival. I just wish the book had been bigger and longer, because the story would have been improved by more details and the characters would have been easier to…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 03, 2014
Comment:
This was good. I can't say that it wasn't, and need to make that clear up front; but my overwhelming feeling the entire time I was reading it was that it was falling short of its potential. It tried to be quirky and absurd and funny and always made moves in those directions, it just never quite reached any of them definitively. And the ending was way too predictable. So I liked it, I just liked the book it intended to be ever so much more, which left me feeling disappointed.This was good. I can't say that it wasn't, and need to make that clear up front; but my overwhelming feeling the entire time I was reading it was that it was falling short of its potential. It tried to be quirky and absurd and funny and always made…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Nov 03, 2014
Comment:
This was good. I can't say that it wasn't, and need to make that clear up front; but my overwhelming feeling the entire time I was reading it was that it was falling short of its potential. It tried to be quirky and absurd and funny and always made moves in those directions, it just never quite reached any of them definitively. And the ending was way too predictable. So I liked it, I just liked the book it intended to be ever so much more, which left me feeling disappointed.This was good. I can't say that it wasn't, and need to make that clear up front; but my overwhelming feeling the entire time I was reading it was that it was falling short of its potential. It tried to be quirky and absurd and funny and always made…
The Truth Is A Cave in the Black MountainsThe Truth Is A Cave in the Black Mountains, Audiobook CDA Tale of Travel and Darkness With Pictures of All Kinds
by Gaiman, NeilAudiobook CD - 2014Audiobook CD, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Oct 27, 2014
Comment:
At the back of the book, Gaiman writes about how this came to be: before it was published, it was performed, with Gaiman reading his words, FourPlay String Quartet providing soundtrack, and images painted by Eddie Campbell projected as visuals. Now it is available as a book with the visuals or an audiobook with the music. I tried to combine both, first skimming the art, then listening to the audio, then going back to the art with context and understanding. It makes for a very nice package, though if I had to recommend just one it would be the audio for the way Gaiman masterfully gives life to his text.
Really just a long short story or short novelette (the audio, with pauses for music, is 82 minutes; the book, with plentiful illustrations, is 73 pages), this is a grey, grim, atmospheric tale. To say much about the plot--even naming the category it falls into--risks spoiling the way it unfolds its secrets with perfect patience, a bit at a time. This is one not to consume so much for its morals or wisdom, or to empathize with the characters or gain insight into the human heart, but to simply take joy in magnificent storytelling. Not quite scary, not quite chilling, not quite reality, tinged with evil and regret, it is all about dwelling in the mist.
From that afterward:
"The Black Mountains are the Black Cuillins in Skye, which is known as the Winged Isle, or perhaps the Misty Isle. There is a cave there, they say, where gold is to be found, and all it will mean if you go there and take some of that gold is that you will become a little more evil . . . "At the back of the book, Gaiman writes about how this came to be: before it was published, it was performed, with Gaiman reading his words, FourPlay String Quartet providing soundtrack, and images painted by Eddie Campbell projected as visuals. Now…
Quotations
- I am old now, or at least, I am no longer young, and everything I see reminds me of something else I've seen, such that I see nothing for the first time. . . . It is the curse of age, that all things are reflections of other things.
The Truth Is A Cave in the Black MountainsThe Truth Is A Cave in the Black Mountains, BookA Tale of Travel and Darkness With Pictures of All Kinds
by Gaiman, NeilBook - 2014Book, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Oct 27, 2014
Comment:
At the back of the book, Gaiman writes about how this came to be: before it was published, it was performed, with Gaiman reading his words, FourPlay String Quartet providing soundtrack, and images painted by Eddie Campbell projected as visuals. Now it is available as a book with the visuals or an audiobook with the music. I tried to combine both, first skimming the art, then listening to the audio, then going back to the art with context and understanding. It makes for a very nice package, though if I had to recommend just one it would be the audio for the way Gaiman masterfully gives life to his text.
Really just a long short story or short novelette (the audio, with pauses for music, is 82 minutes; the book, with plentiful illustrations, is 73 pages), this is a grey, grim, atmospheric tale. To say much about the plot--even naming the category it falls into--risks spoiling the way it unfolds its secrets with perfect patience, a bit at a time. This is one not to consume so much for its morals or wisdom, or to empathize with the characters or gain insight into the human heart, but to simply take joy in magnificent storytelling. Not quite scary, not quite chilling, not quite reality, tinged with evil and regret, it is all about dwelling in the mist.
From that afterward:
"The Black Mountains are the Black Cuillins in Skye, which is known as the Winged Isle, or perhaps the Misty Isle. There is a cave there, they say, where gold is to be found, and all it will mean if you go there and take some of that gold is that you will become a little more evil . . . "At the back of the book, Gaiman writes about how this came to be: before it was published, it was performed, with Gaiman reading his words, FourPlay String Quartet providing soundtrack, and images painted by Eddie Campbell projected as visuals. Now…
Quotations
- I am old now, or at least, I am no longer young, and everything I see reminds me of something else I've seen, such that I see nothing for the first time. . . . It is the curse of age, that all things are reflections of other things.
The Ninja LibrariansThe Ninja Librarians, BookThe Accidental Keyhand
by Downey, Jen SwannBook - 2014Book, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Oct 24, 2014
Comment:
More than anything, Dorrie has two great loves: books and swords. She dreams of fighting evil with a blade the way the heroes in all the great stories do. Unfortunately, she knows only how to use her prop sword for stage combat and realizes that even if she were truly skilled she wouldn't stand a chance against modern weapons. Then she and her older brother fall--literally--into Petrarch's Library, an extra-dimensional center with hubs in different times and places throughout history whose lybrarians fight for intellectual freedom using any and all means necessary.
It could be a dream come true, except Dorrie and Marcus are the library's first visitors from the twenty-first century, and their unexpected, uninvited entry puts them on the wrong side of security as potential hostile agents, particularly since they caused unintentional chaos and damage during their panicked first moments. They find themselves under investigation as probationary guests of the library, exploring a world they never knew existed and getting caught up in time-travel espionage, feeling entirely unqualified and unprepared, hoping not to end up on the wrong side of the lybrarians.
Well done and much fun, with believable characters and realistic situations within the fantastical circumstances.More than anything, Dorrie has two great loves: books and swords. She dreams of fighting evil with a blade the way the heroes in all the great stories do. Unfortunately, she knows only how to use her prop sword for stage combat and realizes that…
Quotations
- But in addition to trying to make the world a quieter place for those trying to read and think, our lybrarians are also trying to keep people from having their tongues cut out or being thrown into jail or set on fire for scribbling the wrong thing on a piece of parchment. Not to mention keeping their writings from being destroyed or locked away. . . . A properly trained lybrarian is one of the most fearless and fearsome beings in the world! . . . There's cataloguing, deception and impersonation, publishing law, stealth and illicit entry, library organization, unarmed combat, research skills, armed combat, book repair, fire and explosives, . . . patron relations, horsemanship, . . . water training, espionage, escape and concealment, meteorology, geography, field survival . . .But in addition to trying to make the world a quieter place for those trying to read and think, our lybrarians are also trying to keep people from having their tongues cut out or being thrown into jail or set on fire for scribbling the wrong thing…
The ThicketyThe Thickety, Audiobook CDA Path Begins
by White, J. A.Audiobook CD - 2014Audiobook CD, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Oct 24, 2014
Comment:
"Then the bird showed her a color she had never seen before. Somewhere between black and green but neither of them, the color of pestilence and extinction and nightmares better left forgotten, a color that had been exiled from the world long ago.
"It was the color of evil."
Oh, this book is a dark one. Terrifying, frustrating, tense, exhilarating, and slightly, bitterly delicious.
It begins with a five-year-old girl being kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken in front of a gathering of the people of her village, where their religious leader publicly executes her mother as a witch and almost does the same with the girl as guilty by blood.
That, obviously, is the defining moment of Kara's life. Seven years later she remains the village pariah, her father an apathetic wreck and her brother, who was born six weeks premature that night, still sickly. Their lives are not happy ones, stuck as they are between their oppressive, rigid, puritanical society and the ominously evil, invasive, addictive magic that might or might not have lured her mother to commit atrocities. Kara just wants to love and be loved, to live a simple, happy life, but her situation may never allow it; for Kara may, despite her best intentions and previous reprieve, be destined to follow the same path her mother took.
I'll repeat the blurb from author Angie Sage on the book's back cover: "The Thickety may give you nightmares, but it is a gripping story with a great heroine."
I would have given it 5 stars but for the epilogue, which, while in fact feeling like a logical, organic, and genuine turn of events for the characters and their motivations, nevertheless feels a bit too much like a manipulation that exists purely for the sake of creating the need for a second book. So, only 4.5 stars."Then the bird showed her a color she had never seen before. Somewhere between black and green but neither of them, the color of pestilence and extinction and nightmares better left forgotten, a color that had been exiled from the world long…
The King's DragonThe King's Dragon, Graphic Novel
by Chantler, ScottGraphic Novel - 2014Graphic Novel, 2014
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Oct 20, 2014
Comment:
A side-step from the main story that doesn't move the plot forward so much as add depth, this was an interesting addition (#4) to the series. The perspective shifts from the three main protagonists--only one of whom briefly appears at the very end of the volume--to that of a main antagonist, and half of his story is alternated flashback, giving insight into his journey from noble to possibly villainous. It's a heavier story than the ones so far, with less adventurous action--he's a royal guard, not a swashbuckling thief, after all--but just as satisfying and intriguing in its own way. Now I'm more curious than ever about just where this story is headed, because our knowledge of the stakes grows immensely with this book. And, as always, I found the illustrations excellently effective and enjoyable. I'm entirely hooked and hope many others join me on the ride.A side-step from the main story that doesn't move the plot forward so much as add depth, this was an interesting addition (#4) to the series. The perspective shifts from the three main protagonists--only one of whom briefly appears at the very end…
JCLChrisK's rating:
Added Oct 20, 2014
Comment:
While I am a lover of trivia, I was somewhat skeptical going into this book, worrying it might cross that very thin line into pedantic condescension, being more about selling the idea that learning is fun than telling a fun story. Fortunately, I found my worries largely misplaced. Giving Einstein a quiz show obsession proved a natural vehicle for sharing fun facts and information, and allowed for the story to unfold around that interest with a plot that made sense and organic character development. Of course, all of those elements occur within the context of the constant broad humor and silly illustrations, which combine with everything else to make an entertaining and fun package for young readers.
3.5 stars, tipped up to 4 to more strongly contrast against the 2 stars I gave the similar (and similarly named) recent title by Jon Scieszka, Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor (" . . . it takes what could have been a fun and zany story and makes it awkwardly pedantic, artificial, and ridiculously riddled with overly detailed science information . . . ").While I am a lover of trivia, I was somewhat skeptical going into this book, worrying it might cross that very thin line into pedantic condescension, being more about selling the idea that learning is fun than telling a fun story. Fortunately, I…
Quotations
- There was nothing trivial about fun facts--any class hamster could tell you that.
Comment: