tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62252525169145380882024-03-05T14:04:00.437-05:00PalimpsestA book review blog that discusses steampunk, fairy tale adaptations, historical mashups, genre-bending books, and other books that have been put in a historical/literary/space-time melting pot to create something new.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-61872786923276132792014-05-29T13:48:00.000-04:002014-05-29T13:48:03.294-04:00REVIEW: French Milk by Lucy Knisley<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>French Milk</i></div>
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by Lucy Knisley</div>
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Lucy Knisley (author of <i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-relish-my-life-in-kitchen-by-lucy.html">Relish</a></i>) takes a trip with her mother to Paris as a present for her 22nd birthday. Knisley keeps a graphic journal of their days there, filled with museums, food and shopping.<br />
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I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I thought that since it was a single story, rather than <i>Relish</i> which was a reflection on her entire childhood, that it would have more of an arc. However, as it reflected real life, it was simply a record of days. The trip was enviable (and seemingly well-funded), and as a result, I wanted to go back to Paris and visit some of the places she went, but I didn't really enjoy her listing the places she went and the things she ate and the items she bought. She did occasionally have depressive episodes, but they were merely commented on and not explored. Knisley wrote just enough about them to make me start to worry existentially about my own future, as she was doing.<br />
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It really made me want to go and have those experiences in Paris for myself, but I didn't really care about reading that she had them. I did enjoy her drawings, however, as they expanded upon the action of the text beautifully. Its just sad that I am not interested in her stories. Perhaps soon she will delve into the realm of fiction and her stories and excellent illustrations will be enhanced with character arcs and conflict.<br />
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If you are looking for a fast, light, tour of places to go and things to do in Paris, this is a good book for you.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-15585301172211563462014-05-29T13:33:00.000-04:002014-05-29T13:33:57.593-04:00REVIEW: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant</i></div>
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by Tony Cliff</div>
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Erdemoglu Selim is resigned to his lot as a low level officer in the Turkish Jannisary corps. Delilah Dirk is a globetrotting troublemaker, adventurer, and treasure seeker who ends up in the Turkish prison. Selim is in charge of interrogating her, and when she escapes, he is accused of being complicit, so he reluctantly accompanies her on her swashbuckling adventures. When he is given the chance, will he embrace the wonderous life she has shown him, or settle down and finally drink that perfect cup of tea.<br />
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Holy swashbuckling adventure, Batman! This book was just as rollicking as it promised on the cover. A daring, sassy female fighter with her steady companion face challenge after challenge, from burning airship to angry mob. Their banter and the deepening of their relationship are what cemented my love of this graphic novel.<br />
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It was a fast read too! I got it got to read on the metro to and from an event, and I finished it before I even got there. Fast fun kickass heroine adventure candy.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-59073312888380048772014-05-29T13:22:00.001-04:002014-05-29T13:22:58.987-04:00REVIEW: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Fangirl</i></div>
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by Rainbow Rowell</div>
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<i>“I'm the Cool One," she told herself. "Somebody give me some tequila because I'll totally drink it. And there's no way you're going to find me later having a panic attack in your parents' bathroom. Who wants to French-kiss?” </i></div>
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Cath is a <i>Simon Snow</i> fan. A big one. In fact, she writes one of the most popular Simon Snow fanfictions in the world. Cath is entering college, and for the first time is not rooming with her twin, who she needed to define herself as an individual. With all these new changes in her life, her anxiety is spiking, and it is easy to hide in <i>Simon Snow </i>(a thinly veiled <i>Harry Potter</i>). Yet, little by little, new relationships tempt her to stick her foot out the door into the uncertain world. When her fears about the world are proven to be correct, will she retreat into the world of <i>Simon Snow </i>forever, or gather the courage to face unpredictable real life head on. <br />
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I loved this book. I believe <i>Eleanor and Park</i> was probably better, but <i>Fangirl </i>was very personal. It is an excellent exploration of anxiety, the paralyzing fear of the unknown, the fear of waves of "crazy." It was heartening to see Cath open up to new experiences and new friends, even as she held fast to her fandom, first as her shield, and then as a comfort. Her relationship with her kind and driven father who struggles with manic depression, and her relationship with her twin, a fellow Simon Snow fan who begins to have a rather destructive college experience were highly compelling. Her love interests were tender, sensual and silly, but felt a bit one dimensional to me. Perhaps a bit too perfect. But comfy and lovely and highly enjoyable. Rowell has an amazing talent for letting her characters live without forced conflict, and it is still interesting. You watch them be happy, and you are happy for them. That is not to say there is no conflict. Cath must go through a lot to get her happiness.<br />
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I highly recommend it to anyone who has been far away from home in a new place, trying to redefine yourself, to passionate fans of anything, and to anxiety sufferers.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-11656162992897635062014-05-19T11:49:00.000-04:002014-05-19T11:49:33.563-04:00REVIEW: Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Flora and Ulysses: </i><i>The Illuminated Adventures</i></div>
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by Kate DiCamillo</div>
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<i>“Pascal," said Dr. Meescham, "had it that since it could not be proven whether God existed, one might as well believe that he did, because there was everything to gain by believing and nothing to lose. This is how it is for me. What do I lose if I choose to believe? Nothing!"</i></div>
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<i>"Take this squirrel, for instance. Ulysses. Do I believe he can type poetry? Sure, I do believe it. There is much more beauty in the world if I believe such a thing is possible.” </i></div>
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Flora is a cynic. She spends her days up in her room reading comics like <i>The Amazing Incandesto, The Criminal Element, </i>and <i>Terrible Things Can Happen To You! </i>just to make sure she is prepared for the worst. Her motto is "Do not hope. Observe." This way, she can protect herself. Her mother spends her time writing romance novels on their typewriter and she seems to love the shepherdess lamp in the hall more than Flora. Her parents separated, and her quiet father lives in an apartment complex near by. Flora has learned that life is full of disappointments. That is, until one day, when a squirrel gets sucked up in her neighbors vacuum. The incident gives the squirrel amazing powers of strength, comprehension, and the ability to fly and write poetry. As their friendship blooms, Flora begins to think with her heart, rather than her head, but will it just give her more pain in the long run?<br />
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This is a delightfully silly and odd book with a true heart. Flora's transformation from cynic to believer is a joy to watch. Ulysses' (the squirrel's) inner monologue made me smile each time we entered his head. He was so full of wonder at the world as he was now comprehending it that it moved him to write poetry and express his love for Flora. Her father's reawakening to wonder and self-expression due to Flora and the squirrel was probably my favorite part. There is an incredible cast of characters, from Tootie the poetry loving next door neighbor, to her nephew William Spiver who believes he is temporarily blind due to recent trauma, to Dr. Meescham, a doctor of philosophy who teachers Flora about lonesomeness and being open to possibilities.<br />
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The word play and repetition is delicious. The father always introduces himself, no matter what the situation. Flora pulls words from her books, like "Holy Bagumba" and "This malfeasance must be stopped," elevating Ulysses to the role of superhero. I think my favorite might be the recurring reference to a painting in Dr. Meescham's office of a squid with its tentacles around a small boat in a dark sea. Flora sees the squid as a villain, but Dr. Meescham explains that the squid is lonely because it might not see another of its kind for its lifetime. The image of the squid recurs in reference to Flora's lonely heart throughout the book: “Flora’s heart, the lonely, many-armed squid of it, flipped and flailed inside her.”<br />
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It is a joyful book with a great heart. I highly recommend it for those who feel they have lost their ability to believe.<br />
<br />Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-2436123411954502662014-05-16T13:40:00.002-04:002014-05-16T13:43:09.529-04:00REVIEW: The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>The Firefly Letters</i><br />
by Margarita Engle</div>
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<i>We go out at night </i></div>
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<i>to rescue fireflies.</i></div>
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<i>Children catch the friendly cocuyos</i></div>
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<i>and pull off their wings</i></div>
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<i>or put them in bottles</i></div>
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<i>to make little lamps</i></div>
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<i>where the insects glow and fly</i></div>
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<i>until they starve.</i></div>
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<i>Women tie living cocuyos</i></div>
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<i>onto their ruffled dresses as ornements</i></div>
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<i>and girls weave them into their hair </i></div>
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<i>like flashing jewels.</i></div>
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<i>Fredrika and I</i></div>
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<i>feel like heroines in a story, </i></div>
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<i>following people around</i></div>
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<i>buying captive fireflies</i></div>
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<i>and setting them free.</i></div>
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A novel in verse, Engle tells the true story of Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish suffragette, who travels to Cuba to document life there at the turn of the century. She is given an African slave named Cecelia to translate for her. Fredrika's host family has a young girl named Elena who has never been outside her house and is strictly told what is and is not expected of a noble lady. The novel is structured into short poems from the perspective of Fredrika, Cecelia, Elena, and Cecilia's husband Beni, as they reveal the pleasures and darker underbelly of Cuba.<br />
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This was a delightful book. I had expected a bit more action, but the lyrical poetry was enchanting and I was taken on a lovely ride. It was fascinating to learn about Cuba at that time and see how the three women help each other to grow. It is an interesting exploration of slavery and captivity in all its forms.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-53655453323913644042014-05-16T13:28:00.000-04:002014-05-16T13:28:16.267-04:00REVIEW: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy <div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Relish: My Life in the Kitchen</i></div>
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by Lucy Knisley</div>
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<i>“I love the treat and pleasure of eating when it becomes an act of focused giving and sharing...Wasting money and appetite on bad food is disappointing, but it doesn't matter when the company is good...[T]here's a lot to be said for eating as a social act. It's a treat, even when the food is bad.” </i></div>
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Lucy has grown up in kitchens her whole life. Her mother was a fantastic cook, caterer, and farmer, and from her Lucy was introduced to the best foods available. This graphic novel memoir explores her journey from childhood to adulthood through food and several important recipes.<br />
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This graphic novel was ok. I loved the recipes! I want all of my cookbooks to have illustrations like this to accompany them:<br />
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<img src="http://blog.cuadrivio.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Carbonara.jpg" /></div>
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However, the story itself was a bit lacking. It was nice to see how she grew up, and there were several funny stories, but there was no conflict. Everything was beautiful and tasty and idyllic and even when she grew surly in her teenage years, you knew she would come to see how amazing everything was. It did make me want to appreciate the preparation and consumption of my food, however.<br />
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I would definitely buy this book for the recipes. They are simple and clear and funny, with useful tips and illustrations.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-33994910823399108222014-05-16T13:11:00.003-04:002014-05-16T13:11:53.373-04:00REVIEW: Hold Fast by Blue Balliet<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Hold Fast</i></div>
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by Blue Balliet</div>
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<i>"Hold fast to dreams for if dreams go, life is a barren field covered with snow. hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." </i></div>
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<i>- Langston Hughes</i></div>
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They have always been four, Dashsumearlyjubie, a family that held tight to each other, loved each other, learned from each other and was happy. That is until Dash, the father, was hit by a truck and disappeared one snowy day. Summer, the mother, Early, the daughter, and Jubie, the young son, are distraught, knowing that their father who worked as a page at the Chicago Public Library was not the kind of father to walk away from them. Then one night, masked men break into their apartment with guns, steal all their books, and destroy their home. Forced to live in a shelter, Early takes it upon her self to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance and find them a new place to live. Guided by her father's favorite book, <i>The First Book of Rhythms </i>by Langston Hughes, she follows the sinister trail of betrayal and lies to find what is really going on while struggling to keep her family from falling apart.<br />
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This was a beautiful, poetic book that is absolutely in love with language. I was itching to read it out loud. The Pearl family loves words. They keep a book of new words that they discover and love. At the beginning of each book section is a word that has multiple definitions which encapsulate the next movement of the piece.<br />
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Towards the middle, I began to lose interest because not much was going on, but Balliet kept pulling me back in with the beautiful words, the strong bonds of love, the exploration of Langston's work that was the only thing that kept Early going, and the strong feeling of magic realism just in the corner of your eye. It is also a good introduction into the life of a homeless family, and I would probably read it to a class for both poetry and social justice.<br />
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A really beautiful book. I am going to pick up <i>The First Book of Rhythms</i> now.<br />
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<br />Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-18410668735275207532014-05-16T12:52:00.000-04:002014-05-16T12:53:02.523-04:00REVIEW: Going Bovine by Libba Bray<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Going Bovine </i></div>
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by Libba Bray</div>
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<i>“These are hard times. The world hurts. We live in fear and forget to walk with hope. But hope has not forgotten you. So ask it to dinner. It's probably hungry and would appreciate the invitation.” </i></div>
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All 16-year-old Cameron wants to do is detach and snark and perhaps get with his sister's hot friend. When he comes down with Mad Cow disease, however, everything is off the table. There is no cure. That is, until Cameron sees a beautiful punk rock angel in his hospital room who tells him he must go on a quest to find Doctor X, rescue him from the forces of darkness threatening to destroy the universe, and get his cure. With nothing to loose, he sets off on a roadtrip across America with a hypochondriac dwarf and a lawn gnome who claims he is the god Baldur from Norse mythology.<br />
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The thing that hooked me before I even picked up the book was that this was a retelling of <i>Don Quixote. </i>I regret to say, I have never read the original, but there were definite iconic moments I grasped, like tilting with windmill giants, the sidekick, the black knight, and the family who keep trying to bring him back to their reality.<br />
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The beginning is brilliant. Cameron describes the best day in his life, the day he went to Disney World, until he rode on the It's a Small World ride, had a weird feeling that they had all died and this was the afterlife, and nearly drowned trying to find what was behind one of the access doors in the ride, sure it was something mystical. Fast forward to 16 years later when Cameron is pretty unlikable. He doesn't try, because why should he? But that all changes when he accepts the quest. He discovers there are things worth fighting for.<br />
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This book has some pretty incredible moments. Bray captures images with such weighted specificity. Every piece of the landscape informs the emotional state of Cameron. She is brilliant at creating these moments where reality completely bends and a veil is torn to see what metaphysical things are going on beneath every day life. And yet you are never quite sure if Cameron is really there. Is he traveling across the US, or still hallucinating in his hospital bed? Did he see those fire giants with swinging arms, or was it the disease? She creates these scenes that instill mind-bending terror and awe at the inexplicably and dispassion of such occurrences. In the end, it doesn't matter if it all happened in his head or not. His emotional journey from apathy to deep and painful caring is the same. Bray doesn't pull punches and lets the story play out to it's often heartbreaking conclusions. It is a beautiful and HI-larious story about connecting, and living life and having adventures while you can.<br />
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She also gives some great commentary on media and modern public schools which made me laugh.<br />
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I highly recommend this book.<br />
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Books like this<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-odd-thomas-by-dean-koontz.html">Odd Thomas</a> by Dean KoontzMegan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-91863545760214958932014-05-16T11:46:00.000-04:002014-05-16T11:47:02.557-04:00REVIEW: Boxers and Saints<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIlJ-aRDdqDRZoaQopJbGzsLaoK4IoIEuWTBD0H41_SddbhVTsDAkAVWXoLZKm5JNMZtyG8BYZy0oahSlrOlyCrTdKBvEoScFzgSMio1IQpH100C4e7ryg8BvQAjW5XqXDGsRDiEbTCC-/s640/boxers&saints.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></div>
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<i>Boxers</i> and <i>Saints</i></div>
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by Gene Luen Yang</div>
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<i>“What is China but a people and their stories?” </i></div>
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<i>Boxers</i> and <i>Saints</i> are two companion graphic novels that tell the two sides of the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1898. Boxers follows Little Bao, a boy whose village is bullied and oppressed by Christian foreigners. Vowing to put a stop to it, he and his followers become imbued with the power of the ancient gods and fight the "foreign devils" and "secondary devils" -- the Chinese who converted to Christianity. Spurred on by the spirit of the Emperor who united China, his actions become more and more ruthless until he can no longer tell if his crusade is just. <i>Saints </i>tells the story of Four-Girl who is neglected and abused by her family and finds a home in the local Catholic Church. Baptized as Vibiana, she struggles with her purpose in life. Seeing visions of Joan of Arc, she wants to be a female warrior and lead her people to freedom, but the Boxer Rebellion is coming nearer and nearer, bringing death and destruction in its wake. When the time comes, what will her role be?</div>
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It has been a few months since I read these books, so please bear with me. These stories are beautifully told, but brutal and dark. Yang pulls no punches here. He does not flinch from letting his protagonists make very wrong choices. The images are beautiful and striking as each character is lead by visions of their own spiritual guide. I love watching how their two stories intersect and impact each other through life, both at odds, both with good intentions. </div>
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The ending to<i> Boxers</i> leaves you with a kick to the stomach, as does <i>Saints</i>, but there is a kernel of hope at the very very end that makes you feel that people are not entirely terrible. </div>
Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-50684548017829571492014-04-03T19:07:00.000-04:002014-04-03T19:07:41.946-04:00REVIEW: The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>The Last Dragonslayer</i></div>
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by Jasper Fforde</div>
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<i>“Quarkbeasts, for all their fearsome looks, are obedient to a fault. They are nine-tenths velociraptor and kitchen blender and one-tenth Labrador. It was the Labrador tenth that I valued most.” </i></div>
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Please forgive me if this review makes no sense. I have Thursday mush brain.<br />
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One of my favorite authors, Jasper Fforde, who brought us the <i>Thursday Next</i> series, tells us the tale of Jennifer Strange, a foundling who works for Kazam Mystical Arts Management, a company that contracts out wizards to do home repairs. Magic was once a powerful force in the world, and it is waning. Those who once could turn lead into gold now can barely manage to unclog a drain without help. When a prophecy declares that the last dragon will die on Sunday at noon, the magical community wonders if that means magic will be gone for good. Greedy land grabbers to wait with baited breath along the dragon land border with flags and twine, companies vie for merchandising contracts, and the two countries on either side of the territory are preparing for war. It is up to Jennifer and her pet, the terrifying Quarkbeast, to get to the bottom of this situation while trying to keep Kazam from falling apart.<br />
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This was an absolutely charming book. It felt like Harry Potter with all the serious parts taken out and all the goofy random fun stuff kept in. For a while I thought it was just fluff, especially with Jennifer blithely and confidently sailing through the administrative troubles of Kazam, but the second she doesn't have a witty comeback, you know shit has hit the fan. Those are the juiciest moments, when she is vulnerable and out of her element and must regroup to succeed. I also cheered that Jennifer was a non-magical ADMINISTRATOR! She made sure people filled out the correct form for x or y spell and took care of the more artistically-minded magic workers.<br />
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The world is a charming mix of the medieval (wizards, dragons, castles, kings) and the modern (Jennifer's orange VW Bug, plumbing, paperwork, merchandising). Fforde is king of the mash up, and spices it with wonderful jokes like this: “It was written in the ancient RUNIX spell-language, and is read-only and can't be modified.” And a moose illusion that will not go away. And a Dragonslayer headquarters which is a bit like Ghostbusters.<br />
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I highly recommend this book if you love whimsy and kick ass female characters.<br />
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<u>Other Jasper Fforde Books I Have Reviewed</u><br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/archived-review-thursday-next-first.html">Thursday Next: First Among Sequels </a><br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/archived-review-fourth-bear-8111.html">The Fourth Bear</a><br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-shades-of-grey-by-jasper-fforde.html">Shades of Grey</a>Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-84836019690010607922014-03-21T11:42:00.000-04:002014-03-21T11:57:37.832-04:00REVIEW: Cress by Marissa Meyer<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwCHIRyLgsxdghdCaT1anqWli5qykR29A5Wkh7md2G1cJ1Uc_5fDCP1U5N3wB_7CzArzpSzscLm-7DEwFbs70Ss3vwX9t-Jf48-hAlO2A_txE5aHkzqY35NhnOY6mgxjF36tLZnrOW_k/s1600/13206828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwCHIRyLgsxdghdCaT1anqWli5qykR29A5Wkh7md2G1cJ1Uc_5fDCP1U5N3wB_7CzArzpSzscLm-7DEwFbs70Ss3vwX9t-Jf48-hAlO2A_txE5aHkzqY35NhnOY6mgxjF36tLZnrOW_k/s1600/13206828.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<i>Cress</i></div>
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by Marissa Meyer</div>
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<i>“I am an explorer,' she whispered, 'setting courageously off into the wild unknown.' It was not a daydream she'd ever had before, but she felt the familiar comfort of her imagination wrapping around her. She was an archeologist, a scientist, a treasure hunter. She was a master of land and sea. 'My life is an adventure.' she said, growing confident as she opened her eyes again. 'I will not be shackled to this satellite anymore.'</i></div>
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<i>Thorne tilted his head to one side. He waited for three heartbeats before sliding one hand down into hers. 'I have no idea what you're talking about,' he said. 'But we'll go with it.” </i></div>
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Beginning where <i>Scarlet</i> left off, Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf are on their ship (voiced by Iko, their droid compatriot) trying to think of a plan to overthrow the Lunar Queen, stop her from marrying Prince Kai and taking over the world. It is not a B movie, I swear. On a satellite circling earth, we find Cress, a long-haired Lunar shell (non-magical Lunar), who has spent her life working for the Queen, hacking their security feeds, monitoring their transmissions, and hiding Lunar movements. In all that time of solitude, she has fallen in love with earth, and more specifically with the dashing and suave Captain Thorne whom she knows is hiding a heart of gold under his selfish exterior. She teams up with our heroes, but when Thorne attempts to rescue her from her lonely outpost, Cress' guardian, the Lunar Thaumaturge finds them, and sends the satellite hurling to earth. In the process, Thorne is blinded (the witch throws the prince from the tower, he lands in thorns and his eyes are gouged out). Cress, newly shorn, and a blind Thorne must find their way across the desert, join Cinder and stop the royal wedding. </div>
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Oh my god, these books are like fairy tale catnip for me. They are perfectly crafted adaptations. They touch on every single iconic moment of the original tales, but it is woven seamlessly into a new compelling science fiction political drama/ adventure novel. In every book, the heroines become more and more pleasing. Cinder was a determined kick-ass heroine along the model that we have seen before. Scarlet was a kick-ass heroine with beautiful weaknesses and flaws. Cress is a quirky shut-in damsel-in-distress, but in a way that does not diminish her complexity or humanness. She does not have awesome fighting powers, but is an intelligent and valuable contributer to the team. Meyer writes strong female characters who do not have to be physically strong, and I adore that. </div>
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The women are not the only ones who develop in this book. Captain Thorne, swashbuckling wannabe extraordinaire who was introduced in Scarlet, must show his quality when he and Cress face the relentless desert, and underneath his swagger he has grit, determination, and genuine tenderness.He is not just prancing comic relief, but a man who deserves the love Cress feels for him. </div>
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Dr. Erland also finds himself on a journey of self triggered by the revelation of his fatherhood, as he attempts to reconcile highly immoral medical practices and his conscience. In my head, I cast <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007210/">Saul Rubinek</a> as Dr. Erland and I think it is perfect. Make the movie now, please. </div>
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We also meet an assholic Lunar guard who might turn into the prince of the next book, <i>Winter</i>. I am super excited!</div>
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One last thing I appreciate (of the many things I appreciate in these books) is how Meyer writes romance. There (so far) has been no sex in these books, but the tantalizingly sensual way the characters fall in love is so erotic that there doesn't need to be. How one character touches another softly, or even imagines being touched, is so tinglingly delicious. And yes, romance is a thing, but the focus is saving the kingdom, which shows that their priorities are in order. </div>
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READ THESE BOOKS. That is all. </div>
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<u>The Lunar Chronicles</u></div>
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<i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html">Cinder</a></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-scarlet-by-marissa-meyer.html">Scarlet</a></i></div>
Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-81700840171835613312014-03-21T10:30:00.000-04:002014-03-21T10:30:34.892-04:00REVIEW: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</i></div>
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by Sherman Alexie</div>
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<i>“I used to think the world was broken down by tribes,' I said. 'By Black and White. By Indian and White. But I know this isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: the people who are assholes and the people who are not.” </i></div>
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Junior lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation, stuck in a life that has no forward momentum. You are born here, you live here, and you die here, poor as dirt and often mired in a despair that his family and community try to escape in dangerous and addictive ways. After becoming enraged that the textbook he was handed in class was the same one his mother used as a child, he is entreated by his teacher (the target of Junior's book-flinging anger who is saturated with regret) to get out. Junior takes his destiny into his own hands and enrolls in elite school miles away from the reservation, often hitchhiking back and forth. Despite his disadvantages, he begins to thrive, but at what cost? His reservation sees him as a traitor. How can he reconcile his heritage with his dreams?</div>
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<i>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</i> is witty, hopeful and heartbreaking. Junior's voice is so authentic, a teenage boy with an awareness of his community through the lens of his own wants and desires. Often times he is selfish and shallow, but that's being human for you. He begins as one thing, a weakling with an oddly shaped body due to a birth defect to a significant presence at his new school. He is allowed to blossom, rather then stunting and rotting in a place with no space to grow. The tragedy is that those he has left behind remain in this cycle of despair that has lasted generations. Is it betraying his heritage to abandon his community? Is it self preservation? Junior wrestles with these questions as the story continues, through tragedy, pain and bittersweet victory. </div>
Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-17384926992775001672014-01-22T23:26:00.001-05:002014-01-22T23:26:37.482-05:00Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUXhJtAG_gTLXUHiCmJntywwfanJT4VG5pOZNNCHV5Eh0I7KhXcJuhvzqbs2jAspdFQx-r98z8YC4zVtR8KF8iSL00HRpamX5MXEwEHq-BuyuwFr0gPHFo_OuQvhn-CnMKirjfd2PzTLw/s640/Monument14_Lo.jpg" width="427" /></div>
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<i>Monument 14</i></div>
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by Emmy Laybourne</div>
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<i>“Your mother hollers that you're going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don't stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don't thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not- you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.</i></div>
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<i>Only, if it's the last you'll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you'd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.</i></div>
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<i>But the bus was barreling down our street so I ran.” </i></div>
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Dean is on his way to school, sometime in the near future, when the apocalypse hits. A massive volcano sets of a chain of events (hail storms, earthquakes, tidal waves) that lead to the bus crashing right outside a Greenway (basically a Walmart). Kids die and the survivors take shelter in the store. The earthquakes lead to chemical weapons escaping from NORAD, and soon no one can go outside without risk of contamination and violent reactions. Dean and the kids (ranging from kindergarten to high school) must work together to survive in the midst of of the most devastating disaster in the nation's history.<br />
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As you know, I love survival books. This is probably one of my favorites. It has a milder <i>Lord of the Flies </i>feel, with hormones raging, but not to the extent of the classic. Alliances are forged and broken, love is found and lost. Yet, we never really get too close to any of the characters. They are all still mysteries in Dean's eyes. You get the feeling that you can never really know a person, even if you are locked in a Walmart with them during the apocalypse. The kids are smart, blocking ventilation, creating zones, using resources wisely, creating a home and a routine for the younger kids, finding ways to communicate with the outside world. You wonder how long this community can last and if their destruction will be internal or external. The ending is surprisingly the end of a section, but hardly the end of their story. I am not at all surprised to find out that there are several more books in this world after the end of the story, and I can't wait to read them!Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-90053886968601593762013-12-17T13:06:00.000-05:002013-12-17T13:06:33.718-05:00REVIEW: Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVojEi54oDpmuFIEj-VxQYCYlinS6Uz1HXnYKimkAAtMu5_VAP5YhOfvrO4Yct-RrOm8gJc2PqgZYaOhjyXTF5AKMavBrmRCQXJH5VeQrwIf_fWt44gwC-pnxXBjxC6GFWJEC80_Gl4M/s400/Breadcrumbs+Cover+-+FINAL.jpg" width="270" /></div>
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<i>Breadcrumbs</i></div>
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by Anne Ursu</div>
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<i>“A boy got a splinter in his eye, and his heart turned cold. Only two people noticed. One was a witch, and she took him for her own. The other was his best friend. And she went after him in ill-considered shoes, brave and completely unprepared.” </i></div>
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Hazel has moved from a more progressive, creative school to a traditional school in a new neighborhood. She feels so out of place. All the things she enjoyed about learning are discouraged. Her only touchstone is her best friend Jack. They let their imaginations run wild, inventing stories and playing baseball as superheros who are not allowed to use their powers. However, one day, Jack gets something in his eye, and he is completely different. He is mean to Hazel and doesn't care about what they used to care about. And then he disappears. Everyone thinks he went to visit his aunt, but Hazel knows something is wrong. She knows he was stolen by the Snow Queen. She must embark on a mission, facing wolves, witches, and ice, to save her best friend... who might not want to be saved.<br />
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I thought I would like this book a lot more than I did. "The Snow Queen" is one of my favorite tales. I felt this book was a bit lackluster for several reasons. First, the Snow Queen is a metaphor and a story they make up, as well as a real, concrete, straight from the fairy tale being. It straddled the land of metaphor and the land of reality. I almost wish that it remained in the land of metaphor, and used the story of the Snow Queen in a magic realism sense to depict the loss of a friend. But it wheels completely into the realm of fantasy, at times being slavishly loyal to the original, and at other times going strangely off the rails.<br />
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I did enjoy her constant allusions to other books like <i>Lord of the Rings</i>,<i> Wrinkle in Time</i>, <i>Chronicles of Narnia</i>, the <i>Golden Compass</i>, but it was a "huh I am in on the joke" enjoyment, rather than enjoying them for their artistic purpose. More than that, I liked her use of other Anderson fairy tales woven into Hazel's strange adventures in the snowy forest. The woods were mysterious and dream-like; unpredictable threats could jump out at any moment disguised as goodness. It made the journey disjointed and disorienting.<br />
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The ending was also unsatisfying, not because it is ambiguous, which it is, but because there are several elements left unexplained, like why the Snow Queen gave Jack the puzzle and what would have happened had he completed it.<br />
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Throughout, the book had a rather condescending tone towards science and "grown up things." It rankled me a bit, because science can go hand in hand with imagination, it is not the enemy. Hazel railed against anyone she perceived not to have an imagination which made me dislike her a little.<br />
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I appreciated Ursu's playful language, however, and the fact that she did not make the Snow Queen a villain in the traditional sense. There were several ancillary characters like Martin, Hazel's friend's imaginative uncle, who were delightful to read, if a bit flat.<br />
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It is a lovely story about how friendships change over time, but I felt it could have been stronger. I know several friends who enjoyed it, however, so perhaps I have missed something.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-84449372438625664592013-11-19T13:04:00.000-05:002013-11-19T13:04:40.662-05:00REVIEW: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Ice</i></div>
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by Sarah Beth Durst</div>
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<i>“She had a hundred reasons: because Bear had carved a statue of her in the center of the topiary garden, because she could always make him laugh, because he'd let her return to the station, because he won at chess and lost at hockey, because he ran as fast as he could to polar bear births, because he had seal breath even as a human, because his hands were soft, because he was her Bear. "Because I want my husband back," Cassie said.” </i></div>
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Cassie has lived her whole life in her family's arctic research station. Her world is ice and science and tagging polar bears and survival. Her grandmother had told her fairy tales about her mother, the adopted daughter of the North Wind, who was supposed to marry the Polar Bear King but married a mortal instead. The North Wind was so angry that he threw the mother into the land of the trolls, never to be seen again. When Cassie grew up, she realized these were just stories to make her feel better about her mother's death. That is, until the Polar Bear King comes to claim Cassie as his wife. After agreeing to rescue her mother, Bear whisks Cassie away to his ice castle at the North Pole. She and Bear slowly and deeply fall in love, but when Cassie betrays Bear and he is torn from her side, she must brave the frozen wasteland to find him again.<br />
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I loved this adaptation of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" even more than <i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/02/east-by-edith-pattou-rubbing-linseed.html">East</a></i>. It is a rather faithful adaptation of the story, though elements are changed and added to enhance the themes Durst draws out of the tale. The story begins strong and ends strong, but when you hit the 3/4 mark, the story is difficult to adapt, as she travels to find Bear and encounters very vignette-y adversaries and friends, but such is the nature of the tale. Durst's adaptation is rooted in a very real exploration of a relationship: two people who love each other but have separate careers, interests, and plans for the future. They struggle and fight and that is what makes the story ring true. It is about coming to terms with who you are as a person and who you are as a couple. Cassie is 18, so she has a lot of growing up to do in a short period of time.<br />
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Cassie and Bear, the pillars of the story, are a joy to watch. Bear, unlike most Beasts or Bears or Cupids I have seen in "Beauty and the Beast"/"East of the Sun and West of the Moon"/ "Cupid and Psyche" adaptations, is not brooding or depressed or serious. His actually very loving and silly. They play together verbally and physically, ice skating in the ballroom and bantering back and forth. He cares deeply for Cassie and the polar bears he serves. He is easy to fall in love with. Cassie is smart and brave and stubborn beyond all belief. The amount of pain and suffering she must endure to find Bear is awe-inspiring. She is up there with September from <a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-girl-who-circumnavigated-fairy.html">The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairy Land in a Ship of her Own Making</a> and Katsa from <a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-graceling-by-kristin-cashore.html">Graceling</a> as some of the most resourceful badass chicks in literature.<br />
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Durst creates a fascinating mythology surrounding Bear and the creatures that help or hinder Cassie. Bear is a munaqsri, a being who cares for a particular species. He takes their souls from them when they die, and gives them to newborns. If they do not transfer a soul into the newborn, the baby is born dead. This element ends up being essential to the journey of Cassie and Bear and critical in the climax. I teared up on the metro as I read it, it is so well-crafted and emotionally satisfying.<br />
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I highly recommend this adaptation of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon."<br />
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<u>Books Like This</u><br />
<i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/02/east-by-edith-pattou-rubbing-linseed.html">East</a> </i>by Edith Pattou<br />
<i>Til We Have Faces</i> by C.S. Lewis<br />
<i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html">Cinder</a> </i>and <a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-scarlet-by-marissa-meyer.html"><i>Scarlet</i></a> by Marissa Meyer<br />
<i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-stung-by-bethany-wiggins.html">Stung</a> </i>by Bethany Wiggins<br />
<br />Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-11366858410166110742013-11-09T16:06:00.001-05:002013-11-09T16:06:27.726-05:00REVIEW: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rpAN3fgVwx3AdTBYskbA50wJKGggbhI5ncXMTjsLkBBbSGkOp7AZY1jushmJOxqJGn4XOLDb9gKhsBF1C96jtDlm2Ij21jo3ok0tC6lKDAM_l4R-Jiyp_3Q-m2J1z9Gt5YYI1F8Fkrc/s400/skull.jpg" width="262" /></div>
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<i>Skulduggery Pleasant</i></div>
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by Derek Landy</div>
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<i>“Her parents wanted her to find her own way in life. That’s what they’d said countless times in the past. Of course, they’d been referring to school subjects and college applications and job prospects. Presumably, at no stage did they factor living skeletons and magic underworlds into their considerations. If they had, their advice would probably have been very different.” </i></div>
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When Stephanie's eccentric uncle suddenly dies, she meets someone rather mysterious at the reading of the will. Skulduggery Pleasant, her uncle's old friend, covers himself with a coat, scarf, had and dark glasses. When Stephanie is attacked by a terrifying man, Skulduggery reveals himself to be a walking, talking skeleton, an ancient sorcerer whose lost his life fighting the forces of evil, and pulled himself back together to finish him off. In the last few hundred years, he has become a wisecracking detective. Together, he and Stephanie must face a new threat, and stop a villain from destroying the world.<br />
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This book was absolutely clever and charming. While the plot was rather simple and conventional for the genre, and the villain was one dimensional, but the meat of the story is Skulduggery and Stephanie's relationship. Skulduggery is witty and silly fun on his own, but together with Stephanie the banter and chemistry is electric. They bat scenes back and forth like a tennis ball, matching each other in wit, humor and grit.<br />
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I loved Stephanie's slow assimilation into the magic culture. Once she knows it exists, she must choose to turn back to her old life, or plunge forward wholeheartedly into the danger and the dark. As she steps further and further in, her understanding of the very real threats that face them grow and her continuous determination to help Skulduggery is heartening. In this world, people have three names: the secret name they are born with, the name they are given by their parents, and the third name that they choose. That third name protects a sorcerer from using their other two names to control them, and it is usually deliciously descriptive. The moment Stephanie chooses her name was so powerful, I got shivers.<br />
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It bothered me how much Stephanie was on the sidelines of the fighting, either hurt or watching. However, she is 12 and a magic noob, so it makes sense that Skulduggery does most of the ass-kicking. Tanith Lee, a female swordslinger who joins up with them, gives us ample badassery on her own. And Landy allows her to giggle with Stephanie, which makes me so happy. No stoic, cardboard, humorless fighter chicks in this book!<br />
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I also appreciated Stephanie's family life. Usually in stories like this, the protagonist's family abuses them, or is apathetic, or is dead. Stephanie's family cares! Her dad is absolutely lovely, and has one of the most touching scenes in the book. You worry that in the sequels, Stephanie is going to break his heart.<br />
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A fun and fast juvenile read. I did wish it was more of a magical detective story, and less of an epic battle of good vs evil, but it was a joy to sit in the Bentley with Skulduggery and Stephanie and listen to them talk. I look forward to see where this series goes (there are 8 of them!)<br />
Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-5361897804196739742013-11-04T15:01:00.000-05:002013-11-04T15:01:14.366-05:00REVIEW: Dodger by Terry Pratchett<div style="text-align: center;">
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by Terry Pratchett</div>
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<i>“Dodger made haste towards the house of the Mayhews while in his mind he saw the cheerful face and hooked nose of Mister Punch, beating his wife, beating the policeman and throwing the baby away, which made all the children laugh. Why was that funny, he thought? Was that funny at all? He’d lived for seventeen years on the streets, and so he knew that, funny or not, it was real. Not all the time, of course, but often when people had been brought down so low that they could think of nothing better to do than punch: punch the wife, punch the child and then, sooner or later, endeavour to punch the hangman, although that was the punch that never landed and, oh how the children laughed at Mister Punch! But Simplicity wasn't laughing...” </i></blockquote>
It was a dark and stormy night in turn-of-the-century London. A girl's scream rips through the air as she tries to escape a carriage with two brutish men on her heels. Suddenly, a young man emerges from a sewer drain and saves her. Thus Dodger, common geezer and tosher (person who explores sewers for lost items), gets swept up in a mystery that involves Charles Dickens, Henry Mayhew, Benjamin Disraeli, and even foreign powers. Will he be able to solve the mystery of the woman in the coach, and will he be able to maintain his identity as his star rises?<br />
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Pratchett calls this book a historical fantasy, and I can definitely see how that is true. It is more like historical fan fiction, where he manipulates facts to give you a really fun story. It took me a while to get into the rhythm of his long, convoluted and clever sentences, but I really enjoyed the book.<br />
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The world was excellently drawn, almost too much so, for I felt sometimes he was letting the historical personages run wild with their opinions on the world more than letting the plot advance. However, the characters are really fun, if a bit flat. The two characters that stand out in relief from the others are Dodger himself and his mentor and landlord Solomon. Solomon is a practical, cosmopolitan Jewish refugee. He lives simply and speaks wisely, and plays his cards close to the chest. It bothered me that Pratchett seemed to be implying that Fagin from <i>Oliver Twist</i> was based on Solomon, for Solomon was nothing if not an amazing role model. Dickens actually went back and apologized for the anti-Semitic portrayal of Fagin in <i>Oliver Twist</i>, so it colored my view of Dickens in the novel.<br />
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Dodger is a surprisingly compassionate hardened geezer (clever, streetwise person). He is more complex than you realize at first, protecting his town, and if he lies and manipulates a good person, he makes sure they are recompensed. He sees all sides of a situation, and feels sympathy for those who are portrayed as "villains" in the eyes of the public. I do sometimes wish that he was actually genuinely scared or that he failed horribly once or twice in the story, because his constant successes made me hate him a little, but just a little.<br />
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I honestly was expecting a lot of horrible things to happen in this book which never happened. Perhaps, I forgot this was a Pratchett novel, and not just a regular historical/ literary adaptation where they try to take the story down dark roads.<br />
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All in all, a pleasant and fun romp through 17th century London.<br />
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Books Like This:<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/03/review-wee-free-men-by-terry-pratchett.html">The Wee Free Men</a> by Terry Pratchett<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-sacre-bleu-comedy-dart-by.html">Sacre Bleu</a> by Christopher Moore<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-oscar-wilde-and-death-of-no.html">Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance</a> by Gyles Brandreth<br />
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Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-54676783148262358002013-10-18T16:46:00.000-04:002013-10-18T16:46:03.298-04:00REVIEW: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Tiger Lily</i></div>
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by Jodi Lynn Anderson</div>
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<i>“I'm not myself," she offered, guiltily. She softened around Tik Tok, and when she did she was, for those rare moments, girlish.</i><i><br /></i><i>He smiled. "You can never say that. You're just a piece of yourself right now that you don't like.” </i></blockquote>
Tiger Lily lives in Neverland, an island in the Atlantic where ships of Englanders occasionally wash up with pirates or children or folks who don't last very long. Englanders have a disease that makes them continue to grow older until they die, something the natives are not subject to. Tiger Lily is an orphan, adopted by the shaman of the tribe, a man named Tik Tok, who is "of two genders": he is a man who wears women's clothing. Tiger Lily lives up to her name: fierce, stoic, and unreadable except by those who know her well. She is a misfit in the tribe, so when she meets Peter Pan, the ominous and deadly boy in the woods, she is caught up in a world where she is needed, special, admired. Her relationship with Peter ignites with heart-thrumming intimacy. But when Tiger Lily neglects her tribe to tragic results, and when a Wendy bird arrives, will they be able to maintain their connection, or will Tiger Lily lose everything?<br />
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This was such a fascinating book. It is narrated by Tinkerbell (not her real name, simply a name Peter condescendingly bestowed). She cannot speak, but she can sense the thoughts and feelings of those around her, making her a unique, slightly omnipotent storyteller. Neverland itself is a strange entity. It is set in our world. Their are fairies and mermaids, but no flying, no "second star to the right." And yet, Anderson manages to maintain what I loved most about the original story: the very real psychology of the characters.<br />
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This story also maintains the ache of the original. As an adult reader, you know what things mean. The larger implications of certain feelings become clear. You pity, envy, and are frightened of Peter. He becomes that boy. The one who cannot understand the feelings he is having. The one who shuts himself to any other reality but his own. The one who desperately means to keep promises, but then does not. The one who sends you to the highest highs but also deeply frightens you with what he is capable of. I understood Peter more in this book than in any other interpretation. Hook's desperation for Peter is not the comical Disney or musical version: it is dark and dangerous and self-destructive. Smee is still "lovable" but you remember why he is a pirate and not an affable accountant. He is still a murderer. Wendy is much stronger and also much weaker than in the original. She is so sure of herself because the world cannot be other than how she sees it. The lost boys are not romanticized as off on a camping trip. These boys act the way any children would if they were left to their own devices, forced to survive on their own. They hero-worship Peter, desperate to have some sort of direction, a compass to focus their days. But this, of course, takes a toll on a leader who is still very much a boy himself.<br />
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Tiger Lily is wonderfully complex and refreshing. She is not a preteen seductress, nor a silent generic "indian." She is guarded and pained and untrusting but also worthy and strong, and has the capacity for deep love. And she does not, as this book seemed to imply at the beginning, loose her mind, heart and need for life when she loses Peter (as all girls lose Peter).<br />
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The cast of new characters are more of a mystery to us, but they are no less compelling: Pine Sap, Tiger Lily's mishapen and introspective friend, and Tik Tok the shaman whose slow tragedy breaks our hearts.<br />
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This is a quality Peter Pan adaptation. Well-written and faithful to the spirit of the original.Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-15660117927759342592013-10-06T17:03:00.000-04:002013-10-06T17:03:15.484-04:00REVIEW: Timeline by Michael Crichton<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Timeline</i></div>
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by Michael Crichton</div>
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A team of archaeologists are digging up a medieval castle when their funders, the mysterious ITC, accidentally drop a hint that they know more about the site than they let on. The lead archaeologist, Professor Johnson, flies to New Mexico to find out what is going on and he doesn't return. Meanwhile, his team unearths an ancient parchment in the ruins, a document dating 600 years old, with the words "Help me!" in the Professor's handwriting. With the questionable aid of ITC, they must travel back in time and save the Professor. Will their expertise help them survive the dangerous middle ages, or will they be crushed underfoot by the march of history?<br />
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This is my first Michael Crichton book and I can't say I am a fan. I loved the movie of <i>Timeline</i> (warning, this review is tainted by that), and I hoped the book would be even better. I was surprised at how different the two were, and how the movie streamlined and improved upon the story Crichton told.<br />
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For example, time travel is not even mentioned until page 109. The first quarter of the book is taken up with wandering through ITC and the dig site. I honestly would have stopped if I hadn't known that time travel would happen, and the knowing made it even more excruciating.<br />
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Crichton loves to bathe in science. The book is saturated with it and it verges on fetishism. And yet the science is questionable. I know little about scientific theory, and even I could see that the logic was flawed. The theory of time travel is based on the idea of the multiverse. That (in an uber simplified version) because you shoot light particles through holes and some hit their target and some disappear, that something blocks them. Obviously, it is another universe getting in the way. It seems like that is the most complicated answer possible for such a phenomenon. The science behind the time travel that ITC uses is really moving a person from one universe to another. But also back in time in that universe. It is an unnecessarily complex method of time travel.<br />
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Crichton treats history almost the same way as science, reveling in explaining to the reader why everything we think about the middle ages is untrue. I quite enjoyed his fact dropping as history is more my scene, but at times it did verge historical masturbation. It is full of long anecdotes and facts that have little to do with the plot and more to do with how knowledgeable Crichton was about the subject matter.<br />
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The movie simplified a lot of convoluted plot points (ex. the Professor makes greek fire, rather than <i>almost</i> greek fire). Some of the adventures the heroes encounter feel like filler and provide a momentary inconvenience before setting them back on their path again.<br />
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The book did maintain an element of the movie I loved: the reality of the middle ages and how the modern archaeologists are completely out of their element. Kate, Andre and Chris each have their own baggage and their own area of expertise that ends up being indispensable to the mission. Kate is an expert climber and architect. Andre is an expert on medieval life, culture, language and martial arts. Chris is an expert in the history of technology, and the workings of a particular mill that plays a pivotal role. Chris' journey was the most meaty as he goes through the crucible of medieval peril, transforming from a whiny serial dater to a solid, stouthearted friend.<br />
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There were some elements to the book that seemed entirely out of place. One adventure leads them to a green chapel where a knight waits with an ax to chop of their head. Did you just read <i>Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight</i>, Michael? And the Lady Claire, a sweet, smart, and determined character with a clear goal and a clear purpose in the movie becomes an absolute baffling mystery in the book: a randomly sexualized scheming deus ex machina and reward for sacrifice.<br />
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In the end, this book had an interesting premise which crawled, stumbled, danced a jig, and then awkwardly sat down again. All in all, the story and the history ended up being entertaining, but I thought, with Crichton's reputation, we would get a better book.<br />
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<u>Books like this (but better!)</u><br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/archived-review-doomsday-book-71010.html">The Domesday Book</a> by Connie Willis<br />
<br />Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-12390309420829114712013-09-22T18:38:00.000-04:002013-09-22T18:38:54.857-04:00REVIEW: The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum<br />
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<i>The Wizard of Oz</i></div>
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by L. Frank Baum </div>
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<i>“I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call Kansas."</i></blockquote>
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<i>"That is because you have no brains," answered the girl. "No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home." </i></blockquote>
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<i>The Scarecrow sighed.</i></blockquote>
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<i>"Of course I cannot understand it," he said. "If your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in beautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all. It is fortunate for Kansas that you have brains.” </i></blockquote>
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Dorothy lives in Kansas with her uncle and aunt. It is a grey little farm on a grey little plain. One day a tornado swoops down and takes Dorothy and the house up into the sky and down again, landing in the Land of Oz on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy and her new friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Lion travel through perils to the Emerald City to each receive what they most desire from the great and terrible Wizard of Oz. But will Oz's price be too much for them to pay?<br />
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Please do not read this if you are a part of my book club! This is my first time reading the books. I have seen the movie several times, and I have vague memories of reading Oz stories in picture book form, but I never had all of them, and the ones that stood out were the visit to Oz, the china town and the Hammer Heads. I had never read it all the way through.<br />
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I love it! The style is so charming. I shouldn't say that it reminds me of <a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-girl-who-circumnavigated-fairy.html">The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairy Land in a Ship of her Own Making</a>, it should be the other way around, but I hadn't read Oz yet!<br />
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I loved that the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Lion weren't just Dorothy's backup dancers. They each had their own very specific talents -- ironically the exact talents they thought they lacked. On every adventure, the Scarecrow would come up with the plan, the Tin Woodsman built or used a tool to help with the plan, and the Lion had to complete the scary task. They used teamwork to solve problems and they could not have accomplished any part of their journey without the other. There were very few moments like that in the movie where they separately shone as part of the whole.<br />
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Dorothy, while still a child, is much more sensible than the Dorothy in the movie. As much as I love Judy Garland, she is very much the damsel in distress. Dorothy keeps a close eye on the food supply for the journey, and keeps her head down when she needs to. She deals with the supposed death or loss of her companions multiple times, and she handles herself in Oz with maturity. When the witch takes her prisoner, she obeys and comforts the lion (one of the more touching moments of the book for me). The end rescue happens in reverse from the movie. Dorothy has had enough and in a fit of frustration throws water on the witch and melts her (rather than as a desperate impulse in the movie). She rescues the lion and then goes to rescue the Tin Woodsman and the Scarecrow.<br />
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I was so shocked at the violence in this book. The Tin Woodsman kills a lot of animals with his ax. But I did appreciate how Baum handled Oz' request for Dorothy, a little girl, to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. She cries and states that she cannot kill someone willingly. I felt this was missing in the movie, the full weight of asking a child to kill someone.<br />
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I did feel that the adventures post Oz's departure were a bit too much. The movie handled it nicely, having Glinda appear at the balloon launch. Perhaps it was because I was used to the movie's ending that I didn't fully grasp the trajectory of this story.<br />
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I missed the parallels between farm life and the Land of Oz to show that she still carries some Oz with her at home. It makes me wonder if she will be as happy as she claims in the grey land of Kansas. And you do wonder, after the 100th time they repeat the brains, heart, courage, home mantra...what did Toto want?<br />
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I did love the book, however, and I will definitely put it on my shelf of classics I will read to my children, along with<i> Peter Pan</i> and the <i>Secret Garden</i>.<br />
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<br />Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-42892278435641180172013-09-16T17:09:00.000-04:002013-09-16T17:09:58.544-04:00REVIEW: Stung by Bethany Wiggins<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>"As I jump out the window, I glance over my shoulder. The window frames a face with smooth skin and hollow cheeks -- a boy on the brink of manhood. He peels his lips back and growls, and I stare into his brown eyes. For a moment it is like looking into a mirror and I almost say his name. Until I realize his eyes are wild and feral, like an animal's...As I sprint across the empty schoolyard, past the silent, rusted playground, I dare a look over my shoulder. My brother is hobbling toward the fence, his angle hanging at an odd angle to his leg. His eyes meet mine and he holds a hand up to me, a plea to come back. A sob tears at my chest, but I look away and keep running."</i></div>
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Fiona wakes up in her bedroom. Everything is covered in dust. The world around her is lifeless, and there is a tattoo on her right hand. She is 4 years older than she was when she fell asleep. She steps into a world divided, where those bearing the tattoo must live outside the wall because they are infected with a deadly disease that could turn them at any moment into mindless beastly killing machines. Those within the wall are safe, but at what cost? When Fiona is captured by the militia, she is marked as a Level Ten, the deadliest of all the infected. Yet, she feels normal. As flashes of memories come back to her, she and her former classmate Bowen, now a hardened militia man, must discover her secret before it is too late.<br />
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This book was chilling. The opening images of a normal world gone wrong were nightmarish. Everything left as if the family had just stepped out, but dust-covered, broken, and warped. Vestiges of her old life present themselves in horribly twisted ways.<br />
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There are very few elements of the Sleeping Beauty tale in this adaptation, but they appear in the prick of a needle, the many-years sleep, and the healing power of a kiss, just not in the ways you would expect.<br />
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The story itself did not grab my heart the way <a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-scarlet-by-marissa-meyer.html"><i>Scarlet</i></a> did. The bleak dystopia grabbed my brain, however, and I was moved by the dogged perseverance of Fiona towards the end of the book (after a few chapters of some wandering, and following). While her relationship with Bowen is compelling, I was more taken by her relationship with her twin brother Jonah, a Level 10 who has already turned into an aggressive killer, and how his repeat appearances change as the plot advances.<br />
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I found that the story meandered a little and the deus ex machina at the end was a little too abrupt and easy, but it was still a satisfying tale, and a fascinating world to explore. A solid sci-fi version of the fairy tale.<br />
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And the cover art is amazing, right?Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-75787008587117007302013-09-16T16:37:00.000-04:002013-09-16T16:37:58.470-04:00REVIEW: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Scarlet</i></div>
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by Marissa Meyer</div>
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<i>“A sickening howl stopped her, sucking the air out of her lungs. </i></div>
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<i>The night's chatter silenced, even the loitering city rats pausing to listen.</i></div>
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<i>Scarlet had heard wild wolves before, prowling the countryside in search of easy prey on the farms.</i></div>
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<i>But never had a wolf's howl send a chill down her spine like that.” </i></div>
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This second book in the Lunar Chronicles follows a delivery girl named Scarlet whose grandmother has been missing for two weeks. The police have given up, but she tenaciously searches for clues. When she meets a young, handsome, ambiguously affiliated street fighter, Wolf, who might hold the key to her grandmother's disappearance, they embark on a journey that might save her grandmother, or doom Scarlet to the same fate. In the mean time, Cinder (protagonist of the last book), is breaking out of prison with the charming, but rather self absorbed Captain Thorne. And poor Prince Kai is left to deal with the evil Lunar Queen alone. </div>
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I believe I loved this book even more than <i><a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html">Cinder</a></i>! Marissa Meyer creates awesome heroines, all of whom have very strong objectives having nothing to do with love. Any love that they may come across is secondary to their main drives. And so far they have each held jobs traditionally given to men (that of mechanic and delivery person) with unconscious aplomb.<br />
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The gentlemen, Thorne and Kai, are given equally complex treatment. Even though Thorne is shallow, you can tell he is capable of more than he gives himself credit for. And Wolf. Oh Wolf. I am a sucker for the primal but sweet and funny but also not-certain-if-he-is-going-to-eat-you wolfman (see Wolf in <i>10th Kingdom</i>). And may I say, without giving too much away, that <i>damn</i> the romance in this one is passionate.<br />
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This book is action-packed with highly creative fights, chases, interrogation scenes, and brawls. The science fiction is deftly woven into the plot so that it is never to exposition or world-building heavy; it just flows with the story. I also appreciated how both the Scarlet story line and the Cinder story line were both equally as strong.<br />
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The Lunar Chronicles, <i>Cinder</i> and <i>Scarlet</i>, are probably some of my favorite fairy tale adaptations out there. They give nods to the important elements of the fairy tale: the pumpkin, the shoe, the searching prince, the red cloak, the wolf, the grandmother. Yet they are not slaves to them. They creatively interpret them to create new and compelling stories. As these ladies join forces, I am excited to see who fills out their crew of powerful fairy tale heroes and heroines. The next book, C<i>ress</i>, comes out soon!<br />
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Books Like This:<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html">Cinder</a> by Marissa Meyer<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/archived-review-leviathan-61311.html">Leviathan</a> by Scott Westerfeld<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/archived-review-terrier-9111.html">Terrier </a>by Tamora Pierce<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/archived-review-fourth-bear-8111.html">The Fourth Bear</a> by Jasper FfordeMegan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-20321021350179821602013-08-06T15:50:00.001-04:002013-08-06T15:50:38.574-04:00REVIEW: The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="400" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/t/the-death-of-bees/9780062209849_custom-9884e4cd94ae10dc59112c135b909dd22016d5cc-s6-c30.jpg" width="268" /></div>
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<i>The Death of Bees</i></div>
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by Lisa O'Donnell</div>
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<i>"Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved."</i></div>
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Marnie and her little sister Nelly bury their parents in the backyard on Christmas Eve. They were rotten parents, anyway. Marnie has grown up too fast, talking tough, wearing fishnets and short skirts and lipstick, selling drugs for a guy named Mick who she occasionally sleeps with, at the young age of 15. Nelly is younger and speaks like a grandmother with her "good gracious" and her "local constabulary." She sounds like a Jane Austen novel, and she is obsessed with Harry Potter. She might be a little off, but Marnie ferociously protects her. Lennie is the older next door neighbor who starts to notice that they are alone. He has a troubled past that will not let him be, and he invites the girls over to his home to care for them as much as they will let him. Then one day, the girls' grandfather comes looking for them. He ran out on their mother but he says he's changed. He is asking questions about their parents' whereabouts. Is he trustworthy? Will he find out his daughter is buried in the backyard? How did they really die? If all is revealed, will things get better for the girls, or a whole lot worse?<br />
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This book was the first book I read after the YA class, and it was fantastic! I loved the narration in three separate voices: Marnie as the slang-slinging tough girl, Nelly as the posh but vulnerable waif, and Lennie, speaking to his dead partner, as the emotional (not literal) grandfather of the girls. You would hear of the same event from all three different points of view and get drastically different information. It is amazing to hear their voices develop throughout the book: one becomes more natural, one becomes more assertive, one slowly looses their grip.<br />
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This book is about family. About how the family you get can be horribly broken, and how you survive and make a new one. And it's not just about the girls. It is about the whole community of poor living in Maryhill, Scotland. How they make the best or the worst of it. There is a beautiful passage about immigrants:<br />
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"It is dangerous and not because of the refugees they've housed there but because of the wee radges who don't like the refugees there. Glaswegians are very territorial, even in a shit hole like Sighthill. It never occurs to them the accents around them belong to doctors and nurses, teachers and lawyers, educated people forced out of nice homes in beautiful lands only to be stored in tower blocks in the northeast of Glasgow. I mean seriously. Imagine losing everything you are and everyone you know, to have survived rape, starvation, and homelessness, to have escaped death at the hands of genocidal maniacs only to end up in a moldy housing estate. Now we have immigrants with university degrees and doctorates prostituting themselves, selling drugs and doing whatever they must to survive the hell we call asylum..."<br />
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Oh and the book is really darkly funny (and a bit gross in parts, so don't read it while you are eating). I highly recommend it! It is a fast read!Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-32086726787048825352013-08-06T15:20:00.000-04:002013-08-06T15:20:03.382-04:00REVIEW: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Marcelo in the Real World</i></div>
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by Francisco X. Stork</div>
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<i>“I deal with people like him a hundred times a day. They look at me and naturally assume I'm not as smart as they are. God help us. But think about it, it's a tremendous tactical advantage, not to mention personally liberating, to have others think I'm a dummy.” </i></div>
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Marcelo is somewhere on the autism spectrum, close to Aspergers, but his doctors have been unable to clearly diagnose him. His special interests are religion and his internal music which sings in the back of his mind and no one else can hear. He is looking forward to spending the summer caring for the ponies at Paterson, the school for developmentally challenged kids he has been attending his whole life. However, his father thinks that he needs time in "the real world" and tells him he has to take a summer job at his father's law firm. Confronted with the real world, Marcelo must squelch his natural interests (talking about religion makes people uncomfortable) and learn the complex rules of the office. He meets Jasmine, his boss, and Wendell, the privileged son of another lawyer, and they help him to see, for better or for worse, what the real world is like. One day, Marcelo sees the photograph of a girl whose face has been sliced in half by a faulty windshield, and he must wrestle with what the real world thinks is correct, and what his heart tells him to do.<br />
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<i>Marcelo</i> was a beautiful book! I loved his unique voice right from the start: his need for clarification, his precise imagery (the phone ring sounding like it was full of rage). It was so unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time. I too have a need for schedules and routine, and sometimes feel overstimulated or unwilling to venture into unknown places.<br />
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I was expecting the journey of an autistic boy learning to relate socially to people. I did not expect the deep spiritual elements in this book. And I did not expect the journey of a person from weakness to strength. I didn't expect Marcelo to become a hero with more clarity and self-awareness than most people I know.<br />
I was profoundly impacted by his relationship with Rabbi Herschel and the moments they wrestled with the will of God: the tree of good and evil, and the final scene when they discuss how to listen to what is right, the fact that the right thing might hurt people, but we must trust that God will use the hurt in a positive way. They both touched me deeply.<br />
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I was not expecting Wendell the predator. He was such a danger, lurking there in the back of every moment Marcelo’s father was such an intriguing and multidimensional character. I don't want to give too much away, but somewhere he takes a wrong turn and has a difficult time getting back on track. That story is not quite resolved to my satisfaction, but real life never is.<br />
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This book is an amazing peak into someone's head that on the street might appear very different to you, but Marcelo struggles with the same things everyone does. He just comes at it from a different perspective. I was sad that towards the end, he begins to loose some of his uniqueness in favor of fitting in, but he develops a gentleness and a strength and a clarity of purpose that I envy. This book is great for those who are searching, for those who do not always fit in, and for those who struggle with what is right and wrong.<br />
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<u>Books Like This</u><br />
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-okay-for-now-by-gary-schmidt.html">Okay For Now</a> by Gary D. Schmidt<br />
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Megan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6225252516914538088.post-84360064764757247912013-08-05T19:57:00.001-04:002013-08-05T19:58:27.099-04:00REVIEW: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>The Knife of Never Letting Go</i></div>
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by Patrick Ness</div>
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<i>“Noise ain't Truth, Noise is what men want to be true, and there's a difference twixt those two things so big that it could ruddy well kill you if you don't watch out.” </i></div>
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Todd lives in a strange town. Firstly, they are colonists on a lonely planet: religious colonists like the Pilgrims. Second, there are only men. All the women died when a terrible virus swept through the town, killing all the women and allowing all the men to hear each other's thoughts. It follows the men around like a cloud and they call it The Noise. There are no secrets in Prentisstown. Also, all the animals can talk, which is advantageous in some cases, but when you have an annoying dog who always has to poo, it appears more as an irritating situation.<br />
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One day, when Todd and Manchee (his dog) travel to the swamp to gather fruit for his adopted fathers, Todd is startled by a patch of quiet moving through ancient huts. When he returns home, his fathers force him to flee as the sheriff and his posse try to break down the door. Armed only with a book from his dead mother that he cannot read, a knife, his dog and baffled confusion and anger at his situation, Todd stumbles into the wilderness and meets the last thing he expected: a girl. He and Viola must hazard a dangerous preacher, hunger, wild animals, illness, and the string of communities who have all learned to deal with the Noise in different and often disturbing ways, to get to a legendary city called Haven. Along the way, Todd must begin to learn the awful secret of Prentisstown and resist the urge to complete it's corruption.<br />
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This book is absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately the most fantastic parts about it would reveal some pretty significant spoilers about the plot. I will do my best.<br />
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First of all, Manchee is the best dog. Ness did not give him more intellect than we would expect a dog to have, but the smooth flow of communication between man and dog was beautiful and made me wish we could communicate with our pets like that. We might not be able to discuss Aristotle with them, but the simplicity and clarity and harmony would be wonderful.<br />
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The world-building is fantastic. Ness represents the Noise with pages of scrawled writing overlapping and weaving in and out to make it crowded and chaotic and difficult to read. Prentisstown has become so sad and isolated that corruption is rampant. What started off as a quaint town of settlers has morphed into a booze-soaked, depressed, inbred (figuratively) and lost wasteland. The highlight of the book is is how the other towns Todd and Viola encounter have each dealt with the problem in their own way, a cultural Darwinian evolution, sometimes to great success, and other times to rather disturbing ends.<br />
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Todd and Viola are reluctant allies, with him spouting Noise while she has a bubble of silence around her. As their partnership grows, they are tested more and more as the Prentisstown men give chase, until Todd makes a horrible decision he can never take back. He must carry the weight of what he has done and find out the mysteries of the world he thought he knew before it is too late.<br />
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It is a wonderful exploration of what it is to know someone and what it means to be a man. And the cliffhanger ending blew my mind. I have never read a book with that much of a cliffhanger. It felt like the end to a season on a TV series rather than a book. I can't wait for the next one!<br />
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<u>Books Like This</u><br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/08/review-hunger-games-by-suzanne-collins.html">The Hunger Games</a> by Suzanne Collins<br />
The Giver by Lois Lowry<br />
<a href="http://palimpsestlibrary.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-monster-calls-by-patrick-ness.html">A Monster Calls</a> by Patrick NessMegan Reichelthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07923802055378772533noreply@blogger.com0