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Crossing the finish line! April AtoZ & TBR2014 Challenge wrap-up

May1

Hooray and three cheers!

cartoon of chocolate cake with 4 birthday candles

Celebrate! (c)OCAL

1. It’s BooksYALove’s fourth birthday!

2. I successfully completed all 26 days of the AtoZ April Blog Challenge (as entry #785). I didn’t have time to visit many AtoZ bloggers, didn’t get many comments or new followers (all the reasons we usually do blog challenges), but I did post on-time every day according to the alphabet and recommended 25 books, which is why I forced myself to do AtoZ during such a busy time for me.

3. For the TBR2014 Challenge (I’m #30 on list), I’m now up to 30 titles toward my goal of recommending 50+ books with 2013 (or older) copyright dates during this year!

Here are April’s 20 additions to my TBR2013 list – just click on the title to get my no-spoiler review in a new window:

All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens – India’s independence fight and a young British lady’s heart

Americus – graphic novel about freedom to read, book-banning, and bullies

The Apprentices (Apothecary, book 2) – friends battle Cold War peril to save the world

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – beautiful boy, terrible talent, death by the shore

Break These Rules: 35 YA Authors on Speaking Up, Standing Out, and Being Yourself

The Butterfly Sister – literary mystery as college tragedy repeats itself?

Control – in 2051 un-United States, genetic diversity is illegal and profitable

Dead Ends – missing dads, finding friends as unlikely allies

Forget Me Not – dead to classmates through social media; paranormal limbo

Hypnotize Me (book 1 of The Hypnotists) – a powerful gift, wrong hands grasping for him

Little Fish: a Memoir From a Different Kind of Year – graphic novel of small town graduate moving to big city college

Mountain Dog – novel-in-verse of lonely boy, rescue dog in training, hope for safety

Riese: Kingdom Falling – princess faces war and treachery

Screwed – pregnant, disowned, rescued, redeemed

When You Were Here – searching in Tokyo to answer California questions

Where Stars Still Shine – kidnapped by mom as tot, returned to family as teen

The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots

Will in Scarlet – young Robin Hood legend begins

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope – first of trilogy, forsooth!

A Wounded Name: A Tragedy – Hamlet at boarding school, from Ophelia’s perspective

If a blog challenge sounds like fun to you, join me in the WordCount Blogathon in June – a very supportive community of bloggers, lots of suggestions for posts, connections to find/become a guest blogger, and a chance to “build up your blogging muscles” by posting all 30 days of June. Registration opens in mid-May.

Taking a breather from daily postings in May, but still planning to recommend a few books every week,
**kmm

(clipart of birthday cake with 4 candles courtesy of OCAL on clker.com: http://www.clker.com/clipart-birthday-cake-four-candles.html)

B is being a Little Fish, by Ramsey Beyer (book review) – art school graphic novel

Apr2

book cover of Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer published by Zest BooksSmall-town art dreams,
Big-city college realities,
Can she really make it in art school?

Opening her memorabilia box filled with journals, ‘zines, sketches and lists from freshman year of art school inspired Ramsey to tell her own story in this graphic novel of self-discovery.

What scares you about starting something new?
**kmm

Book info: Little Fish: a Memoir From a Different Kind of Year / Ramsey Beyer. Zest Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: After graduation, Ramsey is oh-so ready to leave her small Michigan town for art school in Baltimore… isn’t she?

This graphic novel uses pages from the young artist’s actual journals, lists, ‘zines, and cartoons to show how she conquered her freshman fears to make friends, explore her new city, and expand her personal and artistic horizons in this memoir chronicling ups, downs, detours, discoveries, and distractions. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

A is Americus, by MK Reed & Jonathan Hill (book review) – no ban for his favorite book!

Apr1

book cover of Americus by MK Reed, art by Jonathan Hill published by First Second Books“Fantasy books are the devil’s work!”
“Freedom to read is every American’s right!”

Neil’s freshman year won’t be the same without his best friend Danny whose ultra-religious mom banishes him to military school for reading an Apathea Ravenchilde book and stating his personal beliefs.

This graphic novel has belligerent book-banners, the same bullies from junior high, a courageous youth librarian, Neil’s intro to punk rock, and excerpts from fantasy books that readers will wish were real.

Welcome, AtoZers – got a banned book story to share?
**kmm

Book info:  Americus / written by MK Reed; art by Jonathan Hill. First Second Books, 2011. [author site]   [artist site]   [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Neil misses his best friend and their mutual love for Ravenchilde books when Danny’s Bible-thumping mom sends him to military school for reading a fantasy book.

When she tries to have the series banned from their Oklahoma town’s library, the high school freshman decides to stand up against censorship and maybe even against being bullied himself in this graphic novel celebrating our freedom to read. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

A2Z Blog Challenge this year? My TBR shelf says yes!

Feb18

logo of A to Z Blog Challenge April 2014 Every spring, I agonize over whether or not to participate in the April AtoZ Blog Challenge.

Twenty-six posts in 26 days…

By no means impossible, but it sure is tough for me to get all the posts’ subjects to align with the A-through-Z daily schedule in April (we have Sundays off, thank God!).

However, my to-be-reviewed shelf of worthwhile reads is so overflowing that I  easily set aside 26 great books, each with a wee-bitty alpha tag, just waiting for April – and I still have scads more to write about in the meantime!

So yes, I’m committing myself to 26 A2Z posts in April again – third time’s a charm? See me at #785 on the AtoZ list?  (This will also help immensely with my pre-2014 books backlog as part of the Bookish blog TBR2014 Challenge)

Are you up for the Challenge too?
**kmm

Boxers & Saints, by Gene Luen Yang (book reviews) – two views of war, graphic novel style

Sep18

book cover of Boxers by Gene Luen Yang published by First Second Booksbook cover of Saints by Gene Luen Yang published by First Second BooksChina at war with itself in 1900,
tradition versus new beliefs,
cultural identity versus change.

We may have heard of the Boxer Rebellion or Uprising because of its unusual name (and inevitable juvenile snickers about the word ‘boxer’), but didn’t realize that Western countries were eyeing China for conquest and colonialism in the late 1800s.

Now this pair of  well-scripted and evocatively drawn graphic novels examines the larger conflict from the viewpoints of two individuals whose paths cross once (or was it twice?), neither of whom can realistically expect to win the fight of their lives.

Yang uses a muted palette for the drabness of village life, reserving strong colors for battles when Bao and his disciple-brothers and sisters transform into all-powerful Chinese gods and for Joan of Arc’s appearances to Vibiana. The boxed set of both books is gorgeous; check out the spine art’s continuation of the cover sequence.

When is it too late to change your beliefs? When is it too soon to stand your ground, despite the odds?
**kmm

p.s. I wrote and scheduled this post before the National Book Awards‘ long-list was announced on 16 September – congratulations, Gene!

Book info: Boxers / story and art by Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien. FirstSecond Books, 2013.   Saints / story and art by Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien. FirstSecond Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site – Boxers]  [publisher site –  Saints]  [book trailer for both books]   Review copies and cover images courtesy of the publisher.

My book talks:    BOXERS – Foreign powers want to take China’s wealth in 1900, but patriotic men (and women) will use fists, swords, and fire to reunite their country.

This graphic novel of the Boxer Rebellion traces the roots of the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist, a people-led army rising from impoverished villages, dedicated to getting justice for the wrongs committed by foreign devils, including Christian missionaries and Chinese converts.

Youngest brother Bao becomes strong and mighty through the Society’s practices, eventually leading them against foreign and imperial troops at Peking. When he allows the Red Lantern maiden warriors to join the cause and fight alongside men, some Brother-Disciples question his motives, though not the women’s killing skill.

Practicing martial arts and stern rituals, Brother-Disciples of the Fist feel themselves transformed into gods of Chinese legend as they fought to wrest the capital city from the ’round eyed’ foreigners uncontrolled by weak emperor Ching.

Yet time doesn’t stand still for gods or empires or young men who are visited in their dreams – the Boxer Rebellion ends just as this book portrays it.

Yang’s companion book, Saints, shows this historic conflict from the viewpoint of a Chinese convert to Christianity who escapes her abusive family to watch history unfold.

SAINTS – The God preached by foreign missionaries might rescue an unwanted daughter in 1900 even as a peasant army marches to kill all the foreign devils who want to drain China of its wealth and debase its heritage.

Four-Girl, born on the most inauspicious day of the year, doesn’t even merit a name as her grandfather blames her for the untimely death of her father. A devil, he calls her, and nothing she does is right. To fight back, she begins secretly learning about Christianity, since its missionaries are known as ‘foreign devils’ to everyone.

Escaping from abuse at home, Four-Girl receives the saint-name Vibiana when she is baptized and travels with the foreign priest to a town with its own church. Away from its orphanage, she sees visions of a slim girl in bright metal armor – the priest says her name is Joan of Arc, a champion of her Church and her country.

Now Vibiana knows she is being called to save someone, even in the face of the Righteous Fist army killing Christians and foreigners wherever they go as the Boxer Uprising begins.

Be sure to read Yang’s companion book, Boxers, to see how a peasant army tries to push out the foreign devils and their converts to reunite the China they love.  (Two of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, by Tony Cliff (book review) – swashbuckling adventuress of 1807!

Aug28

book cover of Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff published by First Second Like Indiana Jones in the 1800s!
Except she’s a noblewoman,
and an expert swordfighter,
and has a much more “flexible” sense of honor.

Should this be your first meeting with Delilah Dirk, prepare yourself for miraculous escapes, gymnastic evasive maneuvers, and well-timed explosions.

Alas, the Agha of Constantinople did not believe the intelligence reports about her skills… but circumlocutious Lt. Selim still has his head to prove it’s all true.

Just published yesterday as a full-color graphic novel, this swashbuckling webcomic translates so well to the printed page – I had as much fun re-reading it to write this recommendation as I did the first go-round! Read 12 pages of Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant here and you’ll be hooked, too.

Here’s hoping that Delilah will have many more adventures for Canadian artist/author Tony Cliff to share with us (and that Lt. Selim can stand all the excitement).
**kmm

Book info: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant / story and art by Tony Cliff. First Second Books, 2013. [Delilah site]  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The Agha’s court of Constantinople in 1807 is hardly the place for a genteel young lady, but then again, adventuress Delilah Dirk is clever, skillful at fighting, and not at all genteel. Just ask Lt. Selim after she rescues him from execution and launches the tea-master into dangerous adventures with her.

Yes, Delilah is related to half the royal families in Europe. Yes, she has trained in weaponry and personal fighting skills her whole life. No, Selim is not fond of flying in the air (how does her ship do that?) or riding horseback for days on end (sorry, bad pun) or being nearly killed by Zakul’s minions repeatedly after Delilah steals her uncle’s treasure back from the pirate warlord.

Delilah insists that she can accomplish this task without Selim – he’s seen her swordwork and knows she’s right. But since Selim owes her his life, he tries to be helpful on her headstrong mission, while brewing the best teas on the entire Aegean Peninsula or Greece or wherever else they land.

Can they ‘liberate’ the treasure?
Will Selim survive the attempt?
What else does Delilah have up her sleeveless flight gown?

This uproarious, mile-a-minute graphic novel adventure features stellar use of color to invoke moods, fantastic drawing that brings emotions and motion to life, and sound effects (GRABB! DODGE’D!) that put an original spin on classic-comics traditions.   (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Will & Whit, by Laura Lee Gulledge (book review) – hurricane blackout, fears to face

Jul31

book cover of Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge published by Amulet BooksLet’s get this all straight: Will is a teen girl (full name Wilhemina), Whit is Hurricane Whitney striking inland Virginia, and this great graphic novel has heart written all over its black and white pages.

A shrink would make much of Will’s creation of lamps from found objects in relation to her fear of dark, but I think her creative heart would lead her to do it anyway. She and her friends won’t let a little thing like a hurricane and no electricity stop them from putting on quite an arts carnival to end their summer.

Take a peek into Will’s life with the book trailer (you know, like a movie trailer -except for a book) – gotta love Laura Lee’s art!

Have you ever faced your fears like Will wants to do?
**kmm

Book info: Will & Whit / story and art by Laura Lee Gulledge. Amulet Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: As a hurricane approaches, Will confronts her new fear of the dark as she finds ways to move forward with her life through friends old and new.

Just a few more weeks of summer before their junior year of high school, so Wilhemina and her pals float along the river on air mattresses, check out the kids across town planning an arts carnival, and hope that Hurricane Whitney won’t really get this far inland. Will makes lamps from interesting found materials, Autumn loves creating puppets, Noel is the best cook ever.

The late-season storm does hit their Virginia hometown, knocking out the power for days. She and her aunt are fine in the family antique store, but now Will has even more dark places to avoid as she tries to not-think about what happened to her a year ago.

Ava and Blake have worked on their arts carnival all summer – now the continuing blackout may prevent them from actually having the show.

Can Will, Autumn, and Noel help the show go on?
Is there some special chemistry brewing between the two groups of friends?
When will she face what happened last summer?

Laura Lee Gulledge’s black-and-white art is filled with heart and hope and light, despite the personal darkness that Will must face in this graphic novel of friendship and growth.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

William and the Lost Spirit, by Gwen de Bonneval and Matthieu Bonhomme (book review) – quest for father trapped in time

Jun16

book cover of William and the Lost Spirit by Gwen de Bonneval, art by Matthieu Bonhomme, published by Graphic UniverseA way-finding goat,
Mythical creatures and legendary people,
Trust your spirit, not your eyes.

Hilane is sure that Father is alive when everyone else thinks he’s dead, and her quest to find him turns into brother William’s odyssey through lands of fable and myth to discover a way to release his spirit from whoever (or whatever) holds it captive.

Brigands and knights and political treachery are all part of this sweeping medieval tale in graphic novel format.

Is their father dead or alive? You’ll have to read William and the Lost Spirit for yourself to find out.

May your Father’s Day be much less-adventurous than William and Hilane’s travels!
**kmm

Book info: William and the Lost Spirit / Gwen de Bonneval; art by Matthieu Bonhomme; translation and commentary by Ann and Owen Smith. Graphic Universe, 2013.   [author Facebook – in French]  [artist biography]  [publisher site]  [book trailer]

My book talk: Bandits roam the French countryside and their widowed mother prepares to wed the seneschal for safety, but William and his sister Hilane still sense their father’s life-force and undertake a treacherous journey to find him.

As the Count’s business manager, the seneschal should have ensured that the knights have the resources to clear the area of bandits, yet somehow the peasants are still being killed or run off. Now that Brifaut is marrying the widow of the Count’s son, he will receive a title and much of the abandoned land. Hilane and William think that their father’s “death” was most suspicious – how can a healer die of unknown poison?

When Hilane runs away before the wedding, William follows, turning to their other-worldly aunt Ysane for clues to her whereabouts and meeting up with a Crusades-experienced knight, a troubadour, and a friendly goat. Ysane says that William’s father is alive in “the Far-Off Lands” and that he’ll be guided on his journey as needed. So off they go, encountering turn-coat knights, fearsome creatures, Prester John of legend, and many perils along the way.

Can William find Hilane before it’s too late?
Will he survive the challenges and bring justice to his grandfather’s land?
Is his father truly alive?

This action-packed French graphic novel includes all three original volumes of William’s adventures, plus extensive commentary by the translators in the US publication.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Astronaut Academy: Re-Entry, by Dave Roman (book review) – heart-eating monster disrupts space school

May13
book cover of Astronaut Academy Reentry by Dave Roman published by First Second Books

Students from many different places,
with different traditions and expectations,
bound together by Fireball game fever,
while a monster roams their school space station.

Happy Children’s Book Week! Graphic novels and picture books for all ages are some great ways to celebrate right along with the littlies.

With insider nods to pop culture of his own school days, a blithe mashup of then-now-future (dinosaur riding practice after space evacuation drills), and the enduring hope of friendship, author/cartoonist Dave Roman brings us more fun and mystery at the school we’d all love to attend as the second semester begins at Astronaut Academy.

Of course, you’ll enjoy the rivalry, friendship, and secrets of book 2 even more if you read book 1, Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity  first (my no-spoiler review here).

You can check out an excerpt of the latest adventures at Astronaut Academy here, then head over to your local library  or independent bookstore to reserve your copy now – its book birthday is tomorrow, May 15, 2013!

What would you do with your spare hearts if you had multiples like the Astronaut Academy students?
**kmm

Book info: Astronaut Academy: Re-Entry (Astronaut Academy #2) / written and illustrated by Dave Roman. First Second Books, 2013.   [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A heart-eating monster in space! Friends and arch-rivals, a wicked gang, and a ban on love will make this the toughest semester ever for the students of Astronaut Academy who must guard their hearts as they prepare for the Fireball Championship Match.

Somehow, a shape-shifting monster has infiltrated Astronaut Academy during the semester break, masquerading as the person each student has a secret crush on, tricking them into giving it their extra hearts, then devouring the hearts!

When you attend school in outer space, having multiple hearts is essential, of course. Yes, students can give a heart to someone they care about, but no one with just one heart is allowed to play Fireball for safety reasons. Tak Offsky loses two hearts to the monster, so must recruit his roommate for the Fireball team, despite Hakata’s unfamiliarity with the sport.

The evil geniuses of Team Feety Pajamas challenge Munchie Ng in Monchichimon cards, Hakata’s arch-nemesis joins their rival school’s Fireball team just to spite him, and the monster continues to eat up hearts!

Can the school’s new ban on love stop this monster?
Will Astronaut Academy have enough eligible players for the Fireball finals?
Will Hakata be able to share his secret past without losing another heart?

If the students can get past the cancellation of the Talent Spelling Bee and avoid falling in love, perhaps they can solve this problem and catch the monster that’s wrecking their semester at Astronaut Academy! A great follow-up to Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity,  the first graphic novel in Dave Roman’s out-of-this-world school series.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Y for Yehudi Mercado’s wacky Pantalones, TX: Don’t Chicken Out! (book review) – racing, mischief, and giant chicken challenge

Apr29

book cover of Pantalones TX Don't Chicken Out by Yehudi Mercado published by ArchaiaTexas legends and tumbleweed pompons,
a schoolkid planning the biggest prank ever,
and a giant chicken that blocks out the sun!

Y is for Yehudi Mercado and for yee-haw!

Welcome to Pantalones, Texas, the town where underwear was invented, Chico Bustamante’s souped-up go-kart outruns the sheriff’s chicken-shack-mobile, and the jail doubles as the schoolhouse.

Ask for this first book in the series at your local library or independent bookstore now so you can enjoy the feuding, friendship, and sunglasses-wearing dog Baby T, Chico’s cool sidekick. Yehudi’s website says the book is “Smokey and the Bandit meets Peanuts!”  Hope we’ll see book two soon – Pantalones, TX: Night of the Underwear Wolf!

What’s your best chicken-chasing story?
**kmm

Book info: Pantalones, TX: Don’t Chicken Out / written and illustrated by Yehudi Mercado.  Archaia Entertainment, 2012.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer]   (Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher)

My Book Talk: The dry riverbeds of Pantalones, Texas, are great for go-kart racing and tumbleweed chasing, but Chico wants to make his mark on history. With his trusty sidekick Baby T the sunglasses-wearing dog and best friend Pigboy (yes, he’s a boy who’s part pig), Chico plans one stunt after another, always one step ahead of the shifty sheriff.

In this tiny town where underwear was invented, the jail also serves as schoolhouse, the schoolbus is an armadillo-drawn wagon, and the sheriff speeds around in a mobile chicken-shack trying to catch Chico the prankster. Everyone thinks the New York weatherman and his son are from a foreign country, but no one knows they’re closet vegetarians.

Sheriff Cornwallis plans to make Pantalones famous for more than just underwear, so he creates a gigantic chicken and dares Chico to ride the bucking cluck like a rodeo star! Of course, Chico Bustamante and Baby T are hungry for adventure!

Can schoolkid Chico ride the giant chicken for the whole nine seconds?
Will the people of Pantalones ever realize that New York isn’t a foreign country?
What does a surfing rabbi have to do with all this?

Texas graphic novelist Yehudi Mercado uses his signature vivid color palette and wild imagination to create this bigger-than-life little town where anything could happen (and usually does) in the first book of his Pantalones, TX series. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)