Monthly ArchiveJanuary 2007
Information & Uncategorized 31 Jan 2007 01:20 pm
Bob Saget’s Creation
First, please be aware that this post is not about books AND is vulgar!!!
Bob Saget, of Full House Fame, has created a new movie. The easiest way to visualize it is as a combination of March of the Penguins, Happy Feet (sans animation, but yes, this movie DOES have song) and narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.
The website, Farce of the penguins.com is hilarious. You can make your own “trailer,” which I recommend. A clear list of all the voices is Here at IMDB.COM and it really is a great list of people.
It is a rated R movie (which you can tell through the website) so don’t take any little ones to it, but it definitely rates many many laughs.
And to quote the movie,
What Happens In Antarctica… Stays in Antarctica
I had not seen the movie when I posted this. But I have since, and seriously, LAUGH OUT LOUD funny. It is a little disturbing that Bob Saget’s penguin is in love with Christina Applegate’s penguin… but its all good. And yes, Uncle Joey and Stephenie (from Full House) do make appearances.
Book & Information 30 Jan 2007 06:41 pm
Top 2006 books… according to me and my co-workers
Well, My top 2006 book is The Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock, but you already know this, per my Earlier post on it!
Lynn’s was Shadowplay by Clare Asquith.
Dina’s was the Winter Queen by Boris Akunin.
Bev’s was Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos (a favorite of mine as well).
Kathy’s was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.
Tanya’s was On the Run by Iris Johansen.
Martha’s was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
These are not necessarily new books, but just a book that we read during the year of 2006. Sorry about all the Amazon images, they really are the easiest to snag, but no, from my site you cannot “search inside.” 
So, tell me the truth, what was YOUR favorite book of 2006?
Uncategorized 27 Jan 2007 06:39 pm
A Rae of Sunshine
I know what you are thinking, “ANOTHER vampire novel?” But this one is possibly the best yet. Robin McKinley, whom many know from “The Blue Sword” has written an adult fantasy in a world where humans are fighting a losing battle against the Others, with Vamps leading the way.
Her main character, Sunshine (aka Rae Seddon) is kidnapped on an impulse walk out to the lake, and is held as bait for a vampire, Con. She turns her pocket-knife into a key, frees them both and then takes the vampire out into full sunlight, oh wait, you can’t do that!!! Sunshine discovers that not only has she definitely inherited magical powers from her father’s side of the family, but also that her element is not water, air, fire, or another normal element. Nope, her element is Sunshine.
A quote for you,
Buffyesque baker Rae “Sunshine” Seddon meets Count Dracula’s hunky Byronic cousin in Newbery-Award-winner McKinley’s… adult-and-then-some romp through the darkling streets of a spooky post-Voodoo Wars world…. Most of the charm of this long venture into magic maturation derives from McKinley’s keen ear and sensitive atmospherics, deft characterizations and clever juxtapositions of reality and the supernatural that might, just might, be lurking out there in “bad spots” right around a creepy urban corner or next to a deserted lake cabin. McKinley knows very well — and makes her readers believe — that “the insides of our own minds are the scariest things there are.”
— Publishers Weekly
and… ANOTHER from the man with a wonderful voice, Neil Gaiman,
A gripping, funny, page-turning pretty much perfect work of magical literature that exists more or less at the unlikely crossroads of Chocolat, Interview With a Vampire, Misery and the tale of Beauty and the Beast. It’s not quite SF, and it’s not really horror, and only kind of a love story, and it’s all three while still being solidly Fantastique. It also does that nice thing where the author assumes the readers are smart, and she treats us like we’re smart, and we purr and get smarter and work harder for all that. It’ll be nominated for awards, and win them; in the meantime I really hope it finds its audience, which is, potentially, huge.
The top image is the US cover (in both hardcover and paperback) and this second image here is the UK version. Have no fear dear readers, I have this book in US Hardcover and UK Paperback.
It really is a phenomenal read and at your local independent bookshop, you should pick it up!
And as it ends…
He held out his hand. “Come then,” he said.
I went with him into the night.
Book & Information 26 Jan 2007 09:41 pm
Deathly Hallows
Who, at this point, has NOT read Harry Potter? Well, if you have not read it, I am sure you have at least HEARD about it.
Just a little post to say that Harry Potter #7 will not be called, Harry Potter and the Total and Complete Blood Bath, like I supposed. It will actually be called,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
If you don’t believe me, you can go to The Leaky Cauldron and read more.
From the same site, I thought this was funny,
Jo Rowling has said it would be the size of the Encyclopedia Brittanica; however, she also said, during the TLC/MN interview, that she feels it will be shorter than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
So, what’s going to happen? Beats us. There’s a big fight with Voldemort coming, we know that.
There is still no laydown date for HP#7, but the chances of it being released on 07/07/07 are even MORE unlikely now that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(the movie) is being released on the 13th of July. There is no way a book like HP#7 and HP#5 the movie will be released so close together.
I feel like Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, “But I want it NOW.”
Book 25 Jan 2007 08:20 pm
Dairy Queen, D.J. Schwenk
If you were wondering what my “Best Book of 2006″ was, you can stop RIGHT HERE. Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock is phenomenal. We got this book as an advance, and I DEVOURED it. It was phenomenal. Another young adult read, but so creative and enjoyable. Here is the book’s description,
When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right. When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn’t so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won’t even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league. When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D. J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.
Additionally, it recieved a STARRED review from Publishers Weekly:
Publishers Weekly, Starred : “Finally, a football book a girl can love. . . . With humor, sports action and intelligence abundant, this tale has something for everyone.”
Dairy Queen is still only available in hardcover, but it is coming out in paperback in June of 2007.
And have no fear gentle Readers… The Off-Season, the sequel, will be coming out June 4, 2007.
Book & Information 24 Jan 2007 09:16 am
Get a load of these chickens!
And for a book with a 2006 laydown date (yes we passed it but hey! it’s available everywhere!), but one with some really interesting information, I give you, “Choosing and Keeping Chickens” by Chris Graham.
A description, from the website,
Whether raising chickens as part of the family or as a livelihood, Choosing and Keeping Chickens provides detailed information about the appearance, key traits, general temperament, health concerns, and estimated life span of the most prevalent types of this popular bird. It also describes characteristics of the eggs laid by each type of chicken, which birds mix best in the coop setting, and seasonal guides that reveal the changing needs of chickens throughout the year along with the best housing arrangements during various climates.
This has some excellent information and photographs of chicken coops. It has information on feed, holding chickens, even incubation for eggs. One thing I particularly like about this book is that it gives real warnings about how chickens need to be checked on every morning and every night. Although they are easy to care for, you do HAVE to care for them. They need safe housing and food and water sources. Graham does an Excellent job of pointing out that although chickens are fun, they are also living animals that need care and respect. The part of this book that is the most fun however is the breed photographs. Some of the breeds, like the Polish Chicken (as seen here..) are just bizarre. But this book gives down-to-earth stats like, “striking looks, high maintenance, exhibition favorite, friendly,” which give you a real idea as to whether this would be a good breed for you.
This book seems to have included mostly chickens that do well in shows. Another segment to the book is how to show and care for show chickens. The Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Leghorn (FOGHORN LEGHORN), Jersey Giant, New Hampshire Red (I have two of these, and they are described as “a homely breed, good mother, robust, great in the backyard”) are the only chickens that you might see in backyards, but most of the other chickens in the book (like the Transylvanian Naked Neck Chicken) you will probably never see outside of a large fair. I was especially disappointed that besides a single picture of a bantam Araucana, the Araucanas and Ameraucanas did not have any information. For giggles, here is my own Araucana, Francesca (Frannie). She will be five years old this spring.
It really is easy to keep a small flock of chickens. If you can protect the birds from skunks, foxes and raccoons, can keep them warm in the winter, provide them water and feed, then you are all set. I have 2 flocks. The “outdoor” flock is Whitey the Leghorn (and as my mother says, “a very pretty one at that”), Rosie the New Hampshire Red, and Mr. Rooster, an Araucana rooster (he is 4 now!). The “inside birds” (named such because they sleep in a crate next to the kitchen as opposed to in the chicken coop) are Frannie (the Araucana seen above) and Isabella (aka Izzie, also sister to Rosie) who is a New Hampshire Red.
If you do raise your chickens for meat, I recommend NOT naming them. Our chickens are just for fun and the occasional egg, so, they get names! If you have any questions on having a “Barnyard in your Backyard” as the saying goes, just ask! Also, check out (at your local independent bookshop of course!) “Choosing and Keeping Chickens” by Chris Graham, because it really does have some great advice and amazing pictures!!
Book 23 Jan 2007 04:28 pm
Coal Black Horse
Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead… it was something. Definitely a Literary marvel, but 100% not my type of reading. It is set in the Civil War, and a boy is sent off by his mother to bring back his father. She basically tells him not to help anyone and not to get help by anyone. He gets help in the form of a horse, described as “coal black.”
A review from Publishers Weekly
Olmstead’s new work (after Stay Here with Me) is a convulsive, bloody Civil War tale that tracks a boy’s search for his father on the battlefield at Gettysburg. At 14, Robey Childs is on the cusp of manhood when he sets off from the family farm at his mother’s behest to find his soldier father and bring him home. A sympathetic farmer loans Robey an uncommonly beautiful and sturdy black horse. On the road, Robey passes carts carrying the maimed and dead, and bands of Native Americans and runaway slaves. A chain of horrific trials begins for Robey when a man dressed as a woman shoots him and steals the horse. He’s taken prisoner as a suspected spy, witnesses a girl’s rape and is caught up in a carnage-drenched raid. However, he survives the attack, is reunited with the stolen horse and sets out again, days later finding his father on the battlefield, mortally wounded. Robey can’t save his father, but he can try to save the raped girl, Rachel, from further violence. His return home and his testimony to what he saw forms a powerful, redemptive narrative.
I am also going to quote the Booklist blurb, because it gives a better idea of who would like this book. So, from Booklist,
Olmstead has fashioned an absorbing tale that is a cross between two of the most respected and widely read Civil War novels. Combining elements of the rite-of-passage motif employed by Stephen Crane in The Red Badge of Courage with the classic odyssey plot device recycled so effectively by Charles Frazier in Cold Mountain (1997), he has provided a fresh perspective on an old–but never timeworn–subject. When 14-year-old Robey Child is sent by his mother to search for his father, a doomed soldier, he witnesses the horrors of war both on and off the battlefield. Arrayed in a jacket (gray on one side, blue on the other) custom made by his mother and riding a talismanic coal black horse, he embarks upon a life-altering journey that will challenge him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Olmstead does not shy away from the brutal reality of warfare, and his starkly powerful descriptions of violence and carnage are harrowing. Civil War buffs will appreciate the attention to detail; general readers will be mesmerized by the powerfully evocative journey. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Basically he has a terrible lot and gets caught up in the Civil War. He sees rape, murder, horrible and terrible deaths, and through it all is set on a mission to find his father, and catch back up with the “Coal Black Horse.” I read this book because, first, what a gorgeous cover, and second, I am interested in horses. It was just not enough for me to like it overall. There were some amazing passages and the writing style was amazing, but definitely not my sort of book. If you like books that can be described as literary fiction, then you would like this. Additionally if you like Civil War fiction, you would like it. Check it out (at your local Independent bookshop!) on April 10th, 2007 when it goes on sale! See if you like it more than me!
Information & Uncategorized 17 Jan 2007 11:52 pm
We are so Joost
Yesterday, we were The Venice Project™. Today, we’re Joost™. Tomorrow, we’re yours! Imagine having infinite choice, and TV that is truly interactive. TV anywhere, anytime…
This is the year. Joost™ is coming.
My friend’s husband in Germany is part of this project, so he invited me to be in the beta-test. I finally got speakers (and as it is a video/audio program, they DO help), and I think this is VERY cool. It is not that exciting if you do not have high-speed internet. Also, it says that my computer does not have the full RAM, but it seems to run fine, so you can get away with a slim-RAM amount. Okay well I lie a little bit there. Everything is easier when you do not have to wait for loading times.
In this image you can see some of the interactive features. There are the channel options on the left, the bottom has the image information, plus can connect you to the channel options (in a really neat way). If you like music videos, this is especially awesome, because they offer alot of them. (Right now I am listening to Panic! At the Disco’s “Lying is the most fun a girl can have”). If you use a bit torrent to illegally download all of your tv shows and then have a really big television, then Joost is not really for you. But if don’t do all that, and you want to try out a new really cool idea, then head over to Joost.com and check it out!
I have not found out near enough of this project, so I will be playing with it myself. I do hope you will give it a try and then tell me (or the people of Joost) what you think!!!
Book 16 Jan 2007 10:44 pm
Memory Keeper’s Daughter
Everyone has read this book it seems. Written by Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is her first novel. As someone who has a brother with Down’s Syndrome, I was a little leary to read this book, having only heard snippets of the books subject. Hearing that the father gives the daughter born with Down’s away to an institution (which actually was an option for my own brother, luckily my parents did not go that route), without hearing the rest of the description, well you can probably guess why I waited so long to read it.
The book is told from two points of view. One is from David and Norah Jones and their son, and the other is Caroline Gill and her daughter. I preferred Caroline’s story, probably because (barring the nurse taking the baby part of the story line) the troubles that Caroline went through are so similar to what my mother had to go through with my brother.
To show you what I mean about the quality of the writing, I give you a quote, from the beginning of the story. This quote was taken from Edwards’ website and all copyrights go to her.
Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
“I don’t know,” he said.
She laughed. “Why not?” she asked. “You’re the doctor.”
“I’m just an orthopedic surgeon,” he reminded her. “I could tell you the ossification pattern for fetal bones, but that’s about it.”
He lifted her foot, both delicate and swollen inside the light blue sock, and began to massage it gently: the powerful tarsal bone of her heel, the metatarsals and the phalanges, hidden beneath skin and densely layered muscles like a fan about to open.
Copyright 2006 Kim Edwards
I will be honest that this book did not grab me right from the beginning as it seems to have to other readers. I thought it was incredibly well-written, but I think the mere act of what the father did turned me off. When I read books, characters become alive for me (this is the author’s goal in most cases I believe) and although he regretted his choice, the choice to give away his daughter just did not sit well with me. Because of the father’s actions, it took longer for me to care about any of the characters. I do think that my favorite character was Paul, the son. I especially liked how the ending chapter or so was from his point of view. And, just because the book did not grab me does not mean I did not love and enjoy the book, and cry at the sad parts and smile and laugh at the happy parts. Have no fear, I definitely did.
It was a really interesting book and I would definitely recommend it. I can imagine some amazing discussions about the choices that these people make. At my own bookstore, it has been a “local” bestseller. Over the summer, Diane Rehm, chose it as her summer pick, which added to its press. Other excellent reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations put this book at the top of the bestseller list. Take the time to pick it up (at your local independent bookstore of course) and read the back. Maybe even read the first chapter. It really is an amazing story, and I am sure that it affects everyone a little bit differently.
Tell me, how has it affected you?
Book 15 Jan 2007 11:40 pm
White Tiger, Circle Realm, Tortall
Let us enter the young-adult fantasy market shall we? maybe with a little Comicbook love thrown in for kicks? And yes, that means, the joy of Tamora Pierce.
This is an author that I have had the pleasure of meeting on multiple occasions. I began (reading in order, what a shock I know), with her Tortall series. Then I moved onto the Magic Circle series and now she has entered the Comic book world, on the Marvel side. A quote from Tamora, from a really interesting article,
I started writing the kind of books I wanted to read. I’m still writing the kinds of books I want to read. There are so many different kinds of strong females out there, and so many ways they interact with other women and with men; there are so many interesting men out there, and they all react to these women and girls in different ways — the combinations are limitless. I had a limited definition of strength when I was twelve — it’s much more varied and complex now, and it grows and changes all the time.
Anyone who talks with Tammy knows that she is all about strong people, especially strong women, in her books. Almost all of her books have a female in the lead main character role and they are all such wonderful girls. Most of them have mainly male friends, and yes, she IS writing a book just about Numair for 2009 publication (for those of us who love him).
Zach has been educating me about comics, and when we discovered that Tammy (with her hubby) was going to be adventuring into the Marvel world, well, let’s just say there was excitement. (On his side, he was happy to show me something that he knew I would love, and on my side, well I love it.) This will be a 6-book series and for reference, White Tiger deals with the character Daredevil, for those Marvel fans out there. So far, the first three issues are out.
I hope that if you like comics, you wil try her, and if you like young adult fantasy, you will also try her. She is an amazing author and from the few times I have met her (at the fabulous conference Boskone), she seems to be a really nice person.