Month: July 2013

July 2013 Wrap-Up

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For us, this was the last full month of summer. Hot days (except we’ve gotten a lot of rain down here), boredom kicking in. The girls are at each others’ throats, and I’m tired of trying to come up with chores for them to do.

Good thing school starts in 2 weeks!

My favorite this month, hands down, was

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

I don’t often get a chance to handsell a book from the middle grade section, but I have with this one. I’m that excited by it.

Others read this month…

Graphic Novel:

Blankets

Nonfiction:

Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls (audio)
Mama Makes Up Her Mind

Middle Grade:

The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle
The Sasquatch Escape
Wednesdays at the Tower
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop (DNF)

YA:

City of Fallen Angels
City of Glass
Dodger
Flicker & Burn
Interworld

Adult:

The Silver Star

What was your favorite July read?

The Sasquatch Escape

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The Imaginary Veterinary Book 1
by Suzanne Selfors
ages: 8+
First sentence: “The weird shadow swept across the sky.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Ben Silverstein is being sent to live with his grandpa for the summer. As an LA kid — the full nine yards: salons, designer jeans, pools in your backyard — the idea of spending the summer with his grandpa (whom he hasn’t seen in 6 years) in the small, run-down town of Buttonville sounds like torture.

Then, things start to happen.
He meets Pearl Petal.
He thinks he sees a dragon.
They discover that Dr. Woo’s “worm” hospital is actually a hospital for creatures from the Imaginary World.
They let loose a sasquatch (with foot fungus).
And they are tasked with catching him.

Suddenly, what was a boring summer has taken a turn for the exciting.

Selfors has written a solid early-middle grade fantasy. It’s got adventure and friendship, and enough fantastic and silly situations to be entertaining for any reader. But the narrative is simple enough that it makes a great in-between book for early or struggling readers.  And the illustrations by Dan Santat added immensely to Selfor’s storytelling, not to mention the “enrichment” activities in the back.

I’m not going to say that middle grade fantasy really needs another series, but this one is a great addition.

Flicker & Burn

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by T. M. Goeglein
ages: 12+
First sentence: “My name is Sara Jane Rispoli.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: August 20, 2013
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Others in the series: Cold Fury

When we last left Sarah Jane Rispoli (spoilers for Cold Fury, of course) she had discovered ghiaccio furioso,but has no idea how to control it. Her family has been kidnapped by some unknown assailants, and even though she’s just 16, she’s become the Counselor at Large for the Outfit, Chicago’s mob scene.  Her life goal? To get her family back in one piece.

Flicker & Burn is Sarah Jane’s increasingly complex and intense attempt to do just that. There are some pretty creepy villains: red-eye, white skinned, sexless beings driving black Mister Kreamy Kone ice cream trucks. They don’t sound terribly horrifying, but believe me: in Goeglein’s hands they are. Sarah’s best friend, Doug, gets involved in the hunt, and inadvertently discovers an even seedier underside to the Kreamy Kone empire. On top of that, Sarah’s boyfriend Max is demanding answers Sarah can’t give (or doesn’t want to; she pulls a Spider Man: pushing Max away in order to protect him). And then, relatives Sarah didn’t even know she had show up serving only to complicate things.

I have to admit that I liked this one a lot more than I did Cold Fury.  With the mob background out of the way, Goeglein was able to focus more on Sarah Jane (who is still infuriatingly stubborn) and her Quest. I liked that he explained what could be a paranormal element with science; it gave this one more credibility.

But Goeglein’s strength really lies in writing action: Sarah Jane really is a kick butt, no nonsense girl, and she fights like one. She’s a survivor, and she cares deeply, but that isn’t a weakness. I appreciate that Goeglein isn’t willing to skimp on Sarah Jane’s character just because she’s a girl. I also appreciated that she wasn’t androgynous either: she is a girl, she has feelings, and while she’s not the best at expressing them, that doesn’t make her soulless.

The ending was a bit of a setback, after all that Sarah Jane goes through, but it only served to make me curious as to where Goeglein’s taking the series next.

Bonus: While you’re waiting for the book to come out, check out the videos Ted has up about Flicker & Burn. They’re a lot of fun.

Dodger

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by Terry Pratchett
ages: 12+
First sentence: “The rain poured down on London so hard that it seemed that the rain was dancing spray, every raindrop contending with its fellow for supremacy in the air and waiting to splash down.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy snagged from the ARC shelves at work, about a year ago.

Dodger is a tosher (no, I had no idea what that was before reading this; I wonder if it has anything to do with my refusal to read Dickens) and is making a fairly decent living at it. He stays with his Jewish friend, Solomon, and his dog Onan, basically just getting by. Then one night, he witnesses a girl getting beat up, and he decides to do something: he attacks the attackers, saving the girl’s life.

That small act (well, not so small) changes Dodger’s life: he goes from a simple tosher to a Man of Importance, hob nobbing with the rich famous and powerful of Victorian London.

Okay, so it’s not quite that f simple; there are a few steps involved in Dodger’s rise. He meets Charles Dickens, who helps, as does Benjamin Disraeli. It turns out that the girl is an estranged princess, which complicates matters, but Dodger — who has fallen head over heels for her — is smart and cunning and witty enough to figure out a way to help her escape her tormentors.

As far as a Pratchett book goes, it lacked something for me. It wasn’t as funny, or as charming as I hoped it would be. Dodger is an engaging hero, though I have to admit that I found myself liking Onan the dog more. It’s an interesting re-imagining of a time period — it’s not quite historical fiction and it’s not quite fantasy — and Pratchett does paint a vivid portrait of London. However,  while the plot starts off strong, it kind of gets bogged down in the middle, even though the ending is sweet. I had to push myself to get through the slow parts, skimming quite a bit, just to keep the flow going.

In all, though, while not brilliant, not bad either.

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop

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by Kate Saunders
ages: 8+
First sentence: “‘We’ll probably sell the place,’ Dad said, from the driver’s seat.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I really liked Beswitched last fall, and so when I found out that Kate Saunders had a new one, I was quite interested. And the cover and title promised good things, as well.

(You know where this is going, right?)

Oz and Lily are twins — Oz is the genius, Lily has dyslexia — whose family has inherited a run-down, old chocolate shop in London. Their family up and moves there, where the kids find out that the shop, run by their great-great-uncles, was a place for magic. The chocolate (and candy) was infused with magic in order to help and entertain people (think Weasly’s Wizarding Wheezes). Except one of the brothers invented a chocolate for immortality. And another brother, Isadore, is remarkably still alive, and wants the molds so he can be immortal. (Wait: what?) With the help of a talking cat, Demerara, Oz and Lily are tasked with stopping Isadore from achieving his goal.

This one had all sorts problems. First off, the talking cat. Actually: I couldn’t get past the talking cat. I’m not a talking animals person, but sometimes I can get past that and enjoy the book. Not so with this one. I wanted to strangle the cat. I took to skipping everything the cat said and did. Then I started skipping around in the book, because without the talking cat, there’s not much left. There was something in there about Isadore being more misguided than evil (even though he kidnaps Oz), but by that point, I honestly didn’t care enough to find out why.

Chalk this one up to good premise, lousy execution.

City of Fallen Angels

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by Cassandra Clare
ages: 14+
First sentence: “‘Just coffee, please.'”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass

I have to admit after finishing City of Glass, I wasn’t too sure I wanted to read this one. Clare wrapped up everything so nicely (with a bow and fireworks, too), that I figured what more was there to tell of the story?

Oh, ye of little faith.

This one picks up a few weeks after City of Glass ends, and everything seems okay. Simon is dating both Maia and Isabelle (oh silly, adorable Simon), and is trying to eke out as normal a life as possible. Magnus and Alec are dating (have I mentioned how much I adore Magnus? And I really do want to read the short story about why he’s banned in Peru). Jace and Clary are an item. But, because this book would be all sorts of boring without conflict, things start to go south.

Someone is trying to kill Simon. Jace is pulling away from Clary because of nightmares he’s having. And on top of that, Camille the vampire is back. Oh, and someone is trying to make demon babies.

This one, admittedly, is darker and more intense than the previous three. There isn’t nearly enough snark, and while Jace and Clary have some sexytimes (almost), I still wanted to smack both of them over the head. Thankfully, though, it’s not their story. Clare uses this to flesh out Simon (more Simon!) and his transition into being a vampire. It’s not pretty. She also uses it to flesh out Maia — we learn about how she became a werewolf — and Isabelle, who is no longer a stuck up fashionista. I was told it wasn’t as good as the original series, but I have to admit that I liked it as much as the other ones.

Clare’s a smart, fun writer, and she’s definitely got me hooked.

The Silver Star

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by Jeannette Walls
ages: adult (though it would be okay for a 14+ teen)
First sentence: “My sister saved my life when I was just a baby.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I read The Glass Castle so many years ago that I didn’t have much memory of it outside of a general liking of it. So, I went into reading The Silver Star with a fairly open mind. The only real prejudice was that I heard this was a good YA crossover. Which was enough to get me to pick it up.

And, surprisingly (to me at least), I quite liked it.

Sisters Liz and Bean (whose real name is Jean) have grown up with their artist/flake of a mom, moving constantly, and dealing with her occasional disappearing acts. Then one time, she doesn’t come back. Liz and Bean manage for a while, but when people start poking their noses around, they decide to up and go across the country to visit the uncle they’ve never met in their mom’s hometown of Byler, Virginia.

Their Uncle Tinsley takes them in, but they find that living in small town Virginia is has own set of challenges. (Especially in 1970-71, which is when this takes place.) In addition to the whole new kids in town feeling, the girls find they have to deal with a lot of Small Town History. The Hollidays used to be the mill owners, and used to be Big People in Town, but have been fading over the years. The current mill manager — Mr. Maddox — is a real piece of work (that’s being nice; ominous music started in my brain about page 100), and there’s a bit of a feud between him and Tinsley. And that only intensifies when Maddox assaults Liz.

Two things I think Walls really got: 1970s politics, and smart kids. The former was evident not only in the race relations, which admittedly she just breezed over, but in the politics of sex crimes. While the way the town and the legal system treated Liz, I was glad Walls wasn’t tempted to modernize this. (Though I wonder how “modern” the legal system really is in this area.) It helped the authenticity and feel of the novel overall.

I also appreciated that she didn’t glorify either small towns or the South; it’s all laid out there, the good and the bad, for better or for worse. And for some people — like Liz and Bean’s mom — it is worse. But that said, family doesn’t necessarily mean blood. And in tough times, good people stick together.

It’s a quick read, and well worth the time.

The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle

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by Christopher Healy
ages: 8+
First sentence: “A true hero plays the flute.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

When we last left our Fair Heroes, they had just vanquished the witch and put the Bandit King into his place. Back home, though, everything is not all roses. Liam is still engaged to Briar, but he’d rather NOT marry her. Ella and Frederic are still engaged, but he’s quite concerned about the time she spends with Liam. Gustav is hiding from Rapunzel. It seems the only people who are happy are Snow and Duncan, who is currently writing the Hero’s Guide to Being a Hero. And even the popularity of the League of Princes, after about 15 minutes of (bard) fame, is waning.

What they need is a new adventure. That comes in the form of Briar Rose, determined to Have What She Wants. Specifically: Liam. She also has this diabolical plan to conquer and rule ALL of the thirteen kingdoms, and is using the League as a means to her ends. Of course she’s not the only “bad guy”: the Bandit King is back, as King of Rauberia and there’s an even badder guy in town: the Warlord of Dar. How will the League of Princes handle this?

Well, much like they do in the first book: with of silliness, laughs, luck, and heart. Yeah, sure, this is more of the same as the first book, but why mess with a good thing? I loved the characters (A has a soft spot for Duncan), and the situations were so over-the-top it was endearing rather than off-putting. The chapter titles were ridiculous, as were the “book” quotes underneath. (My favorite? “There is no I in League of Princes.”) I loved how the girls held their own with the guys, and how everyone (even Frederic!) found their strengths and used them to help them achieve their ends. It really was a team effort, and I appreciated that. Oh, and I should give a brief but heartfelt nod to the illustrations, which really are delightful.

The story’s not done, either. While the story wrapped up (yay!), Healy left us with a bit of a cliffhanger, which only serves to make me eager for the next installment of the League of Princes.

(And, as a quick follow up to my concern: I do think that this one is something both boys and girls are reading. Which makes me very happy.)

City of Glass

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by Cassandra Clare
ages: 14+
First sentence: “The cold snap of the previous week was over; the sun was shining brightly as Clary hurried across Luke’s dusty front yard, the hood of her jacket up to keep her hair from blowing across her face.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: City of Bones, City of Ashes

There will be spoilers for the first two books in the series. And possible for this one. So: if you haven’t read this trilogy, do. Know this: it’s smart, it’s fun, this one had awesome twists (even if I called one), and came to an acceptable conclusion.

We last left the little group recuperating after blowing up Valentine’s ship. They finally convinced the Clave that Valentine is a force to be reckoned with, especially now that he has both the Mortal Cup and the Mortal Sword. All that’s left is the glass, and he will be able to raise the angel Raziel.

As a result, Jace, the Weylands, and Clary are going to Alicante – the city of the Shadowhunters. The Weylands and Jace to meet with the Clave; Clary to find Ragnor Fell, who may have the key to waking her mother.

Of course, Jace pulls his “for your protection” move (infuriating! Seriously. Clary’s impulsive and headstrong, but STOP trying to protect her!) and leaves for Alicante without Clary. And of course, she has to be impulsive and follow. Once there, though, things get complicated. They meet a cousin of a friend of the Weylands, Sebastian, who ends up playing a major role, in spite of just being introduced. (Yes, I called this twist.)

While I enjoyed the book overall, it wasn’t perfect. Aside from Jace being infuriating (when is he not, though?), it kind of frustrated me that Clary’s mom just showed up halfway through the book. Sure, Clary got what was needed to wake her mom from the coma, but I kind of expected something… more …. satisfying. That she just showed up at one point and started acting like Jocelyn From Before was kind of anti-climatic. I know it’s not Jocelyn’s story, but I had hoped for something more dramatic there. And I kind of felt that Clare copped out with the deaths; she killed off a minor character, rather than going for the jugular and offing someone we actually cared about. Understandable, but wimpy.

There were parts I liked, mostly toward the end. In fact, I think I liked the whole end. There was enough tension there to make things intense, and both Isabelle and Clary got to shine in their own ways. And the ending was satisfying without wrapping everything up in a neat little bow.

I’m glad I finally got around to reading these.

State of the TBR PIle 17: July 2013

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I skipped last month (and I had to remember why: the 48 Hour Book Challenge!), but my TBR pile is still all sorts of out of control. No surprise there.

The Silver Star, by Jeannette Walls (actually, this one is no longer on my pile. I read it yesterday. Review forthcoming.)
Dodger, by Terry Pratchett (my choice for one of my book groups)
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Regler (I wanted to reread all the Jane Austen books this year.  I’ve read two. I wonder if reading this one will count?)
The Sasquatch Escape, by Suzanne Selfors (because I’ve liked all of Selfors’ other books)
The Dude and the Zen Master, by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman (so the title of this one appealed to me.)
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, by Kate Saunders (actually, this one isn’t on my pile anymore, either….)
Wild Awake, by Hilary T. Smith (I really like the cover.)
Winger, by Andrew Smith (I read somewhere that this guy should be sitting at the “John Green table”. That’s enough for me.)
The Immortal Von B, by M. Scott Carter (a manager asked me to read this one. A couple months ago, actually. I’ve been procrastinating.)
Invisibility, by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan (I’m curious. Mostly because we got a bunch in, and it hasn’t sold. At all.)
Proxy, by Alex London (It seemed like an interesting — if dystopian; I’m getting tired of those — premise)
Cooked, by Michael Pollan (Hmmmm…. I ought to get to this sooner rather than later.)

What’s on your TBR pile?