Cybils Cybils Cybils

Yes, it's true -- once again I will be a Cybils judge, for round II of the SFF/elementary and middle-grade panel. I am looking forward to dipping into the faery waters again.

(Actually, I'm just trying to build up my geek cred.)

Mergers & Acquisitions from A to Z: Review Haiku

What? It's the only
book I've been able to read
for the past three weeks.

Mergers & Acquisitions from A to Z by Andrew J. Sherman. AMACOM, 2006, 288 pages.

(Or as I like to call it, Mergers & Acquisitions from A to Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . )

Prime Baby: Review Haiku

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Twisted alien sibling
genius. Sing-along!

Prime Baby by Gene Luen Yang. First Second, 2010, 56 pages.

Scumble: Review Haiku

Sometimes clumsy, always
heartfelt allegory
of adolescence.

Scumble by Ingrid Law. Dial, 2010, 416 pages.

Happyface: Review Haiku

Next time someone says
graphic novels aren't real novels,
give 'em this one.

Happyface by Stephen Emond. Little Brown, 2010, 307 pages.

What Women Want: Review Haiku

Could've been good if
the author weren't such a
chauvinistic douchebag.

What Women Want: The Global Market Turns Female Friendly by Paco Underhill. S&S, 2010, 214 pages.

Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs: Review Haiku

Kathleen Norris plus
Anne Lamott plus the chick from
Northern Exposure.

Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs: Family, Friendships, and Faith in Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende. Algonquin, 2010, 287 pages.

Ling & Ting: Review Haiku

Is it wrong that I
kinda want to marry this
book? Adorable.

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin. Little Brown, 2010, 43 pages.

Keeper: Review Haiku

Heart-tugging love stories:
read 'em and weep.
(Bonus points for the gay guys.)

Keeper by Kathi Appelt. Atheneum, 2010, 399 pages.

The Bedwetter: Review Haiku

Pretty much what you'd
expect: a few laughs, all of
it NSFW.

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman. Harper, 2010, 240 pages.

The Dreamer: Review Haiku

Beautiful package,
but too in love with itself
for its audience?

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan. Scholastic, 2010, 372 pages.

Switch: Review Haiku

Fairly dorky jargon
(Elephants! Riders!), but
insight is top-notch.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath. Broadway Business, 2010, 305 pages.

Mockingjay: Review Haiku

War! Lust! Politics!
Sacrifice! And yet a weird
Bella Swan vibe, no?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Scholastic, 2010, 390 pages.

[It's safe to talk about this, right? You've all read it by now?]

You Are Not a Gadget: Review Haiku

The worst of both worlds:

academic jargon AND
technobabble! Wheeeee . . .

You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier. Knopf, 2010, 209 pages.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ: Review Haiku

Revisionist gospel
introduces Father,
Son, and Evil Twin.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman. Canongate, 2010, 245 pages.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend: Review Haiku

Road trip, drama geeks,
first love, Teh Gays, ninjas --
this debut hits 'em all.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner. Dial, 2010, 259 pages.

P.S. "Ninjas can divide by zero" is quite possibly the funniest line I've read all year.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Review Haiku

Why yes, I AM the
last person in the world to
read this. Brutal, fierce.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Knopf, 2008, 480 pages.

Zombies vs. Unicorns: Review Haiku

The zombie ones rock,
but unicorns have sex and
fart rainbows. TEAM U.

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier. McElderry, 2010, 432 pages.

Packing for Mars: Review Haiku

Mary Roach answers
your burning questions about
food, sex, poop in space.

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach. Norton, 2010, 336 pages.

Sh*t My Dad Says: Review Haiku

Can't believe this will

be a TV show, but as

a book it's not bad.

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. It Books, 2010, 176 pages. Read on a Kindle borrowed from the Bedford Free Public Library.