Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope this holiday finds you warm and safe, in the company of those you care about. Blessings.

Non-fiction book review - Locked Up for Freedom

Locked Up for Freedom by Heather Schwartz

I'm of two minds about this book. At first, I didn't love it. In part because the early chapters assume we know nothing about the Civil Rights movement. I'm all for covering your bases, making sure your audience understands what's going on, but this one might go too far. On the other hand, most books we get about the movement focus on Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and school integration. It was interesting to explore this "new" aspect of a familiar piece of history. And the boldness of the young people involved was inspiring.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - The New Dark

Title: The New Dark
Author: Lorraine Thomson
Genre: dystopia/sci-fi
Similar books: The Garden of Darkness by Gillian Murray Kendall
                      Meritropolis by Joel Ohman
Rating:

frustrating

Summary (provided by publisher): "She thought she knew who she was and where she came from.Then her home was destroyed. Her brother lost amongst the ashes. And the boy she loves vanished. She owed her own survival to a mutant — the very forces behind the destruction. Now Sorrel will never be the same again."
There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known ...
Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.

My opinion: I liked the base elements of this story. We've bot some mysterious, near apocalyptic event that lead to subsistence living and some level of mutation. This, in turn, leads to human trafficking and discrimination. So the bones are decent if somewhat predictable. The actual line-to-line writing, though, was less than fantastic. Almost painful at times. The dialogue is awkward and unnatural. Events take strange logical leaps. As much as I wanted to like the story, I found it too frustrating to read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Nevermoor

Title: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Author: Jessica Townsend
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Gnome-a-geddon by K.A. Holt
                      Goblins by Philip Reeve
Rating:

good fun

Summary (provided by publisher): A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.
It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart--an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests--or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.
Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.

My opinion: Both thematically and stylistically, this novel is reminiscent of Harry Potter and Doctor Who. It has the magic and wonder, the looming evil force and promise of a better life for an undervalued child, the hallmarks of Harry Potter. It has the mischief, the wildness, the sometimes sheer lunacy of Doctor Who. And it does credit to both of these monolith, largely because it doesn't rely too heavily on the parallels. It has room to tell it's own story. Townsend has created a complex world with rules of magic and the promise of great future complications. It's exciting and funny with tight prose and realistic characters.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by publisher.

Graphic novel spotlight - Biographies

Pele by Eddy Simon
Monet by Salva Rubio

I am a big proponent of graphic biographies, particularly when the subject's life is characterized by action or art, as with this pair. While a traditional text biography can quickly become overwhelming, representing life events visually engages the reader quickly. These two biographies are particularly good choices for a number of reasons. 1) They're names most will recognized but know very little about. 2) The art styles are appealing and reflective of the subjects lives. 3) The authors don't white wash. They acknowledge the mistakes these men made, the ways their egos hurt their professional lives.

Non-fiction book review - Rewilding

Rewilding by Jane Drake and Ann Love

Much of my early science education, like many in my generation, was focused on ecology. We were raised to revere endangered species, to vilify logging and oil companies. We tend to think there's nothing else we can learn about ecology. So when I came across this book and a term with which I was unfamiliar, I was intrigued. And I was not disappointed. There is plenty of good information. Each example is presented with an easily understood vocabulary that isn't oversimplified. Each case study brings another element into the conversation, both successes and new complications.  

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - My Brigadista Year

Title: My Brigadista Year
Author: Katherine Paterson
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Shadow Warrior by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
                      Girlcott by Florenz Webbe Maxwell
Rating:

an interesting bit of history

Summary (provided by publisher): In an engrossing historical novel, the Newbery Medal-winning author of Bridge to Terabithia follows a young Cuban teenager as she volunteers for Fidel Castro’s national literacy campaign and travels into the impoverished countryside to teach others how to read.
When thirteen-year-old Nora tells her parents that she wants to join Premier Castro’s army of young literacy teachers, her mother screeches to high heaven, and her father roars like a lion. Nora has barely been outside of Havana — why would she throw away her life in a remote shack with no electricity, sleeping on a hammock in somebody’s kitchen? But Nora is stubborn: didn’t her parents teach her to share what she has with someone in need? Surprisingly, Nora’s abuela takes her side, even as she makes Nora promise to come home if things get too hard. But how will Nora know for sure when that time has come? Shining light on a little-known moment in history, Katherine Paterson traces a young teen’s coming-of-age journey from a sheltered life to a singular mission: teaching fellow Cubans of all ages to read and write, while helping with the work of their daily lives and sharing the dangers posed by counterrevolutionaries hiding in the hills nearby. Inspired by true accounts, the novel includes an author’s note and a timeline of Cuban history.

My opinion: Most of us don't actually know much about Cuba's history and culture. When we were growing up, Cuba was a shadowy villain, a trickle down from the Cold War. Now that routes to Cuba are starting to open, that's going to change and books like this one will help. I was blown away by the facts of this year of Cuban history, the huge effort to bring the entire Cuban nation into a more educated culture. For the history buff, this will be a fascinating read. For others, it's perhaps a slow read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.