I was not cut out for Physics. I just wasn’t. And digging into the topic in graphic novel format and reading about an interesting guy like Feynman didn’t change that. Elly picked it up and said – this is science-y. Yes, yes it is. I’m sure there are teens who will like this book. I don’t know quite who they might be but I’m very sure they are out there.
This has been an awesome year for middle grade lit on audio. First, there was A Monster Calls, which I will never ever forget. Now, I’ve got Ghetto Cowboy and I’m almost glad Michelle has decided to move to Philadelphia because how cool is Philly with their Urban Cowboys and their horses? Because while this was fiction, Philly really does have urban cowboys and they really do help keep poor black kids off of the streets by getting them involved with horses. Learn a bit about Philadelphia’s urban riding program and then read/listen to Ghetto Cowboy. You won’t regret it – until the story ends and you want more.
I’ve read a lot of Naiad Press books but I’ve never read one where the dyke has sex with a ghost dyke who has been dead for 150ish years. I know, where have I been, right?
Gardenias Where There Are None – wasn’t the book I was hoping for, but why should it have been – TW didn’t write it. ; -)
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I downloaded Bad Luck Officer and couldn’t put it down. I do love a good self-published book by an awesome BlogHer member – and I have a thing for hot cops, lol.
The Rivals is the sequel to The Mockingbirds (not to be confused with Mockingjay). I… didn’t like it as much as The Mockingbirds and I saw the twist coming from a zillion miles away. I can’t believe how badly the three board members worked together. Wait, yes I can – they’re high school kids. And Alex was really not prepared to lead the group – I suspect even if the cards hadn’t been stacked against her, she’d have had trouble with a big issue case. But, by the end of the book – she was definitely stronger, a better leader, and a better person, so that’s good.
Also, I like Jones. I wanted more Jones.
Remember back in October when I read Redemption during the Readathon? Well I finished book two in the series a few days ago – I wrote about Ransom over on BlogHer. If you’re interested in demons and angels and gargoyles and witches and YA fiction, click over there and read my post. J
Michelle came home from a trip to the bookstore in January with a present for me.
I loved it but decided to wait til GSUSA’s 100th birthday to read it. And that’s what I did yesterday. I took short breaks throughout the work day and finished Girl Scouts: A Celebration of 100 Trailblazing Years late last night. It was fabulous and fun. The photos are terrific and I found myself nodding and smiling my head all the way through.
It was a great gift and it was a real pleasure reading it on the 100th birthday celebration.
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I’ve decided I hate series’. They always end just where I don’t want them to end. Born Wicked, for example – gah! Next book! Need next book NOW. What happens to poor Maura. Are the Cahill sisters really the sisters from the prophecy or does Sachi have another sister/half-sister…? See that, see the problem. While I really enjoyed the story and am dying for the next book, I’m also looking for some unexpected twist because right now, it’s a little too easy.
My reserves are coming in oddly – I expected the children’s books to come in more quickly but I should have known better. Children’s books have a way of disappearing and being returned late. That means doubling up on reviews makes for a wee bit of oddness.
Me…Jane is a very pretty book. The paper feels nice. There’s some texture to it that gives the pictures that little something they need. I started out bored, a little girl and her stuffed animal. A little girl that we are obviously supposed to find fascinating and inspiring but it felt a little forced, to me. And when the little girl reads a book about a girl named Jane who lived with a monkey, I kind of rolled my eyes. Embarrassing since it turns out the book is about a young Jane Goodall. That made the book a whole lot better. Had I known that from the start, there would have been no eyerolling or forced feeling. It made sense once I got to the end. I read it again and smiled all the way through.
On the otherhand, Anya’s Ghost is not a children’s picture book. Anya smokes for goodness sakes! (lol) She’s also a very annoying teen girl who falls into a well and winds up with a ghost as a friend. A not very nice ghost. She’s also the daughter of a Russian immigrant who’s trying very hard to be American (and succeeding in all of the annoying ways.) Where is her father, I was fascinated by her mom telling her that she uses her child support to send her to this private school, (which isn’t a great private school but the best she could afford.) This is another book with great paper, (there’s nothing worse than bad paper), and a nice cover. The illustrations are all black and white and in a couple of cases, a little hard to read but not bad. The ending was a little forced, I think we needed another half dozen panels to wrap it up.
