I asked the following question on Twitter and then realized the 140 character limit might make it hard to answer:
What are 5 book/literary blogs you think are under-appreciated? And 5 that you couldn’t live without?
So consider this post a chance to answer the question with as many characters as you need.
(Don’t be shy, feel free to recommend yourself.)
As I have whined about noted before, I am running rather behind these days. As a result, I have just now started reading Alex Dryden’s new novel Red To Black. And furthermore, I have just now stumbled upon the author’s recent appearance on the Craig Ferguson show.
But as I always say, better late than never. So here is the clip for your entertainment:
This has turned into YA fiction week here at CM. So we might as well keep things going with another illustrated chapter book. The Wyrm King is the final book in the Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles which appropriately enough followed The Spiderwick Chronicles.
Here is a video trailer to pique your interest:
For those of you more literal and less visual here is the blurb:
In the final installment of Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, Nick and Laurie had thought they solved their giant problems when they drove all the giants into the sea. But now, the Grace kids have come back to tell them they may have more trouble coming their way!
It turns out the giants control the population of Hydra, a dragon like creature that is creating sinkholes all over Florida. But with the mermaids refusing to return the giants to the shore, the nixie’s still missing and the threat of a destroyed Florida drawing closer, the kids have to take matters in their own hands.
Will Nick and Laurie be able to stop the destruction they unwittingly caused? Can a new giant hunter help save the day? Can Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide help them out of this or are they on their own?
My quick take: for the intended audience (ages 9-12) this final installment is an action packed conclusion to a fun series. For me, however, the series had run its course and I no longer looked forward to each new book with such anticipation. So while The Wyrm King was well done it lacked some of the magic of the earlier series.
A bit more below.
Synopsis
Are you satisfied with your weight? Do you have enough energy to make it through the day? Do you consider yourself a happy person? All of these things are related, and your energy, mental clarity, mood and, of course, waistline are all directly connected to what you eat.
In Eat Your Way to Happiness, you’ll learn that healthy eating is a lot easier than you may think, and that making a few simple changes to your diet can have amazing results. Discover:
– The 1, 2, 3 combination of breakfast foods that will keep you energized all day.
– Which carbs and fats to eat—and why the right ones will help elevate your mood and decrease your weight.
– The 12 super foods that pack an added punch for boosting mood and slimming your waistline.
– Nutritious foods that have been scientifically shown to tweak brain chemistry so you feel calmer, happier and more energetic— and more likely to stick to your diet.
– The amazing studies showing that chocolate and wine can help you live longer—and more happily.
And much more!
From the Publisher
It’s essential to maintain strong bones to keep an active lifestyle, but aside from taking a daily calcium supplement, is there really anything you can do to improve your bone health? With this complete program for stronger bones created by health educator Annemarie Colbin, you’ll learn the best foods to eat to build bone mass and find out which foods actually weaken bones. You’ll also discover how exercise and finding personal balance can improve your health and prevent fragility fractures, menopause-related bone loss, and osteoporosis.
· What puts you at risk for bone fracture
· Why medication and estrogen therapy may not work for you
· How the nutrients in whole foods build bone mass
· 85 easy recipes that maximize the bone-building effects of whole foods
Even though I picked up – and read – The Night Tourist from the remainders/bargain bin at Borders back in July, I just now got around to reading the sequel The Twilight Prisoner:
After traveling to New York City’s ghostly underworld, Jack Per
du has made it back aboveground, to join the living. But if he’s alive, why is he still seeing ghosts?
Jack tries hard to fit in at his new school-and tries even harder to win the affections of his Latin classmate and friend, Cora. In an effort to impress her, Jack leads Cora to the entrance of the underworld and makes a terrible mistake. Soon they have crossed the threshold—and this time, there may be no getting back.
Like The Night Tourist, this exciting sequel blends together the modern-day world and mythology-this time cleverly introducing readers to myth of Persephone and Eros.
I have a bit of a mixed reaction to this follow-up.
While it has all of the same ingredients as the last (mix of adventure, characters, mythology, and history) it just didn’t quite strike me the same way. It might be because this book deal more with adolescent concerns: Jack likes Cora but Cora likes Austin, etc. Or it could be the more serious tone.
I have become something of a Neil Gaiman fan. Not an acolyte of anything, but I do enjoy checking out his latest project. So when I spotted Odd and the Frost Giants at the library I quickly added to the pile. After all, it fit right into my recent children’s and young adult kick.
Rather than stealing PW’s plot summary, how about we have Neil himself introduce the book?
I can’t get away, however, without a quote from School Libary Journal, as I like their description of the book. They describe it as a “thoughtful and quietly humorous fantasy.” Which was my reaction as well.
As is typical of Gaiman, there is a simplicity to the story but also a playfulness to the prose and a sense of deeper and darker things lurking behind the scenes. Odd has that infuriating smile that adds an edge, and a sense of mystery, to this partially lame but brave and generous boy.
While nothing is too dark or scary for young readers, Gaiman hints at the darker and capricious side of the gods and includes an element that will bring a smile to the adults in his portrayal of the relationship between the Frost Giant and the goddess Freya.
This slim volume, originally written for World Book Day in the UK and sold there as par of that charitable endeavor, has the feel of a fable; simple yet hinting at deeper things. Obviously a must have for Gaiman fans – and fans of Norse mythology – but worth checking out for anyone who enjoys a simple yet well done tale.