Any Other Monkey Drones Having This Problem?

I miss Tealuxe. I mean I REALLY miss Tealuxe. I'll be the first to admit I'm a total tea junkie and Tealuxe just fed that addiction nicely. I thought I would survive leaving. I thought my need for 100's of tea options daily would subside with time. But it's not. It seems to be getting worse. Especially as the weather gets warmer and I remember getting the daily iced teas everyday before starting my shift, and then getting another fix during my dinner break. I've been putting off mail order teas from them because it seems silly. I don't know how much longer I can hold out though.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray By Chris Wooding

This is the first book I've picked up in a long time purely on the basis of it looked interesting to me.

I would describe it as Victorian Horror set in an alternate dimension London. This London seems frozen in time as all scientific progress seems to have stopped based on a dire problem London, and as we learn all major cities, are facing: the appearance of the wych-kin. We don't really know what the wych-kin are or why they are here. All we know, at the beginning of the book atleast, is that they are nasty demony critters that seem loosely based on european folklore (mostly nursery boggles) with a light sprinkling of Lovecraftian lore. Wych hunters have risen to combat these creatures and to keep them from spreading further into London. The story centers upon basically one wych hunter, Thaniel, when he happens upon a girl, Alaizabel, wandering the wych claimed parts of London apparently crazy. The story unfolds as we learn that Alaizabel is actually possessed and Thaniel tries to help her. All kinds of other stuff happens, which I'm not going to go into, because half the fun of reading this book was learning what the hell was going on at the same rate the characters were.

There are several reasons why this was a good read.

First, the wych hunters were not all powerful all knowing slayers of beasties. Everything they did was based on theory and superstition. There were no hard and fast rules when dealing with the wych-kin. What worked on one was not guaranteed to work on another. There were also no pools of research. Defeating a wych-kin was often trial and error, if you didn't die it was a good night. Everytime a wych hunter went out there was an expectation of death if they ran into something they weren't familiar with. I liked this aspect, you don't see it often.

Second, I think this is the first what I would consider true horror books I've read in an age. And it has NOTHING to do with vampires! Yay!

Third, while it felt like the critters were based upon something familair, it wasn't blatant. You weren't sitting there thinking my God this is all stollen from X. I was an impressive balance of making things feel familiar yet like nothing you've ever read about.

I've read the reviews on amazon and I can't tell if I'm desensitized or if some of the reviews are being just a little silly. There are many claims that this book was gory. I didn't think so. No worse than Dracula in my opinion. Yes, main characters die and the wych-kin are REALLY unpleasant and satisfyingly creepy. It's part of the story telling. There were complaints that is was fast paced like a movie or a video game and would only appeal to teens with corresponding attention spans. I couldn't disagree more. You don't get a solid sense of what the mystery is, or the big picture until over halfway through the book. The author is very miserly about details and the history of what has been going on in London, almost to a frustrating degree, but I also really appreciated that he(?) didn't feel the need to spell everything out to his audience like so many authors do. I feel like the, mainly adult, reviewers were confusing a fast READ with a fast PACED read. Of course it's a fast read, it's a teen book, and not an incredibly long one at that. It becomes more fast paced when the characters find out what's going on and have to attempt to stop it. The change in pace reflects the urgency felt by the characters and the fact that they have very little time in which to act. I think it works well with the story telling.

I still can't decide how I felt about the ending. I enjoyed the rest of the book, but the ending may have been a bit of a cop out.

It's not a fabulous read, but it's original and interesting. A nice change from the onsalught of vamp books.

Did I already know about this?

I may have blocked this out and was reminded of this over the weekend. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is being made into a movie coming out this summer. There are so many reasons that I am not happy about this that it's not worth going in to.

Knights of the Kitchen Table - Jon Scieszka

I had to read this. It was always and remains to be such a popular recommendation for trasitional readers (done with early readers, not quite ready for chapter books) I couldn't go any longer without taking it for a test ride.

But really, it's Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. I haven't read anything that they were involved in that I didn't think was fantastic.

The only complaint I have was it wasn't long enough. I suppose that's to be expected from such little books when one is an adult. It left me wanting more of the story, and that's always a good thing when series are involved. I loved the puns, I loved the mix of fantasy and literature references, and I loved the interaction between the boys.

So, I'm happy to be recommending this series. The first book has a good mix of humor and cleverness and I would assume much of the rest of the series holds up as well. I will press on and see if this is true.

The Whipping Boy - Sid Fleischman

This is another of Shrewsbury's summer reading books. I really glad they are changing them this year.

The Whipping Boy, while an orginal story, is another one that doesn't feel like one. You know how it begins and you know how it's going to end. I know this isn't a fair way to judge books, but this is also the best reason to update your reading list more often that every 10-15 years.

We start off with a brat prince who wants to run away becasue, well, he's a brat. He drags his whipping boy a long for the ride. Oh my word, they get captured by bandits. Oh my word, they try to switch identities to fool the bandits. Oh my word, it ends with the prince realizing how much of a jerk he's been.

The historical value and the moral to treat people how you would like to be treated do not stand up in a story that's been told over and over and over in various incarnations. I can't even judge this book objectively because it's just that too familiar of a story.

Please, for the love of God people, change your reading lists periodically so your kids don't feel like they are reading stereotypes.

Again, it may be simply, I am just too old. But I did know the story of the Prince and the Pauper at a pretty young age.

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Patterson

I think I must be just way too old for Bridge to Terabithia. It's a story of young friendship and of course towards the end of the book through an accident one of the friends dies and the other must deal the the death of "the only person who really understood me". I don't know if this was one of the first of these stories, but unfortunatly it's been so over done in both books and sappy movies, it lost a great deal of meaning for me. I can't say I was particularly thrilled with the writing and the story telling, but those are more difficult for me to pin point why I didn't like them.

This book is still on tons of reading lists. This story felt really dated for me and I can't help but feel like there are more current books of the same theme. But don't ask me why this one feels dated, but A Summer to Die didn't. Maybe it really is just a vast difference in writing and story telling style.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key - Jack Gantos

I knew this was a book about a kid with Attention Deficit Disorder. What I was not prepared for was to be taken along for a ride with Joey. For example, when reading Kissing Doorknobs, the writing explains what OCD was like, but as the reader you didn't really experience it. In Joey Pigza you were pulled through the episodes. You couldn't help reading faster and faster. It was almost scary. It was also amazing. I don't know a lot of writers who can successfully put the reader into the situations his characters are experiencing.

In the book Joey's mother comes back into his life and tries desparately to help him. We learn that while medications help with the disorder, it takes the proper type and amount, and not getting the mix right you almost might as well not bother. Joey had previously been raised by his grandmother, who not only had the same disorder, but was also basically emotionally abusive to Joey. There is a great deal of healing in the book. Joey and his mom find actually USEFUL doctors and things improve for him, with a get deal of work.

I really don't know how this disorder is so often misdiagnosed. There is a huge difference in kids who just behave badly because they've never been disaplined (unfortunatly a very common problem these days, just watch those nanny reality programs, or work in a children's bookstore) and what Joey was going through.

This is a good read for both boys and girls. Apparently Jack Gantos visited one of the schools in my library's town (no, it was not mentioned to me) and the kids loved him and his books. They are funny enough pull kids in even while trying to make people more aware of this disorder. I would highly recommend them. I am looking forward to reading his other books.

I'm really annoyed I missed the cockroach story.

A Summer To Die - Lois Lowry

This is hands down the most beautifully written book I have ever read. Yes, it was one of those horrible books where someone dies, but it was such a gorgeous read it didn't give me that sense of depression afterwards, just an OK sadness. I don't have much else to say. I was completely blown away.

Rainbow Boys - Alex Sanchez

As a homosexuality recruiting tool Rainbow Boys is pretty poor. I mean it describes getting beat up, parents disowning you, and the scary realities of the consequences of un-safe sex. Seriously, not one orgy scene. But kidding aside...
It's a very real and accurate portrayal of 3 different gay teens in 3 different situations. This book also doesn't pull punches. The scene where Kyle tells his parents he's gay and his mother point blank asks him "Did you think we would stop loving you?" actually made me cry.
Saying all that, I still have this niggling feeling that I didn't really like the book, and I can't figure out why. There's no reason I can' think of that I shouldn't have like. Really. It was good and I couldn't ask anything more of it. But there we are.
I can't decide if I want to read the sequel.

I may be going back to retail

For various reasons, most of them involving money, I dropped off a resume at a B&N over the weekend. According to hotjobs they are looking for department managers and assistant managers. While I could do both jobs blind-folded I still had shivers at the thought of returning to retail let alone going over to the BIG ENEMY. The one I applied at is much further than I am comfortable driving, but I'm not sure what distance I would be comfortable driving seeing as how I have not driven since I past my driving test in December. I also had the dawning realization in the car ride on the way home that I had applied for a management postion THREE MONTHS BEFORE A NEW HARRY POTTER BOOK COMES OUT. Jeremy laughed at me.
The library gig isn't really panning out. They are in a major deficit. Last I heard they were going to have to cut huge amounts of money from the payroll budget and they don't think they will be able to be open on weekends during the summer. I don't know what will actually happen as the library is still in negociations with the town, but I have little hope. There is also a huge bias in my state against folks working in libraries without masters degrees. I am just not prepared for spending that much time and money getting a degree when the current library jobs are paying about as much as retail and they are not offering benefits. It's pathetic.

The Year of Ice - Brian Malloy

Ok, so I picked The Year of Ice up purely because it was mentioned on the back of Geography Club. By saying that we all now know that it's about a teenager (male) who is dealing with discovering he is gay.
There are so many other issues packed into this book that the sexuality issue become almost buried, only to be resurected by the kid's almost constant quest to want to get laid. Let's list the issues that I can remember (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):

• Kid's mother has died a year previous to the story
• Father has started dating again
• Mother's death may have been a suicide as the father was cheating on her at the time
• Kid's best friend gets his girlfriend pregnant
• Father plans a marriage and move in with current girlfriend
• Father abandons this woman and begins to date former mistress (who may or may not have been indirectly responsible for the death of kid's mother)
• Next door neighbor keeps dead wife in a freezer becasue he didn't want to be alone
• Father marries former mistress
• Kid is gay
• Former mistress/New mother gets pregnant
• Kid worries about paying for college
• Father runs away
• Best friend's baby is put up for adoption....after abortion discussions
• New sibling is born with a birth defect, Down's Syndrome I think

By about halfway through I was making bets with Jeremy that the main character would lose his virginity to a black transvestite just so that the author could make sure he also covered racism and transgender issues. I don't remember any pets dying.

There is a really funny passage towards the beginning of the book in which the main character blames Easy Bake Ovens for relationship problems between men and women that's worth a read.

I can't say that this book was bad, but it was so packed full of issues it became comedic and lost some integrity in my mind.

Head Games - Mariah Fredricks

I picked up Head Games because it mentioned online role-playing games and how the characters deal with those perceptions of reality (or something like that) in the review I read about it. I was very excited that an author was breaking ground and using online RPG's as a theme for a book (I don’t know of any others that specifically use these games as a theme). Unfortunately it became very clear very quickly that the author knew nothing about online RPG's. Fortunately, these types of games ended up playing such a small role in the book that it was OK. What the book ended up being about was perceptions of reality or how people see you/how you see yourself, and can you change them. We have a character who is dealing with fear, for various reasons. She uses a role-play personality to see if she can change how she acts and therefore get over her fears. We have other characters who are so used to portraying other people’s impressions of them that it is unclear who they really are and if they can or should change. The story was a weird mix of role-play both in fantasy and in real life.

I’m probably reading more into story than is healthy, but it had some intriguing parts. It was good, if not spectacular and it was original as far as I can tell.

I think it would be a good recommend for teens wanting to figure out who they are and how to change, or those who feel like they have been pigeon-holed. I would not recommend it to computer geeks. The inaccuracies and lack of real detail to the computer game described are a little too glaring.

Kick Me - Paul Feig

I always dislike it when I have to disagree with Leila about a book, especially when I'm vehemently disagreeing. So, Leila, I'm sorry, but I thought this book was crap.

I read this back in January and I've been putting off most of my reviewing because I just couldn't get this one out. Most of my dislike of this book comes from Mr. Feig and I have VERY different views on what makes school years 'torturous'. It's possible that because I had just read Geography Club I had different expectations going into Kick Me. This book was described to me as being about an outcast who 'survived' school. I immediately thought of Brian Bund from GC. I thought it would be about some one who WAS ACTUALLY TORTURED throughout their school years and managed to survive it with a sense of humor intact. I was intrigued by the concept and the strength of character it would take to achieve this feat.

What I was met with was and author with a very whiny and condescending voice describing several minor embarrassments that most school children go through in some form or another. An author who had so much contempt for everyone around him that I couldn’t help thinking, “gee, I can’t imagine why you have no friends if this is what you think of people.” An autobiography not describing his peers ‘out to get him’, but simply several cases of poor decision making and bizarre neuroses on his part. It was a tiresome and unpleasant read ending with me deciding that Paul Feig is not a person I would like to know or would ever care about. I found the chapter about the bus drivers especially hypocritical and vexing.

I was as kind as possible in this review.

My Catch The Hell Up Reading Personal Reading Program

Since I mentioned this over at Leila's blog I figured I might as well explain myself. I've realized that I've been reading so many new books and so many YA books that I've missed a lot of the classics.
Let me explain my own personal definition of classics: I do NOT mean stuff like H. G. Wells and Mark Twain and all the books which were originally written for adults and have wheedled their way into reading lists. I mean the juvenile books that are most often associated with reading lists. The books by the authors who have been pioneers in the juvenile and YA fields, like Judy Blume and Lois Lowry. I mean the Newbery winners and honors. I mean all the stuff we would all recommend.
In other words, I missed a lot of good stuff. I am trying to rectify that.
I made this decision a while back when Leila had mentioned Avi on her blog. I realized I had never read anything by Avi. This to me is not good. I wondered how many other authors I had done this with. The list was surprisingly long. I also realized that I've become enough of a geek that I don't like recommending books that I have not read. Who knows, there may be other Francesca's out there and I could not have that on my conscience.

Dear Customer Service

I am contacting you regarding my desire to return to you the past two days. I was extremely dissatisfied with their content and I have decided that I do not wish to keep them.

Day one's, Thursday April 7, content revolved around the death of one of my cats, Banshee. It was the culmination of the better part of a week fighting for her life. The vet could not diagnose with certainty why she became so ill so quickly. We at first thought she had an infection and treated her accordingly, with rest and antibiotics. By Wednesday she had developed a fever of 106, was refusing to eat or drink, and was reluctant to even move. We brought her home Wednesday night in a last ditch effort to reduce her temperature and get fluids into her. By late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning her temperature was reduced to 102 and she was willing to drink chicken broth. We thought we had succeeded. On Thursday (the day I wish to return) all the progress we had made was for naught. She again refused to take any sustenance, her fever began to go back up and we began to notice her twitching...eventually tensing and relaxing as if she were being hit with waves of pain. She was no longer opening her eyes and was not acknowledging our presence. There was nothing more we could do for her. At 8:40 P.M. Thursday night we took her to the vet's one last time. She did not come home with us.
Day two that I wish to return was the day of my latest surgery, Friday April 8. It began with waking up with extremely sore eyes as I had been weeping a great deal the day before and the realization that I had been clenching my jaw all night and was now in pain from it. I was due at the hospital at 9:30 A.M. It was very crowded, apparently Fridays are busy surgery days. As a result I sat in my little cubicle, in my johnny, with Jeremy desperately tring to keep me from bolting, from 9:30 until almost noon. By this time I had a bad tension headache. Since I had fainted last time I had surgery from shear terror, they allowed me to bring Jeremy with me to the prep area, where they insert the IV and begin the anesthesia. The IV continues to be my bane. Despite having an amazingly kind anesthesiologist, it still did not go well. Multiple attempts were made and I was reduced to a whimpering ball. The medicine given to me to "calm me down" did not seem to have any affect at all, and I did not stop crying until I was fully out. I woke up with wet ears as if I had been crying while lying on my back. I was fairly disturbed by this. To my knowledge, they did not find anything to be concerned about. My hand where the IV was inserted hurts more than my belly. But I am very tired.

I fully realize that there is a "No Refunds" policy. That is acceptable to me. I simply wish to return these days and you can do with them as you wish. I just don't want them.

Thank you,
Chrissy