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Sun Comes Up, Tuesday Morning kimmie66 Aaron Alexovitch 


Library Books After Hamelin Bill Richardson Skulduggery Pleasant Derek Landy

Ok, I was going to do more, but Blogger's going down soon, so it'll keep.
at 6:39 PM 3 comments: 


Books! I! Own! Yowza!

So, after I posted yesterday, I saw that I had missed 2 very important updates!

1. The new issue of The Edge of the Forest is up! Check it out! Lots of awesome articles, plus 2 reviews by yours truly (My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe and Reality Leak by Jodi Sensel-- both are great reads!)

2. The new Carnival of Children's Lit is up over at Wizard's Wireless. My contribution is actually my Geek Buffet post about the Xela Awards... check it out!

And now, a review of 2 books off the big scary list! (And a break because they're both Adult Nonfiction) First up is Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud Sun Shuyun

This book isn't available in the US, so I had to order it from England after reading her The Long March: The True History of Communist China's Founding Myth.

In Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud, Sun sets out to retrace the journey of Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk who traveled to India at the start of the Tang Dynasty to learn Sanskrit and bring back new sutras to Chinese Buddhists. (His travels being the basis of Chinese classic, Journey to the West.)

Not a Buddhist herself, Sun is searching for her grandmother's faith, and Xuanzang's. What was his driving force as he faced many perils along his way?

Sun has a magical way of trying history and legend together with her current narrative. It all blends seamlessly and also paints an amazing portrait of the changing face of Modern China.

I highly recommend it, even if you do have to get it from England. Well worth it.

ALSO! How much do I love the fact that she has an Orphan Works notice on her list of illustrations! WONDERFUL!!!!! (sorry, that's the geek in me) A Needle in the Right Hand of God: The Norman Conquest of 1066 and the Making and Meaning of the Bayeux Tapestry R. Howard Bloch

While this was interesting, as pop history it was ultimately unsatisfying. Bloch spends a lot of time proving minor points (did I really need half a chapter on the longship find of Sutton Hoo?) and leaves some other points hanging.

His premise is that the Bayeux Tapestry was stitched as a way to bring about a new multi-cultural peace and ultimately... I didn't buy it. There are many obvious other explanations to his supporting points that he doesn't address.

For instance, the fact that the tapestry is vague about some of the stickier points of the story (what the contents of the oath Harold swore, who Edward appointed as successor) isn't necessarily "sufficiently undefined as to permis all to identify with their particular point of view" ON PURPOSE. Maybe (a) it was common knowledge-- it's not like there are paragraphs of text here, most of the narration is based on common knowledge (b) Maybe they didn't know. This information doesn't appear in any other source, either. Maybe it was a secret.

But Bloch doesn't address these possible explanations for any of his evidence.

I do like his in-depth art-analysis of the symbolism and origins of various aspects of the tapestry, especially as he does refer to specific panels that are illustrated in the full color insert pages, as well as several other full-color and black-and-white illustrations throughout the text.

And as a minor note, I really didn't like the font. The lower case p has this little bit that extends out and is just visually very distracting.
at 11:50 PM No comments: Labels: Adult, bayeux tapestry, buddhism, carnival, China, Edge of the Forest, England, France, Geek Buffet, history, Nonfiction, r. howard bloch, Sun Shuyun


Hi! I'm back!

We went snorkeling.

But, yeah, the books. Harmless Dana Reinhardt

Just a harmless lie.

Of course, it turns into something much bigger.

But, the unraveling of the lie was amazing. Losing Forever Gayle Friesen The Adventures of Pink Elephant Vol. 1 Christine Amamiya

We could all use a pink elephant in our lives.

(Full disclosure: This book was provided by the author.)
at 11:42 PM No comments: 


Poetry Friday! Before the festivities begin, I'm over at Geek Buffet, following up on how YA is an age-range, not a genre. The comments on my original post sparked a conversation about how to get non-teens to read teen lit. Inspired by this year's Caldecott winner also being named a Best Book for Teens, I'm proposing a whole new award for teen lit. Check it out here. I'd love your comments.

And, now, a poem, because it's Friday. Yesterday it snowed. It's warm today, but is supposed to snow again tomorrow. So, here's a snow poem!

Snow flakes.

--Emily Dickinson

I love the imagine of austere, often depressing, recluse Dickinson dancing in joy of snow.

Farm School has this week's roundup!

And here's a lovely picture of what happens when it snows in DC (photo from Roxandabear): at 6:24 PM 4 comments: Labels: Geek Buffet, poetry, snow


Dance a Little Closer to Me, Dance a Little Closer Tonight

Ok, before we get started, a quick announcement, I'm blogging over at Geek Buffet about YA lit and that an age range is not a genre.

But, now, a story. It's a funny one.

So, January in Wisconsin is cold and snowy and icy. And one January, 5 years ago today, it was really, really cold. Dan and I went to church with my parents. There was a Saturday evening service.

At some point in the service, a Sunday School (Saturday School?) teacher went to the supply cabinet to get some safety pins. Only, when she opened the door, she found Dan and me, making out and sharing a bottle of Johnny Walker.

When she apologized, I said, "Oh no, it's OK. We're getting married in an hour."

And the ceremony was beautiful. At the end, I have to admit, I wasn't really paying attention, and thought the minister was done speaking, and so I went in to get the kiss, only to have everyone laugh at me, because he wasn't done, just takng a breath to finish his last sentence.

And there was good food and good music and good friends and we danced the night away and at the end of the night, my dad and his friends put the ice swan to swim across the frozen pond out front and all our friends stole the left over wine and had an after party that is now legend and is STILL talked about to this day.

I really can't believe it was 5 years ago. It doesn't seem like that long. So, I've used this poem before, but it was one we had read during the ceremony, so I'm using it again. Why Marry at All?

--Marge Piercy at 11:25 AM 10 comments: Labels: love, navel gazing, poetry friday, weddings


Weighty Tomes

So, here are the looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong books.

First up, 

Also, how the boredom can drive you insane. Remarkable.

It's on my list of possible Printz winners... Spring Moon Bette Bao Lord

Overall though, a very nice sweeping epic tale. Redeeming Love Francine Rivers 

Friday, January 04, 2008

Poetry Friday In honor of our new month, and the fact that it's actually cold here, I give you an excerpt from Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months by Maurice Sendak


In January

it's so nice while slipping

on the sliding ice

to sip hot chicken soup with rice.

Sipping once

Sipping twice

Sipping chicken soup with rice.

I must thank my friend Melissa for reminding me of this and, in the interests of full disclosure, tell you that I really hate rice in my soup. ;) The roundup is over at A Year of Reading. Enjoy!
at 6:04 PM 1 comment: Labels: maurice sendak, poetry friday


Death by Notebook

Ok, so I spent the first part of New Year's Eve (in that lull between when you're throwing a party and the house is clean and the food is out and you're all gussied up but no one has showed up yet) and New Year's Day reading the rest of the Death Note series.

Also, I've updated the Biblio File store with my list of what's coming out very shortly that I can't wait for.

There are also a few things that don't have pictures that are coming out later this spring and this summer that I can't wait for... things such as...

Fables Volume 10: The Good Prince Bill Willingham
Jack of Fables, volume 3 Bill Willingham
The Sisters Grimm Book 6: Tales From the Hood Michael Buckley
Stop in the Name of Pants (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson) Louise Rennison
And! A the first volume in a new series by Jasper Fforde, Shades of Grey

But, until then, let's see what's going on with Light and Near and Mello and the gang...

Here's a review for all of them: If you like the series, you gotta see how it ends. Read up. Death Note, Volume 9: Contact Tsugumi Ohba

Near knows. He knows L is Light and Light is Kira. Mello's closing in on both of them. Near does everything he can to so doubt among the task force. And he's succeeding... meanwhile, Sakura TV is the new spokesman for Kira... and doing a disgusting job of it.

Also, can I just say, yes Light's a jerk, but Mello and Near are creepy. Even creepier than the original L was. They give me the willies. Death Note, Volume 10: Deletion Tsugumi Ohba

Light has passed the notebook on and his successor loves deleting those who are evil. Delete delete delete. In order to stay in contact, Light decides it's time to pay an old school friend a visit, and maybe give Misa Misa a rest from the romance for awhile...

I just like the delete delete delete has Teru writes down new names.

Delete delete delete Death Note, Volume 11: Kindred Spirit Tsugumi Ohba

The investigation moves back to Japan. Near knows Light's the guy, but wants to expose him and rub his face in the evidence. Everyone has a complicated plan set into motion, and the opening shots are being fired. Who will be the first to blink? Death Note, Volume 12: Finis Tsugumi Ohba

All done. A satisfying end to a satisfying series, but I could have done with a little less of the "is Kira good or bad, what is evil" philosophical discussions...
at 8:22 PM 2 comments: Labels: Death Note, Graphic Novel, Manga, Tsugumi Ohba, YA

Hello 2008!

A bunch of Cybils short lists are up! More to come next week! Check 'em out!

This year I read...

219 books

That breaks down as:
82 Children's
80 YA
57 Adult (Woot!)

33 nonfiction
4 under 100 pages
32 graphic novels
18 required (that's really low!)
8 rereads

I read the least in May (13 books) July (12 books) November (13 books) and December (12 books.) Some of that is life, some based on the books I read (for instance, I read a lot of adult fiction in July, which takes me longer than children's fiction. In December I had 2 books around 500 pages...)

My best month was June with 28 books. If you take away the 9 that were read during the 48 hour challenge, that's still 19...

This is also a banner year because for the past 4 years one of my New Year's resolutions was to read at least 20 nonfiction books. This is the first year I actually succeeded! And how! 33!

One reading-related goal I almost met was to review at 5 books a week or enough to keep up with current reading--whichever was less. I didn't make it every week, but that totaled to 260 reviews this past year and I had... 258.

So, this year, I want to:
1. Blog at least 5 books a week for a total of 260, or to keep up with my reading habits.
2. Read at least 20 nonfiction books.
3. Read at least 50 books from the scary list. (See, this might be a little hard to pull off. We'll see.)
4. Set a silly reading challenge every month.
5. Never have more than 5 pleasure reading materials checked out from the library at a time.
6. Finish reading the rest of Silvey's top 100.

This month's challenge? Read all the review copies with deadlines looming, read my Cybils books once the nonfiction short list is announced I know what I'm supposed to be reading, and finish my library books. (Now down to 16) (This is a big chunk to chew, but I'm off school until the 28th)

In February, I will be reading all the books I have borrowed from other people.

BUT! Now for my favorites from 2007!

Top all-around picks: The Long March: The True History of Communist China's Founding Myth Shuyun Sun
Love in a Fallen City Eileen Chang
Alice In Sunderland Bryan Talbot
Kitchen Banana Yoshimoto
Un Lun Dun China Mieville
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers Xialu Guo
George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War Thomas B. Allen

Runners Up: Kampung Boy and Town Boy Lat
Mao's Last Revolution Roderick Macfarquhar and Michael Schoenhals
The Pull of the Ocean Jean-Claude Mourlevat
This is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood Hyok Kang
You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons - The World on One Cartoon a Day Mo Willems
The Invention of Hugo Cabret Brian Selznick
The Complete Persepolis Marjane Satrapi
Goodbye Tsugumi Banana Yoshimoto
Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters Annie Choi
Peony in Love: A Novel Lisa See
Train to Pakistan Khuswant Singh
Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War Thomas B. Allen
Wildwood Dancing Juliet Marillier
Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences Kitty Burns Florey

Long-Awaited Sequels That Didn't Disappoint:

I could go on and on and on and on and on about these books-- many were the strongest in the series, I felt. Most of them deserve to be on my all-around favs of the year, but there were so many, it got it's own category... Once Upon a Crime (The Sisters Grimm, Book 4) and Magic and Other Misdemeanors (The Sisters Grimm, Book 5) Michael Buckley
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J.K. Rowling
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels Jasper Fforde
Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb Kirsten Miller
Forever Rose Hilary McKay
Cupcake Rachel Cohn
Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now Lauren Child
Love Is a Many Trousered Thing (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson) Louise Rennison
Seeing Redd (The Looking Glass Wars)Frank Beddor
The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer Joseph Delaney
Fourth Comings Megan McCafferty

My Favorite New Authors:

Banana Yoshimoto
Thomas B. Allen

Favorite Children's Books: The Green Glass Sea Ellen Klages
Clementine and The Talented Clementine Sara Pennypacker
Troll Bridge and Pay the Piper Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
Millicent Min, Girl Genius Lisa Yee
The Last Dragon Silvana de Mari
Letters from Rapunzel Sara Lewis Holmes
Robot Dreams Sara Varon
Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians Brandon Sanderson

Favorite YA Books: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party M. T. Anderson
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Sold Patricia McCormick
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal Mal Peet

Favorite New Guilty Please Series

Gossip Girl
Students Across the Seven Seas
Death Note

Old Favorites I was Delighted to Find I still Love: Drina Jean Estoril
Charlotte Sometimes Penelope Farmer (the original)
at 3:28 PM 5 comments: Labels: 2007, best of, goals, housekeeping
 Coffee addict, torch singer, and librarian ninja.
