August Book Reviews

I notice we haven't been on here much lately, but here's my post in hopes of reigniting the blog! 

As a Librarian working primarily in Youth Services, I have spent ample time learning my Library's collection and reading A LOT of book reviews for children and young adult literature. What I don't to do as often is actually read the books... and I often wonder how the other Librarians working in my field are able to read the amount they do.  

As a member of both YALSA and ALSC, I am subscribed to the groups' listservs and receive tons of emails daily about everything from the newest best books you've read to discussion of controversial books, to requests for more titles similar to "enter your choice here" to even stumpers!!  Every time a Librarian posts a plea for "Help -- Stumper" and goes on to describe the book their patron is looking for, it never fails -- somebody on the listserv is able to name the title and author of the book! It's really an incredible tool, and it never ceases to amaze me that the stumper is solved often within the hour.  But my bigger question  --  HOW is it possible they all have read everything under the sun?! Seriously, do they ever get sleep?!

Anyways, tangent aside, I wanted to share three titles I've recently read -- all of which fall into the children or YA literature category, but nonetheless, are books even adults can enjoy.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

I'm still not sure how I missed reading this book as a child. Now reading it in my twenties, I can't believe I missed out on it -- it is perhaps one of my all-time favorites in children's literature. 

Following the death of her beloved grandfather, Kit Tyler, a young woman raised in Barbados, travels to the New World to find her only remaining living relatives in Wethersfield of the Connecticut Colony. As she tries to adapt to this new and different way of life, she never ceases to shock the rigid and solemn Puritan community in Wethersfield by her outlandish ways. In turn, she is shocked and struggles to fit in with the severe strictness of the Puritan way of life. She meets and befriends the lonely old widow, Hannah Tupper, who lives by the Blackbird Pond, and her friendship with the woman helps give Kit the strength to face her trials. 

But when an illness strikes the community, the townspeople are quick to call blame Hannah, for they believe she practices witchcraft and are fearful of her because she is a Quaker, with beliefs that greatly differ from their own theology. Kit must find to courage to do what is right and stand against her tormentors when she too is put on trial for witchcraft.  

A few things that particularly struck me about this book.  Though it was published in 1958, it reads like it could have been published yesterday.  Much of the language is of course older sounding and fits with the setting of 1687 colonial America, but the novel overall feels like it was written for today's audience. It was later revealed by a Newbery Committee member that this title won the 1959 Newbery Medal unanimously on the first ballot, which is an exceptionally rare occurrence -- I don't believe it's happened since.  

Speare also does a fantastic job with her characters and accurately portraying early Colonial America and the ups and downs to the rigid ways of Puritanism.  While she reveals some of the good traits, she also shows the great evil that comes from their harsh intolerance of others and those who believe different from them.   It's interesting while her book illustrates how fear and hysteria about witchcraft in Colonial America led to horrible events, the same thing was happening in our country right during Speare's era with the Cold War and the fear of communism in America.  Perhaps a bit of a statement on Speare's part regarding current events.  Excellent all around book and truly one that can be enjoyed by all ages.  Recommended for everyone ages 8+. 

Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

A truly amazing and horrifying story that sheds abundant light on the history of the atomic bomb and how it has elevated to the constant existing threat of nuclear annihilation that we face today. This single project would forever change worldwide warfare as we know it. Sheinkin's well-written book weaves together three main narratives: America's top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II, the Soviets' attempts to steal the top-secret information from inside Los Alamos itself, and the Allied attempts to thwart any German attempt at building an atomic bomb.  

Sheinkin succeeds not only in breaking down tough scientific concepts behind the atomic bomb for the average reader, but also creates a factual historic novel that reads much like a fast-paced crime thriller. This is an excellent read for middle grade readers and up, especially for those who have an interest in history and World War II. 

Quite frankly, I knew very little about the atomic bomb prior to reading this book. It has potential to provoke excellent discussion, particularly where ethics and morals are concerned.  Was it ethical to use such a destructive weapon?  It's said it could have saved thousands...probably at least tens of thousands of American soldiers from further battle in Japan -- but at the cost of thousands and thousands of civilian lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Is the world a safer place with such weapons? Could the world ever survive another world war? One thing's for sure -- it'll never be the same. A really interesting topic that is still quite relevant in our world today. 

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan  

This is a book I didn't have particularly high hopes for but after both positive reviews from Kirkus (which isn't an easy feat) and from friends, I decided to give it a go... and was pleasantly surprised. 

First things first -- there are A LOT of paranormal, particularly vampire, books out there.  When you step into a YA section today, you can get lost in it and it's difficult to sift through and find the gems amongst the garbage. 

Main character Mel is absolutely dismayed when arrogant and gorgeous Francis Durvarney is allowed to start at her high school. Because he is undead.  To her further dismay, her best friend, Cathy immediately falls for him and becomes hell-bent on being with him forever, even though a transition going wrong could mean becoming a zombie. Mel is determined to get through to her best friend, and prove that Francis is no good, meanwhile helping her friend solve a mystery involving the undead and overcoming some of her own prejudices when she meets a human guy raised by vampires.  

I know, I know... sounds a bit ridiculous, right? I thought so too. But let me say a few things about why I actually enjoyed it.  First off -- it was funny. Very funny. It starts a bit slow, and doesn't sound particularly unique at first,  but really picks up a little ways in.  Sure, it's absolutely a parody of the Twilight series, along with some even older vampire tales, and yet, it turns out to be much more than that, definitely going some places I didn't expect.  The characters are pretty well developed,and most even turn out quite likable!   They are flawed and realistic, and grow.  There's a dose of teen angst, but it doesn't overpower the book.  Refreshingly, there's no love triangle. The minor vampire characters I found extremely entertaining.  The "Bella" character, [Cathy] actually has hobbies (yay!) and the book overall had it's own plot and story to tell, which makes it so much more than just a satire. 

Out of all the vampire books out there, this one is worth checking out. It you're in the mood for a teen paranormal with dry humor, definitely check it out!  It may not be for everybody, but it was much better for me than I had expected!  

I'm Finally Finished!

I'm finally done! I did it! I made the adorable little clutch that Theresa posted... umm... errrr... a MONTH ago!? Please keep in mind this is my first sewing project in ten years.

I found my fabric and started cutting....

Note that these pictures do not include the multiple scraps I made by not paying attention to the sizes I should have been cutting.

Then I got out the sewing machine. With my nose in the manual, my encouraging husband commented that it looked like it would be easier to just go out and buy a bag....

I loaded the bobbin up and shoved it in the shuttle. Then I successfully threaded up the machine with my wonderful, bright pink thread. I was feeling pretty pleased at this point.

Then I tried raising the bobbin thread. FAIL.

I called mom and I called friends. No success. Had to wait until Monday to bring it to my friend who generously loaned me the machine. Monday sort of turned into Wednesday because I forgot the machine one morning and left it in the car Tuesday.

Thus why it is now Thursday.

But look at how adorable it is!!!

Ok, I have a lot to learn in the sewing department. The corners and sides are a bit wobbly, but I was very happy with my first attempt. I can't wait to find more great fabrics to make this little bag in as well as try more sewing projects!

For directions, please visit Theresa's earlier post. She has some great tips. Or, the original blog, The Elm Street Life by Whitney.

MIA

Apologies for the lack of posting! This isn't even going to be exciting: no pictures, no crafts, very little productivity.

However, I have some incredibly good excuses :)

I LOVED Theresa's last post about her little black clutch. I even got to see it in person over St. Patrick's day weekend. She hadn't done the post yet, and I just kept gushing over it and exclaiming at random intervals that I really wanted to make one, no make twenty, of them in different colors for every girl I knew. I guess she got the hint that I really needed instructions, because she promptly returned home and put up her post ;) Thanks Theresa!

So I saved up coupons, reviewed who needed an adorable little clutch and a homemade gift, and finally set out to JoAnn's a week ago (It's a half hour away, so I like to plan the trip when I have multiple stops to make). I got this great printed linen for the exterior and I was sooo excited throughout the rest of my shopping trip (Well, the five new dresses I also picked up may or may not have been contributing to my state of euphoria) that I couldn't wait to get home and start my new project.

Upon my return home, I proudly showed my new outfits to my poor husband, who tried really hard to look as happy as I was, and enthusiastically started to organize my other craft finds. I picked up the stencil that I got at Michael's for fifty percent off, and opened it up while imagining all the great things I was going to use it on - canvas bags, tee shirts, glass vases, napkins, kitchen towels, etc - when I noticed that all of the pieces weren't punched out! I looked at it again in disbelief. I must just be looking at it wrong, I thought. But no, right in the middle of several of the stencils are the unpunched pieces of the design! I was a bit deflated. I was going to have to go alllll the way back. But I still had my fabric and I was going to start my clutch and FINALLY get out the sewing machine.

Alas, my project wasn't meant to be. No, it's just meant for another day. The woman at JoAnn's didn't cut out the correct amount of interfacing! And she charged me for the amount I wanted.

I've planned the trip for returns and exchanges next Thursday. Expect to see warm and sunny pictures from Myrtle Beach along with the new purse!

The Perfect Little Clutch

After trying to find my sister the perfect clutch purse for her birthday, I was exhausted! I ended finding one that was good enough, but most of them were either too expensive or just not pretty. So, I decided that I was going to figure out how to make my own, so that in the future if I needed a clutch for a certain occasion, I could just whip one up! I ended up finding a great blog called The Elm Street Life with incredibly easy instructions on how to make a basic clutch, but a very pretty one. I did not actually take too many pictures when I was doing this project, so the pictures below are just an overview of the fabric and the way it turned out!

These are the materials that I used. I used black linen for the outside, and this beautiful floral cotton fabric for  the lining. Finally, the white is the 808 Pellon interfacing that the instructions call for. With my coupons for Joanns, the whole clutch cost me only $12 to make!

The end result!

One of my favorite parts - the awesome lining!

Like I said, Whitney's blog, The Elm Street Life has such great instructions for this bag! They are easy to follow for even the beginner sewer. My clutch only took me two nights to sew together. Check it out!

Refurbished Desk

This desk has been in my parents' house for as long as I can remember. It was built by my uncle and then given to my parents. My mom used it as her sewing desk before she replaced it with a newer version. So, for the past few years, it has sat in my parents' garage collecting dusk and spider webs. When Dan and I moved into our new house, I mentioned to my mom that I was looking to buy a cheap desk for my craft room. She suggested I use my uncle's desk which I wasn't exactly thrilled with, but decided to give it a try. I've always been interested in learning how to sand and paint furniture so this was the perfect piece to try it on!

The first thing I did was sand down the desk with a 60 grit sponge hand sander to get the stain sealer off. Then I went over the desk with my electric 80 grit sander to smooth it out.

Then I used Zinsser White Primer to prime the desk for the paint. I decided to do two thin coats of primer on the desk leaving a few hours in between each coat for it to dry. 

I then used Olympic Latex Satin White Paint to coat the desk with two coats of paint. I felt like I needed those two coats to even everything out. (As you can see, I took this picture after finishing the project ;) )

Finally, I used Minwax Polycrylic Sealer to seal in the paint. I just used one coat to seal in the paint and it works great!

As the final step, I picked out new hardware from Lowe's and assembled them on the desk. I love the finished project and feel like it is a completely new desk!

Reluctant Reviewer: Part 1

I've always loved to read. As a kid I read through the entire Bobbsey Twins series and quickly moved onto Nancy Drew by late 3rd grade. My mom didn't quite know what to make of my sister, an equally avid reader, and me. We had very strange rules such as: You may not read at the table during meals, and you may not get out more than ten books at a time from the library. Yes, we had restrictions on reading. To be fair, I know for a fact that reading interfered with doing chores, and I was known for losing books, so they were probably appropriate rules.

I still love to read. For the past five months, I think I've raced through approximately a book a week. However, as I've gotten older, I've noticed I don't remember things very well, and it's quite embarrassing and frustrating when I finally pick up the second book in a series after a two month lapse from the first book, and notice I have a hard time recalling characters and the overall plot.

My solution: write book reviews. I've started on Goodreads.com by writing really brief reviews, but I'm always a bit worried I'm going to include a spoiler. So they generally go like this: Great book, incredible suspense, couldn't put it down. Yeah... that's really going to help me remember the storyline.

Ok, honestly, the part about worrying whether I'm going to spoil the book for someone else is really just an excuse. The truth is, I think I'm a terrible book reviewer. When I think about the last time I wrote something remotely academic, I cringe. It's been a pretty long time. Like five years long time. I don't think I'm going to do the books justice.

However, I'm fleeing my comfort zone, because I finished two books last month that were too fantastic not to share. They were recommended by my dear friend, Faith, who is not only an accomplished book reviewer, but also an aspiring author. Check out her blog for other great books and the first chapters of her own books here.

The first book I want to share is Code Name Verity written by Elizabeth Wein.

Recommended as young adult fiction, I, as a full blown adult, truly enjoyed this novel.Wein uses a wonderful combination of fact and imagination to craft two irresistible friends living during the nightmarish era of World War II.  In the midst of the horrors of war, these unlikely friends are drawn together by their unorthodox, but exciting jobs; pilot and spy for England. Filled with adventure, suspense,tough choices, and true friendship, this book left me awake almost the entire night even after I finished it at 1:30am. 

Ok, it's official, I'm really a terrible book reviewer. However, if I say any more at all, I'll probably ruin the entire book. So I guess you're just going to have to take my advice, check it out of the library, and prepare yourself for an entire day off because you won't be able to put it down.  

Second book review coming soon....

Dr. Seuss Part 2

So, I was originally going to post these projects one-by-one in parts 2, 3, 4, etc. but as life would have it - I just didn't get around to it! So, here are all the Dr. Seuss projects that I had at my Dr. Seuss party yesterday! It was quite a success and all the children and their parents had a lot of fun!

1. One, Fish, Two Fish Toss Game

The first thing I did was find a picture of a fish online that I liked and would be easy to cut out. Then I pinned  it to a piece of felt and cut out two identical pieces.

 Then I sewed the two pieces together and left a small hole as an opening so that I could stuff it.

 I stuffed the fish with some "fluff" that I use for stuffing pillows. I then pinned it back together and sewed it closed.

The last step was adding a white felt eye for each of them and they were all finished! The kids really enjoyed taking turns tossing the fish in the basket!

2. Costume

For the party, my co-teacher and I decided to dress up as Thing 1 and Thing 2. I got two red t-shirts at JoAnns for $3.50 and decided to sew on the logos! I learned how to print on fabric from Pinterest (of course). You iron your fabric onto freezer paper and it makes it stiff enough to go through the printer!

I printed out a Thing 1 and Thing 2 logo on the fabric. 

I cut it out and decided to add a second layer of fabric under it to make it thicker and not so see-through.

I used a liquid stitch to keep it tight against the shirt. I then added a quick stitch around the outside for reinforcement.

I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out!

3. The kids' projects

This was a project that I came up with that day! It is the Lorax's Truffula Trees! I used yellow pipe cleaners and feathers on orange paper to really give it a Lorax-feel!

I also came up with this that day! We realized we didn't have enough crafts for the party so I cut the different pieces of the Lorax's body and had the kids glue them together!

This is a project off of Pinterest, so I can't claim creative rights to it ;). But I couldn't help post this because it came out so cute! We painted the bowtie and penne pasta red and white! We printed out the Cat in the Hat face and glue it onto a clothespin! To finish it we hot glued a magnet on the back so it could be a refrigerator magnet for the kids artwork!

4. Finished Cat in the Hat

I let the kids color him - I think they did a pretty good job! Then I laminated it and cut it out. He was a wonderful addition to our party!

5. The snack

The last thing we did was a Green Eggs snack. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of it, but it came out really cute! We dyed pudding green to make the green part and added a vanilla wafer in the middle to make the green eggs!

I'm sorry this post is sooooo long, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!