Book review - Words and Their Meanings

Title: Words and Their Meanings
Author: Kate Bassett
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Being Henry David by Cal Armistead
                     The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susan Nielsen
Rating: 

Heart-breaking and lovely

Summary: It's been one year since Anna's beloved Uncle Joe died. In one year her family has completely fallen apart. Her parents think it's time for her to move on but Anna doesn't know how. Secrets and guilt weigh her down. Matters worsen when she discovers a note Joe wrote before he died - a note that indicates that the uncle she idolized may not have been such a good person.
My Opinion: What a heart-breaking look at grief and secrets. You've got this family that has completely fallen apart. They are giving up things that they love. Anna is so weighed down with guilt that she is barely living. The events immediately following the one year anniversary force them to confront their secrets and emotions. All of this pain and fear and loss is wrapped up in levels of beauty. Beautiful actions and beautifully written prose. It's a book that you could read several times as continually pick up new gems in the writing. Read it for plot. Read it for beauty.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Playing with marbles

A year ago I bought a bag of marbles for a craft. After using a couple, the rest of the bag has just sat on a shelf ever since. So, when I got out my clay the other day I thought I'd experiment with the marbles. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Marble snails

Acorn pendants

 

My summer faces

As part of our summer reading program this year the head of our youth department, Keli, decided to set the kids a challenge. We wanted them to read a total of 1500 books over the course of the program (a small improvement on last year's 1400ish). As they reached various milestones along the way we wore assorted costumes as a reward. Here's what my summer looked like costume-wise.

Red Day - 100 books

Sports/College Day - 250 books

Cape Day - 500 books

Hat Day - 750 books

Clash Day - 1000 books

Crazy Hair Day - 1250 books

And the biggie:

Mad Scientist Day - 1500 books

Book review - Zac and Mia

Title: Zac and Mia
Author: A.J. Betts
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
                     Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Rating: 

Unput-down-able

Summary: Zac has been in isolation after a bone marrow transplant for a month. With only his mother for company he's going a little stir crazy. Then he gets a new neighbor on the oncology ward. Mia is newly diagnosed and angry. After only a handful of Facebook conversations (which never seem to end well) Zac is sent home to continue his recovery. He expects to move on with his life and never see Mia again, though he can't help but wonder how she is doing. Then one day, her life going wrong, Mia tracks Zac down.
My Opinion: Firstly, this book is bound to be compared to The Fault in Our Stars. It's inevitable. Both books are about kids with cancer and their romantic connections. My recommendation is, put that out of your mind. Forget John Green while you are reading this and appreciate it on it's own merit. You have these two fantastic characters. Zac is very rational. He believes in statistics and hard science. Mia is emotional. Every response she gives is guttural and instinctual. Their approaches to their illnesses are different. Zac sees it as a trial to get through, Mia as something to fight in every moment. It is more than these things too. It's a story about choosing hope, choosing to fight for every moment. Already an award winner in it's native Australia, I imagine it won't be long before Zac and Mia gets a lot of attention here in the States as well.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Tomboy

Tomboy: a graphic memoir by Liz Prince

This is, to my mind, the graphic novel for teens who feel marginalized or out of place. Liz is a self-described tomboy. From an early age she refuses to wear dresses, skirts, or anything "girly". She prefers toys that are favored by boys. Her role models are all male. She is quickly ostracized in elementary school and finds herself questioning her own identity. 
This is the story of a girl who doesn't fit into a traditional societal definition. She defies gender norms but still defines herself as female. She simply wants to define womanhood for herself. And that ultimate realization, that you can still be a woman even if you don't act in a socially traditional manner, is what makes this graphic novel stand out to me. Liz Prince has this way of explaining her ideas without becoming preachy, leading us to her realizations, that felt like a conversation with a friend instead of a lecture. Plus, this memoir is equal parts funny and meaningful. You will laugh and you might just cry a little.

Personally, I went through phases like this myself. My favorite outfit in the second grade was my Peter Pan costume.

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
Words and Their Meanings by Kate Bassett
Anna's beloved uncle died a year ago. In that year she has given up writing, her onetime passion, and begun to emulate Patti Smith. Now at the one year mark, her parents and her therapist think it's time to move on. As she attempts to live by their new rules, Anna begins to discover secrets about Uncle Joe.
From the beginning, this book has great atmosphere. Anna may not be the world's most likeable character but she feels genuine. I look forward to discovering more of this story, all those secrets about Joe and why Anna feels responsible for his death.

What did you recently finish reading?
Starry Night by Isabel Gillies
On the night that she goes to her first formal party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wren meets Nolan and everything changes. She feels different when she is near him. Even her dreams change. As her family pushes her to hang on to herself, Wren just wants to let go and live in the moment with Nolan.
This is definitely one of the more thoughtful teen romances I've read. It explores art, music, talent, and love in their different forms. Romance isn't one of my favored genres so I had a somewhat difficult time getting into this one, but I enjoyed the way it made me reconsider some preconceived notions.
 
What do you think you will read next?
Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday
A retelling mixed with mystery, murder, and insanity? This book could be amazing. I'm very much looking forward to it.

Book review - Rory's Promise

Title: Rory's Promise
Author: Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols
Genre: Historical fiction
Similar books: Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
                     Behind the Masks by Susan Patron (or really, any of the books in the Dear America series to which this book belongs)
Rating:

Excellent historical fiction

Summary: 12 year old Rory and her 5 year old sister Violet have been living for the past 3 years at the Foundling Hospital in New York. Now the nuns want to send Violet to the Arizona territory to be adopted. Rory is determined to stay with her sister no matter what, even if it means sneaking aboard the train west. And when she gets to Arizona things get progressively worse.
My opinion: This is the exact kind of series I adore. Take a little known bit of history and spin it into a story. In this book we see the comparison between the Foundling adoptions and the more well-known Orphan Train. It's a story of intrigue, humor, and rather strong lessons. Rory learns about family, the fallibility of her authority figures, and that there is not always a perfect solution to a problem. Plus, the sense of atmosphere is strong. While secondary characters are somewhat weak, the excellent setting makes up for it.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley