The Hypo: Review Haiku

Fascinating portrait

of vigor, brains, and
depression in Lincoln.

The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln by Noah Van Sciver. Fantagraphics, 2012, 192 pages.

COME SEE MY SHOW!

Local peeps: if you are looking for a great, family-friendly way to spend less than two hours this weekend, COME SEE MY SHOW!

ST. PAUL'S TONIGHT: ON THE HIGH SEAS is a fast-paced musical revue for the whole family. Performances are Saturday, 4/27, at 7:00pm and Sunday, 4/28 at 3:00pm at the John Glenn Middle School auditorium, 99 McMahon Road, Bedford, MA. Come see ME! And my HUSBAND! And both KIDS! And 41 other FABULOUS performers! Tickets are $10, and all proceeds benefit St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

The Bell Bandit: Review Haiku

Surprisingly poignant

third adventure for mystery-
solving sibs.

The Bell Bandit by Jacqueline Davies. HMH, 2012, 192 pages.

10 1/2 Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said: Review Haiku

Good advice worth

revisiting when you find yourself
at a crossroads.

10 1/2 Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said by Charles Wheelan. Norton, 2012, 128 pages.

The Bird King: Review Haiku

Otherworldly
glimpses into the creative
process. Luminous.

The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan. Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 2013, 128 pages.

Call the Shots: Review Haiku

How many synonyms
for masturbation can
one book contain? ALL.

Call the Shots by Don Calame. Candlewick, 2012, 352 pages.

Clementine and the Spring Trip: Review Haiku

I don't know which is
funnier: Margaret polishing
Quack, or The Cloud.

Clementine and the Spring Trip by Sara Pennypacker. Hyperion, 2013, 160 pages.

Happy blogiversary to me!

Dwarves, deadly sins,
wonders of the world -- and now,
seven years of haiku.


Image from music.yahoo.com

NINE: Birthday haiku

You are just the right
age to read all the good books.
Don't grow up too fast.

The Madness Underneath: Review Haiku

Pants-wetting, in both
the "scary" and "funny" sense.
(YAY BETTER JACKET.)

The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2) by Maureen Johnson. Putnam, 2013, 400 pages.

Return to Me: Review Haiku

The truest example
of catharsis that I've
read in quite a while.

Return to Me by Justina Chen. Little Brown, 2013, 352 pages.

The Tragedy Paper: Review Haiku

Boarding-school hijinks
gone wrong: it's an old story,
but worth a fresh look.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban. Knopf, 2013, 320 pages.

Hattie Ever After: Review Haiku

Plucky orphan makes
mostly good again, this time
with help from her pen.

Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson. Delacorte, 2013, 240 pages.

Every Day: Review Haiku

Moving rumination
on what makes us human.
Slow start, but worth it.

Every Day by David Levithan. Knopf, 2012, 336 pages.

Christ is risen!

Happy Easter, y'all.

In Darkness: Review Haiku

I tried, I swear -- I
just couldn't finish. Wrong book,
wrong time, wrong reader.

In Darkness by Nick Lake. Bloomsbury, 2012, 368 pages.

Just One Day: Review Haiku

So cringingly true
to late-teenage wander/lust,
I almost lost it.

Just One Day by Gayle Foreman. Dutton, 2012, 320 pages.

Wonder Show: Review Haiku

Intriguing debut
from first Boston Lib. Writer-in-Res.
(Plus, CARNIES.)

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby. HMH, 2012, 288 pages.

Bomb: Review Haiku

Fast-paced, impressively
detailed, and ultimately,
terrifying.

Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. Flash Point, 2012, 272 pages.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Review Haiku

Beautiful story,
but the "gay OK" vibe for
the time frame rang false.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. S&S, 2012, 368 pages.

The Year of Learning Dangerously: Review Haiku

Down-to-earth take on
homeschooling that almost sounds
doable. (But not.)

The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings. Perigree, 2012, 240 pages.

The Testament of Mary: Review Haiku

How Lenten to ponder
Jesus' mother saying,
"It wasn't worth it."

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. Scribner, 2012, 96 pages.

The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days: Review Haiku

Not as funny as
I'd hoped, alas -- although the
jean-patch bit was great.

The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days by Ian Frazier. Macmillan, 2012, 256 pages.

Listening for Madeleine: Review Haiku

Not exactly warts-
and-all, but nuanced look at
great, faithful lady.

Listening for Madeleine: A Portrait of Madeleine L'Engle in Many Voices by Leonard Marcus. FSG, 2013, 384 pages.

Piper Reed, Forever Friend: Review Haiku

I adore these books:
such a tricky genre to
do well -- and she does.

Piper Reed, Forever Friend by Kimberly Willis Holt. Square Fish, 2013, 176 pages.

Notorious Nineteen: Review Haiku

That's more like it, Stephanie --
less slapstick absurdity,
more donuts.

Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich. Bantam, 2012, 320 pages.

Hilda and the Midnight Giant: Review Haiku

I tried, I tried, but
I just couldn't figure out
what was going on.

Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson. Nobrow, 2012, 40 pages.

Darkroom: Review Haiku

Unique perspective
on race relations in
Jim Crow-era 'Bama.

Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White by Lila Quintero Weaver. University of Alabama Press, 2012, 264 pages.

Little White Duck: Review Haiku

Impressive use of
kid-relevant details, but
then it just . . . stops. Huh?

Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu. Graphic Universe, 2012, 96 pages.

Marathon: Review Haiku

RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN
BATTLE SWORDS GREEKS BLOOD WHAT THE
HELL IS GOING ON.

Marathon by Boaz Yakin. First Second, 2012, 192 pages.

Because I am insane

I might accidentally be doing this RIGHT NOW.

http://www.rundisney.com/princess-half-marathon/

Big Bad Ironclad: Review Haiku

Lots of action, lots
of characters to keep straight,
lots of fun to boot.

Big Bad Ironclad: A Civil War Steamship Showdown by Nathan Hale. Amulet, 2012, 128 pages.

Ichiro: Review Haiku

Coming of age in
Japan and America --
plus shapeshifting gods.

Ichiro by Ryan Inzana. HMH, 2012, 288 pages.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller: Review Haiku

The story you know,
plus parts of it you've never heard.
Sympathetic.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert. Hyperion/Center for Cartoon Studies, 2012, 96 pages.

Giants Beware: Review Haiku

Just your everyday,
gender-nonspecific, bad-ass
giant fighter.

Giants Beware by Jorge Aguirre. First Second, 2012, 208 pages.

It's Cybils Day! It's Cybils Day!

Thanks to all who nominated, and to my fellow judges for graphic novels -- what a great crop of books this year! Our winners are GIANTS BEWARE in the middle-grade graphic novel category, and FRIENDS WITH BOYS in the YA graphic novel category.

 Check here for all the winners.

Code Name Verity: Review Haiku

Late to the party,
but hot damn, this is awesome.
FLY THE PLANE, MADDIE.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Hyperion, 2012, 352 pages.

Purity: Review Haiku

Not preachy, not glib;
just an honest look at love,
sex, and promises.

Purity by Jackson Pearce. Little Brown, 2012, 224 pages.

Splendors and Glooms: Review Haiku

Not a speed read, this,
but a rich tapestry of
love, fear, and magic.

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick, 2012, 400 pages.

Harriet the Spy: Review Haiku

Oh, Harriet -- you
will give my daughter ideas.
(I'm okay with that.)

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Delacorte, 1964, 304 pages.

A Midsummer Tight's Dream: Review Haiku

Oh, Tallulah -- I
want to lurve you, but I can't
tell how old you are.

A Midsummer Tight's Dream by Louise Rennison. Harper, 2012, 256 pages.

OH I'M SORRY I CAN'T HEAR YOU I'M IN CANCUN

That Book About Harvard: Review Haiku

Just like my freshman
year -- except, uh, not.
(Widener D-basement, dude. Sheesh.)

That Book About Harvard: Surviving the World's Most Famous University, One Embarrassment at a Time by Eric Kester. Sourcebooks, 2012, 352 pages.

It's Newbery/Caldecott Day, bitchez.

You're all on the live feed already, but here's the link to explain what these awards are for.

http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/browse/yma?showfilter=no

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: Review Haiku

A dangerous book
for an MBA with dreams
of self-employment.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book by Wendy Welch. St. Martin's, 2012, 304 pages.

The Secret Tree: Review Haiku

The complexities
of friendship and family
hidden in a tree.

The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford. Scholastic, 2012, 256 pages.

Size 12 and Ready to Rock: Review Haiku

Rock-star-turned-RA
has another teen-pop mystery
on her hands.

Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot. Morrow, 2012, 384 pages.

Help, Thanks, Wow: Review Haiku

A bit like filler,
but a good bedside companion.
Ave, Saint Anne.

Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott. Riverhead, 2012, 112 pages.

Marbles: Review Haiku

Took me a hundred
pages to realize, "Ohhhh --
Part-Time Indian chick."

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir by Ellen Forney. Gotham, 2012, 256 pages.

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities: Review Haiku

One part Incredibles,
two parts Superman, seven
parts awesomesauce.

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities by Mike Jung. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2012, 320 pages.

Friendkeeping: Review Haiku

A bit precious, but
meaningful to those of us
of a certain age.

Friendkeeping: A Field Guide to the People You Love, Hate, and Can't Live Without by Julie Klam. Riverhead, 2012, 240 pages.

The Good Girls Revolt: Review Haiku

Can't believe how recent
this recent history is.
Rock on, ladies.

The Good Girls Revolt: How The Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace by Lynn Povich. PublicAffairs, 2012, 288 pages.

Who Could That Be at This Hour? Review Haiku

Perfect absurdity*
from the master of same.
*A word which here means . . .

Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket. Little Brown, 2012, 272 pages.

Will Sparrow's Road: Review Haiku

Just your ev'ryday
Elizabethan runaway
carnie story.

Will Sparrow's Road by Karen Cushman. Clarion, 2012, 224.

Happy New Year! Good riddance.

Thank God, 2012 is over. I don't know about you, but it was not one of my better trips around the sun.

So I am looking forward with cautious optimism to 2013. Surely two crappy years in a row must portend better things for this nominally unlucky year. I am not really a resolution person, but I am setting my mind on four goals:

1. Make a positive impact on the universe. I don't mean I need to cure cancer or solve global poverty, but I need to find ways to make my day-to-day activities purposeful -- to believe that what I'm doing is helpful to someone, somehow.
2. Get back on Twitter in a meaningful way. When I left publishing I dropped off the Twitter radar, because I didn't really have anything to say to my book-people followers anymore. Well, that's crap. I should participate again.
3. Reread Shakespeare. I used to be a HUGE Shakespeare person -- wrote my thesis on secondary women's roles in the comedies, in fact -- but I've fallen out of the habit, now that I'm out of the literary world and haven't been in a play in years. I am contemplating a yearlong rereading project, if I can figure out a way to do it without going crazy. Details to come, possibly.
4. Enjoy the heck out of my Cybils judging experience once more. I believe that the finalists have been posted here, so it's off to ILL Land for me.

Happy New Year, friends.