Revolution

Nothing like a good beheading first thing in the morning.
Uh, what?
Maybe it only seemed that way in the French Revolution. That's what I've been reading about lately- fictional accounts anyway. Usually historical fiction isn't really my thing, but I was willing to give it a shot for one of the Soaring Eagle Award nominees.

Summary:
In this story we have Andi. I imagine Andi to look something like this, maybe with a few more piercings.

Pssst. I have no idea who this girl actually is... thank you stock pics on how-to-play-electric-guitar.net

Anyway, we have Andi. After her brother's death, she falls into a serious depression. Like holy cow, even the super strong anti-depressants aren't working kind of depression. Like watch out that girl might kill herself kind of depression. You get the idea. 

Unfortunately, Andi's parents aren't much help. Andi's mother isn't dealing well with grief either. She's gone semi-catatonic and just paints all day. Her father is rarely around since he won the Nobel prize and walked out on the family. The counselor and her friends try to help, but no one seems to be able to reach her. 

Then one day, the beginning of winter break, Andi's father shows up without warning. He finds Andi's mother painting yet another portrait of her dead son and sees Andi's school is close to expelling her for not doing her work. If he's worried, it doesn't come off as concern for their well-being, so much as hope that she will graduate high school. Too bad he doesn't respect Andi's only emotional release (and possible future career)- music. After a typical argument between the two, Andi's dad reveals that he is taking her to Paris with him, so he can make sure she finishes her senior thesis outline over break. After all, this is the only thing that will keep her in her fancy school. Her mother will be sent to a mental institution while she is away.

Andi is carted away to Paris. Most of us would consider this a pleasure, but this poor girl sees it as nothing but torture. Staying with her father's friends is fine, but she discovers they are conducting DNA research on a dead child, Charles-Louis. He was 10, like her brother, when he died and has such similar features to him that she starts to panic. But his story is compelling. Being trapped in a tower alone after his royal parents were killed? But are you sure that is the little boy's heart that has been discovered?

Andi alternates between total curiosity and total depression remembering her brother, until she discovers an antique diary that no one else knows about. OK, even then its still a delicate balance keeping her alive, but she feels a deep connection with the revolutionary girl writing the diary. The rebel Alexadrine Paradis, who shoots off illegal fireworks as a symbol of hope in a dark time. 

Interesting Lines

There were some. I promise. I even had some highlighted on my Kindle. But... long story short, my library loan on the book ran out. I had to go check out the paper copy since someone had a loan on the ebook. And all the cool things I had highlighted were gone. *tear*

You should know, though, that the book is well written.

What I Like

• I know this doesn't sound like a positive thing, but the book was an emotional roller coaster for me. It seemed like every time I pick it up, I would cry. I know not everyone would cry at this girl's depression, but... revelation- I've been there. So while Andi is busy connecting with Alexandrine, I'm busy connecting with her. And even though the parts that caught my attention were forever lost because I didn't finish reading in time, I remember a little piece that caught my attention. Andi's on the phone with her best friend from back in New York and as they are finishing their conversation, he tells her not to do anything stupid. He knows her suicidal tendencies and this is a simple plea for her life. Her response? "I'll try." It's a simple exchange, but beautiful in such a sad way. It reveals so much. Knowing that people care, but not knowing how to deal with the pain inside. Not knowing what to do and not feeling like you have control over yourself. Like I said. Simple. Beautiful. Sad.
• I actually learned something during my pleasure reading time. The story of the young prince imprisoned just because his parents are his parents is heartbreaking.

And Palais Royal was really a place for everyone (read the down and out people) to hang out and be rowdy.

And there really was a firework releasing rebel. There were a whole bunch of beheadings just because some people were angry and everyone seemed to be about revenge and killing and mob mentality. Like "Woo hoo! Someone's gonna die! Great afternoon party!" Weird.

Overall

I really enjoyed the book. It was a little goofy toward then end... and a bit predictable... but I still liked it. I mean, I went through all the effort of going to get the paper copy of the book. That has to say something, right?

And I enjoyed reading about the strange angry times of the French Revolution enough that I've checkout out another story set in that time period. I'll let you know how it goes. (I've already learned that the guillotine was named for someone. Dr. Guillotin, to be exact. And that crazy dude was obviously very proud of his invention to name it after himself. Weird.)

Wish You Were Dead

Every year my school hosts an author visit. Pretty cool, right? Yeah, it really is.

Anyway, last year we heard from Todd Strasser.
Ta da! Here he is!

 It officially took me a year- a whole year- to read one of his books. Its not that they didn't sound awesome or anything. Actually they sounded great. But the man put on a good enough show that kids couldn't wait to read his books. They were always checked out! I wasn't about to put one on hold. I have to be on the verge of frustrated tears at not having the book to put it on hold, and even then I usually end up by it instead of checking it out. So yeah, a young adult murder mystery was about as likely to be put on hold as Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm just not ready for the imaginary ridicule from the librarian at choosing to hold those. Whatever.

Fast forward to this weekend. Of course I ran out of reading material on a holiday weekend. (Although its hardly even a holiday. I mean, really, Columbus didn't even discover America for Pete's sake! I want to celebrate Vespucci day, not the day of some dude who came in a lot later killing off 90% of the inhabitants with his germs and enslaving the rest. I don't care if he helped my ancestors get across the ocean. He's still a hack.) I didn't want to spend more money because I had just bought a totally impractical pair of shoes and was feeling guilty. So I was trying to check something out on my Kindle. Yay! My library offers that now! OK, so their selection isn't all that great and it was kind of a pain to figure out how to do it without instructions that they didn't offer, but I still had access to books! One of the books was Wish You Were Dead. So after a huge hassle trying to figure out the card system, realizing that I couldn't check out on my card due to fines (blast you, children!), stealing my husband's card, and finally "opening up" my book.

Lucy Cunningham is not a nice girl. But when she disappears, everyone takes notice. At first they think that she could have run off after a fight with her boyfriend, but that just don't seem like her. Even though Madison is always frustrated with Lucy's evil ways, she doesn't like that something bad might have happened... especially since she was in charge of getting Lucy home via Safe Ride.

Then things get worse. More friends go missing. There are two common links. 1. Madison is the last person to talk to each of them since they all called Safe Ride while she was on duty. 2. The author of a blog said "I wish they were dead." (Get it, get it. There's the title.) Madison feels compelled to save her friends and keep her name clear.

If you don't want spoilers, even small ones, stop reading. Seriously.

What I love 
Glad you stuck with me. Here we go.

• The technology aspect. I like how they mentioned blogs, texting, Facebook and all that jazz. I think that's something teens (aka the target audience) can relate to. 
• Oh the 11-year-old part of me loved this.
• I seriously had to stay up late to finish reading it. And I liked it.

Seriously, this pic by SurprisinglyNimble was me, except with a Kindle lighting the way, not a lantern. 

• It threw in a plot twist. I didn't think the obvious choice had done it, but I also thought Madison was writing the blog. 
• It reminded me of all the Fear Street books by R.L. Stine that I used to live on. 

Seriously. I loved these books for no goo reason. You didn't have to really think about what to get next because the formula was followed seamlessly. And for some reason, The Hitchhiker really stayed with me. Still scared of hitchhikers. They're creepy and not who you expect them to be.

What I Didn't Like

• Well, it reminded me of the Fear Street books. Formulaic. Predictable. And leaves you with a feeling guiltier than eating an extra scoop of ice cream.
• Seriously, what's wrong with that school district. They don't have background checks on their teachers? They allow a 20-year-old to enroll? What the heck??

So overall, it was OK. I know a lot of kids liked it. And there's a a "thrillogy," a phrase that I find groan-worthy. I don't think I'll be rushing out to read the rest of the books though.

Should you read it? Eh, I dunno. If you like movies like these, I suppose. 

Will I read others by Todd Strasser? Yeah. I'm curious about Boot Camp and I looooved Give a Boy a Gun to the point that I would definitely reread. (Although some kid stole my copy so I'll have to work harder to find a copy...)

Happy Reading, Friends.

 

The Book Thief

People who know anything about me know that I love to read. And they usually figure out that I like books from different genres, too. And setting my modesty aside, I know that makes me a pretty good source for reading suggestions. One of my favorite books to recommend is The Book Thief.

To start with, I really like the title. Its all mysterious and nerdy at the same time. But I'm not gonna lie, though, I don't totally understand the cover art here. I like it, and I get it, but I don't GET it. That makes sense, doesn't it. I mean I get the metaphor, but its only OK, not great. I recently saw an alternate cover to it that I liked more.

Now it's a nerdy/mysterious title with a creepy cover.

Ready for the main reason why the creepy cover is cooler? It's not like it's a scary story, but it's told from the point of view of Death. Yeah, you heard me. Death is personified and telling a story. And death isn't all that scary in this story. Actually, he seems like a character I could relate to who just happens to have a really sucky job.

So in this book, Death is telling us the story of Liesel. When she is nine, Liesel boards a train along with her mother and brother. It is during World War II and the kids are on their way to meet their new foster family. Death never tells us exactly what's going on with Mom, but it's pretty safe to say that she's in trouble and giving up her kids is the only way to save them. That in itself is touching, but maybe that's just because I'm a mother and appreciate how difficult that would be. On the train ride, however, Liesel's brother passes away. It is her first personal experience with death. At his burial, a tiny thing in unfamiliar territory with grave diggers who are not too worried about about showing sympathy, Liesel steals a book. She doesn't know why exactly, but the copy of The Gravediggers Handbook (that she doesn't know how to read) helps her remember her family.

In these troubling times, however, no one has an opportunity to properly mourn. Liesel still moves in with her foster parents, an tough talking laundry lady and a caring accordion playing man. Liesel wakes up regularly with nightmares about her brother. Her foster father helps her regain her composure and fall back asleep by teaching her how to read out of The Gravediggers Handbook. Not exactly the greatest material by today's standards but it was wartime, the family was broke, and it was available. Leisel grew hungry for books, stealing several more as the years passed.

At the same time, Liesel meets a variety of friends that mean the world to her. Her neighbor, Rudy, is undoubtedly her best friend. Max, the Jewish man hiding in her basement, is a reliable companion, although just knowing him is a crime. The mayor's wife is an interesting person. And, of course, it doesn't take long for Liesel to fall in love with her foster parents.

What I Love

• The unique perspective brought by the narrator. Like I said, Death isn't a bad guy like you would imagine. He remembers the experience and even feels emotional about it. And he associates colors with events. 
• It is not the same ubiquitous Jewish survival tale. Sure, you have an refugee, but more than that it describes the average German family during the war. It wasn't soldiers and prisoners. There were people in between that were stuck. They didn't have money or power. They had to make do with what they have. That creates a huge opportunity for the reader to place themselves in the position of the characters because that is likely where we would be.
• When bad things happen, like a bomb threat, the families don't have some big backup plan. They don't have a fancy fallout shelter like this  

No, they hear the sirens and gather in a neighbors basement, huddling in fear. 

• Liesel put value in the same things I do. Her friends and family. Reading and knowledge. 
• It shows that people a lot of people had to "go along to get along." When Rudy, a budding track star, pretended to be Jesse Owens, his father had to try to explain why he was luckier being who he was than being the Olympic medalist. Leisel's father resists joining the Nazi party, but loses business and friends as a result. And he eventually ends up joining just to avoid arrest.
• It made me cry. OK, usually this makes me mad. It did in this case, too. But at the same time I think it gives merit to the writing. I have to really like the characters and lose myself in the writing to care enough to cry. And the only reason it made me really mad is because I read in public a lot. In this case it was the middle of class, when I extended reading time so I could finish the chapter and all the kids were like "Ms. Mac! What's wrong?"

Interesting Quotes

• Here is a small fact: You are going to die. I am in all truthfulness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic, though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no matter my protestations. Please trust me. I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's. Just don't ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me.
• And these are the lines that open the book. Honesty. Likeable. Understanding. Full of personality. It's Death.
• Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness.
• I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.
• People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spot blues. Murky darkness. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.
• The last time I saw her was red. The sky was like soup, boiling and stirring. In some places it was burned. There were black crumbs and pepper, streaked across the redness.
• As I said, Death associates colors with events. I think it's amazing in its insite. 
• In the beginning, it was the profanity that made an immediate impact. It was so vehement and prolific. Every other word was either Sumensch or Soukerl or Arschloch. 
• That's how the foster mother is first described and then she softens into saing things like Give me a kiss, Soukerl. (All of these are, of course, indecent speech in German.)

Even though it's been a while since I've read the story, it still leaves me with a strong feeling. Sadness of remembering. Hope of some strange sort. Awareness. And, of course, I pay a lot of attention to the colors of the world. 

Name of the Wind

I woke up this morning thinking about books. Part of my brain was singing the little ditty from Skippyjon Jones. Another part of my brain was thinking about the book waiting for me on my nightstand. I kinda wanted to write a little book talk about both of them, but didn't know what to title it if they were in the same post. That's why there are two today. Because I couldn't decide.

So what is this mystery book waiting for me?

So let me start at the beginning. Before I even explain what the book is about, let me tell you how I came across it. As an English teacher, kids know that I like to read. Sometimes kids will tell me about books and I'm instantly interested. One day, a kid name Wesley (not Wes) told me I had to read this book. It was the best book he had ever in his 15 years of life read. (He was smart and a frequent reader so he probably has read a lot of good books.) He went a step further than just telling me about this book, though. He actually brought in his copy of the book for me to read. There was no way to get out of reading it. Which I really wanted to do when I saw the cover. See, there are multiple styles to the cover of this book and I thought it looked dorky. Really dorky.

I know, I know, you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover and all that garbage. But here's a little secret. I judged that book by its cover. I judged a lot. And it wasn't looking good.
But I was trapped. So I read. Since I was being a whiny judgmental baby, it took me a little while to get into it. Like 50 pages. But then... Oh. My. Goodness! I saw a t-shirt that described it as a literary orgasm. Yep. That'll do. When I finished the book, I was so glad to have been trapped into reading it. I was fiending for more. And of course I read it about 2 years before the next book was ready. Do you know how hard it was to know that there was more story out there, but I couldn't get it??? I don't know if you've figured this out about me yet, but I AM NOT A PATIENT PERSON!
That being said, the next book has been sitting on my nightstand waiting for me. In those long waiting years I filled my brain with other books. I received the sequel as a birthday present about a month after it came out and now it has sat for about a year. Why? Partially because it's long. Like 1000 pages long. Partially because I've been reading mind candy. (But gosh darn it, I have enjoyed that mind candy.) Partially because I've been busy with work and college and kids and making excuses. Partially because I know the story will not be finished in this book and it will leave me begging for more and more like some drug addict, but with a book! Whatever. It's going on vacation with me. Not Mockingjay. The Wise Man's Fear.
So anyway, that's the back story on the book. It was a lot of lead in, but I feel like admitting my hesitation lets you know a lot about the book. If I didn't like it, I would have smiled at the kid and told him it was pretty good while never thinking about it again. But instead I decided to post on it. 


After all that, I'm finally ready to tell you about the book. 
SUMMARY

It starts our with Chronicler getting Kvothe's story. Kvothe (rhymes with quoth, the word no one says except when quoting Poe) is difficult to find, but the storyteller has managed to do it. He wants the whole story. The story Kvothe hasn't told anyone and insists that it is told his way. Why would anyone care about his story? Well, apparently he's pretty amazing. You read the paragraph he uses to start the story. And since the story starts out with monsters and a apocalyptic feel, I think its safe to say that Kvothe had something to do with ending the world as it was previously known.
The story is filled with sorrow, love, adventure, friendship, and curiosity that has me dying for more.

Here's what the back of the book says. I wouldn't usually include the back blurb because they're usually downright boring, but this one is pretty fantastic.

My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kinds. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me.

Right? 

INTERESTING LINES
"Outside the Waystone Inn the air lay still and heavy on the empty dirt road that ran through the center of town. The sky was a featureless grey sheet of cloud that looked as if it wanted to rain but couldn’t quite work up the energy."
"He had a bright, reckless tenor that was always wandering off, looking for notes in the wrong places."
"His reaction was minimal, it wasn’t until later that I found getting any reaction from Master Lorren was about as likely as seeing a stone pillar wink."
"To deem us simple enemies is to lose the true flavor of our relationship. It was more like the two of us entered into a business partnership in order to more efficiently pursue our mutual interest of hating each other."
Do you like how some of my favorite lines tell you very little about the story? Ha!

WHY I LIKE IT
You get trapped in this world where all kinds of things are possible. Magic exists and not in a cheesy pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat sort of way. Like real magic. Like the kind of magic that connects the whole world.
Interesting phrasing and thorough, but not boring descriptions.
A likable character. He's a genius and a jerk, but I still like him. Its kind of like Good Will Hunting.
It made me look up some YouTube of a dude playing the lute. Now I know. I find it to be pretty relaxing. Here, you can know, too.

Skippyjon Jones

I love kids' books. A lot of them can take little mundane things and make them seem like an adventure. Sure, there aren't always glowing metaphors or a page describing how windy it was, but a lot of times I think that's OK. And I'm a mom. I figure if I'm going to raise readers, I'm going to look for books I don't hate to read. They can hear my hatred in certain books.
That being said, I will repeat/amend that I love many kids' books. One that's big around our house is about a dear ol' kitty who thinks he's a doggy. Skippyjon Jones!

What I like

It's pretty fun to read. As the primary reader in the house, that's important. The books slip in a little Spanish now and then (usually words that are in my limited Spanish vocabulary). There are songs, instructions to clap, and it's filled with alliteration. (You remember alliteration, right? What? You're not familiar with words that are taught in junior high poetry lessons? Geez. Fine, I'll remind you... it's when the words start with the same sound. Like Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)

This little kitty uses his imagination to create new worlds where he is a chihuahua. He gets in all kinds of trouble while he's in his own little land. It's fun to pretend.

The kids really like it.

It's pretty complex. My nephew's first grade class used the book as part of a lesson. I think there's still some details that were fuzzy for him. I'm pretty sure I would have fun using it in the junior high, too.

Did I mention that it's fun to read?

 So we read about Skippyjon fairly regularly. My favorite is Lost in Spice, although the original has undeniable charm. 

There are several more books in the series, I just haven't read them. I'm sure they're wonderful, though.

We have also listened to the audiobook read by none other than Judy Schachner herself. It's OK, but I find that this story, for my family, it was best to read it instead of listen to it. Schachner reads it pretty quickly (a lesson I wish the narrator from The Gingerbread Boy would learn). Since my kids are young, they had a hard time keeping up with the Spanish words and ideas. I guess older kids might like listening to it like that, but whatever.

After we read it, Rela usually runs around the house saying "Noodles are naked" (from Lost in Spice). It's funny. Me? I'm usually singing "Oh, my name is Skipito Friskito..."

Princess Bride

It took me until I was about 25 before I watched The Princess Bride. Apparently that's practically blasphemy. So I did. And you know what?

The book was better.


Yeah, I'm like that. I read it. And I loved it. 

Just in case your memory isn't quite up to snuff, let's recap the plot. A love triangle exists between a stable boy named Westley, the beautiful maiden named Buttercup, and evil Prince Humperdink. Westley goes missing and Buttercup is kidnapped by a giant, a criminal, and a swordsman. A masked pirate follows the kidnappers and attempts to save the day.


Why I Liked It
It's over the top and made me laugh out loud. Like people staring at me as I giggle reading it in public. I like to think they were jealous. They were probably a little creeped out. 


I like that the author is a character. Goldman tells the story as a screen writer (so true!) who was told the story by his grandfather. As an adult, he reread the story only to discover his grandpa had taken out the boring parts. How relate-able. He even side notes how many pages he cut from the original story to save readers.


Why the Book was Better
Because I read it first. That's the only reason, I'm pretty sure. 


Also because every ridiculous line and plot twist present in the movie was also in the book. The part where they traded goblets about 20 times? Yep. Crazy duels performed by silly characters? Yep. Even this

Go ahead. Read it. You know you want to. Maybe you'll be the weirdo LOLing. Or maybe you'll decide to debate me on the merits of the movie over the book. 

Divergent

Time for a book talk.
I'll stick with the last decent book I read and skip the one I feel guilty about finishing and the other that I put down before I finished. That's fair, right?

So here it is

In a futuristic, dystopian Chicago, Beatrice turns 16- the age when you decide how you are going to live for the rest of your life. See, this society is split into 5 factions, each of which value a different set of values (honesty, selflessness, bravery, peace, and intelligence). On the fateful day, Beatrice does a rare thing and chooses to leave the faction where she grew up to join the Dauntless (who value bravery). During the brutal initiation Beatrice must learn to live without her family, overcome fear, and decide who to trust... all while keeping a secret that would mean death if anyone found out.

Things I liked: 

In my head, it all looked like the Dr. Dre/2Pac video "California Love."

There's really not a lot of rational for this, dystopian stories just do that to me... which also has me singing the song all day. Ahhh, 90's hip hop. Anyway.

I could definitely imagine what was happening throughout the book. Yeah, any good book should, but sometimes that's lacking in young adult books.

I liked the ties it had to current society, without being all preachy. I had to remember where the Sears Tower was just to figure out it was Chicago. It also interestingly ties with the past. I found the book title on a reading list for the Holocaust. As the story gets going, I could definitely see the parallels.

I pretended I was just as tough as Beatrice. Since it wasn't her point of view, you heard her doubt and worries, but you know everyone else thought she was insanely awesome.

Imagine what it would be like to grow up not knowing about romances... Beatrice doesn't even recognize a crush on a boy. Wow. Could I have survived? (I've always been a bit boy crazy.)

It's a quick read. I like young adult books for that reason. I'm a cheater.

Divergent was repeatedly recommended to me by people who like The Hunger Games and Gone, both end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it kind of books. Apparently if you like one you like them all? ( I liked The Hunger Games. I read 2 of the 3 books. But I wasn't all "Ohmygod its the best story EVER!" I've heard Gone was interesting but slow so I haven't gone there yet.) On http://whatshouldireadnext.com/, someone even recommended I am Number Four. Interesting connection. I liked both of them so I guess I agree.

I'm pretty curious where the obvious sequel for Divergent goes, too. Oh! And it just came out!

Happy reading, friends.