Scarlett Fever: Review Haiku

The theatrical
Martins outdo themselves, but --
but -- it doesn't END!

Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson. Point, 2010, 352 pages.

The Hive Detectives: Review Haiku

Gorgeous photographs,
winning prose, great mystery --
but no answer. Buzzzz.

The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns. Scientist in the Field series. Houghton Mifflin, 2010, 66 pages.

The Checklist Manifesto: Review Haiku

So simple, yet makes
such a difference. Did you do
it right? Check this box.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande. Metropolitan Books, 2009, 209 pages.

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook: Review Haiku

Baby nerdfighters!
Three unlikely friends use their
super-smarts, solve crime.

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis. Bloomsbury, 2009, 154 pages.

Once Was Lost: Review Haiku

Faith and doubt are two
sides of the same coin, as Sam
quickly discovers.

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr. Little Brown, 2009, 217 pages.

How the Mighty Fall: Review Haiku

Twenty pages of
worthwhile insight, two hundred
pages of filler.

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins. Harper, 2009, 222 pages.

School of Fear: Review Haiku

Better in concept
than execution, but a
fun read nonetheless.

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari. Little Brown, 2009, 352 pages.

Tangled: Review Haiku

Four characters seeking
connection: A study
in misperception.

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler. Harper, 2010, 308 pages.

Emily's take on the Kindle

Continuing in my tradition of being on the right-hand side of the Technology Adoption bell curve: I borrowed a Kindle from the Bedford Free Public Library not too long ago. They have one the circulates for seven days, loaded up with various adult books -- new ones, bestsellers, and classics.

And it was . . . okay. Honestly, after having an affair with my iPhone for the past 9+ months, I found the Kindle slightly underwhelming, but it has its bright spots, too.

PROS:

• Size is nice. Feels like a slim book (especially the library copy, which came with a snazzy leather case).
• Screen is easy on the eyes.
• Interface is mostly intuitive (but see below).
• Capacity is good.

CONS:

• Black and white screen seems low-rent compared to full-color iPhone (and iPad).
• While not hard to figure out, the interface does have some funky elements. The little five-way button doesn't always do what you want or what you expect. Again, suffers in comparison to the finger-swipe goodness of the Magical Phone.
• Can't easily tell where I am within a chapter. The Kindle gives you a little counter on the bottom of the screen to show you that you're 43% of the way done, for example. There's also a progress bar with little dots to indicate a chapter shift. But the distance to and from dots isn't clear, so if it's late at night and my husband is nagging me to stop reading and turn out the light already, I can't easily tell him, "I just have two more pages."
• The screen gives a big flickery shudder every time you turn a page. Wicked annoying.

And I'm not even getting into how and where you can get books on it, and where you can't.

So would I buy one? Probably not. I love me some ink and paper, and I feel like there are better options coming soon (iPad, sure, but also full-color dedicated readers, I would think). But did I hate it? No.

I don't believe print will ever really die, and I think in my industry -- children's books -- print will live and last and be profitable longer than in other genres. But I'm not afraid of the digital revolution that we're in. My kids know how to use my phone as well as I do. They love physical books, but they love other media, too, and they're already well-versed in computer games. I fully expect they'll do a good portion of their reading for school on a screen.

Overall I give the Kindle a B-. I'm glad I had a chance to check one out (literally).

Superfreakonomics: Review Haiku

Full of good stuff to
impress your uncle Bob at
next year's Christmas bash.

Superfreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen P. Dunbar. Morrow, 2009, 288 pages.

Read on a Kindle.

8th Grade Superzero: Review Haiku

It preaches without
preachiness: a feel-good story
that still feels real.

8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. Levine/Scholastic, 2010, 324 pages.

Ivy and Bean, Doomed to Dance: Review Haiku

Didn't think I could
love Ivy and Bean more than
I already do.

Ivy and Bean: Doomed to Dance by Annie Barrows. Chronicle, 2009, 129 pages.

This World We Live In: Review Haiku

And once again I'm
moved to wrap my arms around
my woodstove and pray.

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Harcourt, (April) 2010, 258 pages.

Calamity Jack: Review Haiku

Hold onto your
pixie hat and keep your braids at
the ready: Jack's back!

Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale. Bloomsbury, 2010, 144 pages.

The Serial Garden: Review Haiku

Magic-ridden sport
to dip in and out of; too
much for one sitting.

The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken. Big Mouth House, 2008, 327 pages.

The Farwalker's Quest: Review Haiku

Classic narrative
gains depth from apocalyptic
underpinning.

The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensel. Bloomsbury, 2009, 394 pages.

The Prince of Fenway Park: Review Haiku

Wait -- you mean it
wasn't my magical uterus
after all? Damn.

The Prince of Fenway Park by Juliana Baggott. Harper, 2009, 336 pages.

A Lenten Resolution

Several years ago I got the bright idea to make a list of books I'd always meant to read, books I felt I should read, and books I had loved and wanted to re-read. I combed through my mental files and also got suggestions from commenters on what I should include. Because I am a creative person and work with words for a living, I called this list The LIST. (#genius)

All told, The LIST was 54 books long. A mix of classic and modern, children's and adult, fiction and nonfiction, it introduced me to some wonderful books, some surprising favorites, and a few old friends. Tragically, I will never get back the 37 hours I spent reading Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina.

As of today, I have read 51 1/2 books from The LIST (Sophie's World, you were just not compelling enough to finish). Those last few books have been sitting there for six months now, silently mocking me from the sidebar like some hypertext Nelson Muntz.

So as of today, I am officially abandoning The LIST. Consider it what I'm giving up for Lent. It's been a good run, anyway. Someday I'm sure I'll re-read Where the Red Fern Grows; I'm less confident I'll give Stephen Daedalus or Tocqueville a chance.

I'm currently putting together a (much shorter) list of middle-grade and YA books that I adored on first reading. As is my wont, however (fast reader = superficial reader), I remember little about most of these books now, except that I loved them. Stay tuned for The Great Re-Read, coming to a sidebar near you in the not-too-distant future.

11 Birthdays: Review Haiku

Family feud plays out

a la GROUNDHOG DAY, with bonus

middle-school angst.

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass. Scholastic, 2009, 267 pages.

Dreamdark: Silksinger: Review Haiku

Not into faeries
and all that rot -- and yet
I LOVED THIS BOOK. READ IT.

Silksinger (Dreamdark #2) by Laini Taylor. Putnam, 2009, 449 pages.

Happy Cybils Day!

The Cybils are coming! The Cybils are coming! The Cybils are . . . HERE!

Congratulations to all the winners!

The Accidental Billionaires: Review Haiku

A whole lotta drama
just to bring us Mafia
Wars and Farmville.

The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook -- A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich. Doubleday, 2009, 260 pages.

P.S. Could someone pls proofread this book? And could someone from Harvard pls read it?

• Page 15: Mark lives in Eliot. Page 17: Mark lives in Kirkland. (Hint: They are not the same house.)
• Page 64: If you are standing on the Widener steps, you can't "just make out the peak of Memorial Church in the distance," because it is RIGHT IN FRAKKING FRONT OF YOU.
• Page 80: Aaron Greenspan becomes Aaron Grossman within two LINES of each other, then reverts to Aaron Greenspan on the following page.
• Page 115: There are no "three-one"s at the law school; there are only "3L"s. (As in "Law," get it? Could you not read your handwritten notes?)
• Page 235: OMG the president of Harvard does NOT hand out rolled-up diplomas and read out names at Commencement. BEN, YOU WENT TO HARVARD. YOU KNOW THIS.

GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.

Marriage and Other Acts of Charity

Dear Kate: Please be my
a) mom; b) sister; c) friend;
d) wife. Circle one.

Marriage and Other Acts of Charity by Kate Braestrup. Little Brown, 2010, 224 pages.

Cleaving: Review Haiku

I'm sorry, I just
cannot get past adultery.
I'm harsh like that.

Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession by Julie Powell. Little Brown, 2009, 307 pages.

And NOW back to your regularly scheduled Cybilly hiatus.

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Review Haiku

Gotta love a book
that makes review haikus seem
rather excessive.

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure by SMITH Magazine (editor). Harper, 2009, 192 pages.

And now back to your regularly-scheduled Cybilly hiatus.

Cybilly hiatus

I'm in the middle of Cybils Round Two judging, and since we're not allowed to blog about the books until the winners are announced on February 14, I expect to be on a bit of a hiatus for a while. Could be a couple days, could be a couple weeks. Stay tuned.

Operation Yes: Review Haiku

Two parts DEAD POETS'
SOCIETY to one part

Air Force recruit film.

Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes. Levine/Scholastic, 2009, 256 pages.

Liar: Review Haiku

I still can't figure
out what's true and what's a lie.
I just know I'm scared.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Bloomsbury, 2009, 376 pages.

Absolutely Maybe: Review Haiku

How to make good stuff
out of disappointment and
despair. Plus tacos.

Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee. Scholastic, 2009, 288 pages.

So how I'd do?

Sometimes having front-runners is a great thing. Back in September I made some predictions about this year's ALA Awards, and my prognosticating skillz were not too shabby.

SWISH: Picked the Newbery winner and two of the honor books; Caldecott winner and one of the honor books; Sibert honor (w00t Day-Glo!); and the Printz winner (well, I thought it would be an honor).

BRICK: Expected Marcelo and Wintergirls to score some Printz love, too.

Congratulations to all the winners (and their fabulous editors and art directors!)

How to Say Goodbye in Robot: Review Haiku

Some plot twists hella
obvious, but still an affecting
un-romance.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford. Scholastic, 2009, 276 pages.

Match Day: Review Haiku

Great med-school porn -- but
is it weird to be interviewing
your girlfriend?

Match Day: One Day and One Dramatic Year in the Lives of Three New Doctors by Brian Eule. St. Martin's, 2009, 261 pages.

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? Review Haiku

Alas, no more lurkers,
Astonishingly Dim Monica,
or HOOOOOORRRRRRRNNNN!

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? Final Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison. Harper, 2009, 309 pages.

Free-Range Kids: Review Haiku

At last! My slagass
parenting style is validated.
Go, free-range!

Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts from Worry by Lenore Skenazy. Jossey-Bass, 2009, 225 pages.

And Another Thing: Review Haiku

Utterly incomprehensible --
which, in this case,
is a good thing.

And Another Thing: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #6 by Eoin Colfer. Hyperion, 2009, 288 pages.

Candor: Review Haiku

It's a small world
after all -- and they're watching
everything you do, kids.

Candor by Pam Bachorz. Egmont USA, 2009, 249 pages.

The 3-2-3 Detective Agency: Review Haiku

Fun, forgettable
mystery offers proof that
poodles are evil.

The 3-2-3 Detective Agency: The Disappearance of Dave Warthog by Fiona Robinson. Amulet, 2009, 73 pages.

U is for Undertow: Review Haiku

Nothing like starting
the new year off right with the
great Kinsey Millhone.

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton. Putnam, 2009, 403 pages.

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.

THREE: Birthday Haiku

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.