tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17136593596067359592024-02-06T22:47:33.560-05:00The Remedy of BooksAll the glory of the world would be buried in oblivion, unless God had provided mortals with the remedy of books. ~ Richard DeBuryAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-54899642922907180642017-05-07T22:27:00.000-04:002017-05-07T22:30:00.434-04:00The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois + Berry Clafoutis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While there have been some amazing new books coming out recently, I do also like to look backwards at some classics. These books are not only Still Good but they are also Important because they are often the books that inspired today's writers. One of the books that shaped my own love of reading is <i>The Twenty-One Balloons</i> by William Pene du Bois.</div>
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This Newbery award winner is a book that I read and loved as a child, but then forgot about for many years. Every once in a while something would remind me of it and I'd wonder, "what was that book with the volcano and the hot air balloons and the crazy houses?" but like a distant dream it had faded into the haze of my memory. I was SO pleased to rediscover it several years ago and to find out it was just as good as I had remembered it being.<br />
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<i>The Twenty-One Balloons</i> is an adventure story--including the aforementioned hot air balloons, volcanoes, crazy inventions, and daring escapes. The main character is Professor William Waterman Sherman, a schoolteacher who's decided he's had enough of people and wants to go on a year-long journey to nowhere in particular, as long as he's alone. He chooses to do it via a giant hot air balloon, which captures the attention and imagination of San Francisco society, and he takes off amid much fanfare. But to the surprise of the world, he is found just three weeks later floating in the Atlantic amongst the wreckage of twenty hot air balloons. What happened to his balloon? Where did the other balloons come from? And how did he get into the wrong ocean?<br />
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Readers will soon find out that Professor Sherman had ended up crash landing and was picked up by the "locals" on the island of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa">Krakatoa</a> (history buffs will already know how this is going to end). The population of the island is mysteriously wealthy, and is comprised of 20 families organized into a rather strange society which centers around an alphabetical culinary arrangement. Each family has been assigned a different letter of the alphabet and a country/nationality that corresponds to that letter (A-American, B-British, C-Chinese, etc.) Each family takes turns hosting dinner for everyone else at their home and of course the home and the cuisine also matches the family's assigned nationality.<br />
Professor Sherman is welcomed, introduced to everyone, and shown around each home--noting that they are beautiful and full of ingenious inventions. Then he is let in on the island's big secret. Which I'm not going to tell you. Because you need to read the book.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BDVsedSYDLlaSey8dcDH_ArjxYIYbmhWmrHJI5loXgXDHom-hTRamVIdoaIBw_ZGAEz10eshZ_47P1OGXdO0GbHgT8zSPrwQbhn2M3cSFeZdDd1jYuDxtCLvyw7jor6GQofKlCGmmuE/s1600/william_pene_du_bois_21_balloons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BDVsedSYDLlaSey8dcDH_ArjxYIYbmhWmrHJI5loXgXDHom-hTRamVIdoaIBw_ZGAEz10eshZ_47P1OGXdO0GbHgT8zSPrwQbhn2M3cSFeZdDd1jYuDxtCLvyw7jor6GQofKlCGmmuE/s400/william_pene_du_bois_21_balloons.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did I mention that Pene du Bois includes a lot of fun illustrations?</td></tr>
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The magic of this book is in the way it inspires imagination. A secret island society hidden from the rest of the world; travelling across the ocean in a hot air balloon; crazy inventions to make life easier (such as a sheet roller for beds where you just turn a crank and new sheets roll onto the mattress); and who doesn't love the idea of society centered on sharing culinary inventions? (or is that just me?) I used to try to decide which nationality I'd pick if I had to decorate my home and cook in that style for the rest of my life (still can't decide, though Italian is a strong contender). In my mind this book belongs alongside the old films of The Swiss Family Robinson and Around the World in 80 Days - adventure stories involving a lot of ingenuity, danger, and exotic places.<br />
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For my own culinary foray, I decided to make something French to go along with this book. Not because of Pene du Bois' French name (he was actually American) but because Mr. F is the one who introduces Professor Sherman to Krakatoan society.<br />
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I chose to make clafoutis as it's 1. easy, 2. summery, and 3. delicious.<br />
I used <a href="http://honestfare.com/berry-clafouti/">this berry clafoutis recipe by Honest Fare</a> and to be honest (...) I didn't change it much at all.<br />
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<b>INGREDIENTS:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>1 ¼ cups milk</li>
<li>½ cup sugar</li>
<li>3 eggs</li>
<li>½ cup flour</li>
<li>¼ teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon vanilla</li>
<li>¼ teaspoon lemon zest</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon cinnamon</li>
<li>2 cups berries</li>
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First, <i>mise en place</i>.<br />
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Then, preheat your oven to 350 F (177C).<br />
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Next you pretty much just blend the ingredients. Easy peasy. In your blender (or if you're me, your Ninja) put the milk, 1/3 cup of the sugar (the rest will be used a bit later), eggs, flour, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, and cinnamon.<br />
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Blend.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, custardy.</td></tr>
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Pour a quarter inch layer of the batter in a lightly buttered baking dish (I used a small pie dish) and put it in the preheated oven until batter firms up a bit. In my oven this took about 12 minutes.<br />
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Remove from the oven (don't turn off the oven) and sprinkle all your berries over the firmed up batter. Now here's where I give a word of warning: if your berries were frozen, make sure to thaw them completely and drain them. I didn't (I knew I should, but was lazy) and ended up with quite a lot of red liquid watering things down and making it take longer to cook.<br />
Sprinkle on the remaining sugar and then pour on the rest of the batter evenly over it all.<br />
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Bake for 45-60 minutes. The clafoutis is done when puffed up and a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.<br />
It's absolutely mandatory to serve this with fresh whipped cream.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQdv8h93uM1U41CIGiY6iA0o-WRMTPMXairLL-FfC_jb7yCI0rAYtHnf8M06-RUpzBbjtPLoYG1dPPPDxKuxffNeoZimcPWAj5mc7Oii6IM05EAswrWxGpERFbZ6jMIfLBoWLeyWCKpE/s1600/2017-04-23+16.35.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQdv8h93uM1U41CIGiY6iA0o-WRMTPMXairLL-FfC_jb7yCI0rAYtHnf8M06-RUpzBbjtPLoYG1dPPPDxKuxffNeoZimcPWAj5mc7Oii6IM05EAswrWxGpERFbZ6jMIfLBoWLeyWCKpE/s640/2017-04-23+16.35.14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-75772465389505289932017-04-21T06:40:00.001-04:002017-04-21T06:45:22.189-04:00Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've just finished reading <i>Time Travelling with a Hamster </i>by Ross Welford. What a fun book this was! It's funny, down-to-earth, and packed with personality. It's also up-to-date and relevant to its audience, not sounding like it was written by an adult trying to identify with Kids These Days. I loved it.</div>
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Goodreads blurb:</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;">“My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty nine and again four years later when he was twelve.</span><br />
<br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;">The first time had nothing to do with me. The second time definitely did, but I would never even have been there if it hadn’t been for his ‘time machine’…”</span><br />
<br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;">When Al Chaudhury discovers his late dad’s time machine, he finds that going back to the 1980s requires daring and imagination. It also requires lies, theft, burglary, and setting his school on fire. All without losing his pet hamster, Alan Shearer…</span></blockquote>
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<i>Time Travelling with a Hamster</i> is a really funny book, and quite action-packed. Even though I knew from the beginning that it was going to happen, I was on the edge of my seat when I came to the scene where Al's dad dies the second time.</div>
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One thing that stood out to me in this book is how distinctly Al's voice can be heard and how believable he is as a character. Al's personality comes through clearly in first-person narrative as he makes small observations and lists the things he knows about the people in his life. His handling of difficult situations and grief also felt authentic for a twelve year old - mixing in humor and avoidance with sadness and regrets. The other characters are also very memorable: wise and quirky Grandpa Byron; boring and slightly too-into-football Steve; Carly, the goth stepsister from hell; uncool but sweet young Pye.</div>
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I loved the ending. Without spoiling it (much) I'll just say that I think if this were for an older audience it probably would have ended on a more realistic note about learning to accept circumstances etc. and while that wouldn't have been a bad thing, it's also sometimes nice to just have a fun adventure with a happy and unrealistic ending. This one was perfect.</div>
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I really liked the character of Grandpa Byron, and the idea that he constantly smelled of sweet spices (my goal in life is to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQvFqrmeUJk">constantly smell like a cookie</a>). So for this baking/book pairing I wanted to do something with spice that was south Asian inspired. Masala chai cookies seemed to be the answer. I toyed with trying to invent my own recipe, but decided it had the potential to be Too Disastrous.</div>
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I used this wonderfully spicy recipe for <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/chai-cookies/">Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies by My Baking Addiction</a>. I changed very little other than the order of ingredient mixing.</div>
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<b>INGREDIENTS</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>1 3/4 cups (350g) white sugar</li>
<li>2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon</li>
<li>1 teaspoon ground ginger</li>
<li>1 teaspoon ground cardamom</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon ground allspice</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper</li>
<li>1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
<li>2 3/4 cups (abt 350g) all-purpose white flour</li>
<li>1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb of soda)</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
</ul>
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Preheat your oven to 350F / 175C.</div>
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My first mistake with this recipe (well, my only mistake, I think...) was buying whole cardamom. Now, I know it calls for ground cardamom, and I know that's a very different thing. However, I thought that, like nutmeg, it might not be too difficult to make my own ground cardamom from the seeds. Also, let's be honest, I bought it because the shop only had whole cardamom and I just didn't feel like going to another shop to try to find it ground. I can now say that this method is Not Recommended.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlufaLlIvhSjyv3CW0hPLVX2wWEO3dQfn1V2Y8paM4zZJ7YCHrOCDG1axw81Z8QqDYs2TFCQ-dmo_0zuQcpYe5DMRRxBelvvqNB4nTJVzD1yz7RnN4o9fsG_-sjhyV5o83UuOtYlrRe30/s320/2017-04-19+21.13.30.jpg" width="180" /><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtwBKyjrMddQnX9ODvgeFr2ax0fZ8KE3ObW36mVkTSQn2Nn-x_vzSRwJttH4lr0d-OEC6K0QihS9P9Pv_DlzmDKeF0cg-Sy7Nt033V4PSgED_ZxFaj6eHmUGG4aWqV6nbUnGT044bhMY/s320/2017-04-19+21.13.49.jpg" width="178" /></div>
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I've never worked with cardamom before. It turns out these tiny seed pods contain even tinier rows of seeds and look a little like micro <a href="https://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/cocoa_pod.html">cocoa pods</a>. Ew.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGFz-QYBpyye8Ny3HI8XonfJNEfMFjRCXNhdOP-hCNx-N6xpV_FVC43RDBnXIrq5V4NkiNNo7eQjqsS78nSWsgy2blYAI-2wbvciPIKJrvuzFp2LtGKTot7OOpuNoarw2b4iS1uu3sWo/s1600/2017-04-19+21.17.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGFz-QYBpyye8Ny3HI8XonfJNEfMFjRCXNhdOP-hCNx-N6xpV_FVC43RDBnXIrq5V4NkiNNo7eQjqsS78nSWsgy2blYAI-2wbvciPIKJrvuzFp2LtGKTot7OOpuNoarw2b4iS1uu3sWo/s400/2017-04-19+21.17.40.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nail color brought to you by Essie</td></tr>
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They're a bit difficult to open up, and once you get the TINY seeds out, you then have to find a way to grind them (not being a 16th century apothecary, I don't own a mortar and pestle). I opted for trying to use a knife to chop them as finely as possible. This was Not Easy. After about 20 pods I gave up and decided that this recipe probably doesn't need *that* much cardamom - half a teaspoon will do. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwKTcEr21X4p9v1uIBuN5NDIPA1MavXaxb99TrDZ-f_HtJpUrhhPMJSn0TT9Q2qdOPRRgwQ5o-TDT7nH5Lj4p0ZIC3tQpEhjgEvXIZ54hxMV-1ib8Q_UuEBw7w-sfCyuRGTV63Gq4krQ/s1600/2017-04-19+21.26.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwKTcEr21X4p9v1uIBuN5NDIPA1MavXaxb99TrDZ-f_HtJpUrhhPMJSn0TT9Q2qdOPRRgwQ5o-TDT7nH5Lj4p0ZIC3tQpEhjgEvXIZ54hxMV-1ib8Q_UuEBw7w-sfCyuRGTV63Gq4krQ/s400/2017-04-19+21.26.38.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of my chopped cardamom, through a microscope.<br />
(not really)</td></tr>
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Once the cardamom conundrum was sorted, I could get down to baking. First mix together the spices (<b>sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, pepper</b>) in their own bowl. Measure out 1/4 cup (50g) of this spice mixture and set it aside (you'll roll the cookies in it later). Then beat the spice mixture into the <b>butter </b>until it is light and fluffy. This takes a couple minutes with a stand mixer because even though the ingredients will be incorporated pretty quickly, you need to let the mixer beat some fluffiness and air into it so it gets creamy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9-OEGxjfARzEvghNoQe2wApsXwUmiuJe5kX6Jxh25IVvFRoecYUqTOq5iTAZquM8mrA6YF-K2McuATWT0oejETU_ohzvDu-Ecar-RqsS3KfvpPcKs6V9mHZpauayLxLlVf5tlFqns3c/s1600/2017-04-19+21.30.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9-OEGxjfARzEvghNoQe2wApsXwUmiuJe5kX6Jxh25IVvFRoecYUqTOq5iTAZquM8mrA6YF-K2McuATWT0oejETU_ohzvDu-Ecar-RqsS3KfvpPcKs6V9mHZpauayLxLlVf5tlFqns3c/s640/2017-04-19+21.30.49.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't this beautiful? I love spices. (Except for cardamom, that bastard)</td></tr>
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Then beat in the <b>egg </b>and <b>vanilla extract</b> until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine the <b>flour</b>, <b>baking soda</b>, <b>baking powder</b>, and <b>salt</b>. I actually often mix the dry ingredients in my measuring cup rather than a separate bowl, to save on washing up (lazy, or efficient? You decide). Whatever you use, you DO have to make sure the dry ingredients are mixed together into the flour before you add them to the spice/butter/egg mixture - this avoids any opportunity to end up with a patch of baking soda all mixed into just one part of your dough. Sifting them together is one of the best ways to do this.</div>
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Next slowly mix the dry ingredients into the spices/butter/egg mixture until everything is combined nicely. </div>
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To form the cookies, grab bits of the dough and roll into 1-inch balls with your hands (it might take a little practice to know how much dough to pinch off each time) Roll each ball into the previously set-aside spice/sugar mixture and place on a cookie sheet about 1.5 inches apart.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPhajpra01u_u4jsYzBjM0y6PS1z6_AKnmJ6Oj-j0Ap4WaNLBajSDFtv6iY1zksbQzZihgxvve1bdjmdNSWvY0A85-lX6pUey0tM8aycaBIuERmt8CSO_HWxYyZpnEZsXa072ssGF5hA/s1600/2017-04-19+21.46.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPhajpra01u_u4jsYzBjM0y6PS1z6_AKnmJ6Oj-j0Ap4WaNLBajSDFtv6iY1zksbQzZihgxvve1bdjmdNSWvY0A85-lX6pUey0tM8aycaBIuERmt8CSO_HWxYyZpnEZsXa072ssGF5hA/s1600/2017-04-19+21.46.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPhajpra01u_u4jsYzBjM0y6PS1z6_AKnmJ6Oj-j0Ap4WaNLBajSDFtv6iY1zksbQzZihgxvve1bdjmdNSWvY0A85-lX6pUey0tM8aycaBIuERmt8CSO_HWxYyZpnEZsXa072ssGF5hA/s400/2017-04-19+21.46.23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The recipe calls for parchment paper on the baking trays, but even though I sometimes use it, I've never baked cookies where parchment paper was actually necessary, not when using a non-stock cookie sheet anyway.</div>
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Pop the tray into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. These tend to get very hard and crunchy after cooling, so unless you want that, take them out just as soon as you can see a little color on them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FcM6YPBNUn5Cw_wBCn7JR-RcQVcYST2QHTTqqRCdZC4tep1vXpEByGgIwkDJTw3EtYqggky3xav2ru0bRXlYr_pL4pmkVv1ijVuUuMJ0Wunon4qm8SRjBALnF0RvXRJ-fQisrAEz5AE/s1600/2017-04-19+21.58.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FcM6YPBNUn5Cw_wBCn7JR-RcQVcYST2QHTTqqRCdZC4tep1vXpEByGgIwkDJTw3EtYqggky3xav2ru0bRXlYr_pL4pmkVv1ijVuUuMJ0Wunon4qm8SRjBALnF0RvXRJ-fQisrAEz5AE/s640/2017-04-19+21.58.29.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Let them cool on the tray for a minute or two before removing to a wire rack. This recipe makes 3-4 dozen cookies.<br />
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Enjoy with a good book (as recommended above) and a cup of tea or coffee (for dipping, obviously).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jfJO0FGZxpyl1EvNkbM08-dtkR20UmHiNN5nKiCNGY78wawKY6iNnqRvK7JN4iCRMTQHah1oRQJOc85kAUz4cF1HPBhIWJIC0OsWoH9GwdwWgIeS-jdFHBuj6KxXDjhIChmVBqK1XYo/s1600/2017-04-19+21.35.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jfJO0FGZxpyl1EvNkbM08-dtkR20UmHiNN5nKiCNGY78wawKY6iNnqRvK7JN4iCRMTQHah1oRQJOc85kAUz4cF1HPBhIWJIC0OsWoH9GwdwWgIeS-jdFHBuj6KxXDjhIChmVBqK1XYo/s200/2017-04-19+21.35.18.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curse you, cardamom!</td></tr>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-65308865648803284272017-04-03T18:56:00.001-04:002017-04-03T18:56:35.403-04:00Yvain: The Knight of the Lion by M.T. Anderson and Andrea Offermann (and Chrétien de Troyes)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09McQJ3S1q2v6df3l6TmbZ8K2EfemWKyHpU9GUuOnzJoBK5e9q0CKuPrprutLVOUm4L2s_iV_00BgMjg1w-8mu4C9_I_iOl5zdKRZCt-O9qXospTd95Y7ia96ZcXemZFIoHpAiJahzgI/s1600/2017-04-03+14.14.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09McQJ3S1q2v6df3l6TmbZ8K2EfemWKyHpU9GUuOnzJoBK5e9q0CKuPrprutLVOUm4L2s_iV_00BgMjg1w-8mu4C9_I_iOl5zdKRZCt-O9qXospTd95Y7ia96ZcXemZFIoHpAiJahzgI/s640/2017-04-03+14.14.51.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I have long been fascinated by King Arthur and the legends surrounding him, from Tennyson's <i>Idylls of the King</i> to T.H. White's <i>The Once and Future King</i> (to Disney's The Sword in the Stone, remember that?)<br />
Some of the most famous Arthurian tales came from a poet called Chrétien de Troyes who lived in the 12th century, but these aren't necessarily on today's high school reading lists. It seems that while King Arthur and his knights of the round table are arguably the coolest bunch of not-quite-historical heroes around, it can be difficult to get today's middle grade crowd into reading Arthurian romances by long-dead Frenchmen (I wonder why).<br />
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Enter: M.T. Anderson and Andrea Offermann. These two talented individuals have taken one of Chrétien de Troyes' tales of adventure, love, murder, trickery, daring rescues, and frankly odd weather, and turned it into an accessible and exciting graphic novel.<br />
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The story follows a young knight of the Round Table, Yvain, who goes off in search of adventure in the forest of Broceliande. After killing a local lord in a fight, Yvain falls desperately in love with the lord's bereaved widow, Laudine, even as she is weeping over her husband's dead body (I know, right?). He decides he must have her. After being sort of tricked into it, Laudine marries Yvain who then decides to leave her for more adventures. She makes him promise to be gone no longer than a year. Of course, he is gone longer, and Laudine sends a messenger to disown him and tell him not to bother returning ever. He then goes a little mad with grief, but after a while becomes a knight errant, wandering the land in search of people who need his knightly services. After a series of adventures (dragons, giants, monsters, etc.) and good deeds (mostly saving fair maidens), he returns to Laudine who once again is tricked and forced to "forgive" him and accept him back. And they all live happily ever after?<br />
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At the core <i>Yvain: The Knight of the Lion</i> is still Chrétien de Troyes' original story (in all it's slightly disturbing details) but the gorgeous illustrations and updated dialogue give it new life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IyD1T_-Wdm4VpOl-iHA7BxnHbKGSITUnIFeXc2WppOwGfmBIm6jGi6MNOtAscLLes59KTHRF5lxzBbXPfEaV-tGwCwWK_Ssxo4QvrKEeYaIOFVLpWPoQ1dVmyBtnXo60X0uJL1dTqg8/s1600/2017-04-03+14.15.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IyD1T_-Wdm4VpOl-iHA7BxnHbKGSITUnIFeXc2WppOwGfmBIm6jGi6MNOtAscLLes59KTHRF5lxzBbXPfEaV-tGwCwWK_Ssxo4QvrKEeYaIOFVLpWPoQ1dVmyBtnXo60X0uJL1dTqg8/s640/2017-04-03+14.15.38.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Though the core has been kept, M.T. Anderson has managed to bring a new perspective to the story, especially to the characters of the ladies, who definitely get the short end of the stick. In this version of the story you are left knowing that Yvain doesn't <i>quite </i>get away with jilting his wife. I loved that Laudine's anger and unhappiness is clearly shown, even in the end.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR71kUCkLH4xfugXcj2Mpg2UKTqBD7GrF6ENIx-HNB5U5Yki_UzJBgkN15MsZ5RWQlQdqU44sa6M7qCyOqFreBFhK4aXwGZlBYuZ_MTtB4040mWJ1LaAblHgpyRSD_hQY14JuHIOr1O0/s1600/2017-04-03+10.27.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR71kUCkLH4xfugXcj2Mpg2UKTqBD7GrF6ENIx-HNB5U5Yki_UzJBgkN15MsZ5RWQlQdqU44sa6M7qCyOqFreBFhK4aXwGZlBYuZ_MTtB4040mWJ1LaAblHgpyRSD_hQY14JuHIOr1O0/s640/2017-04-03+10.27.13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">How lovely is this art?<br /></td></tr>
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When deciding what dessert would pair well with this graphic novel, I was inspired by the beautiful flow and swirl of the art on the cover. So, I made my cookies to match. I used this <a href="https://food52.com/recipes/3927-chewy-marble-sugar-cookies">Chewy Marble Sugar Cookie recipe</a> by Food52 to create some flows and swirls of my own.<br />
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Some of my own thoughts and methods are included here along with most of the original recipe's directions.<br />
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INGREDIENTS<br />
<ul>
<li>2 ounces dark chocolate</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon espresso powder </li>
<li>1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature</li>
<li>1/2 cup granulated white sugar</li>
<li>1/4 cup light brown sugar</li>
<li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li>
<li>2 large egg yolks</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups all-purpose plain flour</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon sea salt</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon baking soda</li>
</ul>
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190C). Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper.<br />
Melt the chocolate and allow to cool slightly (I find the microwave is the easiest and least-messy way of melting chocolate). Stir the espresso powder into the chocolate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4E8UPAAA4RKbI9RHdQy-mCrSvdlRBe9654FEvwO6Iw6wer-mKKm6flxiLYveZvrxRicw33IJJ86SL2dfs6vx6j95DffGMz0xZzs87Im9aVdXMPutxXlY_WNwuZQtwPTEiR3oZeUQGdRs/s1600/2017-04-02+22.24.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4E8UPAAA4RKbI9RHdQy-mCrSvdlRBe9654FEvwO6Iw6wer-mKKm6flxiLYveZvrxRicw33IJJ86SL2dfs6vx6j95DffGMz0xZzs87Im9aVdXMPutxXlY_WNwuZQtwPTEiR3oZeUQGdRs/s400/2017-04-02+22.24.31.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know any recipe that starts with melting chocolate is going to be good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizD0iXti6SlXmws1lXKi-c1hoTxGn87r8AhkedyMNluOvXHiq7IZ5_h8Ylb8mz2T7pknqdGw_jnZMuE73jkYTng4dQiy9ieJu9lHXq9FBOovFigAUzyaiVAZXgk4tKNrqle2BjoEJ8610/s1600/2017-04-02+22.27.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizD0iXti6SlXmws1lXKi-c1hoTxGn87r8AhkedyMNluOvXHiq7IZ5_h8Ylb8mz2T7pknqdGw_jnZMuE73jkYTng4dQiy9ieJu9lHXq9FBOovFigAUzyaiVAZXgk4tKNrqle2BjoEJ8610/s400/2017-04-02+22.27.14.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull-headed spoon adds character. If you don't have one, I suppose it will taste okay without...</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Make sure you stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly throughout the recipe so that all ingredients are incorporating evenly. Add vanilla and egg yolks. Beat for 1 minute. Mix flour, salt and baking soda together separately, then add to the mixing bowl. Beat until everything is well mixed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BHCP0xbwwrNAhiRILMwE1-apkHSud_Dt-GB0L9dg8r6NxpzUfASbBvKQmWqsqh2_ujhijYrFhm-TwQdZ9FxlRY6xDONwE2s22Etbuo709QzVEPkbzr6tJ14lOpHhKIgBvxuxyL2waVc/s1600/2017-04-02+22.34.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BHCP0xbwwrNAhiRILMwE1-apkHSud_Dt-GB0L9dg8r6NxpzUfASbBvKQmWqsqh2_ujhijYrFhm-TwQdZ9FxlRY6xDONwE2s22Etbuo709QzVEPkbzr6tJ14lOpHhKIgBvxuxyL2waVc/s640/2017-04-02+22.34.37.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Action shot!</td></tr>
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Make a well in the middle of dough and pour in the melted chocolate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxrusyingjaApfHD8LAQJkOH8T7WolKLJ9fm6j7WIKCTDB8O7L6nY0YM799_XUBZzTapIbHl182NwAw1pscqKY_8IPAyomZKKyRp02I1K4-I4guT9UrxaCLGzg_fcbHCvDTnZLyKW4LY/s1600/pour_chocolate.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxrusyingjaApfHD8LAQJkOH8T7WolKLJ9fm6j7WIKCTDB8O7L6nY0YM799_XUBZzTapIbHl182NwAw1pscqKY_8IPAyomZKKyRp02I1K4-I4guT9UrxaCLGzg_fcbHCvDTnZLyKW4LY/s1600/pour_chocolate.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmmm</td></tr>
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Gently fold the dough over the chocolate several times with a spatula or knife until it starts to look marbled. Don't overdo it or it'll be too mixed to look marbley (a technical word).
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG0-9GHRA9u4CPuk0kKBIREpWufiB4jtn2iv5rJM6KCosu_Zyk1nbdaqyLHAfQDCgYHlX4YbHu-uNMWYjNu4urYfl1zH2f-OcykzXoiyVRPOkH_7YLJ-mmLDoKijDS3MPI9c8VwRwDwQ/s320/2017-04-02+22.54.09.jpg" width="180" /></td><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGx2xCkWLH_EutIhAvOrxPHWGMO-zL1HinEwsLqIuVrUjKHBIY9_H7-pAozjSgL_R1x8nuZT_WXjdcip4MFXVGMulHf6T1ZwxGrSUYkoyGpS45ovZ5eKLfp24Dt0k-HsUcHU63whsOh44/s320/2017-04-02+22.55.34.jpg" width="180" /></td></tr>
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If you have a cookie scoop, use that to scoop out evenly sized balls of dough, or just use a couple teaspoons to shape balls about an inch in diameter. Place on the cookies sheets about 1.5 inches apart. Don't press the balls down, they'll flatten out in the oven. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-pI4s1ylLHlHv0_AV37RR2plb5i4kwc6_AoNLWzMsY_b0JYU7vHSzwrgdQ5ErSbBGAvY3rkEZac6BFIj3Ql3X0pFYov27dBQnVINV4YrfuCfY_zddShijazmA4imhB-s-hOaoxhERBI/s1600/2017-04-02+23.06.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-pI4s1ylLHlHv0_AV37RR2plb5i4kwc6_AoNLWzMsY_b0JYU7vHSzwrgdQ5ErSbBGAvY3rkEZac6BFIj3Ql3X0pFYov27dBQnVINV4YrfuCfY_zddShijazmA4imhB-s-hOaoxhERBI/s640/2017-04-02+23.06.03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The recipe says to bake for 8 - 10 minutes, but I found I had to bake for about 15 minutes because of how big I made them. Ovens will vary, so start checking on your cookies at around 8 minutes. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSizXrnxUVvvCUDOCFd30S2xLRbMyZIHi-j3WSbVt3kn67cSEvoKB3OBDtyixvkrS4Tc-sseoOnyoCkTPr1YOZESYVmQNUf49g7ITu0TKaH99R78mF0odtjowXSwhb3t1p1EGBhMe0CQ/s1600/2017-04-02+23.05.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSizXrnxUVvvCUDOCFd30S2xLRbMyZIHi-j3WSbVt3kn67cSEvoKB3OBDtyixvkrS4Tc-sseoOnyoCkTPr1YOZESYVmQNUf49g7ITu0TKaH99R78mF0odtjowXSwhb3t1p1EGBhMe0CQ/s640/2017-04-02+23.05.35.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May have made them a little too big?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74MJMFRdvZ-aMu_8M7DL86yne0V44oOFCW-5TaqxnTPpXq0Y2MiFX9jpZbqMY9ZiI3UBSaSGcYBGHn4nt6UGx0qiD3vZCihpAJIbdDYiZ3AFoSjSug7OYbh8yFjN72oOMhfJ3mxQIvcM/s1600/2017-04-03+10.26.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74MJMFRdvZ-aMu_8M7DL86yne0V44oOFCW-5TaqxnTPpXq0Y2MiFX9jpZbqMY9ZiI3UBSaSGcYBGHn4nt6UGx0qiD3vZCihpAJIbdDYiZ3AFoSjSug7OYbh8yFjN72oOMhfJ3mxQIvcM/s640/2017-04-03+10.26.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swirly whirly goodness</td></tr>
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Now it's your turn.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-58265574815518566042017-03-26T16:40:00.001-04:002017-03-27T04:22:37.484-04:00Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, I've decided to try something new. </div>
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There are few things in life more enjoyable than curling up somewhere comfortable with a good book. But there are also few things more enjoyable than delicious baked goods. So, if you can do <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/198653-8-tea-and-book-pairings-for-a-cozy-winter">tea and book pairings</a>, or even <a href="http://bookriot.com/2017/02/09/book-pairings-for-every-flavor-of-ben-jerrys-ive-ever-eaten/">ice cream and book pairings</a>, then why not baked goods and book pairings?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILe5TJA4gDG79Rzr2Tzxu5ONlTKL4FxJR5fVwf_Jytuj-aHzFBbOlLs_amxBDKQ215AbhpSP0-zKK0ipmcnoY8FfWCHJzQ4dnESeHyXvbsLx4BizydXDYluiYXMoIs-qF4IEdm3zpSmQ/s1600/apple_crumble_beetle_boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILe5TJA4gDG79Rzr2Tzxu5ONlTKL4FxJR5fVwf_Jytuj-aHzFBbOlLs_amxBDKQ215AbhpSP0-zKK0ipmcnoY8FfWCHJzQ4dnESeHyXvbsLx4BizydXDYluiYXMoIs-qF4IEdm3zpSmQ/s640/apple_crumble_beetle_boy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've decided to start off my baking-book (booking?) adventure with M.G. Leonard's <i>Beetle Boy</i> and <i>Beetle Queen</i>. </div>
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Although I'd heard good things about <i>Beetle Boy</i> it took me a while to actually read it, mostly because I'd only heard the title I had imagined it was a going to be a somewhat youngish school story about a kid who doesn't quite fit in because he likes beetles (yes, I didn't read the synopsis). While it is indeed about a boy and beetles, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that it's actually about a kidnapping, biological experimentation, and a potential plot to take over London (and then the world?)</div>
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<i>Beetle Boy</i> blurb from Goodreads:</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Darkus Cuttle's dad mysteriously goes missing from his job as Director of Science at the Natural History Museum. Vanished without a trace! From a locked room! So Darkus moves in with his eccentric Uncle Max and next door to Humphrey and Pickering, two lunatic cousins with an enormous beetle infestation. Darkus soon discovers that the beetles are anything but ordinary. They're an amazing, intelligent super species and they're in danger of being exterminated. It's up to Darkus and his friends to save the beetles. But they're up against an even more terrifying villain--the mad scientist of fashion, haute couture villainess Lucretia Cutter. Lucretia has an alarming interest in insects and dastardly plans for the bugs. She won't let anyone or anything stop her, including Darkus's dad, who she has locked up in her dungeons! The beetles and kids join forces to rescue Mr. Cuttle and thwart Lucretia.</span></blockquote>
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<i>Beetle Boy</i> is a wonderfully fun read. M.G. Leonard manages to blend a bit of science in with humor, memorable characters, and a grand adventure. I really appreciated that although it is young Darkus and his friends (including a couple human ones) who save the day, the other adults in his life are still competent people who don't fall into the stereotype of "adults who ruin everything by not listening to the kids."</div>
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It is no surprise that <i>Beetle Boy</i> has been shortlisted, longlisted and selected for a variety of prizes including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize (winners announced in 3 days!) and the CILIP Carnegie Medal.</div>
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When thinking about what might be a tasty pairing, I kept remembering one scene in <i>Beetle Boy</i> where Darkus comes across a whole colony of rare beetles living in a mountain of discarded teacups in the corner of his neighbor's bedroom. It's quite a vivid scene, full of life and movement and color (also a little gross when you think about how icky leftover dishes can get.) I also thought of the person whose room it was, the unpleasant hoarder, Humphrey, who has a penchant for eating cranberry sauce by the handful. Cranberry sauce is lovely so I was a little sad to see it desecrated like that. I thought I'd redeem cranberries by making my dessert pairing cranberry-based.</div>
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So, I made apple and cranberry crumble...in teacups!</div>
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First, I did some extensive research to make sure that baking in teacups or mugs is actually A Thing You Can Do.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgKJhBSkCdUZtq8lWyJdfXkaJqLPtQzUyXMNinaPodawCs7ziaszyRUjbOwVyp6fHG2uTCm0ED8rAQdoXFl8MulJNKH6EniQ1Df39-wkQrae5_hkq7-add7lIt4EmAB6jl4YLcvHthAY/s320/facebook_research.png" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Following the scientific method of "asking friends" I discovered that it's definitely something you can do. Or at least maybe. Well, someone heard about someone doing it once. But microwaving is definitely safe. So... </td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I started with </span><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/332796/apple-cranberry-crumble" style="text-align: left;">Martha Stewart's apple cranberry crumble recipe</a><span style="text-align: left;"> but ended up changing a bit, mostly because I wanted to use the ingredients I had on hand (laziness) and because I needed to minimize the recipe. </span></div>
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For 3 mugs worth of crumble, I used:</div>
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INGREDIENTS </div>
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<ul>
<li>1 pound apples, peeled and thinly sliced (when baking I usually use Granny Smith apples, however they tend to be rather tart and when combined with the tartness of the cranberries it could get a little overwhelming. I recommend choosing a sweeter baking apple.)</li>
<li>1/2 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries, coarsely chopped </li>
<li>1/4 cup granulated white sugar </li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon </li>
<li>salt </li>
<li>2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for dish </li>
<li>1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped </li>
<li>1/8 cup all-purpose flour </li>
<li>1/8 cup rolled oats</li>
<li>1 1/2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar</li>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBI8IIOPY29oR56pjLsJwa9WAgXQ2Fm9agBRgPFjx3ohyXf7oalv8YpTGTeE9MWAuNP7aE3xacORKOLuuTQ6JOlqrOBjz5hQXdvl4jp0RhzFiDaUZCNkdWDfdGbu76qRYILd-bdfY1QVY/s400/2017-03-13+22.36.36.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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When choosing the mugs you'll bake in, make sure they aren't made of anything delicate and don't contain anything that might melt or give off toxic fumes. Some mugs actually say "oven safe" so that's your best bet.<b> I take no responsibility for what might happen to your mugs or oven if something goes wrong. If you're at all unsure about baking in mugs, don't do it</b>--using ramekins can give the same cuteness factor.<br />
First, preheat your oven to 425 degrees (220 C for the Brits). Butter the inside of the mugs/teacups/ramekins you're going to use. Cut the apples into chunks and then slice them super thin. They'll need to be smaller than you'd do for a normal crumble because they have to fit into much smaller containers. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUp-CF8Hi5Yb3_uXqVo37hBgOa4VGGMGbLnhSU9Z73rKVwwuxric3btz6VbB5ERsP-V8IogUDLg0UFXgWBBRzbb4q6p8cYfp0P6VZR_8pqDuOXl_vuAJu9zu6si342TO1bUX-dyYK6e4/s320/2017-03-13+22.44.35.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy pink knife not required.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_dLMOIZypJ96RfQCsdyoIUTG2I-YsNxwNo7DKU2GscULVCHAcl7mAHjj5uW9p43wtGHihpvUMqVrALtzzLNEviJgmvrV5qv7vhQswS5-_Ev8-rtoH8HiIEHzby3-j3mp7S190lFe_8I/s320/2017-03-13+22.56.09.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="227" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't cranberries just have the best color?</td></tr>
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In a medium bowl mix the apples with the cranberries, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt until evenly coated. </div>
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In a separate bowl, mix up the crumble topping: the walnuts, flour, oats, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt, mixed until combined. Work in butter with your fingertips until topping is crumbly, with pea-size chunks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm75UBhsJk2k9rzqdAw57nEI8V4NFIPh6-OyuUZXUmZtd9MupEVNKPGxTW9VhSkYW4XzcfxNh2gXkFN8ShhAfJRcDEjTcZY4mJVjfVybofLicPGBAOh2a6dvXmbryVPmbFjdvBZKO9WEg/s1600/2017-03-13+23.07.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm75UBhsJk2k9rzqdAw57nEI8V4NFIPh6-OyuUZXUmZtd9MupEVNKPGxTW9VhSkYW4XzcfxNh2gXkFN8ShhAfJRcDEjTcZY4mJVjfVybofLicPGBAOh2a6dvXmbryVPmbFjdvBZKO9WEg/s400/2017-03-13+23.07.01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make sure the butter is very cold, or the warmth of your hands will melt it too much and you'll end up with a dough rather than a crumble :-o</td></tr>
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Spoon the apple mixture into the prepared dishes and sprinkle them with the crumble topping (nice and thick, because we all know it's the best part).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQiac43Pk_7KXokc9f31xhox8ZhOLXjqU2SnzN_xnZHoMKap1m38BGN6WRklF1AOKZM-lsStikVHKebMSk_K3sLIP5r5zgM4OwAkmL_jw5sAcT09QWLYUdgPGhYBMJDF5oaiCgS0IBso/s1600/2017-03-13+23.13.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQiac43Pk_7KXokc9f31xhox8ZhOLXjqU2SnzN_xnZHoMKap1m38BGN6WRklF1AOKZM-lsStikVHKebMSk_K3sLIP5r5zgM4OwAkmL_jw5sAcT09QWLYUdgPGhYBMJDF5oaiCgS0IBso/s400/2017-03-13+23.13.25.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nom nom nom</td></tr>
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Bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let these cool before serving.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSV0_i9yI45OvvqUeZO3ocBzYfV_Ly7raRQrzpc5TEJcFG8AwfUEy4BvUQizfc0eraxq2Un_aqkD_U-D37HDJl2SyyNRTlFpZ01liFQfsPwZ7q3ZUlVUBENTCMPL_AsibYg3FeiEkUSY/s1600/2017-03-13+23.16.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSV0_i9yI45OvvqUeZO3ocBzYfV_Ly7raRQrzpc5TEJcFG8AwfUEy4BvUQizfc0eraxq2Un_aqkD_U-D37HDJl2SyyNRTlFpZ01liFQfsPwZ7q3ZUlVUBENTCMPL_AsibYg3FeiEkUSY/s320/2017-03-13+23.16.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When everything is cool, grab your book (and some squirty whipped cream) and settle down for a tasty read!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdF1s_LpXEyRsCYhqI5DoebM07uF-YVmsej3bAdluqI4HgLN0EArfA5txuXGOTr1IxmL5Z4rti9SOCrv_B7Z1iId3JBAzwW3PXrxBbxKOJ0HzZ5CFBj656SeP_v5Y_FCObLZLwDwP9DU/s1600/2017-03-14+11.04.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdF1s_LpXEyRsCYhqI5DoebM07uF-YVmsej3bAdluqI4HgLN0EArfA5txuXGOTr1IxmL5Z4rti9SOCrv_B7Z1iId3JBAzwW3PXrxBbxKOJ0HzZ5CFBj656SeP_v5Y_FCObLZLwDwP9DU/s640/2017-03-14+11.04.50.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No beetles in this mug!</td></tr>
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-75237633305068173292017-01-30T19:01:00.004-05:002017-01-30T19:01:30.597-05:00The Journey Trilogy by Aaron BeckerIf someone recommends a good trilogy to you, you might by default imagine it's a set of adult or YA fantasy books before hearing any more about it. Or maybe that's just me? Either way, it's probably safe to say your brain won't race to the conclusion it's a picture book. But that is just what I am about to recommend.<br />
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The Journey trilogy by Aaron Becker is a set of three gorgeously illustrated books for all ages and I can't emphasize enough how much I really mean GORGEOUS when I say it.</div>
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I mean, just look.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIOuB5rRWzuEs09_gtL1WQNNZaneRgL27Cr5tZoNJG_UniMOISEY8rq03EDNk8NLBdBbFM4VenmF8er1C8Ab0M7by6kB4vB83icIAM3se5TraRysSHX5SCtpun7cUALb-2iwXSWhLvmI/s1600/journey_aaron_becker+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIOuB5rRWzuEs09_gtL1WQNNZaneRgL27Cr5tZoNJG_UniMOISEY8rq03EDNk8NLBdBbFM4VenmF8er1C8Ab0M7by6kB4vB83icIAM3se5TraRysSHX5SCtpun7cUALb-2iwXSWhLvmI/s640/journey_aaron_becker+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first book, <i>Journey</i>, is the story of a lonely young girl who discovers she can draw things with a red crayon and they will come to life (remember reading <i>Harold and the Purple Crayon</i> for the first time? So much to inspire the imagination). She draws a door on her bedroom wall and enters through it to another world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Yt4aWPCxm8oZz2IN5Cxfnsw-AXk4RCM2ubr11ru4JZwzVSC9sIT4XR0L4Vezl5thOUoyPd6vcSbgweuEA5ijEBq_lm07GMK9D6UvwU7X9rrsSD40cKnu9mSspoihKH72FdSUZMNhYVU/s1600/journey_image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Yt4aWPCxm8oZz2IN5Cxfnsw-AXk4RCM2ubr11ru4JZwzVSC9sIT4XR0L4Vezl5thOUoyPd6vcSbgweuEA5ijEBq_lm07GMK9D6UvwU7X9rrsSD40cKnu9mSspoihKH72FdSUZMNhYVU/s320/journey_image.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The page where she steps through that door and into a forest filled with lanterns was all it took for me to know I was going to love the rest of this book. What kid hasn't imagined that there is a magical world just out of sight behind something ordinary?<br />
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The story follows the girl as she adventures through a beautiful watercolor world, drawing things to help her on her way. She frees a captive, explores new lands, and eventually makes an unexpected new friend.<br />
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The following two books, <i>Quest</i> and <i>Return</i>, continue the theme as the girl and her friend have adventures and save the other world from bad guys who want to steal all the colors for themselves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfyTXWt0k_CoRf7X6rreV7qddpOdbfEOlc1lCaz6cIE3jAfoUUWcFpaAj-5VDc6TXqeo9Z5csHpcMqMpILkePtK_D3kyICJB8CyfvU0QJoTmJ69trN7jDjpLUqxm0xPPWP7po8ystFzE/s1600/quest_image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfyTXWt0k_CoRf7X6rreV7qddpOdbfEOlc1lCaz6cIE3jAfoUUWcFpaAj-5VDc6TXqeo9Z5csHpcMqMpILkePtK_D3kyICJB8CyfvU0QJoTmJ69trN7jDjpLUqxm0xPPWP7po8ystFzE/s400/quest_image.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who could resist going through a door like this?</td></tr>
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Each page is an adventure in itself, as the world is spread before us in minute detail. One could spend ages looking at just one page, finding new details.<br />
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In addition to the illustrations, the other amazing thing about these books is that they have no words--and it works perfectly. The illustrations are detailed and magical enough to carry the story without the need of words while the lack of writing means the stories are accessible to all ages and languages.<br />
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<i>Journey </i>was a Caldecott Honor book in 2014 and his following two books are equally deserving.<br />
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It's a joy to follow the characters through fantastical landscapes with castles, jungles, and underwater kingdoms. Recommended for anyone who enjoys adventure and beautiful art.</div>
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<img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_q4wlzyfOeBJL8fkFtPhyJLRUHyoi-u0gKAYPMQ5qfgv3gcswdmEIwOYg01BX5FIWk1a6WRJawrcexiQWbWKnRBiw-Da2qCrNa6FWIFoA-4RVMg3VDWjr32gLwUoPQO25zx9YooKo5o/s200/journey_aaron_becker.jpg" width="200" />
<img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliQ1N7eAK-Sin75PsGQI6E56d_sw8X9iLZYXek6FhJ93omxyv8hniShTGYG4jM6ld7LTUur9IcLzdJx1n8Pq2PPJEZN-I1qV43KXys6F_fgISkZSvyd2PPY2pOS5NrrHmco-7pqbuDmw/s200/quest_aaron_becker.jpg" width="200" /> <img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagAkOsHiyuNBFSsuXY2Xs2musyh4eDCs_z5tu2C9523JnW5rzcPkgkCEN4zt58w1cMiG-pn0zGCOtDMgSK0b4AFoxWEozkMMsdaWSnNNjCW9yAD_t7si9g-XVd13lLe0sKZLIRudjU44/s200/return_aaron_becker.jpg" width="200" />
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These fabulous books are published by Candlewick Press in the US and Walker Books in the UK and are available at your local bookstore.</div>
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For more, check out <a href="http://www.storybreathing.com/">Aaron Becker's website</a>.</div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-40322790743448497782017-01-15T18:38:00.000-05:002017-01-15T18:38:25.104-05:00The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carrol, illustrated by Chris RiddellI have loved the writing of Lewis Carroll since reading <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> as a child. But I was an adult before I really was able to appreciate his humor and true brilliance with words. <i>The Hunting of the Snark</i> is no exception to Carroll's usual cleverness and is packed with nonsense and fun.<br />
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I recently discovered that the poem was originally published with illustrations in 1876. The version I grew up with was part of an anthology and thus sadly picture-less. However, I've now seen the illustrations and in my personal opinion the originals are a bit on the scary side (everyone but the bellman has massive heads and exaggerated features).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQEbXDks_QU6kSxKQcOOWjTryhvuNkeDDzzum-DpLI27k7woFEpCu6qRV6TQMpFVvnoX5NDXZjB95BE0wEWw32VRRXMhVF9Q2n8VKx_UQLAa3xV2n8WnyEw_h8eRfGm7V688oXHMv01w/s1600/545px-Lewis_Carroll_-_Henry_Holiday_-_Hunting_of_the_Snark_-_Plate_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQEbXDks_QU6kSxKQcOOWjTryhvuNkeDDzzum-DpLI27k7woFEpCu6qRV6TQMpFVvnoX5NDXZjB95BE0wEWw32VRRXMhVF9Q2n8VKx_UQLAa3xV2n8WnyEw_h8eRfGm7V688oXHMv01w/s320/545px-Lewis_Carroll_-_Henry_Holiday_-_Hunting_of_the_Snark_-_Plate_9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original illustration by Henry Holiday. Scary scary.</td></tr>
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I am happy to say, that <i>The Hunting of the Snark </i>was recently re-published by Macmillan Children's Books with beautiful new (non-scary) illustrations by children's laureate Chris Riddell.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn3cg631_GGH8aMCSCypi0dv2A3Pfikaz7RWwMnNP5ed_33T4MMWwL9bsIBK6JNyHEaye_NReYIzK4jsR7DgDDQInCcjdTXWu_j_iTj9ndyv5kewO5SEpuVOI8yVhIMi9Gsf8KCiSCvg/s1600/hunting_of_the_snark_carroll_riddell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn3cg631_GGH8aMCSCypi0dv2A3Pfikaz7RWwMnNP5ed_33T4MMWwL9bsIBK6JNyHEaye_NReYIzK4jsR7DgDDQInCcjdTXWu_j_iTj9ndyv5kewO5SEpuVOI8yVhIMi9Gsf8KCiSCvg/s320/hunting_of_the_snark_carroll_riddell.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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I loved re-reading the poem alongside Riddell's imaginings of the story. The illustrations perfectly fit the absurdity of the poem, while also being in a style that will appeal to a younger audience. Each character is given a unique visual personality which helps the reader keep everyone straight. The beaver particularly caught my fancy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXTde323cxNecuFcxcYSq6DXPQlSkwL0nT5uRpeYG0fpr7tra33yYziDaJwYWrB_HS1Kaql0q8dV8tMEqLYQ6dUIWm7Aku_sxWUHhXivthcPNXg8g9IkSajWJYUXXmRsWAdWpNUkpz_o/s1600/2017-01-15+23.31.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXTde323cxNecuFcxcYSq6DXPQlSkwL0nT5uRpeYG0fpr7tra33yYziDaJwYWrB_HS1Kaql0q8dV8tMEqLYQ6dUIWm7Aku_sxWUHhXivthcPNXg8g9IkSajWJYUXXmRsWAdWpNUkpz_o/s320/2017-01-15+23.31.07.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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Riddell doesn't just illustrate the poem. Like an actor putting a personal spin on a Shakespeare character, he manages to add his own flair by not only illustrating the story, but adding his own mini sub-plot into the images. (I won't spoil it, but I will say that the baker might not be exactly what he seems!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEszM38EM_2_3Lj_m1373-EIcdkIQDQ-F4-vEAQk7V6MM5ysD4jVEgvsd0px_DejMhFT_vaROxIZB1kS6Di7CZZH3a_CV5asnz4IehAuQKfGz5rP4lqCFsU6ARolGMLVQiT2ykAwQDCm4/s1600/2017-01-15+20.20.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEszM38EM_2_3Lj_m1373-EIcdkIQDQ-F4-vEAQk7V6MM5ysD4jVEgvsd0px_DejMhFT_vaROxIZB1kS6Di7CZZH3a_CV5asnz4IehAuQKfGz5rP4lqCFsU6ARolGMLVQiT2ykAwQDCm4/s320/2017-01-15+20.20.32.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved this image.</td></tr>
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While the original illustrations never included an image of the snark itself, in this new version, we get not only to see what a snark looks like, but also a bandersnatch <b>and </b>a jubjub. What more could you ask for, really?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5PG4curTiO9RNaQXa4bNTTvJcKy_cPvHNnAwFh4cXBKxwYMCJsxAdnJEuJ9iOWdFs7cPDSLZs993Spu8ww6tc408xUBa_Uhyphenhyphen0DdN1vY_rCwKpwD04LZVj8NpHjznBIYso-1MPfHmG4o/s1600/2017-01-15+20.20.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5PG4curTiO9RNaQXa4bNTTvJcKy_cPvHNnAwFh4cXBKxwYMCJsxAdnJEuJ9iOWdFs7cPDSLZs993Spu8ww6tc408xUBa_Uhyphenhyphen0DdN1vY_rCwKpwD04LZVj8NpHjznBIYso-1MPfHmG4o/s320/2017-01-15+20.20.50.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not at all how I pictured a snark. Not even how I pictured a boojum.</td></tr>
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<i>He had bought a large map representing the sea,</i><br />
<i> Without the least vestige of land:</i><br />
<i>And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be</i><br />
<i> A map they could all understand.</i><br />
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<i>"What's the good of Mercator's North Poles and Equators,</i><br />
<i> Tropics, Zones, and Meridian Lines?"</i><br />
<i>So the Bellman would cry: and the crew would reply</i><br />
<i> "They are merely conventional signs!</i><br />
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<i>"Other maps are such shapes, with their islands and capes!</i><br />
<i> But we've got our brave Captain to thank</i><br />
<i>(So the crew would protest) "that he's bought us the best—</i><br />
<i> A perfect and absolute blank!"</i></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-50464925992856974162016-12-26T21:03:00.002-05:002016-12-26T21:03:14.081-05:00Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I waited far too long to read this book. I'd heard good things about it but had somehow managed not to hear anything about the plot before eventually reading it earlier this month. So, I had the rare opportunity to read a book with no preconceptions about the plot or if it was "my" kind of book. Thankfully, it was my kind of book.<br />
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<b>Official blurb:</b><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.<br />
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When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.<br />
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But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.</blockquote>
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There is so much I loved about this book, so let me start with what a physically beautiful book it is. The cover is gorgeous, but so is each page with its edging filled with map imagery. It gave me the impression I was reading an older story, maybe because it reminded me of illuminated manuscripts and a time when books were individually hand-made. This level of care and detail really adds to the book and shows the love that went into its production.<br />
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The second thing I loved was the world building. Millwood Hargrave's world was believable and easy to understand quickly without relying on existing worlds or stereotypes. It had hints of familiarity without falling into any specific category I have seen. Often writers can use existing worlds (real or imagined) and then build their own worlds on that foundation. Sometimes it helps lend it more depth (for instance Alwyn Hamilton's world in Rebel of the Sands pulls from wild west and Arabian nights worlds to give the reader something both familiar and new), but it is still refreshing to see such a new world that doesn't quite fit any existing tropes.<br />
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The third thing I loved about this book was the use of maps and cartography in building a sense of wonder and adventure. Isabella has a strong desire to map her island and to explore beyond its edges. It's easy to imagine that if you had the opportunity to go somewhere only a few people had ever been before that it would be hard to resist. There are few things more intriguing than a map with bits unfilled (here be dragons!) or a map of somewhere only a few people have been (Treasure Island!) I was glad that her quest had a satisfyingly exciting outcome, but I won't spoil the plot in this review.<br />
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Overall <i>Girl of Ink and Stars</i> is a very fun read and a tale that felt both new and old at the same time. I look forward to more from Kiran Millwood Hargrave.<br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-48539306673782207872016-11-22T19:40:00.001-05:002016-11-22T19:40:37.184-05:00Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo<div>
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I wish Kate DiCamillo had started writing ten years earlier. Then I would have been able to enjoy her books when I was in the target audience instead of waiting until I was old enough to start reading kids books again. Even so, I'm very much enjoying getting to know her writing now.<br />
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I first read <i>The Tale of Despereaux</i> with an English student of mine in Japan several years ago. We both really enjoyed it, but I hadn't picked up any more by Kate DiCamillo until a couple months ago when I listened to the audio book of <i>Because of Wynn Dixie</i> (read by Cherry Jones). I was utterly charmed by her distinct and memorable characters.<br />
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I found the same wonderful ability to bring characters to life in her most recent book, <i>Raymie Nightingale</i>.<br />
I listened to this one as well, beautifully read by Jenna Lamia (great casting Listening Library!)</div>
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<br />
<b>Official blurb:</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.</blockquote>
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<br />I have to say, I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Not because I didn't have high expectations, but because normally "unlikely friendships" aren't really my thing. However, DiCamillo vividly brings to life the individual personalities of each character and pulls the reader into the girls' stories. The overall story is rather simple, Raymie is sad her father left and thinks that if she can somehow show him she's important, he'll come back to her. But along the way the plot itself loses importance beneath the experiences each girl—Raymie, Beverly, Louisiana—has and the things they learn from one another.<br />
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Raymie Nightingale is a beautiful, sad, and uplifting story. While the individual characters can be a little too absurd to believe (especially Louisiana), their experiences and feelings <i>are </i>believable and easy to identify with, and I think the absurdity adds to the charm. As Raymie deals with things she's never encountered before (loss, death, poverty), she asks questions that we all wonder. I love that DiCamillo doesn't shy away from big questions that might not have happy answers, or sometimes might not have answers at all; and while the story <i>does </i>end on a happy note, it's not a trite fairy tale wrap-up where nobody is dead after all and everyone is together again. All in all, a lovely read (or, listen).<br />
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Jenna Lamia does a wonderful job with voices and accents. I <i>love</i> her Louisiana Elefante.<br />
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-86073311370414198032016-10-20T20:04:00.000-04:002016-10-21T04:06:46.228-04:00Creepy MG Reads for HalloweenAutumn is the perfect time for creepy tales, and not just because Halloween is approaching. The days are getting shorter, there's a chill in the air. So what better way to spend your evenings than with a warm drink and a scary book?<br />
Here are some of my favorite creepy middle grade books (with one older book snuck in).<br />
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<b><i>Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror</i> by Chris Priestley</b><br />
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Whenever Edgar visits Uncle Montague in his dark old house—full of subtle sounds and moving shadows—his uncle tells him stories. These mostly take the form of cautionary tales, ending in a child's, often gruesome, death. Is it a coincidence that each story is linked to a physical object in the house? And how does uncle Montague know these stories when in every case the person they occurred to is dead? Edgar begins to wonder if there's more to his mysterious uncle than he'd ever guessed.<br />
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I love short stories. I think they work remarkably well for horror as they often leave much to the reader's imagination. Priestly does a great job of weaving these separately scary stories together into one sinister framework. (I must also mention the Edward Gorey-esque artwork by David Roberts which is gorgeous.)<br />
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<b><i>We Have Always Lived in the Castle</i> by Shirley Jackson</b><br />
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The Blackwoods live in a grand old house on the family estate. That is, half of them do. The other half died tragically six years ago when arsenic was mixed into the sugar bowl one evening. Now, mentally impaired Uncle Julian, big sister Constance, who was accused and then acquitted of the murders, and Merricat, the youngest in the family are the only three living there. Shunned by the people of the town, and terrified of setting foot beyond the garden, Constance hasn't left the grounds in six years. Merricat and Constance live a secluded but insularly happy life until an estranged cousin shows up and everything changes. Even Merricat's magic rituals are unable to stop tragedy from striking and secrets from being revealed. But even then, things might not be what they seem.<br />
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So, this is the non-MG book I've snuck in here. But it's worth it. While this book isn't exactly spooky, it's definitely got a creep factor, especially as you begin to realize the truth of what happened to the Blackwoods. Merricat is my absolute favorite example of an unreliable narrator. Even though it's clear from the beginning that we're getting her perspective, it's difficult to foresee just how *different* that perspective will turn out to be.<br />
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<b><i>Tell the Story to its End</i> by Simon P. Clark</b><br />
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When Oli finds a strange creature living in his uncle's attic, he decides to keep it to himself. After all, his mum, aunt, and uncle are all keeping secrets from him—why should he tell them anything? The creature, which Oli learns is called "Eren," is unspeakably old, and its unpredictable moods can turn from comfortingly sympathetic to dark and sinister in a breath. Oli, wary but fascinated is drawn ever inward by the creature's stories. Soon enough, Oli finds himself telling his own stories to Eren. But is it his imagination, or is Eren getting bigger and growing stronger? Oli may just find out that stories can be more powerful than he thought.<br />
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<i>Tell the Story to its End</i> (or <i>Eren</i>, in the UK) is a dark and beautiful examination of the enduring power of stories. In its literary and poetic way it manages to be both creepy and thought-provoking. Do stories need to be real to be true?<br />
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<b><i>Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase</i> by Jonathan Stroud</b><br />
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For the last fifty years England has been overrun by ghosts. They only come out after dark, and only children can see them—and fight them. Ghost hunting agencies have sprung up throughout the country, but nobody has been able to identify the cause of what is known simply as The Problem.<br />
Amongst this, Lucy Carlyle is a talented psychic agent looking for work in London. She finds a job at the tiny ghost hunting agency of Lockwood & Co. run by charismatic and somewhat reckless Anthony Lockwood. After a series of dangerous encounters and a case gone horribly wrong, the team find themselves drawn into a job that might be beyond their abilities. It involves surviving the night in the most haunted house in England, and a staircase surrounded by the screams of the dead.<br />
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All the Lockwood books are equally amazing and are definitely among my top MG reads of all time. Stroud has an uncanny knack for being both super creepy and super funny in the same book. I couldn't put these books down, even though it meant reading some remarkably heart-thumping scenes by the light of my bedside lamp, surrounded by darkness.<br />
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<b><i>Doll Bones</i> by Holly Black</b><br />
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Zach, Poppy, and Alice are longtime friends. They've always been there for each other and always played together. But things start to change when Zach, pressured by his father, starts to question whether he's too old for make-believe games and friendships with girls. The friendship looks doomed to break apart until a curious incident reunites the three. Poppy begins to be haunted by a china doll. Or, more accurately, by the ghost of the murdered girl whose hair and ground up bones make up the doll. The doll must be returned to the murdered girl's grave or Poppy will face the ghost's wrath. The three set out on a quest to return the doll and find the truth about the murdered girl. Along the way, their friendship continues to be tested as they encounter setbacks, coming to the realization that being 12 makes adventuring a lot harder in the real world than in stories.<br />
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This book is wonderfully creepy without being very scary. Ultimately rather than being about ghosts, it's about the struggle of growing up and the way friendships adapt and change as you grow. But, if you're looking for an adventure with a healthy creep factor, this is the one for you.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-52656905544930329642016-06-08T00:00:00.000-04:002016-06-08T00:00:02.392-04:00Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I first saw this title mentioned in Publishers Weekly's children's e-mail as "book to watch." I thought it sounded interesting at the time, but forgot about it until <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFZvSzfnm6I">the book trailer</a> popped up in my Facebook feed a few weeks ago. After that, I moved it up in my "to-read" list, and I'm glad I did.<br />
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On the border between fantasy and magical realism, Serafina and the Black Cloak is a suspenseful supernatural mystery and a story about friendship and the realization that "normal" doesn't matter.<br />
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<b>Official Blurb:</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There’s plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.<br />
But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity . . . before all of the children vanish one by one.<br />
Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. There she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic, one that is bound to her own identity. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past.</blockquote>
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<b>Summary in a few words:</b> Suspenseful; Atmospheric; Accessible<br />
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<b>Suspenseful</b><br />
I actually had no idea what to expect when I began reading this book. Even with the book trailer and the blurb indicating that there was something strange and supernatural happening, I wasn't prepared for how suddenly the reader is thrust into the mystery and the action. Within the first two chapters someone gets attacked and Serafina already has to run for her life. This is really drew me in right away.<br />
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<b>Atmospheric</b><br />
I've never been to Biltmore, but it was quite easy to imagine the grandeur of the old house. It's clear that Beatty did his research and was very familiar with the house's layout and how it would have been run. However, much more than the house, the nearby forest really has the images that will stick with me. The first scene in the forest with the coach was reminiscent of the early chapters of Dracula, when something as familiar and safe as a stagecoach journey suddenly becomes foreboding and dangerous. This section of the book that takes places in the forest is probably my favorite--I love abandoned places and, without spoiling anything, I'll just say that Serafina's journey into a <i>certain </i>part of the forest was deliciously creepy.<br />
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<b>Accessible</b><br />
Serafina is a wonderful character because despite being other-worldly, she is actually very like many children of her age. She has some physical differences which she worries and wonders about, and she ponders if she could fit in with "normal" people her age. She has certain things shes knows about but has never experienced (gifts, friends), and when she does experience these things for the first time, she worries whether or not she's "doing it right." I think many readers in the book's target audience will find a kindred spirit in Serafina.<br />
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This was a fun read and the action and suspense kept me turning pages well after bedtime. There were plenty of red herrings and I really enjoyed finding out more about Serafina and the type of creature she is.<br />
It's also worth noting that this book accomplishes a rare feat in middle grade fantasy-- it has a protagonist who has a parent who is present throughout the book, is a developed character, and isn't the bad guy. So often in middle grade fantasy the parents must be Got Rid Of in order for the protagonist to start his or her adventure. It's understandable, and I'm not against stories that do this, but I really do appreciate when the parent(s) can remain in the picture without being evil or one-dimensional. Well done Robert Beatty.<br />
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<i>Serafina and the Black Cloak</i> book trailer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uFZvSzfnm6I" width="560"></iframe>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-74900081257637082622016-05-31T00:05:00.001-04:002016-05-31T00:32:02.275-04:00Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin StevensI've avoided reading series recently because I really don't like having to wait for a next release in order to find out how a story continues. Especially after reading George R.R. Martin's <i>A Feast for Crows </i>several years ago, I thought I was done with reading series forever (that weird apologetic note at the end? What even <i>was</i> that?).<br />
However I've started a couple middle grade series recently that are winning me back to the opinion that series can be good. It's great to read a book and already know the characters and world they're set in and be able to get down to the plot right away.<br />
Two new favorites are Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series (aka Wells and Wong Mysteries in the US) and Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co. books.<br />
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The Murder Most Unladylike series are very fun murder mysteries set in the 1930s. Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are students at Deepdean boarding school for young ladies. After forming a secret detective society they find that the murders almost seem to follow them around.<br />
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There are four book published so far in the UK and two in the US with the release date for #5 (UK) set for later this year.<br />
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Here's the official blurb for the first book, <i>Murder Most Unladylike</i> (in the US, <i>Murder is Bad Manners</i>):<br />
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When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia’s missing tie. Which they don’t, really.)
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But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. <br />
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Now the girls know a murder must have taken place . . . and there’s more than one person at Deepdean with a motive. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove a murder happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning, scheming and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?</blockquote>
I really love the setting both in time and place. Boarding schools hold a fascination for me as something both very foreign and very old-fashioned; although I know they still exist today (in the US as well as the UK!), I can't help imagining even today's boarding school students in 1920s clothes. Not all the books take place at the boarding school, but the other settings lend themselves well to mystery and Stevens provides helpful maps in each book to better imagine where and how the murders take places. As a big fan of Poirot--particularly on-screen (I love you David Suchet!)--the 1930s seems a perfect decade for mysteries. <br />
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The books are written from Hazel's perspective as she records the details of each case. The girls seem to have a sort of Sherlock and Watson relationship on the surface, but the reader quickly learns that far from simply recording Daisy's deductions, Hazel is actually the more thoughtful of the two and without the deductions of <i>both</i> girls the mysteries would not be solved. Both Hazel and Daisy are truly memorable characters and while they seem a bit over the top in their individual characteristics at first, they develop well over time and become more fleshed out as the books go on.<br />
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If I have one issue with this book it's that "Deepdean" is very difficult to say.<br />
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I definitely recommend these to anyone who likes an enjoyable and easy-to-read mystery with a good sense of humor.<br />
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As a side note, the buzz on Goodreads seems to indicate that the US versions have been unnecessarily "translated" for the American audience, but I have been reading the UK versions, so can't comment directly. As an American I found the UK versions completely comprehensible except that I had to look up how old the girls were as I'm not familiar with the school year system in the UK.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-43674538587063704812016-03-27T14:38:00.002-04:002016-03-27T14:38:29.979-04:00Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since its release last month, <i>Rebel of the Sands</i> by debut author <a href="http://alwynhamilton.com/">Alwyn Hamilton</a>, hasn't stopped getting positive reviews... and here's another one (a little late to the party).<br />
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<b>Official blurb</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.<br />
Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.<br />
Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.
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<b>Summary in a few words: </b>Original; Pleasing; Arabian romance<br />
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<b>Original</b><br />
I love the combination of the wild west and Arabian nights. The two work surprisingly well together and, with Hamilton's brilliant world building, the reader is launched into an adventure in a world that is both familiar and exotically new. Small town in the middle of nowhere with a main character who wants desperately to escape, yes that's familiar. But, occasionally mythical horses gallop through town, shapeshifting "skinwalkers" roam the desert, and people whose fathers are among the magical First Beings walk hidden among normal people while a mysterious and possibly mythical prince leads a rebellion against the ruler of the land. That's new.<br />
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<b>Pleasing</b><br />
I appreciated that Amani was able to be tough without being an asshole. I think often in literature, but especially in television, when a female character is cool and tough, she also ends up being smug about it and kind of a jerk. I liked that Amani was real enough to make mistakes, but also didn't need to be saved all the time. I was a little disappointed to find that [spoilers] Amani isn't *just* a tough girl with amazing aim, but also is a "chosen one" type of hero--with special djinni blood. I feel in a way it takes away from her coolness a bit. She has cool abilities, but before we learned of her magical lineage, she was someone who was cool on her own merits.<br />
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<b>Arabian Romance</b><br />
To be honest I can do without romance in most books myself. I realize it's quite a staple of a lot of YA, so I can't complain when it exists. But I can say, if you were someone who had a crush on Aladdin as a kid, you won't mind what goes on in this novel between Amani and the suitably exotic and mysterious Jin.<br />
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When I started reading this I didn't realize it was part one of a trilogy. Now I am very much looking forward to the next installment and learning more about the rebellion. If you grew up loving The Arabian Nights and wishing there were more books set in that world, and don't mind some romance thrown in, definitely check out <i>Rebel of the Sands</i>.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-8070190493785904122016-02-21T16:51:00.002-05:002016-02-21T16:51:36.991-05:00Riverkeep by Martin Stewart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was so pleased to be able to read <i>Riverkeep </i>by Martin Stewart this week. The book is due out in April of this year in the UK and July in the US. The story is refreshingly imaginative while still delivering a classic Wizard of Oz-style adventure.<br />
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<b>Official blurb</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Danék is a wild, treacherous river, and the Fobisher family has tended it for generations—clearing it of ice and weed, making sure boats can get through, and fishing corpses from its bleak depths. Wulliam’s father, the current Riverkeep, is proud of this work. Wull dreads it. And in one week, when he comes of age, he will have to take over.<br />
Then the unthinkable happens. While recovering a drowned man, Wull’s father is pulled under—and when he emerges, he is no longer himself. A dark spirit possesses him, devouring him from the inside. In an instant, Wull is Riverkeep. And he must care for his father, too.
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When he hears that a cure for his father lurks in the belly of a great sea-dwelling beast known as the mormorach, he embarks on an epic journey down the river that his family has so long protected—but never explored. Along the way, he faces death in any number of ways, meets people and creatures touched by magic and madness and alchemy, and finds courage he never knew he possessed.
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Martin Stewart's debut novel is an astonishing blend of the literary, the comedic, and the emotionally resonant. In a sentence, it's The Wizard of Oz as told by Patrick Ness. It marks the beginning of a remarkable career.</blockquote>
I'm almost not sure what to say after that blurb, other than that it's very true.<br />
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<b>My thoughts in a few words:</b> Evocative, humorous in the right places, memorable characters, solid world-building.<br /><br /><b>Evocative.</b><br />Nothing in this book struck me so much as the wonderful descriptions that manage to capture individual moments in detail without being tedious. Martin Stewart has a beautifully strong grasp of how to describe a scene so that the reader truly feels as if they are there. At times the icy grasp of the river seemed to flow right out of the book. <div>
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<b>Humorous in the right places.</b></div>
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I really appreciate when books have characters that can be funny and still have depth. It's easy to slip in a one-dimensional comedic foil who is just there to make wisecracks and lighten the mood while the main character gets on with the Real Work. This book doesn't have that. Though there are a few ridiculous funny moments in there which I think were added solely to lighten the mood, the humor was well balanced. Tillinghast is definitely a new favorite character for me and I loved his innuendos and wisecracks as well as his deeper realizations about what it means to be human.</div>
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<b>Memorable characters.</b></div>
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From the witch trying to bring her wooden baby back to life, to the homunculus who has stolen a mandrake for his own inscrutable purposes, to a mostly-mad one-legged whaler, each character has their own story which interweaves with Wulliam's and is just as interesting. (Just reading about the types of characters in the book makes you want to read it, doesn't it?) </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Solid world-building.</b></div>
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<i>Riverkeep</i> is set in a fictional world, but it contained just enough echoes of our world that it felt solid and real...and old. The clippings and excerpts from songs and history books at the beginning of each chapter helped flesh out a larger history and let the reader in on knowledge that everyone in the world of <i>Riverkeep</i> would already have known. I'd love to see more stories set in this world. </div>
<div>
Martin also managed to create some genuinely creepy creatures--not just the mormorach, but also other creatures Wulliam ends up having to deal with. I would not want to have a run-in with a faelkon.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Overall, definitely one to pre-order. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good quest with a bit of magic mixed in.</div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-52547181764996419222016-02-15T08:50:00.000-05:002016-02-15T08:50:00.758-05:00The Pirate Code by Heidi Schulz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvM4O_g4ajO9E5y2hwevho1NxreXelvYBMRMCVB4OU4GgeIZO3QHLqqMk7PF3bW6nNOt2fkB4857LfMt_Yf4iW9dH_a5vPs_rQE_7zSfZyhIXCWwo7gHKvXpwGudrMKWQtiKGB8qTZuY/s1600/pirate_code_heidi_schulz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvM4O_g4ajO9E5y2hwevho1NxreXelvYBMRMCVB4OU4GgeIZO3QHLqqMk7PF3bW6nNOt2fkB4857LfMt_Yf4iW9dH_a5vPs_rQE_7zSfZyhIXCWwo7gHKvXpwGudrMKWQtiKGB8qTZuY/s320/pirate_code_heidi_schulz.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I would like to thank Heidi Schulz for once more giving me the opportunity to use my "pirates" tag on this blog.<br />
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The Pirate Code is the second book to feature young Jocelyn Hook, daughter of the famous Captain James Hook. As with the first book, Schulz continues to delight readers with not only a fantastic story, but lots of humor, and a view of the Neverland that is quite different to our childhood imaginings.<br />
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<b>Official blurb:</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fresh off a fearsome encounter with the Neverland crocodile, Jocelyn Hook decides the most practical plan is to hunt down her father's famous fortune. After all, she'll need the gold to fund her adventuring in the future. (And luckily, Hook left her the map.) <br />
But the map proves to be a bit harder to crack than Jocelyn had hoped, and she's convinced that the horrible Peter Pan might be the only one with the answers. Of course, he doesn't really feel like helping her, so Jocelyn takes the only reasonable course of action left to her: she kidnaps his mother. Evie, though, is absolutely thrilled to be taken prisoner, so Jocelyn's daring ploy doesn't have quite the effect she'd planned for.<br />
Along with the problem of her all-too-willing captive, Jocelyn must also contend with Captain Krueger, whose general policy is that no deed is too dastardly when it comes to stealing Hook's treasure. And with the ever-shifting Whens of the Neverland working against her as well, Jocelyn, Evie, Roger, and the rest of the Hook's Revenge crew have their work cut out for them.<br />
In this rambunctious showdown between characters new and old, Jocelyn puts her own brand of pirating to the test in a quest to save her future and those she loves.</blockquote>
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<b>My thoughts in a few words: </b>Funny and clever, unpredictable, beautifully imaginative.<br />
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<b>Funny and clever</b>.<br />
The grumpy pirate narrator returns (never letting us forget that he really can't stand children and we are being quite a bother to him) and tells the story, interrupting every once in a while for a well-timed aside that's sure to make you smile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHQSAS0-nmI4NrMg_m8r4JuA3hIfhN9IUjX9y2k6QvCOdQSifzKptUI3CbYZSLhIb76iSB01RvACh4NgIU28xkrTWaJFZIO_PPkETgOiOhonphuYOx_1BkBuoP7MGvGBbYa_9aY3bd60/s1600/2016-02-08+22.50.45-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHQSAS0-nmI4NrMg_m8r4JuA3hIfhN9IUjX9y2k6QvCOdQSifzKptUI3CbYZSLhIb76iSB01RvACh4NgIU28xkrTWaJFZIO_PPkETgOiOhonphuYOx_1BkBuoP7MGvGBbYa_9aY3bd60/s320/2016-02-08+22.50.45-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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While there are serious elements to the plot and character development as Jocelyn must overcome complications and re-evaluate how she views her friendships, there is a general lightheartedness about the book that makes it very easy to read and balances the serious bits very well.</div>
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<b>Unpredictable</b></div>
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I really appreciate that despite this being a novel aimed at younger readers, Schulz doesn't go the route of creating the invincible protagonist--Jocelyn is, in the end, still a child and of course cannot single-handedly defeat adult pirates. Because of that, she must come up with alternative ways of overcoming her enemies. There are plenty of twists, unexpected defeats, and even the plot's resolution might come as a surprise to many readers.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2hP4-Tpsw-x1BTm3Sqa6WOizuCbcrlRSmIvCG8fpkPifF0__7jKDKySFxInN2tUPWrEfK_Tk3u5tGOZhjWqWGedQ8qYYE3Owd-ceI-KvKwmjido6T9IDcZd_2VnJERAkt1-c4iT_KMo/s1600/pirate_code_illustration_by_john_hendrix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2hP4-Tpsw-x1BTm3Sqa6WOizuCbcrlRSmIvCG8fpkPifF0__7jKDKySFxInN2tUPWrEfK_Tk3u5tGOZhjWqWGedQ8qYYE3Owd-ceI-KvKwmjido6T9IDcZd_2VnJERAkt1-c4iT_KMo/s320/pirate_code_illustration_by_john_hendrix.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustrations by John Hendrix</td></tr>
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<b>Beautifully imaginative.</b><br />
There were a few scenes in the book that really stuck with me and which I thought were really brilliant. One is the forest that is fed by things children have left behind. What a fantastic concept. I love the concept of a tree that survives on a child's abandoned belief in magic, or fear of toads, or other things children at some point give up as they grow.<br />
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The other image I loved was the Jolly Roger sitting atop a mountain. I love abandoned things, so the idea of a lonely ship that once was a terror of Neverland's seas sitting on a mountain covered in snow was very evocative.<br />
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Definitely recommended for all ages of folk who like a rollicking adventure.<br />
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For more about Heidi Schulz, <a href="http://heidischulzbooks.com/">visit her piratey website</a>. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781484717172">To buy The Pirate Code from your local independent bookstore, visit IndieBound</a>.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-21282007584410236792016-02-13T14:26:00.002-05:002016-02-14T17:17:07.629-05:00The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love Mark Twain. Not just because I love grumpy men (Dylan Moran is my spirit animal) and not just because I love sarcastic humor. I love Twain's ability to poke fun at all of humanity while still acknowledging that we are a splendid, if ridiculous, race. He makes fun of everyone indiscriminately, not excluding himself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHWpv0TSqgQZm1w45qxeyBYOdSFtfnnlNskQ52FHJaVRP7zrseEzOri6uJSVBcJhtklAB7VjluFkPaF6-LUDvbzolOONvZg2Fv1eNrjDFJkHZWwEfRmLe32iritlj4Sdr-CShG53wqrM/s1600/innocents_abroad_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHWpv0TSqgQZm1w45qxeyBYOdSFtfnnlNskQ52FHJaVRP7zrseEzOri6uJSVBcJhtklAB7VjluFkPaF6-LUDvbzolOONvZg2Fv1eNrjDFJkHZWwEfRmLe32iritlj4Sdr-CShG53wqrM/s400/innocents_abroad_map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map taken from <a href="http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/innocent/iamapL.jpg">The University of Virginia</a></td></tr>
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<i>The Innocents Abroad</i> is Twain's account of his six month trip on a steamer on an "excursion to the Holy Land, Egypt, the Crimea, Greece, and intermediate points of interest." The program of the excursion sounds terribly exciting, even today when travel of this sort is less exotic. As he says, "<i>Who could read the programme of the excursion without longing to make one of the party?</i>"<br />
Starting in New York, the cruise traveled across the Atlantic by way of the Azores and into the Mediterranean--including a trip up the Bosphorus and into the Black Sea. The travelers stopped in ports and traveled by land in most of the countries around that sea, taking a lot of time along the way to visit landmarks and take in the sights (including a meeting with Tsar Alexander II). Twain's blisteringly honest and irreverent observations and accounts of these many countries and famous places as they were in the mid-1800s makes for utterly fascinating and often hilarious reading.<br />
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It's not always an easy book to read since there isn't a continuous thread of story. I did find that once put down, I could easily not come back to this book for weeks at a time. Each time I picked it back up though, I fell back in love with Twain.<br />
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It is important to read this book with a grain of salt. Twain's views are indicative of the prejudices of the day, and he doesn't hesitate to make offensive observations about the "backwardness" of certain people groups and in fact whole countries and compare them to countries considered more civilized (mainly America and England). But in a way I find it refreshing to know they are his honest views, even if some are ones I disagree with. His honesty means that sometimes he drastically changes his view of a place or people group within the same chapter as he gets to learn more about it and he readily admits to this change of view.<br />
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"I set down these first thoughts because they are natural--not because they are just or because it is right to set them down. It is easy for book-makers to say 'I thought so and so as I looked upon such and such a scene'--when the truth is, they thought all those fine things afterwards. One's first thought is not likely to be strictly accurate yet it is no crime to think it and none to write it down, subject to modification by later experience."</blockquote>
But what makes this so very Twain is that amongst all his complaining about and poking fun at other people and cultures he's not above making fun of himself as well.<br />
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I am reminded, now, of one of these complaints of the cookery made by a passenger. The coffee had been steadily growing more and more execrable for the space of three weeks, till at last it had ceased to be coffee altogether and had assumed the nature of mere discolored water — so this person said. He said it was so weak that it was transparent an inch in depth around the edge of the cup. As he approached the table one morning he saw the transparent edge — by means of his extraordinary vision long before he got to his seat. He went back and complained in a high-handed way to Capt. Duncan. He said the coffee was disgraceful. The Captain showed his. It seemed tolerably good. The incipient mutineer was more outraged than ever, then, at what he denounced as the partiality shown the captain’s table over the other tables in the ship. He flourished back and got his cup and set it down triumphantly, and said:<br />
“Just try that mixture once, Captain Duncan.”<br />
He smelt it — tasted it — smiled benignantly — then said:<br />
“It is inferior — for coffee — but it is pretty fair tea.”<br />
The humbled mutineer smelt it, tasted it, and returned to his seat. He had made an egregious ass of himself before the whole ship. He did it no more. After that he took things as they came. That was me.
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<i>The Innocents Abroad</i> is quite a wonderful adventure and the reader gets to see Gibraltar, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Syria, Egypt, and more as they were 150 years ago. Ships, tropical islands, famous cities, exotic cuisine, art, sculpture, architecture, mountains, rivers, lakes, camels, camping, "the orient," the Holy Land, deserts, mummies, pyramids, really what more could you want?<br />
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I read half of this book, and listened to the other half when it became clear that I'd never end up finishing it if I read it in the traditional way. I listened to it on <a href="https://librivox.org/the-innocents-abroad-by-mark-twain/">Librivox</a>, and John Greenman reads it very well indeed.<br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-23152125224132071472016-01-18T17:58:00.001-05:002016-01-18T17:59:47.592-05:00The Dyerville Tales by M.P. Kozlowsky<b>Blurb</b><br />
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Vince Elgin is an orphan, having lost his mother and his father in a fire when he was young, but beyond that, his life hasn't been much of a fairy tale. With only a senile grandfather he barely knows to call family, Vince was remanded to a group home, where he spun fantastical stories, dreaming of the possibility that his father, whose body was never found, might one day return for him. But it's been a long time since the fire, a long time since Vince has told himself a story worth believing in. That's when a letter arrives, telling Vince his grandfather has passed away. Vince cannot explain it, but he's convinced that if his father is somehow still alive, he'll find him at the funeral. He strikes out for his grandfather's small hometown of Dyerville carrying only one thing with him: his grandfather's journal. The journal tells a story that could not possibly be true, a story of his grandfather's young life involving witches, giants, magical books, and evil spirits. But as Vince reads on and gets closer to Dyerville, fact and fiction begin to intertwine, and Vince finds that his very real adventure may have more in common with his grandfather's than he ever could have known.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeq7RNuBEjNBarqwa1N1o4glQqMKnqPUt8cdMD4IopFWnm0fbwReYgXE9OHuucpxvWviG765yOqfSuZZwT6R45PFsmDup4ZiMa32ae_Qx5gZNG8iRHhm7qtraTOFQxlA8yY6UOWZlymk/s1600/2016-01-18+22.05.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeq7RNuBEjNBarqwa1N1o4glQqMKnqPUt8cdMD4IopFWnm0fbwReYgXE9OHuucpxvWviG765yOqfSuZZwT6R45PFsmDup4ZiMa32ae_Qx5gZNG8iRHhm7qtraTOFQxlA8yY6UOWZlymk/s320/2016-01-18+22.05.26.jpg" width="228" /></a>I really enjoyed this book - it reminded me a lot of the film <i>Big Fish</i> in that Vince learns more and more about his grandfather through seemingly fantastical tales, while also learning that there might be more truth in them than he realized.<br />
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<b>My thoughts in a few words: </b>Imaginative, suspenseful, frightful, a bit unsatisfying.<br />
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<b>Imaginative</b><br />
Kozlowsky manages to create a vibrant world within the tales that Vince reads. Each tale holds some traditional fairy tale elements while also having new and unexpected twists that keep the readers on their toes. I loved reading about the changing doors within the giant's cave, the creepy creature which guards what Vincent needs, and the dream world where he could stay forever if he wished. The imagery within each of the tales is vibrant and will stay with the reader for a long time after closing the book.<br />
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<b>Suspenseful and frightful</b><br />
Despite the novel being middle grade, it doesn't hold back with the horror. I <i>love </i>when children's books have genuinely creepy bits in like <i>Coraline </i>or <i>The Book of Lost Things</i> (though I suppose you could argue that TBoLT is a novel for adults). Most of The Dyerville Tales are pretty tame, until the last few when the creep factor really gets cranked up. The bit where Vincent has to face The Tall Man actually had me looking up from the book at every noise from the dark hallway outside my bedroom door. Kozlowsky has a gift for creepy characters--The Tall Man, Death, the witch's servants, and eventually the witch herself.<br />
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<b>A bit unsatisfying</b><br />
Spoiler warning. I felt that while the ending of the book was <i>good</i> I wanted something more. There were loose ends that I wanted tied up. I got the feeling that Kozlowsky wanted to make a statement about reality and stories, but I wasn't sure that we ever really got there. I liked that he strings the reader along - are the stories true or not? Are they partly true? In the end, does it matter that a story isn't true if believing in it can inspire us or keep us going? This was good for most of the book and really kept me guessing, but even at the end we aren't given a fulfilling answer. It seems like Kozlowsky is hinting that the stories aren't true but are a way of coping with the real world--then at the very end of the book the indication is strong that the stories <i>are </i>true. But that throws a wrench into the works and opens more questions that are unanswered in the abrupt ending. Is Vince's dad still alive? Were Vince's parents really trying to save him from something the night of the fire? What's the real cause of his grandfather's scar and why was there so much focus on it? What were the numbers on the tree house ladder? There's no indication these answers are being saved for a sequel; throughout the book I was sure these would all be answered by the end, but they weren't and that left me unsatisfied.<br />
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Overall this book is definitely worth reading, even if just for the stories within the story.<br />
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(<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061998713">Purchase <i>The Dyerville Tales</i> by M.P. Kozlowsky from Indiebound</a>)Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-42825153660993598272015-10-13T00:22:00.000-04:002015-10-13T00:22:42.072-04:00The Time Garden by Daria Song<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnw8kyll1UQC2r_ndtP6fT7Z0EI_bgpHqQBr7S7rv-6aL7PC8SZ0szipf_WGH7uZmqvn2-82y3XNgFu2CBUHmeyIhfsDup7qXN2Ceqs5H7AhU5sEquWB-nhyh0I3wgMMSSpJr_Rp3w5k/s1600/thetimegarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnw8kyll1UQC2r_ndtP6fT7Z0EI_bgpHqQBr7S7rv-6aL7PC8SZ0szipf_WGH7uZmqvn2-82y3XNgFu2CBUHmeyIhfsDup7qXN2Ceqs5H7AhU5sEquWB-nhyh0I3wgMMSSpJr_Rp3w5k/s320/thetimegarden.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
So, this is a bit of a departure from what I normally review, but there's been such a craze for adult coloring books lately I was happy for a chance to check it out. When I saw <i>The Time Garden </i>available on Blogging for Books I jumped to request it.<br />
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I have always found coloring to be a really relaxing activity. When I was a kid my nana used to have a stack of coloring books and a huge basket of crayons next to her couch. I remember flipping through the books, past her neatly colored-within-the-lines pages to whichever blank page took my fancy, and half coloring it before getting bored and moving to another page. She never seemed to mind that her grand kids messed up her coloring books. I wonder what she would have thought of intricate adult-geared books like this one...<br />
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The first thing that I noticed about this book was that it wasn't just coloring pages, it came with a story. The opening pages tell a story of a girl whose father brings home a strange clock. That night when the clock strikes midnight, the girl sees a tiny red-haired fairy winding the clock. The little fairy, startled by the girl, runs from her and ends up leading the girl on a magical adventure through many exotic worlds on the following pages.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jbTVJ5BY4PpN7oU4aHi-7sXhDtKJeM83pDvNI7y6OjqWPmgQ_z0Hj1wUFTiq1wZCAflGAWIRvDK8QNYcxYsM8HxMSVCKpGl7-11ARa-XaE9gyaZq2d2UD011qz6eFakcWwi-liPB18U/s1600/2015-09-23+01.01.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jbTVJ5BY4PpN7oU4aHi-7sXhDtKJeM83pDvNI7y6OjqWPmgQ_z0Hj1wUFTiq1wZCAflGAWIRvDK8QNYcxYsM8HxMSVCKpGl7-11ARa-XaE9gyaZq2d2UD011qz6eFakcWwi-liPB18U/s400/2015-09-23+01.01.17.jpg" width="225" /></a>The whimsical worlds the girl travels through really do spark the imagination and are very inviting. They're not only fun to look at, but the detail of the drawings leaves a lot of choices for colorers--these are not pictures where you want to stick with traditional colors for things.<br />
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Many of the pictures are spread across two pages making for stunning visuals (though also making it difficult to color into the spine). One of my favorite spreads was of a giant owl flying through the night sky with a house on his back.<br />
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I've been using colored pencils in <i>The Time Garden</i>, and they have worked well as long as I keep my sharpener around for the many intricately small sections. The paper is thick enough that markers would probably also work, though I haven't tested that (yet). Traditional crayons are definitely a bad choice.<br />
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It's worth noting that though the word "garden" is in the title, the book is not set in a garden and only a few of the pages have garden-ish scenes. So don't choose this one if you're looking primarily for flowers and vines and trees.<br />
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All in all this book has been a joy to color so far, and I look forward to many hours filling in the details and bringing the adventurous heroine's magical journey to life.<br />
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<o:p style="font-size: small;">*</o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">I received this book for free from </span><a href="http://www.bloggingforbooks.org/" style="font-size: small;">Blogging for Books</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> for this review.</span><br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-28158404346475069502015-09-17T23:35:00.001-04:002015-09-19T22:53:05.207-04:00The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFTPYtNFubCJwjVb8obpfqMFYuz46vMJ1-lI9AknK4QG5XM9bKhwCHAEmLvYiCdyig5wF3BRhbZnuiVVeiARX5sUULDoPYelnejQWe0D_LJjWb-TQKZ9udT79KqI4kcKr_GWTBzAlOaI/s1600/CO8Uv7SWcAAJeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFTPYtNFubCJwjVb8obpfqMFYuz46vMJ1-lI9AknK4QG5XM9bKhwCHAEmLvYiCdyig5wF3BRhbZnuiVVeiARX5sUULDoPYelnejQWe0D_LJjWb-TQKZ9udT79KqI4kcKr_GWTBzAlOaI/s320/CO8Uv7SWcAAJeds.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was perfect plane reading <br />
for my trip from the UK to the US.</td></tr>
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I first heard about <i>The Accident Season </i>by Moïra Fowley-Doyle<i> </i>at the Young Adult Literature Convention where there was a booth dedicated to it. The booth's "secrets box" caught my eye, but I still wouldn’t have ended up reading it if my husband hadn’t been persuaded by a fellow author to buy it. He in turn told me to read it because “it gets really gothic at the end.”<br />
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<i>The Accident Season</i> is told in first person from the point of view of Cara, a girl whose family seems cursed to suffer from an unnatural amount of physical accidents every October. Each year—led by her mother—Cara, her older sister Alice, and her ex-stepbrother Sam (it’s complicated) hunker down and expect the worst. They do everything they can to minimize the opportunities for accidents to overtake them, yet every October they seem unable to avoid tragedy. This year, Cara begins to notice a strange pattern in her life; every single one of her photographs seem to feature the same childhood friend, but nobody can remember that friend being around or even details about the girl such as what class she was in or what her last name was. As Cara investigates, along with Sam and her best friend Bea, the elusive friend becomes more mysterious and ghostlike. Meanwhile as October draws to a close and the accidents seem to increase, Alice seems to be wrapped up in problems of her own. The layers of secrets around Cara are growing, and she finds it harder and harder to discern reality. Gradually the web of secrets, fears, and lies begins to unravel until all is made clear.<br />
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<i>The Accident Season</i> is a novel not only about secrets, but about denial and the processing of truth through fiction. Cara is only able to acknowledge the truth she already knows through her gradually increasing visions of a fantasy where she, Alice, Sam and Bea are each represented by a “changeling.” As Cara begins to realize who the threats are in her life, she sees visions of the changelings facing those enemies, and through that finds power to take action herself. She finds that her ghosts can only be put to rest if she is brave enough to face them.<br />
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Fowley-Doyle, I think, leaves it a bit ambiguous just how much of the story is supernatural. But I really like that in a story. I always lean toward it being completely constructed—not because I don’t like the idea of fantasy being real, but because I find it so much more compelling to think about the human mind’s ability to find weird ways to cope with reality. It reminded me a bit of Jonathan Stroud’s <i>The Leap</i> as there is some ambiguity as to whether there is actually a fantastical element to the things that happened, or whether the main character is imagining the fantasy in order to cope with a traumatic reality.<br />
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As per my husband's recommendation, the book does have some satisfyingly gothic elements wound throughout its modern-day setting. Parts of the atmosphere reminded me of <i>Doll Bones </i>by Holly Black, but for an older audience. I really enjoyed reading this book and though the action lags a bit toward the middle, the ending resolution is very good.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-66389252583975494642015-08-30T16:29:00.003-04:002015-08-30T16:29:21.302-04:00The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I first heard about <i>The Lie Tree</i> only last month at the Young Adult Literature Convention. Frances Hardinge was speaking on a panel and, along with the other panelists, gave a brief intro of herself and her latest book. She described it as a Victorian gothic novel about a tree that lives off people's lies.Whisper a lie to the tree and the more people who believe that lie, the more the tree will flourish. The tree produces a fruit for each lie, and whoever eats that fruit will learn a secret.<br />
That was enough to hook me...that and Hardinge's fabulous hat.<br />
So, I bought the book there and asked her to sign it. She drew me a goose. I'm still not sure why, but who says no to the offer of a goose drawing?<br />
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I thoroughly enjoyed every page of <i>The Lie Tree</i>. The book opens with an already gothic atmosphere--a dark and stormy day, on a boat, where people are keeping secrets.<br />
Faith has always idolized her father, the naturalist Reverend Erasmus Sunderly, despite his steady chilliness toward her and his preferred treatment of her younger brother. With a quick mind and interest in science, Faith hopes one day to follow in her father's line of work. Unfortunately she is ahead of her time and finds herself trapped by the sexist views of the day that women are meant to be pretty, meek, and simple--not scientists.<br />
When she finds out her father has been keeping dangerous, even life-threatening, secrets, it's up to Faith to try to save his reputation--but in the process she finds herself following in his dark footsteps.<br />
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The Lie Tree is beautifully atmospheric with vivid characters whose struggles I found very real. I found myself getting outraged along with Faith at the suffocating unfairness of the day's views of women. Hardinge does a fantastic job of creating a strong female who is able to use both her sharp intellect and society's negative <i>perception </i>of women's intellects to her advantage.<br />
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I also loved the mix of the real world setting and the addition of a fantastical magic tree that is never quite explained.<br />
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If I had one negative thing to say about the book it was that although the novel had several strong themes, the benightedness of men of the time and the unfair perception of women was a bit heavy handed. I don't think it was misrepresented, but it featured again and again, and I did find myself feeling the same theme could have been conveyed as strongly with a bit less restating.<br />
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I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes magical realism, gothic settings, and strong female characters. And, when I'm done with the stack of books I'm working through, I will look into more of Hardinge's books.<br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-90817261463824236832015-08-10T06:44:00.000-04:002015-08-31T08:26:45.040-04:00The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OX22IIX72ioozBBi9piuE5NjG986DIaKs0P_WKFufkCwFfzu721Xy_5q2yRqtsUWVl9wFq8tpdyBA9oSsw4KUi_JW9pDJgcYKb0nleRwOKAobOc_4_oCLGoWPGQTkWBg9qAvBFoggYQ/s1600/20150809_194116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OX22IIX72ioozBBi9piuE5NjG986DIaKs0P_WKFufkCwFfzu721Xy_5q2yRqtsUWVl9wFq8tpdyBA9oSsw4KUi_JW9pDJgcYKb0nleRwOKAobOc_4_oCLGoWPGQTkWBg9qAvBFoggYQ/s320/20150809_194116.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
I bought <i>The Iron Trial </i>last month at the Young Adult Literature Convention where, to my delight, I was able to get it signed by the lovely Cassandra Clare. I was person number 252 of what I think was about 450 people waiting for signings--it turns out she's incredibly popular, and for good reason. Though her published work began with the Mortal Instruments series Clare actually had a fan base built up long before that with her fanfiction writing. Most notably <a href="http://lotrspoofs.net/parodies-and-more/the-very-secret-diaries-of-the-fellowship-of-the-ring/">The Very Secret Diaries of the Fellowship of the Rings</a> and the Draco Trilogy (book-length Harry Potter fanfic which she has asked no longer be shared online...though some people might still have copies saved somewhere offline...maybe).<br />
Holly Black also has been writing prolifically and I've loved her writing since reading her first book, <i>Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale. </i>Finding out these two ladies were going to collaborate on a series made me very happy. (Also, Black is from New Jersey, the best state, so yay.)<br />
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<i>The Iron Trial</i> is the first in what is to be a series of five books. The story follows Callum--a young boy with a limp and an affinity for magic--who is called to be tested in the Iron Trial. The Trial is a test for potential mages and whoever passes will enter the Magisterium (a magic school) for formal mage training. There's just one problem. Callum's father was a mage and is dead set against magic after losing Callum's mother in a mage war years earlier. Callum has been brought up to believe that magic is dangerous and mages are heartless, using the students at the Magisterium for their own selfish purposes. Despite trying his best to fail the trial, as his father advised, Callum finds himself apprenticed to a mage and whisked off to the Magisterium against his will. Once there Call finds himself torn between his father's teaching and his own experience with magic while also discovering that his father might be keeping a dark secret about Callum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay for meeting Cassandra Clare!</td></tr>
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This book was very fun to read. Both Clare and Black have great senses of humor and that really shone through in the writing. The characters were interesting and accessible, and continue to develop throughout the book. Call is a protagonist you can really root for--pretty normal, but still with some issues. Bullied about his limp, he's not terribly popular at school and causes trouble--mostly by accident. Unlike many fantasy protagonists, he actually has a good relationship with his dad at the beginning of the book. The plot moves quickly and was engaging enough to keep me turning the pages. This was one of those books I ended up finishing at around 1am because I didn't want to stop to go to bed.<br />
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Black and Clare have said that one of their goals in writing this series was to turn common fantasy tropes on their head, and <i>The Iron Trial</i> certainly did make me consider whether or not one should try to avoid tropes or jump in and change them.<br />
A few chapters in, I couldn't help but notice how very Harry Potterish the plot was turning out to be. As a baby Call is the lone survivor of a magical massacre, is left permanently marked by the enemy (his injured leg), finds himself at a school of magic where everything is new and exciting, makes friends with a guy and a girl his age, and gradually finds out more about his own past as the story progresses.<br />
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These parallels weren't an accident. Black and Clare couldn't possibly have written this and *not* noticed they were more or less following the plot of Harry Potter. Writers often try to reclaim tropes that have come to be associated with one specific book--after all, J.K. Rowling wasn't the first to come up with the idea of an orphan discovering he was "the chosen one," so it's not fair to give negative marks to any future authors who use that trope. However, it is certainly true that if future authors are going to use it, they must find a way to make it different enough that it doesn't seem like they're copying. In <i>The Iron Trial</i> Clare and Black weren't trying to reclaim the Harry Potter plot so much as start out with a plot readers might expect, and then turn it around into something unexpected. They were reforming readers' expectations of the "chosen one" fantasy trope.<br />
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In my opinion, they have been only somewhat successful here. Since the plot followed Harry Potter for much of the book, the first two-thirds or so were fairly predictable. Although there were a couple twists at the end, the prologue had made one of them quite easy to foresee. I appreciate what Clare and Black are doing here, but even with the twists, there wasn't enough of a departure from Harry Potter for the plot to feel original. I realize this is the first of a five book series, so there is plenty of time to take this in a vastly different direction, but in this single first book the plot leans more toward a homage than a reclamation.<br />
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Luckily for Black and Clare, they really are fantastic writers, so even with a predictable plot there was plenty else that was unique and I didn't want to put the book down. In the end, tropes or no, <i>The Iron Trial</i> is great fun to read and I do look forward to the next Magisterium book.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-15347545861693629782015-08-08T09:14:00.000-04:002015-08-08T09:14:13.057-04:00The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris<br />
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<i>The Gospel of Loki</i> by Joanne M. Harris is a retelling of Norse mythology from the perspective of the trickster god, Loki. Now, I have to admit, my knowledge of Norse mythology is not very deep and is mostly limited to what I learned in <i>American Gods</i> and from the Thor movies. Because of that, many of the stories in this book, and some of the characters, were completely new to me. The book begins with an account of the creation of the worlds and the rise of gods and giants, as told by Loki, and then goes on to detail Loki's various exploits and his rollercoaster fame/infamy among the gods. Ending, of course, with the inevitability of Ragnarok.<br />
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I found myself a bit torn about liking or not liking this book. The book's "gospel" format allows it to do away with certain things necessary to most good books--most notably character development and a constant story thread. The lack of these were a bit of a downside because I found the book didn't quite capture my attention consistently. Since each tale was being told after the fact, the feeling of being involved in the action and wondering how each tale might end was missing. While I was reading it, I was interested, but the moment I put the book down I had no real pull to pick it back up again and continue reading. Harris tried to mitigate this by having Loki frequently hint at more to come or to mention that things weren't as good as they seemed, but I didn't find this motivating.<br />
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There was little development of any character besides Loki, and while that was likely intentional (he is the star of the book after all) it left me not caring much about any of the characters. Harris did do a good job of fleshing out Loki's character and really giving him a recognizable voice. I usually am drawn to mischievous characters anyway, so Loki's irreverent way of speaking and casual plotting were fun to read. At the same time, Loki's constant references to "yours truly" and "your humble narrator" as well as his pet phrase "so shoot me" really did begin to get on my nerves. I wonder if this wasn't Harris's intention all along as Loki isn't really meant to be <i>completely </i>likable. However, while his casual way of speaking added an irreverent humor to the book, the occasional anachronistic references ("as welcome as a turd in a hot tub") were distracting.<br />
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Most interesting to me was that the book contained a half formed idea that Loki initially was not so much a troublemaker but rather just clever and full of energy.. He initially used his wits to the gods' advantage, but slowly the gods refusal to accept him as one of their own drove him towards tricking the gods themselves and eventually becoming one of the driving forces of Ragnarok. I would really have liked to see a more developed plot there rather than sticking to occasional hints in that direction among the tales.<br />
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Even without knowing the tales, I got the feeling that this book didn't add a lot to them other than Loki's voice. However, for those unfamiliar with Norse mythology, <i>The Gospel of Loki</i> could be a fun way to learn some of the classic tales without needing to delve into the Prose Edda.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-72967282993651717452015-07-20T15:55:00.001-04:002015-07-20T15:59:16.588-04:00Young Adult Literature Convention<div dir="ltr">
This past weekend I had the fun experience of being able to attend the <a href="http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/adults/young-adults/yalc/">Young Adult Literature Convention</a> in London. Organized by Book Trust, a reading charity, the convention featured booths selling (and giving away!) books, author panels, author signings, workshops, and opportunities to meet and interact with literary agents. I went for all three days with my husband who, being an author, is also very interested in these things and is the reason I heard about the convention in the first place. We really had a blast. I managed to get through it with restraint and only got four new books (two of them I had signed, woohoo!), but also a free t-shirt, a few tote bags, TONS of book sample chapters, badges, a key chain, and a lots of free candy.</div>
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Here are my impressions in pictures.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reading corner - a lovely place to sit and rest from ALL THE THINGS</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-ygRVyiSd-ZPBM72ty10U_cdma70dvugi0FlGcBpzGm9SQzmCbU_kLBsOD7iHwu9c3GMFaZj_fhzhduF9LYuv3El0ZlCeB7t2TQISeSUVg_At-nv8Afp3yVttEKMXAtkbijZWSD1Dz0/s1600/20150717_164747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-ygRVyiSd-ZPBM72ty10U_cdma70dvugi0FlGcBpzGm9SQzmCbU_kLBsOD7iHwu9c3GMFaZj_fhzhduF9LYuv3El0ZlCeB7t2TQISeSUVg_At-nv8Afp3yVttEKMXAtkbijZWSD1Dz0/s640/20150717_164747.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the reading corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3TjBlR7RgVa-gyBJnLYqA0jO-QCGck1DiKVagc8K57G1Wch1uHIppK09XX2f21X1d12WPgfVBMWnj2k9raaLHxeo5-sTwKbw3w024HJmZFP38zElSiM4-XLOazgElHBmFLa9S84h1Zs/s1600/20150718_120453.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3TjBlR7RgVa-gyBJnLYqA0jO-QCGck1DiKVagc8K57G1Wch1uHIppK09XX2f21X1d12WPgfVBMWnj2k9raaLHxeo5-sTwKbw3w024HJmZFP38zElSiM4-XLOazgElHBmFLa9S84h1Zs/s640/20150718_120453.jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More book stalls!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp29g8SIf3yPC0aSf9q9svKZKiTlqpEhJpIAtbLoO05m8Kz-IiISznWL3qs19QeIf0-I1A9ugU7K5-pR_8qGszNzCzVJ1PfTnZ3mBoAtx37GcFFx1ySrqG7adogYZkVnPLfhPQySWL9I8/s1600/20150718_101047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp29g8SIf3yPC0aSf9q9svKZKiTlqpEhJpIAtbLoO05m8Kz-IiISznWL3qs19QeIf0-I1A9ugU7K5-pR_8qGszNzCzVJ1PfTnZ3mBoAtx37GcFFx1ySrqG7adogYZkVnPLfhPQySWL9I8/s640/20150718_101047.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gollancz and Atom stands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnZp9YL1WxUhPyV4q7301hy8cVeIv2uX40UDtQ38ho1dJp5uHyrf8vm0qDxRXwxKojs5aG0WnY-G0_9cSif8WWlLDYH99Xw_QVdfdtxvFEFUvtFdvuo41HPuo5aHSLdcseDCyb5FEQYA/s1600/20150718_101111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnZp9YL1WxUhPyV4q7301hy8cVeIv2uX40UDtQ38ho1dJp5uHyrf8vm0qDxRXwxKojs5aG0WnY-G0_9cSif8WWlLDYH99Xw_QVdfdtxvFEFUvtFdvuo41HPuo5aHSLdcseDCyb5FEQYA/s400/20150718_101111.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book swap!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVJXBY_4rvPGlrjjxg-XOKa9xhFjc8vs2rQ7S-jzVe_mmCACojYEL39Jkbywhl1QFw3orZRJ7-M6V7MrtIBQC1L-HvvsWEm-tFQFzQgSr2K9-MK7pE24I_Il81J2RoI5mspPSswdZrfE/s1600/20150718_141048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVJXBY_4rvPGlrjjxg-XOKa9xhFjc8vs2rQ7S-jzVe_mmCACojYEL39Jkbywhl1QFw3orZRJ7-M6V7MrtIBQC1L-HvvsWEm-tFQFzQgSr2K9-MK7pE24I_Il81J2RoI5mspPSswdZrfE/s400/20150718_141048.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Cassandra Clare</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rg7SXFOzo7-TIoAeE1DXv-WpO15Y9jftmsH30DPuIsS-NLHr_9B0iL3VVpt1LF0XdATDTN9XfXIwWpGALItW6goffrD_xNF_yCUxNg0UjQyFHytBUtoRgtWBkLC_hSXDSY5nehSiaes/s1600/20150718_103229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rg7SXFOzo7-TIoAeE1DXv-WpO15Y9jftmsH30DPuIsS-NLHr_9B0iL3VVpt1LF0XdATDTN9XfXIwWpGALItW6goffrD_xNF_yCUxNg0UjQyFHytBUtoRgtWBkLC_hSXDSY5nehSiaes/s640/20150718_103229.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOTS of free sample chapters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76qp5WdisGAsFSqHo9TomPm0f29vKCWQ6Qvs5zsLRLjCMKrkjhmzaijSP4pdEribmpcLNZexfqmz3Ox-wd2-gbiCC5cEmWVr02fiSjLd4H9QLYNalvR8Hzt7XOOXWGqAa-du2dlMH-54/s1600/20150718_120533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76qp5WdisGAsFSqHo9TomPm0f29vKCWQ6Qvs5zsLRLjCMKrkjhmzaijSP4pdEribmpcLNZexfqmz3Ox-wd2-gbiCC5cEmWVr02fiSjLd4H9QLYNalvR8Hzt7XOOXWGqAa-du2dlMH-54/s640/20150718_120533.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penguin Platform booth</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfHwPWIS-tpA6aKQ0S9Y8QP0EOd4zOGfXMRkZ0IZ1gItTlPOTTmNXfxVdLCPXYwEgfFtJGlTbti2Df-x8b_HstO5iUAFQ0e6jSpe27kIiCG6HHmfLFhL8IgZGZmD6-mlz4sZe7kO_AZo/s1600/IMG_20150718_101408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfHwPWIS-tpA6aKQ0S9Y8QP0EOd4zOGfXMRkZ0IZ1gItTlPOTTmNXfxVdLCPXYwEgfFtJGlTbti2Df-x8b_HstO5iUAFQ0e6jSpe27kIiCG6HHmfLFhL8IgZGZmD6-mlz4sZe7kO_AZo/s400/IMG_20150718_101408.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing sunglasses for Finding Audrey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYhgI_dRVvWDQNVjy7Xysu7HfTm6FMGOI2IM7FR9rMPyg0HsLIaY_Rsh0J5523o05GeG7ayS_WWtnB_0kH1PAhlchzG0Fj9DlR1unqeAq_Iwa_CSYCeazUPfLTV9YpdJdnv6Uoggul0U/s1600/20150718_143219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYhgI_dRVvWDQNVjy7Xysu7HfTm6FMGOI2IM7FR9rMPyg0HsLIaY_Rsh0J5523o05GeG7ayS_WWtnB_0kH1PAhlchzG0Fj9DlR1unqeAq_Iwa_CSYCeazUPfLTV9YpdJdnv6Uoggul0U/s400/20150718_143219.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agent author talk with Molly Ker Hawn (Bent Agency) <br />
and Kat Ellis (author of Blackfin Sky)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="float: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SK0kTXnG_En3ak9pQWVSbqAnFcZ5-t6ldfMSOx-H90y0mFcF82KBYKFL5iiqBAgQm1m2i2Q9iPWYMb9m-GDrGHZr_m9PvISzqUK-_a_rMO9OLmSiq4HRjT-xSfu6pNb_8ltTMKI1Keo/s1600/20150719_153127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SK0kTXnG_En3ak9pQWVSbqAnFcZ5-t6ldfMSOx-H90y0mFcF82KBYKFL5iiqBAgQm1m2i2Q9iPWYMb9m-GDrGHZr_m9PvISzqUK-_a_rMO9OLmSiq4HRjT-xSfu6pNb_8ltTMKI1Keo/s640/20150719_153127.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sir Terry and Me panel, talking about how the great Sir Terry Pratchett inspired each of them in different ways.<br />
Derek Landy, Patrick Ness, Frances Hardinge, and Imogen Russell Williams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SfTCN9b_cSjt7Fmi3vIv68A7LkGvfm-gBNbkvY-Zly8ufwPMtyCOZ9EiBJddlibNERleWSPX3Oav8Aq6kxzc4QNxNuEtdGrDS54tXS7gSLUM4psfvHZcOcvfvBAeAAgQ28jMrOXigWQ/s1600/20150719_171042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SfTCN9b_cSjt7Fmi3vIv68A7LkGvfm-gBNbkvY-Zly8ufwPMtyCOZ9EiBJddlibNERleWSPX3Oav8Aq6kxzc4QNxNuEtdGrDS54tXS7gSLUM4psfvHZcOcvfvBAeAAgQ28jMrOXigWQ/s640/20150719_171042.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilies in the Terry Pratchett corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOpKyEif4INWdj53cY3ixvaRrMgJJO_oyoflJcTUKYQcfiOBF_WTnZwBVU60A3KfNR6Xj_uHcAw_AM6qO9gvLLwEnm7lb5H8ZLEhMg1eQM70JNEnXtSNGZ7l12Bvr0ahyphenhyphenj-LKpX4vp-I/s1600/IMG-20150718-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOpKyEif4INWdj53cY3ixvaRrMgJJO_oyoflJcTUKYQcfiOBF_WTnZwBVU60A3KfNR6Xj_uHcAw_AM6qO9gvLLwEnm7lb5H8ZLEhMg1eQM70JNEnXtSNGZ7l12Bvr0ahyphenhyphenj-LKpX4vp-I/s640/IMG-20150718-WA0001.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After-party cupcakes!</td></tr>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g8UsQw-g6DSLxWk15pFSWVt2hdrIaYuaxG-BtW-ZI2AAZBLCDg7yA-TlrSA7yLF3ZNNyKYwQHxTflVZRZvJp5fue7Pj5Q4Ojhz1R5n6-tNZJNHjmT5xg0A3dxfz-9-Xi3L3EDb1IBRA/s1600/20150720_203800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g8UsQw-g6DSLxWk15pFSWVt2hdrIaYuaxG-BtW-ZI2AAZBLCDg7yA-TlrSA7yLF3ZNNyKYwQHxTflVZRZvJp5fue7Pj5Q4Ojhz1R5n6-tNZJNHjmT5xg0A3dxfz-9-Xi3L3EDb1IBRA/s400/20150720_203800.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF60NSfq8to3dXwoWCQ7HA56elaEgrNEz_P7qZYb77mfP4VIHrTU8TVFeSncGFp93_faN6mQj1-nfa01vZpj870oRV4DgXtSipiLsNZnsyjFfBeP8LYZzy8kvBdLO0DmR3Pp9HFmWUtds/s1600/IMG_20150719_174804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF60NSfq8to3dXwoWCQ7HA56elaEgrNEz_P7qZYb77mfP4VIHrTU8TVFeSncGFp93_faN6mQj1-nfa01vZpj870oRV4DgXtSipiLsNZnsyjFfBeP8LYZzy8kvBdLO0DmR3Pp9HFmWUtds/s320/IMG_20150719_174804.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best goose anyone has ever drawn me</td></tr>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-66661212452760137672015-07-07T11:57:00.000-04:002015-07-07T11:57:14.063-04:00We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-BjWHq9fFeX0liH6kjM0gEcVVykm90MQbzhjgTEpDop82l2-62iD0t3hG4jlxhd7sCpSE9GPV945FC35t1JeHyTqb4baDLmRqce1vmWroXp08Z-gNGd6Lp3SUa2JsdHpACpNtyNd9r8/s1600/wearepirates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-BjWHq9fFeX0liH6kjM0gEcVVykm90MQbzhjgTEpDop82l2-62iD0t3hG4jlxhd7sCpSE9GPV945FC35t1JeHyTqb4baDLmRqce1vmWroXp08Z-gNGd6Lp3SUa2JsdHpACpNtyNd9r8/s320/wearepirates.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
I love pirate books. So when I got this book from my husband for Valentine's Day I was quite excited to read it. I knew it wasn't *exactly* a pirate book, but was hoping it would have a bit of pirate-like adventure and a lot of Daniel Handler's fantastic sense of humor. Unfortunately, it really didn't have either.<br />
<br />
I realize that books written as Daniel Handler are not meant to be for the same audience as when he writes as Lemony Snicket, however, even taking that into consideration I really disliked this book and every character in it.<br />
<br />
<i>We Are Pirates</i> is really two parallel stories. One is about Gwen, a teenager who wants to be in control of her own life; the other is about her father, a radio producer whose career has stagnated. Although the stories overlap, they don't really show any cohesive intertwining. One could easily cut out either story without the other changing at all. I think this disconnectedness doesn't help the book.<br />
<br />
The plot of Gwen's story is that she decides, along with Errol, an old man who has Alzheimer's and a love of pirate stories, to run away from home, commandeer a ship and sail out into San Francisco Bay. To prove her dedication to her new pirate cause, she plans to attack other ships and take their supplies. She pulls a few other people into her plot and carries it out in a surprisingly bloody fashion, starting with the violent murder of two people.<br />
<br />
Phil's story is basically circling around how much his career has stagnated, how he continues to screw up everything, and his very cringe-worthy relationship with his secretary--who he might want to sleep with.<br />
<br />
There is a very strongly developed theme of powerlessness throughout the book. All the main characters (in fact, the secondary characters as well) are powerless in different ways--Gwen because she is a teenager and has no independence from her parents, Errol because he has lost his memory and cannot take care of himself, Phil because he doesn't understand why his career has gone downhill, and thus cannot fix it. Each character tries to take control of his or her situation in different ways, but ultimately they screw things up even more. Of all the aspects of this book, this is the one I appreciate; it was well fleshed out and each person's struggle felt very real.<br />
<br />
However, there was still no redemption or hope. I think if Handler had taken a different direction and actually had given the characters some success, or at least a moment of realization that there might be a different way to take control, it would have had some redeeming value. Stories do not have to have happy endings, but they should at least have some redeeming value to them. <i>We Are Pirates</i> was depressing throughout and ended on an even lower note. Gwen and her accomplices get away with murder, theft, and destruction (for which the most vulnerable of their group is blamed) and then life goes back to its mediocre hopelessness.<br />
<br />
Beyond plot, I also have complaints about the writing itself. The narrator throughout the book is extremely unclear. There is some severe head hopping that is very disorienting to the reader. Sometimes this can be used as a technique to jar the reader into paying closer attention or to involve the reader in the chaos of a scene, but in this case it was merely annoying and made the story more difficult to follow. Another tactic that felt very gimmicky was that many times throughout the book the narrator refers to the story as if it were in the distant past, using phrases such as,"during this era of American history," and "at the time this story takes place." Yet, at the beginning of the book it seems the story is being told only a few weeks after the events happened. <br />
<br />
While <i>We Are Pirates</i> wouldn't put me off reading Handler books in the future, I absolutely wouldn't recommend spending time reading this one unless you like selfish characters whose lives are on a downward spiral.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-22977974707012961522015-03-13T19:07:00.003-04:002015-03-13T19:08:22.243-04:00Rest in Peace Terry PratchettYesterday, one of the world's greatest authors left this realm. His wit was only matched by his ability to delve deeply into the human soul and examine, laud, or poke fun at what he found there.<br />
Rest in peace you wonderful man.<br />
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What better time, then, to bring out a few of my absolute favorite quotes?<br />
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Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.<br />
<b> - A Hat Full of Sky</b><br />
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Mister Teatime had a truly brilliant mind, but it was brilliant like a fractured mirror, all marvelous facets and rainbows but, ultimately, also something that was broken.<br />
<b>- Hogfather</b><br />
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In Ghat they believe in vampire watermelons, although folklore is silent about what they believe about vampire watermelons. Possibly they suck back.<br />
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<b>- Carpe Jugulum</b><br />
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Time could bifurcate, like a pair of trousers. You could end up in the wrong leg, living a life that was actually happening in the other leg, talking to people who weren't in your leg, walking into walls that weren't there anymore. Life could be horrible in the wrong trouser of time.<br />
<b> - Guards! Guards!</b><br />
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Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.<br />
<b> - Jingo</b><br />
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‘Twas beauty killed the beast,” said the Dean, who liked to say things like that.<br />
“No it wasn’t,” said the Chair. “It was splatting into the ground like that.</div>
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<b> - Moving Pictures</b><br />
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“HUMAN BEINGS MAKE LIFE SO INTERESTING. DO YOU KNOW, THAT IN A UNIVERSE SO FULL OF WONDERS, THEY HAVE MANAGED TO INVENT BOREDOM."<br />
<b> - Death, Hogfather</b><br />
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Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.<br />
<b> - Reaper Man</b><br />
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People who are rather more than six feet tall and nearly as broad across the shoulders often have uneventful journeys. People jump out at them from behind rocks then say things like, "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were someone else.</div>
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<b> - Guards! Guards!</b><br />
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“If you trust in yourself. . .and believe in your dreams. . .and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”<br />
<b> - The Wee Free Men</b><br />
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“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."<br />
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REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.<br />
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"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"<br />
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YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THELITTLE LIES.<br />
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"So we can believe the big ones?"<br />
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YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.<br />
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"They're not the same at all!"<br />
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YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.<br />
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"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"<br />
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MY POINT EXACTLY.” <br />
<b> - Hogfather</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>...no-one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away... </i></span></div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1713659359606735959.post-43859634272035579532015-03-07T19:17:00.002-05:002015-08-09T15:50:03.796-04:00Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Near Enemy is the second book in the Spademan series by Adam Sternbergh and was published earlier this year. <a href="http://remedyofbooks.blogspot.com/2014/07/shovel-ready.html">I reviewed his first book</a>, <i>Shovel Ready</i>, last year and enjoyed it despite it not being my usual genre. So, when I saw the second one available on Blogging for Books, I was happy to request it.<br />
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This plot follows close on the heels of the first book. A year has passed, but not much has happened and little explanation is needed to catch the reader up to the present. Spademan once again is the storyteller, relaying the plot in his minimalist narrative style.<br />
The setting is still post-dirty-bomb New York City which is falling into ever deeper corruption and chaos. Wealthy residents lie shuttered away in high-rises and spend their days plugged in to an artificial reality called the Limnosphere while other try to earn enough to buy a few hours here and there to escape the harsh reality.<br />
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During a job where Spademan is hired to kill a lowlife "bed-hopper" named Lesser (who also happens to be a genius programmer), Spademan learns that Lesser might have discovered a valuable, and deadly, secret about the Limn. He decides not to kill him until he learns more, but soon Lesser disappears. Spademan is coerced into tracking him down by a member of the police who seems to have his own agenda and doesn't balk at using threats and force to get his way.<br />
The story follows Spademan's search for Lesser and the gradual revelations that follow about the limn, the city's leadership, and even the group behind the bombing of the city.<br />
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Sternbergh has done a fabulous job crafting Spademan's character--his dry humor and pseudo-poetic observations of the crumbling world around him lend a definite depth to his anti-hero character.<br />
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The world, though again, not perfectly fleshed out (does anyone really believe the NYC would be given up for dead by the rest of the world?), was still very vivid and easy to visualize. I imagine the world looking very much like the one in the Fallout PC games (which I wish someone would make into a movie)--drab, run down, with occasional patches of normality the further you get from the cities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtGa-gHX3eILOGJJ5Bi6zzjmmWrhNbvU6Km0oq9oqbGpE81J9dI1P8Idt-6ZbOi7lhg9P261n2QDl25wdAjG6wJ6xHXBnzRpakVdjS6JlVETWDHHg_8QjsAWf0E0ZgQQODNwd-WcZczs/s1600/fallout_screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtGa-gHX3eILOGJJ5Bi6zzjmmWrhNbvU6Km0oq9oqbGpE81J9dI1P8Idt-6ZbOi7lhg9P261n2QDl25wdAjG6wJ6xHXBnzRpakVdjS6JlVETWDHHg_8QjsAWf0E0ZgQQODNwd-WcZczs/s1600/fallout_screenshot.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>Near Enemy</i> was more expertly written than <i>Shovel Ready</i> in subtle but noticeable ways. The pacing of the plot was very well done--particularly the transitions between action scenes. The symbolism, though not subtle (to match the book's unsubtle narrator), was still clever.<br />
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I do wish there was a more satisfying ending to this book. While some parts of the plot are resolved in the end, much more is hinted at. Of course, it's part of a series, but in my opinion Sternbergh did a better job in <i>Shovel Ready</i> of bringing the book's main plot to an end while still leaving it clear that there is more to come.<br />
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All in all I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next.<br />
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For more info and to buy the book, visit the <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/225885/near-enemy-by-adam-sternbergh">Random House website</a>.<br />
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<i>I received this book from <a href="http://www.bloggingforbooks.org/" target="_blank">Blogging for Books</a> for this review.</i>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17106682072637981149noreply@blogger.com0