Your weekly dose of Emmy and Finn (edition 113)

Emmy catches a mouse...

Book Review: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

In the summer of 1799, Dutch clerk Jacob de Zoet arrives at the Japanese trading post of Dejima, hoping to serve five years and return to Holland a rich man. However, Jacob is an honest type, and it would seem that it takes a serious lack of scruples to get ahead in this pit of corruption. Jacob tries, as any mortal might, to shape circumstances in his favor with his intelligence and loyalty. But what can one man really do in the face of a changing global landscape?

David Mitchell’s GHOSTWRITTEN and CLOUD ATLAS are two of my favorite novels of all time, so though I wasn’t as enamored with his BLACK SWAN GREEN, I was definitely excited to pick up this up. In many ways, THOUSAND AUTUMNS is a return to form for Mitchell – a chance to show off his skill at writing various POVs (though this is written in 3rd person, a departure for author who until now has written in 1st), in bringing historical periods to life, and in believably weaving in a touch of mysticism.

In terms of structure, this is a more conventional effort (a straightforward narrative told in three parts), but the ambitious storytelling is still there. In part one, I was fascinated with Jacob’s struggles to combat corruption and to gain precious moments of face time with a Nagasaki midwife, Orito, who has caught his fancy.

And then the story shifts in part 2, following Orito as she is confined to a mountain hideaway of a sinister and powerful Japanese Abbott. This section, with its crazy dystopian society closed off from the rest of the world, is chilling yet incredibly riveting. Oh and I love the way Mitchell describes the Abbott, on his first meeting with Jacob: “The lips are tight, the cheekbones high, the nose hooked and the eyes ferocious with intelligence. Jacob finds himself as little able to evade the man’s gaze than a book can, of its own volition, evade the scrutiny of a reader.” (p 43 ARC edition, may not reflect final published version.)

In part 3, the story opens wider to address the repercussions in the far east of the shift in geopolitics during the Napoleonic period in Europe. Mitchell picks up all the disparate narrative threads and brings the story to a satisfying, if bittersweet, close.

Despite its heft (nearly 500 pages) and eye to dense historical detail, my attention never lagged. This was due, in part, to the fact that even the minor characters are worth spending time with. Their back stories are so rich, you at once feel that whole novels could be written about them and don’t begrudge them their short interruption of the main plot.

Even though I was thoroughly entertained and captivated by THOUSAND AUTUMNS, I can’t say it reached the dizzying heights of adoration I reserve for GHOSTWRITTEN and CLOUD ATLAS. If you’re new to Mitchell, I’d advise you to start with one of those (unless you aren’t one for experimental narrative structure).

THE THOUSAND AUTUMNS OF JACOB DE ZOET is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it at http://www.thousandautumns.com/

Book Review: Borderline by Allan Stratton

As the only Muslim-American teen in his neighborhood, Sami has always struggled to fit in. It’s difficult to balance hanging out with his carefree friends and living up to his parents’ strict religious expectations. After his father cancels plans to take Sami to Toronto for a father-son bonding weekend, Sami becomes suspicious of his father’s recent secretive behavior. Is his ultra-conservative father having an affair? Or is he involved in something far more sinister?

The best part of BORDERLINE is the character of Sami. As a teen caught between cultures, he’s very sympathetic and it’s easy to relate to his feelings of alienation. It’s because I liked Sami so much that I was willing to go with the flow even when the plot became a bit soap-operatic in the later chapters.

It’s not really a spoiler to say the FBI gets involved, and that there is a terrorist investigation of Sami’s family, because the book is marketed to accentuate that plot point (though it doesn’t come until about halfway through the novel). The portrayal of the FBI here was a bit strange, and I got the feeling the novel was strongly criticizing their procedures. It’s a controversial subject, to be sure. On the one hand, it’s good to know that the FBI and anti-terror agencies are thorough. On the other hand, they can be very quick to jump to conclusions which have long-lasting, life-ruining implications on the accused and their families who are mercilessly battered by the court of public opinion.

BORDERLINE is out in hardcover now. Find out more about it on the author’s website.

The one where I register for Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2010

The third annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week is to be held this year from September 13th-17th. It's a great week of celebrating everything that's awesome about book blogging. This year, everyone is invited to register their blogs for the week and to choose a niche category that best represents their blog. Part of this process is picking out 5 posts that you feel best represent your blog for awards consideration (optional).

Although I have very eclectic taste (and was in fact shortlisted for Most Eclectic Taste during last year's BBAW proceedings), my blog is most associated with reviewing Young Adult books.

Here are some of my favorite posts from the past year for consideration in Best Young Adult Book Blog:

Review: Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Review: Lips Touch by Laini Taylor
Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Interview: Lauren Bjorkman
International Book Blogger Mentor Program Featured Bloggers (2)

I'm also quite proud of my interviews and would love to be considered in the Best Author Interview category:

Interview: Lauren Bjorkman
Interview: Patrick Ness
Interview: Diana Peterfreund
Interview: Mary E. Pearson
Interview: Thomas Randall

Hope you'll register too!

Book Review: Slept Away by Julie Kraut

Upper East Sider Laney’s vague plans for a summer lazing in the city are dashed when her mother signs her up for a six week back to nature camp in the Poconos.

There’s only one way to describe the writing in this one: Entertainment Weekly on speed. The formula is: snark + cute turn of phrase + reference to celebrity or pop culture. Example: “Maybe Apple hadn’t spread their product out to the suburbs yet. Kind of like the message that David Hasselhoff is a giant drunk douche hasn’t spread to Germany yet*.” p 116. Taken in small doses, it’s fun. But sometimes it can feel like too much of a good thing (like when you eat too much chocolate chip cookie dough).

Laney is either apathetic or dismissive about everything. She has a pretty swank life in NYC (despite an annoying new-agey stepfather), so the rustic camp she goes to is obviously a shock to her system. Usually in novels like this, you’d expect the pampered heroine to grit her teeth and make the best of it, learning important lessons along the way and even being sad when camp ends. Not Laney. She acts more like a martyr, participating in camp life the least amount possible and without a sliver of enthusiasm.

Ok, well she is enthusiastic about one thing – setting up her nerdy bunkmate with the nerd king of the camp. Too bad the girls have exactly three opportunities to talk to boys during the whole summer (including the shortest dance in the history of teen lit – couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes long, tops), because otherwise that plot point might have pumped some sort of urgency and excitement into Laney's life.

SLEPT AWAY may well be an accurate portrayal of a spoiled city brat going off to sleepaway camp for the first time. And it is at times very, very funny  (the butt slogan mean girl clique totally rocks, for one). But ultimately it comes down to caring. And Laney doesn't act like she cares.  Maybe not even whether you read this book or not.
SLEPT AWAY is out in paperback now. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

*Actually, Germans will glare at you mightily if you suggest that they like David Hasselhoff. Not recommended.

This article was originally published by Lenore for Presenting Lenore. It cannot be republished without express written permisson. If you are reading this elsewhere, it has been stolen.

Your weekly dose of Emmy and Finn (edition 112)

So, is Finn whispering sweet nothings into Emmy's ear, or is he biting her in an attempt to get her to play with him?



Knowing Finn, it's likely the latter.

Book Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Aura was born after the shift, which means she can see and communicate with ghosts. Not really her favorite thing, until an accident kills her boyfriend Logan. On the one hand she’s grateful that he’s not completely lost to her, but on the other hand, it does make it hard to move on. And the new guy in town – Zachary – really wishes she would move on.

I am always fascinated with the sorts of afterlife concepts authors can come up with, and Smith-Ready really has some fun ones. We learn right off the bat that in Aura’s world, ghosts take the form that they inhabited during their happiest moment on earth (that prevents murder victims from looking chopped up and cancer victims from looking wasted away). When I explained this to a friend of mine, she asked, “But what if their happiest moment was when they were a baby?” That one stumped me, although I do have to say if you’re happiest moment came as a baby…well, that’s just sad.

In any case, there are many creative world-building elements to go along with the pretty unique love triangle of Post-Shifter Aura, Dead Logan and Pre-Shifter Zachary. It’s also a credit to Smith-Ready that she kept me on my toes plotwise – you could never be sure what would happen next. So far no real villains have emerged, but you do get the sense that the government is getting stricter and less tolerant with their policy towards ghosts – mainly because some ghosts can turn into “shades” – giving them a dark power that the living are terrified of.

This is the first book in a planned series, but fortunately you do get some measure of closure. I’m excited to read the second novel SHIFT when it releases May 2011. SHADE is now available in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

Book Review: Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy

Something is off with Grace's four year old daughter Sylvie. She is terrified of water, has bad nightmares, and becomes obsessed with a ad from a magazine depicting a seaside town saying she lived there "before".

I loved the atmosphere in this one. Sylvie is creepy, and as her behavior begins to alienate all of Grace's social contacts, Grace's situation gets more desperate. As a last resort, she turns to a psychologist, Adam, who specializes in past life theories to try to help Sylvie.

Even though the book has its imperfections - the relationship/"romance" between Grace & Adam doesn't feel quite right, Grace seems way older than 22, and there are a couple of very convenient coincidences in the plotting - this is still a thrilling, gothic-tinged ride.

YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER is available in now paperback. I got my copy from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. Find out more about the book, called THE DROWNING GIRL in the UK, at the author's website.

Buffalo in the Wild + A Contest for a Signed Copy of IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN?

As you discover in the new children's picture book, IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN? by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Daniel Jennewein, the goofy and sweet titular Buffalo is certainly ready for kindergarten. But is he ready to face the world?

Let's see:

His first foray into the wild was to visit his birthplace. Here is Buffalo outside the HarperCollins offices in New York City.


While he was in New York, he made sure to check out The Empire State Building (I think he may have knocked over a hot dog stand and eaten all the hot dogs that rolled his way).




Then he went to Brussels, Belgium and just had to see Europe's most famous child statue Mannikin Pis. He told him, politely, that it's not polite to pee in public in kindergarten.



He also went to Barcelona, Spain to see Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Church. It's been under construction since 1882 and work is still going on. Buffalo thinks if they'd just hire a team of hard working Buffaloes, they'd be done long before the expected completion date of 2026.

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And then he jumped back into his book so he could entertain kids all over the world. Here's a little friend of mine. She didn't want to let go of Buffalo even when she was sleeping.

Yep - I think Buffalo's ready to tour the world!

This is where YOU come in! Maybe you want to take a picture of Buffalo enjoying your corner of the globe? You might see the book in your local bookstore or library and snap a photo. Or you could download the Buffalo coloring activity sheet (opens a PDF), make Buffalo look spiffy and then photograph him having an adventure.

Anyone who sends a photo with the Buffalo to lenoreva at hotmail dot com by July 16th will be entered into a drawing for a copy of the book signed by Daniel + a $20 gift certificate to Amazon (US) or Book Despository (International). I'll also post some of my favorite photos here on the blog (with your permission of course) when I annouce the winner. (NOTE: Winner will be chosen in a random drawing).

Thanks for helping us celebrate Buffalo's launch week! Now back to my regular blog programming :)

Author Audrey Vernick shares her 5 favorite picture books

Audrey Vernick is the creative mind behind the buffalo and his first adventure in IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN? (as well as his second, coming out next summer). After taking a look at the illustrator's (Daniel Jennewein) favorite 5 picture books yesterday, today Audrey's going to share which picture books she goes back to again and again.

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran, illustrated by Barbara Cooney

I don't think I've ever said the title Roxaboxen without sighing with delight. Oh, Roxaboxen. A world of thorny cactus, desert glass, a dead lizard, ocotillo swords and little Anna May in jail. Special bonus: Barbara Cooney's art makes me swoon.

George and Martha by James Marshall

You'd think those two hippos in their fancy hats and accessories would be outdated by now, but there's something about their friendship, and their respect for one another, that stands the test of time. And I know it's wrong, but whenever I hear of someone named Martha, my first mental image is of James Marshall's Marha. For reasons I cannot fathom, this is not true of men named George.

Shark Vs. Train by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Sometimes, ideas come along that are so spot-on and brilliant that it's almost as though they've been there all along. (I feel that way about certain songs, too.) But it took this combination of writer and illustrator to execute a great idea with such brilliance. And hilarity. And universal appeal.

Teammates, by Peter Golenbock, illustrated by Paul Bacon

I'm a sucker for baseball picture books, and it's hard to choose a favorite. I admire this one so much because of the way it shines a bright light on a single, easily forgotten moment between Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese on a baseball field in Cincinnati, Ohio. Teammates is a celebration of baseball, friendship, and the power of doing what's right.

Big Rabbit's Bad Mood by Ramona Badescu, illustrated by Delphine Durand

A bad mood can suck the funny right out of you. But Big Rabbit's bad mood is personified. It's a character. A hilariously nasty one. Isn't that brilliant? This book is that rarest of things--one that is really funny to read and brilliantly illustrated.

Thanks Audrey!

Audrey Vernick is the author of IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN? and SHE LOVED BASEBALL: THE EFFA MANLEY STORY, both to be published by HarperCollins this year. She is a two-time recipient of the New Jersey Arts Council's Fiction Fellowship and a lover of picture books. You can visit her online at http://www.audreyvernick.com/.