Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Review Haiku

The profound and the
mundane, rolled together in
one takeout menu.

Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi. Random, 2012, 128 pages.

The Great Unexpected: Review Haiku

Just ignore the twee
connections and coincidences,
and trust Creech.

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech. Harper, 2012, 240 pages.

Jerusalem: Review Haiku

Apolitical
drawings of life on the front
lines of God's city.

Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle. Drawn and Quarterly, 2012, 320 pages.

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Review Haiku

Don't think about the
plot too much; just enjoy
the writing. (His parents!)

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery, and a Very Strange Adventure by Lissa Evans. Sterling, 2012, 272 pages.

Remarkable: Review Haiku

Wanders a bit, but
the ride is enjoyable.
Plus, bonus: PIRATES.

Remarkable by Elizabeth Foley. Dial, 2012, 336 pages.

Almost Home: Review Haiku

Wise, adorable
homeless girl and her puppy.
Grab your hankies.

Almost Home by Joan Bauer. Viking, 2012, 240 pages.

Drama: Review Haiku

So nice to see the
backstage crew take center stage.
Plus, middle-school drag.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier. Graphix, 2012, 240 pages.

No Biking in the House Without a Helmet: Review Haiku

Inspiring and (thank God)
realistic about bad times.
Mazel tov.

No Biking in the House Without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene. Sarah Crichton Books, 2012, 368 pages.

Mad Women: Review Haiku

Real-life Peggy Olson
dishes on work, sex, and
martinis. Good stuff.

Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the '60s and Beyond by Jane Maas. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012, 272 pages.

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea: Review Haiku

Too clever by half,
but that's kind of the whole point.
Bring on Volume Two.

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea: Book One\ by Ellis Weiner. Chronicle, 2012, 232 pages.

Liar & Spy: Review Haiku

Newbery winner
tackles loss and lying with
Konigsburg-esque flair.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead. Wendy Lamb/Random, 2012, 192 pages.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight: Review Haiku

How come I never
met the perfect hot guy on
a trans-ocean flight?

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. Poppy, 2012, 256 pages.

The Next Best Thing: Review Haiku

Yes, it's formulaic --
but who cares? I like
the formula. Sue me.

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner. Atria, 2012, 400 pages.

Seating Arrangements: Review Haiku

I swear none of this
happened at my wedding* (or
I didn't notice).

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead. Knopf, 2012, 320 pages.

* Thirteen years yesterday -- happy anniversary, dorkbutt!

Carry the One: Review Haiku

Well-executed,
but man, I did not like a
single character.

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw. S&S, 2012, 272 pages.

The Voluntourist: Review Haiku

Childless man seeks purpose:
No great insights, but
that was kind of the point.

The Voluntourist: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem by Ken Budd. Morrow, 2012, 464 pages.

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: Review Haiku

The "unreliable
narrator" concept gets
a whole new meaning.

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone -- Especially Ourselves by Dan Ariely. Harper, 2012, 304 pages.

Making Babies: Review Haiku

Rehash of "smart woman
has baby; freaks" tropes, but
still wicked funny.

Making Babies by Anne Enright. Norton, 2012, 208 pages.

The Legend of Diamond Lil: Review Haiku

Quick, breezy read, but
still a bit too much sizzle
and not enough steak.

The Legend of Diamond Lil (A J. J. Tully Mystery) by Doreen Cronin. Balzer + Bray, 2012, 144 pages.

Dangerous Pumpkins: Review Haiku

Love me some Jenkins,
but undercurrent of meanness
spoils this series.

Dangerous Pumpkins (Invisible Inkling #2) by Emily Jenkins. Balzer + Bray, 2012, 160 pages.

Since You Left Me: Review Haiku

Sanskrit, I give you
permission to punch your mother
in the face. Hard.

Since You Left Me by Allen Zadoff. Egmont, 2012, 320 pages.

The Phantom of the Post Office: Review Haiku

Cute epistolary
series gets lost under
heavy messaging.

The Phantom of the Post Office (43 Old Cemetery Road #4) by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise. Harcourt, 2012, 160 pages.

Shine: Review Haiku

Even though I guessed
the ending halfway through, still
with her all the way.

Shine by Lauren Myracle. Abrams, 2012, 376 pages.

Wicked Business: Review Haiku

I can't even do
this anymore. Trash is fun --
but sometimes, just trash.

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich. Bantam, 2012, 320 pages.

The Age of Miracles: Review Haiku

Awesome dystopia --
but there's no way that narrative
voice is twelve.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. Random, 2012, 288 pages.

The One and Only Ivan: Review Haiku

A third Newbery
contender throws his simian
hat in the ring.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Harper, 2012, 320 pages.

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny: Review Haiku

You're even reading
this review in Garrison
Keillor's voice, aren't you.

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny by Garrison Keillor. Penguin, 2012, 224 pages.

Friends with Boys: Review Haiku

Fine line between
reality and fantasy --
just like age fourteen.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks. First Second, 2012, 224 pages.

Gone Girl: Review Haiku

HOLY HELL THESE PEOPLE
ARE INSANE. Edge-of-your-seat
summer reading.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Crown, 2012, 432 pages.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: Review Haiku

I wish I had her
sanguine attitude on life,
but I'm not there yet.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir by Anna Quindlen. Random, 2012, 208 pages.

Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom: Review Haiku

Well-drawn characters
make topical drama resonate
more strongly.

Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. Walker, 2012, 272 pages.

The Difference Between You and Me: Review Haiku

I would've cared more
if either of the girls were
at all likable. 

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George. Viking, 2012,

Reunited: Review Haiku

Three girls, one van, a
million tiny slights make for
one awkward road trip.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham. S&S, 2012, 336 pages.

Keeping the Castle: Review Haiku

Pride and Prejudice
for middle graders (YAs
just read the real one).

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl. Viking, 2012, 272 pages.

The Storytelling Animal: Review Haiku

Pop social science
asserts we're all raconteurs
at heart. Good quick read.

The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall. HMH, 2012, 272 pages.

The Red House: Review Haiku

Stream-of-consciousness
look at family dysfunction
on vacation.

The Red House by Mark Haddon. Doubleday, 2012, 272 pages.

The Bad Apple: Review Haiku

Just in time for back-to-school:
mayhem with a killer
twist at the end.

The Bad Apple (Merits of Mischief #1) by T. R. Burns. S&S, 2012, 352 pages.

Pardon the Interruption

Those of you (those, er, seven of you) who check this blog regularly may have noticed that it was monkey broken all week. This was not a gremlin attack, but rather the consequences of my switching domain hosts (and, er, not actually knowing as much about switching domain hosts as I thought I did. Thanks, dreamhost.com, for fixing my stupid!).

So. All is well, I am back, and I promise I will never muck about with the back end again. (Heh heh. I am twelve.)

Bitterblue: Review Haiku

Brilliant world-building
from a master of the form.
(Plus, NBD gays!)

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. Dial, 2012, 576 pages.

Wild: Review Haiku

Just realistic
enough to keep from giving
me any ideas.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Knopf, 2012, 336 pages.

Bink and Gollie, Two for One: Review Haiku

Our fave hyperliterate
duo calls shenanigans
on carnies.

Bink and Gollie: Two for One by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile. Candlewick, 2012, 96 pages.

The Red Book: Review Haiku

Loved it, but wonder
if/how it resonates with
non-H-bomb-droppers.

The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan. Hyperion, 2012, 368 pages.

Popularity Papers 4: Review Haiku

Our heroes learn that
sometimes, families suck. But sometimes,
families rock, too.

The Popularity Papers 4: The Rocky Road Trip of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow. Amulet, 2012, 208 pages.

Man Made: Review Haiku

Self-professed wimp tries
fire fighting, cage matches
to impress infant son.

Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity by Joel Stein. Grand Central, 2012, 304 pages.

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.