It's Monday! What are you reading? 12-16-13

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers also host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

Last week I reviewed:

The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson


Last week I finished reading:
 
The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins
Wow! I absolutely loved this, which is surprising since I'm not usually a fan of informational books. Longer review forthcoming this week.


Recipe for Adventure: Naples! by Giada deLaurentiis
A lovely story about the importance of food and family. While the writing lacked a true and distinct voice, it was an entertaining read nonetheless.


Finished reading with my ears:

The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostovski
I really enjoyed this quirky little book. It's kind of a sleeper; not much has been publicized about it, but it packs a philosophical, literary punch in the YA world.


Picture books worth talking about:

God Got a Dog by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Marla Frazee
While certainly thought-provoking and discussion-worthy, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about these poems. It felt somehow wrong to bring God down to a human-level and think of Him/Her as anything other than Almighty. Then again, there is lots to talk about here with regards to humans being made in God's image and likeness. So there's that.


Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Simply beautiful. MacLachlan and Kellogg teamed up to create this book as a tribute to the Sandy Hook shooting victims, but it is not overtly so. The writing and illustrations stand on their own, even without the knowledge of what inspired them.



Trouper by Meg Kearney, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
What I found so interesting about Trouper is that it didn't beat you over the head with the fact that he was a three-legged dog. In fact, it took a few minutes for me to process that he was missing a leg because the illustrations and text are not obvious. If you don't read the inside flap synopsis (which I admittedly did not at first), there's a lot of inferencing going on, especially when you get to the last page.
 

 
Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton by Megan McCarthy
Loved this story of Betty Skelton and love that Meghan McCarthy took it on in the form of a picture book. I am a fan of her friendly, wide-eyed and sideways-smiled illustrations.



Not Your Typical Dragon by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Tim Bowers
Crispin, upon his first attempt at breathing fire discovers he breathes something else instead. Hilarious story about celebrating differences. 

Currently reading:

The President Has Been Shot: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson
This book is a page-turner. I'm finding myself being so immersed in the story that I genuinely feel like I was there that day in November of 1963 when Kennedy was killed. I'm having a hard time separating reality from what I'm reading when I'm immersed in the pages of this book. It is so good!


Currently reading with my ears:

Not a Drop to Drink by  Mindy McGinnis
Amazing book paired with an amazing narrator = audiobook slam dunk.


Current giveaway:

The Memory of After by Lenore Appelhans (ends 12/18)

ARC review: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Do I even need to review this book? Seriously. It's Laurie Halse Anderson. I mean, really. Who isn't just going to buy this book based on the name alone? Even the cover designers knew that when they made Anderson's name the most prominent feature of the cover. You know you've made it as an author with the name on the cover is more important than the title.

But just in case you need to be convinced to read The Impossible Knife of Memory, here is the lowdown:

Hayley Kincain has never been to high school before. For the past five years Hayley and her father Andy have been on the move, never settling down in one place for too long, almost as if they were on the run. In a way, they are on the run: from Andy's haunting memories of his time serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. But eventually Andy realizes the need for Hayley to have a normal life so he decides to move back to his hometown and put down roots so Hayley can attend school. Eventually, Andy's old habits get the best of him, turning to drinking and drugs to try to silence the demons that haunt both his dreams and his waking life.

Hayley, too,  is battling some demons of her own while trying to be strong for both herself and her father. Despite her failing grades and her "fish out of water" feeling at school, Hayley makes friends and even meets a boy who seems to be into her. But while Hayley continues to skip school and dig herself deeper into an academic hole, her father is digging himself deeper into a pit of despair and destructive behavior. Hayley thinks she can help her dad on her own, but it soon becomes clear that she needs some help. The problem is, Andy refuses to get help and his veterans benefits don't exactly make it an easy process even if he were a willing participant. But one thing is clear: if Hayley doesn't do something to change their circumstances, there isn't much hope for either her future or her father's.

The Impossible Knife of Memory gives a much-needed voice to teenagers living in families with a parent battling PTSD. Its inspiration stems from Anderson's own personal dealings of her father who returned home from World War II with deep-rooted emotional scars. As Anderson said in her keynote at the ALAN workshop in November, she doesn't write contemporary fiction, she writes resilience fiction, and Hayley's story is one that adds to Anderson's canon of beautiful and important resilience literature. It is her most personal work of fiction and one that she is quite open with her readers about how the story came to be. This is a book I see winning many awards and honors as 2014 comes to a close. I feel privileged to have had the chance to read it before its official publication date. And I am ridiculously excited that Anderson is coming to Michigan as part of her book tour. Big authors just don't come to Michigan in January. I don't blame them. Who wants to possibly get stuck in a snowstorm? So it seems an embarrassment of riches all the amazing authors that are coming to Michigan next month, with Anderson being at the top of my list to go see even though I just saw her at ALAN. It doesn't matter that I just saw her though. When you have an opportunity to see Laurie Halse Anderson, you take it.



The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Expected Publication: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 371
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: ARC acquired at the ALAN workshop at NCTE

Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop

For my portion of the Best of 2013 blog hop, I am giving away a copy of one of my favorite YA books of the year:

The Memory of After (formerly Level 2) by Lenore Appelhans
Published: September 3, 2013 
Original Publication Date: January 15, 2013 as Level 2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback

Goodreads Summary:
 Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.


Read my review of Level 2/The Memory of After here.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith

Goodreads Summary:
You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your bedsheets are officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do? Take some tips from Eric Smith in The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer leads geeks of all ages through the perils and pitfalls of meeting women, going on dates, getting serious, breaking up, and establishing a successful lifelong relationship (hint: it’s time to invest in new bedsheets). Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, The Geek’s Guide to Dating will teach fanboys everywhere to love long and prosper.

I'm going to be honest right up front: I didn't actually finish reading The Geek's Guide to Dating. It's not because I didn't like it, on the contrary. I found Eric Smith's voice delightfully humorous and fun to read, and I loved all the 8-bit illustrations peppered throughout its pages. I especially loved the video game references and tropes, along with the second person narration, referring to the reader as Player One in search of a Player Two. But here's why I just couldn't bring myself to finish it: I'm an old married lady who doesn't wish to relive my single days. I have been with my husband for twelve years, married for ten of those twelve, and quite frankly, I am grateful I don't have to deal with the dating scene anymore. Maybe there are some married people out there who long for their freedom-wielding single days but I am not one of those people. And reading this book reminded me how much I'm glad to be away from my single days. 

But if you are single and you just happen to be a geek, Eric Smith's guide will surely put a smile on your face and maybe even teach you a thing or two. I could envision this being a great stocking stuffer for the geek in your family.


The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
Published: December 3, 2013
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 208
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Isn't it obvious in the title? ;) 
Disclosure: Book provided by publisher

It's Monday! What are you reading? 12-9-13

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers also host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

Finished reading:

Gone Fishing by Tamera Will Wissinger
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (I'll be reviewing this one soon!)


Finished reading with my ears:

The Beginning of Everything by  Robyn Schneider  
I'm really torn about this one. On the one hand, I really enjoyed Schneider's witty prose, but on the other hand, this book felt way too much like she was trying to imitate a John Green novel, replete with nerdy teenagers and a manic pixie dream girl.  


Currently reading:

The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
Obvs reading this one for the humor and not the dating advice. ;)


Currently reading with my ears:

The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostovski
This book has a trippy, Going Bovine vibe to it. I'm really diggin' the hero's journey trope.

The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life by Robin Quivers

 Howard Stern's sidekick of many years and former nurse Robin Quivers is convinced that changing to a vegan lifestyle saved her life. Continuously complaining of aches and pains all throughout her body, Quivers's path to veganism had many twists and turns, but ultimately she discovered that all of her symptoms went away when she eliminated animal products from her diet.

Half of this book is Robin sharing her story of why veganism is such an important lifestyle choice and the other half are the plant-based recipes she shares with her readers. Out of the all celebrity vegan cookbooks out there, I will say that this one has the most appetizing recipes. Dishes like purple potato salad with whole grain mustard, ginger miso kale, and red lentil daal make me actually want to try some of these recipes rather than turn my nose at them. One of the ways Robin entices readers in her recipes is by the cooking techniques she uses to bring out the wonderful flavors of the vegetables such as roasting or grilling.

For the past few years I have been intrigued by the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, but ultimately food just brings me too much joy to will myself into that sort of diet. However, if I were going to adopt a vegan lifestyle, the recipes in The Vegucation of Robin would probably be the first ones I'd go to. I think what is so appealing about these recipes is that Quivers doesn't use meat replacers like tofu and tempeh for her dishes, but rather, lets the grains and veggies be the star.

While I am a little skeptical of some of Quivers's methods (she would frequently do a 21 day juice cleanse and not eat any food at all), I do respect the choice she made to be on a path to better health. The form of juice cleansing Quivers recommends now is not as extreme as her initial foray into cleanses, but hearing how she wouldn't eat food for weeks at a time made me wonder how much health advice I should be taking from her, former nurse or not. 


The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life by Robin Quivers
Published: March 26, 2012
Publisher: Avery
Pages: 272
Genre: Lifestyle/Cookery
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library copy

It's Monday! What are you reading? 12-2-13

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers also host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

I didn't do an It's Monday post last week because I was still at NCTE (recap here) so this post will be for the past two weeks.

Reviewed:

Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty, illustrated by Bryan Collier


Finished reading:

Write Like This by Kelly Gallagher
Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown

Finished reading with my ears:

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes


Picture book:

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat 


Currently reading:

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson


Currently reading with my ears:

The Beginning of Everything by  Robyn Schneider