Book review - The Five Impossible Tasks of Eden Smith

 

Title: The Five Impossible Tasks of Eden Smith

Author: Tom Llewellyn

Genre: adventure

Similar books: The Eureka Key by Sarah L Thomson

                      Holes by Louis Sachar

Rating:

 

clever

Summary (provided by publisher): When Eden Smith moves into the beautiful and bizarre old mansion housing her grandfather, she discovers a strange society of elderly metalworkers whose mastery verges on the magical. Deadly mechanical birds, a cavernous chamber full of dirty dishes, a highly dangerous game of Machinist BINGO–life at the guild is not only strange, it’s also dangerous.
Eden’s grandfather, Vulcan Smith, the most gifted of all the metalsmiths in the mansion, has just been sentenced to live out the rest of his days locked in a tiny basement room for rebelling against the guild. To save him, Eden will have to complete The Five Impossible Tasks, a series of deadly feats that have already killed off many of Eden and Vulcan’s ancestors. With the help of her new friend Nathaniel and a cast of eccentric old silversmiths, blacksmiths, and inventive machinists, Eden sets out to do the impossible before her newfound grandfather is lost to her forever.

My opinion: Take elements of curse and chosen one narratives. Add in secret societies and puzzles. It should be too much, too many directions. But Llewellyn makes it work. It draws the most compelling aspects of each of these types of stories. It helps that the cast of characters is quirky and vast but well distinguished. Each character has distinct elements and develops, at least a little, throughout the course of the novel. Pacing is tight and the stakes are high. The world of the smiths is introduced in a bit of an info dump but the details are parceled out through the rest of the novel in a way that is never overwhelming. While the beginning moves a little slowly this is by necessity. Once Eden takes on the Tasks, the action is constant and well interspersed with moments of reflection and growth. The ending falters a little but over all it's a solid read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
 

Non-fiction book review - Anatomical Oddities

 

Anatomical Oddities by Dr. Alice Roberts

Most books about the human body, unless you get quite deep into your study of anatomy, focus on the basic elements of our body systems and the major organs. Not this book. Here we learn about names for pathways and channels, aspects of organs and sectors of the brain. Dr. Roberts explains the function of these parts of the body and how they got such unusual names. The result is a combination of biology and medical history. It highlights how our understanding of bodily functions has changed. This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in scientific trivia. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Gone Wolf

 

Title: Gone Wolf

Author: Amber McBride

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett 

                      The Giver by Lois Lowry

Rating:

 

thought provoking

Summary (provided by publisher): In the future, a Black girl known only as Inmate Eleven is kept confined—to be used as a biological match for the president's son, should he fall ill. She is called a Blue—the color of sadness. She lives in a small-small room with her dog, who is going wolf more often—he’s pacing and imagining he’s free. Inmate Eleven wants to go wolf too—she wants to know why she feels so Blue and what is beyond her small-small room.
In the present, Imogen lives outside of Washington, D.C. The pandemic has distanced her from everyone but her mother and her therapist. Imogen has intense phobias and nightmares of confinement. Her two older brothers used to help her, but now she’s on her own, until a college student helps her see the difference between being Blue and sad, and Black and empowered.

My opinion: This is a book that is going to require some patience and emotional intelligence to properly process. At first, it seems quite straightforward. The narrative about Inmate Eleven is clear and easy to follow. The messaging is accessible and the general thrust of the plot is simple enough. Then, at a pivotal moment, the focus shifts. And we begin to understand what this book is really about. That's the point that requires a great deal more reflection and careful consideration to properly process. It's a fantastic read, well worth the effort.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Stocking cap

 In addition to my Christmas crafts, I spent December making a stocking cap for my mother. This is a style that was popular when she was a kid but she never had one. I was determined that she would get one this year. The pattern I used was sized for a child but it took very little fiddling to get it adjusted for an adult head.

Crafty Christmas countdown: 1

 It's Christmas Eve and that means I like to reflect on the meaning of Christmas. This didn't turn out quite as I had planned. I was going to make a little pocket that I would applique to the front of the star. I think I like this version better.

Wishing each of you a joyful, peaceful Christmas.

Crafty Christmas countdown: 2

 If you've seen one of my countdowns before, you know I like to include at least one puppet. Some of my favorites have been inspired by holiday foods. And that includes this year's Christmas cookie.

The cookie is made primarily of a foam mattress pad covered with t-shirt scraps. The sprinkles are diamond painting gems. There's a bamboo skewer anchored in the top half and a channel made from a section of straw in the bottom half to allow for movement.

Crafty Christmas countdown: 3

 When I spotted this Christmas dinosaur online, I knew I wanted to make my own version. I made mine with cardboard and construction paper rather than wrapping it with yarn. It's a simple thing but one I rather enjoyed.