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.