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?

Leviathan

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by Scott Westerfield
ages: 12+
First sentence: “The Austrian horses glinted in the moonlight, their riders standing tall in the saddle, swords raised.”
Support your local independent bookstore, buy it there!

First, a disclaimer: I have never, ever heard of steam punk before this book, let alone read it. I had no idea what it entails, what makes a good steam punk book, or what even to expect.

But if this is even remotely typical of the genre, I’m hooked. It was an awesome, wild and weird ride, a fabulous adventure — no one writes nail-biting action like Westerfield — and a grand beginning to a story that has the potential to be absolutely amazing.

It’s 1914, on the eve of the Great War. Alek is a prince of the Austro-Hungarian empire and it’s the murder of his parents that sets off the war, as well as sends Alek on the run for his life. All he has with him is a few loyal men, and a Stormwalker in order to fend off the Germans. Deryn is a commoner, a girl, who desperately wants to fly in the British Air Service. Mind you, they’re not flying planes, but rather Darwinist living creatures — huge ecosystems of creatures that work together to get off the ground. Deryn disguises herself as a boy, and by a fluke or two of nature (ha!), ends up as part of the crew of Britain’s newest airship, the Leviathan.

Told in alternating chapters, the book details not Alek’s escape from his palace and Deryn’s entry into the air service, but their eventual meeting and the results of that meeting. As I mentioned before, there’s tons of nail-biting action from Alek’s initial escape to a couple of attacks by the Germans. But what I found most fascinating (and wild and weird) was the combination of historical fiction and futuristic elements, as well as a re-imagining of science. I loved the Clankers versus Darwinist feud, as well as each individual science. The clanker machines were awesome, powerful, and captivating to read about. But the Darwinist inventions — the wild cross-breeds, the machinations to keep them up in the air, the things (like flechette bats, for instance) that Westerfield created — were the things that kept me turning pages and shaking my head in amazement. What kind of imagination dreams this stuff up? (Well, Westerfield’s, of course.)

The book ends somewhat abruptly, but I’m totally sold: I want to know what happens next. I want to know what adventure Deryn and Alek are going to go on, and I want to know about the small mystery that’s part of the larger story.

The problem — like all books with sequels — is being patient until the next one comes out.

Heart of a Shepherd

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by Rosanne Parry
ages: 10+
First sentence: “Grandpa frowns when he plays chess, like he does when he prays.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

There are obviously powerful books, books about Problems or Trials or Oppression, books where the main character has something obviously Moving happen to them. And then there are books that are quietly powerful. Ones that seem simple on the surface, but then work their way under your skin and move you in ways that you totally didn’t expect.

This is one of those books.

Twelve-year-old Ignatius — Brother to everyone, since he has four older brothers — part of the east Oregon ranching community. Even though he’s small, and he doesn’t like killing the animals, he — along with his father, grandfather and brothers — does the work: take the cows to the mountains, raise and shear the sheep, mend and tend the ranch. Except, all the brothers are away, at school, in the army. And then, when Brother’s dad’s National Guard gets called up for a fourteen-month tour in Iraq, Brother is left with Grandpa to manage the the ranch by themselves. It’s up to him to prove that he can be what he doesn’t think he can: a rancher. Except, over the course of the year that his father is gone, that’s not what Brother finds out, about himself or his family.

It’s a deeply religious book — Brother and his family are Irish Catholics, though his Grandpa is a Quaker — but not overly preachy. There’s a lot of references to God and His will, but it’s a quiet religion, one that’s open, accepting and fluid in ways that are unexpected and ultimately beautiful and movie. It’s a harsh reality, east Oregon ranching life, but Parry writes about it in ways that will keep you thinking about Brother and his family long after you close the book.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

My Christmas Top 10

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This year, for reasons unfathomable to me, I found that the holidays snuck up on me. (Then again, I think I’ve been a bit off since April…) I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with something witty, or interesting, or sentimental, or just plain fun, and I’m coming up short. It’s not that I don’t have any memories to share, it’s just that I lack faith in my ability to adequately share them. (At least to my satisfaction.)

So, to add one more list to what has become a year of lists, I’m sharing my top ten things I love about Christmastime. Since — even though they were sneaky this year — I do love the holiday season. It really is, as that song says, the most wonderful time of the year!

10. Shopping. Okay, so I’m crazy, but I love Christmas shopping. In December. Sure, the crowds are nuts, and the stores are crowded, but it’s so much fun choosing gifts and being part of all the excitement.

9. The advent calendar. Not just this book blogger one (which I do look forward to), but our own family one. When I was little, my mom had a calendar and every day there was a note with what we were going to do that day. Sometimes is was simple like “get out the pine cone wreath”, others more adventuresome, like “Tonight we will go to the Nutcracker.” I’ve kept this tradition with my girls. It’s a lot of fun for them, and (honestly) it keeps me organized!

8. The Nutcracker. It’s the first ballet I remember seeing. It’s the ballet that I share with my girls every holiday season: when they turn four, they get to go and see all the wonders that the Nutcracker has for them. We’re blessed to have a halfway decent one in town (I’ve been to some pretty lame ones), but the best, if you’re ever in Salt Lake City at Christmas time, is Ballet West‘s. I know I’m biased, because it’s the one I remember best from my childhood, but, really, it’s perfect.

7. Christmas lights. I love driving around, as the world slowly turns to the darkest time (at least here in the U.S.) and seeing all the light displays in the neighborhoods. Bonus points if they’re glowing in the snow. There really is nothing prettier than Christmas lights on the snow.

6. The music. I whine and moan and complain about Christmas songs being played before Thanksgiving, but honestly, I love the stuff. Whether it’s carols, or classic songs, or the poppy songs, I love it. And I love singing along. Which brings me to…

5. Caroling. Love it. Yeah, it’s cold. But, really, the most fun I’ve had at Christmas time is going around with a group singing carols at random (or not so random) houses.

4. The goodies. I’ve mentioned I love to cook, haven’t I? Well, Christmas brings out the best in my cooking. I’m pretty sure that when my friends see me coming with my plates of cookies, they groan and moan… but you want to know a secret? I give away the food because I want to make it for myself, and I don’t want to eat it all. And what’s on the plates? Sugar cookies (lovingly cut and decorated by the girls), fudge, Christmas Bark, mint bars, Divinity, toffee, Lizner cookies, lemon bars, and whatever else I can think of. (What do you want a recipe of?)

3. The decorations. I go all out at Christmas time: the house gets a makeover. On November 30th we get out the boxes (all dozen or so of them) and unpack all the Christmas decorations (except the tree). Perhaps the best part is being surprised at what is in the boxes (“Oh, I bought that last year?!”) and telling the stories about the items and how they ended up in the boxes. We film the tradition for the grandparents, so they can share in with the chaos and the silliness of it all. Then, on December 6th, we put up our 9 foot, artificial (M has allergies) tree. Again, there’s silliness and chaos, but the end result — of it all — is wonderful. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is sit in the living room with the lights off, except for the tree, and the candles lit. It’s peaceful.

2. Christmas Eve. When I was in high school, I had several friends who were Catholic, and they went to Midnight Mass. This idea intrigued me — my church doesn’t have any Christmas Eve services at all — and so when I got married, I told Hubby that was what I wanted to do on Christmas. We don’t always go to a mass (though we have been to a couple over the years), but we do drag the girls to a service. We have a small, simple, candlelit dinner beforehand, and we always watch It’s A Wonderful Life after. It really is a perfect way — for us — to celebrate the holiday.

1. My girls faces on Christmas morning. There really is nothing more special than seeing the wonder and excitement in a child’s eyes on Christmas morning. It really is the best part. 😀

What’s your favorite part of the season?

I’m not the only stop on the calendar today. Be sure to check out the others:
Chris @ Stuff As Dreams Are…
Stephanie @ Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-a-holic
Lilly @ Reading Extravaganza

Captain Nobody

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by Dean Pitchford
ages: 9-13
First sentence: “Uh-oh.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

The first reaction I had to this book was, “Oh my gosh! FINALLY, a normal kid with a normal family.” Seriously, folks, too many of the books I’ve read are about damaged kids with damaged families, and while it’s all interesting and poignant and challenging and all that, sometimes I just wish for a normal kid with a normal(ish) family, having normal(ish) problems.

And, with this book, I got that. With a dose of humor and superheros on the side.

See, Newt Newman (yes, his parents named him Newton, poor kid) is the ten-year-old brother of Chris Newman, high school football star. Newt manages the house — making breakfast for his busy, and slightly absent-minded parents — gets good grades, and has a couple of great friends in JJ (she’s a girl) and Cecil even though he’s a tad bit shy, but is basically ignored by everybody. (“I didn’t know Chris Newman had a brother!” is a common reaction of most people.) Until, that is, a combination of events occur: Halloween, and the Big Game where Chris gets knocked out and put into a coma. And out of these disasters (well, Halloween’s only a disaster because Newt couldn’t find a decent costume) was born Captain Nobody. Newt — in his costume, made from Chris’s old clothes — suddenly finds that he’s a different person when wearing Captain Nobody. Stronger, more outgoing, more able to handle… well, everything that’s thrown his way.

And things do get thrown his way. It’s nothing out of the comic books, but Newt does happen to be in the right place at the right time to be the cause of some pretty remarkable happenings. It’s not outrageous: nothing Newt does is out of the ordinary. He’s just, well, himself. And by being himself — enhanced by the Captain Nobody costume and a frame of mind — he manages to do some small, yet pretty heroic things.

And, I have to admit, it kind of made me want to be a superhero, too.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Two Books about Loss and Healing

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All the Broken Pieces
by Ann Berg
ages: 10+
First sentence:
“My name is Matt Pin
and her name, I remember,
is Phang My.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

This one is set right after the Vietnam War, and deals with the tensions — both in Vietnam and in America — brought on because of that war. Matt Pin is a 12 year old Vietnamese boy who was airlifted out of Vietnam two years ago — his mother sent him away — and adopted by a nice American family. He’s dealing with a lot of things: guilt (for leaving his mother and younger brother in Vietnam among other things), loneliness, hatred, uncertainty. The novel follows his growth — though baseball, through meetings with Vietnam vets, through piano lessons — to acceptance of his past and of his present.

Told through spare but lovely verse, this novel is haunting at times, yet ultimately hopeful.

Umbrella Summer
by Lisa Graff
ages: 9+
First sentence: “If you started to squeeze your brakes right in the middle of heading down Maple Hill, just as you were passing old Mr. Normore’s mailbox, you could coast into the bike rack in front of Lippy’s Market without making a single tire squeak.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Annie believes you can never be too careful. She’s determined that while there are lots and lots of dangerous things you can do — like fly or drive — it’s not those things that you need to worry about. No, it’s the little things that can kill you — like the undetected heart defect that killed her not-quite-12 year old brother, Jared. So, Annie has determined that if she stays perfectly, totally, completely safe then nothing bad will ever happen to her.

It’s only through a fight with her friend, and the interference of a new neighbor, who is suffering from her own loss, that Annie begins to come out of her shell — out from underneath the umbrella of her sadness — and learns how to live again.

It’s a cute book — I know that sounds weird in conjunction with the subject matter, but cute is really the first word that comes to mind — that manages to never feel either overwhelmingly sad or callous in its treatment of the death of a loved one.

(Just for the record: because these are Cybils nominees, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)

Library Loot #47

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Back to normal. Mostly. It is December, after all!

For A/K:
I got more than two books, but most of them are re-check-outs, so I decided to only list the “new” ones.

Barnyard Slam, by Dian Curtis Regan/Illus. by Paul Meisel
Dragon Tooth, by Cathryn Falwell

For C:
The Worst Noel , by Ilene Cooper
Out of Order, by Betty Hicks

For M:
Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits, by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson*
Violet Wings, by Victoria Hanley

For me:
The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, by Mick Cochrane
The roundup is either at Reading Adventures or A Striped Armchair. Obligatory FTC note: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I’ll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it’s SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I’m going to keep doing it.

*Ones that M eventually read.
**Picture books we really liked.

One More 2010 Challenge

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This one needed its own post!! I’ve decided to also join the Twenty Ten Challenge, hosted by Bart’s Bookshelf. Eep. Shouldn’t be too hard… right?

The rules:

  • Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
  • The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
  • Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
  • Each book can only qualify for one category.
  • Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
  • Books read from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2010 are eligible.

Some of these I was able to fill out now, some of them will have to wait and see.

Young Adult
Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.
1. Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
2. Marcelo in the Real World, Francisco X. Stork

T.B.R. **
Intended to help reduce the od T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/11/09.
1. I am Morgan Le Fay: A Tale from Camelot, Nancy Springer
2. The English American, Alison Larkin

Shiny & New
Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count!
1. Scarlett Fever, Maureen Johnson
2. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Bad Bloggers ***
Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book ago). *** Bad Bloggers: Is hosted by Chris of Stuff as Dreams are Made on.
1. Heist Society, Ally Carter — bad blogger, Liz B. A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy.
2. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, Louise Rennison — bad blogger, Corinne, The Book Nest

Charity
Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.
I think this means I’ll have to actually go to the Friends of the Local Library sale…
1. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
2. A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian, by Marina Lewycka

New in 2010
This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)
1. The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen
2. Saving Maddie, Varian Johnson

Older Than You
Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior.
1. Howards End, E. M. Forester
2. Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper

Win! Win!
Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break the rules of the other challenge by doing so! ;)
1. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle
2. Fried Green Tomatoes, Fanny Flagg

Who Are You Again?
This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!
1. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, Gail Tsukiyama
2. Dream Factory, Brad Barkley and Heather Helper

Up to You!
The requirements for this category are up to you! Want to challenge yourself to read some graphic novels? A genre outside your comfort zone? Something completely wild and wacky? Then this is the category to you. The only requirement is that you state it in your sign-up post.

I’ve been trying to challenge myself to read more by people of color for a couple of years now, and every year, I get to the end and find I didn’t do as well as I wanted. So, here’s another attempt to do so.

1. Mare’s War, Tanita S. Davis
2. Bamboo People, Mitali Perkins

In a Spare Minute: 2010 Challenges

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I’ve decided to join a couple for next year. (So far.) And, since I’ve got a minute (ha!), I thought I’d write them down.

First up, is Amanda from The Zen Leaf‘s GLBT Challenge. Basic rules:

The basic idea of this challenge is to read books about GLBT topics and/or by GLBT authors.

The challenge runs year-round, and there will be three levels of participation:

  • Lambda Level: Read 4 books.
  • Pink Triangle Level: Read 8 books.
  • Rainbow Level: Read 12 or more books.

You don’t need to choose your books right away, and they can change at any time. Overlaps with other challenges are fine.

My four books:
1. Howards End, E.M. Forester
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
3. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park, Steve Kluger
4. Fried Green Tomatoes, Fanny Flagg
As You Wish, Jackson Pearce
Challenge #2 that sounded interesting was the Flashback Challenge hosted by . The Basic Rules:

The Flashback Challenge will run from January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010. If you’re super-excited and want to reread a book before that, feel free, and let me know. If many people do so, then I’ll do a December challenge linky post and you can all link to it here. Otherwise, we can hold them over to January. You can sign up for the following levels:
Bookworm – Up to three books
Scholar – Four to six books
Literati – Over six books

Within these levels, we have mini-challenges! These are:

1. Re-read a favorite book from your childhood
2. Re-read a book assigned to you in high school

3. Re-read a book you loved as a adult

If I do it the way I want to, I’ll be doing the Literati level. But we’ll see how many of these I actually get to.

1. The Wrinkle in Time series, Madeline L’Engle (childhood)
A Wrinkle in Time
Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
2. The Dark is Rising series, Susan Cooper (adult)
Over Sea, Under Stone
The Dark is Rising
Greenwitch
The Grey King
Silver on the Tree
3. some of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4. Howards End, E. M. Forester
5. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
6. Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain (high school)
The Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland
Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes
Nine Parts of Desire, by Geraldine Brooks
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

2009 Challenge #7: Dewey’s Books Reading Challenge

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I was not as affected by Dewey’s death as some bloggers out there, but I did like reading her book reviews. She was an interesting reader; broad in her tastes with a tendency to pick the ones that were challenging, either to the norm or to herself. I tried to pick ones that I remember thinking, when the review went up, that I should read that book. And, I’m glad I did.

1. The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
2. Maus and Maus II, Art Spiegelman (also for the Jewish Lit Challenge)
3. Story of a Girl, Sara Zarr
4. So Many Books, So Little Time, Sarah Nelson
5. Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters, Courtney E. Martin

I don’ t think there’s one on this list that I didn’t like in some way or another. Thank you, all, for picking up the pieces in order to fill the hole she left when she died.

Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters

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The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body
by Courtney E. Martin
ages: adult
First sentence: “I have carried this book around inside of me for years.”
Support your local independent bookstore, buy it there!

I was conflicted while reading this book. On the one hand, it’s chock full of useful and relevant insights — my library copy is fairly dog-eared, and at times I thought that this would be one that I’d like to own. On the other hand, I felt like a foreigner in a strange land. Martin kept talking about “my generation” and “my parents generation”, and I’m sandwiched between the two. I can relate to some of the issues with the body that Martin pointed out as “common” among women — either in myself or in my friends — but, either I/we are in a much better place than “most” women, or maybe it’s just with the women Martin knows and younger that these issues of hating ones body are prevalent.

That said, this book did scare the hell out of me when it comes to raising my girls. There’s SO much that can go wrong with raising girls, and much of it is placed on the shoulders of the mother. (Though, much to my satisfaction, there’s a chapter on the influence fathers have in the lives of their daughters. Which I made Hubby read.) And so, while I was reading it, I was hyper sensitive to everything my girls did. (I even asked them straight up what they thought of their bodies; both M and C looked at me funny and asked if I was feeling okay.) I have to give Martin credit for tackling all the tough subjects: not just the out-and-out eating disorders, but all the gray area in between. Porn, guys expectations, pressure we women give each other, the drive for perfectionism, exercise, college, high school, sex, faith (or lack thereof). It’s all out there, candid and honest, and Martin discusses how all of it relates to how we look at our bodies.

This book is imminently accessible, which is both a positive and a negative. Positive, because it’s mostly a series of personal essays, vignettes about Martin, her friends, and the girls (and men) she talks to. This approach makes a tough subject interesting, or at least not-boring, and she keeps you turning pages. However, the drawbacks are that Martin lacks authority, which makes the book easier to brush off. Sure, she quotes psychologists and scientists, but the book lacks weight. It’s easy to feel as I did: these are other people. These are people she knows; it isn’t my world.

I’ll leave you with a little taste of the book, a few quotes from the many pages I turned down:

Our bodies, our needs, our cravings, our sadness, our weakness, our stillness inevitably become our own worst enemies. It is the starving daughter within who must be shut down, muted, ignored… eventually killed off.

Being thing may get you noticed, but it will not get you seen, and it will never get you truly, fiercely loved. Only all four dimensions of your beauty — spirit, soul, mind, and, yes, body — will get you that. Both men and women are trapped in this maze of self-scrutiny, weight or shape preoccupation, preening and primping, searching and spending. But love doesn’t dwell at the end of this maze, even if you do find your way through…. There is no one-size-fits-all beauty, no perfect girl, no ideal guy. There is only a fit, plain and simple and miraculous.

True health is “the middle path,” along which control is sometimes lost, sometimes won, without much fanfare. There are unexpected and delightful detours along the way. There is no “good” or “bad”, only “right now” — tastes, moods, the occasional craving, like different kinds of weather, all welcomed and satisfied without judgment,. True health is balance. Balance is freedom.

You know what is really, powerfully sexy? A sense of humor. A taste for adventure. A healthy glow. Hips to grab on to. Openness. Confidence. Humility. Appetite. Intuition. A girl who makes the world seem bigger and more interesting. A girl who can rap. A loud laugh that comes from her belly. Smart-ass comebacks. Presence. A quick wit. Dirty jokes told by an innocent-looking lady. Hooded sweatshirts. Breakfast in bed. A girl with boundaries. Grace. Clumsiness. A runny-nosed crier. A partner who knows what turns her on. Sassy waitresses. Pretty scientists. Any and all librarians (okay, maybe this is my issue). Truth. Vulnerability. Strength. Naivete. Big breasts. Small breasts. Doesn’t matter the size, they all fascinate. A girl who can play the blues harp. A girl who calls you on your bullshit but isn’t afraid to love you inspite of it. A storyteller. A genius. A doctor. A new mother. A woman who realizes how beautiful she is.

Here’s to accepting our bodies.