in the tower

The Big Splash - Jack D. Ferraiolo

2009-03-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

i've always said i hate mystery stories. can't ever picture myself reading nancy drew or miss marple. however, i've come to the conclusion that the above statement is not entirely true. in fact there are detective stories that i absolutely love love love. patrick neate's "city of tiny lights" would be one of those. i'm also a big fan of blue balliet's smart interactive mystery series. so maybe it just depends on the mystery. one thing i do know is that i do tend to get a kick out of a good hard boiled detective novel. and wasn't i lucky that a couple of authors have published just such a thing in recent months?

first up is "the big splash". this book may very likely end up getting my vote for best kid's book of the year. it is just that brilliant. picture hard boiled detective/mafia gone middle school. sound messed up? it is. and its funny. matt stevens is a middle school private eye dedicated to upholding justice. so when one of vinny biggs' favourite squirt gun assassins is hit, matt finds himself tangled up on the wrong side of playing field as he attempts to solve the mystery. all he knows is that he'd better be careful or he'll end up in the outs, the least popular club in school.

matt stevens is a smart character and the book is full of fabulous gumshoe witticisms. just check out this sample paragraph: "peter kuhn was the least likely kid to do anything criminal. honor society, basketball star, top of his class. on the surface peter was a happy-go-lucky model student, but underneath, he had a dirty little secret: he was a pixy stixer. he'd go through two or three packs a day. he'd even drink soda through them, as if they were ordinary straws. it instantly doubled the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. two pixy juices a day was enough to send most kids over the edge, bouncing off the walls 'til midnight. by the middle of last year peter was hitting the juice six times a day..."

something about that just makes me laugh. in fact i spent a lot of time just chuckling to myself while reading ferraiolo's book. my only concern is that kids won't get it. i mean i know what noir and pulp are. i've seen my fair share of mafia movies. i know that ferriaolo is riffing on much darker stuff when he penned "the big splash". but most kids don't have those sorts of references in place. so my concern with this is that much of the humour may fly right over their heads. but maybe that's not so bad. i'm not sure i want 10 year olds able to pick up on too many of those references anyhow. regardless, i still think it's a great book, even if i'm not entirely convinced it's target audience will get it.

Burma Chronicles - Guy Delisle

2008-12-28T08:04:00.001-08:00

the third in a series of travelogue-style comics from delisle. basically vignettes of his time spent in burma/myanmar with his wife and young son while on a mission for doctors without borders. i found this one significantly less interesting than his previous offerings of "shenzhen" and "pyongyang". in his previous two books delisle tried to take us into the reality of a couple of places that few westerners ever go. he travelled, and went out and experienced things. because his role on burma is basically relegated to looking after his young son while his wife is on a mission for doctors without borders, his scope is by necessity limited.

this is still a good and interesting book, and delisle of course still manages to get out and experience life in an isolated dictatorship. i just wouldn't recommend it as the place to start if you wanted to read something by delisle for the first time start with "shenzhen" and "pyongyang", and then if you thought those were great definitely read "burma chronicles".

Emiko Superstar - Mariko Tamaki

2008-12-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

the penultimate publication of dc comics' ill-fated teen girl imprint, minx. this is sad. i loved minx. i thought the comics published through this imprint were almost always enjoyable, and were definitely suitable for the public library market. for teen girls getting into comics, or those who were already fans of the medium it was a fun accessible line. i'm not quite sure why after only a year and a half minx was given the axe. it likely had everything to do with money. but for crying out loud dc, you could have given it a bit of time!

"the p.l.a.i.n. janes", "re-gifters", and "good as lily" were wonderful indie comics. "emiko superstar" was right up there on my list. emiko is a bored suburban good girl. when her friends abandon her one summer to go on a young executives retreat, emiko starts to question her priorities. a babysitting gig and a chance encounter with an arty punk catalyze a memorable summer. while shopping emiko receives a pamphlet for a performance art venue called "the freak show". blown away by what she sees emiko determines to reinvent herself as a superstar a la warhol's factory. of course she needs to find some sort of medium first, enter the babysitting job. while doing laundry one day emiko finds her employer's diary. it is a detailed sketch of dissatisfied suburban life, and forced adherence to the status quo. take a few great go go girl costumes and you've got the makings of a real superstar.

of course the ending is bittersweet. but isn't that always the way with summers?

Yotsuba&! Volumes 1 - 4 - Kiyohiko Azuma

2008-12-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

yotsuba is a strange little green-haired girl who comes from somewhere to the left. it would seem that yotsuba was adopted by mr. koiwai while overseas. though the details of this remain unclear. they lived with koiwai's parents in the country. following his mother's death koiwai used his inheritance to purchase a place in the city, and the manga starts with yotsuba and koiwai moving in. yotsuba is incredibly energetic and amazed by the world around her, and before long she has adopted her neighbours as a extended family and is involving them in her zany adventures. yeah. i used the word 'zany'. so what? this is a sweet and funny manga series that is perfect for young people.

Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives Volumes 1 & 2 - Ellen Schreiber

2008-12-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

raven is back. this time in graphic novel format. following in on the trend of making graphic novel adaptations of popular youth books: artemis fowl, daniel x, young bond, redwall, avalon high, and warriors just to name a few. the "vampire kisses" series of books is vampire romance at its fluffiest. the graphic novel makes it just that much lighter. volume 1 is a particularly insubstantial tome coming in at about 1/3 the length of a typical manga tankobon. if you enjoy the "vampire kisses" series and you like manga you'll probably still get a kick out of seeing how artist rem depicts all of the characters. the goth punk style of clothing is particualrly fun. but i still can't quite figure out the reason for such extreme brevity. perhaps just so they have to spread the series out over more volumes.

but, "what's the story about?" you might ask. and i might well answer. goth girl raven and her vampire boyfriend, alexander, are set upon by alexander's cousin claude and his gang. claude, a half-vampire, is intent on procuring vials of pure vampire blood that his and alexander's grandmother has hidden somewhere on her estate in dullsville. apparently claude's ingestion of these vials will enable him to become a full vampire. of course alexander is set on stopping him, fearing that claude is not capable of handling the powers of pure vampiredom. and so a struggle between to the two sides ensues. check out tripp, claude's geek-chic, cellphone addicted sidekick. stylistically speaking, he's by far my favourite of the newcomers.

Generation Dead - Daniel Waters

2008-12-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

vampire love stories have been done to death. ahem. werewolves aren't far behind. with all of this recent "twilight" mania sweeping the nation there's one classic monster who i'm sure was starting to feel a little left out. oh, those poor old zombies. zombies are never romantic heroes. zombies never get the girl. zombies always get shot in the head. (or if you take the advice of the zombie survival guide, the head should be severed with a blade, as blades don't need to be reloaded. my kendo sensei would argue that a blade would be problematic however as it would quickly dull. in fact we actually had this discussion at kendo just a few weeks ago.) anyway, the point of the matter is that zombies have been demonized for too long and it's about time someone gave the poor shuffling, moaning corpsicles a break. thank you daniel waters.

here you have it, "generation dead". for some reason american teenagers have been returning from the grave. however, they don't appear to be out for brains, so much as grades. they shuffle back home and attempt to pick up their lives where they were so abruptly cut off. of course, not everyone is happy to have the walking dead hanging around. some of them are abandoned by their families. some are killed again in zombie hate crimes. and some are not allowed to join the high school football team. of course, my calling them zombies would be considered a bit of a faux pas. in "generation dead" there are perfectly good pc terms for these guys: differently biotic or living impaired.

i quite liked this book. basically it is the story of tommy williams a zombie kid at oakvale high and phoebe the goth girl who falls in love with him. because relationships between zombies and "breathers" aren't really accepted this causes no end of problems. there's a love triangle; phoebe's good friend and neighbour, adam, is also in love with her, but is doing his best to support her. phoebe's best friend, the punky pink-haired margi is absolutely terrified of the zombies ever since her friend colette returned from the dead. and there's pete, your typical dumb bigoted football jock who's intent on causing problems for all of them. everything comes to a rather edge of your seat conclusion in the last few pages. my only complaint being that waters never addressed the issue of the somewhat dodgy zombie research facility. are they really good guys? or could they be responsible for a string of zombie deaths across the country?

ah well, nothing's perfect. and perhaps he's saving that for the sequel. it was nice to see the zombies get theirs for a change.

Alexandria of Africa - Eric Walters

2008-11-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

alexandria hyatt (*cough* paris hilton *cough*) is a spoiled little rich girl. think the flesh wastes of "my super sweet sixteen" (thank you charlie brooker for that vivid phrase). when she's caught shoplifting, a judge having a bad day decides that her lack of remorse demonstrates an attitude severely in need of adjustment. so he sentences her to a stint in a juvenile detention facility. at the end of the day the prosecution decides that they are willing to make a deal and offer alexandria a choice between serving a term in juvie or going to kenya with an organization called free the children where she will help build school houses. after a brief consideration she chooses the latter figuring it will be easy enough to avoid any real work and come home as if she's just had a vacation.

of course alexandria's pampered lifestyle sets her up for a bit of a reality check when she is faced with only having the bare essential on the compound once she gets to kenya. her fellow volunteers (alexandria is the only one participating against her will) are all so friendly and wholesome and the poverty of the people where they are working really start to get to her. of course she ends up experiencing things and meeting people that will ultimately change her for the better. a bit didactic , and the moral is obvious, but it's still a great read and i had trouble putting it down.

Broken Soup - Jenny Valentine

2008-11-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

when rowan's brother jack died her family fell apart. since that day she's been busy just trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy. her father has left and seems to be blind to the difficulties that rowan is now facing with a semi-catatonic mother and a six year old sister that she is now caring for on her own. and suddenly one day things begin to happen. a strange boy at the supermarket hands rowan a photo negative claiming he saw her drop it, although she's never seen it before. at school the next day rowan is introduced to bee who saw the exchange and is interested to see what is on the negative. they go back to bee's house where they develop the photo in the tub, which turns out to be a picture of jack laughing.

this mysterious event is just the beginning, and suddenly things are getting better for rowan as she allows herself and stroma to be drawn into relationships with the friendly, outgoing bee, her laid-back father, and cure baby brother, not to mention harper, the boy from the shop who is traveling the world and lives in an ambulance. all of these people help rowan start to build a family again, but unfortunately before things can really get better they must first get much worse.

i really loved this book, and the fun notebook graffiti cover should entice people to pick it up off the shelf.

Godchild Volumes 1 & 2 - Kaori Yuki

2008-11-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

gothic mystery manga. i like it. told in a series of short stories that pretty much stand alone, it unlike a lot of manga that i've read it doesn't seem to focus much on a continuous developing plot.

the earl cain hargreaves is a young aristocrat in victorian england with a dark past. it is said that like his namesake he is cursed by god. having endured a brutal childhood he now attempts to get on with his life while taking care of his young charge, his half sister, mary weather. wherever cain and mary weather travel though, it seems that trouble is never far behind.

all of the stories have a dark gothic tone to them that suggest the supernatural, but tend to have everyday explanations. think du maurier's "rebecca", wilde's "the picture of dorian gray" and conan doyle's "sherlock holmes" as shojo. and you're starting to get the picture.

Jellaby - Kean Soo

2008-11-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

here it is. the 50th post of 2008. i did it. i have officially read 50 books this year. take that 50 book challenge! if you're interested google "50 book challenge" and check it out. mind you i've actually read much more than 50 books this year, but i only blog about the kid and teen books i read. i decided that my reading of grown up books shouldn't come with additional homework.

i think "jellaby" is a good book to hit 50 with. a graphic novel i've been meaning to read for a while. thank you kean soo for such a cute book. told in shades of purple, with the odd dash of colour, such as portia's red hair clip or jason's orange t-shirt, i couldn't help but be reminded of "harold and the purple crayon". and you could certainly do worse than that.

when portia and her mom move to a new town, portia has difficulty making new friends. of course i'm sure it doesn't help when her classmates are giving book reports on "horton hatches the egg" and portia decides to do "reason and emotion: classical and romantic philosophies in tom stoppard's arcadia". thankfully this is the only bit of academia in the book, otherwise i'm sure it would alienate it's intended audience.

one night portia looks out her window to see a strange dragon-like creature running off into the woods. she gives chase and brings the lost and frightened creature home with her. this is jellaby. although jellaby is a creature of few words, he is very expressive, and has a well-defined sense of right and wrong. when portia and jellaby witness the school bullies picking on the aforementioned jason, jellaby spurs portia to action. the three become friends and decide to work together to get jellaby to toronto where he will hopefully be reunited with his family. there's a great illustration of a go train station that really brought me back to my days in outer suburbia.

a wonderful graphic novel by a regular contributor to the popular "flight" anthologies.

Ways to Live Forever - Sally Nicholls

2008-11-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

this is a sad book. so, if you're going to read it make sure you have a box of tissues handy. "ways to live forever" is the story of sam, an 11 year old boy dying of leukemia. told in the first person, in the form of diary entries, lists, and stories, sam shares with readers his memories and dreams.

nicholls' character is a smart, creative boy, whose questions about the bigger picture (life the universe and everything) have a certain urgency, due to his illness. sam spends a lot of time thinking about death. where do you go when you die? does dying hurt? how do you know you are dead? what if you were accidentally buried alive? his home tutor encourages him to do research to discover the answers to these questions.

sam is a lovable child, and his inevitable death, coinciding with the end of the book, although expected, is nonetheless incredibly sad. nicholl's deals with the death of a very real seeming boy in a very real seeming way. perhaps a good book to help those who know someone who is suffering from a terminal illness.

High School Debut Volumes 1 to 4 - Kazune Kawahara

2008-11-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

this is possibly the cheesiest manga i've read in a long time. and that's saying something. but for some reason, despite the incredibly high levels of cheese (thank goodness i'm not lactose intolerant), i really like this series. it probably takes me about 30 minutes to run through an entire tankobon, so there's not really much in the way of a time commitment. and it's fluff, pure and simple, so there's not really much in the way of any sort of mental commitment either. and some days that's a good thing.

"high school debut" is the story of middle school jock haruna, who decides that when she enters high school she will put away the cleats in favour of high heels and try to make herself over to be more girly in order to get a boyfriend. needless to say haruna's natural inclinations lie more toward sweatpants and trainers, and her understanding of how to appear more feminine is culled from various teen girl magazines. try to imagine living your life based on rules laid out in "cosmo girl", "ym" and "seventeen". long story short; it's a complete disaster.

haruna decides she may need a little help with this goal, and decides to enlist the help of a coach, a "love coach". she chooses a cute upperclassman named yoh. she actually walks up to the guy and asks him to help train her to be more attractive. of course, no shock here, yoh looks at haruna like she's an alien, says "no", and walks away. this being a romantic high school manga though, yoh eventually changes his mind and agrees to coach haruna under one condition, she mustn't fall for him. well, we all know where this is going, right? right.

if you like fluffy manga in the spirit of "ouran high school host club" or "lovely complex" you might also get a kick out of "high school debut", just be sure to take your lactaid ahead of time.

Getting the Girl - Susan Juby

2008-11-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

i've never read anything by susan juby before, though we do have all of her books at the library. but when this one came in i thought it looked kind of fun so i took it home. it's a fairly thick little book, a good 341 pages long, but it's light reading and i finished it in an evening sitting on the couch waiting for g. to get home from work.

sherman mack is a bit of a nerd, though he fancies himself a real ladies' man. much of his life is devoted to trying to make the women/girls around him feel good, and helping them out in anyway he can. sherman really is a nice guy, even if his somewhat overuse of the terms "mack daddy" (does anyone actually say that anymore?) and "the ladies" (ew) does get a little tiresome at times. however, nice guys aren't necessarily the popular guys, and such is the case with sherm.

when sherman starts grade 9 at harewood high he becomes aware of the school's sick tradition of "defiling" girls. when a girl is "defiled" her picture is stuck in all of the bathrooms with a big "D" on it, and from that point onward she is a social pariah, and can expect all sorts of rumours of the most heinous sort to be spread about her. sherman believes that his current crush interest is in grave danger of being the next girl to be d-listed, and so he vows to do everything in his power to find out who is behind the defilings and expose the truth.

armed with his friend vanessa's detective books, a talent for cookery, and a team of devoted if somewhat inept friends, sherman may have just what it takes to bring justice to the halls of harewood high.

Aya and Aya of Yop City - Marguerite Abouet

2008-11-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

a pair of beautifully packaged graphic novels depicting urban middle class life in the ivory coast in the 1970s. the story (started in "aya" and continued in "aya of yop city") focuses on a female high school student named aya, her two girlfriends adjoua and bintou, and their families. i really enjoyed these two books. clement oubrerie's illustrations offer wonderful depictions of abouet's simple story about young women growing up in africa. sort of how "persepolis" offered us a glimpse into the life of a young woman growing up in revolutionary iran, "aya" gives us a glimpse of growing up in africa. one of the nice things about this story is that abouet presents the africa of her childhood, and although in abouet's africa things are not perfect, this is also not the negatively sensationalized africa of the evening news plagued by war, famine and aids. if you are a fan of more mature graphic novels like "persepolis" or guy delisle's travelogues, i highly recommend taking the time to read "aya" and "aya of yop city".

Imaginary Enemy - Julie Gonzalez

2008-10-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

wha?! i was pretty confused for the first half of this book. we had it catalogued as ya, but our protagonist, jane, spends the entire first 109 pages progressing from elementary through to middle school. it's not until page 110 that she actually hits high school. so you can understand my confusion. here i am reading a ya book and the main character is only in grade 2. for a long time. not just a quick flashback to explain everything that came before.

"imaginary enemy" is the story of jane white, who feels like the only neutral colour in a box of saturated primaries. her siblings and her neighbours all revel in their eccentricities while jane decides to toe the line of the status quo in search of popularity and acceptance. two things that seem to elude her. her desire to fit in ends up alienating her from the people who care about er the most.

however, jane isn't as normal as she'd like to think. perhaps the best example of this being her imaginary enemy beelzebub, who she writes to whenever things go wrong in her life. events seem to come to a head though when bubba starts writing back.

The Stowaway - R. A. and Geno Salvatore

2008-10-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

back when i was living in london my roommate g. was all into the "forgotten realms" books, especially the ones starring everyone's favourite dark elf, drizzt. if you don't know the "forgotten realms" think "dungeons and dragons" or "dragonlance" and you've got a pretty good idea. of course he managed to get me into them as well, and we had some good arguments about how you actually pronounce drizzt; would it be like drizz-it or drissed? i was also able to get him to visit the public library in town to fulfill his "forgotten realms" addiction. good times.

ok, now fast forward. the year is 2008 and salvatore, the creator of drizzt has released a "forgotten realms" book for younger readers co-written with his son geno. drizzt is on the cover and i'm sure he was one of the book's main selling points. however, he's really only a bit player in this particular series. here the main character is a young boy named maimun who possesses a stone that presumably has some sort of magical powers that only he can control. unfortunately maimun doesn't have a clue what the stone does so he just carries it around with him everywhere. although maimun doesn't have a clue about the stone it appears that a demon named asbeel does and he really wants the stone, enough to devote many years to tracking maimun and murdering everyone who offers him refuge. ok, so this is your typical high fantasy set it a pre-industrialized world populated by every sort of fantasy creature you can imagine.

but does it succeed? is it a good book? well, it certainly wasn't as engrossing as salvatore's drizzt books, and perhaps trying to sell it as another volume in the saga of drizzt does it a diservice. i didn't love it. however, i'm sure there are lots of people out there who will. and it would be a great suggestion for kids who are into high fantasy and read the junior "dragonlance" books or series like "ranger's apprentice".

Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr

2008-10-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

well, here's another one to add to the list. i really do love dark urban fantasy, and i'm happy to count melissa marr among other great authors of the genre like charles de lint, holly black, pamela dean, and o. r. melling. "wicked lovely" is the story of a high school girl named aislinn who has the dubious gift of being able to see faeries. and they are apparently everywhere. however, since most 'normal' people can't see faeiries aislinn has had to spend her whole life pretending she can't see them or else terrible things might happen. all has been going well and good until the faeries begin to take an interest in her. suddenly ignoring them isn't working anymore. and she's not going to be able to run away. when the summer king decides he wishes to take aislinn for his bride, aislinn must find a way to trick the trickster or else risk losing everything and everyone she loves.

Barnaby Grimes: Curse of the Night Wolf - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

2008-10-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

seems like this is going to be another fun series from the author/illustrator team that brought us the edgeworld chronicles. "barnaby grimes" is a victorian gothic thriller set in the streets of a fictionalized london, england. riddell's illustrations lend the story an air of steampunk as well, which i quite enjoyed. this is the story of barnaby grimes, a tick-tock lad (errand boy) who delivers everything from packages and messages to observations on the aggressiveness of the local bullfinch population. barnaby's preferred method of getting from points a to b is referred to as "highstacking", which is not at all unlike parkour (look it up), which takes him across the chimney's of his city. one fateful night barnaby happens across a large and vicious wolf, which he is luckily able to do away with by knocking it into a vat of glue. however, when he retraces his steps to investigate he discovers that an old friend of his appears to have been a victim of the wolf, though there is nothing left of his body. concerned and curious barnaby utilizes his considerable sleuthing abilities to find out more about the mysterious wolf. barnaby is eventually lead to the door of dr. cadwallader's clinic, and that's when things start to get really dangerous. this is an easy to read story that will be perfect for young people who want a bit of a darker element in the story. however, be warned, this book does get a little gruesome in places and the illustrations (particularly the first one) are somewhat disturbing.

The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle - Catherine Webb

2008-09-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

holy smokes, what is up with these youthful writers? webb, fan, paolini. geesh, its enough to make a girl in her twenties weep. i had a friend in high school that figured he'd better have his first book published before he was 25 or he would be too old for it to have any significance. i dunno about that, but when i read that "catherine webb was just 14 when she wrote her extraordinary debut, mirror dreams." i can't help but feel a little twinge of jealousy. and i don't even have any designs toward authorship. this blog notwithstanding.

"horatio lyle" is victorian adventure story about cynical inventor/policeman horatio lyle, reformed thief tess (to a mr. hardy she claims her last name to be 'derbyville', wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and an aristocrat in search of some excitement named thomas. together horatio, tess, and thomas must stop a group of supernatural beings known as the tseiqin, which seem to be some sort of fairy/vampire cross, from obtaining the fuyun plate, an object of power that will enable them to take over the world and destroy the human race. it's fairly on the edge of your seat exciting, and if you know kids who enjoy a good adventure story, or who like something with a touch of the supernatural then 'horatio lyle' should be a good recommendation.

as an aside, this book made me think of 'hellboy II: the golden army". in 'hellboy II" we're presented with a villain whose aim is to wipe out all of mankind. however, i found it rather hard to hate him for it, and i thought he actually had a pretty good argument. essentially mankind has so royally messed up the planet that the only way to save the earth is to eliminate man. and although, being a human and marked for extermination i would find it hard to sincerely cheer him on, i also found i didn't entirely disagree. this state of mind echoed the desires of the tseiqin in 'horatio lyle'. the tseiqin desired the destruction of mankind not so much so that they could rule, but so they could halt the environmental destruction they saw happening during the industrial revolution. how can you really argue with that? so yes, the tseiqin may be the bad guys, but i find it hard to view them as entirely reprehensible.

Off to War - Deborah Ellis

2008-09-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

i credit deborah ellis' "three wishes" with really opening my eyes to the whole israeli-palestinian conflict. yes, before anyone thinks i'm completely lost under a rock in the boonies somewhere, i was well aware of the conflict before, but in typical detached north american fashion i never really stopped to wonder where it all started. i do know that i had wondered, and continued to wonder why the palestinians and the israelis couldn't simply agree to disagree on some issues, but still manage to live together peacefully and equitably. that, i believe, remains a very good question. "three wishes" was a deeply moving and disturbing book. it is even more to its credit that several groups attempted (and succeeded in some places) to get it banned.

"off to war" is ellis' next non-fiction offering that examines the plight of children affected by war. this time we are presented with an issue that is perhaps a little closer to home. the children of canadian and american soldiers who have experienced what it is like to have one or both parents sent away to fight in a war. there is incredible contrast among these children in how they react to their parent's departure. some fully support the wars, and their parents, whereas some actively take part in the anti-war movement. some children seem to have been practically indoctrinated by the military to believe that the government is infallible and the wars that their parents are involved in are necessary to protect their personal freedoms. some question the validity of all that they hear. some are far too young to fully comprehend. i have my own personal beliefs when it comes to canadian and american involvement in iraq and afghanistan. it is always good to hear the opinions of others on such weighty matters, and especially to hear the voices of those more directly affected by such conflicts. the one thing that manages to come through crystal clear, through all of the different points of view, is that war creates victims out of those who are not even given a voice in the conflict. as grown-ups make decisions to go to war and kill each other and destroy families and cities and countries it will always be the children who are forced to deal with the outcomes, however brutal.

i look forward to ellis' next book in this series, "children of war: voices of iraqi refugees" to be published by groundwood books. also, i would like to encourage people to buy their own copies of this book as ellis donates all royalties to the children is crisis fund (http://www.ibby.org/).

The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry

2008-09-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

what i really want to do is first get something off of my chest that's been bugging me ever since i read lowry's most recent offering... hasn't she managed to firmly ensconce herself enough in the annals of modern children's literature via "the giver" that she doesn't need to stoop to the level of writing yet another book to add to the piles of lemony snickett read-alikes? i mean, really... really? phew, now i feel better. i started off this book hating it, and feeling not a little bit contemptuous toward it. i even debated not finishing it. and believe me, i'm the sort of person who leaves literal tides of unfinished books in my wake. life is too short for unenjoyable literature. sure, i read my fair share of trash, but i'll be the first to admit that everyone needs a little fluff to round out their literary diet. but, for some reason i didn't simply throw this book on the floor in disgust and move onto the next thing in my pile. no, i stuck it out. and somewhere along the line i changed from being irritated by it to quite enjoying it. strange that.

this is the story of the willoughby children. four old-fashioned children, who face challenges and peril with good old-fashioned ingenuity and perseverance. actually, i'm not quite sure there's really much in the way of perseverance, though there is quite of a bit of ingenuity to make up for it. it seems that they have read most of the classics of children's literature and fancy themselves to be somewhat like the characters in those well-loved tales. to that end they endeavour to rid themselves of their beastly parents, because all good, old-fashioned children are orphans. everyone knows that, i mean look at oliver twist and anne shirley for goodness sake. full of sarcasm and mildly dark humour this is a good book to recommend to fans of lemony snicket's series, though you'll need to have more than this ready at hand as it is fairly short and they'll be back soon enough looking for something else.

Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril and Romance - Marthe Jocelyn

2008-09-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

"mable riley" is a story taking place during the early days of the suffragist movement in rural ontario. jocelyn's protagonist, the title character of the book, bears a bit more than a passing resemblance to another favourite canadian heroine. if you guessed the indomitable anne shirley you'd be spot on. like anne, mable is unable to fit into the prescribed notions of young womanhood that colour her era. she is inclined to speak her voice, and is driven to take action to right perceived wrongs, than to simply wait for someone else to take care of things. she can't comprehend an acceptable life of marriage and housewifery, instead dreaming of world travel and fame as a writer. like anne, these things mean that mable is bound to find conflict among the more proper citizens of her community. however, also like anne, her effervescent spirit ensures she also has many supporters. unlike anne, mable's story is used as a sounding block through which children can be introduced to the very real and perilous struggle that was the suffragist movement. mable's friendship with mrs. rattle, a local suffragist opens her eyes to the unfair plight of women in the later part of the 19th century. this is a great book for young girls to learn about an important movement in canadian and feminist history. i'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially fans of canadian historical fiction while they're waiting for the next "dear canada" book to hit the shelves.

The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith

2008-09-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

when these books showed up on the new york times bestseller lists i nearly peed myself laughing. it's so funny because "the vampire diaries" were written in 1991. that's 17 years ago. i probably read them initially nearly that many years ago. and now, because vampires are hot thanks to "twilight", l.j. smith's books finally hit the bestseller lists. weird. or at least i think it is. really, i'd be interested to know how unusual of an occurrence it is for a book to spend nearly 20 years in limbo before being noticed.

well, all things considered, when "the vampire diaries" came into the library i had to read them. mostly for the nostalgia. i was expecting trash, and i was not let down. yes, these are trashy, trashy vampire romance novels. but just because it's trash doesn't mean it can't be good fun. if you have readers who are into twilight or ellen schreiber's "vampire kisses" series, they'll really sink their teeth into these (pun definitely intended).

so, what are "the vampire diaries" about you may ask. well, wait for a moment and i will tell you. here goes: v. attractive centuries old italian vampire shows starts attending a high school in a small town in virginia. v. attractive high school prom queen falls in love with said vampire. they start dating. vampire's equally attractive but slightly more sinister brother shows up. supernatural love triangle ensues. *cough* twilight *cough*. no, seriously, there's nothing wrong with that. i mean its kind of its own subgenre by now, right?

The New Policeman - Kate Thompson

2008-08-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

here it is, august 25th, and the summer's nearly over. labour day weekend's coming up and the kids will all be returning to school next week. although it's been a couple of years since i was last in school, the beginning of september always manages to make me feel a little melancholic. it marks the consummation of those lazy summer days, and it makes me think that sometimes time moves much too fast for my liking. doesn't it seem like july just barely started and here we are at the end of august?

with all of that in mind i really couldn't have chosen a better time to read "the new policeman". jj liddy lives in the county of kinvara in ireland. his family is well-known throughout the county for the incredible ceilis they've been hosting for generations. however, lately it seems as though time is moving faster than it ever has. of course everyone finds things to attribute it to: computers, extracurriculars, cars, etc. and really, who doesn't feel that way? with all of these modern demands there barely seems to be time to truly enjoy and experience life to the fullest. but is that all it really is?

when jj asks his mother what she wants for her upcoming birthday, her response is simply "time". and so, perhaps taking this a little more literally than most would be inclined to, jj sets off to buy his mother some time. and not just in the form of a nice wristwatch. jj sets off to do something about the general feeling of being pressed for time that has invaded his household, and indeed the world. of course this being ireland, you can bet that this is a good point for the fairies to make an appearance and jj's quest takes him through a souterrain and into tir na nog.

this is a quietly brilliant book that addresses a feeling that tends to increase as one gets older. i don't remember time going by as quickly when i was much younger. perhaps it's because the younger you are each day represents a larger fraction of your life. yes, i've spent some time thinking on this. however, back to the book. although i really enjoyed this book i'm not sure how well it would truly resonate with children, and the lack of "real" action may count against it. although it was awarded one of britain's most prestigious book awards in 2005, the whitbread (now costa: gah it's been taken over by the starbucks of britain) it should be noted that the awards are decided by adults and not children. and perhaps that's something to keep in mind more generally.

Life Sucks - Jessica Abel

2008-08-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

abel's graphic novel offers up a hilarious addition to an already well-populated canon of vampire lit. if "clerks" and "buffy the vampire slayer" managed to procreate, "life sucks" would be the result of that unholy union.

dave miller is a vampire stuck in a dead end job. he's the night manager at the last stop convenience store. dave is to dante as his buddy jerome is to randall. dave is the conscientious schmuck that is not only doomed to an eternal hell of vampiric convenience store employment, but must also compete for the affections of human goth beauty rosa with his psychotic surfer jock tormentor wes.

and if that's not the makings of a classic movie, i don't know what is. though i must warn you, i thought the harold and kumar movies were quite witty.

Paul Goes Fishing - Michel Rabagliati

2008-07-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

i really do love paul. i read "paul moves out" a couple of years ago and was really blown away by the honesty of it. although rabagliati's "paul" books can be read as standalones, "paul goes fishing" is actually a continuation of "paul moves out". paul and lucie are settled into their new apartment and settling into life as "real grown-ups". these are lovely quiet books, that ring so true to life i have to keep reminding myself that paul is not michel. rabagliati has a way of celebrating and immortalizing the real day-to-day lives of his characters. of course, he does find ways to tie in, through paul's musings, comments on society and provide a larger picture of the world that paul and his friends and family inhabit, but it is done in a very natural way. very much as though you or i were walking down the street and something like the building of a new large drug store caused us to think about the old building that had been torn down and what this new structure would do to the downtown. if you want a book to read while on your summer vacation that will make you smile in small ways, then may i suggest "paul goes fishing"?

Chiggers - Hope Larson

2008-07-22T16:40:00.001-07:00

this was an incredibly nostalgic read for me. it brought back memories of summer camp, and the social networks that develop in that strange insulated environment. i loved summer camp, and went every year until i was too old to be a camper any longer. i was never a very strong swimmer so i wasn't able to get the requisite life guarding credentials required by most camps to be a counselor. but i suppose that is besides the point. larson's story about a young girl's summer at camp rings absolutely true. abby is back at the same summer camp she returns to every year. but things seem to have changed, and her friends from previous years all seem to have matured a little faster than she has. she is left feeling like a third wheel much of the time, and pining for the way their relationships had been in previous summers. when one of her bunk mates is sent home following an infestation of chiggers (which sounds wholly unpleasant i might add), a new girl named shasta is assigned in her place. shasta is a little weird and somewhat fae in nature and she is immediately disliked by most of the girls who think she is just trying to be cool. however, abby seems to connect with shasta and to her old friends' dismay she starts spending time with the new girl. a wonderful story about summer relationships and girls growing up, a book to be enjoyed by anyone who has ever spent any time at summer camp.

Three Shadows - Cyril Pedrosa

2008-07-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

"three shadows" is pedrosa's response to the death of his friend's child at a young age. really, the book is an allegory on death, and how we deal with the loss of a loved one. one evening, from his bedroom window, young joachim sees three shadowy figures sitting on horseback. these unmoving figures appear to be watching his home. frightened he calls for his parents. their reaction to the figures is one of fear and anger. as joachim's parents attempt to keep him safe, strange events are occurring with frightening regularity that leads us to believe that the shadowy figures are not of this world. it would seem that there is nothing that can be done. but, louis, joachim's father, is desperate to save his child and will go to incredible lengths to do so. this is a powerful story, both frightening and sad about how one family is able to deal with the unshakable presence of death. a truly excellent mature graphic novel.

King of the Lost and Found - John Lekich

2008-07-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

raymond dunne is a swooner. and a bleeder. and a sneezer. high school junior, raymond doesn't seem to have a lot going for him. he wakes up several times a week, flat out on the hall floor of his school surrounded by people's feet. he is a member of his school's "accelerated leadership" program, and he is the self-proclaimed "king of the lost and found". in short, raymond dunne is a nerd. things start to change for him when two popular grade 12 students take an interest in him. janice, perfectionist extraordinaire, is following raymond for an extra credit psychology project. she figures his many afflictions make him a fascinating subject. jack, former basketball star turned loner, is interested in raymond's lost and found booth, or rather what's behind it. together, raymond and jack team up to bring a little bit of happiness to their fellow students at "the grave". this is the nickname given to their seemingly joyless school, run with an iron fist by principal dr. goodrich, who has outlawed all junk food and who patrols the halls handing out good citizenship points or demerits as she sees fit. this has turned hargrave high into a particularly joyless place. but now jack has a plan to rectify that, and he's planning to take raymond along for the ride. a good fun read. made me think of those brat pack movies from the 80s, like "the breakfast club" or "pretty in pink". it just had that sort of feel, and quirky innocence to it, despite the fact that it was only published last year.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

2008-07-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

so card was awarded this fairly prestigious award this year, the yalsa lifetime achievement award for young adult literature. of course, due to card's (depending on what side of the fence you're on) contentious politics, there was a huge flap over him being granted this honour. the big question is, how much should our reading be influenced by the personal views of the author? i'm aware of card's political views (some of which i like and some of which i hate), but only because people made a big deal about him. otherwise i would have continued happily along, totally oblivious to what he thought about gay marriage rights, and would have judged his literature solely upon what was contained therein. the more i think about it, the more i think that that should be the way it is. i don't know what meg cabot's politics are, and yet i read her books. i couldn't tell you whether or not meg rosoff supports gay marriage, and i certainly couldn't tell you who charles de lint voted for in the last canadian election. and yet, i will happily continue reading their books without knowing any of that stuff, or even trying to find out. and perhaps that is the way it should be.

anyway, do this little debate i decided to read "ender's game". i'm not generally a sci-fi fan. i'm not that into alien races, space travel, and wars to save humanity. however, i did kind of enjoy "ender's game". "ender's game" takes place on a future earth, which is suffering from overpopulation. space travel has been developed. and the government seems somewhat dictatorial. in the past humans have experienced two wars with an alien race known as "the buggers", due to their resemblance of large bugs. a third war is eminent, and thus all of mankind is united in preparing to fight this threat. children are selected at a young age (6 years) and sent to battle school where they are constantly immersed in battle games, kind of like high stakes lazer tag or video games. to the children it all seems like a game, but really it is preparation for something much more serious. because young children are so easily molded and learn so quickly, they are the optimal choice for new soldiers. of course this brings up all sorts of questions about child soldiers, the greater good and all that.

because i am a nerd, i couldn't help seeing similarities between "ender's game" and "naruto". the characters in "naruto" are all selected from a young age to become ninja and dedicate their lives to protecting their countries by killing enemies. and this is a cartoon. i enjoyed "ender's game", it really is a good book. it didn't influence my politics. at all. it's the beginning of a science fiction saga, and i can't imagine such a thing changing the way i live and think in the real world. and that's what it comes down to, orson scott card, a man, with his own personal thoughts, writing a work of science fiction for people to read and enjoy. i would like to say though, that after becoming more familiar with "ender's game", that i now disagree with card being given the yalsa lifetime achievement award, because i'm pretty sure his books were written with an adult audience in mind, not teenagers. but that's a whole other debate, and i'm not sure i can be bothered.

Little Brother - Cory Doctorow

2008-07-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

the. best. book. of. the. year. hands down, no kidding. i could literally not stop reading this until i finished it. cory doctorow, co-editor of "boing boing" writes the "little brother" to orwell's "1984". marcus, aka w1n5t0n, is a teenaged hacker whose group of friends are involved in an online/real world game called "harajuku fun madness". one day, while skipping school to find the latest "harajuku fun madness" clue, they find themselves caught up in a terrorist attack and taken in by the department of homeland security. when marcus is finally released from jail a week later he can't believe how much his world has changed. in the wake of the largest terrorist attack since 9/11, san francisco finds itself a mini police state. everything is controlled by a paranoid government, and san francisco is fast becoming very scary. marcus, a natural rule breaker, finds that these restrictions to his inalienable rights and freedoms are a little too much to bear, gets to work hacking, and gathers a group of young people (don't trust anyone over 25) who set out to bring down the system. set in the united states of the near future, doctorow makes use of real and existing technology in "little brother" and succeeds in even geeting a n008 like myself thinking about security and technology issues. there is an awesome bibliography in the back. i would recommend this book to anyone, teens and grown-ups, who are feeling up to a revolutionary and exciting read this summer.

Holes - Louis Sachar

2008-06-29T09:33:00.001-07:00

another one to add to the list of books it took me way too long to get around to reading. "holes" was awarded the prestigious newbery medal in 1999. it's remained consistently popular over the years and my library definitely ensures we maintain a circulating copy. so, with the knowledge of the aforementioned list in my mind, i decided that i want to make a concerted effort this summer to spend some time catching up on blockbuster junior and young adult titles that i never read at the height of their popularity. "the golden compass" is another one of these. "eragon" was another one. i tried to get through it back in april, but i have to admit (and this will probably set me up for attack by legions of rabid paolini fans) i just didn't dig it. probably has something to do with the fact that although i do enjoy fantasy, i don't tend to like dragons. go figure. much more into elves and vampires. but oh well, it takes all kinds.

back to "holes". what a great book! i can't believe i put off reading it for so long. it definitely deserved the recognition it got. "holes", in case you are slow getting around to it also, is the story of stanley yelnats, who is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to a juvenile facility for stealing a pair of running shoes. the juvenile facility possesses the seemingly facetious name, "camp greenlake", is located in a barren texan desert. the kids serving time there are expected to dig a five foot square hole every day in the blistering texas heat. i'm pretty sure this cruel and unusual form of punishment would be considered illegal, but for the sake of the book i am willing to let that slide. suspension of disbelief if you will. "holes" is about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of injustice, but is told with sachar's dry dark humour (which i've just made sound inaccessible, but really it isn't). i can absolutely see why nearly a decade later "holes" continues to maintain the interest of young readers.

Submarine - Joe Dunthorne

2008-06-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

is it possible for a coming of age epistolary set in britain to not put the reader in mind of a certain adrian mole, aged 13 3/4? something tells me it isn't. young mole has so permeated most people's consciousness that even the authors of such books do not attempt to mask the fact that their work will be compared to townsend's and have a (not unfunny) tendency to make comparisons themselves within the text. this is of course the case with joe dunthorne's "submarine".

oliver tate, "submarine's" main character and narrator parallel's the eponymous mole in various ways. however, despite this, oliver is a unique character unto himself. i can't help but like him, even though i think him a bit of a freak. oliver seems to be absorbed in a world all his own. it's a world peppered with obscure vocabulary, daytime tv self help talk shows, sexual awakening, imperfect parents, and several slightly bizarre instances of stalkerish behaviour. i think i would have like to have been oliver's friend in high school despite his somewhat serious case of social awkwardness. it seems that his self-directed melodramas never fail to keep his life interesting. i recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed adrian mole. but remember, this is a bit more of a modern take on the teenaged experience and as such is prone to be somewhat more honest and graphic.

The Last Exit to Normal - Michael Harmon

2008-06-23T16:36:00.001-07:00

i really liked this book. i liked it so much that when i got home from work the other night i pretty much just sat on the couch and rad until it was done. "the last exit to normal" is a coming of age story told from the pov of 17 year old ben campbell. ben's life has been rather difficult the past few years due to the fact that his dad came out and his mother left. since then ben has had to accept the fact of his father's homosexuality and come to grips with his mother's abandonment. mostly, he has chosen to do neither of these things and has let his anger lead him on a downward spiral of drugs and skateboarding. at 17 ben suddenly decides that enough is enough and that he's ready to clean up his act and make peace with his dad. this seems to be a rather mature decision for a 17 year old to make, but what the hey, i'll let it go. unfortunately, ben seems unable to keep out of trouble for very long and he is soon involved in a car chase with the police that culminates with him driving into a house. understandably his dad is unimpressed and he decides to uproot ben and move to rough butte montana, ben's momdad's (the name ben uses for his dad's partner) hometown.

ben's move to rough butte sees ben having to come to terms with many of his prejudices. as a city boy he views the inhabitants of rough butte as hicks and rednecks. ben's skate punk style is severely out of place among the more conservative population in his new town. in terms of his dad's sexual orientation, ben assumes that everyone in rough butte will be homophobic and that things for him as well as his father will be rough. this provides an opportunity for ben's own homosexual prejudices to show themselves. and finally, there is the boy next door who ben believes is being abused by his father, but he is told time and time again to let it slide because people in rough butte have their own ways. i could take tonnes of time and space here and go on about deeper meanings to all of this stuff. however, i will instead suggest that you read this book and make up your own mind.

Maid Machinegun - Aaliyah

2008-06-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

ooookay. i did know that this novel was set in a maid cafe in tokyo's akihabara district (apparently the place to be if you happen to be any kind of otaku living in japan). so, it's a bit of a weird concept to begin with, but considering how hot japanese culture (manga/anime culture specifically) is right now, i thought, 'what the heck, could be fun". to be honest it wasn't quite as fun as i thought it would be. the narrator is a 15 year old girl named aaliyah who is passionate about dedicating herself to doing the best she can working as a maid. her dream is to see her cafe one day become very successful. she seems to have no life outside of the cafe, and doesn't appear to attend school or have a family or any friends aside from the people in the cafe. the word "maid" is used almost to excess in order to convey her obsessiveness. and then, right at the end, we get a rather bizarre twist. now all that said, it's pretty good for explaining various details about manga culture that some people aren't familiar with and introducing the world of japanese manga fandom and cosplay. but i'm just not too sure about it, am i?

God Save the Queen - Mike Carey

2008-04-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

absolutely brilliant. a dark urban fantasy in graphic novel form. i'd put this right up there with bill willingham's fables. the story of a battle for the realms of faery between two famous queens: titania and mab. although titania and mab are both shakespearean creations, they are depicted in "god save the queen" as the representatives of the seelie and unseelie courts. under titania's rule faery is beautiful and light, under mab it it dark and torturous. neither is good of course, i mean these are faeries we're talking about. not quite the cute little disney-fied pixies of contemporary creation. it seems that the one being with the key to turn the tides of the battle in titainia's favour is a young changling who is unaware of her faery heritage. stop me if you've heard this one before. i know, i know, it's been done (holly black, cassandra clare, o. r. melling and charles de lint to name but a few) but i'm not complaining because carey does it quite well. the art is awesome and the story's as good as anything you'll get from neil gaiman. my only complaint is that there's a few too many gratuitous underwear scenes. but then, what do i expect, it is a comic book after all.

Tank Girl: The Gifting - Alan Martin

2008-04-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

i saw the tank girl movie back in high school. probably in grade 10 or 11. i thought it was awesome. the creators of tank girl and the fans of the comic book series that spawned the movie all hated it. alan martin and jamie hewlett, tank girl's creators, hated the movie so much they actually gave up on the whole thing and locked tank girl away. hewlett of course went on to fame and fortune by teaming up with blur's damon albarn to create the gorillaz. ok, so here's the thing. i know the movie was a flop, and is hated by all who loved the comic so dearly before its production. however, as a teenager i saw the film, loved the anarchy of it and went off in search of the (at that time) incredibly hard to find original comics. it was then that i realized that the comics were in fact way cooler than the movie, and that hewlett was a comic god.

so, now hewlett's away and working on the gorillaz and martin comes back with a new tg graphic novel. with new artists. 3 of them. and the result? every bit as raunchy and nasty as the original tank girl (of course, because martin's still writing). but the art is something else entirely. the character designs are a little different, a little sketchier i think, and i find the panels can be a little difficult to decipher at times. the printing style is totally monochromatic and very retro with the screen printing dots very obvious. i'm not sure yet if i love it or hate it. it didn't resonate quite so well as the originals, but then i am a little older now and a little more boring, so that might have something to do with it. what i do love about this new offering though is the cover. which is way different from anything you would have ever seen in the originals. essentially, it's a semi-abstract oil painting of tank girl running with her tank in the background. even if i don't ever come to love the stories i would have bought this book for the cover art and ashley wood's tank girl gallery at the back of the book. for that alone.

Tommy Sullivan is a Freak - Meg Cabot

2008-04-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

another plane book. i actually had about 4 or 5 books with me for the flights to and from england. 7 hour flights. just an indication of how my ability to concentrate on any one thing for an extended period of time goes right out of the window when i find myself worrying about fiery doom. it is very important to ensure that i have several book choices with me. i mean can you imagine the horror if i'd only brought one book with me and found out that i didn't like it, or even worse, i finished it before the flight was over? gah. just thinking about it is stressful.

anyway, that's all besides the point. what i really want to talk about here is "tommy sullivan is a freak" by another of the chick lit greats, meg cabot. i tend to really enjoy meg cabot's books. she's a bit of a guilty pleasure isn't she? like sophie kinsella. yes, you may read their books and enjoy the spice girls-esque girl power nature of them, but you're not going to show up at a gallery opening and try and make conversation about them. i'm just saying. and that being said, i don't think i'd talk much about reading "tommy sullivan is a freak" a whole lot regardless of where i happened to be. this is honestly, one of the worst meg cabot books i have ever read. i know that cabot is notoriously fluffy, but this is beyond fluff. the main character, katie ellison, is popular, pretty and smart. although the only way you'd ever know that katie is apparently smart is because she keeps reminding you about her grade point average throughout the book. if she didn't do this i wouldn't blame you for thinking that katie doesn't have two brain cells to rub together. katie is also dating uber jock and high school heart throb seth turner. she's not all that into him though because she's constantly making out with or thinking about making out with various other boys. every page seems to be a litany of how hot this guy or another is. it gets old fast. katie is supposed to be the girl with character, but she comes across as way too vapid to ever make it believable. if you like meg cabot go ahead and read the rest of her bibliography, but give this one a miss.

note: apparently in england the book is called "tommy sullivan is a freak" and over here in canada it's call "pants on fire" thus explaining why the jacket picture and the title from the review seem a little at odds.

Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella

2008-04-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

i had to fly to england a couple of weeks ago and decided that i needed some very light reading material for the plane. i am a notoriously bad flyer and needed something that would not be stressful at all. so, back to that old, reliable stand-by, chick lit! although i'm not a fan of kinsella's shopaholic series, i do actually really enjoy her other stand alone titles. "remember me?" is her newest standalone offering, and i was quite looking forward to it. lucky for me it did not disappoint. it wasn't enough to fully take my mind off of the fact that i was 36,000 feet up in the air, nothing except possibly prescription medication would do that, but it certainly didn't add any extra stress either. thanks to kinsella for that.

the story is about a young woman, lexi smart, who wakes up following a nasty bump on the head to find that she is suffering from amnesia. lexi's memory abruptly stops about 3 years prior to the current date. although not a lot of time to miss out on - she does remember who she is, she knows her mother, she remembers going clubbing with friends 3 years ago - it seems that quite a lot has changed in that short period of time. lexi is no longer a simple office drone, but has moved into a managerial role, she has married a very attractive, rich man, her old friends seem to hate her and she appears to be having an affair with one of her husband's colleagues. all of this is so far removed from the person she remembers herself being that lexi has her work cut out for reconciling the woman she remembers being and the woman she appears to have become. the major question that needs to be answered then, is whether it is possible for lexi to remain the person she is (or was 3 years ago) and maintain the (admittedly desirable) lifestyle that the new lexi has established. all of the endearing/enduring hallmarks of the chick lit genre, along with kinsella's enjoyable light and airy style. if you like this kind of thing this is a great read. g. handed it off to his sister after we arrived in england. it would seem that she is into this sort of thing too, and it was nice to see the book going to another good home after i was done with it.

Queen Camilla - Sue Townsend

2008-04-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

so, i'm pretty much familiar with townssend through her adrian mole series, you know, "the secret diary of adrian mole aged 13 3/4". a great series that is as funny as it it depressing. "queen camilla" has townsend continuing to display that painful comic talent that seems to be such a penchant among the british. have you ever noticed that british comedies don't often attempt to make you laugh out loud in the way of american comedies (which try to do so and so often fail). instead of inspiring a hearty "hahahaha", i find that my reaction to most british comedies is a groan of sympathetic pain mixed with a laugh. i know the germans have a word for it, schadenfreude, but the british have done so much to perfect it. anyway, that was a long and very tedious way of saying that like "adrian mole", "queen camilla" displays the same sense of painful humour, and maintains a focus on the defining aspects of british life, but there's royalty involved now.

in "queen camilla" townsend has written a dystopian novel with more than a few hints of nineteen eighty-four. all of britain's societal rejects: the morbidly obese, teen aged single moms, pedophiles, and the royal family, just to name a few have been rounded up and made to live in exclusion zones. these are areas of terraced housing that have been fenced off to segregate them from the rest of the population. used to lives of luxury the royals are coming to terms with what it means to live a bit more frugally. charles appears well chuffed about the red plastic washing basin he acquired for only a pound at the everything a pound store. and while there is some talk that a change in government may result in the reinstatement of the monarchy, not all of the royal family are quite so willing to head back into the limelight. but real problems arise when the prime minister introduces an anti-dog bill, limiting british households to one dog per, and charging exorbitant fees for the keeping of that dog. and while the royals themselves suffer through a state of impotence, their canines are not about to take this lying down.

Flight - Sherman Alexie

2008-04-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

zits is a fifteen year old orphan. his father, an indian, left his mother "like a cruel magician" during zits' birth. his mother, irish, died of cancer when zits was still a kid. passed around from foster home to foster home zits is trying to come to terms with his heritage, trying to understand both sides of his ancestry. however, life hasn't been easy and although some foster homes have been better than others, many have been downright abusive, and something always happens that makes zits leave. zits wants the world to stand up and take notice of him, to acknowledge his existence, and to this end plans to commit a massive act of violence. however, something stops him, and instead he is taken on a spiritual journey into the past where he lives the lives of an fbi agent in the 1970s in red river idaho, an indian child during the battle of little bighorn, an indian tracker in the 19th century, an airline pilot, and a homeless indian man. these past lives culminate in zits developing an understanding of the person he actually is. a powerful and disturbing story that is both hilarious and painful to read, like "the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian", "flight" is another excellent contribution by alexie.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life - Wendy Mass

2008-03-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

by the author of "a mango colored space", "jeremy fink and the meaning of life" is a great mystery novel for kids. if you enjoy the work of blue balliet you'll want to check out this new offering from mass. on his thirteenth birthday, jeremy fink's father is told by a fortune teller on the pier in salt lake city that he will die when he is 40. his dad cannot help but let his life be coloured by this dire prediction, and so chooses to embrace life and live by the motto that one should always eat dessert first. in his 39th year, when jeremy is 8, jeremy's dad is killed in a car accident. never having quite gotten over this jeremy does not like surprises, has a limited diet of peanut butter sandwiches and candy, and refuses to venture more than four blocks from his apartment. shortly before jeremy's thirteenth birthday his mother receives a package in the mail. jeremy and his best friend lizzy cannot resist the temptation and open the package, only to find a locked box inscribed "the meaning of life: for jeremy fink to open on his 13th birthday". the box is from jeremy's dad. however, the box needs four keys to be opened, and the keys have been lost. thus, jeremy and his friend lizzy are thrust into an adventure that will take them through the summer and they will go places, do things and meet people that they never would have suspected. as jeremy races against time to find the lost keys that will unlock the meaning of life in time for his thirteenth birthday. this is an exciting mystery that kids will be excited to solve.

What I Was - Meg Rosoff

2008-03-16T08:22:00.001-07:00

meg rosoff is officially my favourite ya author. i really think that this woman cannot fail to write a psychologically gripping novel. one of the most amazing things about her i think is that she hasn't fallen into the trap of repetition. although i think i would be able to recognize a rosoff book if presented with one, it is not in the same way that you recognize a book by the hooblers or by hiaasen. "what i was" takes place in the early 60's, and is set in a somewhat decrepit boarding school on england's south-east coast. the narrator is a teen aged boy, who is, according to himself, rather non-descript in both character and appearance. he is one of those boys of who it might be said is failing to reach his potential, but you might just be being polite in saying that. desperate to escape from the gaol that is this particular british public school he befriends a young man who lives alone in a fisherman's shack on the shore. finn is everything our narrator is not, self-assured, capable and beautiful, although somewhat socially inept. as their friendship grows rumours of "perversion" grow and the narrator's need for finn's company eventually lead to destruction. another great book by rosoff, and quite a bit darker than most boarding school novels. don't expect the public school system to be presented with many redeeming qualities herein.

Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones

2008-03-10T18:49:00.001-07:00

who knew that there was a sequel to "howl's moving castle"? i'll let you know who didn't know. yeah, that would be me. which is extra funny because "howl's moving castle" is one of my favourite books of all time (as well as an excellent animated film by famed director hayao miyazaki). bad llama. anyway, although howl, sophie, and calcifer, as well as several other residents of ingary that were introduced in "howl's moving castle" make appearances in "castle in the air", the latter does not really build on the plot of the former.

in "castle in the air" the story centres on a young and starry-eyed rug merchant named abdullah, who lives in the desert city of zanzib. he spends much of his time dreaming that he is actually a prince who was stolen from his royal family by bandits and will one day marry a princess, etc. one day he experiences a chance meeting with a strange man who sells him a magic carpet and from there the story takes off (ha!). the magic carpet transports abdullah to the garden of the princess flower-in-the-night. they fall in love, but the princess is stolen by a djinn. abdullah thusly embarks on a quest to rescue the princess acquiring a genie in a bottle along the way. can you say aladdin? anyway, it's a fun story, though i do wish that my favourite ingarian trio played more prominent roles. ah well. there's a third book to the series that is coming out this summer (house of many ways). i highly recommend you read the works of this great british writer if you enjoy high fantasy... anything along the lines of j. k. rowling, o. r. melling, charles de lint or pamela dean.

Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil - Jeff Smith

2008-02-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

huzzah! the great jeff smith has done it again. here, collected into on hardbound graphic novel is smith's reinvention of the classic dc superhero captain marvel (can anyone tell me why dc has a captain marvel?). fleeing from bullies, street kid billy batson runs down a strange subway tunnel and into the presence of a wizard who instills upon him a magic word (if you guessed shazam then you win a cookie!) that will transform him into captain marvel, the superbeing that he will now share his existence with. along the way billy locates his long lost sister, befriends a djinn, and ends up having to save the world from evil (the monster society of that is) with the help of captain marvel (who likes mustard and onions on his hot dogs). smith's style that was so clearly defined in "bone" remains present in "shazam!", and the giant monster robots bare a cursory resemblance to the "stupid, stupid rat creatures" of the former, though no mention of quiche is made in the latter. this is a reinvention with a retro feel, and i promise that it won't disappoint smith's fans or captain marvel fans, or anyone who just digs a good fun superhero comic.

Spud - John van de Ruit

2008-02-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

in the spirit of great schoolboy novels (epistolaries) comes van de ruit's "spud". i'm not sure why i put off reading this so long. i kept putting it up on display desperately willing someone to sign it out as i thought it looked like a great book, and tragically no one ever seemed to want to take it home. so i did. this is the story of john (spud) milton, 14year old scholarship winner to a prestigious all boys boarding school in south africa. the year is 1990, the end of apartheid, and this political event creates the backdrop to the story. the school is populated with the usual cast of bizarre teachers, and sadistic schoolboys. however, just because the characters are typecast doesn't mean they aren't realistically or sympathetically drawn.

throughout reading this images of "a separate peace", "the catcher in the rye" and "the secret diary of adrian mole, aged 13 3/4" kept swimming through my head. mostly adrian mole though. something about spud's diary style reminds me of mr. mole, and van de ruit even references the book once. i believe that spud decides that reading the "diary" of a spotty 14 year old boy who drinks too much lucozade written by a woman named sue townsend is stupid, but he can't help but admit that he did find the book rather funny (and adrian mole is, in that painful funny way that is particular to british comedies). diaries, schoolboys, bildungsromans (that's a fancy german way of saying "coming of age novel"), if you like these sorts of things then give "spud" a chance.

American Born Chinese - Gene Luen Yang

2008-02-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

wow. i've been waiting forever to read this book. it was worth the wait. yang's printz award winning graphic novel was amazing. this story is really three stories that all come together somewhat unexpectedly at the very end. there's jin wang, the only chinese kid in a largely white suburb who wants desperately to fit in despite the racism he encounters. when wei-chen sun moves to the neighbourhood from taiwan jin is initially embarrassed to be seen and associated with this somewhat awkward newcomer. then we have the story of the monkey king, an old chinese fable about monkey who wishes to become a god. his desire to be accepted as something he is not eventually leads to downfall. and finally the story of popular all american kid danny who's cousin chin-kee (a horrible chinese stereotype) is ruining his life. what do these three stories have in common? how do they all come together? well, you'll have to read american born chinese to find out. and it's well worth it.

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam - Ann Marie Fleming

2008-02-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

one of my first questions when reading this is why would a filmmaker, who is a self-admittedly bad artist, decide to tell the story of the search for the truth about the life of her maternal great-grandfather in graphic novel format rather than through the medium of film? just happen to be wondering. anyway, fleming sets off on this journey to learn more about her great-grandfather who was apparently a famous and influential magician of the vaudeville era, a contemporary of houdini. her research takes her through the states, to austria, china and australia, and slowly, piece by piece she is able to put together some understanding of who this man was. it is an interesting genealogical road trip that is told through captioned photographs and poorly drawn stick person characters. an interesting read. seems to tie in well with gene luen yang's "american born chinese" in terms of searching for cultural identity, or jason lute's "houdini: the handcuff king" in terms of a historical document regarding vaudeville era magicians. however, i prefer both yang and lute's work to fleming's.

Fool's Gold Volumes 1 and 2 - Amy Reeder Hadley

2008-02-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

just got in fool's gold 2 at the library, but found that i had to go back and reread fool's gold 1 to remember what had happened. something like a year and a half had passed between publication of volume 1 and volume 2. how irritating. each volume in this series ends with a fairly major cliffhanger that makes you want to keep going onto the next one. however, if there continues to be such a long period of time between publication of volumes in this series this whole cliffhanger business is going to get old really fast.

that said, this really is a series worth reading. very girl power. basically, penny, high school fashion goddess extraordinaire, is angry that her best friend keeps falling for his one guy who treats her like dirt. when penny finally convinces katie to seriously dump the jerk, she decides to go on a crusade to rid her high school of jerks. or to at least severely inhibit their social lives and ability to get a date for friday night. she does this by starting a club of girls that meet under the guise of a geology club (it's so boring that they don't have to worry about anyone actually wanting to join.... wait wasn't this done in hartinger's "geography club"?). they label the jerks "pyrites" or "fool's gold" (hence the title) and then place a ban on dating said pyrites. it seems to work amazingly well, the jerks are miserable, the girls are happy and the quiet nerds are getting dates. but you know it can't stay all happily ever after. in volume 2 things are really starting to fall apart. not sure how long hadley plans to keep this series going, but that could effect what happens in volume 3.

read this one cause you enjoy girly comics. read it because penny is a great character. read it because hadley's character design and fashion design in the series really, really rocks.

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 1 - Hiromu Arakawa

2008-02-04T13:57:00.001-08:00

this is a series that i'm a little less familiar with. basically the story behind this one is that the two elric brothers (edward and alphonse) try to use alchemy to bring their mother back from the dead. this is a forbidden use of alchemy, and apparently for good reason. rather than managing to bring back their mother as they knew her they bring back some sort of zombie creature that dies and edward loses an arm and a leg and alphonse loses his whole body. edward manages to save his brother by sealing his soul in an old suit of armour. now the two, who have become state alchemists, are on a search for the philosopher's stone that they plan to use to restore al's body and ed's missing limbs. of course along they way they get into many an adventure and mix-up. and remember, this is a manga series, so don't expect it to reach any sort of conclusion anytime soon. i mentioned in my review of the bleach manga that g. tends to prefer the anime to the manga. i tend to be a little indifferent, and quite frankly enjoy both. however, i find in fullmetal alchemist an exception to this. i actually prefer this one in manga to anime. in fact i think i will quit watching the anime and stick to reading the manga for this one.

Bleach Volume 1 - Tite Kubo

2008-02-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

i've been on a bit of a manga kick. reading the first volumes from a few different series. in most cases it's largely re-reading. i also tend to watch the animes associated witht the mangas, so it's funny to see wherein the differences lie. g. was saying that he likes the animes better because mangas look too unfinished, like storyboards for the anime. probably cause it's just black and white and on newsprint.

well now, back to bleach. what a great series! ichigo is one of my favourite manga/anime characters of all time. bleach is largely ichigo's story. ichigo kurosaki is a high school student in japan. he's weird for a couple of reasons. one is that he's a redhead (ichigo means strawberry in japanese) which means he get picked on a lot. the other is that he's able to see ghosts. when shinigami (death god) rukia kuchiki comes to the human world to destroy a hollow (bad spirit) their paths become inextricably entwined. rukia is injured and so passes on her shinigami powers to ichigo. the first volume is largely ichigo coming to grips with his new powers and a vehicle to introduce the some of the major supporting characters. this is an action packed series with lots of sword fighting. ichigo is always scowling and is considered to be a bit of a bad-tempered punk, but he's really a stand-up guy.

The Gum Thief - Douglas Coupland

2008-01-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

oh coupland. how i love thee. douglas coupland is the stephen leacock of this generation. i don't feel like explaining what i mean by that. just suffice to say that this is what i believe to be true. i got into coupland in high school when i read "polaroids from the dead" and then proceeded to read everything else he had written, and was especially keen on "microserfs", although g. much prefers "life after god". but then coupland when off on this little tangent where he wrote some stuff that strayed from his tried and true formula (see: "all families are psychotic"). however, all was not lost! he emerged from the other side with jPod, which was essentially "microserfs" updated for the new millennium. and the people rejoiced (yay!), or at least i did. and now we have "the gum thief", which is a good bit of fun. set largely in das shtoop (aka staples), the story is told through a series of diary entries, letters and emails. it all starts when middle aged alcoholic staples employee, roger, leaves his diary on the table in the staff break room where it is found by 20 something goth staples employee, bethany. this results in a round about conversation between the two, who develop a friendship. we are also privy to excerpts from roger's novel in progress "glove pond" about a couple of alcoholic academics trapped in a dusty 1970s tomb of their own design. i enjoyed this, and will eagerly anticipate coupland's next effort. oh, and jPod's been turned into a series on the cbc. and i promise that it has endearingly bad canadian production.

Crooked Little Vein - Warren Ellis

2008-01-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

this was loaned to my by s. she had told me about her boyfriend reading it and i had loaned him "transmetropolitan", and he in turn sent this my way. within the first chapter i thought to myself, "wow, this is the singularly most depraved, degenerate, deviant book i've ever read." and yet, i kept reading it. partially for the train wreck effect of reading something that makes your eyeballs hurt, and partly for the fact that it was written by warren ellis, and i highly respect his contributions to the world of comics. anyway, turns out i'm glad i did continue reading it because this novel really is more than just a shock-fest. it's a look at modern america, a country that has seemingly left behind those halcyon roots that were so evident to the world in the 50s. it is about a country quickly travelling downhill, and asking the question if it is really so bad that society is not so strait-laced anymore. it is a redefining of the mainstream and our definition for what is mainstream. if i can find it on the internet it must be mainstream because the internet is mainstream. it is a novel populated with serial killers, junkie politicians and much much worse. it is also a story about a man who thinks he has finally hit bottom being given another chance at the top, and while he's at it finding love. it's a bit of a weird balance, but ellis makes it work. i would exercise caution with recommending this book because it is just that hardcore. however, if you are a fan of patrick neate's "city of tiny lights", or the work of chuck palahniuk, or bret easton ellis this might be something you'd want to give a try.

The Plain Janes - Cecil Castellucci

2008-01-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

woot! minx is dc comics new imprint, whereby the comics giant will publish books of a slightly more "indie" nature that are more aimed at a female readership. no superheroes with ultra-pneumatic bodies here kids. i've been eager to read something from minx since i first heard about it, and finally "the plain janes" landed in my hands. and am i happy it did! mod-ish "main jane" leaves the city after a terrorist attack that lands her in the hospital. her parents, fearing for their safety move them to the safe, yet intensely boring suburbs. on her first day at her new high school jane declines an invitation to sit with the rather catty "cool girls" and instead opts to sit at the loser table, which is populated by three other girls also named jane. the three girls initially ignore jane's overtures to friendship, but in the end she wins them over with a plan to brighten up their little part of suburbia. it's a great story and the characters are sympathetic, and i'm really hoping castellucci writes a sequel in order to tie up some plot lines that were left dangling.

Tales from the Crypt: Ghould Gone Wild - Various

2008-01-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

meh. this graphic novel remake of the old "tales from the crypt" series is seriously mediocre. the art is rather blah, and the stories are rather didactic (yawn). so what do we learn? if you are an evil fashion designer watch out for man-eating handbags; if you are an evil landlord, watch out for the ghosts of your dead tenants; if you are an evil action-figure collector, watch out for demonic toys etc. this is seriously dull stuff. in fact i'm not even going to spend any more time ruminating on it.

Big Boned - Meg Cabot

2008-01-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

ah yes, detective chick lit. fun with subgenres. sarah mason's "playing james" also belongs to in this grouping. in "big boned" plus-size ex-pop star heather wells is working as an assistant dormitory director at new york college. her health food obsessed, marathon running boyfriend has a big question to ask her, and her boss has just been shot in the head at his desk. heather promises her roommate cooper that she will not get involved in the police investigation, but can't help being drawn in by events following the shooting. all of the aspects that define this genre are present in this book; 20 something female protagonist sorting out her professional life, a failing relationship and an unexpected new one, and a story told in a conversational manner, heavy on the humour. so, all in all a good fluffy read.

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

2008-01-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

holly black ("tithe", "valiant", etc.) comments on the front of this book that it is one of her favourite books. and certainly if you enjoy holly black, darren shan, or "buffy the vampire slayer" this is a book you're going to want to check out. clary is a normal 16 year old girl until she witness the murder of a blue-haired boy at a night club by three teens with strange tattoos. turns out the blue-haired boy was a demon and the tattooed teens are part of an ancient demon-fighting organization called the clave. shortly following this event clary starts seeing all sorts of weird things and her world gets thrown into turmoil when her mother is kidnapped and clary herself is attacked. lots of action, lots of witty sarcastic dialogue largely courtesy of jace the shadowhunter (a member of the clave) and clary, and a good twist at the end. this is going to be part of a series, and i'm already looking forward to the next installment.

Verdigris Deep - Frances Hardinge

2008-01-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

first off, i'd like to say what a great word verdigris is. it refers to the blue-green rust that appears on copper. just so you know. well, i would expect a book with such a great title to follow suit and i wasn't let down. an urban fantasy for the junior set, it was surprisingly darker and more suspenseful than i had expected. "verdigris deep" is the story of three friends, who in a desperate attempt to get money for a bus home steal coins from a wishing well in the woods. they are then press ganged into working for the witch of the well granting the wishes that belong to the coins that they stole. all three begin to develop strange powers and they learn that wishes are seldom made by people at their best. it would appear that there is an art to making a wish, but that it has largely been forgotten, and the manner in which these wishes are interpreted becomes twisted and cruel. i suppose that makes sense though. for example, everyone knows that when dealing with faeries you have to be very careful what you ask for as they are very literal beings. i suppose a well witch could be considered akin to a faerie. anyway, if you enjoy books of this genre, such as the writings of o. r. melling, or diana wynne jones, i suspect you would also like frances hardinge's work.

Safe Area Gorazde - Joe Sacco

2008-01-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

sacco does it again. or more accurately this would be sacco's first comics collection, "palestine" having been published the year after "safe area gorazde". and once again sacco draws you into a conflict and really makes you experience the pain of the people. both the israeli/palestine conflict and the bosnian war are humanitarian disasters that the world has largely ignored. but strangely, at the same time we are all well aware of them. the bosnian war was extensively televised, i can remember it vaguely, 13 years ago, so i would have been about that old. and of course most 13 year olds don't pay much attention to international conflicts. but looking back, it's amazing how little was done, as the u.n. just basically stood by and watched the slaughter of thousands of people. in srebrenica 7,000 muslims were exterminated by the serbs. that's in the course of a few days. can you wrap your head around that? because i certainly have a hard time doing so. anyway, this book is brilliant, powerful, moving and informing. read it if you're at all interested in this sort of stuff. aside from reading joe sacco's books, check out linda polman's "we did nothing" to get an idea of how the u.n. has been dismally failing at protecting anyone in the face of genocide and humanitarian crises.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson

2007-12-29T11:04:00.001-08:00

hahahahaha. fun-ny. ok, from the front flap, "a hero with an incredible talent... for breaking things. a life-or-death mission... to rescue a bag of sand. a fearsome threat from the powerful secret network that rules the world... the evil librarians." if that doesn't make you want to read a book i'm sure i don't know what will. of course it could be because i'm a librarian that i find that so funny. anyway, this is absolutely ridiculous fantasy/science fiction writing of the highest calibre for kids. even if you're not a kid anymore it's still a really good read. i learnt all sorts of things, like that dinosaurs aren't really extinct, but they are so useless you rather wish they were, and that stairs are much more advanced technology than elevators. of course, all of this information is being kept from you by evil librarians who wish you to remain ignorant. hahaha.

Zane's Trace - Allan Wolf

2007-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

a novel in free verse. is this becoming more popular lately (see Crank)? the story is told from zane's pov. zane, a high school senior, suffers from epilepsy, which he describes like a werewolf transformation. he has been living with his grandfather since his schizophrenic mother committed suicide and his father walked out on them when he was still small. after his grandfather's death zane makes the decision that he is going to kill himself on his mother's grave site in zanesville, ohio. so, armed with an antique pistol, a case of mountain dew and a box of sharpies, zane sets off in a stolen '69 barracuda. along the way the story takes a decidedly supernatural twist. to some extent it feels like a play on that old urban legend about the guy who picks up the hitchhiker... ok, i won't say anymore, i don't want to ruin it. i enjoyed this book, and because it's in free verse it's actually a lot shorter than it's page count. if i were to be brutally honest though, i really chose the book because it has an absolutely brilliant cover (speaking of brilliant covers, "king dork" also has a brilliant cover and definitely deserves to be read. written by one of the guys from the mr. t experience. good punk band.).

The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud

2007-12-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

move over harry potter. wow. what a great book. d. had suggested this series to me this summer, saying that although it is a children's book the demon (title character bartimaeus) was in possession of a very dry wit, and a love of footnotes. who doesn't love a good footnote (if you, like me, also happen to enjoy a good footnote, please check out "the impartial recorder" by ian sansom)? this is the story of nathaniel, an 11 year old magician in training. nathaniel is very self-righteous and very sure of his abilities. unfortunately he happens to have a bit of a dullard as a master. when nathaniel's pride is injured by the magician lovelace he vows revenge. revenge is to be had in the form of bartimaeus, a fairly powerful and sly demon, whom nathaniel conjures in order to steal a powerful magical article (the amulet of samarkand) from lovelace. thusly, are nathaniel and bartimaeus (much against his will) drawn into a web of magical intrigue.

the book bounces back and forth between being told from bartimaeus' pov and nathaniel's pov. nathaniel's entries tend to move the plot along, though i enjoyed them rather less than bartimaeus' chapters (which have footnotes. did i mention the footnotes?). i really think this book could give old hp a run for his money, but it unfortunately never found quite the popularity. it also made me laugh when reading this, to think of all of the anti-magic hysteria that harry potter inspired. imagine of the same crowd got a hold of this book, which has demons. this makes harry potter's magic look like sunshine and lollipops.

Last Chance to Eat - Gina Mallet

2007-12-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

aside from fantasy books featuring various dark entities, my other favourite genre happens to be food writing. anthony bourdain, jeffrey steingarten, i don't care, if somebody writes a book about food i will probably want to read it. and then eat the things i read about. so i picked up "last chance to eat" from the library. touted as being a more serious foodie's version of "super size me" and "fast food nation". i won't lie to you, it started off very good. the chapters on eggs and cheeses are excellent. and i learnt that pears are only ripe for about 10 minutes. how true. have you ever tried to catch a pear at optimal ripeness? it's no easy task. however, by the time i got to the final chapter, which happened to be about fish, i think mallet had run out of steam, and it just seemed rather rushed. and then (and then!) she finishes up with this absolutely bizarre george orwellian vision of the future of global cuisine. very sci-fi, very weird, and very out of place in what was more of a series of reminiscences. so, a pretty good food book, but not my favourite. if you want something really good check out taras gresco, or the above mentioned jeffrey steingarten, or even (surprise!) ludwig bemelmans' "when you lunch with the emperor".

Vampireville - Ellen Schreiber

2007-12-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

i love this series. it is such goth trash. the third book in the vampire kisses series sees the town previously known as 'dullsville' being redubbed as 'vampireville', by our teen goth protagonist, raven. this time she and vampire boyfriend alexander must stop the nefarious twins jagger and luna from turning soccer jock bully trevor into a creature of the night. with just as much superfluous name dropping as schreiber's previous efforts: "i unplugged my nightmare before christmas alarm clock.", "luna pulled out a pinky paranoid clutch purse from behind the basket." unfortunately, most of the goth brands mentioned in the book are completely made up, so they can't help you pull together the ultimate dark look. however, despite that, this is a great fun read if you are in the mood for some fluff with a little bite (oooh, that was a really bad joke).

Palestine - Joe Sacco

2007-12-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

last year deborah ellis experienced a lot of furor over a book entitled "three wishes", in which she traveled to israel and spoke with children on both sides of the israeli-palestinian conflict. basically, some organizations, like the uja, took offense at one particular story presented by a young palestinian girl whose sister had been a suicide bomber. it presented the story of the suicide bomber, not from the typical western media viewpoint that we normally see, but helped us to understand what would make someone do something like that. i thought "three wishes" was an amazingly balanced book, that presented both sides of the conflict, which is something we don't normally see.

"palestine" accomplishes a similar feat. joe sacco is an american journalist who travelled to israel back in the 90s. "palestine" is the story of the time he spent in the occupied territories speaking with displaced palestinians. it was his intention to share with people the palestinian side of the story. however, rather than do this in a more traditional format (read: book) sacco published his travel diaries in the form of a graphic novel. this is a powerful and informative book, and a must read for anyone with an interest in the situation in the middle east, or who likes non-fiction graphic novels. if you enjoy this sort of thing i would recommend also checking guy delisle's "pyongyang" and will eisner's "last day in vietnam", and of course the rest of sacco's catalogue.

A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore

2007-12-08T19:03:00.001-08:00

i've talked a fair bit about my somewhat shameful love of the chick lit genre. but, of course, chick lit is not the only fluff out there i derive enjoyment from. take christopher moore for example: pure fluff. he's also a little hit and miss (not all of his books are absolutely fabulous), but he is a lot of fun. i first read a christopher moore book back in the early days of high school. it was called "practical demonkeeping", and read it solely because one of the main characters was a demon. i had a bit of an obsession with the supernatural back then (still do) and would eagerly scour the library's shelves for anything to do with vampires or demons etc. hence the discovery of christopher moore.

"a dirty job" is the story of charlie, newly a dad, and newly widowed. shortly after the death of his wife (which occurs shortly after this birth of his first and only child), charlie discovers that he is death. not the death, but one of death's helpers, sort of like santa's elves. only with less toys. minty fresh, one of charlie's "coworkers" refers to their position as "death merchants". anyway, it is now charlie's job to retrieve the souls of the dying and to make sure that these souls are passed onto their proper subsequent vessel. he must also raise a small child who seems able to kill things simply by pointing and saying, "kitty", take care of two hell hounds, and run a thrift shop, which employs a ex-cop and a sarcastic gothic teenager. definitely one of moore's better offerings as of late. and who doesn't enjoy something with death as the main character? it's like that show on hbo, "dead like me", or terry pratchett's mort character. so, if like me you enjoy sarcastic demons and your comedy with a bit of the supernatural, check out "a dirty job", cause, well, someone's gotta do it (oh come on, it had to be said. didn't it?).

Fables: Animal Farm - Bill Willingham

2007-12-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

i think bill willingham is a funny name. don't you? conversely, the fables series is not funny. but it is fabulous. the fables series is willingham's dark reimagining of our classic fairy tale characters who now exist as a misplaced people as the homeland has been taken over by the evil adversary. the fables (as they are collectively referred to as) must now make their way in the modern world, but have established a separate governing body that oversees their action.

the first book in the series, "legends in exile", was done in a sort of hardboiled detective style, with bigby wolf cast in the role of detective. "animal farm", plays heavily on george orwell's novel, but has the less human fables, who must all live away from the city on a specially protected farm, rise up against their human overseers.

i think this is one of the best modern day takes on fairy tales out there, and there are a lot of books out there for anyone interested (notably pamela dean, terri wilding, and donna jo napoli's work), but these tend to be geared more towards girls. the graphic novel format of the fables series, along with its darker, edgier tone, makes it a more likely read for boys as well.

Little (Grrl) Lost - Charles de Lint

2007-12-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

again, one of my favourite authors of all time. charles de lint is one of the masters of the urban fantasy genre (think holly black, francesca lia block and o. r. melling). "little (grrl) lost" is his latest contribution to the genre, and to be honest, i was rather disappointed. not as gritty or as dark as some of his previous work, and the action was a little stilted.

t.j., newly moved to suburbia from the countryside, finds a little in her house. you know littles right? these guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Littles. they're a bit like the borrowers. anyway, seems this particular little is feeling a little stifled (sorry, that was a little joke >_<) and is heading out on her own. t.j. gets involved in elizabeth's escape plan (elizabeth being the little) and chaos ensues. very little of it fairy related. very little of it very dangerous. for the most part both elizabeth and t.j. are fairly safe. it seems they never end up in any sort of situation where they won't be saved by that handy literary tool, the deus ex machina.

meh. anyway, a fun and easy read, but for me as a fan of de lint, and knowing what he's really capable of in this particular genre, i was a little let down by his latest offering.

The Final Solution - Michael Chabon

2007-11-30T07:45:00.001-08:00

chabon has been one of my favourite authors ever since i read "the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay". after being blown away by that hefty tome (which has since spawned a comic series called "the escapist") i went off to read everything else chabon had ever written, most of which takes place in pittsburgh. he also wrote "wonder boys" which was turned into an amazing movie. all of this is by the way, i guess as it doesn't really have anything to do with "the final solution". a short and slightly strange story that involves a retired british detective who may or may not be sir arthur conan doyle/sherlock holmes, a young mute german refugee (the story takes place during wwII), and an african grey parrot that is almost continuously spewing strings of numbers in german. aside from that i won't mention anymore, as i don't want to give too much away.

Horseradish - Lemony Snicket

2007-11-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

best book of quotes. ever. is there anyone who can be as sarcastic and dry as snicket? (i'm currently learning that brandon sanderson comes pretty close to the mark, but that is a review for another day.) "horseradish" is a collection of snicket quotes from his books "along with selections from his unpublished papers and remarks he has made at dinner parties and anarchist riots." i tortured g. by making him listen to me read most of the book out loud. that made it even funnier. one of my favourites relates to libraries, as a librarian i get a kick out of this sort of thing: "a library is like an island in a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded."

Pride of Baghdad - Brian K. Vaughan

2007-11-29T12:32:00.001-08:00

powerful and disturbing stuff. vaughan's version of this story is like an allegory of fear and war. based on a true story of a pride of lions escaping from the baghdad zoo during the iraq war, vaughan anthropomorphizes all of the animals in this story and lets us view the confusion and terror of war through their eyes. is this like a new and brutal aesop? vaughan's previous work on runaways was incredible and had my vote for best graphic novel of 2006. glad to see that the man isn't letting up any.

Beyond the Deepwoods - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

2007-11-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

this was recommended to me by a. this summer. of course, it makes perfect sense that i am only just getting around to reading it now. the edge chronicles, of which this book is the first in the series, are a high fantasy series along the lines of the lord of the rings, or maybe something like the dragonlance books, where a fantasy world has been created in detail and populated with all sorts of fantastic creatures. stewart has done a great job populating the edge with all sorts of things: banderbears and hammelhorns and gloamglozers and slaughterers to name a few. riddell does a great job of illustrating all of the creatures, and nearly every page has one of riddell's truly excellent ink line drawings. i'm a big fan of riddell's art, and i was rather happy when he published his own picture book called 'the emperor of absurdia'. back to 'beyond the deepwoods' though. although i did enjoy the book, and was rooting for the protagonist, twig's, success, nothing really ties up in the end, which is one of the downfalls of some series, and i largely got the feeling that the first book was being used to set things up and establish characters for for future titles.

Pefect Example - John Porcellino

2007-11-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

i read this this afternoon in about 20 minutes. it is a deceptively weighty though fast and easy read. porcellino is an indie comics writer and 'perfect example', is a biogrpaphical piece about the last summer between high school and university in the mid-eighties. porcellino's summer is filled with road trips, hanging out with friends, hiding away, being depressed and listening to semi-obscure punk bands like husker du and camper van beethoven. the comics style is sparse and simplistic. i commented to g. that either porcellino was making use of this particular style to make some sort of creative point, or he was actually just not a very good drawer. g. is pretty sure it is the latter. the simplicity of the art adds a bit of melancholy to the stories though, and if you enjoy indie comics this is a pretty good book.

Maggie the Mechanic - Jaime Hernandez

2007-11-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

i had been doing some graphic novels purchasing for work and was doing quite a bit of research to figure out what are the important titles; what are the titles that are considered classic, influential and important. in essence, who are the big guns? well, hernandez's 'love and rockets' series kept popping up. intrigued, this is one of the books i picked up in toronto. 'maggie the mechanic' is the first of the 'love and rockets' compilations. i gotta tell ya, this is one interesting piece of work. think a latino archies, with some tank girl punk rock sensibility thrown in. it's like the 50s/the 80s/science fiction. this is the story of maggie, who is in fact a mechanic. she travels around the world repairing stuff and having some fairly crazy adventures involving dinosaurs, luchadores, hoverbikes, punk shows, psychotic dictators, and a somewhat unrequited love. back on the ranch, or more specifically, back at maggie's californian apartment that she shares with her roommate hopey, we get a more real life story that involves paying rent, buying new boots, drinking beers, and mooning after boys/girls. it took me a little while to get into this, it really is dense for a graphic novel. mucho, mucho text, and it's certainly not a short and easy read, but once i got into it i really, really liked it and look forward to following up with maggie and hopey in 'the girl from h.o.p.p.e.r.s'.

Castle Waiting - Linda Medley

2007-11-06T08:26:00.001-08:00

i've been on a bit of a graphic novels kick as of late. we've really started getting some more arriving at the library, which has been great, plus i took a trip to toronto not too long ago and couldn't help picking up a few books whilst at the silver snail and the beguiling. one book i was really excited to see arrive at the library was 'castle waiting'. i read this in london a few years ago, but i think the book they had in london was like a digest version, because the one we have here is much longer. publisher's weekly describes 'castle waiting' as, 'a set of linked nouveaux fairy tales, this graphic novel extends the story of sleeping beauty into a modern, feminist chaucer'. i think that's spot on. 'castle waiting' delivers a set of linked tales involving the residents of 'castle waiting', a place where those who are fleeing prosecution can find safety and acceptance. this is one of those graphic novels that really underscores that the genre is not all superheroes and large breasted femme fatales anymore.

The Truth About Stacey & Mary Anne Saves the Day - Raina Telgemeier

2007-11-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

two for the price of one. the second and third books from the baby-sitters club graphic novel series. these books are so nostalgic for me. i used to read the baby-sitters club books all the time back in the day. pure candy. these are just retelling the first baby-sitters club books in graphic novel format. they stick pretty close to the events of the books, but the dialogue (and clothes) have been updated so as to not be so early nineties. oooh, remember fluorescent colours? new kids on the block? there, you see? nostalgia. did you know that you can actually buy nostalgia drinks in asian grocery stores? apparently the taste of nostalgia when bottled (or canned as it were) is a red bean flavour. sorry, that's way off topic. anyway, the second book in the series, 'the truth about stacey', is about stacey coming to terms with her diabetes and settling in in stoneybrook and tying up loose ends in new york. while i was reading this g. asked me what the truth about stacey was. i had to admit that i didn't know. still don't. the title may be a bit of a misnomer. the third book, 'mary anne saves the day', is about mary anne becoming a bit more mature (she always was the baby of the group), the baby-sitters club surviving their first real fight, and the introduction of dawn schaeffer, who moves to stoneybrook from california. these books are lots of fun, and i think for anyone who used to love the series, or for young girls now, they really are a great read.

Someone Named Eva - Joan M. Wolf

2007-11-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

there were so many atrocities committed by the nazis, i wouldn't know where to start in naming them all. 'someone named eva' is the fictional account of milada, a czech girl from the town of lidice. in an act of revenge against the citizens of czechoslovakia, hitler razed the town of lidice, killed all the men and boys and sent the women and girls to work camps where most of them died. however, some of the girls were selected to go through the lebensborn born program which was developed to turn non-german 'aryan' children into good german citizens (read: nazis). basically, the kids were kidnapped from their family and brainwashed into believing in nazi ideals, they would start to believe they actually were german, and would be trained to speak only german, and to forget their mother-tongue. milada was one of the children from lidice selected for the lebensborn. she was renamed eva and adopted into a german family. this is a fascinating story of one of the lesser known events of wwii.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

2007-10-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

wow. i mean, wow. it doesn't happen very often that a book blows me away like this, but when it does, words barely suffice. i'd been waiting for this book to come in for a while. i had read the reviews and was eager to get it for the collection. as soon as it had been processed i eagerly snapped it up despite the fact that i had about 15 other books at home that i was thinking about reading. and am i glad i did. i read alexie's book in about 4 hours, it was so good i just couldn't put it down. this is a memoir in the way of 'angela's ashes', 'a million little pieces', or 'night'. alexie writes into the story of 14 year old arnold spirit jr. experiences and memories of his own life growing up disabled, poor, and with alcoholic parents on the spokane indian reservation in washington. junior, who was born with hydrocephalus is loved and protected by his family and his best friend rowdy on the reservation, but that isn't enough to help a nerdy looking kid from being a constant target for bullies. so after an incident involving a repentant geography teacher, a text book and a broken nose, junior decides that if he ever wants something more for his life he's going to need to get off the reservation, and the way to do that when you're 14 is to attend the high school in the white town 22 miles away. at reardon junior works to break down the racist barriers that exist and must stand up to the ostracization at home that comes from people's perception that he has turned his back on his tribe. alexie tells the story with such power that the reader can't help but be drawn into junior's life and be taught sympathy. the absolutely true diary is an absolutely brilliant book, and as neil gaiman said, there is no doubt that 'in year or so it'll both be winning awards and being banned.' well, it's already been nominated for the national book award and is number 3 on the new york times bestseller list for children, so i'd say it's well on it's way to fulfilling that prophecy.

Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo - Greg Leitch Smith

2007-10-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

i chose this book for two reasons. one much more important than the other. the first was because there were ninjas in the title. the second was because there were piranhas in the title. the ninjas were more important. i really like ninjas. this book has nothing to do with ninjas. not really. and the piranhas are peripheral. i did know that before i started reading though. i'm not completely foolish. i did read the back. what this book is about is a trio of middle school students who attend the prestigious peshtigo prep. there is elias who must deal with the high expectations of his genius family, shohei, whose adoptive family has decided to immerse him in the culture of his ancestors, and honoria, whose science fair experiment involves teaching piranhas to become vegetarians. in a school that has a reputation they find that finding the truth isn't always easy, even when it's in the name of science.

The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

2007-10-10T14:07:00.001-07:00

megan whalen turner won the newbery in 1997 for her book 'the thief'. i don't remember why i picked that one up, but it blew my socks off. i told j. this and she expressed shock that a newbery book could blow anybody's socks off. has the newbery gained a reputation for dullness? perhaps, but turner's book was anything but dull.

set in a made up realm, designed to appear archaic, but to possess some of the trappings of a much more modern society (there are pocket watches), turner's settings have been largely influenced by ancient greece. the the main character of the series ('the king of attolia' is the third book) is eugenides, the thief of eddis. trained to be a thief from his youngest days, eugenides is used to getting anything he wants. he's not a thief in the sense that he is an outlaw though. the thief of eddis is a high ranking position in the eddisian court and reports to the monarch. in his role of thief eugenides found himself caught up in all sorts of political intrigue which required him to use all of his skills as a thief just to keep himself alive. he has been imprisoned and tortured, and the third book finds him married to the queen of attolia and learning to act, not as a thief, but as a king.

it is a hard road for eugenides as attolia and eddis were previously at war, and it was eugenides scheming marriage to attolia's queen that saved eddis. eugenides finds he must work hard to prove himself capable and worthy of the respect of the men in his command. if you enjoy historical fiction peppered with more than a little action, than turner's books just might be your thing.

Geography Club - Brent Hartinger

2007-10-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

did i mention that i'm catching up on posting about books that i read a while ago? like a really long while ago. in the summer long while ago. which means i may not be as fresh about what they were about. but i do remember if i liked them or not. truth be told, i like most of the books i post about. i mean, if i didn't like them i wouldn't finish them, right?

anyway, 'geography club' is about high school sophomore russell. russell just happens to be gay, and he just happens to attend high school in a small conservative american town. so russell figures that the closet is the safest place for him to be. but it would seem to me that closets are rather confining and it's bound to get a little lonely in there. this is a story about russell learning to accept himself, and in the process realizing that he also has some prejudices that need to be addressed. it's a good read, and a hopeful book. the message is encouraging to teens that they aren't ever alone, and there will always be support. as russell grows he realizes that his best girl friend is bisexual, his best guy friend isn't about to quit being friends with him over something like sexual orientation, and that the most popular jock star is is actually very scared of admitting the truth, and the school nerd is braver than anyone ever imagined.

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer

2007-10-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

i just finished reading this one a couple of days ago. and i wanted to write about it quickly so i can return it to the library so that others can borrow it. i imagine there are some young vampire fans out there who will be excited to sink their teeth into this one. ha. it's been a little while since we had a serious new vampire series. not since anne rice and buffy anyway. although if you are into the vampire fiction and would like a bit of a lighter take on the genre i would highly recommend ellen schreiber's kissing coffins series.

now, back to 'twilight'. bella, not wanting to be burden on her mother decides to move from sunny pheonix arizona to rainy, foggy forks washington to live with her dad. bella finds that the novelty of a new student makes her fairly popular at school, except with her lab partner, edward, who looks like he wants to kill her. bella is intrigued by edward and his four siblings, who keep their distance from the rest of the kids at forks high school. it is not until edward saves her life, that bella begins to explore her relationship with edward, which leads to several astonishing discoveries and some good old fashioned danger. probably one of the hottest 'it' ya books at the moment, meyer's series is a must read for anyone who enjoys their romance with a little bit of bloodletting.

The Lost Colony - Grady Klein

2007-09-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

a graphic novel. my consumption of graphic novels has been at an all time low this year. i'm hoping this is soon to change as my library orders in more titles. for the time being though, whenever i do manage to come across a title in our current collection that i haven't read i'm always eager to get it home. and what a disappointment this one was. i had seen the sequel in some catalogues and was trying to decide whether or not we should add it. to be honest, i found the cover of the sequel to this particular book kind of offensive. i did decide that i would give this one a try though and see. and i've got to say, i just don't get it. found the plot confusing, i wasn't keen on the artwork, it looks very computer generated, and i think there was an anti-slavery message in there somewhere but it was too muddled to tell. the front flap is full of positive superlatives, i disagree with all of them. i'm going to leave it at that. as to what i decided about the sequel. i'll let you figure that out for yourself.

Bannock, Beans and Black Tea - John Gallant

2007-09-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

this is john gallant's memoir of his childhood growing up in depression era prince edward island. john gallant is the father of seth who just happens to be a famous canadian comics auteur whose work is largely published through the montreal publishing house, drawn and quarterly. seth, remembering his father's stories encouraged john gallant to record these stories in the form of letters written to his son. seth would then compile them into a book and provide the book's illustrations. the end result is, as one comes to expect from seth, exquisite. the fabric jacket with woodcut-esque illustrations, and thick, almost card stock pages with a handwritten font and black ink illustrations, really make this something special to pick up and look at. gallant's depiction of his childhood on prince edward island is as far removed from the prince edward island of anne of green gables as it is possible to get. this is not an island of picturesque farm houses and sunday teas, but rather of dilapidated shacks and almost constant starvation. think of the stories told by grandparents everywhere about how they had to walk uphill both ways to schools and make those stories worse, and you have gallant's childhood. what keeps this from being depressing though is gallant's sense of humour and his ability to look back and see lessons in his past. for anybody who enjoys their canadiana, and even for those who don't (and i assure you, i typically fall in the latter category) this is a great book.

Teen Idol - Meg Cabot

2007-09-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

what's that you say? more chick lit? why, yes, it is.

i have a slight confession to make. i really got behind in doing this and these reviews at the moment are all from books i read about a month ago. which means, at this point, i'm getting a little fuzzy on the details. this also means that when i pulled cabot's 'teen idol' out of the pile of books that i'm done with and really should bring back to the library i drew a complete blank. the first thing i thought was, 'did i actually finish this one?', and then after deciding that yes, in fact i had finished it, i thought, 'what was it about?'. i've given this some thought, and i think it's all coming back to me, with a little help from the back flap.

jenny greenley is the advice columnist for her school's newspaper. this is not unlike being superman, as she must keep her identity a secret, and in her secret identity help save people... from over controlling parents and bad dates. so of course when hollywood star luke striker comes to partake in a little method acting by really getting into his new role as a midwestern high school student by being a midwestern high school student, jenny s charged with showing luke around and keeping his identity a secret. if i'm not mistaken luke hides his apppearance by, wait for it, wait for it, drumroll please, wearing glasses. oh, the superman references are falling thick on the ground. of course hijinks and catastrophe ensue (of the high school variety of course). it was fun, it was fluffy, i think i finished it in an afternoon. meg cabot really is the queen of the genre.

Only You Can Save Mankind - Terry Pratchett

2007-09-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

according to wikipedia (my favourite source for very quick fact finding) terry pratchett is the second most widely read author in the uk. i assume j. k. rowling must be the first... wait while i check that out on wikipedia (haha, just kidding). terry pratchett is one of those authors that i always wanted to like, but never quite could. i've read a couple of books from the discword series and just couldn't really get into them. which is odd, as i typically enjoy fantasy. i did enjoy the bbc radio series about mort though, that was quite good. but none of this has anything to do with 'only you can save mankind', which is in fact not part of the discworld series, but rather part of pratchett's johnny maxwell series. i liked this one. pratchett wrote it at the time of the first gulf war in iraq and it was more or less a commentary on how with all of our modern technology, it is possible to desensitize people enough that war seems like nothing more than a video game. no more holding your fire until you see the whites of their eyes. george w.'s continuation of his daddy's war in iraq ensures that pratchett's commentary appears less dated than it otherwise might.

Lost It - Kristen Tracy

2007-09-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

i'll give you three guesses what this book is about, and the first two don't count. tess whistle is a junior in high school, her parents are born again christians and her best friend is going through an emotional crisis that has culminated in a plan to blow up a poodle. when tess' parents suddenly take leave of their senses (my opinion) and abandon tess to go and 'find themselves' in the wilderness, tess is left in the care of her very grounded grandmother (again, my opinion). of course with all of this chaos in her life, who can blame tess when she falls hard for transfer student ben easter. this is a cute little coming of age story, with a lot of high school romance and the added twist that everything does not end up in a nice little happily ever after package at the end. there is no disaster (not really) but i like that tracy left us with a very real life ending to this story.

Weetzie Bat - Francesca Lia Block

2007-09-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

i love this book! no seriously, this is one of my favourite books of all time. i absolutely adored it in undergrad, and i still can't get enough of block's crazy punked out vision of shangi-l.a., or hell-a., as it is also known. the title character, weetzie bat, is a free-spirited high school punk rock loner who meets her soul mate in classmate dirk, who has a brilliant mohawk and drives a '55 pontiac. they spend their time moshing at shows, eating cheese and bean and hotdog and pastrami burritos at oki dogs, picking up ducks, and visiting with dirk's purple haired grandmother fifi. when fifi passes on a magic lamp to weetzie, she makes three wishes: a secret agent lover man for herself, a duck for dirk, and a beautiful little house for them to live happily ever after in. and so brings into play the catalyst that will drive the story forward and allow block to continue with the four other books in the dangerous angels series: baby be-bop, missing angel juan, cherokee bat and the goat guys, and witch baby. block's books are considered by some to be must have a fiction. i'm not about to argue with that stance. if you enjoy magical realism and you feel ready for a literary trip that will leave you feeling not just a little dizzy, i would definitely recommend checking out weetzie bat.

This is the End

2007-09-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

that line always makes me think of joy division. does it do the same for anyone else? never mind. please ignore me. it would appear that i have finally reached the last activity. the 23rd thing. thank goodness there weren't 43 or i would have gotten a whole lot less sleep this week than i did. it would appear that there are some questions that need to be answered. you want thoughts and opinions, lasting impressions, eh? well, here goes it.

what were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

i was very appreciative to learn that there are online word processing and spreadsheet applications. for me, this is very useful as i do not have any such software on my computer. think of all of the work i can get done at home without having to come into work.

i have really enjoyed publishing a blog. i don't know if anyone noticed, but there are several posts in there that have absolutely nothing to do with this library 2.0 project. in fact, i fully intend to continue publishing the blog when this is all done. book reviews only. i promise never to discuss what i had for breakfast. i don't think i would want anyone to know the answer to that question anyway. i do believe that keeping a running compendium of what i've read though will be helpful to me at work as a reader's advisory tool. despite best intentions i really cannot remember every book whose pages i have made it through.

i found the internet based applications, such as del.icio.us and rollyo and technorati to be very useful. when i am not working against a clock (the deadline for this project is tomorrow) i would like to take the time to explore them more fully and develop something absolutely mind blowing in its efficiency.

how has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

this program has made me stop thinking about checking all of this technology out, and has forced me to get up off of my proverbial derriere and do it. without this project and its deadline it is so easy to put things off because there will always be things that seem to require more immediate attentions. now i will only have to hope that without the project nudging me gently down the road to 2.0 wisdom that i will continue to explore and play, not just on sites i know and feel comfortable with (youtube anyone?)

were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

surprised me? i suppose the things i would most likely be able to say surprised me were simply the things i was unaware of before embarking on this journey. applications like rollyo, technorati, and del.icio.us, as well as the online office suite type programs managed to do that. one other thing that surprised me was how easy and intuitive it all was, and how once i really sat down and focused on it it was not too crazy to get through it all and get it done.

what could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

in the future, were this program to be run again there were a few things that i would like to see changed. i would have liked it, as a person who had to initial others' checklists, if the checklists and the activities were a little more copacetic. also, i found it irritating that the links in the wiki didn't open up in a new window, but rather as i worked through an activity i would have to reopen wikispaces and relocate my place. sometimes i would end up doing this 3 or 4 times. separate windows would have been appreciated. but i suppose we can't have everything, and perhaps through wikispaces that is not even an option.

if we offered another program like this in the future, would you again choose to participate?

would there be prizes? just kidding. of course i would. it was fun, and educational. what more can you ask for. oh yeah, prizes, you can ask for there to be prizes :)

NetLibrary

2007-09-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

ok, one last post before i turn in for the night. i will admit to being exteeeemely sleepy. so sleepy in fact that it took me four tries to spell sleepy.

i created a netlibrary account back when i started at osngupl. i wasn't sure if it would still work though as i haven't made use of it since i created it. i know j. said her account stopped working because it had been so long since she had last logged on. well, i am lucky because my account still is working. i was able to sign in (i even remembered my password) and take a poke around for audio book titles. i initially did a search by title and author and kept on coming up empty handed. well, that isn't entirely accurate. i was able to find ebooks of everything i was looking for, but no eaudiobooks. i then went to the eaudiobook centre on the sidebar. this way i was able to view lists of all of the eaudiobooks collected by netlibrary sorted into very broad subjects. i was hugely impressed that there were 105 young adult fiction titles listed. less impressed by the paltry 15 titles in children's fiction. i would certainly be interested in listening to much of the content listed in young adult fiction. i could probably download it directly onto my computer and listen from there. however, in case you had forgotten, i am tired. such further (and optional) adventures will have to wait for another day.

Podcasts

2007-09-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

i looked through some of the listed podcasts on podcast.net. i kept finding that the podcasts i was interested in ended in 2006. or perhaps they didn't, but the last one linked to podcast.net was in 2006. so, giving up on that i headed over to the cbc and subscribed to the vinyl cafe podcast straight from the source. the problem is that the vinyl cafe podcasts are only about 4 minutes long. i would prefer the podcast if it was actually an entire vinyl cafe episode. i think that i actually prefer to stream radio shows online because that way i get the whole show. i often stream radio shows from the bbc, and i enjoy listening to the new music on cbc 3. transferring the podcast into my bloglines account was no more difficult that it was to transfer blogs into the account. i suppose if there were a variety of podcasts that i wanted to listen to regularly it would make sense to add them to bloglines and check in every so often. but i'll admit to liking going straight to the bbc and looking for new things while i listen to my regular shows.

YouTube

2007-09-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

i played around on youtube. i've been playing with youtube for a long time now. i find the site rather addictive. i'll find a video i'm looking for, but then there are all of these 'related videos' or 'more from this user' or even just all of those random videos along the sidebar, and i find that i can lose a lot of time just goofing off if i allow myself to. one thing i'm rather peeved at youtube about is that they are going around deleting all of the anime content off the site (i know, i know, copyright issues) and when i go look for the latest episodes of my shows they are no longer there. although now i've got stage6 and i find the content to be more reliable than that on youtube. the other problem with youtube is that the video quality is very poor. whenever i choose to watch a video clip in full screen it becomes so pixelated that it may be better to just watch it on that tiny little screen. again, stage6 has youtube beat in terms of video quality. very crisp and clear. i haven't tried t in full screen yet, but the smaller screen is large enough to make it less of a concern.

i found it hard to choose a video on youtube that i wanted to link to this page. i ended up choosing the music video for our retired explorer (dines with michel foucault in paris, 1961) by the weakerthans. it's a fun video, and i quite enjoy the low budget nature of canadian music videos.

Last.FM

2007-09-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

i've been playing around with last.fm. i used to have an account with pandora. i quite enjoyed it as a way to discover new artists, but it did tend to make my old computer crash. it utilized a version of flash that was just a little too flash-y for my computer it would just give up. the other problem was that pandora is only available to users in the states. i had gotten around that for a while by providing them with a buffalo address and zip code when signing up, but eventually they caught on that my ip was not coming from buffalo and they kicked me off. so that was the end of that. i would say that last.fm is is just as good as pandora was though. in fact, because it runs so much more smoothly on my new computer than on my last, i'd say i like it better. i can find all of the bands i try to look for, and they even have both of the bands that g. has been in. for his most recent band there is even a picture of the guys. i thought that was rather fun. i have added a last.fm widget to this blog that shows what i've been listening to. i'm not entirely sure it is working though. i am going to have to listen for a bit longer and monitor the updates. i'll add to this post and note whether it's working or not.

yeup. looks as though it is. yay. that's rather fun. i was worried it wasn't working, but it seems that you have to actually finish listening to a track before it will appear on the widget. if i navigate away, or let them know that i don't dig a particular track it doesn't appear on the widget. handy.

Google Docs

2007-09-12T20:14:00.001-07:00

the post prior to this one was created using google docs and then posted directly to my blog. tis a rather useful application that google docs. i will admit that google makes me a little bit nervous as i think they might be trying to take over the world. and to what ends i ask, to what ends? who knows, this could all end up very 1984. but they do good work, those kids over at the google offices, and i suppose if the world is going to be taken over by any major corporation it should be by one with a cheerful primary coloured logo. for those of us who do not have office suite or any other word processing software loaded onto our computers, an application like google docs is mighty handy. again, like del.icio.us, or rollyo, or bloglines, the basic idea is portability. while i can easily download open office to my computer, i am still restricted by needing my personal computer to access any documents i create (not being part of a network). if i want to take my documents from one computer to the next i need to either attach them to an email, or employ a portable storage unit like a cd-rom or a usb key (did you know that you can purchase a usb key made from wood? it looks very cool). as soon as a portable storage unit enters the equation we introduce the possibility of files becoming corrupted. what if my wooden usb key turns into a tree and leaves? (sorry about that, i couldn't help myself) utilizing an application ensures that your documents are kept safe so you can access them from any computer at any time. assuming the internet is working, that is.

2007-09-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Sounds familiar.

We emerged from youth all wide-eyed like the rest.

Shedding skin faster than skin can grow,

And armed with hammers, feathers, blunt knives:

Words to meet and to define and to...

But you must know.

The same games that we played in dirt,

In dusty school-yards,

Have found a higher pitch and broader scale,

Than we feared possible,

And someone must be picked last,

And one must bruise, and one must fail.

And that still twitching bird was so deceived by a window,

So we eulogized fondly, we dug deep and threw,

Its elegant plumage and frantic black eyes in hole,

And then rushed out to kill something new,

So we could bury that too.

The first chapters of life almost made us give up altogether.

Pushed toward tired forms of self-immolation that seemed so original.

I must, we must never stop watching the sky with our hands in our pockets,

Stop peering in windows when we know doors are shut.

Stop yelling small stories and bad jokes and sorrows,

And my voice will scratch to yell many more,

But before I spill the things I mean to hide away,

Or gouge my eyes with platitudes of sentiment,

I'll drown the urge for permanence and certainty;

Crouch down and scrawl my name with yours in wet cement.

by: John K. Sampson

Wiki Part 2

2007-09-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

as jamie oliver would say, "easy peasy". g. would add a "lemon squeezy" to that, but sometimes you need to know when to stop rhyming. i played in the sandbox. there was no sand. in that respect it was a most unusual sandbox. i came all prepared with my bucket and shovel, only to find them completely superfluous. i posted my favourite tv shows, some favourite books and a new favourite website. i learnt that editing a wiki is as easy as the wiki people lead you to believe, and that is a good thing. if we ever wanted to start up a library wiki it would certainly be useful for it to be as user friendly as possible. this exercise leads me to believe that that would indeed be the case.

Wiki

2007-09-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

doesn't wiki sound like either something a surfer in hawaii would keep in his hut (not dissimilar to tiki) or a valley-girl phrase, "that is, like, so wiki". all joking aside, i chose to check out the stevens county rural library district wiki project. this is a wiki created by a public library system in washington state. it allows users to edit and create pages on anything related to the stevens county community, from hunting and fishing to the best places to watch the sunset, from washington murder mystery booklists to manga booklists.

this is something that we could very much create for our library and open up for collaboration from our community. i can use this site to learn about the colville skate park, or where i could take kung fu lessons, or when the libraries are offering storytimes. on a more literary bent, i can check out an alphabetical list of all of the manga series that the library collects, the titles of which are hyperlinked to each series' first volume in the stevens county rural library district's online catalogue. i like it. i like it a lot.

2.0

2007-09-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

let's try this again.

i read the posts by the pundits. some things i agree with. some things i don't. how do i feel about 2.0? my feelings on the topic are still in flux to be quite honest. like cotton candy it can be delicious (not del.icio.us) in controlled amounts, but too much leaves you bouncing off the walls feeling a bit queasy.

what i like about 2.0 is that it encourages collaboration with the end user. wikis, podcasts, youtube, blogs, all encourage the individual to contribute, and through contribution to become part of a larger whole. to belong to a community. what does this mean for the library? i don't believe that library 2.0 necessarily translates into increased web presence and technological gadgetry. i believe it means that we should encourage collaboration with our patrons, thus building a stronger community within and around the library. what books do patrons want to see in our collection? what lecture series would they like to attend? what furniture would they like to sit on?

are there ways in which we can incorporate 2.0 technology into a 2.0 library? sure. we could provide rss feeds of new materials, we could open a wiki to allow users to review materials, and discuss materials with each other, we could offer im reference services, we could start a public library blog and provide content with instructional videos, or video booktalks. there's a lot out there that we could be doing, and a lot that we are doing.

what don't i like about 2.0? i don't like the technolust, and i don't like the sense of exclusivity that comes with it. sometimes it seems as though 2.0 is the buzzword of a club, a club that is very, very cool and i'm not sure i'll ever measure up for membership. i don't like the assumption that the web can be everything to everyone. i don't like that as we advance technologically doomsayers continue to listen for the bells tolling the death knell of the book.

as libraries search for ways to evolve in a 2.0 world (or a 3.0 world or an 7.3 world) we need to continue to consider our user. yes, technology is wonderful (it can also be terrifying and dangerous), but there are those who are unable to access all of these new toys that are being developed. what about our patrons who live in rural areas with only dial up internet access? what about our patrons who can't afford to have something like a computer in their home? what about our patrons to whom computers continue to be mysterious and somewhat daunting entities? as we strive to achieve 2.0 we need to remember that the ideology behind 2.0 is not merely technological, but is about inclusion in the process, whether it be digital or analogue.

Technorati

2007-09-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

again with the names. i promise, i will never mention the names of the web 2.0 sites again. i promise. if i were to combine the blog searching capabilities of technorati, with the travelling favourites tool del.icio.us, and the search tool rollyo it could be rather powerful. i'm thinking i'd like to use technorati to search for sites on a variety of library topics such as ya librarianship, 2.0, graphic novels, children's books and so much more and then troll for useful results which could then be added to my rollyo search roll and added to my del.icio.us favourites. with the added links could search other users accounts in del.icio.us and rollyo and see what sites they've added and edit my lists again. this could go on until i have some sort of super list. not unlike a super virus. a list that cannot be defeated. ah, the librarian's dream.

Del.icio.us

2007-09-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

del.icio.us. so many full stops. and why? what is the deal with the need for these websites to have such twee names? do they know how irritating it is to have to remember where to type those full stops? okay, that gripe out of the way. i'm actually quite keen on del.icio.us. it seems very user friendly. i had tried to load it onto my previous computer, but it just wasn't having it. i have my fingers crossed that i will have better luck on this one. i'll tell you a bookmarking story. when i left vaughan to move to owen sound i had a number of websites that i'd been pretty reliant on. so, what i did before leaving was that i saved them all to a word document and then saved that word document to my yahoo briefcase. when i got to owen sound and the demands of my job changed i found several more websites that could help me in my new capacity, from graphic novel reviews, to professional sites, to architectural design sites. i have two computers that i use at work, and i like to do certain things at home as well. that's three computers where i need to have access to my favourites list. before del.icio.us i had to copy and paste urls into word documents and email them to myself and then open the links and save them to each computer's favourites list. although not massively time consuming, it did take more time than i would have ideally liked. now with a new computer i need to reconstruct that favourites list yet again. i think before i bother i am going to give this whole del.icio.us thing a shot.