Halloween Picture Books

Just a couple of my faves for this spooky day:

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara

Roaring Brook Press

A girl and her cat go to live in the house on the edge of town that turns out to be...haunted! But the girl doesn't mind, because she's actually a witch and she knows how to make ghosts useful. A clever story with really fun three tone illustrations.

Thirteen O'Clock by James Stimson

Chronicle Books

A different girl lives in a house where the clock strikes 13. And when it does, all sorts of strange creatures creep out the woodwork and head up the stairs to where the girl waits hidden... but it's the creatures who get the scare in this whimsically illustrated tale of a "perky prankster in pajamas".

Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo

Feiwel & Friends

Yet another girl longs to fly, especially when the moon shines on her through her window. It's a inspiring tale of a girl who tries and tries, failing often, but never gives up on her dream. Written as a sestina, an old form of poetry from the 12th century, the rhythms seem strange at first, but draw you in slowly and firmly, the words entrancing you with their bold imagery.

Hope you are having a happy halloween! What are some of your favorite halloween themed picture books?

Book Review: Sometimes We're Always Real Same Same by Mattox Roesch

Alaska is one of the few states I’ve never visited, so everything I know about it is secondhand. Unalakleet, a remote Alaskan village, sounded like an intriguing place to “virtually” visit, and so I waded into this debut novel. As seen through the eyes of 17 year old LA gang banger Cesar, who accompanies his native Eskimo mother back to live with her family after her divorce from Cesar’s father, “Unk” is a desolate place, full of strangers (many related to him), fish, and not much else.

At first Cesar doesn’t plan to stay, but his fear of what his gang might do to him for ditching them and his fascination with manic-depressive cousin Go-Boy keep him around. Cesar often flashes back to his own buried secrets while confronting those of people in town and minimizes his own feelings of guilt by concluding that everyone in the world has done ugly things.

Cesar’s rationalizations are hard to swallow, and in my opinion, the novel went too easy on him. Perhaps his biggest punishment is his inability to form close relationships with girlfriends, but compared to the imprisonment, suicide attempts, and deaths of people close to him, it seems out of balance somehow.

Despite my overall lukewarm reception of the characters and plot, there were compelling scenes scattered throughout that showed great insight into modern Eskimo culture, my favorite being the funeral/wake at the bowling alley.

SOMETIMES WE’RE ALWAYS REAL SAME SAME is available in paperback. Find out more about it on the author's website.

Book Review: Lips Touch by Laini Taylor

I’ve just read three intoxicating stories about kisses with the power to change destinies.

The first, Goblin Fruit, was my favorite (quite possibly the best thing I read all year) and concerns Kizzy, an “urgent, unkissed, wishful girl” growing up somewhere slightly outside modern day suburbia with her large, odd family of gypsies. Although her grandmother has warned her about goblins – and never tasting fruit out of season – Kizzy is charmed by a gorgeous new boy, Jack Husk, bearing a picnic of likely unearthly delights.

The writing here is so masterly and melodic that I read whole passages aloud, savoring the way the words rolled off my tongue. Here’s a sample passage about the woman Kizzy might one day become:

She was the one who would some day know a dozen ways to wear a silk scarf, how to read the sky for rain and coax feral animals near, how to purr throaty love songs in Portuguese and Basque, how to lay a vampire to rest, how to light a cigar, how to light a man’s imagination on fire.

If she lived to womanhood. (p 24)

The whole story reminded me of a lyric from one of my favorite Tori Amos songs, Cooling:

And is your place in heaven worth giving up these kisses?

I know if I met Jack Husk, I’d have a hard time resisting him….

Story number two, Spicy Little Curses Such As These, is set in India in British colonial times and concerns a deal made between a demon in hell and the earth’s ambassador to hell, an elderly British woman named Estella. In exchange for the souls of 22 children, Estella consents to a curse being put on a newborn girl that if she should ever speak, the sound of her voice would kill all those who heard it.

This is also a love story that very cleverly weaves in the superstitions of the day, peppered with a bit of outsider doubt, to make a truly delectable reading experience.

The prologue to this one is such a sweet tease:

Kissing can ruin lives. Lips touch, sometimes teeth clash. New hunger is born with a throb and caution falls away. A cursed girl with lips still moist from her first kiss might feel suddenly wild, like a little monsoon. She might forget her curse just long enough to get careless and let it come true. She might kill everyone she loves.

She might, and she might not. (p 69)

Story number three, Hatchling, is the longest and the most involved, thanks to its complex mythology involving immortal beings without souls called Druj that long to take part in the human experience. It all starts with a 14 year old London girl named Esme:

Six days before Esme’s fourteenth birthday, her left eye turned from brown to blue. It happened in the night. She went to sleep with brown eyes, and when she woke at dawn to the howling of wolves, her left eye was blue. (p 145)

Esme’s mother Mab is terrified by the change and tries to escape with her daughter and little by little, we learn about the origins of Mab’s nightmares, why you should be wary of one eyed animals, and how a soulless being might possibly patch together a soul…

Hatchling is a more traditional fantasy story but still with a healthy dose of the lyrical language and fairy-tale character that make the first two stories so hauntingly, achingly beautiful.

And added treat is the artwork by Jim Di Bartolo that accompanies the stories.

LIPS TOUCH is out in hardcover now. Find out more about this recent National Book Award nominee on the author’s website.

Waiting On Wednesday (40) So Much For That by Lionel Shriver

Gayle of Everyday I Write the Book blog alerted me to the fact that Lionel Shriver has a new novel coming out next March, and having really enjoyed WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and THE POST BIRTHDAY WORLD, I am really excited about this one - and with its focus on the US health care system, it's very timely too.

Here's the blurb from amazon.co.uk

What do you pack for the rest of your life? Shepherd Knacker is bored with his humdrum existence. He's sold his successful handy-man business for a million dollars and is now ready to embark on his 'Afterlife' - a one way ticket to a small island off the coast of Africa. He tries to convince his wife Glynis to come with him, but she laughs off the idea as preposterous.There's no way she'll let Shepherd uproot the family to some far-flung African island.

When Glynis is diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer, Shepherd's dreams of an exotic adventure are firmly put on hold. He devotes himself to caring for his sick wife, watching her fade before his eyes.

Shepherd's best friend Jackson knows all too well about illness. His sixteen year old daughter has spent her life dosed up on every treatment going while he and his wife Carol feed their youngest daughter sugar pills so she won't feel left out. But then Jackson undergoes a medical procedure of his own which has devastating consequences.

So Much For That is a deeply affecting novel, told with Lionel Shriver's trademark originality, intelligence and acute perception of the human condition.

Sounds good! Oh, and this appears to be the UK cover, but since I'll probably be getting the UK version anyway, it's fine for me.

WoW is hosted by Jill - head over there to see what other bloggers are looking forward to this week.

Library Thing Tuesday (77) + Picture of Emmy

Did you know you can read an author's last 3 tweets using a platform on LibraryThing? Wendi's post tells you how. So the question for today is: Have you checked out any of the links/tweets on some of the author pages for the books in your bookshelves? Have you added any links/twitter information yourself?

This is the first time I've heard of this, but it sounds really useful. I love following authors on twitter and am always looking to add more. My twitter handle is @lenoreva and if you follow me (and don't look like spam), I'll likely follow you back within a few days.

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Finn seems to be recovered from his surgery. He still needs to take antibiotics for the next few days (in the form of a pill - which is no problem to get down when wrapped in turkey). Here's how we found our kittehs recently:

Here Finn (the whiter kitteh) looks almost as big as Emmy, but she still has nearly a whole kilo advantage.

Book Review: Amberville by Tim Davys

Eric Bear’s perfect life is threatened when crime boss Nicholas Dove comes by to call in a favor. He’s rumored to be on the stuffed animal Death List (which may or may not exist) and he wants Eric to find a way to take him off… or else…

Early on, as I struggled to make sense of the Amberville world, I wondered if perhaps the whole story was in the mind of some twisted human child who owned tons of stuffed animals and was moving them around, “playing” as kids are known to do. Physically, the stuffed animals always stay the same shape - they just fray around the edges as they “age” - which made me think of our world’s rules. But then, they apparently eat, write novels, gamble, and engage in all kinds of everyday activities that would seem to indicate that they are really living, breathing creations.

Well – there is one main thing they can’t do besides change shape, and that is procreate. When the stuffed animals want to have children, they apply for a place on the Cub List, and one lucky day, a green truck delivers a bundle of joy. Correspondingly, a red truck comes when a stuffed animal's time in Amberville is over. Are the two related? Who writes the lists? Is it possible to change the lists? Why are there lists anyway? Why can’t stuffed animals just live forever? These are the questions Eric and the novel ask over the course of the both twisty and surprisingly philosophical narrative.

Although there are some passages that seem rather pointless at the time you read them, they eventually pay off in a clever fashion. So if you’re a moderately patient reader with a penchant for the bizzare (and don’t mind a sometimes clunky translation - the original is in Swedish), you should get a kick out of AMBERVILLE.

AMBERVILLE is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it (and watch a trailer) at its official website.

Read-a-thon goals accomplished: 500 comments!

I did it - 500 comments. I tried to visit every blog that signed up, and I left a comment as long as it was fairly easy to do so. It was wonderful to see everyone's progress and the mini-challenges were lots of fun.

Now for the end of readathon meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
None in particular. I went to bed and slept for 5 hrs and then Emmy woke me up by biting my earplug out of my ear.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Everyone reading the Hunger Games seemed to be enjoying it. Which is more than I can say for How I Live Now.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nope - if it aint broke, don't fix it!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Everyone was really enthusiastic. I even had people cheering on my cheerleading!
5. How many books did you read?
Only 1.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
AMBERVILLE by Tim Davys (343 pages)
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Guess it would have to be that one.
8. Which did you enjoy least?
Ditto ;)
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Setting a goal for yourself is essential. And keep track of how many blogs you visit so you can see your progress.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
We'll see! If the time is right, I'd love to participate again. I don't know that I would go for 500 comments again though!

I'd like to say I'm going to take a nap now, but unfortunately, it looks like Finn may have an infection from his surgery. He's thrown up 6 times and is totally lethargic and hot. We are going to the vet here soon. Hope it's nothing serious. Poor little guy.

Read-a-thon Progress - 250 comments left so far!

Yep, you heard me right - I've been all over creation leaving little comments of readathon cheer. I've learned a few things along the way:

1. Many people do not know how to use Mr. Linky properly - yahoo.com? Seriously?
2. I REALLY hate word verification (I hated it before, but even more so now)
3. There are a ton of books being read right now! Some people are up to 13!
4. It takes a long time to leave 250 comments - whew!
5. Readathon is a great event and the organizers are really on top of things!!

Going to take a break now to read some more. But I will be back. After all, I still have 250 more comments to leave ;)

Read-a-thon a Go! + Welcome Meme

Whew - just visited and commented on 20 blogs since the official start of the read-a-thon...

It's great to see how fired up everyone is and see everyone's beautiful stacks of books.

Here's my hour one meme:

Where are you reading from today? Though I signed up officially to cheerlead, I will also be reading unofficially. I'm at home. It is a foggy, yucky day here in Frankfurt, so I love being inside reading, leaving comments, and cuddling with the cats. Finn is doing much better today after his surgery - thanks for your concern!

3 facts about me … That no one knows already? Hmmm... How about my shoe size is 9 1/2 (that's 40 in European sizes). I just bought a new coat which I LOVE. My grandmother once bought me 20 Precious Moments figurines for Christmas (I could write a whole post on her crazy gift-giving!)

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Right now, I am reading AMBERVILLE by Tim Davys. I decided to concentrate on thrillers today, so I have about 6 lined up, though I doubt I will get to them all.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I'd like to finish a couple of books at least, but my main focus is on cheerleading. I signed up for 4 hours, but I plan to do more! I'd say my goal is at least 500 comments. Is that crazy?!

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time? I've done one read-a-thon before (motherreader's 48 hr one), and my best advice is to pick short books so you'll feel like you are accomplishing something!

Have fun everyone!

ETA 3:39 PM CET

#readathon is a trending topic on Twitter! I took a short break to empty out the dishwasher and observe the kittehs doing their kitteh sauna, but I have left 55 comments so far. A good pace I think.

Friday Fabulous! (17)

Time for another Friday Fabulous list!

1. I will be cheerleading for the 24 hour read-a-thon tomorrow as well as some reading I'm sure. This is such a fun community event and I look forward to checking in on everyone's progress (366 participants in all so far - how many will I manage to visit?)

2. Lauren of Shooting Stars Mag and Chelsea of The Page Flipper are doing the Leave a Mark auctions again this year to benefit First Book. I ADORE marked up books so you can be sure I'll be bidding again. I won two books last year, and it is just too fun to get that behind the scenes look at books direct from the authors themselves.

3. Nicole of Linus Blanket is starting a new radio show interviewing book bloggers called That's How I Blog! She's doing a trial run of 12 shows with fab book bloggers starting next week and going until mid-January. I am so excited that she asked me to participate! My show will be in January, and of course I'll remind you when the time comes.

4. In addition to all those books I brought home from the Frankfurt Book Fair last week, I also got a couple more in the mail and bought some. When my dad told me I got Courtney Summer's latest SOME GIRLS ARE, I squealed. Of the advanced readers who have reviewed in on GoodReads so far, not one has given it less than 5 stars!! I also got Lauren McLaughlin's RECYCLER, Catherine Fisher's INCARCERON, and Lucy Christopher's STOLEN.

5. Finn got neutered today (which isn't fab, but rather sad) and we were much relieved that the pre-op ultrasound showed that his missing testicle was just under the surface of where it should have been instead of floating around somewhere that would have necessitated cutting open his belly. He's sleeping on my lap as I type and we hope for a speedy recovery.

6. My new non-paranoid book club met on Wednesday to great success. We discussed Kathleen Kent's THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER which I actually read and reviewed last year. Hachette was extremely generous and donated 10 copies of the book and are setting up a telephone date with the author for us as well. The reaction the novel was overwhelmingly positive, though one member maintained that no one could ever do the Salem witch trials better than Arthur Miller (THE CRUCIBLE).

We had a lively discussion about mother-daughter relationships, whether witches actually exist, the hardships of early America, and how birth seemed to be a recurring theme for Kent - all while snacking on an incredibly delicious apple cake baked by our hostess. I have a great feeling about this group and copies of the book will be donated to the US Military overseas library so that other international English book clubs and readers can enjoy Kent's novel as well.

What exciting things do you have to report this week?