Movie Monday: Me Before You

My husband was away for a week recently, and my sons were on vacation, so I had five days all to myself! A couple of evenings, I watched movies - choosing girly movies that the rest of my male household would never watch with me.  On my first evening alone, I chose Me Before You, a movie adaptation of a novel by JoJo Moyes I have wanted to read for years.

Me Before You is a sweet romance (that's why my husband and sons wouldn't be interested in it!). Sam Claflin plays ruggedly handsome, wealthy Will. At the start of the story, Will is at the top of his game - happy, successful, and engaged to a beautiful woman. On the other side of town, Lou, played by the adorable Emilia Clarke, lives in her childhood bedroom in her parents' house, to help them out. When she loses her job at the local cafe, the whole family is worried about the loss of her income.

Lou finally finds a new job at the huge castle in town (this is England). The wealthy Traynors are looking for a companion to help with their son, who was paralyzed in an accident. You guessed it - that scruffy-looking guy in the wheelchair is Will, but now he is sullen and depressed about the turn his life has taken. He has a muscular physical therapist/caregiver to help with the big stuff, but Will's parents want Lou to spend time with their son, to keep him company and get him re-engaged with life.

The plot from that point on is pretty predictable, but it's still an emotional movie and surprisingly fun. Much of the fun comes from Lou herself, who dresses in bright primary colors, wild patterns, and often wears her hair in braids or little pigtails. She is full of life, always smiling, and a good foil to Will's dark moods. She comes up with a plan to try to show Will that his life can still be full of joy and worthwhile.

As I said, the plotline isn't terribly surprising, but the story is well-executed, warm, and fun. The two main actors are both charismatic and engaging and pull you into their story. I recall hearing some complaints from fans of the novel when the movie first came out, but I can't speak to that since I didn't read the book. I did have one problem with the movie - its ending. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but suffice to say here that complaints from disabled people about the movie's ending and its message are definitely valid. Generally, though, up until that point, I enjoyed it. It made me smile and laugh and - yes, I cried, too. It was a mostly entertaining evening, though I would have preferred a different ending.

Me Before You is currently available on DVD and streaming on Amazon (free for Prime members; others can rent it for $2.99).



   

It's Monday 7/10! What Are You Reading?

Whew, super busy weekend, so no time for blogging. Our sons came home from their 2-week long trip (on their grandparents' sailboat) late Friday night, so we are back to our normal level of noise, mess, and chaos...but it is great to see them again! We were awakened at 2am Friday with an emergency from my father-in-law, so my husband spent the rest of the night in the ER with him (he is fine now). We went with our sons and some old friends to our favorite local Cajun/Creole cafe Saturday - we used to live in New Orleans, and the husband/wife chef-owners of this place also lived there and each cooked for our two favorite restaurants there! So, their food is truly authentic (as opposed to most so-called Cajun restaurants) and really delicious. Sunday, we had all of us here, including my father-in-law, for a big dinner. And next weekend, my husband and I hit the road again...this time for my 30th college reunion! So, that should be fun, but it will be a very busy week getting ready.

Of course, we always have time for our books - here's what we've been reading this past week:

• I finished reading a review book for Shelf Awareness, Exposure by Lisa Scottoline. I think I've only read one other novel (her first) by this very popular author. I enjoyed this legal thriller that is part of her Rosato & DiNunzio series. It was a slow build in the beginning, but past the halfway point, the pace was very fast and packed with action and suspense. It's about a case involving a close family friend of Mary DiNunzio that starts out as a simple wrongful termination case, but blows up into something much bigger and more complex.
• Now, I am reading my only summer book group book, I Am Malala: the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai. I've wanted to read this one for a long time and am glad to finally have the chance. It's great so far - fascinating and engrossing - about a young girl's childhood in Pakistan.
• I finished listening to The Risen by Ron Rash on audio. I have wanted to read a Rash novel for ages! This one, like most of his, takes place in Appalachia, in the mountains of North Carolina. The action shifts back and forth between 1969, when the narrator and his older brother met a beautiful girl while fishing at the creek, and present day, when his life has fallen apart and he sees in the newspaper that the girl's body was found near that same creek. It was very good, with excellent writing and a riveting plot. Now I want to read more Rash novels!
• I started a new audio, Almost Autumn by Marianne Kaurin, a teen/YA novel about a teen girl in a Jewish family in Norway during WWII (I know, I keep saying no more WWII stories, but there are so many in my backlog and so many different angles!). At the start of the novel, the war hasn't really affected her and her family yet, but I suspect that will change.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading Dust by Hugh Howey, book 3 in the Wool series, which I am dying to read! I just finished book 2, Shift, last month and hope to read this one as soon as Ken is finished with it, while the first two books are still fresh in my mind. This is Ken's 2nd Big Book of the Summer, and will be my third!
• Jamie, 22, has returned from his trip with his brother, cousins, and grandparents. He finished reading Dune by Frank Herbert, the classic sci fi novel. Jamie read Dune once before, but he was very young (about middle-school age) so he enjoyed re-reading it. Next, he read Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, a sequel that his dad lent him. 
• Now, Jamie is reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, book 1 of the series, The Malazan Book of the Fallen. It's an epic fantasy of the type he loves that he picked out at his favorite used bookstore recently.

 Last week's blog posts:

Books Read in May (yes, May, but I'm catching up!) - 9 books in all

Fiction Review: The World To Come by Jim Shepard - short stories based on real-life disasters

Teen/YA Review: Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz - unique, suspenseful story of kids' role in WWII

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week?  

You can also follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page. 

Remember to sign up for my Big Book Summer Challenge! You have plenty of time (until September) to read just 1 book (more if you want) with 400+ pages. Everyone has a chunkster like this (or dozens of them, like me!) on their shelves or TBR list. I hope you'll join the fun! (you don't need a blog to sign up - see the challenge page for details)

Teen/YA Review: Projekt 1065

I have often said here recently that I have overdosed on World War II novels, and I do seem to have read a LOT of them. I ignored my misgivings, though, and jumped into the audio book of Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz, mainly because I found Gratz’s YA novel Code of Honor so compelling when I listened to it last year. I’m glad I gave Projekt 1065 a chance because it was also engrossing, suspenseful, and very emotionally powerful.

This is a different kind of WWII story, told from the perspective of a young teen boy. Michael O’Shaunessey lives in Nazi Germany, but he is not German (as you can probably tell from his name!). His father is the Irish ambassador in Germany, and he and his family have been allowed to stay since Ireland has remained neutral during the war (something I didn’t know). However, while his parents are busy hosting dinner parties for high-ranking Nazi officials, behind the scenes they are actually acting as Allied spies. Michael himself has had some minor involvement with their spy work, when necessary.

At school, though, Michael must act like a good Nazi, and that means being a member of the Hitler Youth, as all boys his age are required to do. He hates their violent “games,” book burnings, and cruel taunting of anyone different. He befriends a boy who is often teased and enjoys going to his house after school, but when he discovers that his friend’s father is working on Projekt 1065, a top-secret Nazi project to develop the first jet airplane, he may need to use his new friendship to gather information that could change the outcome of the war.

When an Allied pilot is shot down near Michael’s school, his Hitler Youth group is put to work searching for him. This development, plus the Projekt 1065 plans, becomes an Allied emergency when additional secrets come to light, and Michael is the only one who can help. He realizes he must become an even more ardent supporter of the Nazis in order to get into the inner circle of the Hitler Youth.

This story is absolutely spellbinding right from the start. Gratz takes the reader into the world of ordinary children living in Germany during WWII, the Nazi-influenced schools, and the inner workings of the Hitler Youth. The audio was excellent, with a range of accents provided by talented narrator Dan Bittner, who also read Gratz’s Code of Honor.

Tension builds to an almost unbearable level as Michael is pulled into the center of the action and plays a role in the outcome of the war. If you think that the involvement of children and young teens in the war to that extent is unrealistic, Gratz explains in an author’s note that the Nazis sent boys as young as 16 to the front lines, had a tank division made up entirely of Hitler Youth, with kids between age 12 and 16, and had preteen girls and boys manning anti-aircraft guns, as happens in the novel (and Projekt 1065 was real, too). It’s horrifying and hard to believe today, but it really happened. Gratz brings that history alive here, in a compelling, suspenseful, and action-packed story that will keep readers riveted.

320 pages, Scholastic

NOTE: Although Scholastic lists this novel for middle-grade readers, I recommend it for older kids, teens and young adults. There is a great deal of realistic violence and tense action.

Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II
by Alan GratzHardcover

 Listen to an audio sample:


Purchase from Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT:

Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II

 

Or purchase Projekt 1065 from Book Depository.

Fiction Review: The World to Come

-->

I don’t read a lot of short story collections, but Booktopia is always a good motivator for me to try one, as it was in 2015 with Kelly Link’s wonderful collection, Get inTrouble. Booktopia 2017 was no exception, and I recently finished reading The World to Come, a collection of historical fiction short stories written by Booktopia guest Jim Shepard.

This is an unusual collection of short stories in that most of them focus on real-life disasters, many of them little known. From an enormous volcanic eruption in 1600 BC to a destructive modern-day train derailment of oil tankers, there are all sorts of disasters covered in these stories, based on real-life events. In each case, the author focuses in on one fictional character at the center of the event, delving into his or her thoughts, feelings, and actions. A couple of the stories focus more on intimate situations, perhaps tragic to single person but not historical disasters.

Each story is intricate, moving, and very personal, even if it is based on a catastrophe that affected thousands of people. The magnifying glass is held up to a single person’s state of mind, as a way of looking at the larger event. One thing’s for certain: there are no happy endings here.

One of the stories that was the most shattering to me was HMS Terror, about the ships that were a part of the ill-fated attempt to find the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic in 1845, led by Sir John Franklin. In real-life, the wrecks of these ice-bound ships were only just recently discovered, so deeply buried were the abandoned vessels. Evidence of its crew was just discovered in the region in the 1980’s and 90’s. The story takes place at the time of the expedition, with the crews of the ships confident of the success of their mission. Shepard’s story is told through the diary entries of one man, Lieutenant Edward Little, who documents the doomed expedition in his personal journal. You know from the beginning things won’t end well, but the details and manner of his and his crewmate’s demise is still shattering, though filled with suspense and tension.

In the title story, a pioneer housewife in rural New York lives an isolated existence with her taciturn husband. She has endured unspeakable loss, and her loneliness and seclusion are broken only on Sunday afternoons, when a neighbor, Tallie, makes the trek over to her farm. The two bond over long talks in the warm kitchen. This story is also told through diary entries from the narrator because, as she explains, about their farm ledgers:

“But there is no record in these dull and simple pages of the most passionate circumstances of our seasons past, no record of our emotions or fears, our greatest joys or most piercing sorrows.”

The women’s happiness is short-lived, though, when Tallie’s husband takes her away and tragedy occurs.

Another story in the collection that packed a big emotional punch for me was Telemachus, about the HMS Telemachus, a British Royal Navy submarine in the waters of the Pacific in 1944. A gunner’s mate, bunking among the torpedoes with his colleagues, tells the story of the sub’s long ordeal, spending endless months hiding deep in the water, staying out of view of the enemy while also trying to sneak up on enemy ships to sink them. His account is gritty and real, with gruesome descriptions of the moldy clothes that resulted from the constant moisture, the carbon-dioxide-filled air, and the tinned mutton they survived on.

Each of the ten stories in this collection, whether two or 35 pages long, presents a close-up view of a single person in the face of colossal challenges or tragedies, delving into the background, dreams, and thoughts of that person. Despite this common thread, each story is completely unique and engrossing, peopled by relatable characters that seem like ordinary folks, stuck in extraordinary circumstances. Each of them presents a human perspective that we rarely get when we hear of disasters, big and small, in the news. After reading each story, I was driven to look up the historical details online (when I could find them) to learn more. Although the subject matter carries a feeling of dread (I might have preferred to read the stories separately rather than one after the other), each story provided its own riveting, moving portrayal of humanity.

258 pages, Alfred A. Knopf

The World to Come: Stories
by Jim ShepardHardcover

 Or purchase from Northshire Bookstore, host of Booktopia:

The World to Come: Stories

  

Or purchase The World to Come from Book Depository.

Books Read in May

No, that's not a typo. It's July 5, and I am only just now summing up the books I read in May! I get behind like this every summer - travel, kids home, etc.

The other reason it took me so long to finish writing all my reviews from May is that I read 9 books that month! That's a record month for me. Here's what I read in May:

• Books for Living by Will Schwalbe - nonfiction, for Booktopia
• Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney (NYC) - audio, fiction, for Booktopia
• Everybody's Son by Thrity Umrigar (NY) - fiction, reviewed for Shelf Awareness

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - audio, teen/YA
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (MA) - fiction
• The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III (SD & WY) - nonfiction

• The Baby by Lisa Drakeford (UK) - audio, teen/YA
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Sahara Desert - Africa) - fiction
• NewsPrints by Ru Xu - middle-grade & teen fiction, graphic novel

 
Wow, a huge reading month for me! I finished up my Booktopia reading, then jumped into book group choices and review books, with a few of my own choices thrown in. I read two nonfiction books, which is unusual for me, and the rest were fiction. Five of my books were for adults and the other four were for children or teens/YA (though I always have trouble categorizing The Little Prince). I listened to three audio books in May (and my husband and I gave up on another one not listed here after listening to half of it). I enjoyed all nine books, and some were really outstanding. The Hate U Give takes the prize for my favorite from May because it is not only a riveting, engrossing book (and amazing on audio) but also very powerful.

Progress on 2017 Reading Challenges:
This is my favorite part of my monthly summary - updating my Reading Challenges! Only 2 of my 9 books were from my own shelves for my Read Your Own Damn Books Challenge - bringing my 5-month total up to only 10. That's dismal, and my shelves are getting buried! For the Monthly Motif Reading Challenge, May was Book to Movie month and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood has had several movie and TV adaptations made. I am dying to see the new TV show based on it, but we don't get Hulu - might have to sign up just for that!  I FINALLY read another classic for the 2017 Back to the Classics Challenge - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. That brings my grand total for the year so far to...2. I had hoped to count The Handmaid's Tale as well, but this challenge only counts books published more than 50 years ago as classics. I slotted all 9 books into categories for my Well-Rounded Challenge, but that is getting tougher as the categories fill up. For my Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge, I added northern Africa/Sahara Desert. For my 2017 Literary Escapes Challenge, I added two more states: Massachusetts and South Dakota.

Finally, Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month! Here is my Bingo card for May, with 20 squares filled in - one of my best months!

Books fit in the following squares:

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk - marriage/wedding, multi-word title
Books for Living - read a physical book, baking/cooking
Everybody's Son - free book, transformation, red cover
NewsPrints - in a series, nerd/geek
The Hate U Give - audio book
The Handmaid's Tale -  forbidden/inappropriate romance, shelf-love book (TBR)
The Journey of Crazy Horse - historical, library book
The Little Prince - not a new release, extraterrestrial
The Baby - drinking tea, secrets, dual narration

Free Space

What was your favorite book read in May?  

It's Monday 7/3! What Are You Reading?

Happy 4th of July to readers in the US! With our recent vacation and my husband's business trip last week, our holiday weekend has been a quiet one at home, catching up on bills, home repairs, etc. I'm happy to say I finally got through my e-mail backlog - only two weeks after returning from vacation! Today, we did a big Target and Trader Joe's run (nice to have help carrying everything), and tomorrow we will have a small celebration with close friends and my father-in-law here.

Last week, I was home alone for 5 days, but I didn't get even a fraction of the stuff done that I had hoped to - isn't it always that way? I did, however, watch two movies (reviews to come), enjoyed co-hosting my book group, and of course, enjoyed my books! Here's what we've been reading:

• I finished reading a book of short stories that I started for Booktopia in May, The World to Come by Jim Shepard. His stories are historical fiction, often focusing on some horrible disaster that occurred in real life, but he adds fictional characters and delves into their feelings, thoughts, and states of mind. They were all very good, though - as you might imagine from the subject matter - some of them are devastating. No happy endings here.
• Now, I am reading a review book, Exposure by Lisa Scottoline. I think I've only read one other novel (her first) by this very popular author. I'm enjoying this legal drama (part of her Rosato & DiNunzio series) so far, though it's not quite as gripping or fast-paced as I'd hoped. That's probably in part because I haven't read the rest of the series, so the characters are all new to me.
• On audio, I finished listening to The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson, a middle-grade novel about a 12-year old boy, Matthew, with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder who is housebound (and often won't even leave his own bedroom). He spends hours at his window, watching the neighbors on his street. When a toddler goes missing from next door, Matthew may be the only one who can piece together what happened to him. It's an issue-driven novel, delving into Matthew's OCD, crossed with a mystery. It was excellent from start to finish - engrossing and compelling.
• Now, I am listening to The Risen by Ron Rash on audio. I have wanted to read a Rash novel for ages! This one, like most of his, takes place in Appalachia, in the mountains of North Carolina. The action shifts back and forth between 1969, when the narrator and his older brother met a beautiful girl while fishing at the creek, and present day, when his life has fallen apart and he sees in the newspaper that the girl's body was found near that same creek. It's very good so far, with excellent writing and a riveting plot.
• My husband, Ken, finished In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. I bought this one when I was at Northshire Bookstore for Booktopia and gave it to Ken on Father's Day during our trip. It is a psychological thriller by the author of The Woman in Cabin 10, and he enjoyed it very much. Lots of suspense, especially at the end, he said - now I need to read this one!
• Ken is now reading Dust by Hugh Howey, book 3 in the Wool series, which I am dying to read! I just finished book 2, Shift, last week and hope to read this one as soon as Ken is finished with it, while the first two books are still fresh in my mind. This is Ken's 2nd Big Book of the Summer, and will be my third!
• Jamie, 22, is away with his brother, but he planned to read Dune by Frank Herbert, the classic sci fi novel. Jamie read Dune once before, but he was very young (about middle-school age) so he is enjoying re-reading it. Next, he will read Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, a sequel that his dad lent him.

Blog posts last week:

Movie Monday: Wonder Woman - excellent superhero movie with action & humor

TV Tuesday: Food Network Star - one of the only reality shows I watch!

Middle-Grade Review: Newsprints by Ru Xu- a steampunk adventure graphic novel

Teen/YA Review: The Baby by Lisa Drakeford - an intricate story of a teen pregnancy, told from 5 different perspectives

Saturday Snapshot: Summer Clouds - always look up!

Weekend Cooking: 4 Restaurants in Northern Vermont - in the Stowe & Montpelier areas

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week?  

You can also follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page. 

Remember to sign up for my Big Book Summer Challenge! You have plenty of time (until September) to read just 1 book (more if you want) with 400+ pages. Everyone has a chunkster like this (or dozens of them, like me!) on their shelves or TBR list. I hope you'll join the fun! (you don't need a blog to sign up - see the challenge page for details)

Weekend Cooking: 4 Restaurants in Northern Vermont

If you've been reading my blog lately, you know my husband and I recently spent a lovely week in Vermont. You can check out my recap of three VT bookstores we visited and my photos of the natural beauty in Vermont, and last week's Weekend Cooking: Great Restaurants in Manchester, VT. I am back with another Weekend Cooking post, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, as part of my series on restaurants in Vermont.

This week, I am focusing in on the northern half of Vermont. We didn't venture up to the far northern reaches of Vermont, but we spent a few days in the Stowe region and then stopped in Montpelier on our way back south. Here are four restaurants/coffee shops in northern Vermont that are worth a stop:

Delicious coffee from Black Cap warmed us up on a rainy day

Black Cap Coffee and Beer
On our only cold, rainy day during our trip, we escaped the campground to dry out and spend the day in town(s). Our first stop on our way through Morrisville was the brand-new Black Cap Coffee and Beer. You may think (as I did) that this is an odd combination for a coffee shop, but this is Vermont: craft beer and hand-crafted coffees are the norm here, so why not combine them? Even the gas stations sell Green Mountain Coffee (no Folger's or Maxwell House in sight). Black Cap has another location on Main Street in Stowe. This Morrisville shop had just opened when we were there. They sold all kinds of special coffees and teas, a nice selection of pastries, and sandwiches for lunch...as well as, yes, beer. We just grabbed a couple of coffees to go, but my latte was rich and decadent. I'm not supposed to eat sugar, but I really wanted to try the Maple Latte! It looked like a nice place to hang out.

Cozy dining room at The Whip (photo from Green Mountain Inn)

The Whip Bar & Grill
An old college friend of mine lives in Stowe, so we met her and her husband for lunch at The Whip, a restaurant located downstairs at the lovely Green Mountain Inn on Main Street in Stowe. It turned out to be an excellent choice for lunch, with a varied menu of salads, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees. The focus - as is true of most Vermont restaurants - is on fresh, local ingredients, and they have a nice selection of local beers.  The two men both ordered The Whip Burger, featuring Vermont grass-fed beef and local Cabot cheddar with fries. I ordered the Summer Salad with salmon on top, and my friend ordered a classic Reuben Sandwich. All of our meals were delicious - everyone was pleased with what they ordered - and service was excellent. I would definitely try The Whip for dinner as well.


El Toro Mexican Restaurant
By evening, the rain had stopped, but we decided to make a whole day of it and stay in town for dinner and a movie. We ate dinner at El Toro, a Mexican restaurant on Lower Main Street in Morrisville, VT (a town just northeast of Stowe and on our way to Elmore State Park, where we were camping). El Toro is a small, nicely decorated restaurant that was busy but not overcrowded on the Friday we were there. The menu (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) covers mostly basic Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. Salsa and chips were fresh and tasty. I ordered shrimp tacos and my husband ordered soft chicken tacos. Both were very good, though fairly simple in preparation. We enjoyed our meal and were out in plenty of time to catch Wonder Woman at the tiny local theater!

NECI on Main in Montpelier, VT

NECI on Main
On our way back south, we drove through Montpelier and stopped for lunch at NECI on Main, which I had read about and wanted to try. NECI is the New England Culinary Institute, located in the same building as this restaurant that showcases food by its students. They have two other restaurants in Montpelier: The Chef's Table and La Brioche, a bakery. NECI on Main only lists dinner on their website, but they are also open for lunch. The menu offered a nice range of small plates and entrees, including all kinds of soups, salads, and sandwiches, plus appetizers and main dishes. We both ordered the Fish & Chips, which my husband had the traditional way and I ordered with sweet potato fries. We also got a mixed greens salad to split (they offer a few items available to split). The waitress brought over our choice of 3 fresh breads: I chose sourdough and my husband got the country white and both were delicious. The salad greens were super-fresh with a tasty lemon vinaigrette. The fried cod was light and tasty, both kinds of fries were perfectly cooked, and the homemade coleslaw was excellent. We both enjoyed the meal very much, and I will definitely look for other Culinary Institute restaurants when we travel.


That's it for our northern Vermont culinary adventures - next week, I will finish this series with restaurants in central Vermont, including Woodstock and Bethel.

Saturday Snapshot: Summer Clouds

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads.

I took a walk around my neighborhood this week and was enthralled by the clouds in the blue sky. All of these were taken at the same time, though they look different. Remember to look up!

Fluffy white clouds in a blue, blue sky

Dark clouds moving in

Whispy lines of clouds

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Teen/YA Review: The Baby

-->

Last month, I listened to the audio book The Baby, a teen/YA novel by Lisa Drakeford. It’s about what happens when a teen girl has a baby, told from the perspective of her and four of her friends.

You know when you hear a story in the news about a teenager who suddenly gives birth (usually in a public restroom somewhere) and had no idea she was pregnant? That’s how this novel begins. Best friends Olivia and Nicola are getting ready for Olivia’s birthday party as the novel opens. Nic is feeling like she’s gained some weight recently, but she’s never been skinny, and Olivia assures her she looks great. The party starts and at some point, Nic disappears. When Olivia seeks her out and finds her in the bathroom, she is shocked to see that her BFF is in labor on her bathroom floor!

Nic has her baby, and an ambulance is called (and that’s the end of the birthday party). Nic’s early months at home with her mom and her newborn are difficult, and she feels isolated and overwhelmed. Olivia is nowhere to be found, but luckily, their mutual friend, Ben, comes by often. Ben is gay and has his own difficulties, but he is very supportive of Nic. Olivia (and her little sister, Alice) is worried about her abusive boyfriend, Jonty. And though Olivia doesn’t visit Nic and the new baby, Alice, who is thought of by her peers as strange, is enthralled by baby Eliza and comes by often to help Nic.

This novel is narrated by the five main characters, in turn: Olivia, Nic, Jonty, Ben, and Alice. Each tells a section of the story, from his or her own perspective but melding together to tell the complete story. Each character is struggling with his or her own problems and secrets, which are revealed bit by bit. There are several surprising plot twists.

At first, I expected this novel to be a bit of light fluff – just some amusing teen fiction – but it turned out to have far more emotional depth than I first assumed. The novel deals with serious topics like teenage sex and pregnancy, domestic abuse, and bullying. Hearing from each character in turn adds layers of complexity to what at first seems like a simple story. It’s interesting to see that what is happening from one character’s perspective may be entirely different from what is behind the scenes with another character. The audio production was very good. I enjoyed this intricate novel even more than I expected to and look forward to reading more from this new-to-me author.

256 pages, Chicken House

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

The Baby
by Lisa DrakefordHardcover

 Or purchase from Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT:

The Baby

   

Or purchase The Baby from Book Depository.

Middle-Grade Review: NewsPrints

-->

I enjoy reading graphic novels, especially as a palate cleanser between longer or more difficult books. I recently enjoyed NewsPrints by Ru Xu, a middle-grade graphic novel set in a steampunk world, with an intriguing plot and endearing characters.

Blue is an orphaned girl who disguises herself as a boy so that she can be a newsboy, selling the Nautilene Bugle all over the city. Being a newsboy also means that she was taken in – along with many other boys orphaned by the ongoing 10-year war with Grimmaea – by the city Mayor and his wife, who also run the newspaper. Blue and her fellow orphans are happy with the kind couple and their makeshift family, but Blue does wish she could be herself and still have this life.

One day, Blue runs into a large building that she thought was abandoned and discovers Jack, an inventor whose incredible machines are scattered all over his workshop. Jack is the classic absent-minded scientist and asks Blue if she will be his assistant. Gradually, Blue comes to realize that Jack’s work might actually be important and not just whimsical. One day, Blue accompanies Jack to the Nautilene Naval Base and meets a mysterious boy named Crow. He seems to be a kindred spirit, and Blue wants to help him.

The plot continues and is quite intricate, but I don’t want to spoil the story for you with any more details. Blue is a kind and likeable character who is always stumbling onto trouble, and the other characters around her are equally full of life and personality. The illustrations have a vibrant, manga-like feel to them, colored in mostly shades of browns and blues that give the story an old-fashioned feel, while the steampunk details add intrigue.

Blue and Jack looking for parts at a pawn shop.

It’s a rollicking, fast-paced adventure with plenty of suspense and surprises in store for young readers. The graphic novel also delves into issues of friendship, the effects of war, gender equality, and especially, being true to yourself. Young readers will enjoy going on this journey with Blue and her friends and discovering the mysteries at the heart of it. Although the main story is mostly wrapped up, the war continues, and the ending makes it clear that Blue will have more adventures in a sequel – something to look forward to!

202 pages, Graphix by Scholastic

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Newsprints
by Xu, R. R.Trade Paperback

    
Purchase NewsPrints from Book Depository.

Or purchase from Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT:

Newsprints

   

TV Tuesday: Food Network Star

So, you may have noticed that after several years and many dozens of TV Tuesdays, I have not reviewed a single reality show. That's unusual, given how much of what is on TV now is reality TV. There's a simple reason for that: I really don't watch reality TV. I prefer scripted dramas or comedies and watch a very wide range of those, but there are only two reality shows I watch.

One is The Amazing Race, which is still - well, amazing after all these years. We used to watch it with our sons and loved cheering the teams on together, but I'm the only one left in my family who still watches it. The other reality show I watch is Food Network Star - I love to cook, I love to eat good food, and I enjoy this reality show that focuses on improving skills in the kitchen and on camera. The bonus: my son who rarely watches TV will sit and watch it with me if I turn it on during lunch!

The concept of Food Network Star is quite simple (and obvious from the title!) - it is a competition to find a chef who will be given their own show on Food Network. Pretty cool. The really cool part is that not all of the contestants are professional chefs (though many are) - some are caterers or chefs-in-training or even just people who cook for their families. There are usually 12 contestants in all, and each week presents them with different cooking challenges. Sometimes they work in teams and sometimes they are solo. Challenges almost always include some sort of presentation at the end, with the contestants learning how to handle appearing on camera. Usually one person (sometimes two) is eliminated each week, based on the appearance and taste of their food and the quality of their presentation. At the end, three finalists record pilots for their own shows, and one person is chosen as the winner and goes on to have his or her own Food Network show.

I enjoy watching the challenges, the cooking, and the presentations, but it is also fun to watch the relationships that develop over the course of the show. One reason I like this show and not other reality TV is that I really don't enjoy watching people be mean to each other! The contestants here are generally supportive of each other, and the judges - lately, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis - are also kind and supportive, often giving someone who messes up but seems to have potential another chance.

The show is now in its 13th season (episode 4 just aired). I think this is the 3rd or 4th season I have watched. It's fun to see one of the contestants on Food Network later, or even - occasionally - making it big. I just discovered in researching this post that Guy Fieri - renowned now for Guy's Big Bites and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (one of our faves) - was the winner of season 2!

Season 13 is now available On Demand through cable providers. My own On Demand doesn't list the episodes in order (for some strange reason), so I refer to this episode list to figure out which one comes next - the show really doesn't make sense if you watch it out of order! You can also watch full episodes of the current season for free on the Food Network website. The current season - and most past seasons - are also available on Amazon for $1.99 an episode or a full season starting at $9.99 (some are longer than others) - see links below. And if you are interested in the history of the show and past winners, I found the Food Network Star Wikipedia page very interesting.

Do you watch any reality shows? Have you seen Food Network Star yet?



         

Movie Monday: Wonder Woman

During our recent vacation camping in Vermont, my husband and I had one cold, rainy day to contend with, so we left the campground to go into town. We met old friends for lunch, did some shopping, and then decided to just make a full day of it, with dinner and a movie in Morrisville, VT. The tiny movie theater there was showing the brand-new Wonder Woman movie, so we decided to see what all the fuss was about. We enjoyed this action-packed adventure very much.

I grew up in the 70's with the Superfriends cartoons and Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman on prime time, so I am well-acquainted with the famed female superhero. This new look at Wonder Woman, in the wake of dozens of comic book superhero movies in the past decade, finally gives her her due.

Israeli actress Gal Gadot stars in this new Wonder Woman film as Diana, Princess of the Amazons, later known as just Diana Prince. The movie opens on the secret island of the Amazon women, where they live and train together in a peaceful society. Connie Nielson plays Diana's mother, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, and Robin Wright stars as Antiope, Diana's aunt and the fiercest warrior among this race of warrior women. Lilly Aspell is wonderful (and adorable) as the young Diana, eager to learn to fight, against her mother's wishes.

The Amazons' peaceful life is shattered when a WWI pilot crashes into the sea near their island, somehow getting through their protective barrier, followed closely by a German ship that is chasing him. After the Amazons defeat the German invaders, Steve Trevor, the downed pilot and spy who is played by Chris Pine, explains to Diana about the war that is tearing apart the human world. Diana, now a courageous young woman, feels a strong and compassionate need to help stop the war and leaves the island with Steve, despite her mother's pleas to stay.

Once in London, Steve and Diana try to deliver Steve's urgent intelligence about a new German chemical weapon to the British leaders, but they are unsuccessful in convincing them to act on this knowledge. Steve gathers a few friends, and their ragtag group heads off for the front to try to disrupt the German plan on their own. Along the way, though the men are mostly accustomed to the ravages of war, Diana is appalled by the suffering she sees and refuses to leave needy people unassisted. She gradually discovers powers that she didn't know she possessed.

As you would expect from any superhero movie, Wonder Woman is packed with action and suspense. Its battle scenes often incorporate slow-motion action so you can see Diana's moves up close. Given the subject matter, there is also the underlying spy movie plot, pitting good against evil, complete with mad scientists. What makes or breaks a superhero movie for me is the presence of humor, and there is plenty here, mostly through the motley crew Steve has assembled and some fish-out-of-water stuff when Diana visits London. There is also a hint of romance, as Diana and Steve are clearly attracted to each other.

The cast of the movie - both the Amazons in the beginning and the main characters in the war sequences - are excellent, and Gal Gadot seems like the perfect Wonder Woman (no offense, Lynda Carter). We both thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful and entertaining movie. I'm not a huge fan of superhero movies, but I liked the humor and compassion in Wonder Woman, and I looking forward to its sequels.

Wonder Woman is currently in theaters. The DVD release is estimated for sometime in August, and you can pre-order both the DVD and the streaming version on Amazon now (links below).