EPIC contest!

The always amazing Heather Zundel is being even more fantastic than usual this month.  She's set herself the goal of writing and posting a short story each day through the month of February. As if that's not enough, she's also hosting a huge, no gigantic, no we must call it EPIC contest to celebrate.  Here's a little peek at some of what you can win:

Crazy, right?  And all you have to do is hop on over to her blog and become a follower.  And her blog is so great you'll be kicking yourself that you haven't been a follower forever.   So just go to this post and enter the contest.  Be sure to tell her that NOTNESSIE sent you and you will have my everlasting gratitude.  You know, until the next time I need a favor =oP

Picture Book Challenge: Update #2

The Picture Book Reading Challenge is hosted by the1stdaughter at There's a Book.   There's still plenty of time to join in - the more the merrier!  If you'd like to read a bit more about Bubble, Whee and Monster, check out this post.

Llama Llama Mad At Mama - Anna Dewdney

Mom's take: "Llama Llama having fun, blocks and puzzles in the sun.  Time to shop, it's Saturday!  But Llama Llama wants to play." And so it begins.  Llama does not want to go to the store, and he ends up having a huge temper tantrum.  We love this book.  It makes me laugh becuase, hey! I've been there.  The girls have the whole thing memorized.  This is one of the books we read over and over again.

Whee's take:  Whoa.  Did you see Llama Llama screaming in the grocery cart?  If I did that, I think my mommy would give me a time out.  I hate time outs.  I love this book though, I love how it rhymes, because I can say the words before my mommy does.  And at the end, Llama gets to have ice cream!!

That's Not My Donkey - Fiona Watt

Mom's take: A little mouse is looking for his donkey, but all the donkeys he finds just aren't quite right.  I love this sturdy touch and feel book by Usborne because it kept Monster interested for the whole 72 seconds it took to read.  It was very cute watching him stick out one tiny finger to feel the interesting textures on each page. 

Monster's take: This book feels fuzzy!  and bumpy!  and soft!  And all kinds of things that books don't usually feel like.  It's puzzling, but I love it.  When you're finished reading, you might want to chew a corner as well, because it tastes delicious.

Too Much Stuff - Robert Munsch

Mom's take: Temina is excited to go on an airplane ride to grandma's house, and she wants to take ALL her toys with her.  Mom says, "Just one toy," but Temina decides to sneak a few extras into her bag.  OK, hello, welcome to my life on our recent holiday travels.  Word to the wise, never let a five year old pack her own backpack.  This is a fun story- my girls love every Robert Munsch book they've read because the stories are just so over-the-top.

Bubble's take:  Good story.  I wonder how Temina managed to get so many toys in her bag, I could only get 25 or so in mine.  My favorite part is when Temina shares her toys with all the kids who are sad becuase they don't have any toys.

This is the House That Was Tidy and Neat - Teri Sloat

Mom's take: "This is the house that was tidy and neat when mom left" The house is tidy when mom leaves, but one thing after another happens to mess it up.  Now mom's almost home and the place is a disaster.  This is such a cute little story, and the illustrations are adorable.  I loved it!  The telling has a very rhythmic cadence to it that was great for bedtime reading.  Though I think the mom in this story really needs to get a nanny cam.  You may be interested to know that I live in The House That Was Tidy And Neat Until Nana Called To Say She Was On Her Way Over.

Whee's take:  These kids are so funny!  They climb way up on the cupboards to get cookies from the cookie jar.  I make my mom read that part over and over again, because I like to look at the pictures. 

Interrupting Chicken - David Ezra Stein

Mom's take: Chicken wants a bedtime story, but she just can't keep herself from putting her two cents in, and Daddy's getting annoyed.  I have a lot of sympathy for Chicken, because I often find myself wanting to yell at characters in books as well.  This is a fun read, and a great way to show kids exactly what interrupting is.

Whee's take:  So that's what interrupting is!  My mom is always telling me to stop it, but it's hard to understand what she means.  Am I supposed to stop talking forever?  Ha!  Like that's going to happen! 

Notable Quotable (1)

K, I'm still working on the name of the post.   Any thoughts? 

I love quotes and I thought I'd share this one with you:
"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves." -Anna Quindlen-

Amen.

Got a quote to share?  Leave it in the comments or feel free to create your own Quotable post and leave me a link.

Etsy Friday: Upcycled Books

Those of you who are easily shocked may want to avert your eyes from this post.  I want you to know that, in principle, I dislike seeing harm come to any book.  I hate seeing books in landfills even more.  So I am absolutely thrilled by these upcycled book creations.  Which is your favorite? I love them all!

Wuthering Heights Handbag by Rebound Designs

Hardback Book Lamp by Typewriter Boneyard
Enter to win two of these lamps here.

Hollow Book Safe by Pommes Frites

*all images used with permission.

7. Storm Front

Author (Pub. Date):  Jim Butcher (2000)

Summary: Harry Dresden--Wizard
Lost items found. Paranormal investigations.

Consulting. Advice. Reasonable rates.

No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things--and most of them don't play too well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a--well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get... interesting.

My thoughts: Sorry I'm a little late posting this review today.  I had it all set and ready to go, and Whee somehow deleted it to an unreachable place in the great Never Never.  Someday I hope she will start using her powers for good instead of evil.  Anyway.

This story is unlike anything I've ever read before.  It's like an The Maltese Falcon and Storm Born were joined together in unholy matrimony and had a weird kid. 

Odd though this story may be, I like it.  I was thoroughly amused by Harry dealing with mobsters and fingerprinting one moment, and then worrying about voodoo and rogue wizards the next.  I don't read a whole lot of urban fantasy that's written by men or that has a male protagonist and I think Butcher and Harry put a refreshing spin on the genre.  (I had to laugh though, because only a man would describe a woman his main character finds attractive as "stocky.") 

Poor Harry is a wizard with a Big Bad Past.  He's made some mistakes, and as a result he has the White Council (wizard police) looking over his shoulder constantly.  So when magical murders start happening, and Harry is in the vicinity, all of a sudden he finds himself cast as suspect #1.  He has to figure out who's really behind the mayhem ASAP, or jail will be the least of his worries.  But he's not totally on his own!  He has his hilarious sidekick, Bob the Skull (no, really, he's a talking skull) to help him out with magical ingredients.  And the enigmatic homicide detective, Karrin Murphy, seems to think he might just be innocent.  I really liked the dialogue in this book!

This is great escapist reading, especially for those who like urban fantasy but are maybe looking for something a little different within the genre.  This is certainly a break from the norm.
Final word: (4/5) Fast-paced fun for fantasy fans.

Content:  Some violence and reference to sexuality.  Magical rituals with some disturbing elements.  This book is aimed at adults, but I think it's appropriate for older teens (16+) as well.

6. Across The Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.  Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.  Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. (Goodreads)

My thoughts: On a personal note, Beth Revis is one of the first authors whose blogs I followed when I started blogging.  I was "there" when she was doing the final tweaks, when she queried out her manuscript, when she signed with agent, and all the other big steps.  I have never spoken to Beth Revis (actually, I think she replied to one of my comments on her blog once), but when I got a copy of AtU in the mail I admit I had a little thrill of "I knew her when."  Which perhaps illustrates exactly why the internet is kind of creepy.  But nevermind that.  Let me just say: Congratulations, Beth!  You made it!

You can imagine that there was a little bit of pressure when I read this book.  I've been looking forward to it for SO LONG.  Could it possibly be everything I hoped it would?  Yes!

Across the Universe starts with one of the most powerful opening chapters I've ever read.  We meet Amy as she's about to be frozen, as she's faced with a decision.  Will she stay in the comfort and familiarity of Earth, or will she agree to be frozen for 300 years and travel into the unknown with her parents?  Her inner debate gives the reader an immediate snapshot of the character in the way perhaps nothing else could have.  Of course, we know what Amy decides.  She allows herself to be frozen, discovering too late that she's going to be aware the entire time.  Can you imagine 300 years trapped in your own head?  Ugh, it's enough to give me nightmares.

The narrator in this story alternates between Amy and Elder, the leader-in-training of the people awake aboard the ship. In the centuries since they left Earth behind, the culture of the ship has changed completely.  All control rests in one man, Eldest, and his judgement might be a bit questionable.  The unfolding of the horrors that were perpetrated in the name of survival in this society had me riveted to the page.  Every time I thought I couldn't be more shocked and appalled, I was proved wrong.  The truly chilling part of it all is that in every decision that was made, you can see a grain of sense, and almost understand why they chose to go that way.  That, friends, is a good dystopia.  While I felt like I figured out who the murderer was fairly early on, there was so much else to discover in this plot that I was never left wanting.  And there was a big surprise at the end that I never saw coming.

Revis's writing could be used as a textbook on how to properly apply the concept of "show, don't tell."  I felt like I was on board the Godspeed with Amy and Elder.  Exactly the right details are given to set the scene without ever bogging down the narrative in excessive description.  Emotions are conveyed with absolute clarity, yet the writing is never overly sentimental.  I cried at more than one point, and I'm not pregnant anymore, so it's not that easy to make me cry.  Perfect.

One last thing- the description that I borrowed from Goodreads really makes the romance in this book sound like a bigger deal than it is.  I wouldn't say Elder and Amy are in love.  It's more that they have a connection with potential.  Elder is entranced by Amy from the moment he first sees her, but I think she's mostly lonely and confused.  So don't go in expecting a swelling of the orchestra and lots of making out, cuz it's not going to happen.  Thank goodness.

Final word: (5/5) Absolutely fantastic.  Sci-fi readers and dystopian fans, rejoice!  Then rush right out to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy.

Content: Some disturbing material.  Recommended for ages 14+.

*I've decided that "Through Glass" by Stone Sour is my perfect theme song for this book,  What do you think?

Teaser Tuesday: Across The Universe

Today's teaser is from Across The Universe by Beth Revis:

Neither of them have any thoughts on this, and it infuriates me.  "You never even gave this a second thought, did you?  Someone's died, and you're just going to sit back and let this happen?"

This book is chilling, horrifying, and totally fantastic.  Full review coming tomorrow.

5. The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

Summary: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.  Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.  Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.  Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind. (summary via the author's website)

My thoughts:  Imagine being thrown into a strange and terrifying world where you don't understand the rules and no one is on your side.  You have no recollection of your own past beyond your name.  That's what Thomas faces when he enters The Glade.

The mystery was the big draw of this story for me.  Just what the heck is going on?  From the moment that Thomas wakes and arrives in The Glade, he's asking questions.  Questions that everyone refuses to answer.  If rule number one in the Glade is to never step outside the walls, rule number two seems to be "don't talk."  This is frustrating to Thomas and also to me as the reader, leaving me scrambling to pull an explanation from my own mind.  But as hard as I tried to figure it out, I still didn't get it all right.

One thing that annoyed me about this book was the slang used in The Glade.  They're all spouting off about "shanks" and "shucking shuckface", which left me with the impression that Dashner's original manuscript had too many f-bombs and his editor told him to fix it for a YA audience.  Sometimes unique slang in a book can define the world and draw the reader in (Westerfeld's Uglies series, for example), but I wasn't buying it here.

Overall, an exiting, engrossing read.  I think this book will appeal to lovers of dystopian lit, as well as anyone who enjoys a terrifying tale of survival against all odds.  It is also worth noting that this is one of the few books I read that is going to have broad appeal among the male species.  I finished it thinking, "I liked this, but Joe is going to LOVE it."  He did. 

Final word: (4/5) Bizarre. Bewildering. Wrenching.  All in a good way.

Content:  Not too much to worry about here.  Some violence and frightening situations, but I think it's appropriate for ages 12+.

*Received from thekams at Escape Through the Pages as a prize from her blogoversary contest! Thanks!

Picture Book Challenge Update #1

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Mom's take: Little mousy travels through the woods, tricking away animals that would like to eat him by telling them he's off to meet his friend the Gruffalo.  The huge, scary, Gruffalo.  What will the mouse do when he actually meets a Gruffalo?  This is a very funny story that Whee and Bubble both requested over and over for bedtimes. (ages 3-8)

Whee's thoughts: This book is hilarious!  The mouse doesn't really think there's a Gruffalo, but then he finds one.  It's scary!  Eek!  How is the mouse going to get away now?  Silly mousy.  I like to pretend I'm a Gruffalo, with huge teeth and claws.  It drives my sister insane, so that makes it even more fun!

Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney

Mom's take: Gloria is grumpy.  Her family tries everything to cheer her up, but they just can't figure out what could possibly be wrong.  We all enjoyed this new book by the author of the "Llama Llama" series.  The illustrations are adorable!  This was a great one for Whee, since she's really working on understanding other people's feelings and what makes people feel happy or sad. (ages 3-7)

Whee's thoughts:  I love the part where the kids dress the puppy up in a costume.  I make my mom go back to that page over and over, because it just never stops being funny!  Gloria is sad because her friend has a new toy and won't play with her, but then she gets to ride in the baby stroller and that makes her happy again.  I love it! 

Pink Magic by Donna Jo Napoli

Mom's take:  It's Eva's birthday and her brother is jealous of all the birthday cards she's getting in the mail.  Eva decides to use her birthday wish to wish for Nick to get some really good mail.  Pink mail, since that's his favorite color.  A watermelon is pretty fun, but the flamingo is really a nuisance.  This was a cute story, but a little too wordy for Whee's attention span.  Bubble enjoyed it a bit more. (ages 4-8)

Bubble's thoughts:  My mom is crazy.  Getting a flamingo in the mail would be stupendous!  Pink is my favorite color, too, so I really liked everything that Nick got in the mail. I wish Nick's mom hadn't made him give all the animals back.  I'm going to go wait for the mail now.

Chester by Melanie Watt

Mom's take:  Melanie is trying to write a story about a mouse, but the cat Chester wants to be the star of the show.  He keeps changing the story!  Be careful, Chester, the author always gets revenge.  This is our second (maybe third) time getting this book from the library, because Whee LOVES it.  Maybe for the wrong reasons.  I think she secretly wishes she could get away with being so bad. (ages 4-8)

Whee's thoughts:  Chester is my kind of kitty.  He does not listen to his mom AT ALL.  And he draws all over the page!  Do you know how much trouble I would get in if I did that?  My favorite part is when Chester has to wear a pink tutu.  He does NOT look happy, but I think it's really cute.

How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?  by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Mom's Take: Sometimes children...er... I mean dinosaurs, drive you insane.  But then they do something adorable and you realize you really don't want to sell them on Kijiji.  Probably. The poem in this book was ok, if a little sappy for my taste, but I LOVE the illustrations.  They just make me smile.  I think this is one of those books that parents tend to like a lot more than kids do, though the girls did enjoy trying to identify the different types of dinosaurs. (ages 4-8)

Bubble's thoughts:  This book is not my favorite, but I like trying to figure out what kind of dinosaur is on each page.  It's also pretty funny seeing dinosaurs digging in a sandbox.

Princess Pigtoria and the Pea by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Mom's take: She may be a princess, but Pigtoria needs money.  So when she hears that a rich prince is looking for a bride, she decides to apply. What exactly are we teaching our kids here?  =o)  This alliterative retelling of The Princess and the Pea was actually pretty entertaining.  Pigtoria decides that the prince is a stuck-up nincompoop and ends up marrying the pizza delivery guy instead.  This was a surprisingly great pick for Bubble, who soon figured out that most of the words started with P and was able to guess what would come next.  Soon she was taking over the reading entirely.  Hurray!

Bubble's thoughts:  I can read this book myself!  I love it!  I am so happy that Pigtoria married the pizza pig, because that prince was really rude!  And I love Pigtoriaès dress!  I wish I had one just like it.

In which I can no longer enjoy one of my favorite books...

I'm sure any true book lover has the disheartening experience of watching a movie based on one of your favorite reads... and totally hating it.  But has watching the movie ever ruined your enjoyment of the book as well?

To set the scene, let me take you back in time.  It's the winter of 2006, and I'm reading Twilight for the first time.  I loved it.  No, I really LOVED it.  I loved it in a I-would-rather-hang-out-with-this-book-than-breathe kind of way.  I devoured it for the first time in one sitting, and reread it more times than I'm willing to admit.  I gobbled up New Moon, almost died of anticipation waiting for Eclipse, and while my devotion to the series took a hit with Breaking Dawn (whole other story) I pretty much continued to love it right up until November 21, 2008.  That was the day I watched Twilight at the movie theater.

Now, it wasn't a terrible movie.  It just wasn't how I imagined it.  Kristen Stewart may be a very talented actress, but she is completely and totally wrong for my Bella.  Her every word and movement jars me out of the story, because it just doesn't fit with how I pictured the story.  I liked the movie, but it just wasn't satisfying for me.  Anyway, it's obvious that tons of people disagree with me about whether the Twilight saga made good movies.  The films are incredibly popular and financially sucessful, so I might just be one crackpot talking to myself over in a corner.  That's not even the point I'm getting at here. 

My point is that watching the movies ruined the books for me.  Over Christmas I reread Twilight and the magic is gone.  My beloved imaginings have been replaced by Rob and Kristen.  Having heard some of the lines spoken out loud, I now realize how cheesy they really sound.  The plotting is uneven, Bella seems totally unrealistic, and there is FAR to much moaning and moping about for my taste.  I'm devastated.

So my question is this: how do you feel about movies made from books you've loved?  Generally a good experience, or more bad?