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

Fig

TRIGGER WARNING: Self harm and mental illness

((also, I did not know that I can post "in the past" so I will be filling up the few gaps in time with other book reviews.))


Title: Fig
Author: Sarah Elizabeth Schantz

So. For some reason I thought this book was going to have some supernatural or folkloric element to it. (I don't know why.) I was very very wrong. 

I rarely put trigger warnings on books but this is one that had I known exactly what it was going to be, I would have not read it.

This cover is a lie btw, nothing in here about birds or sewing or leaving the nest.

This is the story of a young girl and her mother's plunge into schizophrenia. This is the story of what harm can happen when illness is not properly explained to children, and the abuses that can happen as a result of living with someone unstable.

Young Fiona lives with her parents out in the middle of Kansas. She is HIGHLY intelligent. One day, when she is six, her mother has a paranoid mental break. Her world comes crashing down around her.

Her mother is an artist with a high strung personality. She is used to her being very particular about the environment, about societies' views on things, and about being a little bit paranoid.

Now this is all worse. It's all going wrong and her mom attempts suicide, and is sent back from the hospital on all sorts of downers. She doesn't seem like the same mother and because none of it is explained and none of it is taken care of properly the young girl internalizes all of her feelings toward the situation.

She soon becomes woefully neglected, and attempts to act as her mother's caretaker as much as possible. Learning that when she picks at scabs and previous injuries, that it feels calming for her. That seeing the blood helps her forget the mental pain she is experiencing. Soon that too goes increasingly wrong. 

There is a lot of self harm that goes on in this book. There is a lot of unstable mental illness. There is a lot of rampant child neglect. 

It was a hard read for me (having experienced a lot of the protagonists feelings if not situations.) and a good window into how this sort of thing spirals out of control.

It was very reminiscent to me of the book "Push" (which was turned into the movie "Precious") but featuring a different kind of mental and physical abuse.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Fig-Sarah-Elizabeth-Schantz/dp/1481423592

ISBN: 978-1-4814-2358-8 

Will Sparrow's Road

Title: Will Sparrow's Road

Author: Karen Cushman

Will Sparrow's Road takes place in Elizabethan England. It follows twelve year old Will through the trials and hardships that he faces and the decisions that he has to make all by himself to survive.

After being sold to an innkeeper by his father (who blamed him for the depart of his mother) to settle a drinking debt, he decides to run away instead of becoming a "climbing boy".

-A climbing boy is the term for a small person or child who was send up to work as a chimney sweep. This was a very dangerous position as there were no safety regulations.-

On his way he meets many disreputable people and learns that the only one he should truly trust is himself. He also learns to judge people not by what they look like or appear to be, but by their actions towards oneself and others.

I was surprised at this book, as Cushman generally writes with female main characters. This was a very welcome addition to her writings. I really enjoyed the bits and pieces added in about buskers and sideshows. 

Great work as always.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Sparrows-Road-Karen-Cushman/dp/0544336321

ISBN: 978-0-547-73962-5

Flight of the Dragon Kyn

Title: Flight of the Dragon Kyn
Author: Susan Fletcher

Flight of the Dragon Kyn is book two of the Dragon Chronicles by Susan Fletcher.

This version does not have the cover art that I like and when I buy this series it will be with the cover art I so desire.

Dragon's Milk (the first book in the Dragon Chronicles) covered Kaeldra and her ability to communicate with birds and dragons. She also cared for a clutch of dragon hatchlings and made sure that they were reunited into the safety of their flight (a group of dragons). 

This book focuses on Kara and is a prequel/explanation, what all led up to Kaeldra and her story. Kara is the first one with the ability to talk to and with birds and dragons. This is an ability that she procured after being left for dead after she was consumed by Vermilion Fever (which is mentioned again in book 1.) The dragon's milk turned her eyes fully  green. Because of this power to ken with birds, the king calls upon her to try and call down the dragons so that he may hunt them for revenge on his bride-to-be's brother. 

This book is full of birds, dragons, and bravery. (and I love the girl's bird friend.)

Find it here: (their description is wrong in all but the library binding versions, but I reported it to amazon as having improper details already.)   https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Dragon-Kyn-Chronicles/dp/141699713X/

ISBN: 978-1-4169-9713-9

The caretakers guide to Fablehaven

Title: The caretaker's guide to Fablehaven
Author: Brandon Mull
Artist: Brandon Dorman

This is sort of an artbook companion to the Fablehaven series (juvenile fiction, very similar in subject to the Spiderwick chronicles) It's not super in depth, and i would have liked it not to have been so... stiff? seeming. Many different fonts and only a few different "handwritings". I do not like the way that the added in/layered pieces work, as they have no real semblance of 3d (unlike other illustrative "guides" ive have seen do.) The descriptions are pretty dull as well.

A bit lackluster and I could have done with reading the series without this companion at all. Kids might find it interesting though, especially if they read the books.

Not gonna get this one for myself. Might think about it if I gift the series to my nephews at any point though as I do love to give whole sets not just partials.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Caretakers-Guide-Fablehaven-Brandon-Mull/dp/1629720917

ISBN: 978-1-62972-091-3

A Tale Dark & Grimm

Title: A Tale Dark & Grimm
Author: Adam Gidwitz

I picked this one up because as i've mentioned in previous posts, I have a thing for fairytales. I myself happen to own a copy of Grimm's household tales that was one of the first printings in english in the USA. A beautiful old book.

This one, based on the cover, I imagined to be for younger people, and young teens. It is not so. It is enjoyable for all ages I think.
The first thing that I have to say about it, is that it is spattered throughout by the author/narrator egging on the reader. He very much reminds me of the grandfather in "The princess bride", how he stops to ask the child if he's okay and such. I adore it.

This book is based on many of the original Grimm tales (many of which were toned down yet bloody versions of folk stories.) and does not spare in the gory details. Instead of telling the stories each on their own, or rewriting them directly the author spins them into a longer continuous tale with Hansel and Gretel as the main characters.

The stories included and manipulated include: Faithful Johannes, Hansel and Gretel, The Seven Ravens, Brother and Sister, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Devil and his Three Golden Hairs.

It is well done, and I may end up getting this for my nephews at some point, if not for myself.
It is also part of a (three I believe) book series. Quite curious.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Tale-Dark-Grimm-Adam-Gidwitz/dp/0525423346

ISBN: 978-0-14-241967-0

Oishinbo: The Joy of Rice

Title: Oishinbo a la carte: The Joy of Rice
Author: Tetsu Kariya
Artist: Akira Hanasaki

This is volume 6 in the Oishinbo series, it seems readable in any order and each appear to have a real recipe from the book IN the book so that you can try your hand at making the cuisine illustrated therein. (The one featured here is Scallop Rice. I don't eat seafood or anything from the water and thus it is lost on me.)

This book once again makes a very good point of bringing the environmental cause to center stage, making people look at cause and effect; showing them aspects about their food that they may never have thought of before. The last volume I read Vegetables, didn't teach me much that I didn't already know of the cooking and the culture. This one however taught me a little bit about rice. Including but not limited to: How brown rice can be nutritionally detrimental due to pesticide residue, how healthy deciduous forests can make oysters taste better, how different areas of Asia eat rice at the table, and what a "matsutake of the sea" was. 

Very informative while keeping with the basic storyline.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Oishinbo-Carte-Vol-Joy-Rice/dp/142152144X

ISBN: 978-1-4215-2144-2