Non-fiction book review - Jop and Blip Wanna Know

 

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Jop and Blip Wanna Know by Jim Benton

As we gather from the full title of this book, it is not a text that takes itself too seriously. Structured as a graphic novel, robots Jop and Blip tackle three absurd questions. Now, Benton could make jokes of the whole thing. Instead, he looks at the actual science involved in each question. Take the title question - a penguin farting on Mars. First Jop and Blip determine what it would take to even get a penguin to the planet. Then, they look at the details of a penguin's digestive system. And finally, they break down the science of sound on Mars. Every aspect is broken down. The overall framework is centered on endless curiosity and open exploration. No question is too silly to explore and science can provide all kinds of answers. It encourages the reader to continue to ask questions without shame and guides them through the process of finding answers.

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Book review - The Verdigris Pawn

 

Title: The Verdigris Pawn

Author: Alysa Wishingrad

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: How to Save a Queendom by Jessica Lawson

                     The Goblin's Puzzle by Andrew S Chilton

Rating:

 

decent, if unremarkable

Summary (provided by publisher):  The heir to the Land should be strong. Fierce. Ruthless. At least, that’s what Beau’s father has been telling him his whole life, since Beau is the exact opposite of what the heir should be. With little control over his future, Beau is kept locked away, just another pawn in his father’s quest for ultimate power.
That is, until Beau meets a girl who shows him the secrets his father has kept hidden. For the first time, Beau begins to question everything he’s ever been told and sets off in search of a rebel who might hold the key to setting things right.
Teaming up with a fiery runaway boy, their mission quickly turns into something far greater as sinister forces long lurking in the shadows prepare to make their final move—no matter what the cost. But it just might be Beau who wields the power he seeks . . . if he can go from pawn to player before the Land tears itself apart. 

My opinion: This book doesn't work too hard to explain itself. The interworkings of the world have to be gathered from details. They are never stated straight out. All of the information is present but having to puzzle through it may be too much of a challenge for some readers. The bones of the plot - a privileged child becoming aware of the system's cruelty, an unlikely team going up against an oppressive system - are fairly standard. I like that there is no perfect solution. They find that some rebels are as bad as the system they are trying to overthrow, that some people with power are too self serving. The multiple perspectives are well handled though the pacing is a bit slow.

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Swimming tin

 I have quite a back stock of empty altoid tins, so I spend a fair amount of time considering new ways to use them. Here's a design I plan to try out at craft fairs this fall. I've made some small sea creatures attached to a metal tab. They'll be kept in a tin painted with an ocean design, accompanied by a magnet on a handle, allowing the creature to "swim" on the inside of the tin.

Book review - Room Service

 

Title: Room Service

Author: Maren Stoffles

Genre: horror

Similar books: Wickedpedia by Chris Van Etten

                     Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger

Rating:

 

too unbelievable to be scary

Summary: A fancy hotel + no parents = party time for four friends celebrating a birthday weekend. But when an uninvited party guest seeking revenge turns up, the fun quickly turns into a nightmare.

My opinion: To start with, this is a translated book. While that alone doesn't make it hard to read, it is worth noting as it can make for awkward text. The plot is familiar - teens celebrating on the anniversary of something bad happening. In this case, we don't really know what the bad thing was until nearly the end. There's a lot of dancing around the past, leading to a revenge plot that we don't fully understand. That revenge plot is quite extreme. There are crazy displays and violent threats, all in an active high class hotel. The heart of the plot makes sense and has some compelling elements. The pieces don't come together well, though, and the characters are underdeveloped.

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Graphic Novel Spotlight - Andre the Giant

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box Brown

I've never been a wrestling fan. Prior to this book I had exactly 2 points of reference for Andre the Giant: the Nintendo game Wrestlemania and his appearance in "The Princess Bride". Even with that limited knowledge I suspected that this would be an interesting read. I certainly was not disappointed. Brown presents us with a complete picture of the man: a gentle soul, a hard drinker, a sometimes selfish person, and yet largely innocent. We see the good and bad in equal measure. Brown makes no apologies or excuses, though we do see how some early experiences may have influenced later behaviors. Even for non-fans this is a compelling read and the stylized illustrations suit the subject well.

 

Non-fiction book review - Gymnastics's G.O.A.T.

 

Gymnastics's G.O.A.T. by Joe Levit

 I'm the first to admit that I know almost nothing about gymnastics. I never learned any of those skills nor watched it on television, only learned a few names of famous gymnasts. So I can't speak to the accuracy of the ranking in this book. We're given a few of the individual's achievements, their record in competition and any especially difficult moves they achieved or developed. The downside to a book like this one is going to be  the freshness of the information. New athletes gain attention all the time so these rankings could become stale quickly. Still, an aspiring gymnast will likely enjoy this information.

More information: Gymnastics's G.O.A.T. releases August 1. 

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Book review - Fierce as the Wind

 

Title: Fierce as the Wind

Author: Tara Wilson Redd

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Bruised by Tanya Boteju

                     Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Rating: 

 

solid

 

Summary (provided by publisher): When Miho's boyfriend breaks up with her without warning, all she can see is red--the color of blinding fury and pain, and the color of the fire she sets in an oil drum on the beach, burning every scrap of their memories.
It's spring of senior year in Oahu, and while her friends are getting ready for college, Miho's deep in her misery, delivering pizzas on her bike. But then inspiration strikes: she'll do a triathlon. The training is brutal for a girl who has never even run a mile--though she can bike and swim. With the constant support of her friends and her dad, Miho digs deep to find just how fierce her determination is and how many obstacles she can overcome.

My opinion: I'm not an athlete and have never been much of a fan of stories where sports play a central role. In recent years, though, I've started running so the first time these sorts of stories make sense to me. Especially in books like this one. An Ironman doesn't have a lot of complex rules and team dynamics to understand. It is a person facing their own issues, fighting against their subconscious and their fears. And that's a big part of this book. It is so much more than Miho training for a race. She's dealing with her break up, with her negative self perception. The race itself becomes a symbol for the way she fears she is perceived by society. Now, Miho is the only truly complex character. The other characters have only simple character flaws, small elements that feed into Miho's challenges but which are easily overcome. I liked that all of the characters are flawed and that the novel doesn't wash away those flaws. It lets them be "bad" with the ability to change in future. And current "goodness" doesn't wash away any negative they did in the past. It is all a part of the person they are becoming. This book may not hold up to multiple reads but has enough complexity to leave us thinking as we read.

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