12.31.2009

2009 Year-End Round Up






Another year, blah blah blah, here's the round-up.


Favorite Middle-Grade Reads
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee


Favorite YA Reads
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Going Bovine by Libba Bray


Favorite Nonfiction
Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge


Favorite Adult Reads
The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larson
Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis


Favorite Graphic Novels
Stitches by David Small
Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm et al.


Favorite Book from The LIST
Um. I seem to have only read one this year. Fortunately it was good.
Personal History by Katharine Graham


Best Jackets of the Year (among the books I read, anyway)
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Why We Make Mistakes by Joseph T. Hallinan


Biggest Accomplishment in 2009
Still finding time to read lots of books and post 169 times even after starting business school. (I shoulda reviewed my Very Boring Marketing Textbook, at the very least . . . )


Here's to more good reads in 2010.

12.29.2009

THREE: Birthday Haiku

OH MY GOD YOU ARE
INSANE. Happy birthday to
the Boyest of Boys.



12.28.2009

Odd and the Frost Giants: Review Haiku


A wint'ry tale of
bravery and redemption
for a wint'ry night.


Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman. Harper, 2009, 117 pages.

12.25.2009

Merry Christmas from the Library of Congress

I don't know where these originally came from -- if you do, please give credit in the comments. I put my favorites in bold.

Merry Christmas!

A selection of Library of Congress (LC) subject headings for the holidays
Shopping malls -- Religious aspects
Muzak (Trademark) -- Psychological aspects
Advertising -- Toys
Advertising -- Confectionery
Christmas show windows
Avarice in children
Temper tantrums in children
Department store Santas -- Protection
Christmas on postage stamps
Camels in art
Jesus Christ -- Nativity -- Juvenile drama
Sheep -- Behavior
Christmas decorations -- Risk assessment
English holly -- Handling -- Accidents
Christmas tree ornaments -- Materials -- Brittleness
Christmas lights -- Defects
Candles in interior decoration -- Safety aspects
Christmas trees -- Fires and fire prevention
Interior decorators -- Wounds and injuries
Reindeer -- Flight
Santa Claus -- Career in aviation
Sleighs -- Handling characteristics
Near misses (Aeronautics)
Chimneys -- Design and construction -- Safety aspects
Chimneys -- Accidents
Sleep disorders in children -- Risk factors
Christmas stockings -- Evaluation
Confectionery -- Materials -- Sampling
Toys -- Materials -- Impact testing
Blister packs -- Materials -- Acoustic properties
Unparliamentary language
Jealousy in children
Impulse control disorders in children
Gift wrapping -- Materials -- War use
Stress (Psychology) -- Religious aspects
Behavior disorders in children
Children in public worship -- Prevention
Brussels sprouts industry -- Seasonal variations
Christmas cookery -- Health aspects
Hanukkah cookery -- Fiction
Abdominal pain in children -- Risk factors
Crying in children
Household animals -- Effects of stress on
Chocolate -- Effects of high temperatures on
Norway spruce -- Effects of drought on
Rug cleaning
Christmas television programmes -- Psychological aspects
Hyperactivity in children
Intergenerational conflict
Violence in children
Headache -- Psychosomatic aspects
Dreidel (Game)
Child behavior checklist
Herod I, King of Judea, 73-4 B.C. -- Philosophy
Alcohol -- Therapeutic use

12.23.2009

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have: Review Haiku


Fat kid rules the world --

temporarily, anyway.
Great YA voice.


Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff. Egmont USA, 2009, 311 pages.

12.21.2009

The Dream Stealer: Review Haiku


Odd length, odd story,
but a charming way to pass
half an hour or so.


The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Peter Sis. Greenwillow, 2009, 96 pages.

12.18.2009

Bone: Out from Boneville: Review Haiku


Um, how is it that
I've never read Bone before?
Shame, Emily. SHAME.


Bone #1: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith. Graphix, 2005, 138 pages.

12.16.2009

Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally): Review Haiku


Oh, that awful moment
when gender politics
rears its ugly head.


Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat. Scholastic, 2009, 160 pages.

12.14.2009

No Girls Allowed: Review Haiku


Tidy summary
of historical cross-dressers
in graphic form.


No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom, and Adventure by Susan Hughes and Willow Dawson. Kids Can, 2008, 80 pages.

12.11.2009

Shelf Discovery: Review Haiku


Relive your cringe-worthy
adolescence through classic
YA favorites.


Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick. Avon, 2009, 448 pages.

12.09.2009

Allie Finkle #4: Review Haiku


The dramarama
of fourth grade, now with extra
theatre-y goodness.


Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #4: Stage Fright by Meg Cabot. Scholastic, 2009, 224 pages.

12.07.2009

Joey Fly, Private Eye #1: Review Haiku


Ace Lacewing for the
older set: a bug-sized bit
of cinema noir.


Joey Fly, Private Eye: Creepy, Crawly Crime (#1) by Aaron Reynolds. Holt, 2009, 96 pages.

12.04.2009

Umbrella Summer: Review Haiku


Go-to girl for great
middle grade offers study
in grief. Bring tissues.


Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff. Harper, 2009, 240 pages.

12.02.2009

The Problem with the Puddles: Review Haiku


Wants to be Horvath,
but isn't. Totally heart
Tricia Tusa, though.


The Problem with the Puddles by Kate Feiffer. S&S, 2009, 208 pages.

11.30.2009

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.: Review Haiku


Take one classic
homework assignment, add heartfelt
angst, label neatly.


The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner. Walker, 2009, 195 pages.

11.26.2009

Marching for Freedom: Review Haiku


I can't find anything
negative to say about
this book. Can you?


Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge. Viking, 2009, 72 pages.

11.25.2009

Emmaline and the Bunny: Review Haiku


Odd little fable
about the virtues of being
Untidy. Sweet.


Emmaline and the Bunny by Katherine Hannigan. Greenwillow, 2009, 96 pages.

11.23.2009

Cupcakes of Doom: Review Haiku


This may be the most
bizarre book ever. Mad props
for the title, though.


Cupcakes of Doom by Ray Friesen. Don't Eat Any Bugs, 2009, 100 pages.

11.20.2009

Any Which Wall: Review Haiku


Half-baked (overbaked?)
Eager homage is good, but
I wished for more meat.


Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder. Random, 2009, 245 pages.

11.18.2009

Wimpy Kid: Dog Days: Review Haiku


What George Costanza
would have been like in middle
school. Amoral glee.


Diary of a Wimpy Kid #4: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet, 2009, 224 pages.

11.16.2009

The Miles Between: Review Haiku


From the Calder Game
school of coincidences,
a road trip writ large.


The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson. Holt, 2009, 272 pages.


P.S. Really? This is the final jacket? Bleah.

11.11.2009

T-Minus: Review Haiku

You think you know the
story (and you do), but this
is still a stunner.

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon by Jim Ottaviani, Kevin Cannon, and Zander Cannon. S&S/Aladdin, 2009, 124 pages.

11.09.2009

The Lost Art of Gratitude: Review Haiku


The egghead-y-est
busybody in Edinburgh
strikes again.


The Lost Art of Gratitude (An Isabel Dalhousie novel) by Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon, 2009, 262 pages.

11.06.2009

Max Quigley: Review Haiku


Sociological
value, I'm sure, but I
just didn't like him.


Max Quigley: (Technically) Not a Bully by James Roy. HMCo, 2009, 202 pages.

11.04.2009

Pilgrims: Review Haiku


Good, but I really
don't need to read sex scenes by
Garrison Keillor.


Pilgrims: A Wobegon Romance by Garrison Keillor. Viking, 2009, 297 pages.

11.02.2009

Going Away Shoes: Review Haiku


Small-town women trapped
in various boxes try
to escape, but don't.


Going Away Shoes: Stories by Jill McCorkle. Algonquin, 2009, 272 pages.

10.30.2009

Angry Management: Review Haiku


Might be nice stories
without the heavy thwacking
of moral lessons.


Angry Management by Chris Crutcher. Greenwillow, 2009, 246 pages.

10.29.2009

Dude. I am TOTALLY famous.

Somehow I made OnlineSchool.net's list of 100 Best Book Blogs for Kids, Teens, and Tweens. Clearly they were smoking something. [slinks away secretly thrilled]

10.28.2009

If I Stay: Review Haiku


Unfathomable
loss, sensitively handled.
It will stay with you.


If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Dutton, 2009, 201 pages.

10.26.2009

The Summer I Turned Pretty: Review Haiku


But wait a minute --
I wanted her to end up
with the other one!


The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. S&S, 2009, 276 pages.

10.23.2009

10.21.2009

The Chosen One: Review Haiku


Chilling look at what
happens when men become God.
Hide your daughters, folks.


The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. St. Martin's, 2009, 213 pages.

10.19.2009

The Guinea Pig Diaries: Review Haiku


We get it, A. J.:
your wife is a saint and you're
a work-in-progress.


The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment by A. J. Jacobs. S&S, 2009, 256 pages.

10.16.2009

Lunch Lady: Review Haiku


Love these, but I can't
get Adam Sandler out of
my head. "Sloppy Joes . . . "


Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute and Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarret J. Krosoczka. Knopf, 2009, 96 pages (both).

10.14.2009

Home Game: Review Haiku


Sort of like labor
stories: most interesting to
the people in them.


Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood by Michael Lewis. Norton, 2009, 190 pages.

10.12.2009

Lost in the Meritocracy: Review Haiku


Midwestern boy goes
East to find -- surprise! -- he's no
F. Scott Fitzgerald.


Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever by Walter Kirn. Doubleday, 2009, 211 pages.

10.09.2009

Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle: Review Haiku


Perfectly captures
the selfishness of pre-teens.
A winning debut.


Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino. Roaring Brook, 2009, 154 pages.


P.S. "Grabowskys." "Grabowskys'." Or if you prefer, "Grabowskies" and "Grabowskies'." Just please, for the love of God, NOT "Grabowsky's."

10.07.2009

Life Among the Lutherans: Review Haiku


Warmed-up retellings
from APHC. Just like
leftover hotdish.


Life Among the Lutherans by Garrison Keillor. Augsburg, 2009, 183 pages.

10.05.2009

Change-up: Review Haiku


Kept me on the
exercise bike twice as long. Plus,
Aaron Bleeping Boone!



10.02.2009

Wishful Drinking: Review Haiku


Somewhere in here there's
a lightsaber/electroshock
therapy joke.


Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. S&S, 2008, 163 pages.

P.S. Happy birthday, Boy Scout!

9.30.2009

Hell Is Other Parents: Review Haiku


Better than your
av'rage Mommy Confessional.
With bonus Boy Spock!


Hell Is Other Parents: And Other Tales of Maternal Combustion by Deborah Copaken Kogan. Hyperion, 2009, 209 pages.

9.28.2009

Carter Finally Gets It: Review Haiku


Some problems with voice;
still, a painfully funny
take on teenagers.


Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford. Hyperion, 2009, 300 pages.

9.25.2009

Best Friends Forever: Review Haiku


Another Weiner
winner -- but what does jacket
have to do with book?


Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. Atria, 2009, 359 pages.

9.23.2009

One False Note and The Sword Thief: Review Haiku




The clues fly fast and
furious: a convoluted,
high-stakes muddle.




One False Note: 39 Clues #2 by Gordon Korman. Scholastic, 2008, 174 pages.
The Sword Thief: 39 Clues #3 by Peter Lerangis. Scholastic, 2009, 160 pages.

9.21.2009

The Wildwater Walking Club: Review Haiku


Sometimes, "one foot in
front of the other" is a
good philosophy.


The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook. Hyperion, 2009, 239 pages.