Review: Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Posted in young adult by

 

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David Sedaris has once again given his dedicated fans a (thorough and intimate) glimpse into his personal life with Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls: essays, etc. His relationship with his dentist has not changed (you’d think after so many years of dental work, he’d be in the clear…but it seems like gum disease is a constant nuisance). Nor has his ability to make readers want to call Child Protective Services on his parents, despite it being 40-some-odd years after the fact. I suppose the statute of limitations has run out, though…

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls is not only the best title of a book – ever. I dare you to give me a better one – but the new stories (as there are a couple re-prints from previous anthologies) prove that Sedaris is funnier than ever. In Understanding Understanding Owls David tells reads of his collection of owls, including napkins, coasters, trivets, plates, and more.

 Does there come a day in every man’s life when he looks around and says to himself, I’ve got to weed out some of these owls?

But his obsessive collecting doesn’t get in the way of him buying a stuffed (as in taxidermied) owl for his partner Hugh…as a Valentine’s Day present. That in and of itself is a do what? moment, but David tops it off with chocolate, because Hugh is just that special.

Recommended for:
Anyone with a sense of humor. If you don’t “do” funny, clever, gay, or Democrat, don’t read this book.

Read-alikes:
Every other David Sedaris book (except for Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk…unless you dig animal narrators. It’s not really my thing.)

Are you There, Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler. I love her demanding, clever, foul-mouthed descriptions of her reckless, wild youth.

Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

Posted in dystopian, reality TV, royalty, TV show, war, young adult by

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I read the first book in this series The Selection last March. I wrote that it “perfectly combines elements of modern reality TV, with a futuristic dystopian society, and the historic ideologies and pressures of being a royal family.” 

But Cass kind of let me down with its sequel The Elite. 

What I loved:
Unlike with most sequels, Cass didn’t spend the entire first chapter revisiting the previous novel. (I hate when authors do that. If you read the first, you don’t need a grade-school summary leading you to into the second. Forgot what the first was about? Re-read the last chapter or the entire thing.) She dove right into the new material, getting to work on reminding us about why we fell in love with Prince Maxon and “bachelorette #6″ America Singer.

I loved that America’s ferocious sense of right and wrong was upheld. When her friend is being wronged, despite her own wrongdoings, America behaves the way everyone else should have. Thank you, Cass, for keeping her strong.

What I did not love:
The very thing that earned one potential-princess a spot on the first train out of town in The Selection earned America nothing more than a stern look from the Queen in The Elite. And America and Aspen sneak away less than a day after another princess-to-be is caned for being caught in a compromising position with a guard. I really don’t like that Cass lets America get away with the very things that others were punished for, with no explanation whatsoever.

America is a teenaged girl, so her affections for Maxon and Aspen change with the wind…but I found her to be a bit too fickle to be taken seriously. 

Recommended for:
While I will continue to recommend The Selection, I will not be recommending The Elite. :/

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Posted in family problems, romance, teens, young adult by

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I just meant that… I want to be the last person who ever kisses you too….That sounds bad, like a death threat or something. What I’m trying to say is, you’re it. This is it for me.

The story of Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell has all the elements of a typical YA realistic novel. An awkward teen, an alcoholic stepparent, bullying, and more. Nothing new, right?

Wrong. So wrong. So incredibly wrong that Eleanor would just roll her eyes and huff “God” right in your face.

Eleanor is an over-sized girl with extra-frizzy red hair and an eccentric wardrobe, all commingled to create a bully’s dream victim. Eleanor is harassed by the popular kids, by her step-father, and – worst of all – by herself. She questions how Park could like her, even stand her. She is continually shocked that, once again, a day passes without him being disgusted by her presence in his life. Eleanor is a sad, comfortless teen who holds the world at arms length, and my heart broke for her so often throughout the novel.

Thank God she couldn’t make her mouth work right now, because if she could, there’d be no end to the melodramatic garbage she’d say to him. She was pretty sure she’d thank him for saving her life….Which made her feel like the dumbest, weakest girl. If you couldn’t save your own life, was it even worth saving?

Park’s mother is Korean, and moved to America after his Soldier father swept her off her feet. Park is the only Asian kid in Omaha, not unpopular, well-liked, but a bit of a recluse choosing music and comic books over parties. His openness with Eleanor perfectly matched her restraint, making for many awkward moments.

Dumb. He should have gotten the pen. Jewelry was so public…and personal, which was why he’d bought it. He couldn’t buy Eleanor a pen. Or a bookmark. He didn’t have bookmarklike feelings for her.

Rainbow did such a thorough job of describing Eleanor, but I still don’t have a complete picture in my head of her face. I cannot decide if that is Rainbow’s fault or my own. I say my own because, well, the self-hatred that Eleanor has about her body sounds a lot like the self-hate I had for my own for the longest time. Still do occasionally. So maybe instead of seeing Eleanor’s face, I saw my own. Maybe that’s why I had the reaction I did upon finishing the novel.*

Luckily there are artists out there who cannot let another day go by without drawing their interpretation of their beloved characters. Here is one that Rainbow tweeted, from an artist named Simini Blocker:

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Eleanor & Park is a heartbreaking yet laugh-out-loud hilarious novel. Seriously…I haven’t had that many post-its in a book since college. The book is worth reading for many reasons, and Rainbow’s impeccable capturing of the sensitive, poetic, and exhilarating moments of love.

Recommended for:
Everyone. Everyone should read this book. Adults should read it to remember the inner struggle of being a teenager. Teens should read it to develop compassion for others – because a person’s exterior gives no clues as to what their personal life holds.

And you. You should read this book. It is real life. It is what love should look like, not the dramatic parts, but the giving, hopeful, and supportive parts.

Read-alikes:
This reminds me of The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman for its realistic look at young love, and Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (ill. by Maira Kalman).

 

*I cried those silent, knowing tears of someone who remembers. Someone who is thankful it’s not her, but who empathizes with the person and people that it is a reality for.

Jay Asher visited me!

Posted in author visit, library, suicide, young adult by

Okay okay, he obviously didn’t come to Virginia to visit me. I’d like to think so, but I don’t think international bestselling authors travel across the country to visit a girl who literally ran into him on the exhibit floor at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. I digress…

Jay’s (we’re on a first name basis now) debut novel was first brought up at a 2012 1Book 1Community committee meeting. In discussing appropriate titles, a few of us mentioned 13 Reasons Why. The book didn’t make the cut for that particular program, but the library’s programming division manager didn’t forget our enthusiasm, and asked him to be the guest author at our annual It’s All Write short story contest. He agreed. Check out his blog to see pictures and read about from his visit.

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In addition to his role as keynote speaker, Jay visited a couple high schools, the juvenile detention center, and my library for an after-hours event. (Pictures from the day are posted on our Facebook page.) The after-hours event was awfully cool for a Teen Services Librarian (um, that’s me). He and his peers write the books I recommend on a daily basis. He ‘gets’ the audience. He understand the emotions, the needs, and the interests of the demographic I serve.

Jay mentioned that just that week he had learned of 13 Reasons Why making it onto the ALA’s most frequently challenged list. He wasn’t surprised, but he did what (I assume) he must do frequently – defended his novel (rightfully so), arguing that Hannah’s story helps those suffering from suicidal thoughts. And he knows it helps readers cope with their own suicidal thoughts and depression…because they tell him. In fact, a young girl sitting in our small audience spoke openly about her own insecurities, her past as a bullied youth, and her consideration of suicide as the only way out. Jay hears this at every event he attends. He – through his novel, talks, and events – has saved lives, and he uses testimonies from teens on his website – 13RWProject.

By becoming more comfortable as a country to discuss this topic, it will help.

Suicide is such a taboo topic. As a whole, we don’t discuss depression or mental instability. Or, we use it as an excuse for why horrible actions occur, without opening up the table for discussion. Whether or not Jay knew his book would have such a profound impact on the mental state of so many youth is not known…but as a reader and fan, I am proud to say that he has turned his (and his book’s) fame into a mission of hope. A really cool thing he did with Hannah – and all of the characters in the novel – was keeping her physical appearance a secret. He didn’t so much not tell as simply didn’t include it. That way, Hannah could be any girl. Hannah could be any age, any race, or of any socio-economic status. Granted, the girl on the cover is a thin white girl with straight blond hair…but reading the book, you don’t get that vibe. I appreciate the vagueness.

For all that serious stuff, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the thing I cannot stop LOL-ing about. The first book he ever wrote (I forgot what age he was…grade school? Adult? I forgot, but either way it’s hilarious) was titled Stop Easter Bunny, You Forgot Something! He had aspirations of writing funny books for kids, and while he is a very funny, witty guy, I am glad he listened to his heart when it told him to write a serious novel.

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Join me next month when I geek out over the visit of Ransom Riggs, author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Talking Books, and Tahereh Mafi, author of Shatter Me and the recently-released sequel Unravel Me.

Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Posted in dragons, family problems, fantasy, young adult by

Seraphina

That’s the secret to performance: conviction. The right note played tentatively still misses its mark, but play boldly and no one will question you. If one believes there is truth in art – and I do – then it’s troubling how similar the skill of performing is to lying. Maybe lying is itself a kind of art. I think about that more than I should.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman is the story of assistant music director and musical prodigy Seraphina. Residing in the Castle Orison with other court employees as well as the royal family, Seraphina is complacent with her simple though solitary life. But Seraphina should not exist.

Seraphina Dombegh is a grotesque, a human-dragon hybrid. As far as the Queen – and entire land of Goredd - is convinced, abominations such as Seraphina do not exist. Cannot exist. But Seraphina is a human girl with dragon scales around her forearm and her belly, hidden away by layers of sleeves and invisible walls. She lets no one in, for fear of unveiling her dark, forbidden secret. But when she hears news of an impending attack against the royal family and dragon leader Comonot, Seraphina struggles with hiding her own secret and exposing the one that will destroy the world she as she knows it.

Seraphina employs head of the royal guard Prince Lucian to aid her in her attempt to thwart the assassination of Comonot. Yet as their relationship grows, she reveals more of herself that she ever expected. She is deeply torn between lying to maintain the life she knows, or revealing all so she can be done with the heavy burden the lie imposes on her.

The attraction between Kiggs – Prince Lucian – and Seraphina is an avalanche, starting small and friendly, but growing into something reckless and intense. Seraphina and Kiggs dance at the Treaty Eve ball, where Seraphina begins to let her guard down.

A feeling rose in me, and I just let it, because what harm could it do? It only had another thirty-two adagio bars of life in this world. Twenty-four. Sixteen. Eight more bars in which I love you. Three. Two. One.

 Their attraction, and the action of hunting the rogue dragon, keep the plot of this fantasy novel going. But the smattering of religious and musical details construct a thorough, almost contemporary world. Despite the existance of dragons and the other-worldly setting, the world of Goredd is believe. The reader has heard such prejudiced and intolerant language, albiet directed at humans and not dragons. Hartman’s commentary on acceptance  – both societal and self – is powerful.

Recommended for:
I had not even listened to 3 (of 11) discs before I was recommending it to my sister, coworkers, and library patrons. The audiobook, read by Mandy Williams, is a very appropriate way to read this novel. Williams’ not-quite-placeable accent lends a lot to the fantasy world created by Hartman. I believe any reader can and will fall in love with this book, but the elements of romance, poor body esteem (the girl has scales…you’d be cranky, too), and family situation may resonate more with teenaged girls and woman.

Read-alikes:
Full disclosure: I don’t read a lot of fantasy. But of the books I am familiar with, might I recommend Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Both female protagonists are content with the status-quo…that is, until the day they aren’t any longer. Taylor’s creation of Eretz.

Review: May I Be Happy, a memoir of love, yoga, and changing my mind by Cyndi Lee

Posted in mental health, non-fiction, wellness, yoga by

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A fan of yoga, I checked out May I Be Happy: a memoir of love, yoga, and changing my mind by Cyndi Lee with the intention of learning something new about the practice. Instead, I learned something new about myself. Cyndi – yoga instructor, choreographer, dancer – filled each page of her memoir with (humorous, tearful, and powerful) stories of her life. Her “feel good mumbo jumbo” as my dad would say, was not cheesy, but inspiring and lovely.

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It was refreshing to read the memoir of this woman, this “work in progress”, so-to-speak, because aren’t we all? I am healthier and more fit than I was a year ago, and I have no desire to return to my 21-year-old self. I have always considered myself a work-in-progress, and this book – written by someone who, from the outside, is perceived as having it all together – makes me even more comfortable with the very scary, unknown future.

For as long as I an remember I have been terrified of the physical issues that may or may not affect me. I fidget if I hear about broken bones, itch if I hear about a disease, grow nervous during discussions about of pregnancy. I know my anxiety comes from not being able to control what happens to me, which is why I take such good care of things I do have control over.

Lee’s memoir opened my eyes to being open to change, accepting the inevitable changes – the wrinkles, the grey hairs – so much so that I decided to stop dying my own hair. At 27, I don’t necessarily want grey hair, but I am sick of drying out my perfectly beautiful curly hair every month just because I want to cover up the grey strands. So no more dye for me. I need to learn to love who I am, who I have been, and who I will someday be. Read this book and you may find yourself looking at life with an equally peaceful outlook.

I would love to recommend this book to my mother, but I think the yoga-specific scenes may get in her way of enjoying it. But women that do practice will surely love the message as well as the anecdotes.

Review: How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirstin Miller

Posted in crime, family problems, high school, young adult by

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I judge books by their covers.* This book drew me in on cover alone. Then I read the front flap:

“Meth dealer. Prostitute. Serial killer.
Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies.”

How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller is the story of teenage runaway Flick, who finds himself enrolled in the Mandel Academy. The academy is led by heir of the Mandel fortune, Lucian Mandel, a man who has a not-so-ethical interest in the school’s students. Flick, in his attempt to unveil his (alumni) father’s dark past, becomes top student, and therefore top victim. But rising to the top of his class has nothing to do with English an arithmetic. No, Flick and his classmates are lectured about assassination techniques, cyber surveillance, an chemistry (the art of drug-making). An excerpt from the course catalog:

Waste Management: Polluting for Profit

The world’s companies produce over 400 metric tons of hazardous waste every year. Environmentally safe disposal of these materials can be costly. Fortunately there are much cheaper alternatives. This course will teach you how, when, an where to dump everything from radioactive substances to use batteries.

Flick uses cunning wit to get him out of life-threatening situations, and his quips are hilarious. Miller created a multi-layered character out of Flick; a cut-throat, violent boy who the reader just has to root for. Her other characters are just as engrossing and quixotic – Flick (and readers) are unsure of how he should feel about them. A couple of them come into their own a bit late in the book, which I felt wrapped up a bit too quickly and neat. I wish Miller had dedicated more pages to the high-impact conclusion, though it fit the rest of the book well in that it kept moving and moving. The plot never stopped, which I found surprising in a 434 page novel.

I cannot wait to recommend this book to teenage male readers, and girls that like fast-paced thrillers. Young boys will like the grit. There is an element of romance, but it never overtakes the main theme: revenge. Don’t let the size of the brick (er, I mean book) deter you from picking it up or recommending it. The story is well worth staying up late to finish.

Read Alikes:

I am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells has similar gore and action, but with a solo character, where Miller’s has a whole cast.

Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen would be a fantastic non-fiction follow-up read to How to Lead a Life of Crime. Larsen’s detailed descriptions of H.H. Holmes’ criminal exploits is an appropriate jump from the fictional blue-collar crime described in the Mandel Academy Course Catalog.

[...and I just realized that at no point did the students mention a library. With all of the great crime fiction out there - not to mention the memoirs and biographies of criminals - I highly doubt that the Mandel Academy, were it a real place, wouldn't have had a library.]

*I encourage readers of all ages to do so (with new materials…classics don’t count), because if a publisher doesn’t put any thought or care into the cover, I assume they likely didn’t put much care into what went inside of the cover.