Three Times Lucky: Review Haiku

And now Wonder has
competition: pulls at the
hard-luck-South heartstrings.

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. Dial, 2012, 256 pages.

An Accidental Athlete: Review Haiku

Yes! A kindred spirit
in Running Really Slowly
and Hating It!

An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age by John "The Penguin" Bingham. VeloPress, 2011, 216 pages.

Freshman: Review Haiku

Ah, freshman year -- when
everything is CRUCIAL but
nothing is at stake.

Freshman: Tales of 9th-Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense by Corrine Mucha. Zest, 2011, 112 pages.

Still: Review Haiku

Compelling, frustrating,
joyful, sad, and hopeful --
kinda just like God.


Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner. HarperOne, 2012, 272 pages.

Great by Choice: Review Haiku

Smart props to cautious
leaders, and then 200
pages of filler.

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck -- Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen. Harper, 2011, 320 pages.

Girl Walks Into a Bar: Review Haiku

I heart you, Rachel Dratch,
for being normal and awesome.
*sad trombone*


Girl Walks Into a Bar: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle by Rachel Dratch. Gotham, 2012, 272 pages.

[insert snappy vacation title here]

As in years past, I'm taking a blog break in July. See you in a few weeks -- and happy reading.

Double Dog Dare: Review Haiku

Looks fluffy but is
surprisingly deep. A great
choice for middle grade.

Double Dog Dare by Lisa Graff. Philomel, 2012, 304 pages.

Insurgent: Review Haiku

Took me 300
pages to remember what
was going on. Phew.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Tegen/Harper, 2012, 544 pages.

See You at Harry's: Review Haiku

Bring tissues and a
neck brace for the emotional
whiplash. Tough stuff.

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles. Candlewick, 2012, 310 pages.

Unholy Night: Review Haiku

Gospels as revenge-fueled
action flick: so crazy,
it just about works.

Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith. Grand Central, 2012, 320 pages.

Summer of the Gypsy Moths: Review Haiku

The premise strains
credulity, but the characters
are worth knowing.

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker. Balzer + Bray/Hyperion, 2012, 288 pages.

Are You My Mother: Review Haiku

Inward-looking to
the point of suffocation:
smart but hard to love.

Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel. HMH, 2012, 304 pages.

The Power of Habit: Review Haiku

You are a slave to
your habits. Now lose weight and
stop biting your nails.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. Random, 2012, 400 pages.

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection: Review Haiku

You don't really care
what it's about, right? Just pour
some bush tea and read.

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon, 2012, 272 pages.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: Review Haiku

I defy you to
read this without wearing an
adult diaper. SNORT.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson. Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, 2012, 336 pages.

Drop Dead Healthy: Review Haiku

Entertaining, but
I'm glad I'm not married to him.
(Nature's Platform??)

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection by A. J. Jacobs.

Girl Land: Review Haiku

I WANT TO PUNCH THIS
BOOK IN THE FACE REPEATEDLY.
The hell, Caitlin?

Girl Land by Caitlin Flanagan. Reagan Arthur Books, 2012, 224 pages.

Food Rules: Review Haiku

Slightly twee, but made
palatable by Kalman.
(SEE WHAT I DID THERE?)

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan, illustrated by Maira Kalman. Penguin, 2011, 240 pages.

The Unseen Guest: Review Haiku

A hearty AWOOOOO
for another great addition
to this canon.

The Unseen Guest (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #3) by Maryrose Wood. Balzer + Bray/Harper, 2012, 352 pages.

Imagine: Review Haiku

Pop neuroscience
lets your inner daydreaming
grade-school freak flag fly.

Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer. HMH, 2012, 304 pages.

The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death: Review Haiku

Perfect airplane reading,
if you don't mind your seatmate
hearing you snort.

The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death by Laurie Notaro. Villard, 2009, 218 pages.

The Lifespan of a Fact: Review Haiku

Fascinating, yes;
but mostly, TOTALLY
HORRIFYING. Ye gods.

The Lifespan of a Fact by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal. Norton, 2012, 128 pages.

Caddy's World: Review Haiku

I can never decide
whether I want to be
a Casson or not.

Caddy's World by Hilary McKay. McElderry/Atheneum, 2012, 272 pages.

Wonder: Review Haiku

Geez -- way to stack the
Newbery deck, first-timer.
Amazingly good.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio. Knopf, 2012, 320 pages.

Some Assembly Required: Review Haiku

I wanted to love this,
but the self-indulgence
kinda drove me nuts.

Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son by Anne Lamott and Sam Lamott. Riverhead, 2012, 288 pages.

Happy birthday to ME

Arthur:	Old woman!
Dennis:	Man!
Arthur:	Man. Sorry. What knight lives in that castle over there?
Dennis:	I'm thirty-seven.
Arthur:	I-- what?
Dennis:	I'm thirty-seven. I'm not old.
Arthur:	Well, I can't just call you 'Man'.
Dennis:	Well, you could say 'Dennis'.
Arthur:	Well, I didn't know you were called 'Dennis'.
Dennis:	Well, you didn't bother to find out, did you? from

http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/finalripoff.htm#Peasant

P.S. OMG IT'S MY ONE THOUSANDTH POST

Enchantment: Review Haiku

Compelling message
made less palatable by

insuff'rable author.

Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions by Guy Kawasaki. Portfolio, 2011, 240 pages.

The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices: Review Haiku

Yet again, I realize
I made the wrong career choice.

Robots are cool.

The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices: How the Digital Magicians of the MIT Media Lab Are Creating the Innovative Technologies That Will Transform Our Lives by Frank Moss. Crown, 2011, 272 pages.

God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked: Review Haiku

Good Lord. I had no
idea what was going on
behind the scenes. Damn.

God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked: Tales of Stand-up, Saturday Night Live, and Other Mind-Altering Mayhem by Darrell Hammond. Harper, 2011, 288 pages.

If you need me, I'll be here.

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/capecod

Because I'm insane. Again.

Inside Out and Back Again: Review Haiku

Searing, spare account
of lives lost and found and lost
and found all over.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Harper, 2011, 272 pages.

Bringing Up Bebe: Review Haiku

Well, whaddya know.
I'm not slagass or disconnected --

I'm just French!

Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman. Penguin, 2012, 304 pages.

Blood, Bones, and Butter: Review Haiku

Slow-starting and hard

for a bad eater to embrace,

but worth the read.

Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton. Random, 2012, 320 pages.

Where She Went: Review Haiku

Heartbreaking. I mean,
what else is there to say?

Love, unfinished, always.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman. Dutton, 2011, 208 pages.

Ali in Wonderland: Review Haiku

Behind the scenes of

one (well, two) quite public lives
that still feel normal.

Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales by Alexandra Wentworth. Harper, 2012, 272 pages.

Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Review Haiku

Straight, self-deprecating
talk from one not destined
to survive, maybe.

Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life by Sandra Beasley. Broadway, 2012, 240 pages.

Cold Cereal: Review Haiku

Starts off brilliantly
absurd, then veers into just
absurd. Still, fun ride.

Cold Cereal by Adam Rex. Balzer + Bray, 2012, 432 pages.

Hark! A Vagrant: Review Haiku

The closest thing to
Shakespeare I could find: smart stuff,

drawn for the masses.

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton. Drawn & Quarterly, 2011, 160 pages.

P.S. Happy 448th, dude.

The Myth of Choice: Review Haiku

Just when you think you've
made the right decision, you're wrong.
This book shows why.

The Myth of Choice: Personal Responsibility in a World of Limits by Kent Greenfield. Yale UP, 2011, 256 pages.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: Review Haiku

Best voice in a first
novel in a looooong time.

Freakin' hilarious.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Amulet, 2012, 304 pages.

Mr. & Mrs. Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire: Review Haiku

Horvath and Blackall,

perfectly absurd together.
(The Marmot rocks.)

Mr. & Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Schwartz & Wade, 2012, 256 pages.

Happy blogiversary to me: SIX

If I were a kid
I'd be in first grade by now.
Eating paste, no doubt.

EIGHT: Birthday Haiku

EXCUSE ME BUT HOW

ARE YOU EIGHT. I demand a
do-over, La Munch.

Where Things Come Back: Review Haiku

If your debut is
this good, you're allowed to go
Harper Lee. (Please don't.)

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. Atheneum, 2011, 240 pages.

Girls in White Dresses: Review Haiku

I know this was good
because I didn't want to

punch them in the face.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. Knopf, 2011, 304 pages.

Wonkenstein: Review Haiku

I really tried to
find something redeeming here,

but I couldn't. Pffft.

Wonkenstein: The Creature from My Closet #1 by Obert Skye. Square Fish, 2012, 256 pages.

The Name of the Star: Review Haiku

I hate this cover.

But I love Maureen Johnson.

So I'll let it go.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Putnam, 2011, 384 pages.

Bigger Than a Breadbox: Review Haiku

Not quite Half Magic,

but a nice wish-fulfillment
cautionary tale.

Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder. Random, 2011, 240 pages.

The Family Fang: Review Haiku

Anytime I feel

like I'm a bad mother, I'll

just re-read this book.

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. Ecco, 2011, 320 pages.

The Flint Heart: Review Haiku

A little crazypants,

but she's the National

Ambassador, y'all.

The Flint Heart by Katherine & John Paterson. Candlewick, 2011, 304 pages.

Journal of Best Practices: Review Haiku

When they said, "for better
or worse, in sickness and in health,"
they meant it.

The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch. Scribner, 2012, 240 pages.