Puss Reboots: A Book Review a Day

Review: Steadfast Castle

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:14:00 PST

"Steadfast Castle" by Michael Swanwick is a detective story set in a near future where houses come with their own AIs. Just as cellphones today are often times much more than cellphones, so are now are houses.

But crimes still happen and detectives are still needed. Steadfast Castle is presented as an interview between a detective and a witness.

Thematically and stylistically I'm reminded of Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, James M. Cain and Dashiell Hammett. Then toss in some Alfred Hitchcock and you've got a great and surprising short story.

Five stars

Review: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:55:00 PST

In A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C Stead won the 2011 Caldecott Medal. Amos McGee is an elderly zookeeper dedicated to his work. He loves his job and the zoo animals love him. The book is about a day when Amos can't go to work and what happens next.

Amos has a daily routine that involves chess with an elephant, a footrace with a tortoise and bedtime stories with an owl who is scared of the dark. When he has stay home with a cold, his animal friends come to repay the kindness and take care of him.

Erin Stead uses woodblocks and colored pencils in her illustrations which bring to mind the classic illustrations of earlier picture books. They fit the quiet mood of the story perfectly. Children will learn about the value of friendship and extended families.

I read this book originally for the materials for children ages 5 to 8 class I took during the Spring 2011 semester.

Four stars

Review: What Are You Reading: May 14, 2012

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:25:00 PST

Everything is turned in. I get hooded on Saturday! Now I'm just trying to get ready for the big day, so I haven't been reading loads and loads.

My favorite read last week was The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson. I know the series has reached it's logical conclusion but I'd love to revisit the characters. Oliver was such an interesting addition and I want to know more about his story.

My current car audio book is The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (audio) edited by John Joseph Adams. The stories are a lot of fun but boy does Adams love to babble in between the stories. Each story has its own long introduction. I get it — he loves Sherlock Holmes and had fun on the project but sheesh — this audio collection could be half the length (9 CDs instead of 18) without all his babbling.

My goal this week is to finish Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr and then get started on Amulet 4: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi.

What about you?

Finished:

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson (personal collection)
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos (personal collection)
My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day (library book)
Watchlist: A Serial Thriller (audio) by Jeffery Deaver (personal collection)
The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare (library book)

Currently Reading:

101 Things You Thought You Knew About the Titanic . . . but Didn't! by Tim Maltin (review copy)
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (personal collection)
Body and Soul by Stacey Kade (personal collection)
Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly (review copy)
Deadly Décisions by Kathy Reichs (personal collection)
Diners, Bowling Alleys, And Trailer Parks by Andrew Hurley (library book)
The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (audio) edited by John Joseph Adams (personal collection)
Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr (personal collection)
On the Beach (audio) by Nevil Shute (library book)

Reviews Posted:

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 16 by Hiromu Arakawa (library book)
The Happy Hippopotami by Bill Martin Jr. (library book)
Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon by Suzy Kline (personal collection)
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (library book)
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle Volume 02 by CLAMP (library book)
Twin Spica Volume 04 by Kou Yaginuma (library book)
xxxHolic Volume 09 by CLAMP (library book)

What Are You Reading

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Review: Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:45:00 PST

In Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon by Suzy Kline, Harry and his friends learn about astronomy, especially the moon, and hold a bake sale to make their trip to the moon possible.

An argument over who gets to sit on the moon patterned couch starts a class-wide research project on the moon. The students learn about the lower gravity on the moon by doing a hopping experiment in front of the blackboard. Harry decides the class needs to go to the moon. Since getting a field trip in a rocket isn't possible, he convinces the class to hold a bake sale to purchase a used telescope. To celebrate their success, the children host a moon viewing party. The book introduces students to recent research into there being water (in the form of ice) on the moon. It also has information on the geography of the lunar landscape and what can be seen through a telescope.

I originally chose this book for my astronomy materials project. While a little dated here and there, it still holds up. It's an entertaining introduction to basic astronomy.

Four stars

books | Suzy Kline | childrens | 2000

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Review: The Happy Hippopotami

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:55:00 PST

The Happy Hippopotami by Bill Martin Jr. is about a family of hippos going to the beach for a picnic. They have numerous misadventures over the course of the day, all of which is set to rhyme.

The illustrations aren't done by Eric Carle. Without his collages it just doesn't seem like a Bill Martin Jr. book. I realize that's a silly way to think but the two work so well together.

The book is meant to be read aloud but the forced rhymes tripped me up in a bunch of places. If you plan to read this book to a group of children, I recommend practicing a few times before doing it live.

Three stars

books | Bill Martin Jr | childrens | 1970

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Review: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:13:00 PST

The most popular series at my children's school are Lunch Lady by Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. My son and daughter insisted that I read the first of the Lunch Lady books: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute.

There's a new substitute for a teacher who has never missed a day. The Lunch Lady and her faithful assistant, Betty, immediately realize something is up. Using their secret gadgets and their own secret hideaway below the school, they set out to solve the mystery of his substitute.

The graphic novel is done in a style similar to the Babymouse books with mostly monochrome illustrations. Instead of pink, black and white, the lunch lady is rendered in yellow, gray and white. The artwork is visually appealing and the lettering is easy to read.

For my children (and I'll extrapolate out to children in general) the cafeteria themed gadgetry is the big draw. For instance: the Lunch Lady has a lap top hidden inside a lunch tray, and a Spatu-copter for flying. Whenever I talk to kids about the series, they always mention the gadgets first and the bad guys second.

For me, though, the gadgetry wasn't enough to distract me from a rather ho-hum plot. As it's only the first book, I will try the second book before I decide whether or not to continue.

Three stars

Review: xxxHolic Volume 09

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:17:00 PST

xxxHolic Volume 09 by the mangaka group CLAMP has three stories all which reveal something about Watanuki's situation. By now Watanuki has come to realize he's probably not a normal teenage boy. It's not his missing parents per se that make him usual but they are part of the equation.

The first story introduces the power of dreams. Watanuki accidentally buys a dream and in return he has to sell a dream. The power and currency of dreams comes late in the series but resonates all the way through from the very beginning. Readers also following Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle will recognize similar themes and circumstances between Syaoran and Watanuki.

If Syaoran and Watanuki are spiritual twins, one might wonder who Sakura's twin is. The introduction of a young and emotionally abused medium might the a clue. Wantauki first befriends her over the state of a haunted cherry tree. Like the spider grudge arch, her story will take more than chapter in this and upcoming volumes.

Along with the medium, a new mentor for Watanuki is introduced, Dômeki's grandfather. He is rendered to look just like his grandson but he clicks with Yûko's protege in ways that the real one has yet to.

For me this is the point where I got serious about reading Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. Too many xxxHolic questions are now answered with clues from the other series to ignore it.

Five stars.

Review: Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 16

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:57:00 PST

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 16 by Hiromu Arakawa takes the series in a new direction. Friends and colleagues are scattered.

Roy Mustang's squad is broken up and deployed to the four corners of the country, with Hawkeye being made Bradley's assistant. Mirroring their deployments, Ed, Al and the others split up. Ed and Al head north while others head east and west in hopes of keeping the scent off the brothers.

There's hope in frozen north of Fort Briggs in the form of a cut-throat leader and her well trained troops. There's danger beyond Briggs and the Homunculi have something planned below the surface.

This far along in the series there's no point in starting here. You're either following it from the beginning or you're not. It doesn't stand alone but it does expand the world building.

Five stars.

Review: Twin Spica, Volume 04

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:23:00 PST

Twin Spica Volume 04 by Kou Yaginuma turns away from the drama and expense of building a special space suit to the actual training. Asumi and her classmates get to do buoyancy training, robotic arm exercises and a long ride in the vomit comet.

Weaknesses in the characters are revealed, like an injury in Asumi's left arm as well as more hints about the fainting spells Marika.

And at long last there's some explanation behind Mr. Lion. I like him as a mentor ghost. He connects the past and present day stories.

If anything, I wish these volumes were a little longer. I want more character development mixed in with the training. Right now it seems to be one or the other in each volume, and except for the first one, never both.

Five stars.

Review: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Volume 02

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:36:00 PST

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle by the mangaka group CLAMP is the other side of the xxxHolic coin. It is because of that connection alone that I'm reading the series.

My husband read through about half of this series four or five years ago and made me watch the first disc of the anime which covers books one and two. Then when we got into xxxHolic we went back to Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle since the two are so tied together. We've rewatched the anime twice again and after suffering through the anime again I was ready to move beyond this part of the series, even in manga form.

In volume two the group arrives in a place that looks like modern day Osaka and for anyone familiar with Osaka will get all the puns and visual jokes built into the world. Everyone has a spirit animal as protection. These Kudan can be used in battles and are an awful lot like Pokémon. The only difference is that you can't "catch 'em all."

There's also a lot of fighting, drawn out in the fashion you'd see in Bleach or similar. Coming this early on the fighting is a distraction both in the anime and the manga. In the manga it's probably worse because it's basically filler for the book, even when it's obviously being a parody.

Three stars.

What Are You Reading: May 07, 2012

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:24:00 PST

All I need to do now is edit my last term paper. Then I'm done with my MLIS studies! As you can see, though, that week of serious paper writing has left me little time to read. I only finished five books and most of them were short.

My favorite read last week was Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson. As with the other books in the series, I listened to the audio. I plan to keep going with the series but right now I have some other audios on hand I want to listen to.

I still haven't finished Watchlist: A Serial Thriller edited by Jeffery Deaver but I in the last hour or so. I plan to finish it by Tuesday night so I can give it to a friend at the next Bookcrossing meeting. I would also like to finish Deadly Décisions by Kathy Reichs. Of course, that was my goal last week too. I might also finish The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson.

What about you?

Did Not Finish:

Seeking Sara Summers by Susan Gabriel (library book)

Finished:

Blackout by John Rocco (library book)
The Cereal Murders (audio) by Diane Mott Davidson (personal collection)
Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa (library book)
Library Wars: Love & War 1 by Kiiro Yum (library book)
What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie (library book)

Currently Reading:

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (personal collection)
Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly (review copy)
Deadly Décisions by Kathy Reichs (personal collection)
The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson (personal collection)
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos (personal collection)
My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day (library book)
Watchlist: A Serial Thriller (audio) by Jeffery Deaver (personal collection)
The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare (library book)

Reviews Posted:

And Then There Were Gnomes by Colleen AF Venable (review copy)
Beachcombing by Maggie Dana (personal collection)
Dandelion Fire by ND Wilson (library book)
The Glass Collector by Anna Perera (review copy)
Silent Music by James Rumford (library book)
A Study in Scarlet by Ian Edginton (library book)
Through the Triangle by CP Stewart (review copy)

What Are You Reading

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Review: A Study in Scarlet

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:39:00 PST

A Study in Scarlet by by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was first published in Beeton's Christmas Annual. It's been more than 20 years since I first read it but after seeing Moffat's take on it as "A Study in Pink" I wanted to refresh my memory. Ian Edginton's graphic novel version of A Study in Scarlet was a fun way to revisit the original mystery.

This is the story that introduces Dr. Watson, newly returned from Afghanistan, to Sherlock Holmes. Watson is in need of affordable housing and Holmes is in need of a roommate who won't be put off by his odd hours, odd profession and numerous experiments.

Their first case together involves a man who is lying dead in a pool of blood without any sign of trauma. In the blood he has written Rache but where the blood came from and what the German word for revenge has to do with anything has the police stumped.

I didn't have the original text with me to compare editing choices that must have been made but the text and dialog is still recognizably Doyle. The lettering is clear and easy to read. The color pallets tend towards monochrome and sepia, mimicking old style newspapers and photographs.

My only problem with the book is the character design of Sherlock himself. I realize Sherlock is described as tall, with broad shoulders and a strong chin, but the chin drawn on him is bizarre and gawk-worthy. His chin is so long that there's a line drawn on it where his chin should stop to make the facial expressions work, except then the chin extends well on beyond it.

Three stars

Review: And Then There Were Gnomes

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Sat, 05 May 2012 19:19:00 PST

And Then There Were Gnomes by Colleen AF Venable is the second book in the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series. It and the first one were nominated for a Cybils.

In this volume there appears to be a gnome on the loose. The pet shop owner is too clueless to even know what animals he has. So it's up to the guinea pig with the rabbits to figure out what's going on.

I couldn't get into the series. Maybe the problem was the fact that I started with the second book first. I never got the hang of why the pet shop owner is so clueless. The plot is as disjointed as the pet shop owner.

Two stars.

Review: The Glass Collector

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:12:00 PST

The Glass Collector by Anna Perera follows Aaron, a Zabbaleen (Coptic Christian) teen. The Zabbaleens are the garbage collectors of Egypt. They collect it in horse drawn carriages and recycle it and feed the food scraps to their live stock (pigs).

The book opens with Aaron believing he sees the Virgin Mary in in the glass of one of the tourist hotels. That strong opening with a hint of magical realism set up expectations for the direction this novel was going to take. But after that initial sighting, the book settles into a far more mundane routine of collecting garbage, talking about family (the good and bad of it) and thinking about girls.

Aaron begins to steel perfume instead of collecting the empty bottles. Of course his thievery (while completely understandable given his situation) has consequences.

While the descriptions working with garbage and living in extreme poverty are well done, the tone of the book remains flat. There's no ebb and flow to the emotional impact. Aaron does his thing but he never truly comes alive.

Read via NetGalley

Two stars

Review: Silent Music

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:12:00 PST

: 05/03/12

Silent Music by James Rumford tells the story of Ali who lives in Baghdad, loves loud music and soccer. When the bombings get too scary, he turns to the art of calligraphy, the "silent music" for comfort. His art is inspired by the words of master calligrapher Yakat who lived and worked 800 years ago.

Accompanying the text are intricate illustrations that weave together Ali's calligraphy with pictures from his life and that of Yakat's. It's done in a style evocative of Arabic mosaics. They appear to be multimedia collages but were apparently done in pencil and finished on the computer.

Although it's a picture book, it would best be suited for upper elementary grades. Besides the history and language lessons of Arabic script, the book covers the invasion and bombing of Baghdad. The book could be used in tandem with a social studies or history unit.

Before using the book in class, read the Blogs Burt Lit post. It has an in depth analysis of the book in terms of language, themes, and historical context.

Five stars

Review: Through the Triangle

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:45:00 PST

Through the Triangle by CP Stewart has to be the first Bermuda Triangle story I've read or watched since the "New Jersey Parallelogram" episode of The Real Ghostbusters. Given that the cartoon went off air about twenty or so years ago, it was time.

The book starts like a Clive Cussler mystery, with a man committing murder and stealing his victim's identity. That puts him on board a Florida fishing trip. He has plans to kill them and take the ship but he ends up trapped just like they do in an barely recognizable Florida.

The rest of the book is set in this unusual Florida. It has three acts: investigation of the mystery, discovery of danger, and building a new community. The investigation phase is where the initial world building is done as the passengers come ashore and find ways to survive in the ruins. Like Planet of the Apes there are roadmarks left behind from their present day to help piece together their location and how long they might have been gone.

The danger part gives a heavy nod to H. G. Wells's The Time Machine but with it's own Bermuda Triangle twist. The world has people who have been born there, those who have been living there for some number of months or years from their own trip through the triangle, as well as an evolved form of creature with its own sinister history.

My only complaint is that the last part, the building of a new society from the bits and pieces of a once advanced society fallen into ruin is that it's only a few pages compared to the other two parts. It reads more like a hastily written epilog than a satisfying conclusion.

Four stars.

Review: Beachcombing

webmaster@pussreboots.pair.com (Sarah Sammis) — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:37:00 PST

Beachcombing by Maggie Dana is a mature romance that spans both sides of the pond and about forty decades. The main character, Jill, is not the typical twenty or thirty-something woman with everything she could dream for except for a good man. Instead, Jill is in her mid to late fifties and is established in her life and career.

Jill grew up in England but made a life for herself and her two sons on a beach in Connecticut. After years of being disconnected from her childhood friends and her first crush she's given an invitation she can't refuse. That trip reunites her with her first love and her life quickly spins out of control for better or worse.

As with the few romances I read the middle section is cluttered with a lot of sex and very little in the way of plot. That said the first and last thirds of the book more than make up for it with good character development, plot twists and believable but interesting situations.

As it is a romance, it has a happy ending. The ending though, came with an unexpected twist. It could be fun to re-read the book to see the actual romance developing subtly in the background.

Five stars

Puss Reboots: A Book Review a Day

Review: Steadfast Castle

Other posts and reviews:

Review: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Other posts and reviews:

Review: What Are You Reading: May 14, 2012

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Reviews Posted:

Review: Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon

Review: The Happy Hippopotami

Review: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

Other posts and reviews:

Review: xxxHolic Volume 09

Other posts and reviews:

Review: Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 16

Other posts and reviews:

Review: Twin Spica, Volume 04

Other posts and reviews:

Review: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Volume 02

Other posts and reviews:

What Are You Reading: May 07, 2012

Did Not Finish:

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Reviews Posted:

Review: A Study in Scarlet

Other posts and reviews:

Review: And Then There Were Gnomes

Other posts and reviews:

Review: The Glass Collector

Other posts and reviews:

Review: Silent Music

: 05/03/12

Other posts and reviews:

Review: Through the Triangle

Other posts and reviews:

Review: Beachcombing

Other posts and reviews: