Little Pretzel Candies

Long time, no write, but we moved in my defense! 

Anywho, I made candy for the staff at work last weekend. It's a very easy recipe I got from my friend, Deb, a couple years ago and make on occasion. 

What you need:

Small pretzels (I use the square ones because they hold the chocolates better)
Small chocolates (Rolos and Kisses are probably the most popular choices)
Small candies or nuts (not pictured...I used candy corn and peanut butter M&Ms this time, but have used macadamias and pecans in the past)

The first step is the hardest. If you can get past the monotony of unwrapping, you're in the clear.

I made 200 of these suckers, so there was about 4 piles of trash like this.

Place your chocolates on top of your pretzels on a baking sheet. Bake at 300F for no longer than 3 minutes.

 After taking them out of the oven, squish your smaller piece of candy or nut on top of the chocolate to make sure it sticks to the pretzel. Voila, you're done! Easy peasy. And very tasty.

Hard Boiled in the Oven Eggs & Squash Casserole

So I saw this idea on Pinterest about how you can hard boil eggs in the oven at 325 for 25-30 minutes. Not that it's all that difficult to boil them in a pot of water...but I needed to take a shower, so this was more convenient. 

It worked. But the shells turned spotty!

You'd think the spots would indicate little burned marks, but there was only one burned place on this whole egg (and none on the one I ate this morning). So...I don't know why they're spotty. Chemists? Any ideas? Oh, and the burned spot would probably indicate that 27 minutes was too long in my oven.
 

The yolks turned out nice though. And they're spotless.

I also made squash casserole for the first time ever yesterday. I know, I know. How can I have grown up in eastern NC without ever making that? Well, kiss my grits, folks, I usually just saute squash. I used the recipe found here as a starter, but then changed things as I saw fit.

 I used the following ingredients:
3 squash
2 zucchini
2 eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
dash of rosemary
8 oz feta (I bought a block and crumbled it myself because it's cheaper that way)
5 oz sour cream
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper

 Layer half of your squash on the bottom of the pan.

Beat your eggs.

Mix in all other ingredients.
 

Spread half of your mixture on top of the squash. Then layer the remaining squash and mixture.
I sprinkled more parmesan and pepper on top. Bake at 375f for 40-45 minutes.

 I did a spanking good job on this. Tobias got seconds on vegetables, so you know it was at least a step above edible.

Between the Lines

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

I read this book a few weeks ago, but am just getting around to writing about it (or maybe just putting forth the energy to write about it). Like I've said before, I'm a big Picoult fan. However...this one wasn't anything like her adult books, and I daresay YA isn't her forte. It'd be unfair of me to say it was a read that tweens and teens wouldn't enjoy, but as an adult, I thought it kind of dragged in some areas, and I wasn't really grabbed by the action in the plot. 

Delilah is a teen girl who doesn't particularly care for school, even though she loves to read. The book she's currently infatuated with, Between the Lines, is a fairy tale about a prince on a quest to rescue a princess. It's when the prince begins speaking to Delilah that the story introduces its conflict--how can Delilah rescue a prince from living a repetitive life within the pages of a book?

The number of times Delilah unsuccessfully tries to help the prince escape is what makes this book seem to drag. I thought she could have left out a time or two for the story's sake. It was becoming blatantly obvious that the task was hard. As in most modern fairy tales, there's a happy ending, and readers pretty much know what that ending will be.

Okay, so even though I didn't thoroughly enjoy this book, I can give kudos to the authors for writing a YA novel that is clean. There's no sex, no vulgar language, no inappropriate themes. Despite lacking the topics and language that run amok in today's YA lit, I can say that young girls will enjoy reading this book. It has a happy ending. It has the girl-meets-boy story that infatuates them. It even has color illustrations, which don't come around often in a novel of its length.

So even though I wouldn't recommend it for older readers, if you have a classroom, a library, or a teenage daughter of your own, I'd say it'd be worth it for them to read.

Target age range: 11-15 years

Beef Tips and Mushrooms

I love my new Crock Pot. It's been better than any other appliance in my kitchen these past few weeks. It's not that I've never owned one; this is just the first time I've used one for anything other than Velveeta cheese dip. 

The other day I took a recipe I found online that crammed cube steak, cream of mushroom soup, and Lipton onion soup mix into the slow cooker. Okay, I admitted earlier that cooking is pretty new to me (my dad used to say I could burn salad), so please excuse my stupidity ignorance when I wouldn't buy cube steak because I didn't know if it was steak or hamburger (for reasons I won't now get into, I'll eat the former, but not the latter). So I bought the beef tips. Then I forgot to buy the onion soup. So I had to work with what I had at the house.

I did add the curry powder that's in the picture; I mainly did it for color. Otherwise, it would have been...gray... and I don't think my husband would have found it too appetizing (although as my aunt says, you can roll anything in sugar, and he'd eat it). But considering this is what it looked like when I threw it in the pot, I felt doctoring was in order

About halfway through cooking, I did a taste test, and the sauce needed some spice. So I added some chili powder and black pepper to give it a little bite. After 5 hours in the pot (original recipe called for 4-6 hours), dinner was ready. 

I served it with green beans, black eyed peas, and quinoa. This was the first time I'd ever had quinoa, and the gravy was a nice touch. It tasted a lot like brown rice, so it needed something on top. The mister said he would prefer rice next time, and he did pick a lot of the mushrooms out (I thought maybe I could slide those by him), but otherwise, he did like it. 


Tonight I'm cooking Hawaiian BBQ chicken, so we'll see how that one goes.

Gorge Yourself

(Picture from nytimes.com, 2007)

After much consideration, I've decided to merge my reading blog with some cooking adventures. It's a newly discovered interest of mine (as in, I used to think anything more difficult than tearing cellophane off a box of food from the freezer wasn't worth any consideration), and I like sharing. I have a photo album on Facebook, but the caption boxes don't let you go into much detail. So even though I will still use this blog to review good (or not so good) books, I'll also use it as a path to culinary enlightenment. 

Hot dogs will not be involved in the making of this blog.

Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This is a must read for dog lovers. Before you fret and think this is reminiscent of Old Yeller and will make you cry, the animals are okay! 

The Sawtelles raise their own breed of dogs on their farm in Wisconsin. Gar and Trudy love the dogs, but eventually want to have children of their own. After struggling with pregnancies, little Edgar Sawtelle is born mute. [Let me stop here a minute. Because up until now I was kind of floating along in the book trying to decide if it was going to be worth 560 pages of my time. I've got a stack of books waiting for me, I need to use my time wisely here. Thank goodness little Almondine takes the lead at this point.] Almondine is one of Trudy and Gar's dogs who actually lives in the house instead of the barn. She has been trying to find her place in the world, and when she notices baby Edgar vying for his parents' attention, she knows exactly what she must do. She becomes his voice. Almondine is as much a part of Edgar as she is herself.

Skip a few years to an adolescent Edgar. He has learned to sign; his signs are part ASL, part Edgar's version. Not only does he sign with his parents, he communicates with the dogs in this manner. Edgar is excited to learn that he is going to raise his own litter of pups. While training one day, his father suffers an attack, and a voiceless Edgar is unable to help him.

Edgar and Trudy wallow through their days, and Uncle Claude comes back into the picture (much to Edgar's dismay). After an unthinkable turn of events, Edgar flees into the woods with three of his young dogs.  They must survive in the wilderness while trying to make their way to Canada. Edgar eventually needs to decide if he will return to Almondine, his mother, and unknown truths at home, or if he will stay away for good.

This book is a fine piece of drama. Though it is not your typical mystery, there is a one within the plot. The author pays attention to details, creating a story with rich settings and characters. It's not a book that you can skip a page and still be okay with what's going on--you really need to read the words to grasp the story. I liked it because it is a different sort of coming of age story. After reading the book, I found that it was supposed to be a modern retelling of Hamlet, and I guess I can see similarities between the two works. However, I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a retelling of that story, but rather a new story with "Hamlet-esque" features. 

I do wish, however, that I could see a picture of the fictional Sawtelle dog. At first, I imagined Almondine to be something along the lines of a greyhound. But then as the book went on, I thought the Sawtelle dogs were supposed to be similar to German Shepherds. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Overall, a good story. If I could go back and do it over again, I would focus my attention on this one, and not be reading three others at the same time. So take that into consideration before you pick it up.

Target Age Range: Older Teens - Adults

50 Shades of --- Does your mother know you're reading this?

It's summer, so I'm back in my usual routine of reading three or four books at a time. You know--one for the gym, one for the pool, one for Battle of the Books, one for bed... I suppose it might actually be easier to just read one at a time, but where's the fun in that? Anyway, it takes longer to finish a book when you do this, so I've been ignoring my posts. Additionally, I've been learning how to cook. Really cook. As in, no microwaves or frozen packaging involved. Now I'm stuck having to write a bunch of reviews at once, which means I'm picking and choosing what titles to discuss. 

I wasn't going to write about the 50 Shades Trilogy because of its content, but after reading all three books, I figured I should at least mention it. As you've heard, it's basically erotica. Don't expect anything more in the first book. If you can get past the first one, the second and third have actual plots. They're predictable and definitely not the next great American novel, but "summer beach reads" that are entertaining. They've remained on the NYT Bestsellers list because they create a fantasy world where adults can lose themselves. 

I thought they were okay. I'm not going to say they were great because I didn't think so. I don't care how much money EL James has made, there are thousands of books that are better. The characters were pretty flat (as in ALL of the characters, save Ana and Christian, the main characters. But to say they were round and went through leaps and bounds in character development is a leap in itself) and the dialogue was repetitive. How many times can you read the same jealous conversation, even if the words have changed slightly? I also have a hard time giving credit to the author when the books were originally written online as Twilight fanfiction. Ana and Christian are obviously replicas of Edward and Bella. As I told someone else when discussing the book, I kept waiting for Christian to look up from his somber midnight piano playing and provocatively reveal to Ana that he's a creature of the night.

However, I have never been one to completely neglect a book's entertainment value. Obviously, many people have been sucked into the story. In addition to the Christian/Ana escapades, there are car chases, tours of the world, parties, weddings, and attempted murders. If you're looking for a daring read, then this one might to pique your interest.


Haha, on a related note, I saw this picture on Pinterest the other day:

I agree 100% with the quote, but...you might want to read 50 Shades via Kindle. Save yourself from public scrutiny. I know I did.

Target Age Range: Adult

Tamar

Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal by Mal Peet

I loved this book. I don't often start by saying that, but I loved this book. I'm not sure why I pulled it off the shelf at the library initially; a single word title that didn't mean anything to me wasn't exactly captivating. However, the cover revealed the rest of the title, and espionage, passion, and betrayal sound more than interesting. Receiving a Carnegie Medal is nothing to scoff at either, so what the hey, right? I'm so glad I randomly pulled this one because, especially as it was written in 2005, it's set in a time that's near and dear to my historical side---The Netherlands in 1945 during the Hunger Winter.

 As an undergrad, the research for my senior history thesis focused on the Dutch underground resistance movement and the Hunger Winter during the latter part of the war. Tamar studies the same, except more is mentioned of the British/SOE's involvement with said resistance. Tamar and Dart are Dutch spies working to help unify the different underground groups. Not much is said about Tamar and Dart's personal lives; it almost seems they have no pasts of which to speak--perhaps this is due to their spy personae. Readers do know that Tamar has been to the area before, and is in love with Marijke, a young lady living with her grandmother on her farm. However, though readers may know about Marijke and Tamar's affair, other characters in the story do not.

Skip to 1995 (as the story jumps between '45 and '95). Here is another Tamar; a granddaughter growing up with her mother, grandmother, and grandfather after her father's disappearance. Not long after her grandmother, Marijke, is sent to live in a nursing home, her grandfather kills himself. He has left Tamar a box of clues--old money, a crossword puzzle, and a map dotted with Xs along the Tamar River--prior to his passing. Tamar and her cousin, Yoyo, travel the British countryside to unravel the mystery her grandfather has left behind. 

Back in the '40s, and the war rages on, much to the Allies' efforts. Resisters are edgy, and some go to terrible lengths, resulting in deaths of many innocent men. Dart is counting down how many days he has left as a WO--they don't have a long shelf life. He finds himself visiting the farm more often to see Marijke, and he grows infatuated with her. This may or may not have been aided by the number of pills he has been taking in order to stay awake awaiting codes. Dart, impersonating a doctor, has a number of close encounters with the Nazis, and sleep has been evading him.

It is not until the end of the book, when in 1995 Tamar has reached the end of her journey, and in 1945, Tamar has reached his, that the stories fit together. Peet has created a novel that bases its entire plot on the readers' making an assumption (one I made, honestly), and then revealing the truth at the end. It's not often that I'm taken by surprise like I was during this book, but I'm definitely not complaining. I love it when a YA book is written so well.

I'm not 100% sure it's accurately targeted as a YA novel (though I get it--one of the characters is 15 years old), but if teens are going to read it, I'd encourage them to be older. Some of the deaths in the book are graphic, not in a William Wallace, "FREEDOM!!" kind of way, but in a sad-so-many-innocent-lives-were-lost kind of way. I don't think that younger teens can fully appreciate/understand the mentality of those who had to contemplate everything to survive. I will readily admit that I did not do this book justice in this post, but I didn't want to give anything away! If you like war stories, and you want something with a twist, this is a top recommendation from me.

Target Age Range: older teens - adults

Deadline

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

I first read this book when I took a YA literature class when working on my MLS. I picked it up again on Sunday because the library was closed, and I needed a book to read out in the sun (as much I love my Kindle Fire, outdoor reading is not one of its selling points). Though it was a reread--and I knew what was going to happen--Deadline still proves to be one of my favorite YA novels. 

The protagonist, Ben Wolf, is set to start his senior year of high school---at least he was set to start before he went to the doctor for his annual sports physical. Ben is diagnosed with a fatal blood disease. Since he's already 18, he decides to refuse treatment, opting for quality of life over quantity. He also decides to keep everyone in the dark in an attempt to live as normal of a life as possible.

"Live every day as if it's your last" becomes Ben's mantra for his senior year of high school. Despite high expectations of making it to the state championships in cross country, 120-something pound Ben tries out for the football team. He finally tells the object of his affection how he feels towards her. He challenges his stubborn, right-winged government teacher's teachings in an effort to get the most out of his remaining education. 

However, Ben realizes that his secret isn't just affecting him. His brother, his girlfriend, his parents, his coach are all relying on him, so what's going to happen once he's not around?  The internal conflict plays out when he's awake, but it's also shown through dialogue in his dreams between Ben and Hey-soos (whether or not this is Jesus is never actually stated, but it can be inferred). 

There's a lot of language and some sex in this book, so it's not for younger teens. I'm also not sure if they're emotionally mature enough to understand some of the themes. It's a powerful novel, and I think the 13 awards it's won are a testament to that.

Target age range: 16 years - adult

Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult


Without a doubt, Jodi Picoult has been one of my favorite writers for years. See? An entire shelf dedicated to all of her books back in our office.

Granted, since she has published a book a year the past few years, I'm going to need to start a new shelf after next year. Despite having the ability to purchase her books digitally now, I can't do it. I need to own hard copies. Actually (if we're being 100% honest, and please don't tell Amazon), I really need to own hard copies of all my books. Hence why when I'm rich (or at least in my own home and not this apartment, whichever comes first), I'm going to have to have wall-to-wall bookcases. :p

But I digress. Which, in case you couldn't tell, isn't that unusual sometimes.

Picoult's novels tend to take places in court rooms and hospitals. I really enjoy the court cases, and she goes to lengths to research facts and statistics to support a realistic legal drama.

Luke Warren has lived with the wolves--literally. He left his wife and two children for two years to live in the Canadian wild and assimilate himself into a pack. Successful, he returns to the human world after realizing if he doesn't make a clean break and return, he won't. Skip forward a few years, and Luke has divorced his wife, and his son has moved to Thailand to escape him. His daughter, Cara, now lives with Luke, since his ex-wife has remarried and given birth to more children. Skip forward four more years, and Luke is lying in a hospital bed in a coma after a terrible car accident.

This is the start of the story. Luke and Cara have survived the crash, but to what extent? Cara is hurt and needs surgery, but is otherwise fine. Luke, however, is in a comatose state that doesn't bode well for his future. Georgie, Luke's ex-wife, calls and beckons their son, Edward, to return home, as the prognosis on his father is not good.

Cara is none too pleased to have Edward back in the picture at this point in Luke's life; she still blames her brother's disappearance as the cause of her parents' divorce. Her anger only grows after Edward decides to terminate their father's life support and donate his organs. Cara manages to object to the procedure in enough time to prevent the cessation of life sustaining measures, but this only leads to a court battle to decide who ultimately gets to make the decision regarding Luke's life. Cara hopes beyond hope that her father can recover, despite facts and claims from doctors and her brother. However, she is holding back a secret about the accident that requires her to hold onto the idea that he will regain consciousness. 

Edward, too, has a secret regarding why he left home in the first place. He must work out his own negative feelings towards his father in order to make the decision that his father would want--and in a way that will convince his sister he is acting out of love and not hate. In the meantime, he finds himself in jail and facing other charges after infuriating his sister and an opportunistic attorney.

Chapters are divided with excerpts from Luke's experiences with the wolves. These have happened in the wild or within the wolf enclosures where he worked. Seemingly, they added a bit of science/Animal Planet to the plot, but the themes among the wolves and the pack always linked themselves to the themes in the main storyline.

As I've said, I love Picoult. A few years ago, I was pretty disappointed with the ending of Handle with Care (especially since that came right after Change of Heart, which was one of my faves), but the past few books have redeemed the resolution to that novel. Lone Wolf is a read for any one who appreciates a good drama, and f you're an animal lover, all the more reason to read.

Target age range: Adult

My Horizontal Life

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

This post will be a quickie (pardon the pun), as I think it's mortifying my husband that I chose to review this book haha.

It's not a new book (published in '05), but it was on the Kindle library lending list, so I thought, "What they hey?" and tried it out. I'm all for comedians/comediennes writing their own books because they're usually good for a couple laughs, if nothing else. Handler (of Chelsea Lately) documents her trysts with various men in a number of gross embarrassing lewd  entertaining situations --- none of which I'm sorry to have missed out on in my lifetime.

Given the nature of the contents, I'll let you read it if you want to know more about what happens in the book. Be forewarned that the Internet's NSFW (not safe for work) acronym should be blasted on the cover, as it's nsfw or for kids. Language, sex, drugs, alcohol...it's a party bound together in paperback. Horizontal Life is the epitome of a "beach read."

Target age range: Adults (definitely)

A Stolen Life

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Before I start, let me just say that I have at three posts to write within the next few days. Technically, it could be six, but I'm choosing not to review Patterson's Private Games, Private: #1 Suspect, or Kill Alex Cross. For one, it's been a few weeks since I've read them; secondly, they were the usual killer thrillers that Patterson is notorious for in the literary world. However, they were all entertaining, and I give a nod towards Private Games if suspense novels are your thing. It's set in 2012 London during the Olympics, and that upcoming event adds more to the story. Sadly, as much as I relish Alex Cross novels, his glory days as the protagonist in books such as Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls have seemingly passed. Without characters like Gary Soneji and Kyle Craig, he's just not as strong of a hero figure.

Okay, now on to Dugard's memoir.

Every few months I decide to pick up a biography. I did two in a row this time (the next one will be in the following post), and I pretty much wish I hadn't read this one. D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-N-G.  I think spelling it out in all caps should sound off bells and whistles and throw up red flags. It's not that I didn't know who or what this book was going to be about when I checked it out from the library; I remember the whole Dugard disappearance in the early 90s, even though I was 6 or 7 when it happened. I definitely remember when she resurfaced a few years ago. 

But jeez, Dugard didn't pull any punches when she described what happened to her. I suppose that's the point of a memoir--to tell the truth. I just don't think I could (if it had happened to me) retell the rape scenes that occurred when I was eleven years old. Dugard reflects on each chapter personally; how she's stronger now and looking back it was so hard for her to deal with it. I don't disagree with the idea that it would have been hard, but I think that's all the more reason I wouldn't want to relive it. Maybe that's just me. It may be part of the healing process (hopefully one I'll never have to worry about) to write about it, but publicizing it just seems like an invasion of an already terrible private memory. Eh, maybe it's a way to show the world what a sick SOB lunatic Phillip Garrido really is.

The rape scenes lessen as Dugard ages; instead the story focuses more on her survival in the backyard with her two daughters. She teaches the girls how to read and write by setting up a school in the backyard. However, the girls know Jaycee as their "sister," as Phillip's wife, Nancy, is posing as their mother. Again, something else that is incredibly sad. You give birth to two girls. You raise them. You teach them all that you can, despite not having past a fifth grade education yourself. However, they don't even know you as their mother. A Stolen Life is such an apt title for this book. 

The book ends after Dugard finds herself confessing to who she really is when Garrido runs in with his parole officer eighteen years after the abduction. She is in therapy and has started her own reunification support and therapy foundation (JAYC) for those who have suffered from the loss of abducted family members or for those who are struggling with the reunification process. Sales from the book support the cause.

If you want to read this, go ahead. It's not an easy read, and (like I said) I wouldn't pick it up again. It was difficult to say the least, although it was quick to get through. I'll be a little more hesitant next time before checking out a book on someone who was a front page news sob story.


Target age range: Adults

Glory Be

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

It's been almost a month since I've posted, but I've been reading a lot of Patterson lately. I'm going to do a combined entry on those three books (if I blog on them at all) because they don't take much time to read/explore. I love them for quick, suspenseful reads though. Plus, Patterson is a huge proponent of childhood literacy, so I'm not knocking him.

Anywho, I read Glory Be after my old teaching friend, Lonnye Sue, suggested I buy it for the library. It's a great fit for my school, given its demographics. It's a touching take on the civil rights movement that's appropriate for elementary students. 

Glory is an eleven --almost twelve-- year old white girl growing up in Mississippi in 1964. Her father is a preacher and the black maid in her home has been the closest to a mother figure she has had since her mother's passing years ago. She also has an older sister, Jesslyn, who has been a friend to Glory until this summer. Jesslyn is too involved in pep squad and hair styles to play games with Glory now, which leaves Glory with her friend, Frankie, and the local swimming pool.

At least Glory planned on spending the summer at the pool with Frankie. However, some Freedom workers from up north have come to Mississippi to "stir up trouble." Glory befriends the daughter of one of the freedom workers, much to Frankie's disapproval. Frankie's family, like much of the town, embraces the fallacy of "separate but equal" in society. The town closes the pool under the pretense of repairing cracks rather than face the possibility of integrating its population.

Closing the pool is an abomination to Glory. After all, her twelfth birthday is on July 4th, and she's had swimming parties for as long as she can remember. Though her initial anger is directed towards the pool's closing, she redirects her attention towards the ignorance of the townspeople. Glory realizes that color isn't a reason to discriminate. She says it best when a snooty busybody huffs about opening the doors to everyone in the library (ha, though I may be partial to the quote):

Libraries are about books. Books have no color. And they don't care who reads them.

Glory Be would be a good classroom read, if you're looking for a class novel. It works great by yourself, too.

Target Age Range: upper elementary - middle school

The Marriage Plot

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

I know, I know. It's been weeks since I've updated. Where I can usually fly through a book in no time, this one was a deeper (hence longer) read than many of the books I've read lately. Therefore, I'll make up for quantity of February blog posts with quality.

I typically don't like the idea of using an author's own words against him. But there's a section on pages 345 and 346 of this very novel that addresses my sentiments of The Marriage Plot.

The experience...was like reading certain difficult books. It was like plowing through late James, or the pages about agrarian reform in Anna Karenina, until you suddenly got to a good part again, which kept on getting better and better until you were so enthralled that you were almost grateful for the previous dull stretch because it increased your eventual pleasure.

I don't think Eugenides would really appreciate me saying that pieces of the book rivaled Tolstoy's discussion of land reform (at least I wouldn't). Parts of the book were slow, but then others were so engaging that, despite the heavy vocabulary, you kept going.
.
 You probably think that was a nice way of saying I hated the book. I didn't! I just want to make readers aware that it isn't a "beach read," if you know what I mean.

I hate Dickens for the way he describes characters. He is far too descriptive for my tastes. However, I adore descriptions of times and places, and Marriage Plot did not disappoint in this aspect. Readers find themselves in a number of places: Rhode Island, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Paris, Monaco, Athens, Calcutta. Eugenides describes each location adequately, depending on its relationship to the story.
It's a fictitious novel based in the 1980s that did not discuss AIDS or snorting coke, but instead touched on literary and social styles of the decade. The protagonist, Madeleine, is a recent graduate of Brown university with a degree in English lit. Though she's a self-proclaimed "Victorianist," specializing in Austen, she finds her final semester attending postmodern theory classes. Here, Madeleine meets a variety of characters enchanted by the social, music, and literary reforms of the early 80s. The time also plays an important part in her own literary studies, as she claims the Victorian theme of a marriage plot no longer exists in contemporary literature.

The plot contains a love triangle; Mitchell is in love with Madeleine, although that love in unrequited, as she loves Leonard. A religious studies major, Mitchell is on an intercontinental spiritual journey after graduating from Brown. The point of view shifts throughout the book from Madeleine's to Leonard's to Mitchell's, wherever one may be at any particular point during the year-long time span. Although Mitchell was not my favorite character, his periods abroad were typically my favorite setting descriptions, particularly while he was volunteering for Mother Teresa and the Kalighat in India. 

If you have never read Eugenides's 2002 Pulitzer winner, Middlesex, I highly recommend it (more so than this one, to be honest). One of the most intriguing parts of the book was the author's ability to develop a character from childhood to adulthood while allowing the reader to always know what she (later he) was thinking. Cal was born a hermaphrodite, an internal struggle that most of the human population will never understand. However, Eugenides's writing enabled readers to feel empathy towards the character. 

I'm not digressing, I'm alluding to another story to show a similarity.

In Middlesex, readers followed the internal struggle of someone born with a different physical trait; in The Marriage Plot, the trait is mental. Leonard, Madeleine's boyfriend, has manic-depressive disorder. The author vividly describes Leonard's ups and downs during the year he is with Madeleine, including time he is hospitalized. It shows the trouble he has with everyday tasks, like going to work, versus the highs he has, including wearing a cape and gambling at the Monte Carlo casino. Madeleine's conflicting emotions and feelings towards Leonard are also depicted; she loves him, but does she want to deal with the stress of his disease?

The abrupt ending did bother me somewhat. After text that strolled along for 400 pages, to say the final six were rushed would be an understatement. Maybe that was the point though---the traditional marriage plot doesn't exist in contemporary literature?

Despite taking a while to read, I enjoyed Eugenides's third novel, and would recommend it to other avid readers. However, if you have to choose one of his books, it's this reader/blogger/librarian's opinion that Middlesex is better worth your time. 

Target age range: Adult

I'm still alive!

I'm not neglecting the blog, but it's taking me a while to get through my current read. I promise I'll update soon.

The Baby-Sitters Club (20 years later)

The Baby-Sitters Club (graphic novels) adapted by Raina Telgemeier

When I was growing up, I adored The Baby-Sitters Club series. I spent birthday money on the books, I checked them out from the library, I borrowed them from whoever I could. I even paid the $5 advertised in the back of the book to be a fan club member. I still have a box full of paperbacks in my office here at home. Let me say it again, "I adored the BSC."

I've spent the past five years watching middle schoolers read about drugs, sex, alcoholism, abuse, and other topics that are (in my opinion) inappropriate for preteens. What happened to reading that could be fun and relevant without having an explicit sex scene on page 86? (In case you can't tell, I bought a book specifically for my classroom and THANK GOD I read it prior to putting it in my class.) I want kids to understand that reading can be entertaining without being lewd or crass.

Imagine my delight when I placed an order back in October and saw that the first four BSC novels are now available in a graphic novel form. They tell the same stories, albeit abridged, but use a medium that pique the interests of today's kids. However, a group of fourth graders came in the library today and checked out the actual novels since they had read the newer versions. 

I know that these books aren't ever going to end up in the "Classics" section of a bookstore, but they're clean fun for kids. According to Wikipedia, 17 million copies were sold between 1986 and 2000, which goes to show that kids in the 80s, 90s, and the 00s (and now the 10s?) like them.
Keep reading, kids. 

Target Age Range: upper elementary, early middle school (and ladies in their 20s reliving their childhoods)

Substitute Creacher...or as I would call it: Mrs. Rühl's Life in Verse

Substitute Creacher by Chris Gall

I received a shipment of new books at work this week, and was making AR tests for a few when I came across this read. It's cute in a familiar way--bad kid turns into a monster to right his wrongs. Mr. Creacher subs for a class of unruly students, and he warns them of terrible outcomes to students he previously taught.

I liked the story, particularly the art work, but what made me write about it today is a poem about one of Mr. Creacher's former students, Sara. Now if you've worked or lived with me in the past ( . . . or present), it might be correct to say that I'm a cluttered person. As a teacher, I used to have issues with keeping my desk neat. Said issues may or may not have been severe enough that students would warn me about keeping it clean. "Mrs. Rühl, you're desk is getting too messy again. You're going to get in trouble again!" Fortunately, as a librarian, I have multiple desks and tables in the library and in my office, so there isn't a mountain of clutter piled high. 

Anyway, this part of the book spoke to me in volumes. And I chuckled outwardly after reading it.

Have you heard about Sara?
She crammed all her stuff
inside of her desk--
but enough was enough!

Her desk was so full
that it started to shake.
It rattled and lurched
like a minor earthquake.

Kids ran for their lives
ant the teachers threw fits,
and then Sara's desk
blew itself into bits.

It's a fun book for Halloween, or if you have students who are driving you crazy. Of course, you can also use it if you have a student who needs to learn some organizational skills.

 Target age range: elementary grades

One for the Money

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

I may have been one of the last women in the continental United States who had never read a Stephanie Plum book, but now I'm off that list. Thanks to Rhonda, my dear librarian friend, for her Facebook comment about reading the newest book, Explosive Eighteen, since that was what finally got me to flip open the cover of one. So keep in mind that I'm well aware that this review is circa 1994, but I was ten at the time and had no business reading this book then anyway. 

Fun and breezy, One for the Money was definitely what I would consider a "beach read," but there's nothing wrong with that--even in January. Plum is newly unemployed, has just had her car repossessed, and needs food in her fridge. She finds herself in a position to apply for an office clerk job, but jumps at the chance to make fast cash by bringing in those who have skipped bail. Her first "client" happens to be her ex, Joe Morelli, a cop in trouble for supposedly shooting an unarmed man.

Plum quickly finds herself in a number of scrapes, but these are minor since a lunatic boxer has his heart set on torturing her. Pride and the drive to prove herself keeps her from running to the cops, and her life dangerously spins out of control. 

Follow Stephanie as she tries to convince Joe to turn himself in while avoiding the wrath of a crazed fighter. I realize that statement makes this sound like a thriller, but don't let it fool you. The characters' dialogue is spicy and full of humor, which lightens the plot. Like I said, it's a fun read. I've already borrowed the next one from the library.

Target age range: adults

The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I've been a fan of Percy Jackson since he first appeared in The Lightning Thief. Greek mythology was my favorite subject to cover while teaching reading to seventh graders--and it was undoubtedly their favorite subject to learn. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed when Percy's series ended, but Riordan brought him back in his new series, Heroes of Olympus. Like the first set of books, this deals with Greek gods and goddesses, but intertwines Roman gods into the plot. The first book in the series, The Lost Hero finds readers wondering where Percy has disappeared to, but introduces new, equally impressive characters.

However, these characters aren't in the second book (they'll be in future novels). Percy's back in Son of Neptune, although memory loss keeps him from knowing who he is, or rather, who his father is and why that's important. He makes his way into a Roman camp of demigods that's similar to Camp Half-Blood, although he's welcomed halfheartedly. Percy befriends Hazel and Frank, and the three are soon on a quest to Alaska to rescue Thanatos, Pluto's/Hades's right hand man, so the dead can stay dead. Imagine thwarting monsters to have them come back to life right in front of you. That's one of the challenges the demigods face in this book.

Kudos to Riordan for once again creating a book that hooks younger readers, particularly males. Pop culture references appear throughout the book (at one point, Thanatos whips out an iPad to check a list, and Frank prays there's not "an app for reaping souls"), making the novel relevant to readers. I love that Riordan's books open doors for children to research other topics or check out similar reads. This one is no different in that aspect; I'm sure many have compared the differences in Roman and Greek gods after starting the series. 

Lovely read. Good thing three more are coming in this set. And, hey, the final in his Egyptian gods series, Kane Chronicles, is due out in May.

Target age range: 10 and up

The Book that Eats People

The Book that Eats People by John Perry

This was the book for last week's story time with kindergarten and first grade. I used it to introduce a cyber safety lesson (books can't really hurt you, but giving out personal info online can blah blah). However, it's a fun read for kids, since many of them ask for a "scary" book. Usually that is difficult with younger groups because you don't really want to scare them too badly, but this is fun/scary.

The text isn't really frightful per se, but if you change your inflections when reading, it can be suspenseful. As indicated by the title, the book --this book-- eats people. And it's always hungry. You should always assume it's hungry. The book eats a number of children who had peanut butter smudged fingers and who turned their backs on the book, but at the end, students are given four tips to avoid being consumed. 

A 2012 North Carolina Children's Book Award nominee, The Book that Eats People is fun and delightfully illustrated. The kids kept their attentions on the book as each page turned, which can be difficult for a five year old. Like I said, I used it to introduce a computer safety lesson, but turn out the lights and give this one a read.

Target Age Range: 6-9 years old