Lunch Lady Land

Do you remember this song?  Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute is the first in the Lunch Lady series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. I may have mentioned this before but he did a TED talk in which he mentions the amazing Jack Gantos!  And I figure, if he likes Gantos then I will like him! And I did!

Wow SO CREEPY!

My Sister Rosa is just SO good.  I loved this book.  It is so creepy and so awesome.  And wow.  Yes! Read this one!  It was one of those where I was so afraid of the ending, I had to skip and listen to the last chapter and then go back.  SO GOOD!  Justine Larbalestier, I wonder if all of your books are this awesome and I am going to find out!

Ms. Bixby's Last Day.  This was quite the book.  I don't want to say too much except that it should be read, for sure.  I loved this book.  I know many teachers are one of the "good ones" and I know one who is the best of the "good ones."  And this book made me laugh and cry and I didn't really want to leave this book.  I can see it being helpful to kids who find themselves in situations similar to the boys in this book.  I see this as an inspiring book for teachers.  I see this as a really, really wonderful story.  Very real.  Very, very good.  I wonder if this is on anyone's Newbery list?  I plan to read more by John David Anderson, for sure.

A Voice that Needs to be Heard

I did learn a lot from Muslim Girl. And it made me feel that same collective guilt that Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian and Holocaust stories, due to my German heritage and Sarny. What horrific stories Amani Al-Khatahtbeh relates in her memoir.
It also made me see the need for more women Muslim voices and the importance of the work she has been doing.
The thing is, I listened to the book and it was read by the author and when I heard W.E.B. DuBois pronounced like "Joyce" I could no longer excuse the bragging in the book with the youth of the Al-Khatahtbeh.
When she read the ignorant words, "Do ya'll speak English?" with a mocking southern accent and then followed up with, "I probably knew English better than him.," well, I knew I couldn't let that slide. The accent wouldn't have bothered me if she was just doing accents for all of the hateful people she encountered- like the British twit on the subway for example or the rude woman with the European accent, but to single out a stereotype of all southerners as being as horrible as this man and then follow it up with "read better than him?," I thought that her editors did a great disservice to her.
Which is a real shame because this book needs to be read, and heeded.
There is no excuse for the blatant discrimination and hateful prejudice that Muslims encounter. And it is unique. I'm not going to be a pansy and say, "like all religious minorities" because Muslims have it especially horrible and hard. Now especially with our President Elect.
It is my hope that Khatahtbeh will grow and keep speaking and writing and that her editors will, too. Her's is an important voice. Like everyone's. And her's is especially important now. And has been for some time.
She is very bright, and her responses to the pain and hate she has encountered have been so brave and in the case of the obnoxious British woman- so funny!
I look forward to checking out Muslimgirl.com. 

A New Installment

It seems like it has been FOREVER since Grace Lin had a book for me to read!  Because it's all about me, right?  When the Sea Turned to Silver is another in the same line as Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky.  If you enjoyed the first two books, you will enjoy this one!

Lucky Find!

Our local middle school librarian found herself with a copy of Stoned:  Jewelry, Obsession and How Desire Shapes the World.  Knowing middle school kids, she knew right away that the title would be provocative.  For sure. But also, the book was an adult book.  Some high school kids MIGHT like it, maybe, but that would be a big maybe, but this was not for seventh and eighth graders.  But when I started looking at the book I thought it sounded really interesting and so I bought it on audible and man, I am so glad I stumbled on to this!  Heavy on a lot of history that I didn't know, I found this to be fascinating and am going to suggest it for our non-fiction book group next time.  Aja Raden is a professional jewelry designer, but this is about more than jewelry.  It's about Armand Hammer, and the Dutch buying the Manhattan and Fabergé eggs and Marie Antoinette and so much more.  Great, great and very interesting book!

Extra Good

Extraordinary Means was very, very good.  I don't know much about TB.  But in EM there is a renewed outbreak of it, but this isn't a futur-y type book.  It is about relationships and love and making the most of the time that one has here on God's earth while one can.  People will compare this to TFIOS, but I liked it better, I think.  And I loved TFIOS.  But I think it is different enough to not be a copy-cat, maybe just inspired by?  Or maybe not even!  In any case, liking TFIOS might make one like this, but if one didn't like TFIOS, one could still really enjoy this.

Loved

If I Was Your Girl,  I REALLY liked so much about this book.  No, I will just say it, I really liked this book!
I thought the way that faith was handled was really well done.   And I liked that it was just a love story, too.  And I loved Meredith Russo's note at the end.
Here is something to think about if you google Meredith Russo.  There are some hater sites out there.  And if you look at the sites that make mention of Russo, you will see that these sites have a distinct flavor to them.  Just please remember that in legal/divorce cases there are often stipulations that parties do not disclose information.  Also cases that just "die" and charges and followed up, often do so because they were false!  Just please look at the sources.
Many, many thanks to Russo for this work and blessings to her for future books as well.

Good Stuff

Tomboy was a very good graphic novel.  I listened to it and read it.  And that seemed to work out really well! I wouldn't have wanted to do just one!  A very interesting and funny and well done graphic memoir.  Liz Prince is a pretty brilliant lady.  I can totally understand wanting to dress like a dude, I mean, they have it SO much easier!  (that's not why Prince didn't like "girlie" things, its just my personal feeling because I am lazy and I do hate spending so much time and money on nails and waxing and all of the rest--- but I do, slave to society!)  Anyway, very recommended.  And I think guys should read it, too.  And "girlie" girls and well, just all humans!

Something Else...

Thanks for the Trouble is the second book I have read by Tommy Wallach. Last year, when I wasn't writing reviews, I read And We All Looked Up.  and I liked it very much!  I was just thinking that I need to read more by Wallach, but so far, he has just published these two, but I am looking forward to his next with great eagerness!  This was just soooo good.  Really, really good.  I am really surprised that this didn't get up on a Printz watch list (not that I know of anyway) because it is THAT good, I think!  The whole thing is written in form of a college application essay.  Just some good, good, unusual stuff.  Honest and real (even though it is magical realism, maybe?) Just good.

Accidental Read

I didn't understand that Clamour of Crows wasn't an actual play!  The description says, "morality play"  and these were real plays, but now I guess it is a way of describing things that aren't really plays!  It's a book!  And I probably wouldn't have read it if I thought it was just an adult mystery book.  I mean, I pretty much just stick to the authors I know.  And that would have been a big shame, because I really enjoyed this book!

What Does This Mean?

When I heard about Blitzed I wasn't sure how to feel.  My dear friend told me about the book, which details the use of drugs; especially methamphetamine, by the Third Reich.  She said that is made greater sense to her.  That otherwise, how could humans be capable of such unspeakable horrors.  And we talked about horrible crimes we had heard of, committed by those under the influence of powerful drugs.
I bought the book right away, needing to see for myself.
This of course, does not excuse nor fully explain the atrocities committed during WW2; nor is it meant to by the author, Norman Ohler.  But Hitler's brain and heart and soul were already so fouled, that the addition of meth to the mix made him all the more toxic.
In a way I felt better about life when reading this.  It is hard to say that though, I mean, reading anything about the horrors of WW2, how can that make one feel "better" so maybe that isn't the word.  I felt I had a more full understanding after reading this, not in that it made me understand how the Nazis could do what they did, but that my thoughts that the world isn't getting worse are correct.  There is a lot of drug use today, but there ALWAYS has been.  Human nature is not getting worse.  It is the same.  There has always been and always will be evil.  We just hear about the evil more now, because of the media.  But we can't let the evil overcome the light.  And it won't.  It won't.  Because just like a pin prick of light slices through the darkness, the good will always, always shine through.  We just have to believe that.  And keep moving forward until the day when He will take us Home.  Until then, we must be vigilant.  Guard each one's dignity, save each one's pride, fight against evil and work for inclusion and acceptance and diversity and freedom and love.

Stroke of Insight

There is a book called My Stroke of Insight, that I have wanted to read and wanted my mom to read since she had her stroke about nine years ago.  Falling Over Sideways is probably another book she would like.  But she doesn't like to read very much, so I doubt she ever will.
I loved Are You Experienced by Sonnenblick and so I probably need to go back and read more of his work, because I surely did like Falling Over Sideways.

I think

The Long Haul is my favorite DOAWK.  It is the ninth one, and I almost missed it because I got so behind on the series!  I just skipped it and read ten after eight!  But you don't really have to read these in order! I found this to be super funny!  I love this guy!

For Some Reason

I didn't look carefully at the cover of Booked.  I wish I had.  I thought that Booked was a sequel to The Crossover which I loved, loved, loved, so I thought "a sequel, hmm...how can it be as good?" and so I wasn't too excited to read it.  I mean, I knew I would read it, but I was going to wait until I could get it from the library, one of those things.  Then I actually read what it was about and then I looked closely at the cover and I had to have it!  And so I bought it on audible.  And it was well worth it. Well worth it.  So good.  A soccer story time time, but no more a "soccer story" than The Crossover was just a "basketball story."  Mr. Alexander has done it again.  Incredible.

Don't Know Much 'bout Current Pop Culture

but I do know that Joan Crawford and Bette Davis didn't like each other at all and that sisters, Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland didn't feel much family love and that Judy made Lena mad because Judy was kinda last minute and Lena liked to be prepared.

But I didn't really know much about Kathy Griffin until my mom started saying how much she loved her.  Mom is a big Anderson Cooper fan, as am I, and Griffin and Cooper's mom, Gloria Vanderbilt are best friends, or at the kids say today, "besties."  Well, maybe not best friends, but super good friends.  And I also think that I knew that Griffin and one of my all-time heroes, Joan Rivers were close.
So I bought my mom Griffin's new book, Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins:  My A-Z Index and she is loving it.
I then saw Official Book Club Selection:  a Memoir According to Kathy Griffin on one of the downloadable sites from the library and listened to it and loved it.  Then I bought A-Z on audible and blew through that, too!
Very funny lady.  Very hard-working.  I know that some people find her mean, but they said that about Joanie, too.

Haunted

I just couldn't rate Ghosts because while I found the sisterly relationship to be super well done the cultural appropriation really bugged me. But I don't think that Raina Telgemeier meant any harm. But yet I really think it is important to make note of it and to recognize that it just isn't okay to do that. For a much better understanding about all of this, please read here.  But man, it is a shame because there is a lot of good stuff in here.

My Favorite Star

has to be sun, right?  I mean, without the sun, what would we do?  We wouldn't do anything, we'd all be dead.
That has nothing to do with The Sun is Also a Star.  I can't remember why this title fits.  I mean, I can't figure out the reason for the title.  The fact is mentioned in the book.  Natasha is fond of "provable facts" and really doesn't want to have faith or trust in anything that is not a "provable fact."  Whereas Daniel believes dreams are important, that passion is important, that feelings are important.
And girl meets boy and they fall in love.
But the book is more than just boy meets girl and they fall in love.  It is really beautiful.  It is really moving.  It is really well written.  This is my favorite for the Printz this year.  Will it win?  Probably not, but I would like it to win!

More King?

See, see, I am trying to be better!  I am trying!  And The Bazaar of Bad Dreams was pretty good.  It's short stories, but of course, with King they are never short.  I don't think any of them were particularly bad dream invoking for me anyway.  Afterlife was funny.  Obits was a good idea.  The one about the fireworks is one to skip.  Mortality was really good.  The Dunes was good. The rest were decent.

FINALLY

The tenth book in the Whatever After Series is finally out!  Sugar and Spice is a remix of Hansel and Gretel and it is fabulous!  Fans of the series, like I, will LOVE it!  So much fun!