The Amazing Something-Something of Octavian Nothing Part Whatever

I give up. I can't listen to this any more. I can deal with the faux 18th century language and the reader on the audiobook has a dishy voice (if voices can be dishy), but I can't listen anymore. This book makes me want to lie down and never get up again. It sucks all the happiness out of my life - what's left of the happiness. The happiness, that is, that has not been sucked out by this recurring IRS problem. Anyway, teens, if they can wade through the archaic language, will love this. This is a drama party with all the stops pulled out. Whippings? Canings? Torture? Slavery? You name it. Teens might find all this new and fascinating, but for me it just confirms the ugliest side of humanity. I got as far as the fourth cd before my husband told me, as my head lay on the floor and my flesh pooled around me, I didn't have to read it any more. Thank you, my love. You have saved my life.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

What is it with the drama? Why do people like it so much? And do kids like it that much? According to the blurb on the jacket, Choldenko is renowned (at least in her family) for her quirky humor. I dunno what's wrong with me, but I don't find this funny at all. Harris and Me was funny, Al Capone Does My Shirts is a tragedy with a happy-ish ending slapped on the end. "Moose" in this story has a life hardly anyone could envy: Depression era, overworked/underpaid father, mother who's too busy dealing with his sister, and the sister who is autistic and apparently his responsibility. The so-called humor, I suppose, is in the relationship with the boss's daughter, the redoubtable Piper, who would give a preacher's kid a run for his money. Piper is obsessed with trading on her position and access as the warden's daughter. Yes, they all live at Alcatraz. Choldenko at least adds some interesting historical background material at the end to give you an idea of what living in the workers' quarters of Alcatraz was like.
I just couldn't get into this. I tried the play-away version first, but I fell asleep as I usually do. Then I couldn't get myself to rewind and start again. So I grabbed the hardcopy, which is a quick read. I was hoping for some humor in this to brighten my drab existence, but I just didn't find it. I suppose it's Piper soliciting clothing from her fellow students on the mainland to be washed in the prison laundry "by Al Capone" for five cents. Capone apparently operated the mangle in the prison laundry when he was first moved to Alcatraz. Operating the mangle was considered back-breaking work and the least desirable of jobs, which must mean the mangle wasn't ergonomically designed. Not like our new-fangled mangles with the height adjustment and Pentium processors! This sort of hijinks always reminds me of Lucille Ball, whose shows I often had to hide from because I could tell, even as a tiny tot, that she was just going to get into trouble, which was too much like watching my sister in action. Funny, I didn't get that impression from Harris and Me, where a boy in an unfortunate family situation is shunted from one relative's home to another and ends up with a cousin like Piper who is just bursting with "great" ideas. But the humor (what little there was) was in there to mitigate the agony and frustration of dealing with an autistic family member, something Choldenko knows from experience and so that part is touching, heart-wrenching, and realistic.
It just isn't funny enough to live up to the title.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Normally, I wouldn't read something like this even with a gun pointed at me. I don't care how "good" it is supposed to be. But, I have two things mitigating my horror of Nazi Germany stories which give me nightmares thankyouverymuch and invoke my inherent War Guilt (still have relatives in Germany, not to mention the "Nazi-sympathizing" ones stateside). One, reading YA lit reflects on my performance evaluation (which I can almost see, as I work with kids and often have to take the older ones to the teen section and point out books and programs because there is no teen librarian on duty at this time) and, two, my book group (with gritted teeth:) is reading this one. Arrrrrrrrrgggggh!
This is a Very Good Book. I'm not just saying that because reading it affects my performance evaluation. "Sid and Nancy" is a Very Good Movie, but I don't want to have to watch it again. "Alfie" (the real one, not the recent abomination) is a brilliant movie I was unable to turn away from but I hope I never have to see it again. So, I can be thoroughly repelled by something and admit it's a good thing. I bet teens would eat this up. It's larded, oops, I mean loaded with emotion-button thumping drama that will wring the last tear out, then wallow in the details of the drama again in case you missed any of it the first time. With all the emotions and hormones running rampant in teens, this is a terrific outlet. I used to read A Little Princess at least every month when I was a kid for a really good cry. Now all I have to do is think, "Even when I was coldest and hungriest I tried not to be," and I'm simultaneously revolted and elevated. But I have enough drama in my life right now, so this is just too much.
It is somewhat comforting to read that some Germans weren't the monsters that the few who relished the plight of the Jews make them appear. I know that my old German professor was a member of the Hitler Youth. He waved his hand dismissively and said that there was no choice. At the end of the war, they were so hungry that they climbed some apple trees and ate the green apples and then, predictably, were sick. This book reminded me of his stories. It also reminded me of the used clothing that was packed up to send to our relatives in Germany after the war and my dad wondering what on earth they would need his tuxedo for. He griped about that for decades. They were apparently quite grateful and sent many letters of thanks and updates to my aunt.
Zusak uses interesting descriptive language, unexpected adjectives modifying ordinary words. This made the narrative quite poetic, the effects being beautiful or jarring by turns. The book is narrated by Death, and perhaps this explains it. I haven't read any of Zusak's other material to know. I didn't, in fact, read this. I listened to our audiobook version in the car in very small doses, which just made it more painful, I think. Corduner puts some excruciating emotional depth in this story, which makes driving all the more dangerous.
I am so glad this book is done. Go read it for yourself. I don't think I'm even that happy about talking about it.

Utterly Charming

While traipsing back and forth from the Children's Room to the Teen area (seems I'm doing a lot of that since kids are used to coming to us about summer reading and, if they look a bit tall, need to be redirected) today, I stopped to peruse the new book rack (as if I don't have 3 unfinished ones at home). A book whose title failed to interest me had an author who did. It's The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett [pictured is our large print edition]. Bennett is a favorite of mine from the "Beyond the Fringe" group. I've also read his The Clothes They Stood Up In and The Lady in the Van.
The book is about a familiar topic: reading, but with an unfamiliar protagonist, The Queen of England.
"Charming" is not an adjective I bandy about, less so as an unironic adjective. Someone is charming when I cannot bring myself to call them an Arschloch. I can think of no other descriptive for this book which has utterly charmed me. It was a gentle read that I could finish in the doctor's waiting room this afternoon (it takes time to do the bloodwork) and hand off to Bren who had read about it. I started reading it with a smile playing about my lips. I wondered as I read, though, what is the point of writing a book about reading when readers will read it anyway and non-readers never will and it won't help them. I'm listening to the audiobook of The Book Thief right now (and can't wait until it's over because the relentless suspense and horror of Nazi Germany is the source of nightmares for me and a certain amount of residual familial guilt since we still have family in the Fatherland), which is also nominally about reading and its importance to Liesel. It can sneak that message past the teen reader who's insatiable thirst for sensation pulls him through the plotline. But this book is about reading on the surface, while slyly commenting on politics, the monarchy, and some other things too subtle for me to parse.
My initial smile widened. I was chuckling a bit here and there eventually. Finally, I gasped.
Hey, it's not long, the letters are really big, and it's amusing. Give it a try.

I Lied Back There in February

Just when even I thought I'd had enough, I add to my list. I have been using Twitter for mini-blogging (just random thoughts or things I've done here at work that I will soon look at for my May monthly report to my super), but lately Twitter has been crashing and showing us all that cute picture of the tiny birds hefting a whale in a net. I love Twitter. I love the name, I love the vocab in general (on Twitter you post a "tweet" and the other people who post are called "twits" ... at least by me). There are associate applications such as Twirl and Twubble. But if you want to post a photo, instead of just a link, you have to go to TwitPic.
FriendFeed outpaced them. Like Plaxo, you can feed other mini-blogs, photoshares, bookmarks but you can also mini-blog on FriendFeed. Sooo, I started shifting slowly over there. Then I noticed that there's another mini-blog on the block and I'm trying it out. It's called Plurk, and the name and the logo are about the creepiest around. BUT, and it's a big "but" as you can see, BUT you can add photos and videos. I, of course, added Bob's latest latest video (he has two new ones now). I've noticed some other people making noises (on Twitter) about Plurk. Plurk has a timeline style. I'll see how it goes as it fills up with the thous- um, hun- um, several contacts I have. I had to unsubscribed from a contact on FriendFeed because I got feeds from his friends as well and he was already a power user of Twitter and FriendFeed. I couldn't find posts from anyone else!
If you visit Plurk, I apologise about the logo. It's a cartoon drawing of a headless dog with a bone sticking out where its head should be and its tail wagging. You have been warned. I just think it's creepy. The drawing of the vicious cat is okay though. I mean, that's fair comment.
If Twitter can't get its act together (it's painfully slow even when it is running and not all its features are working), I will probably have to move, but it will be with a heavy heart.