Clatter Bash! by Richard Keep
Graveyard skeletons shake, rattle, and roll in this spirited Day of the Dead celebration!
The illustrations are bold, colorful, fun and, even though they are skeletons, cheerful too. A lot of the words are sounds like ‘honk-whiz’ and ‘whoosh-sploosh’ that make it fun to read. And the addition of the Spanish words is nice too. There is a very good explanation of the Day of the Dead holiday that tells you why and how it is celebrated that is easily understandable to all ages. It is a fun and informative book.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
The Friday 56, Let's Bring Back
Rules:*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it to Freda's Voice.
*Add your (url) post to Linky on Freda’s post
The book this week is Let’s Bring Back by Lesley M. M. Blume. It is basically a list of things (words, customs, people, etc.) that have gone out of fashion that the author thinks should have a comeback. I’m only in the Bs but it’s interesting so far and I’ve even learned a thing or two.
The sentence:
She used to own Hollywood, and these days, all people can remember about her is the vague phrase “Bette Davis eyes” – the title of a grating song written in the 1980s that wasn’t even about Bette Davis.
It does seem unfair.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Theme Thursday -- Weather
Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Hosted by Reading Between Pages.
Anyone can participate in it.
The rules are simple:
•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word) Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”
This week’s theme is – WEATHER
As we near the Bastille, the rain drives harder. The streets have turned into rivers, carrying along mud and excrement.
- Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Outlaw Review
Outlaw by Angus Donald
(from the back of the book)
In the bloody underworld of 12th century England, one man reigns supreme. Robin Hood steals from the Church and gives protection to the poor – but at a price. And the price is silence. Informers are mutilated, traitors are murdered, and all must submit to Robin’s justice. As Alan Dale, a young thief running from the law, is thrown into this violent world, he finds that to survive he must exploit his quick reflexes, light fingers and unique musical talent. Robin, a mentor and father-figure to Alan, teaches him how to fight and more importantly, how to win. But in the England of Henry II, dangerous forces are allied against Robin and his men and it will take more than luck, more than skill, if they are to survive the savage assaults by the Norman rulers and the treachery and betrayal from some of their own.
This tale of Robin Hood is dark, bloody and completely unromantic. This is not a story about a hero for the oppressed. Robin rules the forest and the people with an iron fist and is quick to dispense bloody punishment for transgressions. It could be an interesting concept but I had trouble seeing it. Robin has the loyalty of the people and Alan, the narrator of the story, loves him as does Friar Tuck but I don’t know why. The indefinable qualities that made him a leader of men, someone who draws people to him didn’t really come through. Alan was sympathetic at first but the more I got to know him the less I liked him and the less I wanted to see him succeed. I wanted to be able to root for someone in this story and I couldn’t. I wanted to want to know these people, and I didn’t. There is a lot of action. Sword fights, recues, betrayals, battles and lots and lots of killing. I like that Tuck was conflicted about his loyalty to Robin and there were some things he would not take part in. It gave a sense that Robin’s actions were not being totally excused. Donald does a good job of bringing the setting to life and by putting the meaning of some of the words right in the text (i.e. ‘he swung a heavy falchion, a thick bladed sword’) manages to keep it authentic without sending you to the dictionary. It is a harsh, grim, sometimes even vulgar story so don’t go looking for fairy tales here. There is enough fighting and blood to satisfy any action lover but it is the action that drives and carries the story and not the characters. And though I liked to book well enough I would have liked to see a little more balance between the two.
(from the back of the book)
In the bloody underworld of 12th century England, one man reigns supreme. Robin Hood steals from the Church and gives protection to the poor – but at a price. And the price is silence. Informers are mutilated, traitors are murdered, and all must submit to Robin’s justice. As Alan Dale, a young thief running from the law, is thrown into this violent world, he finds that to survive he must exploit his quick reflexes, light fingers and unique musical talent. Robin, a mentor and father-figure to Alan, teaches him how to fight and more importantly, how to win. But in the England of Henry II, dangerous forces are allied against Robin and his men and it will take more than luck, more than skill, if they are to survive the savage assaults by the Norman rulers and the treachery and betrayal from some of their own.
This tale of Robin Hood is dark, bloody and completely unromantic. This is not a story about a hero for the oppressed. Robin rules the forest and the people with an iron fist and is quick to dispense bloody punishment for transgressions. It could be an interesting concept but I had trouble seeing it. Robin has the loyalty of the people and Alan, the narrator of the story, loves him as does Friar Tuck but I don’t know why. The indefinable qualities that made him a leader of men, someone who draws people to him didn’t really come through. Alan was sympathetic at first but the more I got to know him the less I liked him and the less I wanted to see him succeed. I wanted to be able to root for someone in this story and I couldn’t. I wanted to want to know these people, and I didn’t. There is a lot of action. Sword fights, recues, betrayals, battles and lots and lots of killing. I like that Tuck was conflicted about his loyalty to Robin and there were some things he would not take part in. It gave a sense that Robin’s actions were not being totally excused. Donald does a good job of bringing the setting to life and by putting the meaning of some of the words right in the text (i.e. ‘he swung a heavy falchion, a thick bladed sword’) manages to keep it authentic without sending you to the dictionary. It is a harsh, grim, sometimes even vulgar story so don’t go looking for fairy tales here. There is enough fighting and blood to satisfy any action lover but it is the action that drives and carries the story and not the characters. And though I liked to book well enough I would have liked to see a little more balance between the two.
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Friday 56, Madame Tussaud
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it to Freda's Voice.
*Add your (url) post to Linky on Freda’s post
This week the book is Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran.
The sentence:
“What should it matter who hands the queen her underwear so long as she’s wearing some?”
I quite agree but apparently it made quite a big deal to quite a few people. If it’s done wrong it starts all over. I can’t imagine having to get dressed like that.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Theme Thursday -- Emotion
Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Hosted by Reading Between Pages.
Anyone can participate in it.
The rules are simple:
•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word) Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”
This week’s theme is – EMOTION
“I did not know what she was until now,” he said. “But I knew the first time I saw her that she was something more than I could see. Unicorn, mermaid, lamia, sorceress, Gorgon – no name you give her would surprise me, or frighten me. I love whom I love.”
“That’s a very nice sentiment,” Schmendrick said. “But when I change her back into her true self, so that she may do battle with the Red Bull and free her people –“
“I love whom I love,” Prince Lir repeated firmly. “You have no power over anything that matters.”
-- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
WWW Wednesdays (April 13)
To play along just answer the following three (3) questions...
*What are you currently reading?
*What did you recently finish reading?
*What do you think you’ll read next?
Leave a link to your post (or the answers themselves if you do not have a blog) in the comments of Should Be Reading.
What are you currently reading?
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran I finally started it for real. I like it so far. I think Moran writes great characters.
What did you recently finish reading?
Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
Um… I like superheroes and I like zombies and there are a lot of both in this book and a lot of action but I didn’t find the characters very interesting.
Edgar and Ellen: Rare Beasts by Charles Ogden Okay. Fast and kind of fun but nothing spectacular.
What do you think you’ll read next?
How to Survive a Robot Uprising : Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion by Daniel H. Wilson.
I hope it’s as much fun as it sounds.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A History of Food Vocab
A History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat
Pogrom: an organized massacre of helpless people; such a massacre of Jews
Awn: one of the slender bristles that terminate the glumes of the spikelet in some cereal and other grasses
Rachides: the elongated axis of an inflorescence (2) : an extension of the petiole of a compound leaf that bears the leaflets
(aside)Inflorescence: the mode of development and arrangement of FLOWERS on an axis
Ruminant: an animal (such as a cow or sheep) that has more than one stomach and that swallows food and then brings it back up again to continue chewing it
Potation: a usually alcoholic drink or brew
Panicle: a pyramidal loosely branched flower cluster
Pergola: a structure usually consisting of parallel colonnades supporting an open roof of girders and cross rafters
Spatchcock: To prepare (a dressed chicken) for grilling by splitting open
Escalope: scallop
Flageolet: a small fipple flute resembling the treble recorder
Umbelliferous: of or relating to the carrot family
Coprophagous: feeding on dung
Bastinado: a blow with a stick or cudgel
Seraglio: a palace of a sultan
Batrachian: amphibian
Espalier: a plant (as a fruit TREE) trained to grow flat against a support (as a wall)
Febrifuge: an agent that reduces fever
Garum: a type of fermented fish sauce condiment that was an essential flavour in Ancient Roman cooking
Parthenogenesis: reproduction by development of an unfertilized usually female gamete that occurs especially among lower plants and invertebrate animals
Metonymy: a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated (as “crown” in “lands belonging to the crown”)
Pogrom: an organized massacre of helpless people; such a massacre of Jews
Awn: one of the slender bristles that terminate the glumes of the spikelet in some cereal and other grasses
Rachides: the elongated axis of an inflorescence (2) : an extension of the petiole of a compound leaf that bears the leaflets
(aside)Inflorescence: the mode of development and arrangement of FLOWERS on an axis
Ruminant: an animal (such as a cow or sheep) that has more than one stomach and that swallows food and then brings it back up again to continue chewing it
Potation: a usually alcoholic drink or brew
Panicle: a pyramidal loosely branched flower cluster
Pergola: a structure usually consisting of parallel colonnades supporting an open roof of girders and cross rafters
Spatchcock: To prepare (a dressed chicken) for grilling by splitting open
Escalope: scallop
Flageolet: a small fipple flute resembling the treble recorder
Umbelliferous: of or relating to the carrot family
Coprophagous: feeding on dung
Bastinado: a blow with a stick or cudgel
Seraglio: a palace of a sultan
Batrachian: amphibian
Espalier: a plant (as a fruit TREE) trained to grow flat against a support (as a wall)
Febrifuge: an agent that reduces fever
Garum: a type of fermented fish sauce condiment that was an essential flavour in Ancient Roman cooking
Parthenogenesis: reproduction by development of an unfertilized usually female gamete that occurs especially among lower plants and invertebrate animals
Metonymy: a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated (as “crown” in “lands belonging to the crown”)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Win The Queen's Rival
P.S. I Love Books is giving away 2 copies of The Queen's Rival by Diane Haeger.
Fill out a simple form to enter.
Are you a GFC follower of P.S. I Love Books? That's an extra entry or two.
You can get more entries by commenting on the interview, review and the guest post.
The giveaway ends April 21st. Open to the US only.
Fill out a simple form to enter.
Are you a GFC follower of P.S. I Love Books? That's an extra entry or two.
You can get more entries by commenting on the interview, review and the guest post.
The giveaway ends April 21st. Open to the US only.
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Friday 56, Rare Beasts
Rules: *Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it to Freda's Voice.
The book this week is Edgar & Ellen: Rare Beasts by Charles Ogden. I’m still reading Ex-Heroes but I used that last week so I picked something else that was handy. I’ll get to it eventually. Just like all the other books in my ‘to be read’ pile. Really, I will.
The sentence: “Ten dollars?” repeated Ellen. “I say ten dollars is an awful lot less than fifteen hundred!”
Well, you can’t deny the logic of that.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Theme Thursday -- Beauty
Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Hosted by Reading Between Pages.
Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:
•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading •Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word) Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”
This week’s theme is – BEAUTY
I had trouble with this one. A superhero/zombie story doesn’t have a lot of ‘beauty’ going on. I did the best I could. See what you think.
The woman on the roof, her outfit was that tight and showed off that much. And she had a lot to show off. I say this as someone who deals with some of the hottest women on Earth every week as part of my day job. Black straps and belts crisscrossed her body, accenting her curves, a lot like the utility harness I wore. But mine was store-bought and I don’t think there was a quarter-inch of material in hers that didn’t need to be there.
-- Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Coraline Movie vs. Book
Coraline by Neil Gaimen
Coraline with Dakota Fanning
Coraline is a story about a bored girl who discovers a secret door and on the other side finds a twisted copy of her own family and world.
The movie and the book have very similar storylines. There is the door that is sometimes open and sometimes not. There is the skewed version of Coraline’s world on the other side. There is the slow realization that it is not a good place to be. And then there is the battle to save herself and her parents. And everything in both is creepy and eerie. But although the book was a full, complete story with plenty of depth of its own the movie felt compelled to add elements to it. They were not bad exactly, but they were unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to the story so I don’t see the point. The movie adds a boy neighbor and a doll that looks like Coraline. They are both rather important to the movie but not in the book at all. There were a couple of scenes that were made bigger, more theatrical that worked in a movie that could not have been described well in a book. There are other things that got added as well that don’t detract from the story but I would have liked to see the movie stick more closely to the book. The characters are slightly different too. The mother is less just preoccupied and more angry all the time. The man upstairs has been turned into an eccentric gymnast always jumping and swinging instead of just the man upstairs with a mouse circus act. And Coraline doesn’t seem as clever in the movie. She has help she didn’t have in the book and she doesn’t figure certain things out that she does in the book. So I liked some of the characters more in the book. But not by a lot. They were both fun and creepy. The book edges out the movie in my opinion but the movie is good too.
Coraline with Dakota Fanning
Coraline is a story about a bored girl who discovers a secret door and on the other side finds a twisted copy of her own family and world.
The movie and the book have very similar storylines. There is the door that is sometimes open and sometimes not. There is the skewed version of Coraline’s world on the other side. There is the slow realization that it is not a good place to be. And then there is the battle to save herself and her parents. And everything in both is creepy and eerie. But although the book was a full, complete story with plenty of depth of its own the movie felt compelled to add elements to it. They were not bad exactly, but they were unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to the story so I don’t see the point. The movie adds a boy neighbor and a doll that looks like Coraline. They are both rather important to the movie but not in the book at all. There were a couple of scenes that were made bigger, more theatrical that worked in a movie that could not have been described well in a book. There are other things that got added as well that don’t detract from the story but I would have liked to see the movie stick more closely to the book. The characters are slightly different too. The mother is less just preoccupied and more angry all the time. The man upstairs has been turned into an eccentric gymnast always jumping and swinging instead of just the man upstairs with a mouse circus act. And Coraline doesn’t seem as clever in the movie. She has help she didn’t have in the book and she doesn’t figure certain things out that she does in the book. So I liked some of the characters more in the book. But not by a lot. They were both fun and creepy. The book edges out the movie in my opinion but the movie is good too.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Win, Win, Win
Luxury Reading wants to give you books. Some of the giveaways end soon so you better hurry!
For Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For Nutrition Diva's Secrets for a Healthy Diet by Monica Reinagel go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For Pops: Sweets on a Stick go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton go here. Open until April 8th to the US and Canada.
For Day of Honey by Annia Ciezadlo go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For The Baby Planner by Josie Brown go here. Open until April 15th to the US only.
For The Trinity Six by Charles Cumming go here. Open until April 15th to the US only.
For Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For Nutrition Diva's Secrets for a Healthy Diet by Monica Reinagel go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For Pops: Sweets on a Stick go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton go here. Open until April 8th to the US and Canada.
For Day of Honey by Annia Ciezadlo go here. Open until April 8th to the US only.
For The Baby Planner by Josie Brown go here. Open until April 15th to the US only.
For The Trinity Six by Charles Cumming go here. Open until April 15th to the US only.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Friday 56, Ex-Heroes
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it to Freda's Voice.
The book this week is Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines. I like superhero stories and zombie stories too so I have high hopes for this one.
The sentence:
Lady Bee slammed her pistol into the back of its skull. She fired three rounds and it flopped on the carpet.
I haven’t started this book yet. I plan to read it next. I can’t wait to find out what ‘it’ is. I hope it's a zombie.
Books I Finished in March
Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O’Connor
A graphic novel about Athena and since I like both graphic novels and Greek mythology I liked it. If you aren’t a fan of both though I wouldn’t bother.
The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
Rather dark and violent but I liked this.
The Spider: Robot Titans of Gotham by Norvell Page
Pulp fiction complete with a robot army. How much more fun can a story get?
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
This has absolutely no words but it has no trouble telling a wonderful story.
God of Beer by Garret Keizer About underage drinking and its effects and consequences, civil disobedience, peer pressure, and friendship. And somehow manages not to be overbearing and also gives you interesting characters you can care about.
Skellig by David Almond
Even though it is fantasy it is more about love and family.
Get Real by Donald E. Westlake
I love Dortmunder.
Chicken a la King and the Buffalo Wing by Steven Gilbar
I think my expectations were too high. I wanted unique and original stories about how food or dishes got their name. And I did get some of that but so many things are named after the location where they were first made or grown that it started to get dull after a while.
All’s Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
Not one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.
Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
A vampire fighting on the side of good without actually being a good guy. I’ll be reading the second one for sure.
Bleach Chapters 1 - 443 by Tite Kubo
Manga I was reading online. A friend got me hooked on it even though I had never been a fan of manga before. I thought I would never catch up to the current ones but now that I have I’m upset because I have to wait for the next part of the story.
A graphic novel about Athena and since I like both graphic novels and Greek mythology I liked it. If you aren’t a fan of both though I wouldn’t bother.
The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
Rather dark and violent but I liked this.
The Spider: Robot Titans of Gotham by Norvell Page
Pulp fiction complete with a robot army. How much more fun can a story get?
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
This has absolutely no words but it has no trouble telling a wonderful story.
God of Beer by Garret Keizer About underage drinking and its effects and consequences, civil disobedience, peer pressure, and friendship. And somehow manages not to be overbearing and also gives you interesting characters you can care about.
Skellig by David Almond
Even though it is fantasy it is more about love and family.
Get Real by Donald E. Westlake
I love Dortmunder.
Chicken a la King and the Buffalo Wing by Steven Gilbar
I think my expectations were too high. I wanted unique and original stories about how food or dishes got their name. And I did get some of that but so many things are named after the location where they were first made or grown that it started to get dull after a while.
All’s Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
Not one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.
Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
A vampire fighting on the side of good without actually being a good guy. I’ll be reading the second one for sure.
Bleach Chapters 1 - 443 by Tite Kubo
Manga I was reading online. A friend got me hooked on it even though I had never been a fan of manga before. I thought I would never catch up to the current ones but now that I have I’m upset because I have to wait for the next part of the story.
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