Book Review--Tales of the Peculiar

Riggs has done it again!  

Tales of the Peculiar is a singular achievement in that it supports the Miss Peregrine's series (you can read my previous reviews of  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City, and Library of Souls) but can also stand alone as a set of fairy tales that can be enjoyed in their own right, independent of the Peregrine epoch.

Each tale introduces a character, many of them the first peculiar of their respective homes. It records their awakening to their own abilities as well as the realization that a mark of distinction such as this is not always understood, valued or even tolerated by the broader world.  While some are heartbreaking others show a glimmer of hope and even acceptance.

There are several footnotes by the 'author' Millard Nullings and a few of his notes at the ends of the fables to lend credence to the fictional author's knowledge and authority. The stories themselves have an ominous, creepy feel to them but, like the rest of the series, do not glory in the grotesque just for the sake of fright (anybody read Goosebumps?  Those are gross just to be scary with no other intention or redeeming intellectual value). Additionally, the wood engraved illustrations are wonderful and match the tone of the stories.  Andrew Davidson's precision and delicacy with the medium is awe-inspiring.

I knew it was going to be a good book when I perused the publication data page and saw that it was "Printed in a nomad's tent in the desert of Lop, known to some as the Great Lop Depression..." and "Bound at great expense in a facility deep underground, the entrance to which ... you should not attempt to locate, for your own safety."  And the final plea, "Please don't read the third story in this collection aloud backward. The publisher cannot be held responsible for what may occur."

If you enjoyed the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, you will find this a satisfying addition.  If you haven't read it (and you should) but enjoy fables and fairy tales, you will also find this enjoyable!

p.s. since I was a loyal library patron, I borrowed all of these from my local public library but if anyone wants to know what a good Christmas gift might be for me... (hint hint hint)

Book Review--The Book of Speculation

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler is a tale about finding yourself through your history and overcoming the distant past.  It was thoughtful, well-rounded and excellently written.

The characters take on depth as the story unfolds and the reader is drawn into the history as the scenes flash back to previous generations, intertwining the past and the present.  The writing has just enough flowery detail to live in the moment but not so overdone as to be distasteful.  The historical portions are rendered with an eye to the details of the reality of living and don't romanticize the age of wagons and traveling shows. It delves into a little-understood lifestyle of traveling carnivals complete with tarot readers, mermaids and a wild boy.

I was drawn to check out this book because the main character is a librarian and so I felt some kinship and share his stated love of books and all things printed.  There are some twists and turns along the road before the characters end up at their ultimate destination. There is just enough question as to whether or not the incidences in the book are mere coincidence and superstition or actual mysticism that it kept me guessing.

The only fault I found with the writing was actually in the plot resolution/epilogue (I was listening to this on audio and Ari Fliakos once again does a nice job presenting the story but sometimes I miss if I'm in a chapter or the prologue/epilogue).  The entire present-tense aspect of the story is told from Simon's viewpoint but the last points are made through Alice which was a bit jarring but not enough to detract from the essence of the story.

Unfortunately, I didn't like it but that is a matter of personal taste and not due to the strong writing.   I know the darkness and despair of the characters is what gave it depth and moved the story along but it was just a bit too much for me to let myself be free to coast with the story; I was ever-tense for the next bout of darkness. 

As always, though, you read and you decide!

Book Review--Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans is a fun children's book I have had the pleasure of reading.  It was a surprise gift from a friend that arrived in the mail one afternoon with the inscription, "This just seems like your kind of book".  It was (grin).  The main character is about 10 years old so the ages of interest would probably range a few years above and below that (quite a few years above, in my case) and I have passed it to my 11 year old daughter to enjoy.

This was a fun adventure, racing around town with Stuart Horten (a boy of small stature with the misfortune to have his name be S. Horten) as he discovers his great-uncle's legacy of mechanical magic-show mechanisms.

I loved April, May, and June... not the time span but the triplets who both vex and befriend our intrepid hero. I especially felt sympathetic with April and her fight with her vision and glasses--that's been a pain for me since I was 7!

There is a satisfying 'bad guy' who is actually a lady. And just enough action to keep the story moving along but not so scary that you don't want to read what's coming next.  I also think this would do well as a read-aloud for a wide variety of ages.  Super fun! Now I'm ready to read the next one, Horten's Incredible Illusions.


p.s. you know you've got the right kind of friends when a surprise book shows up just after you mailed one off to them for their birthday.  I got a book for my friend's birthday and that's just awesome!

Book Review--Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Lest you think I only review books I'm thrilled about...

My 13 year-old son put it perfectly when I was trying to describe how this book, a fantasy book, is still very ordinary and expected.  He asked, "Oh, it stayed within the parameters of every fantasy trope?"  Yes!  That's it!  (In explanation, E is a word-lover and began compiling his lexicon at a very early age)

It's not that the book was boring, exactly, it's just that it seemed to take every current trend in tween/teen pop culture and jam it into to the target time period.  I have dabbled in the steampunk fashion but not too much more into the realm.  I understand the pull I just think the characters and their attitudes were too anachronistic and too "teenage dream" to really consider this great writing.  I'll give the sequel series a try (The Mortal Instruments) and see if this latter-written prequel is just vying for more publicity and money and the original is more inspired.  But, it's not going to be too high on my reading priority list.

New Book Review--Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I am... bipolar over this book. It took me awhile to get around to reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child because I am such a HP fan (see previous posts about the HP party we threw at the library this summer) that I didn't want to be disappointed.

My initial reaction as I read was that it was very well-written fan fiction.  Which it essentially is.

I started to get sucked in toward the middle and then... well, I vacillated between enjoying the plot (and trying to keep up with it) and being turned off because the characters seemed flat.

There were a few conversations that can only be described as "sappy" and some overlap with "out of character" and there was at least one instance of modern comedic one-liner-and-close-the-scene dialogue which was very out of the style of the original.

If this had been a stand-alone story with other characters and one not aligned with such a beloved icon of literature, I'd say it was pretty good.  As an attempt at an addition to the original canon, I say.

Meh

But, as always, you need to read it to decide for yourself!

Book Review--Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

 Where has this story been all my life?  It's not new (1996), how have I never discovered it before now?


Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is the most satisfying story I have read in a long time.  It so completely immerses in a world that melds seamlessly with reality that you're not sure where one begins and the other ends.

This feeling was absolutely reinforced by the fact that I listened to this story on audio (through OverDrive) and it was read by the author.  Fantastic!

I'm not even sure where to begin...

Just read it!

And now that I've discovered Neil Gaiman, I now have to read Good Omens as he has co-authored it with my favorite fantasy/satirical writer, the late and mourned Sir Terry Pratchett. 

Book Review--Just a Guy by Bill Engvall

I have always considered myself average.

Average height, average coloring, average upbringing... actually I'm probably the only "average" person on the bell curve which, in and of itself, makes me unique.

But I haven't achieved super stardom.  In fact, I get excited when one of my old students recognizes me in the store.  There's no way that someone with such a mundane existence could ever be a household name. It takes special circumstances from birth to achieve that... right?

Not according to Bill Engvall.  This fantastic comedian who has made so many people laugh and learn to take life as it comes and revel in the ridiculous, had just a childhood.  With just parents (and stepmom, who sounds great, by the way) and just sisters and was just a kid.  And a high school student and a "kind of" college student.  And, Just a Guy.



I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to Mr. Engvall's routines over Pandora and on YouTube and through his DVD recordings but hearing this book (audio from OverDrive) I saw the stories behind those stories.  There are several incidents that I remember hearing from his show, embroidered for emphasis, but here is the backstory.  There are some episodes that he recounts from his childhood that make me laugh because I recognize things that my sons would do or have done.  There are some heart wrenching episodes such as his parents' divorce that hit home because of my own situation but gives me hope that my children can succeed even with that difficulty in their upbringing.  It really was a wonderful warm look at the real man behind the laughter.  I enjoyed it.

My only regret is that I wasn't able to see him when he came to the Inn of the Mountain Gods this summer.  The timing and finances weren't right but if he comes back, I'll be right up there, laughing and shaking my head and remembering that even though he's up on that stage he's still, just a guy.

Book Review--The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett

Imagine a story that is like a quilt; each piece can stand on its own and tell a simple story but an artist can piece them together to make a new, cohesive, spectacular whole.

That's what Charlie Lovett has done in The Bookman's Tale.

At first it was a gentle story about a man trying to recover from the loss of his wife.  And it is.

But then it was account of the legacy of a literary treasure.  And it is.

And then it was an adventure tale complete with murders and escapes.  And it is.

Then again, it was the legend of a family feud handed down through generations.  And it is.

After that it was a narrative of a tragic love affair, and another.  And another.  And it is.

How can one book be all that and still be a cohesive story?  You'll have to read it to find out!


Paired with some quiet time and a cup of tea or hot chocolate, the Bookman's Tale makes for a delicious afternoon.

p.s. for you bibliophiles, there are lots of details regarding antiquarian books as well as book repair--I don't mind saying, I found these just as compelling as the rest of the story because they were interwoven with the meaningfulness of the person performing the repairs.

New Book Review--Indeh by Ethan Hawk

Powerful

by Ethan Hawke and Greg Ruth

That's the first word that came to mind when I closed the cover of this book.  In colloquial internet-speak, it hit me right in the feels.  Oof.

What makes that more meaningful to me is that it is a different format than I typically enjoy.  This powerful historical story is presented as a graphic novel.*

In general, I have a hard time with graphic novels.  Not that I dislike them because of the principle of passing a story through illustrations, there are many readers who were first introduced to the tricky concept of reading through graphic novels, historically referred to as "comic books". I am just a very linear reader that is wholly entrenched in the up-to-down, left-to-right rhythm of reading.  Sometimes the varying shape and sequence of the graphic frames confuses me.  And any switch in the timeline, like flashbacks, is hard for me to catch.

Considering all that, for this book to impact me the way it did, speaks volumes.

I already pity my son's New Mexico History teacher spring semester.  I'm going to make him take it in for her to see; I think this is a valuable asset in any history classroom.

This book addresses a huge part of our history, especially here in New Mexico and the southwest that is misunderstood and largely ignored.  But the story of the Apache Nation and the process of the progress of the "white eyes" across the continent is dramatic and affects many people.

The challenge of writing an excellent graphic novel, especially one that is not intended to entertain with a fictional story but one to underscore the impact of an historical turning point, is balancing the text (minimal) with the illustrations (maximized).  The story has to be carried along on the twin streams of both, running in conjunction and both supporting and compelling each, in turn.

This fantastic work of literature and art does just that. Ethan Hawke and Greg Ruth have worked in tandem to bring to life this snapshot of early American history.  I found the afterword emphasized the compelling nature of the text and commend Mr. Hawk for not leaving this when his first avenue of presentation was deemed nonviable.  This was well worth waiting for.



 *A nod to those who misunderstand the use of "graphic" in this sense. It is not used to refer to something explicit or unsavory.  It is instead using the term to describe something depicted through pictures or graphics (those of you who scoff at this, be warned there are more people out there who have this misunderstanding than you know, do not discount them).

Book Review--Compost

Today we're gonna get low-down and dirty... with compost.

I have a great imagination.  And in my imaginary world, I grow beautiful plants and flowers and have a fantastic garden.  I have plants with leaves of all colors, flowers that range in size from miniscule dots of color to huge splashes of pigmentation that fill the view.  I have red tomatoes and strawberries, lovely cucumbers and green beans and even grand heads of lettuce, nodding in approval.

Yeah, my garden is lush ...in Wonderland.




Reality is more like:

From HOPEFUL!

To HOPELESS (thanks pups)

But, I do persevere.  Which has led me to read several things about gardening and growing things.  I'm always willing to try to green up my thumb (currently it appears to be hairy--I can keep mammals alive; the kids and dogs are thriving).  So, while it may appear to be a random choice, my pursuit of gardening excellence got me interested in all aspects, including:

Composting is not a necessary component of successful gardening but I do find it interesting. Maybe that's the scientist in me coming out again.

Successful composting can be beneficial to your garden by introducing wonderful nutrients and weed-fighting capabilities. I had no idea of the range of types of compost that you can cultivate all with differing times of completion.  Compost: The natural way to make food for your garden by Ken Thompson laid all of the details out in an understandable way.

As we've established, I'm a bit of a geek in more than one area so it won't surprise you to note that I got excited over two different and distinct aspects of this book.

One was the technical information which was thoroughly accurate and based on sound scientific principles and research but was absolutely understandable and readable.  This did not read like a dry, intellectual tome--it was easy to read but I felt confident in the accuracy of the information presented.

The other thing I enjoyed was the visual layout of the book.  I found the page and font colors and the photographs very appealing.  It please my sense of aesthetic as I delved into the depths of a compost pile.  Odd dichotomy but it worked well.

If you are an avid gardener, ecology enthusiast or even just a curious amateur scientist you'll enjoy digging into the details of composting.

Book Review--Dr. Mütter's Marvels

There's no other way to put it.  I'm not a history buff.  I'm definitely not a fan of history books.  I don't really want to get into too much self-reflection on all the whys and wherefores but I will say that one of the reasons is that dry textbooks in school did nothing to make the past appealing or real in any way.

I am, however, a huge fan of science!  And taking a look at scientific developments over the years is VERY appealing to me... so I willingly delve through bygone days learning about history through the lens of science.*

My most recent foray was into the medical field.  While I do have a background education in biology, I never was interested in going on to practice medicine because the only live-specimen dissection I've ever done resulted in dizziness and tunnel vision.  However, my awesome sister and half of her family (eldest son and daughter) are all EMT's and are frequently on call for any kind of medical emergency.  So combining a family interest in medicine and my own wacky curiosity, I was excited to read Dr. Mütter's Marvel's: a True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz.

I was not disappointed!  This was a well-researched, well-presented look at a fascinating mover-and-shaker in the advancement of modern medicine.  The book also was able to place the man and his mission in the wider context of the time period, internationally and within the civil constructs of the day.

I am sometimes leery to read about "medicine" back in the olden days (except those days are not so long ago!) because I tend to get a little too empathetic and can really get bogged down in imagining scenarios in graphic detail (the main reason I don't read accurate historical fiction--there were real people that suffered in horrible ways and there's not always a happy ending for them).  Aptowicz, however, had a knack for describing the scenes in a detailed but not gory way.  She describes the surgical procedures and evidences of disease in a calmly analytical way that didn't invite me to wallow in despair.  That's not to say she shied away from the obvious, just that she did it in a way that wasn't haunting and was very much approachable. The pictures and sketches served to illustrate the point but were not designed to look like a horror film (even though some of the conditions were pretty horrifying).

I came to admire Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter and many of his colleagues for their perseverance in advancing medicine even in the face of social hierarchies, stubborn disbelief in the unseen, and through war.  The humanity shown by Dr. Mutter to his patients was humbling as well as encouraging--he changed the face of patient care and many have reaped the benefit over the years. Patients are people was the thought that underscored his career.

Reading about the now unthinkable conditions of even the best hospitals makes me more and more thankful for living in this modern era.  While new discoveries are always being made, the basic concepts of hygiene, germs, and immunizations lay the groundwork for a life that is healthier and longer than people in Mutter's time--the simple things in life are far less likely to kill us.

If you've ever complained about a doctor, wait time or treatment, maybe take a gander at this book to realize how far we've come in medicine in a relatively short amount of time.

p.s. now I need to schedule a trip to Philadelphia to check out Dr. Mütter's museum!  Anybody want to buy my tickets?

*Some of my favorite science books recently have been: The Thing Explainer by Randal Munroe, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, and The Information by James Gleik.

Book Review--The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and read by Jayne Entwistle; accessed through OverDrive.

As always, "reading"* a book via audio combines two components; the story itself and the presentation by the reader.

*Disclaimer:  I put reading in "quotes" because it is a different medium than visually reading the printed page.  However, I maintain that any way you get the story into your brain is actually "reading"; it doesn't matter the mode.

Back to the story and our protagonist, Flavia De Luce.  Agatha Christie would applaud the cleverness of this sleuth and Arthur Conan Doyle might have used her to give lessons to Mr. Holmes in deductive reasoning.  And Lemony Snickett would have devised a series of ever-more-unfortunate events for this aspiring detective as she is only 11 years old. Do not automatically discount this as a children's book due to the age of the main character.  Her level of logic, deduction and reasoning will give you pause for thought as it all makes sense... from her point of view.  1950's-era chemistry knowledge and scientific practices, as well as a different views on parenting add to the flair and freedom of this phenom of the mystery genre.

... and I like it because she reminds me of one of my children.

The added bonus of listening to Jayne Entwhistle read was that I enjoyed a crisp accent that reminded me where the book took place (UK) and didn't leave me to wonder at pronunciations.  Ms. Entwhistle gives the text a brisk, matter-of-fact pace that reflects the character's personality wonderfully.

The double bonus is that this is not a new book and there is already a series featuring this fun little girl so I don't have to wait to find out what new adventures await Miss Flavia!


Shameless plug:  I borrowed this book from my public library's OverDrive collection.  Check your local library for access to downloadable audio and e-books!