Golden Girl

This book is the sequel to Dust Girl which is an American Fairy Tale.

I'm finally getting around to writing the post about this one. I've had to re read this over and over a few times now. Stress took over for a bit, and my memory was wiped a few times by migraines. I also had a bunch of library books taken (which I am still stressing over), and am working on popping out another kidney stone baby.
This stone is bad enough that I missed comic con because of it. Super lame.

Anyways, finally read this book in its entirety so here it is:

Title: Golden Girl
Author: Sarah Zettel

This book is book two in the American Fairy Trilogy, this series MUST be read in order. It cannot be skipped through or read in a mishmosh like some of the other series' I've read in the past, this one has continuity that you will miss or spoil the plot with if read out of order.

Where last we left Callie she and her friend Jack were on their way to Hollywood to scope out the Seelie Court.

I love how well the dichotomy of the Dark and Light courts are played out in this series. They are indeed uniquely american. The Unseelie court (to whom Callie's father was heir) is made up primarily of dark skinned people. Their power is held in music, specifically Jazz music. 

The Seelie court (the ones causing all the trouble for this poor girl) is made up of a bunch of shining white folks, primarily in the movie industry. Their magic seems to be mostly visual/glamour based.

Callie knows that the Seelie court has her mother, and she has suspicions that her father is there too. So she goes to Hollywood. She gets hired on quickly as a stage hand to the equivalent of Shirley Temple, and her world continues to spiral out of control. This is no place for a half fairy girl who doesn't know what she is up against.

I am highly impressed with Sarah Zettles' lists and attributes at the backs of her books. She puts up historical notes as well as complete song lists labeling the tunes that she mentions throughout the series. I am also impressed with the level of attention she pays to details that meld with true history. I will be happy to read the finale of this series (and hopefully during a time that I can pay attention.)

Find it here:  https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Girl-American-Fairy-Trilogy/dp/0375869395

ISBN: 978-0-375-86939-6

Tales of the Peculiar

Title: Tales of the Peculiar
Author: Ransom Riggs
Artist: Andrew Davidson

 

The artwork that is the head page for each story is absolutely lovely. Mr. Davidson does mostly block prints and etchings I believe, and is masterful in his work. (as an artist, I can tell you that I have not the patience for that level of detail.)

There are a few in this book I actually wouldn't mind if they released as posters. I believe they'd make lovely wall pieces.

The cover of this particular book is one I like a lot. It is cloth/canvas/faux cloth bound with gold colored stamping and feels very nice in one's hands. A very good contrast to the Plasticine, shiny book covers that frequent the markets today. 

The stories within (as it is a collective of short stories) are all within the "world" of  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children . This is a world that intersects our own, and thus makes it more believable in some senses. 

I am a major sucker for fairy tales and folklore. Doubly interested if it's a "new" story or something I've not read before. This is one of those books. The stories rather reminded me of Aesop's fables in that they had lessons hidden within them (about greed, vanity, love, kindness, etc.) but if you're looking at it from the Peculiar's point of view (which I believe is the point, to immerse yourself in the world.) serve as warning stories very much like those of Grimm and Anderson. 

I rather liked this collective of ten stories, seemingly put together by a boy who is a character in the Miss Peregrine's book. I probably will end up acquiring a copy of this for myself at some point.

BTW, the page on which you would normally find the information of ISBN, publisher, copyright, number of pages, etc. IS WORTH READING. It is a fun little easter egg that i'm sure most people would ignore due to that page usually including non content.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Peculiar-Ransom-Riggs/dp/0399538534

ISBN: 978-0-399-53853-7

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Title: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Author: J. K. Rowling

I picked this one up because I quite like the Harry Potter series, having grown up with it and read it since its beginning. I am not amused.
It is written for a much younger age group than the Harry Potter series, and I had been hoping for something within its reading range and above. This book has five stories and 111 pages, half of which are taken up by commentary from Dumbledore. The pages are no bigger than that of a chapter book, but with the formatting of the original series which minimizes the amount of writing to the equivalent of less than half a page's worth of writing for each page.

It was a very quick read, and did not hold my attention.

One good thing about this book is that when it is purchased through schoolastic, its net proceeds go to the Children's High Level Group, which is a charity that promotes the rights of children, and tries to make life better for vulnerable youth.

This charity was changed to "Lumos" in 2010? So disregard the chlg.org website as it is down. I wish they had the ability to change the website on the actual book, and have no idea if they've done so on the newer copies.
Here is the link to Lumos: https://wearelumos.org/

Find it here through schoolastic: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/the-tales-of-beedle-the-bard-by-j-k-rowling/

ISBN: 0-545-12828-5

Baby Doll

Title: Baby Doll
Author: Hollie Overton

This isn't a book I would normally pick off the shelves to read but I've been trying to branch out and not be discriminatory in my reviews. The cover compares it to "Gone girl" which if I remember correctly is a murder mystery. Murder mystery (and mystery) is a genre that I dislike intensely. I do however have a weakness for stories of power, and tales of victims generally fall under this category whether it be the victim coming into their own, or being the catalyst for a bigger change that may not save them.

This story follows the tale of a young woman, part of a set of twins, who was abducted eight years prior to the beginning of the book. She was taken as a high schooler and during her abuse riddled captivity had a child by this man. The book opens with her one chance to escape, which she takes, and follows her as she attempts to reclaim her life. Only to return and find out that her world had fallen apart without her.

The villain of the tale is well written. A wolf in sheeps clothing hidden in plain sight. He is a respected member of the community. He is a teacher at her high school, everyone's favorite. He is married. (as he says in the story, when you're married and it seems a happy marriage; people are less likely to suspect you.) He even (as it turns out) spearheaded some of the search parties that were sent to look for the missing girl that he had secreted away.

It is written in such a way that it is indeed a story all the way through, but not from a singular perspective. (This is a thing that made it hard for me to follow as I have memory issues and couldn't remember who's point of view it had switched to.) Each chapter switches to a different character (4 in total I believe) and what they are going through each time.

It was a surprisingly compelling read (and the authors first book) and if I hadn't had to sleep, I would have read it through last night.

Not good enough for a second read/to put on my shelf (I cannot keep all the books I enjoy) but a decent enough read overall.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Doll-Hollie-Overton/dp/0316268712

ISBN: 978-0-316-26871-4

My Russian grandmother and her American vacuum cleaner: a family memoir

Title: My Russian grandmother and her American vacuum cleaner: a family memoir
author: Meir Shalev

This book was a hard read for me because of the authors' writing style. Meir Shalev does a good job explaining the family tales that surround the mystery of his grandmother's vacuum cleaner as well as the fundamentals of what the village she lived in was like. He does a decent job at showing what his family life was, and how everyone came about in telling family stories from their own viewpoint but all around the central hub of his grandma Tonia.

I do not think I could have hung around with his grandma, much too structured in ways that I find unfamiliar. She was obviously the keystone of his and his families lives and a legend in the area.
Strewn throughout this memoir among glimpses of grandma Tonia, stories that are passed down either through physical practice (industrial cleaning of the family houses) or through tales passed down (including that of the title piece... Her American vacuum cleaner.).

The story of the cleaner however holds the whole thing together and continues through to the end of the book itself, in a rather surprising ending. (In fact, there is a point near the end that made me both laugh out loud and cringe dealing with the woman and her "sveip-per")

Overall it was an okay book. I think if I had been able to skip straight through and only have the tale of grandma Tonia's vacuum I would have liked it more, but I understand that in being a memoir it was not the only part of the tale to tell. I probably will not read any more of the authors works due to his writing style which is too jumpy for my brain to be able read properly (linear is WAY easier for me to retain). That should not dissuade you though, as like I said, the book itself a okay.


Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Grandmother-American-Vacuum-Cleaner/dp/0805242872

ISBN: 978-0-8052-4287-4

ONCE

I'm a sucker for books having to do with the holocaust, so this is easily another one where the cover drew me to it.

Title: Once
Author: Morris Gleitzman

This is part of a trilogy, which I will be finding the other books in the series to read. It was a bit of a hard read for me because it is from the point of view of a very young child. That being said after you start reading it from that standpoint and block out any outside knowledge of the holocaust, it becomes a gripping tale of confusion and trying to look on the bright side of things.

The view point is that of a ten year old polish Jewish boy who has been sheltered thus far from the holocaust. He is living in a catholic orphanage waiting to be reunited with his parents during 1942.

Soon he runs away and embarks on his own, seeing through his unspoiled childs eyes, learning slowly the terrors of what lay in store for people who shared his faith. 

This is the story of a very strong little boy, and i'd say that it is safely juvenile fiction. It might be highly upsetting to children as they continue reading it though because as he starts realizing what is happening it all becomes very clear, the Nazi agenda. 

I really love that it is from the standpoint of such a young child. It really brings a whole new aspect to the reality of the holocaust and may even drive the point home more of: these were PEOPLE. People just like everyone else, who were singled out. To them, they were no different than anyone else. Just as if you were to have this happen. There would be no real understanding from your part, and definitely not from the children. It's terrible that it happened in the first place, but its a good lesson to look back upon so that we do not repeat our mistakes of the past. 

Find it here:  https://www.amazon.com/Once-Morris-Gleitzman/dp/0312653042

ISBN: 978-0-8050-9026-0

Threadbare: clothes, sex & trafficking

Trying to keep up with the blog, it is difficult. Four years ago it would have been much easier, before all the memory problems set in. I used to be able to read very quickly and retain everything. Now i'm relegated to 4 hours for a simple manga, and a day for a thin book. Makes me a bit frustrated.

I used to be able to go and pick up 40 odd books from the library and finish/return them within the week. Now... Not so much.



Today's book is:

Title: Threadbare: Clothes, sex & trafficking
by: The Ladydrawers and Anne Elizabeth Moore

This is a comic book style informative project. It reminds me very much of the comics you see in asia that explain everyday scenarios and objects. (A few of those books were available at the library this time around so I was able to get those as well. Those are always exciting to me -yes i know. So bland. haha) 

There are a lot of artists in this one, I'll write out the names of the ones it lists on the back of the book. (pardon me if I miss any)  

Leela Corman

Julia Gfrorer

Simon Haussle

Delia Jean

Ellen Lindner

Melissa Mendes

This is a pretty rad book. It looks into the intertwining aspects of the sex industry, womens rights, and the clothing industry. 

It has four sections broken up into 5-6 comics apiece; with notes at the end of each "chapter" so that you can look up the topics on your own, a sort of bibliography. 

The sections are:

The United States

Austria

Cambodia

The World

It seems to start off with the modeling and clothing industries and slowly niggles its way into the more taboo topics of prostitution and sweatshops. There are a lot of things that I learned reading this book, the majority of which were found in the Austria section. I just had no idea. 

This book is full of taboo and controversial topics but is definitely a  good, informative read. I will be looking up other books by this group of writers. =)

Find it here: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/6190/

ISBN: 978-1-62106-739-9

A Thread of Silk

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!
YAYYYYYYYY. I am turning 27 officially, and we are practically snowed in. My guy is coming over today and we will be making pizza and my friends and I will be dressed up. We meant to go out dancing in portland tonight but our car will not make it on the roads, so instead, we are staying in.



This is a short story in a compilation by Eugie Foster called "Returning my sister's face, and other far eastern tales of whimsy and malice".

Title: A Thread of Silk
Book: Returning my Sister's Face, and other far eastern tales of whimsy and malice
Author Eugie Foster

As I am stating on each of these, this is a review for one of the short stories in this anthology and thus the image will be the same for each of these. This is not a repeat.

This is a Japanese tale that weaves together the present and past; and is one of the longer stories in the book. A woman seeks revenge in the Heian Era (my favorite era of Japan) against a man of her family who has attempted to slay her brother and has destroyed her lands in the process. She admonishes the God of War to help her in her conquest, and he gives her a sideways gift for not asking the right questions. She also attracts a Goddess who is much more dangerous and whom gives her a gift that is also a downright curse.

I must say. The main male antagonist in this is the most goth japanese character i've come across ever. Tall dark and handsome, swathed in dark colors, emotional. Elegant, poetic, chivalrous. It is hard not to like him. 

Very soon you come to see the workings of the Goddess and why indeed hers was not a blessing.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Returning-My-Sisters-Face-Eastern/dp/1607620111

ISBN: 1-60762-011-1

The Tiger Fortune Princess

This is a short story in a compilation by Eugie Foster called "Returning my sister's face, and other far eastern tales of whimsy and malice".

Do you know why I like compilations/anthologies? I like them because they include a veriety of stories (sometimes united by a common theme) and I do not have to expect that I will be sitting here reading twenty stories that are exactly the same. Its a lovely feeling.


Title: The Tiger Fortune Princess
Book: Returning my Sister's Face, and other far eastern tales of whimsy and malice
Author Eugie Foster

As I am stating on each of these, this is a review for one of the short stories in this anthology and thus the image will be the same for each of these. This is not a repeat.

This tale takes place in China, and begins with the Chinese Empress Meiying. As far as empresses in stories go, she is the same. Being beautiful, wise, and compliant. 

She follows tradition to a T, and does everything correctly when she finds herself with child. Enter the "angry fairy" trope. This comes in the form of soothsayer who is casting the future baby's horoscope. The soothsayer gets interrupted by an outside force and because she is now annoyed, changes the fortune to a curse. The Empress Meiying allows this, because fate, and  does her damnedest to keep the curse from happening. 

"Your daughter will die unborn

unless she rides the dragon's tail.

If she survives the dragon,

she will be devoured before she meets her husband,

and without a son in law,

her father will die of unhappiness."

Meiying does her best to make sure that while allowing the curse room, does not allow it to happen, while allowing its course to run. She does everything in her power to make this go smoothly including living as a peasant in the countryside alone with the baby.

This was a very good story, had a very "sleeping beauty" feel to it.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Returning-My-Sisters-Face-Eastern/dp/1607620111

ISBN: 1-60762-011-1

The Tanuki-Kettle

This is a short story in a compilation by Eugie Foster called "Returning my sister's face, and other far eastern tales of whimsy and malice".

Title: The Tanuki-Kettle
Book: Returning my Sister's Face, and other far eastern tales of whimsy and malice
Author Eugie Foster

As I am stating on each of these, this is a review for one of the short stories in this anthology and thus the image will be the same for each of these. This is not a repeat.

The Tanuki-Kettle is a lighthearted Japanese based tale, very short; about a Tanuki (raccoon-dog) that likes to chase chickens and meddle in the affairs of his savior: a tea girl named Hisa. Usually Tanuki are only tricksters, here he brings her luck and good fortune.

I cannot wait to see what else this book has in store for me. I think I might do illustrations for at least this story, as I would rather like to illustrate a tanuki-kettle. 

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Returning-My-Sisters-Face-Eastern/dp/1607620111

ISBN: 1-60762-011-1

Persian Girls: A memoir

The cover is what drew me to this book. The last time I went to the library, I started in the Biographies section. Its strange to me that biographies are put into the fiction section, and though this is more of an autobiography... I guess it somewhat makes a small amount of sense as names had to be changed and timeline is probably minorly skewed so that people didn't get into trouble.
I do love the mirror image of the cover though along with the colors. It puts to mind sisters in a far off time.

Title: Persian Girls, A memoir
Author: Nahid Rachlin

My first critique of this book is that I really really really wish that the author had included a glossary. She uses many terms and words that are in Farsi, without proper context on to what they could mean. It made it hard to become accustomed to the story. (For me at least)

Mrs. Rachlin does make for a compelling writer, and makes feelings known throughout. I rather enjoyed reading about her family and her view on her life, but this is a genre I generally appreciate. I like the ability to see things from a different perspective that is equally valid. 

Her life story takes place from 1955-the 2000's but she tries to explain the ecopolitical circumstances in Iran and America of the varying years so that we may understand how drastically her life changed with these upheavals. This takes place around the same time as Persepolis (which I reviewed earlier in the year). Wasn't my favorite book of the new year so far but I may look into at least one of her other books. Just to see if there is a difference.

Between the two, (persepolis and persian girls) Persepolis was much easier to understand and follow. Though this may be that I am largely visual in my ability to understand and quantify.

Review for Persepolis: http://thelibraryofmixeddesires.blogspot.com/2016/12/persepolis.html

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Persian-Girls-Memoir-Nahid-Rachlin/dp/1585426237

ISBN: 1-58542-520-6

Gone to Amerikay

First off. I am pretty sure i'm going to acquire a copy of this book for myself at some point. This was unexpectedly great.


Title: GONE TO AMERIKAY
Author: Derek McCulloch
Artists: Colleen Doran and Jose Villarrubia

This book is drawn in a style that I very much adore. It tells not one story, but three separate tales in separate time periods that intertwine within the bounds of linear time. Set within the bounds of New York. 

One man  in 2010 is being led around by his wife on a wild goose chase looking for any remaining pieces of history.

One man in 1960 is looking for his big break, and on the way finds a ghost and a song and a story.

One woman in 1870 has made her way to America and is trying to start a new life in the land of opportunity while waiting for a husband that has promised to come soon.

All three show the nitty gritty of their respective time periods, and are quite realistic in what they share. These are not "pretty" stories where everything goes perfectly in the end with nothing bad at all in their pages. These are REAL feeling stories and do not shy away from very REAL topics such as poverty, homosexuality, prostitution, rape, and murder.

Not a book for children, but easily a book for young adults, though many parents probably not find it suitable. 

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Amerikay-Derek-McCulloch/dp/1401223516

ISBN: 978-1-4012-2351-9

Dust Girl

People say "Don't judge a book by its cover." BUT I do this literally all the time. You have to be an author that i'm interested in, a subject I really really like, or have a decent concept for me to ignore the cover of the book and jump right into it.

This is not the case of one of those... though in the same vein, the title of the series -not the actual book title- caught my eye.

Title: Dust Girl
Author: Sarah Zettel

"Dust Girl" is book one of The American Fairy Trilogy. 

The AMERICAN fairy trilogy. THAT is something new to me. There has only been one other book series that i've read that had any books focusing on the folklore of the Americas. That specifically would be O.R. Melling's "The book of dreams" in the Faerie Chronicles series. This however is specific to AMERICA and not just north america. The good ol U.S. of A.

This book follows the story of a girl named Callie as she finds herself in the Dust Bowl in the 30s. She has a lot going against her in the world. She is a girl, a teenager, a bastard child (born out of wedlock and her father is not present), and bi-racial. (In the years that the book takes place in, she would be called Mulatto or worse if anyone found out, and it is presented that if people knew that her father was a black man... let alone a musician... she would lose any "privilege" she stood to have.)

Life is hard for Callie. She doesn't know herself. Her world is a hard one, living with her single mother who pines and promises that her daddy will be coming back for them someday, and being in the middle of the dust bowl. The whole town has disappeared around them and it's very hard to keep money in the pocket; let alone food on the table. Her mother has an inkling of the magic involved with her fathers music (jazz, which was something only "uncivilized" people played and listened to) and tells her to play to call him back to her. 

She calls something all right. but it isn't her father. 

This is another book where they portray fairies "properly". Not the cutesy flower fairies that grant wishes and do nice things, but the darker more changeable creatures that do not carry the same morals as humans at all. They have their own rules, to them. EVERYTHING is rules... but rules can be changed by wording or meaning or slipperiness. There is no dark or light, only what gets them their way.

This book does leave you wanting more, and does a great job of mixing folklore and fantasy with the realities of the times. 

Sarah Zettel did rather well I think, as this was her first novel for teens. I actively await reading the rest of this series and hope that the library has it somewhere in the systems.

Find it here: http://www.sarahzettel.com/novel/dust-girl/

ISBN: 978-0-375-86938-9