Puss Reboots: Blog: October 2011

October in Review: 10/31/11

Books reviewed this month

Rating out of 5 stars (as posted on GoodReads)

Five Stars:

Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl by Daniel Pinkwater
Bait by Robin Aurelian
Banana by Ed Vere
Coco the Carrot by Steven Salerno
The Crocodiles by Steven Popkes
I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed by Lauren Child
I Am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems
Magpie Magic by April Wilson
Once I Was a Cardboard Box, Now I'm a Book About Polar Bears by Anton Poitier
The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
xxxHolic 04 by CLAMP

Four Stars:

Belinda the Ballerina by Amy Young
Fullmetal Alchemist 10 by Hiromu Arakawa
F U, Penguin by Matthew Gasteier
The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr
How You Got to Be So Smart by David Milgrim
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano
Older than the Stars by Karen C. Fox
One Halloween Night by Mark Teague
Ranma 1/2 Volume 01 by Rumiko Takahashi
Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley
Sea Gifts by George Shannon
A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry

Three Stars:

Boo to You! by Lois Ehlert
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker
Shape Me a Rhyme by Jane Yolen

Two Stars:

The Best Birthday Ever by Me (Lana Kitty) by Charise Mericle Harper

One Star:

Chasing Demons by R.L. Geerdes

Books and stories read this month (reviews coming)

Personal Collection

Happy Pig Day by Mo Willems
Pirate King by Laurie R. King
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman
xxxHolic Volume 17 by CLAMP

Library books

ABC Book by C. B. Falls
Apt. 3 by Ezra Jack Keats
Arthur's Nose by Marc Brown
A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns by Ruth Heller
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and Lois Ehlert
Chicken Big by Keith Graves
Clive Eats Alligators by Alison Lester
Crictor by Tomi Ungerer
Crow Boy by Taro Yashima
Day and Night by Teddy Newton
Dog Days: A Year in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile by Dave Ihlenfeld
Don't Forget the Bacon! Big Book by Pat Hutchins
Elsie's Bird by Jane Yolen
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
A Friend for Einstein, the Smallest Stallion by Charlie Cantrell
Heroes!: Draw Your Own Superheroes, Gadget Geeks & Other Do-Gooders by Jay Stephens
Madlenka by Peter Sis
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (audio)
Miles to Go by Jamie Harper
Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola
Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico by Marie Hall Ets
The Paper Crane by Molly Bang
Pinkalicious and the Pink Pumpkin by Victoria Kann
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Reading by Jan Ormerod
Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Six Chinese Brothers: An Ancient Tale by Hou-Tien Cheng
Spectra by Joanne Elder
Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb
Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus by John Grandits
Thirteen by Remy Charlip
Tiger Trek by Ted Lewin
The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol. 14 by CLAMP
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Vol. 15 by CLAMP
Where Is Tippy Toes? by Betsy Lewin
The Wing on a Flea by Ed Emberley (1961 version)
Who's Seen Scissors by Fernando Krahn
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Worldshaker by Richard Harland

Review copy

The Train by Georges Simenon
Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick

ROOB score

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Chasing Demons: 10/31/11

I was sent Chasing Demons by R.L. Geerdes right around the time when I first became unemployed in the summer of 2009. Although I read the book that year the review got lost in the shuffle of finding work, working a whole bunch of odd jobs and going back to school.

Chasing Demons is the second in the Mistress of Beasts series. I haven't read the first book. The book opens with Katrina waking in a hospital room. She's been in a coma ever since her car accident. She's told that all of her experiences in Acorna were dreamed up while she was unconscious.

Now usually I'm all for getting the plot rolling but this book had the plot on fast-forward to the point of pulling me right out of an initially interesting set up. Katrina should need physical therapy and some time to get her strength back after waking up. No; she's sent immediately home!

I just couldn't get around that plot point. I tried three times to finish the book but couldn't connect with Katrina or the plot in either Acrona or on Earth. If Earth is supposed to be an illusion to trick Katrina, that point needs to be made more obvious and concrete.

1 star

What Are You Reading: October 31, 2011: 10/30/11

Two things happened last week. I've finished cataloging most of the picture books. I don't want to start reading a chapter book that will just be shelved the next day. Second, my children have taken to reading themselves bedtime stories. That cuts off my other big source of weekly reads.

That leaves me to what I'm reading for my own fun. My favorites were an excellent Tony Hillerman mystery, The Wailing Wind and the newest volume of xxxHolic. I plan to preorder volume 18 which comes out in December.

My current review book is Tankborn by Karen Sandler. I've only just started it so I don't have much to say about it.

I'm halfway through How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner but I am enjoying it. I tend to read the books I love slowly. The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier is my new purse read.

Afterwards I plan to start Schenectady by Don Rittner.

Finished Last Week:

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig (library book)
The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman (personal collection)
Wing on a Flea: A Book about Shapes by Ed Emberley (library book)
Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick (review copy)
xxxHolic, Volume 17 by CLAMP (personal collection)

Currently Reading:

The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (personal collection)
The Hole in the Wall by Lisa Rowe Fraustino (library copy)
How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner (personal collection)
The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan (library book)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (library book)
A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks (personal collection)
Tankborn by Karen Sandler (review copy)
The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (personal collection)
White Cat by Holly Black (audio) (personal collection)

Reviews Posted:

Boo to You! by Lois Ehlert (library book)
The Crocodiles by Steven Popkes (FSF May/Jun 2010) (personal collection)
I Am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems (library book)
Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano (library book)
Ranma 1/2 Volume 01 by Rumiko Takahashi (library book)
The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine (library book)
Monster Hunt by Rory Storm (library book)

What Are You Reading

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The Crocodiles: 10/30/11

"The Crocodiles" by Steven Popkes is told with a clinical sterility until the very end when the true horror of what was done is revealed.

The Crocodiles are a special force of Nazis meant to tip their hand in war. They are like the creations coming out of Lab 5 in Fullmetal Alchemist. Both of course are sadly drawn on the actual experimentation that was done under the Nazi regime.

Here though the most simple way to sum up the story is "Nazi zombies." Undead creations though can't be controlled and one of the scientist behind their creation learns that the hard way.

"The Crocodiles" is a perfect Halloween short story, especially for zombie fans.

Five stars.

Ranma 1/2, Volume 01: 10/29/11

Ranma 1/2 was my re-introduction to anime as a college student. I had watched some, untranslated and unsupervised as a preschooler on a local public access TV. As they were in Japanese I was watching only for the imagery not knowing what I was watching or even what language it was.

Flash forward about eighteen years. My new boyfriend and his two best friends were nuts about anime. In order to hang out with him and his buddies, I had to bite my tongue, get over some prejudices from my boredom with Robotech.

Among my first lessons in anime were Macross Plus, Ah! My Goddess!, El Hazard and Ranma 1/2. Flash forward another eighteen years and my son has discovered the Ranma 1/2 anime. As he was also getting into manga, I decided to bring home a copy of Ranma 1/2 volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi.

Ranma 1/2 is for lack of a better description, a long running situation comedy with a paranormal twist. When most of the characters get wet they turn into something else. For Ranma he turns into a red haired and well endowed woman. His father turns into a panda.

Ranma and his father went to China (on the cheap) to train in karate. They go to a famous spring but not speaking a word of Chinese, they don't realize that the pools are cursed by the people or animals who died there. Both fall in and both are cursed.

The series sets up situation after situation to make Ranma (or the other characters) transform in the most embarrassing or dangerous way possible. There's a lot of sophomoric humor, much of which went over my son's head.

As the manga predates the recent popularity in the U.S., the translation is flipped to read left to right. That means all the artwork is flipped too. It feels wrong to read the manga backwards and unlike more recent books, there are no translation notes and a concerted effort to remove most Japanese cultural references.

Ranma 1/2 the anime has similar translation issues, being dubbed. So the anime and the manga in translation are a fair comparison. Neither is probably an accurate representation of the original but they are similar enough to each other for comparison.

Of the two versions, I prefer the manga. It goes into more detail of the curse and the family histories of the different characters involved. The anime episodes jump from joke to joke without much time for set up. I like the slower pace of the manga. My son, though, prefers the anime.

Four stars.

On My Wishlist: October 29, 2011: 10/28/11

I finished xxxHolic Volume 17 by CLAMP. It was excellent and well worth the wait. I plan to preorder the next book in November. Volume 18 comes out sometime in December.

I am still making slow but steady progress on The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan, The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan and How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner. I'll probably finish the Penny Warner book in a day or two.

I have actually finally started Schenectady by Don Rittner. My grandmother grew up in Schenectady so I'm reading about the town I'd grown up hearing about in her stories. I still need to start Flood and Fire by Emily Diamand; it's due soon at the library.

My wishlist is at 973 books, up 13 books from last week.

Upcoming wishlist reads include (they are in my hands waiting to be read):

Flood and Fire by Emily Diamand
The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahern
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Of all the stupid things by Alexandra Diaz
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Fullmetal Alchemist volume 26 by Hiromu Arakawa

The Featured Wish for October 29, 2010:

cover art There Are No Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz

"The interactive cats are back, but not for long! They’re eager to go off to see the world. So will someone please help them get out of the book?
"Our lovable feline friends Tiny, Moonpie, and Andre have returned, and this time they’re filled with the spirit of adventure: they want to go off to explore the world! They have their suitcases packed and are ready to set out, but can’t get out of the book. They try pushing their way out and jumping their way out, but nothing seems to work. Finally, they get a brilliant idea: they decide to wish themselves out! But they’re going to need help. Will it work? Are you missing them yet?"

It's the sequel to There Are Cats in this Book. We liked that book so I have find a copy of this book.

On My Wishlist

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Monster Hunt: 10/28/11

Last year when I was walking the shelves of the library looking for resources for the paper that would be come "Patron 2.0" I came across Monster Hunt by Rory Storm. I wasn't looking for a compendium on mythological beasts but mythology happens to be near the library science and computer science books in the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

Since my son is interested in monsters and more recently, Greek mythology, I brought the book home for us to read. Monster Hunt by Rory Storm is presented as an explorer's notebook of all the monsters he's studied. Each entry has a picture of the featured monster, a description of its history and some other trivia.

For a quick reference the book is adequate. The coffee stained journal pages design for the book though gets old. Everything starts to look the same after a while.

Three stars.

The Runaway Wok: 10/27/11

The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine is a retelling of the Dutch story The Talking Pot. The story is moved to China and set around the Chinese New Year. Ming is sent to town to buy some food but comes home with a beat up but magical wok instead.

In previous magical pot stories I've read, the pot is always full. This one, though, has a life of its own and goes in search of food from those who can spare it but don't want to share. The wok seeks out a rich man's table and comes home with a feast for Ming's family.

The Runaway Wok includes a recipe for fried rice. We didn't try it but it's there for families who want to.

The book was a big hit with both of my children. They read it for Chinese New Year first at school and then at home. It was in their re-read pile for about a month.

Five stars.

Boo to You!: 10/26/11

Boo to You! by Lois Ehlert is about a group of mice trying to scare away the big bad cat who is terrorizing their pumpkin patch. The mice work through out the story to build the perfect thing to scare away the big bad cat. Their project has the desired results.

Ehlert wrote and illustrated the book. She used photos of fall time crops: gourds, pumpkins, summer squash, corn and so forth, as well as cut paper. The cat's teeth, for example, are pumpkin seeds. It's whiskers are twine.

The final pages of the book include all the items used to make the collages. This visual appendix is frankly better than the book. There's not enough contrast in color between the different collage items to make the illustrations pop.

The kids liked the story for a first time read but it didn't make it to the re-read pile. They agreed that the details were hard to make out in the illustrations. They also found the mice's attitude unsavory.

Three stars.

Madeline at the White House: 10/25/11

Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano began as a collaboration between Ludwig Bemelmans and Jacqueline Kennedy. Marciano decided to finish the book as he did with Madeline in America.

Miss Clavel and the girls are invited to the White House. The president has a daughter who is about the girls' age and is in need of friends and fun. Madeline and the others are sure to come through.

The girls arrive for the annual Easter Egg hunt and roll. They quickly make friends with Candle, the first daughter, and soon find themselves invited to stay over night.

It's a cute book done in the style of the original Madeline books with the same rhyming scheme. While it's a good edition to the Madeline series, it's not quite as tightly constructed.

Four stars.

I Am Invited to a Party!: 10/24/11

I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems would make a nice companion book to Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan. Piggie has been invited to a party and asks Gerald to help her prepare. Fortunately Gerald knows parties!

Gerald goes through all the different possibilities for the party. It might be formal. It night be a costume party. It might be a swim party. Gerald and Piggie (though less enthusiastically) decide its best to prepared for every eventuality.

It's cute for its absurdity and even better for how it ends. I would add it as a companion to Khan's books to show how trends are changing and siblings or friends are more and more being invited to parties, especially those held for children. It's no longer usually just the one on the invitation who is invited.

Five stars.

What Are You Reading: October 24, 2011: 10/23/11

Thirteen of the eighteen books last week were picture books. I'm reading with my children at night and they are reading to me in the car. Also there was a day at the internship where the cataloging application was going really slowly so I had time to kill. The only thing I had on hand were the books I'd cataloged. So I read some of them.

I finished two review books, Enter, Night about vampires in rural Canada and The Train about refugees fleeing the German occupation at the start of WWII. My current review book is Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick. I have actually read Moby Dick and loved it. I want to see what Philbrick has to say about the book — what reasons does he give.

I still haven't finished How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner but I am enjoying it. I hope to finish it and The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman. I finished and loved Worldshaker by Richard Harland but I had to send back two other library books unread. They are back on my wishlist.