Author: booknutgirls

booknutgirls http://thebooknutdotcom.wordpress.com I read. I blog. I sell books. I chauffeur my kids. What more do you need to know?

First Sunday Daughter Reviews: September 2016

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It’s September, and we’re off! Full-swing into school, musical rehearsals starting up this week, post-Labor Day (almost) move into fall.

And what are the girls reading?

C and E are buried in school work, but C did pick this up after K had it out reading it a while back:

21473-rapunzel

She said she’d forgotten how awesome it was.

A picked up one of my ARCs and has been reading it:

9780062399014

It’s Sherlock and Moriarty, and she’s really enjoying it, even if Sherlock is annoying.

K has been bouncing around old books and graphic novels lately, re-reading some of her favorites. When I asked why, she said it was because she loves them so much. Can’t argue with that!

What are your kids reading?

Leave Me

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leavemeby Gayle Forman
First sentence: “Maribeth Klein was working late, waiting to sign off on the final page proofs of the December issue, when she had a heart attack.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There’s a handful — maybe a dozen? — f-bombs as well as some other mild swearing. The subject matter is more mature, than Forman’s other books, and it’ll be in the adult fiction section of the bookstore.

Maribeth figures she’s living the life: she’s got a Great Editing Job at a fashion magazine, she’s got a beautiful pair of twins (that she and her husband were happy to have). She’s managing to juggle work, parenting, home life, a marriage. It’s what women are Supposed To Do, right? Then, at age 44, she has a heart attack. It sends her into a spiral, first because she’s trying to heal and no one’s giving her the support she wants/needs, and then because she just can’t seem to Care anymore. So she does what so many overworked women dream of doing: she leaves.

Nominally, she heads to Pittsburgh because, being adopted, she doesn’t know her genetic history and she is looking for her birth mother. But really, her life is too much for her to handle and she wants to try something else on for a change. She goes cash-only, she sheds her name, she wants to start over. And it seems that’s what she needs: through making new friends, taking a step away from everything, she figures things out.

When I first started this, I thought it would completely wreck me. Being an overworked and underappreciated working mother is something I definitely can identify with. But, rather than finding it difficult to get through, I found myself drawn into Maribeth’s story, her history, her fears and hopes, and the ways in which she was carrying her grief and anger. I was pulled into the characters that Forman created for Maribeth to befriend in Pittsburgh. I appreciated that everyone was complex and multi-faceted; no one was wholly in the wrong, including Maribeth herself.

I truly enjoyed it, which is unusual for me when it comes to adult books. Perhaps it’s because Forman is generally a YA writer, and this just felt like a more mature YA — a focus on character and moving the plot forward, rather than just pages and pages of, well, boring drivel. Either way, this is definitely one to check out.

Monthly Round-Up: August 2016

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So, I’m sitting down, here at the end of August, and I’m thinking to myself: what have I gotten myself into? See, starting on Tuesday, I’ve got two months of nearly non-stop author events, and school visits, not to mention a conference and a literacy festival. I’m thinking that we’ll see just how much reading gets done… it’s also a good thing I’ve blogged ahead a bit for September. But if I suddenly disappear, you’ll know why. The author event gods ate me.

My favorite was one for the on-line book group:

pipersson

The Piper’s Son

I’d never read Marchetta’s realistic fiction before. I was missing out, people. I need to read her others now. SO good.

As for the rest:

YA

girlwhodrankcursedchildmonstersofmen
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Monsters of Men

Middle Grade

fantasticmrfox adventurersguide troublewithtwins

Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Trouble with Twins
The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes

Graphic Novels

mightyjack
Mighty Jack

Adult Fiction

confessions

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Non Fiction

textbook

Textbook

What were some of your favorites this month?

Mighty Jack

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mightyjackby Ben Hatke
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher because Ben’s coming (September 30th)!
Release date: September 6, 2016
Content: There’s some intense magical violence, but other than that, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s geared towards the 10 and up crowd, but will probably be in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

It’s summer, and Jack is stuck at home taking care of his autistic sister, Maddy, while his mother juggles two jobs. It’s not any fun, especially since Maddy doesn’t talk (much). But one day, at a local fair, Jack and Maddy meet some traveling strangers (and a nice Easter Egg for Zita fans!) and end up trading their mother’s car for some seeds.

(Yes, this is a nice twist on Jack and the Beanstalk. I’m glad you noticed.)

The seeds turn out to be magical, which sets off a chain of events that leaves Jack more than a bit wary. Along with a new friend, Lilly, the three kids try to figure out just what they’ve unleashed on their world.

Just a heads up: this is definitely a set-up for a new adventure. You learn about Jack, Maddy, and their mother. You find out a bit about Lilly (who is awesome. Period.). But, other than that, there’s a lot of mystery. The seeds are definitely Dangerous (and attract dragons!), and the conflict comes from Jack, Maddy, and Lilly’s disagreement over whether or not they should keep the garden going. Jack comes down on no, the girls vote yes. And it’s that conflict which sets up the adventure for books to come. (And here we are, again, waiting for sequels!)

I adore Ben Hatke, love his art style, and think he’s a great story teller. This one is definitely great for fans of Zita, as well as a good entry point for others (those who are hesitant to read Zita?). Fantastic!

The Cybils and KitlitCon

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Cybils-Logo-2016-Round-Sm I’ve been blogging for nearly 12 (!) years, and in that time, I have realized that the thing I enjoy most about blogging is not the actual putting of words on (electronic) page (though I have liked that I’ve — sort of — kept up with my writing). It’s the community. And, true, in those 12 years, I’ve seen blogging go from a little tiny community to a HUGE number of people. It’s dwindling, now, with the advent of so many different social media platforms and ways to connect with people.

That said, there are still two ways for people who love children’s literature to connect with other people who love children’s literature. The first, is our award: The Cybils. If you blog, even a little bit, about children’s books, please consider applying to be a judge. I’ve been doing it for eight years, and it’s a fantastic way to feel a part of something bigger. You’re exposed to a TON of books, and the process of selecting a short list (or a winner), is — to be completely honest — fun. Yes, it’s work, but it’s fun. And, whether you’ve participated before or not, you should give it a shot this year.

KidlitconLogo2016-SquareThe other way hits a bit closer to home this year: KitlitCon. I know it’s here in Wichita, which means it’s not really readily accessible to a lot of people (we’re kind of equally far from everything here). But, please consider coming. It’s a smaller conference, and one run by introverts, so we try to give everyone space to connect when they want and retreat when they need to. Charlotte has put together a fantastic program, with some interesting panels and good conversations planned.

Here’s the link to register to come. It will (I hope) be worth your time!

The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes

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adventurersguideby Wade Albert White
First sentence: “At Saint Lupin’s Institute for Perpetually Wicked and Hideously Unattractive Children, every orphan is treated with the same amount of disdain and neglect.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: September 13, 2016
Full disclosure: I had dinner with the author at Children’s Institute, and think he’s delightful.
Review copy provided by the publisher. I met the author at Children’s Institute 4
Content: There’s some biggish words, and a wee bit of violence, and maybe some of the humor will go over the heads of the younger kids, but mostly it’s just fine for the middle grade (3-5th) grade set, which is where the book is located at the store.

Anne has spent her whole life at Saint Lupin’s Institute, working and wishing she knew where she came from. She has a plan: when she gets to leave when she turns 13 (everyone is kicked out because the Hierarchy stops supporting them), she’s going to go adventuring and looking for her past. However, when her birthday comes, the Matron denies Anne the right to leave. That starts a chain of events that leads Anne to accidentally stealing a gauntlet (a metal hand thingy) and a prophecy medallion, that starts a Rightful Heir Quest (an unheard of Level 13!), which gives Anne and her friends Penelope and Hiro, four days which to fulfill. It’s not an easy thing: solving riddles, finding weird robots, traveling by fireball, but someone’s got to do it. And maybe save the world (and pass Questing 101) while they’re at it.

I haven’t had this much fun reading a book since The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. It’s got the same sort of off-beat humor, full of puns and plain silliness. It’s different though; the world that Anne is on is one that isn’t fully fleshed out. It feels like an old-fashioned fantasy, but there’s robots and computer screens and elevators… and mention of an Old World. Is it scifi or dystopian?  I wasn’t sure. (Actually, I do have a working theory of the world, but I’m going to keep it to myself, until I figure out whether I’m right or not.) But, in spite of those questions, I enjoyed this one thoroughly. It was fun, it was funny, it was clever, and it was pretty much exactly what I wanted out of a middle grade fantasy.

I’ll definitely be picking up the next one when it comes out.

Me Before You

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mebeforeyouby Jojo Moyes
First sentence: “When he emerges from the bathroom, she is awake, propped up against the pillows and flicking through the travel brochures that were beside his bed.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There’s a bunch of f-bombs scattered throughout (but not enough to seem excessive) and some talk of sex (but none actual). It’s in the adult fiction section of the bookstore.

I’ve known about this one for years, and I’ve just been putting reading it off. Perhaps it’s my aversion to all things “everyone” reads (I know: I should read The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, but…). Maybe I thought it would be maudlin and depressing. The movie came out (and went, here), and I still didn’t really feel much of a need. Then, as summer book bingo is winding down, I had the “Everyone But Me Has Read” square, and I figured this was what needed to fill it.

(I’m assuming y’all know what the plot is.) What I wasn’t prepared for was how much I enjoyed it. I loved Lou; she was smart and spunky and real. I loved her relationship with Will, that it was complicated but also honest and open. And I loved that Moyes faced the ideas of a Life Worth Living head-on. I’m not sure I agree with the conclusions, but it made me cry and it gave me something to think about.

In short, maybe the hype was right about this one. Now, to see how the movie holds up.

Audiobook: The View From the Cheap Seats

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viewfromcheapseatsby Neil Gaiman
Read by the author.
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There’s a handful of f-bombs scattered throughout the book. It’s in the creative nonfiction section of the bookstore.

I’ve often said (many times) that Neil Gaiman can come to my house and read my grocery list and I’ll be happy to listen to it. That is still true. I will listen to Gaiman read anything, including works of short non-fiction, from articles and interviews to book introductions and speeches. He has a fantastic reading voice, and I love that it gives depth to his words.

That said, this was more of a dip-in, dip-out book rather than a read straight through one. Even though I love Gaiman on audio, I found myself kind of impatient with the sections (like the one on comics) that didn’t interest me. If I had actually read this one (and many of the pieces are worth reading), I would have picked and chosen the ones (like “What the Very Bad Swear Word is a Children’s Book, Anyway?” or “Make Good Art”) that I was interested in, and left the rest alone.

But, like anything Gaiman writes, when he was good, he was interesting, and the observations were thoughtful and thought-provoking. Though audio maybe wasn’t the best choice for this one.

Textbook

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textbookby Amy Krouse Rosenthal
First sentence: “Welcome to the first book that offers additional engagement via texting.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: It’s wonderfully interactive, with short vignettes rather than long passages. I’d give it to a middle- or high-schooler who expressed interest. There’s one swear word. It’s in the biography section of the bookstore.

I don’t even know where to start with this. Perhaps with it’s the most unique reading experience I’ve had in a long time. The basic gist is that Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote this as a sequel (of sorts) to Encyclopedia of Me (but  you don’t have to read that one first). It’s a collection (of sorts) of thoughts, musings, Things That Happened, and insights into Amy’s life and mind. But it’s more than that.

Loosely laid out like an actual textbook, there are quizzes, math problems (radiant + redolent + gorgeous + melancholy + patina + rhapsody + calm = words I kept trying to find a home for in this book), Art, observations on Life (both Amy’s and Life in General). And perhaps it was a case of right book for me at the exact right time, but I found it to be charming, interesting, and quite lovely.

A suggestion: go in wanting to be an active participant in the book. Text the number. Follow the instructions. Click on the links. Submit your pictures (I still have one picture I need to submit before I am truly done). The book (and you) will be better for it.

This one is not just a book; it’s an experience. And a delightful one at that.

The Trouble with Twins

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troublewithtwinsby Kathryn Siebel
First sentence: “And so it begins in front of the fire, the story of two twin sisters.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There’s some neglectful treatment of kids and some awful parenting, but nothing physically harmful. It’s in the middle grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Arabella and Henrietta are twins (in some distant past). Arabella is the beautiful, smart, sweet one and Henrietta is… not. (Before I get too much further, the better sister story, if maybe a bit more mature for this age group, is Jacob Have I Loved which is one of the more powerful reading memories I have as a child.) Henrietta is neglected, ignored, unloved. And so when she tries to get attention by cutting Arabella’s bangs off (they seem a bit old for those kind of shenanigans, but maybe that’s me projecting), she’s banished to Great-Aunt Priscilla’s house. Where she’s basically Cinderella. That is, until Arabella decides she misses her sister and goes looking.

It’s kind of a Lemony Snickett/Roald Dahl feeling book, where there’s bad adults (but not quite as bad as Dahl) who are neglectful and hate children and it’s the good, long-suffering child who gets the reward in the end. And in that light, it’s a good little book. The thing that got me was the intrusive narrator. Usually, I don’t mind them. But, this time the framing conversation between a mother and daughter just grated. I think it was meant to be cute, but it just didn’t work for me, and as a result the whole book fell flat.

I think I’ll see if any of my Dahl kids are interested in this one; maybe it’s just me being overly sensitive.