Happy 4th of July

My mom came in my room after working this morning, took one look at me and said, "You look like you've accomplished a lot today." I was like YEAH I DID. Here is a list of today's accomplishments:

1. I slept in until after 10 am. I have to get up at 7:30 for work so this is a BOON.
2. I finished the book I was reading (this will probly be written about in a separate post as there are actually several [well, 3] books I was reading at one time).  
3. I wrote about it in my reading journal.
4. I got dressed. (A sundress and a sports bra totally count as getting dressed.)
5. I bought The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet with Barnes & Noble's 20% off coupon for this holiday weekend. So psyched to read it.
6. I downloaded today's Nook Free Fridays selection.
7. I checked my email.
8. I Facebooked and read some articles on the Internet.
9. I entered for some Disney giveaway.
10. I bought this purple P&P shirt I've been eyeing forever from Out of Print since they're having a sitewide 30% off sale right now!
11. I haven't yet but I'm going to download the free ebook of Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, which I got from Open Road at ALA Annual last weekend.

The Rivals and Further Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

I read two books that are collections of short mystery and detective stories, written and set around the same time as Sherlock Holmes. They ranged from the mediocre (there were some where the mystery was solved but the person got off free, or where the ending was just "...oh." I hate that) to the awesome (a blind detective BAMF is put in a hostage situation because the villains know he's the only one who can stop them. He cuts the electrical light's cord, plunging the room in darkness and putting them all on equal footing. He has the drop on them due to his enhanced hearing and threatens to shoot anyone who moves. They all sit there in the darkness until his friends arrive to save him. The whole time he didn't have a gun). My favorite ones where the ones with lady detectives, because usually other people (men, mostly. These stories tend to be quite male-centric as a matter of course) underestimate them and they come out and solve the case like a boss. I think I liked the Sherlock Holmes stories more because Conan Doyle is better about explaining how he figured out the case. It drives me crazy when no explanations are given. The writing varied due to the different authors, but most of it was about as good as Conan Doyle's. I think the popularity of Sherlock Holmes is due mainly to his singular character. He's just so memorable and iconic. You think of mysteries and detectives and you think of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Watson.

Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Ahhh this book was SO GOOD. I liked it so much it's a new favorite. It includes a lot of my favorite things to read about: secretly sneaking around inside of city walls and buildings, mysteries that might change people's destinies, people who are geniuses at something awesome (in this case, putting together mechanical things), lock-picking (I really want to learn how to do that), dreams, gorgeous black and white illustrations, etc. Oh, it also includes an old-fashioned key with a heart, which is featured prominently on a teaser poster for the movie (I really wish they had kept the original title because it's way more awesome and old-fashioned-sounding and mysterious. "HUGO" does not inspire me to go see a movie. Plus, the font they used is too childish and whimsical). I hope they sell necklaces with the key as a pendant for movie merchandise because I rilly rilly want one.
Anyway, Hugo is a mechanically talented boy with many secrets. What happens when he runs into an old man with similar mechanical talent and just as many secrets? Literary dynamite, that's what. Also, the man's goddaughter Louise is awesome and has just as many skills (the lock-picking with a bobby pin among them) and she's a bookworm so I love her. The story is told with tons of gorgeous black and white pencil drawings as well as photographs from old movies. TIOHC won the Caldecott Award that year, which caused an uproar since that award is for picture books and this book is a novel. However, the pictures are just as important to the story as the words are, so I'd say it counts. This book was fantastic and everyone should read it immediately, especially old movie buffs. 5/5 stars

"I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too."

I don't feel like doing proper book reviews, part deux

These are the books I've read so far that I didn't do 'real' book reviews for. Sometimes* I am lazy.

– The Hunger Games books** (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) by Suzanne Collins: AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGGHHHHH. I sort of wanted to make a gif post on my tumblr of how I felt about THG, but that would basically entail all my weeping, mindsplosion and "MY EMOTIONS" gifs, so yeah. 4/5
– The Attolia/Queen's Thief books (The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings) by Megan Whalen Turner [all from the library]: If you haven't read these, you're missing out. Flawed, real characters; intelligent, unanswered questions; so much badassery; TONS of political intrigue and machinations... I'm not sure why they're considered Young Adult; everyone should read them. They're set in a sort of alternate universe much like medieval/early Renaissance Greece. Fantastic. 4.5/5
– Love Poems (Every Man's Library): such an adorable little red cloth hardcover book, with its own red ribbon bookmark (I love that). Great poems, perfect size. 4/5
– Lyonnesse Abbey by Jill Tattersall: it's a sort of Regency romance/mystery, I think. Too many improper references (minor spoiler: someone in the book has a mistress!) to be a true Second-Generation Austen Book, too tame to be a bodice-ripper (nothing onscreen. Our Heroine will occasionally remember she's doing something Improper For A Young Lady, but it's usually, like, going about with muddy stockings), too obvious of a mystery to be a good mystery novel, etc. It was ok. I put it up on Bookmooch. We're told Tessa is like a tomboy or something, but she acts like every romance novel heroine ever, so. There is swooning, if I remember aright. I'd give it 3/5.
– Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur: A Mythological Dating Guide by Francesca Lia Block [library book]: Oh, man. I saw this while shelving and had to check it out. It's tailor-made for freaks like me who love mythology and personality quizzes. I had so much fun figuring what types everyone (family, friends, favorite TV characters) was.  I'm an Urban Elf/Giantess hybrid, if you're wondering. I loved this both ironically and unironically. 4/5
– The last two Princess Diaries books, since I needed something light and fluffy after The Hunger Games (PD IX: Princess Mia and PD X: Forever Princess) [library books]. I used to be obsessed with these when I was younger, but became irritated with them about the fifth book or so (coincidentally, I think I was about nineteen). Most series go downhill after that. In reading them I was reminded simultaneously of why I liked them (fun, enjoyable characters and their interactions, humor) and why I became impatient (too superficial, and Mia is denser than everybody except for Lyonesse Abbey's Tessa and Bella Swann). I was unprepared for this weird feeling I got when I finished Forever Princess, like a chapter of my life had finished. ~3.7/5
– The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís [library book]: I already sort of wrote a review for this. Lovely book, although I'd have liked to know more of what his life was like after childhood. But I suppose that is for another book. Y such huge font, tho? I did like that it was green; Pablo Neruda wrote using ink that color, saying it was the color of hope (that's why that post of mine is in green). The illustrations were very dreamy and nice. The cover was lovely, as was the storytelling, but this wasn't *quite* as wonderful as I hoped/thought it'd be. Still, 4.5/5
– Lady of Palenque, Flower of Bacal (The Royal Diaries) [library book]: I used to inhale these when I was younger. This one I'd been meaning to read because it's about a Mayan princess. Highborn women were sometimes taught to write in that time and often acted as their husbands' scribes. Awesome stuff. I feel an affinity for Mayan and Mesoamerican cultures since I'm Hispanic; I do have some Mexican Indian (probably not the right term but oh well) in my genetic material somewhere, although it doesn't show at all. I'm sure the Lady of Palenque was an interesting person, especially since she could write, but we don't know much about her. This 'diary' was on the boring side and the writing was stilted, although I did like reading about the beliefs, customs and animals (we weren't given nearly enough of those). My name is very close to the pronunciation of a Mayan goddess's name, Ixchel (Lady Rainbow in English). I think it's pronounced 'eesh-chel'. This is the sort of thing that excites me. You can just call me M'lady Rainbow from now on. 3/5
– The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry [library book]: Lois never disappoints, but I enjoyed this book (a sort of satire on Old-Fashioned Books, especially those about Children In Dire Straits, which I usually love) rather less than I thought I would. The oldest boy is a sexist bullying prig and never gets the comeuppance he deserves (is it too much to ask for one oh-snap lecture from Nanny the BAMF? No, I do not think so.). Still, it was wryly funny and had a quip about Peter the Goatherd from Heidi (a childhood favorite) from the prig, no less, that made me laugh for about five minutes straight. I would recommend it but don't expect too much. Oh, Lois's author description of herself as an old woman hunched over a desk muttering to herself about commas sealed the deal: I really do want to be her when I grow up. ~4/5
– The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittany Ryan [library book]: The cover of this has lovely, intricate, glittering old-fashioned paintings, as well as wonderful black and white illustrations, and I love fairy tale and myth reinterpretations, so of course my inner twelve-year-old begged me to read this story about Santa Claus' daughter. It was good but I found the ending rather flat and too easy. I probably would have loved it when I was younger; I'm not sure if I spoiled it for myself by reading the (similarly lovely, from the same illustrator) picture book abrigement. What I liked best was the land of Forever, where the people from legends and myths and fairytales live and Santa Claus is king. I wanted to know more about it, and more about Victorian New York City, but alas. God only knows when authors will stop doing the "angelic, innocent girl and Byronic, brooding hunk drawn to one another" thing; I am mightily sick of it. Still, I liked this book. ~3.9/5

Wow, this was long. I really need to just force myself to write book reviews as I read the books and do one post per book.

*Most of the time.
**I would really like to use 'trilogy' here, but a friend of mine has made me paranoid about using the word wrong. You see, you're not supposed to call The Lord of the Rings books a trilogy because they are all one story cut up into three books because they were published during the wartime when they were rationing paper. This is one of that friend's pet peeves, and since The Hunger Games books are all basically one story cut up into three, similarly, wouldn't it be wrong to use trilogy here too? So I'm afraid to call any group of three books a trilogy for that reason. I have issues.

For Pablo Neruda

And the words are all the more sweeter

Because you fought for them.

You never closed your heart,

Despite the rage of the father

And silence of others

And death of dreams and swans and things you loved.

You with your scientist's mind

And artist's eyes

Dreamer's heart

And poet's soul

Are one of the riches of the world:

Take all of God's bounty–

Nature, love, beauty and the rest–

And help us to see it again.

In you the circle is complete.

I don't feel like doing a proper book review

I have finished the following books:
-The Ancient Myths by Norma Lorre Goodrich
-Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
-Enough Rope by Dorothy Parker

The Ancient Myths was a'ight. It's just such a product of its times. It did help remind me of myths I'd read long ago and introduced me to ones I hadn't yet, such as Rama and the Monkeys. There were way less Eastern myths compared to the standard Classical ones; I detect a bias, mainly because I didn't really like this book or its style of writing. I did like the summarization of The Aeneid, mainly because of its usefulness in letting the reader know what happened in which book. The geneological charts and maps were helpful, although not located very practically. The drawings were crude, as if the publishers had contracted third-graders to attempt to copy classical Greek drawings. The whole thing was so male-centric. There's no getting away from that in ancient myths, to be sure, but it just struck me as odd that the female writer of the book would plunge into it headfirst, while relating it in such a hilariously euphemistic style for the naughty parts. This book is probably out of print, and that's a good thing. A more faithful, unobjective, modern approach would be better. A resounding Meh from me. C or C+, maybe.

I loved Franny and Zooey. It had plenty of Salinger's trademark curses and jerky, flawed characters' dislike of phoniness, but it was just so religious and spiritual and lovely. That sounds like an odd thing to say about a book, especially one by J.D. "King of Disaffected Youths and Hipsters, RIP" Salinger, but it's true. The nervously breaking down Franny is searching, yearning, desperate for something and thinks that perhaps in saying a specific prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me") over and over again, she can achieve "Christ conscienceness" and peace in her life. Zooey, her brother, tries to help her by getting to the root of her problem and explaining it to her. These characters are often jerks, especially Zooey, but there's just this underlying current of the search for truth, for meaning, for spiritual light. The only thing I didn't like about the book (other than Zooey being such a jerk to his mom, who just takes it in stride) was that there were no chapter breaks. There's "Franny", which was originally a short story and shows us Franny's collapse when out with her boyfriend, and "Zooey", which is a novella that shows us how Zooey interacts with his mother and sister and how he helps her. I just really liked this book. B+ or A-, perhaps.

Enough Rope has established Dorothy Parker as one of my favorite poets. She's a scream and everything I like in a poet: funny, relatable, rhyming and metered poems, etc. She writes mainly about boys and her lot in life. Dorothy is the one who came up with "Men seldom make passes/At girls who wear glasses." I love her and I loved this book. I may share poems from it, if I feel like it. A or A-.

Book Review -- Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex

Spoilers will be in white from now on and will have to be highlighted to be read.

In the seventh AF book, Artemis comes up with a plan to save the world. Those closest to him are worried, however, because he's displaying symptoms of a mental disorder unique to fairies who are wracked with guilt. As it always does with Artemis and co., disaster and danger for the fairy world occur, but this time Artemis is deterred by his number fear/obsession and a personality named Orion who is the complete opposite of him and keeps professing his love for Holly, the LEPrecon captain.

I've found the last couple books, ever since the fifth which might be my favorite, to be on a decline. I somewhat disliked the sixth book (which is akin to my mild approval of any other book) and felt about the same with this one. I cannot for the life of me see why **SPOILERS** Eoin Colfer acquiesed to the horrifying and creepy Artemis x Holly subplot that exists among the sick, older fans of the series. I wish it had stayed that way, and now it is canon. Why, Eoin. Why. They're not even the same species! Artemis is fifteen and Holly is like in her eighties, which is like being in one's twenties as a human! Ugh. Oh, and I know, the villain fairy guy had a human wife. How? Humans are much bigger than fairies; what about mechanical barriers (yuck. Thanks, biology)? There is just no way this is a good thing. It's awful twisted for a kids' series.  **END SPOILERS**

Bellyaching aside, I do feel like most book series run out of steam around the fifth book. That's when the Princess Diaries books started to suck, for example. There's not much that's new about this, other than Artemis's mental issues. I found the depiction of OCD to be well done, although I'm no expert in anything medical. I could feel why he was afraid and fixated on the numbers. As always, I wish the series had shown us more of Artemis's home/domestic/family life; there's not much to make us care about his family (mildish spoilers: and his baby brother twins sound like such a riot, too. Why are we not hearing more about them?  MORE TWINS!) It's just always same old, same old. Some vengeful fairy mastermind or greedy rich human tries to take over the world/expose that fairies exist and Artemis, Holly, the Butlers, Mulch Diggems, and Foaly have to stop them; there are tons of near-death experiences and wacky banter, etcetera and so forth. Something so delightful should not become commonplace, and yet it sort of has. IDK. It's good there's only one more book, since I don't really see where else these could go.
I'd give this book a B.

Book Review: E.L. Konigsburg's Silent to the Bone

Thirteen year old Conner's best friend Branwell is in a correctional facility because everyone thinks Branwell injured his baby half-sister. The situation is more tangled than it seems, with fractured parental relationships and a seductive au pair. The only one who knows what really happened is Branwell, but he's not talking... It's as if he can't. Inspired by the story of the paralyzed author who communicated by blinking, Conner tries to help Branwell tell him the truth and sets off to solve the mystery.

I've read a couple of E.L. Konigsburg's books before, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (excellent, one of my favorites since I read it in elementary school) and The View From Saturday (also very good; I read it for a children's literature class in college). This one was also excellently written, and the characters, even minor ones (with the exception of the villain) were well-rounded. They didn't quite feel like real people, except for Connor and Branwell, probably because Connor is our narrator and he and Branwell are the people he knows the best. Silent to the Bone was a bit of a page-turner, but the villain was rather obvious and felt somewhat flat. I pretty much knew how it was going to end, but Konigsburg at least doesn't let you know quite how she's going to get there. A good read, and recommended. I'd give it a B+, perhaps.
p.s. This is random, but I find this sort of thing important: the cover was just perfect for this book.