Man, my handful of Welsh lessons on Duolingo were NOT up to the task of this! No one asked anyone if they liked celery, or offered them a cup of tea (Man, my handful of Welsh lessons on Duolingo were NOT up to the task of this! No one asked anyone if they liked celery, or offered them a cup of tea (at least not in Welsh). And Duo did NOT talk about the "lake in the pleasant place" or deep Arthurian lore. ...more
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. That was . . . such a weird thing to discover looking at the auTHIS GUY WROTE AND SANG THE PIÑA COLADA SONG.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. That was . . . such a weird thing to discover looking at the author bio.
But this book! So fun! Very dark humor, but so twisty and sort of . . . madcap. Yes, let's use the word "madcap" here. The school, the faculty, the three students we follow in their quest to complete their "theses." Madcap! At first I was like, Well, the cover's great, but what is happening? And also, THIS GUY WROTE THE PIÑA COLADA SONG?! Sorry. Sorry! Anyway. I was soon gripped, GRIPPED I SAY! And I'm very excited for the second one, Murder Your Mate! ...more
Dear Murderbot: I heart you, and your comfort watching of Sanctuary Moon. If there's anything that makes sense in this crazy world, or your crazy futuDear Murderbot: I heart you, and your comfort watching of Sanctuary Moon. If there's anything that makes sense in this crazy world, or your crazy future, it's that watching a favorite show can make everything be all right, just for a little while.
This should be required reading in high schools, by both students and faculty. The racist instagram account was horrible enough, but the mishandling oThis should be required reading in high schools, by both students and faculty. The racist instagram account was horrible enough, but the mishandling of the entire situation by the adults was INSANE. I mean, as much as I wanted to say to these boys, "What the HELL is wrong with you?" after things got going with the aftermath I wanted to literally find the adults involved (with a few small exceptions) and be like, "No, what the ACTUAL HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU AND WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?"
A beautiful legend brought to life. I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Disney princess Irene Bedard, which really made it feel like I was lA beautiful legend brought to life. I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Disney princess Irene Bedard, which really made it feel like I was listening to someone tell me a story by a fire. This story of a boy being educated by eagle spirits so that he can return to his family and make everyone's life better was just so lovely. I don't really know what else to say about it, other than that I think this would be excellent in the classroom as well. ...more
A strange and beautiful story. And . . . yeah. Not sure what else to say. Except that I'm baffled that I hadn't heard of this until it won the NewberyA strange and beautiful story. And . . . yeah. Not sure what else to say. Except that I'm baffled that I hadn't heard of this until it won the Newbery Award. A book, with full color illustrations, written by a very famous author, and with an audiobook narrated by Ethan Hawke . . . how was this not a bigger deal when it first came out? But at any rate: I'm glad it won the Newbery because I'm very glad that I was made aware of it so that I could read it to my kids. ...more
I've always heard this talked about like it was so shocking. It appears on lists of books that people were traumatized by. Maybe I'm just desensitizedI've always heard this talked about like it was so shocking. It appears on lists of books that people were traumatized by. Maybe I'm just desensitized to violence? I mean, I was absolutely horrified at the cavalier way these men committed this murder. But I feel like the actual murder was handled very delicately. It's actually all handled beautifully. Capote is an excellent, excellent writer, and the vivid character studies of everyone involved is what makes this stand out. It's like a very beautifully written murder file. I'm very glad I read it- Mostly I listened to the audiobook, although I do have a physical copy as well- but I'm not going to go telling everyone it's a must read. ...more
I've been aware of this book since . . . forever? but never actually read it or been that interested. However, my youngest's 5th grade teacher startedI've been aware of this book since . . . forever? but never actually read it or been that interested. However, my youngest's 5th grade teacher started the audiobook for them the other day, and then stopped it because she hadn't read it either, and didn't realize a) that they say "damn" so much and b) that it is really upsetting. She is reading it herself, and I thought, I should read that, too! And yeah, it's so different from kids' books these days.
I mean, sure, it's all there in the title, you know it's about the Revolutionary War, and that his brother will die. But the frank talk about the soldiers from both sides stealing from the people. The father being beaten and threatened by the Continental soldiers, and eventually taken, imprisoned, and then dying in filth of cholera. The presentation of this would be VERY different in a book about the same topic written in the last ten years or so! There's talk of the soldiers running wild in the countryside, "raping the women, stealing the cattle, killing for food." I feel like if this were written today, either the narrator would be aged up and it would be young adult, or these details would be sanitized if it were aimed at middle grade readers.
I really liked it, as it showed the confusion and futility of war, and the deprivations on both sides. Tim felt like a real person, his uncertainty over which side was "right" after seeing the horrors perpetrated by both sides, and pointing out that neither King George nor the Continental Congress affected him in his daily life was very real. I think this book really holds up, and I think it would be a good one to assign and discuss in talking about the Revolutionary War. ...more
This poor, precious child. I cannot believe all that she has been through, and still come out the other side with the ability to laugh and to keep goiThis poor, precious child. I cannot believe all that she has been through, and still come out the other side with the ability to laugh and to keep going. So many people let her down, so many people abused and used her. Yes, the main culprit was her mom, a narcissist and hoarder who was verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive. But everyone around her could see this, and they still let it happen. It truly is a miracle that Jennette isn't dead. And I'm happy for her that she is healing, and hope she goes on to write more books: fiction, poetry, screenplays, whatever brings her joy! And directs more things! I feel like everyone who survived the gauntlet of being a child star should be in the director's seat of shows with child actors, because they are the only ones who can understand, or who might see, what's really happening with that child and be able to protect them. ...more
Fascinating look at the first thirty years of Indian independence, seen through the eyes of the first child born at the moment of independence. Salim Fascinating look at the first thirty years of Indian independence, seen through the eyes of the first child born at the moment of independence. Salim narrates it all, beginning with the story of his grandparents, and ending on his own 31st birthday. Through his eyes, we experience it all. HIs family is emblematic of the country as a whole: there are doctors and chefs, Bollywood actresses, entrepreneurs, street performers. Muslims and Hindus and Christian mix together in the streets and houses, Salim himself goes back and forth to Pakistan, but cannot settle there, because India is his true home, his family, his life.
This book was used (along with Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison) as a recurring example of Post Modern literature in my (you guessed it) Post Modern Literature textbook waaaaay back in college. I was surprised at how much I remembered about, but how little the textbook really covered in terms of the evocative prose that made you feel and smell and taste Salim's India. ...more
This book was almost too intense. Too many of the characters seemed to have a very cavalier attitude towards safety- their own, and others- or a very This book was almost too intense. Too many of the characters seemed to have a very cavalier attitude towards safety- their own, and others- or a very poor understanding of danger! As a mom and an adult, I spent the whole book feeling tense and uneasy. The ending was perfect, though, and this is a part of history I hadn't heard about. I always assumed that people who escaped from plantations just headed straight north, but the idea of living in the swamps fascinated me. ...more
This book just didn't click with me. The concept of it was fantastic: there's a "game" you can play in the subway, that allows you to see visions of tThis book just didn't click with me. The concept of it was fantastic: there's a "game" you can play in the subway, that allows you to see visions of the past . . . but be careful and don't look back! Spooky! Fascinating! And the author clearly loves the Bronx, and appreciates its storied past. I think it's just that the characters didn't click with me. I didn't feel any sense of urgency from them, or about them. I wasn't sure what they were going to do, how they were going to react to anything they were facing, because even at the end I didn't feel like I knew them. ...more
My favorite kind of nonfiction: a nice mix of fascinating facts and humor! The doodlebug puns in the very first chapter had me howling! I mean, the otMy favorite kind of nonfiction: a nice mix of fascinating facts and humor! The doodlebug puns in the very first chapter had me howling! I mean, the other name for that insect is the cockchafer. He could have gone with cockchafer . . . but somehow it was so much funnier that he called them doodles. And then proceeded to make all the doodle jokes he possibly could! And yet I still learned so much. About animals, about humans. About how biological and zoological studies have changed over the years as well. So, so interesting!
And I was convinced the one reader was Bowen Yang from Saturday Night Live (it wasn't), but the delivery of so many of the lines reminded me of Bowen doing the Weekend Update bits on SNL, and it made me very happy!...more
A wonderful, wonderful book! Maizy and her adventures in Last Chance, Minnesota, discovering her family, discovering history, discovering herself, is A wonderful, wonderful book! Maizy and her adventures in Last Chance, Minnesota, discovering her family, discovering history, discovering herself, is just perfection.
Yee did an amazing job of balancing the heartache with humor, of laying out grim facts from the past but keeping it light enough to not traumatize younger readers. I would love to eat at the Golden Palace, and give Bud the Bear a pat on the paw, and see what special fortune Maizy put in my cookie!...more
Brilliant! A retelling of one of my favorite (and underrepresented, IMHO) fairy tales, The Seven Swans. But the setting is a world similar to feudal JBrilliant! A retelling of one of my favorite (and underrepresented, IMHO) fairy tales, The Seven Swans. But the setting is a world similar to feudal Japan, and with glorious descriptions of silk robes, and food that will make your mouth water. I loved Shiuri and the rest of the crew, and I was not at all prepared for the ending of this book. ...more
I knew, looking at the gray palette and knowing that it was a memoir about working in oil drilling, that this wasn't going to be the sort of Gutting.
I knew, looking at the gray palette and knowing that it was a memoir about working in oil drilling, that this wasn't going to be the sort of madcap romp one usually sees in her comics. So I was not at all surprised by the grimness of it: the shitty conditions, the shitty coworkers, the shitty hours. It broke my heart, but it didn't surprise me. What DID surprise me was that, during all this crapulence, she started writing the superb and intensely witty Hark! A Vagrant! How she could sit there, being harassed, underpaid, exhausted, and draw things like Dude Watching With the Brontes, is beyond me.
She's funny and light on Twitter, as well, and I did know that one of her sisters had passed away recently, but this was such a gripping insight into not just her family (good people, who value education), but also what it's like to come from her small area of Nova Scotia, and how many people were risking their lives, their sanity, and their family life, to get a piece of the oil money. ...more
Pulls together for a fabulous and very satisfactory ending! Love all the characters, especially Avery and Xander, and really everyone had a lot of grePulls together for a fabulous and very satisfactory ending! Love all the characters, especially Avery and Xander, and really everyone had a lot of great personal growth and came into their own in often surprising ways. I did wish that she had introduced the "Final Boss" that Avery has to to face earlier on in the books, I felt like that bit came out of nowhere, and I would have liked to have seen more of the whole situation (trying not to spoil! not spoiling!) throughout. (Maybe it was there, I wonder if it's more obvious if you read them straight through, rather than one a year?)
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