WWW Wednesdays

What are you currently reading?
Althea and Oliver by Cristina Moracho
Since they were small Althea and Oliver have been best friends, perfect foils. She is impulsive and artistic; he is thoughtful and scientific. Now they are 17 and starting to realize that they might want more than friendship. As they individually explore their changing emotions a mysterious illness grips Oliver, causing him to sleep for weeks at a time and causing both of their lives to spiral out of control.
A little slow starting, this book begins with a thoughtful exploration of the relationship between these two teens and the way it is beginning to shift. I'm intrigued to see how things develop as they discover more about Oliver's illness and the consequences of the choices Althea makes while her friend sleeps.
 
What did you recently finish reading?
Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw
Shane Burcaw is a 21 year-old with a degenerative disease - Spinal Muscular Atrophy. In this memoir he describes his childhood in all its glory: diagnosis, physical therapy, disastrous first crushes, attempts at sports, and more.
This memoir doesn't attempt to gain our sympathy, only understanding. Most readers will appreciate that. He wants us to see the person sitting in the wheelchair, not the disease that puts him there. He describes what could be absolutely humiliating incidents with humor. The message to choose joy whenever possible is a strong current throughout the memoir and keeps the book upbeat.
 
What do you think you will read next?
BZRK Apocalypse by Michael Grant
I blew through both BZRK and BZRK Reloaded so I am absolutely thrilled to have the conclusion to this trilogy waiting for me.

Book review - A Song for Ella Grey

Title: A Song for Ella Grey
Author: David Almond
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry
                     Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
Rating:

Not really my cup of tea

Summary: Claire and Ella have been best friends since they met as small children. They shared everything. Things are beginning to change. Their final year of school has begun and they expect to be headed in different directions before too long. Then they meet Orpheus, a wandering musician who enchants both girls (as well as most of their friends) with his good looks and haunting music. Ella, in particular, is entranced by Orpheus and he returns her feelings. Claire tries to be happy for her friend, not knowing that worse things than losing Ella to love are coming.
My Opinion: I'd love to say that I loved this book. I really enjoy retellings, especially of less common tales. This is based on Orpheus and Eurydice, a tale that I've only heard once or twice. I've got to say, though, that I'm not a huge fan of Almond's writing style. I read pretty much all of his books because I love his ideas but I find his style hard to connect with. His narrators always seem somewhat distant emotionally. In this case, the odd mystical style of the narration actually works in the book' favor. It lends an extra "fairy tale" air to the plot. So, I really wanted to love this book and I'm sure many people will. It is magical, mystical, musical, and grief stricken. It's just not something I'll be likely to read again.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Christmas ornaments (already!)

Now that October is upon us, the Christmas rush has begun. Not only is it time to be getting to work on handmade presents, it's also the season to be preparing for Christmas craft fairs. To that end I've been making Christmas ornaments. Here are four I've made recently out of polymer clay.

My Viking face

Here is a flash-back to last Halloween when I dressed as a viking. It was a very easy costume to put together and not too hot to wear. I did get some weird looks from the little storytime kids, though. I'm pretty sure I scared one of them.

Book review - H2O

Title: H2O
Author: Virginia Bergin
Genre: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic
Similar books: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
                     Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
Rating: 

You'll never look at rain the same.

Summary: Seven years ago, scientists blew up an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Problem solved, right? Now the last remnants of the asteroid are falling to earth and they are bringing with them deadly bacteria. It is in the water and there is no cure. How will 15 year old Ruby survive when the people she cares about are dying and everything she knows is falling apart?
My opinion: This book is somewhat reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, the idea of taking a journey, looking for something better, even though you know there is no "better" to find. It was fascinating to see the way society collapsed, how some people went completely lawless while others clung to rules that no one was enforcing. I really appreciated that Ruby didn't really fundamentally change. Sure she does things that she never imagined doing, but she still obsesses about her looks. She is selfish, self-centered, shouts when she is stressed, and refuses to listen to other opinions. She is territorial about possessions and about boys. She doesn't become more brave, more honorable, more heroic simply because she finds herself in a desperate situation. She remains essentially herself through it all. So, even though it is a very bleak plot it is much easier to read than many other post-apocalyptic novels. These kids remain, at heart, kids.
More information: H2O releases October 7.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Foiled and Curses! Foiled Again

Foiled and Curses! Foiled Again by Jane Yolen

Fencing and magic combine in this tale of a teen girl trying to find her place in high school. The real appeal, beyond an awesome fantasy plot, is the art. The illustrations are highly stylized and mostly in greyscale (the main character, Aliera, is color blind). Then Aliera encounters magic. Anything magical in origin is illustrated in full color. Backgrounds remain grey but the foreground is peppered with yellow fairies, red dragons, green trolls, and more. Visually, that element alone sets these books apart. The second book takes this idea of a regular girl thrown into a magical world and complicates it, the magic intruding on her non-magical life more and more. 

Aliera sees the magical creatures in full force

 

WWW Wednesdays

What are you currently reading?
Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander
Charlie is a self-professed nerd. He's been dreaming of attending MIT since the fifth grade. He treats love as a math problem to be solved, his attraction to girls as a series of experiments. Then he meets Charlotte. Charlotte who has a tattoo on the back of her neck and who believes in hope and art and beauty. Charlotte who may be the only one capable of making him see life beyond science and math. Through his relationship with Charlotte, Charlie may finally stand a chance at understanding love.
I enjoy books that have nerds for main characters (maybe because they seem more real to me than popular people) and this is certainly no exception. Charlie is this loveable awkward dork. A little self-righteous and close-minded at times, but in a way that makes him more human rather than insufferable. The breakdown into short chapters/sub-chapters makes it feel like a quicker read than it actually is. So far, this gets a big thumbs up from me.
 
What did you recently finish reading?
A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond
Claire and Ella have been best friends since they met as small children. They shared everything. Things are beginning to change. Their final year of school has begun and they expect to be headed in different directions before too long. Then they meet Orpheus, a wandering musician who enchants both girls (as well as most of their friends) with his good looks and haunting music. Ella, in particular, is entranced by Orpheus and he returns her feelings. Claire tries to be happy for her friend, not knowing that worse things than losing Ella to love are coming.
Almond approaches this retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice with his typical, mystical style. He finds both the eerie and the lovely in this tragedy. In typical Almond style, there is a level of emotional distance that lends the book more of a mythological sense than your typical modern novel.
 
What do you think you will read next?
H2O by Virginia Bergin
Dystopias/post-apocalyptic societies definitely make for interesting reading. Given the focus of this one on the lack of drinkable water, it could be pretty exciting.